Well, here's the next chapter of Changing Ways!
I'm proud to say that this is the longest chapter I've ever written(Well, planned out and written out fully without cutting it in half, that is!)
I'm sorry about all the cliff hangers. But I don't think that there will be any more of those in this story.
Thank you for all the reviews: We're up to 80 reviews now!
Anyway, here's Chapter 17!
Enjoy!
I do not own any characters or events related to Pokemon, this story is solely fan made.
Changing Ways: Chapter 17: It's been a long time coming:
Previously on Changing Ways…
"Oh no you don't!" Jessie furiously yelled at Misty. "Arbok: Use Poison Sting on that brat again!" she ordered.
"Char," Arbok obeyed as it fired another stream of poisonous needles towards Misty.
"Misty, no!" Ash yelled as he tried to scurry over towards Misty and Pikachu.
"Pikachupi, Pika Pika!" Pikachu frantically yelled at Misty.
"Don't worry, Pikachu." Misty said as she held on tighter to the cage, covering it with her body. "I won't let anything happen to you…"
"Pika!" Ash heard Pikachu's voice before an explosion occurred…
…
The force of the explosion sent Ash flying backwards through the air. He landed a few feet back from where he was and skidded along the ground, eventually coming to a halt on his back. He groggily got back up onto his feet and looked towards where the explosion occurred. The entire area was covered in a smoke cloud, thus he could not see any sign of Misty or Pikachu.
Team Rocket had also been blasted back by the explosion, along with Arbok and Weezing. The smoke from the explosion completely blocked their view.
"Hey, what happened!?" Jessie angrily asked.
"I can't see a thing!" James stated.
"Ditto!" Meowth agreed.
"Pikachu! Misty!" Ash yelled into the smoke with his hands cupped around his mouth, worry starting to irrationalize his way of thinking. He ran into the giant cloud, intent on rescuing Misty and Pikachu. As he dwelled deeper into the smoke; he started noticing two feint silhouettes starting to appear in front of him. As he got closer the silhouettes started taking form…of Misty and Pikachu!
"Misty, Pikachu!" Ash yelled in relief as he ran over towards Misty and Pikachu. There was electricity crackling around the two of them, meaning that Ash had to watch his step as he approached them.
"Bay Bay," Ash heard Bayleef calling from his right. He stopped in his tracks and then turned in that direction and saw her along with Staryu making their way over towards him. "Hey, are you two okay?" he asked as they stopped in front of him.
"Bay," Bayleef exclaimed as she affirmatively nodded.
"Hyah," Staryu exclaimed as it nodded as well.
Ash nodded in recognition and then turned his attention back towards Misty and Pikachu. "Come on, you two." He said, addressing Bayleef and Staryu, before he carefully started making his way over to them.
Misty sat on the ground behind Pikachu, who was protectively standing in front of her. "Uh…" she moaned in pain as she held on to her left arm.
"Misty!" Ash called out as soon as he noticed Misty holding on to her arm. He immediately got down onto his knees next to her. "Are you okay, Misty?" he asked as he gently placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Ash." Misty said as she looked up at Ash and half-heartedly smiled at him.
Ash nodded and carefully threw Misty's arm over his shoulder. "Come on, let's get you to safety." He said as he slowly stood up with Misty in tow, figuring that now was a good time to get her out of there while Team Rocket was stunned and stopped by the smoke.
Bayleef and Staryu stood on either side of Ash and Misty while Pikachu stood in front, making sure that no one tries to attack them until Misty was safe.
As Ash and led Misty a few feet back; he couldn't help but wonder…"Hey Misty, what happened in that explosion?"
"Oh yeah!" Misty excitedly exclaimed. "You should have seen it, Ash. Pikachu was unbelievable!" she added.
"Pikachu?" Ash quizzically asked as he gave Misty a sideway glance. "What did he do?"
"Well…" Misty trailed off…
[FLASHBACK…]
"Don't worry, Pikachu." Misty said as she held on tighter to the cage, covering it with her body. "I won't let anything happen to you…"
"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed from within the cage.
"Protect yourself, Pikachu!" Misty whispered to Pikachu as she looked over her shoulder at the oncoming attack. She then looked back down and shut her eyes tightly, preparing for the collision and protecting Pikachu at all costs.
"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed as he forcefully rammed into the cage door.
The collision caused the door to break open, seeing as it was probably damaged in the previous fall.
"Pika?" Pikachu questioned as he noticed the door opening. His expression then turned to one of determination. "Pika!" then exclaimed as he jumped out of the cage.
"Huh?" Misty mumbled as she looked up to see Pikachu jumping over her. "P-Pikachu?" she exclaimed as she watched the yellow mouse land in front of her. "What are you doing…?" she asked as she sat up and carefully watched him.
"Pika Pika, Pikachupi." Pikachu calmly exclaimed as he looked over his shoulder at Misty with sparks emitting from his cheeks. He then turned back and faced the oncoming attack. "Pi – Ka –"he started as the sparks emitting from his cheeks grew in size.
"Pikachu?" Misty nervously asked as she intently watched Pikachu.
"CHUUUUU!" Pikachu exclaimed as he unleashed a vicious, unrelenting Thunderbolt straight for the oncoming Poison Sting.
The two attacks collided in mid-air, very close to where Pikachu and Misty were situated. This caused a tremendous force to hit the two of them. Misty shielded her eyes with her left arm while Pikachu kept unleashing electricity to protect him and Misty. A spark shot out of the collision and hit Misty's left arm, which resulted in a muffled groan from the redhead as she cringed in pain. The collision finally reached its climax and resulted in a devastating explosion, followed by a thick cloud of smoke.
"P-Pikachu?" Misty managed to muffle out in between coughs as she squinted her eyes to try and spot Pikachu through the smoke. "Where are you…" she whispered to herself as she intently kept looking for any sign of the yellow mouse.
The smoke slowly started thinning out and Misty started seeing a silhouette appearing in front of her.
"Pikachu!" Misty happily exclaimed as she recognized the silhouette as Pikachu.
Pikachu had a determined look on his face and was breathing heavily as sparks still sizzled around him. He heard Misty's voice behind him and looked over his shoulder at her, a slight smirk on his face as he kept breathing heavily.
Misty watched Pikachu in awe as she clenched her left arm…
…
"…and that's when you got here." Misty ended the story.
She and Ash had made quite a bit of headway away from the battlefield and were approaching a boulder under a tree.
"Wow," Ash exclaimed, surprise and awe evident in his voice. "So, Pikachu basically saved both of your lives?" he asked as they stopped at the boulder.
"Yep, that's what he did." Misty simply replied as she slowly and carefully sat down on the boulder with Ash's help.
Ash made sure that Misty was comfortably seated. He then bit his lip and stared down at the ground, his fist trembling slightly.
"Ash?" Misty asked, still holding on to her left arm. "Are you okay?" she asked as she noticed Ash slightly in his own world.
Ash looked up at Misty, seemingly snapping out of his trance, and slightly nodded at her. "Yeah, I'm fine." He answered. "Hey Misty, why don't you call Staryu over here." He proposed.
"Staryu?" Misty repeated. "But why, Ash?" she asked as she frowned at Ash.
"For protection, Misty." Ash answered. "Hey, Bayleef!" he yelled.
"Bay?" Bayleef exclaimed as she looked over her shoulder at Ash.
"Come over here!" Ash yelled at Bayleef.
"Bay," Bayleef exclaimed as she followed Ash's orders and ran towards him.
"Bayleef:" Ash said as he crouched down in front of Bayleef as soon as she got to him. "I need you to stay here and look after Misty for me, okay?" he said as he smiled at his Grass-type pokemon.
"Bay Bay," Bayleef nodded in understanding as she smiled back at Ash.
"But Ash," Misty started protesting. "Why do you want to leave Bayleef here with me, you know." She said as she glared at Ash. "I can take care of myself-"
"Because I don't want you to get hurt again, Misty." Ash interrupted Misty. "So, I'm leaving Bayleef here to protect you, and that's final." He announced.
The firmness in Ash's voice caused Misty to stare at him in disbelief. Sure, they argued all the time, but he never talked to her like THAT ever before. She started glaring at him again, but her expression soon softened when she realised that he was only worried about her. "Alright, Ash." She said with a sigh. "I'll stay put, then." She assured him as she smiled at him.
Ash tenderly smiled at Misty after hearing that. "Thanks, Misty." He said before turning around and walking towards Pikachu.
"Staryu!" Misty called out at Staryu.
"Hyah?" Staryu exclaimed as it turned around to face Misty.
"Come over here!" Misty yelled at Staryu, to which it complied and hopped over towards her. "Thanks for protecting me, Staryu. You too, Bayleef." She thanked the two of them. She then looked over to where Ash was walking. "Go get 'em, Ash." She whispered to herself as she looked at him, a confident and admiring smirk on her face…
Ash had made his way over to Pikachu in the meantime. "Hey buddy, are you okay?" he asked the yellow mouse as he crouched down next to him.
"Pika Pika," Pikachu nodded as he looked up at Ash, still visibly tired but bearing a smirk.
"Thank you for protecting Misty, Pikachu." Ash said as he scratched Pikachu between his ears. "If it wasn't for you, she could have been seriously hurt." He added; his expression faltering a bit as that thought went through his mind.
"Pika Pika, Pikapi." Pikachu exclaimed as he patted Ash on the shoulder.
Ash looked down at Pikachu and smiled, before his expression turned to a mixture of anger and determination. "Come on, Pikachu:" he said as he got back up. "Let's go deal with Team Rocket." He declared as he started making his way in the direction where Team Rocket supposedly still was.
"Pika!" Pikachu determinedly exclaimed as he caught up to Ash and walked next to him on his hind legs…
"I…can't…see anything!" James yelled in between coughs as he squinted to try and see in front of him through the smoke.
"Yea, we heard ya da first tym!" Meowth informed James as he glared at the blue-haired Rocket member.
"Stop arguing, you two!" Jessie yelled from James's left side. "Look; someone's coming!" she informed James and Meowth as she pointed in front of them where the smoke had not completely dissipated yet.
James and Meowth squinted as they looked into the smoke and sure enough; they saw two silhouettes starting to form in front of them, coming closer to where they were standing.
"I wonder who dat is…" Meowth wondered out loud as he strained to see who it was.
"Wait a second…" James said as he put his hand above his eyes to shield out the light from the sun. "Isn't that…the twerp?" he quizzically asked.
"The twerp?" Jessie and Meowth simultaneously asked as they turned their heads towards James.
"Yeah," the Team Rocket trio heard the all-too-familiar voice coming from the smoke. "The twerp." The voice again rang through their ears as the source of it appeared from out of the smoke in front of him.
"But I prefer Ash." Ash calmly stated as he stopped in front of Team Rocket, his fists clenched at his sides.
Pikachu stood next to Ash, the same calm expression on his face as they looked at Team Rocket.
All three of the Team Rocket members simultaneously gulped, taken back by Ash and Pikachu's cold expression towards them.
"W-What are you trying to pull, twerp?" Jessie shakingly asked as she forced a glare towards Ash.
"Y-yea, wes ain't afraid of yous twos!" Meowth shakingly added from next to Jessie.
Ash merely kept looking at the three of them with a calm expression on his face with Pikachu standing slightly in front of him, glaring at the three Team Rocket members.
James looked at Ash and Pikachu for a moment. "Group huddle!" he then yelled as he pulled Meowth and Jessie closer, forming a huddle between the three of them.
"What gives, James?" Jessie irritatedly asked as she glared at James next to her.
"I don't know about you two, but I am kind of frightened by the twerp's behaviour." James nervously informed Jessie and Meowth.
The three Team Rocket members all quickly stole a glance at Ash and Pikachu, who were still looking at them. They then returned their attention back into the huddle.
"Yeah, same here." Jessie said.
"Don't forget 'bout Meowth!" Meowth nervously added.
"Well," Jessie started. "The twerp's still outnumbered, so we have no reason to be worried, isn't that right, Arbok?" she stated.
"Char!" Arbok agreed as it appeared next to Jessie.
"Yeah, you're right, Jessie." James stated. "We have no reason to be scared of the twerp and his puny Pikachu!" he declared.
"Weezing Wee," Weezing declared as it appeared next to James.
"You will pay for what you've done, Team Rocket!" Ash suddenly exclaimed with anger as he pointed towards Team Rocket.
The entire Team Rocket group present visibly cringed at Ash's remark and all of them took a step back.
"O-Oh, and who's going to make us pay!?" Jessie, the first one to recover, yelled at Ash.
"Char Bok Bok!" Arbok exclaimed, backing Jessie up.
"You tried to steal Pikachu, AGAIN!" Ash yelled as he and Pikachu took a step forward, to which Team Rocket retaliated by taking a step back. "You almost killed me!" he yelled as they took another step forward, causing Team Rocket to take another step back. "You almost killed Pikachu!" he yelled.
"Pika..." Pikachu growled while sparks started emitting from his cheeks in anger as he and Ash took another step forward, causing Team Rocket to jump into the air out of fright and take a step back once more.
"Y-You almost killed Misty…" Ash venomously said, barely audible to Team Rocket, as he and Pikachu took one final step before coming to a stop, facing Team Rocket. "I'll make you pay!" he yelled as his fists started shaking in anger.
Pikachu looked up at Ash with concern in his eyes. This is the first time that he had ever seen his master so angry. "Pikapi…" he exclaimed with drooped ears.
Ash looked down at Pikachu and his expression immediately softened. Looking at the yellow mouse, he realised that it isn't worth it to hold a grudge against anybody, not even Team Rocket. At the moment, he was ready to murder them out of anger, which wasn't acceptable. "Sorry, Pikachu." He said as he smiled at Pikachu. "I'm fine, don't worry, buddy. Now come on: Let's go teach Team Rocket that no one messes with our friends!" he said as he shoved his fist determinedly into the air.
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, his concerned expression changing to one of determination and relief.
"Hey, da twerp looks back to normal again…" Meowth remarked as he looked at Ash and Pikachu.
"Yeah, you're right, Meowth." Jessie agreed as she also watched Ash and Pikachu.
"Well, let's get that Pikachu then!" James exclaimed as he pointed towards Ash and Pikachu. "He's still outnumbered, right?" he exclaimed
"Right!" Jessie and Meowth simultaneously agreed.
"Arbok!" Jessie exclaimed, to which Arbok responded by slithering in front of her, ready for battle.
"Weezing!" James exclaimed, to which Weezing responded by hovering in front of its master, prepared for combat.
"And don't forget 'bout Meowth!" Meowth exclaimed as he jumped in between Arbok and Weezing, his claws out and ready for fighting.
"Let's show them, Pikachu!" Ash yelled as he pointed towards Team Rocket.
"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed before as jumped forward with sparks emitting from his cheeks. He glared at Team Rocket and their pokemon in front of him, ready to face them.
"Arbok: Use Poison Sting!" Jessie ordered, to which Arbok replied by firing a wave of poisonous needles towards Pikachu.
"Weezing: Use Sludge!" James ordered, an order which Weezing obeyed and fired a blob of disgusting sludge towards Pikachu.
"Jump into the air, Pikachu!" Ash yelled out the order.
"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as he acknowledged Ash's order and jumped into the air, evading the two attacks completely.
Pikachu's jump however, left him completely open…
"And now for sum Fury Swipes!" Meowth exclaimed as he came at Pikachu, who was not prepared for this third attack, with his razor sharp claws.
"Oh no…" Ash mumbled to himself, trying to think of a way out of the situation for Pikachu. "Wait, that's it!" he suddenly said. "Pikachu: Wait until Meowth is at you, and then jump off of his head!" he yelled to Pikachu.
"Pika?" Pikachu exclaimed as he looked at Meowth approaching. "Pika Pikachu!" he nodded as a confident expression made its way onto his face as he made his move...
"You're mine, Pikachu!" Meowth yelled when he was right in front of Pikachu. "Gah!" he exclaimed as one of Pikachu's hind-paws drove into his face, sending him spiralling down towards the ground.
Pikachu comfortably landed on the ground in front of Ash, unscathed and perfectly fine.
"Alright! Way to go, Pikachu!" Ash happily cheered.
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as he grinned over his shoulder at Ash.
Meowth landed with a thud in front of Arbok and Weezing, who in turn were standing in front of Jessie and James.
Uh, Meowth…are you okay?" Jessie inquired.
"I'm fine!" Meowth exclaimed as he got back up onto his feet. "But my poor aching Meowth!" he said as he held onto his mouth.
"Pull yourself together!" James yelled at Meowth.
Meowth nodded and then got back into a battle stance along with Arbok and Weezing.
Ash and Pikachu faced Team Rocket and their pokemon from the other side of the makeshift battlefield.
Ash bit his lip. A three-on-one battle was not what he was hoping on. Yes, Pikachu is very powerful and always reliable, but he simply can't handle three pokemon on his own. He had to quickly think of any possible way to give Pikachu an advantage in this battle. He didn't want to call on either Bayleef or Staryu for help, because that could make Misty a target for Team Rocket, something that he wouldn't dare to allow. But before he could even start to think…
"Arbok: Poison Sting!" Jessie ordered.
"Char!" Arbok exclaimed as it fired another stream of poisonous needles towards Pikachu.
"Quick Pikachu: Move out of the way!" Ash quickly ordered.
"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as he jumped to his left, dodging Arbok's attack.
"Now, use Tackle, Weezing!" James ordered while Pikachu was jumping, leaving the yellow mouse defenceless.
"Weezing Wee!" Weezing exclaimed as it went flying through the air towards Pikachu, viciously ramming into the yellow mouse.
"Pika!" Pikachu cried as he flew through the air and skidded along the ground, eventually landing in front of Ash.
"Pikachu!" Ash yelled. "Pikachu, are you okay?" he worriedly asked as he looked at Pikachu.
"Pi – Ka…" Pikachu mumbled as he groggily got back up onto his feet.
Ash growled in frustration. He really needed a way to get Pikachu back into this battle, and fast! He looked around the battlefield for any signs of accommodation. 'Wait…I've got it!' he thought. "Pikachu! I've got an idea, so listen carefully!" he yelled at the yellow mouse.
"Pika?" Pikachu questioned as he looked over his shoulder at Ash.
"I want you to get as close to them as possible." Ash said as he pointed towards Arbok, Weezing and Meowth, who all had returned to their position in front of Jessie and James.
"Pika?" Pikachu questioned Ash's order as he frowned at his master, not sure if it's such a good idea.
"Just trust me on this one, Pikachu." Ash reassured Pikachu with a confident smirk.
"Pika!" Pikachu nodded, confident in Ash's plan. He then turned back to Team Rocket and darted off towards them.
"Look guys, Pikachu's charging straight at us!" Meowth remarked. "We must've knocked his screws loose!" he joked. "Come on Pikapal; wes are watin' for ya!" he exclaimed as he held his paws in the air, waiting to trounce on Pikachu, with Arbok and Weezing, of course.
"Come on, almost there…" Ash mumbled to himself as he watched Pikachu get closer and closer to Team Rocket's pokemon.
Pikachu was almost at Team Rocket's pokemon, when Ash made a call…
"Now Pikachu: Jump into the air!" Ash quickly ordered.
"Pika!" Pikachu acknowledged and jumped high into the air in front of the onlooking Arbok, Weezing, Meowth, Jessie and James.
"Alright, Pikachu!" Ash cheered. "Now use Thunderbolt on the ground in front of them!" he further ordered Pikachu.
"Pika!" Pikachu loyally obeyed. "Pi – Ka – CHUUUU!" he exclaimed as he unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt on the ground in front of Team Rocket and their respective pokemon.
The Thunderbolt released from Pikachu resulted in the ground exploding into masses of medium-sized rocks and small boulders that flew into the air.
"Alright, it worked!" Ash cheered as he clenched his fist in front of him.
"What's with all the rocks?" Jessie nervously asked as she looked at all the rocks in the air.
"I don't know?" James answered.
"I don't think it's a good thing for us…" Meowth exclaimed.
"Pikachu: Use Quick Attack to jump from rock to rock and hit their pokemon!" Ash enthusiastically ordered.
"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as he took off in blinding speed. He jumped from one boulder to the other towards Arbok, Weezing and Meowth. "Pi – Ka!" he exclaimed as he rammed into Arbok.
"Char!" Arbok exclaimed as it flew backwards from the Quick Attack, after which Pikachu again jumped boulder to boulder, too fast for any of the Rocket members to keep track of.
"Arbok!" Jessie yelled as Arbok crashed in front of her, fainted and unable to continue battling.
Pikachu again jumped from one rock to another at a high speed, approaching his next target: Weezing. "Pi – Ka!" he exclaimed as he rammed into the poison Gas pokemon.
"Wee!" Weezing moaned as it flew through the air after the collision and landed on the ground in front of James, also fainted and unable to battle.
"Weezing, no!" James cried as he looked at his fainted Weezing.
Pikachu then disappeared again as he jumped from one rock to another on his way to his next and final target: Meowth.
"Wer's Pikachu!?" Meowth fearfully asked as he looked around at the falling rocks for any sign of Pikachu. He took a nervous step backwards. "Somebody helps m-GYAAAH!" he exclaimed as he was cut off in mid-sentence by Pikachu colliding full-force with him.
Meowth went flying backwards and landed in between Jessie and James.
"Meowth!" Jessie and James simultaneously yelled as they looked at their fallen companion.
"Uh, I got rocked, and rolled…" Meowth dazily exclaimed as he lay on the ground, fainted.
Pikachu finally landed in front of Ash as the rocks stopped falling from the air.
"Great job, Pikachu!" Ash praised Pikachu with a fist pump.
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed with a determined look on his face.
"Now, finish them off with Thunder!" Ash ordered as he pointed towards Team Rocket.
"Pika!" Pikachu acknowledged the order as he jumped into the air. "Pikaaa – CHUUU!" he exclaimed as he unleashed his most powerful Electric attack to date, Thunder, upon Team Rocket.
"WHAAAAA!" All the Team Rocket members simultaneously exclaimed as the Thunder attack collided with them, sending powerful electric currents through their bodies and finally resulting in a massive explosion which sent them flying through the sky.
"Well, this was a SHOCKING outcome…" a sizzled Jessie mumbled.
"Yes, it was quite an unpleasant SHOCK…" James added.
"Enuf wif da puns!" Meowth quieted Jessie and James.
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" Jessie, James and Meowth simultaneously exclaimed as they flew through the air along with Arbok and Weezing (Wobbuffet was already returned to its pokeball.), which was followed by a PING as they disappeared into the distance.
"Phew, well, that takes care of those three…" Ash said after breathing a sigh of relief. "Good job, buddy." He said, addressing Pikachu in front of him.
"Pika Pika." Pikachu exclaimed as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head.
"Come on," Ash said as he turned around. "Let's get back to Misty and the others, Pikachu." He said as he started walking back towards where he left Misty, Bayleef and Staryu.
Pikachu nodded and darted after Ash back towards Misty…
"Well, it looks like that's the last we'll be seeing of Team Rocket for now…" Misty meanwhile remarked as she watched Team Rocket disappear in the distance from the boulder on which she was sitting. She didn't see most of the battle, since she was quite a bit away from the action, but she had to acknowledge the fact that Pikachu gave them the shock of their lives.
"Hey, Misty! You guys!" Misty heard Ash's voice from the in front of her. She looked towards the source and saw the Pokemon Trainer and Pikachu running towards her.
"Ash! Pikachu! You guys!" Misty yelled back as she waved at Ash and Pikachu who were approaching her, Staryu and Bayleef.
"Bay!" Bayleef exclaimed, happy to see that Ash and Pikachu were safe.
Ash and Pikachu stopped in front of the Misty, Bayleef and Staryu.
"It's nice to see you too, Bayleef." Ash said as he rubbed Bayleef on her head.
"So, are the two of you okay?" Misty asked Ash and Pikachu as she looked them over.
"Yeah, we're fine, Misty." Ash answered as he gave Misty a thumbs-up. "Right, Pikachu?" he asked as he looked down at Pikachu next to him.
To Ash's surprise however, Pikachu was breathing faster than normal.
"Pikachu? What's wrong?" Ash worriedly asked as he turned to Pikachu.
"Ash, I think that Pikachu's just exhausted after everything that happened today." Misty informed Ash. "He must have used up a lot of energy." She added.
Ash turned from looking at Misty back towards Pikachu. "Is that it, Pikachu?" he asked the yellow rodent.
"Pika." Pikachu nodded at Ash.
"Well," Ash started as he gently picked Pikachu up. "Let's get you to the Pokemon Center then." He said as he got back up straight.
Pikachu nodded and took his place on Ash's left shoulder.
"Ash, I think we should put Bayleef and Staryu back into their pokeballs." Misty suggested as she stepped closer to Ash and Pikachu. "They must be pretty tired as well." She said as she took Bayleef's pokeball off of her belt and held it out to Ash.
"Yeah, good idea, Misty." Ash said as he took the pokeball from Misty. "Bayleef: Thanks a lot for all of your help. Take a nice long rest. Return." He said as he pointed the pokeball towards Bayleef, causing the pokeball to retract her back into it. He then clipped the pokeball onto his belt.
"You too, Staryu. Return." Misty said as she pointed a pokeball towards Staryu, causing the star fish pokemon to get retracted back into the pokeball. She then clipped the pokeball back onto her belt and turned to Ash and Pikachu. "Want to walk in my arms, Pikachu?" she asked as she sweetly smiled at the yellow mouse sitting on his trainer's shoulder while she held her arms open for him to jump.
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu happily nodded as he jumped from Ash's shoulder towards Misty's waiting arms.
Misty giggled as she caught Pikachu; however, this action caused a sharp pain to shoot through her left arm which made her wince in pain.
"Misty!?" Ash asked as he stepped closer to Misty. "What's wrong?" he worriedly asked.
"Pika." Pikachu exclaimed as he jumped to the ground and stood next to Misty, a worried expression on his face.
"My arm," Misty said as she clenched her upper left arm with her other hand. "It hurts." She informed Ash and Pikachu.
Ash inspected Misty's arm with a worried expression on his face. "It looks like it's bruised and cut." He finally announced. "Come on; let's get to the Pokemon Center. I bet Nurse Joy will know what to do." He said.
"Right." Misty agreed with Ash.
"Pika Pika, Pikachupi." Pikachu exclaimed to Misty with drooped ears and a sad expression on his face.
"Awh, don't apologize, Pikachu." Misty comforted Pikachu. "It's not your fault." She reassured him. "Now come on; get up here!" she said as she motioned to her right shoulder.
"Pika!" Pikachu happily replied by jumping onto Misty's right shoulder, thus avoiding any contact with her injured left arm.
Ash smiled at Pikachu and Misty, before turning into the road heading back to Cerulean City. "Come on; let's get you guys to the Pokemon Center." He declared.
"Right behind you." Misty acknowledged as she walked next to Ash down the road…
"So Ash," Misty started as she, Ash and Pikachu on her shoulder walked through a not-too-crowded street in Cerulean City. "I take it that your battle with Team Rocket was pretty easy?" she inquired.
"Well, I wouldn't say it was EASY…" Ash answered, placing his forefinger on his chin in thought.
"It wasn't?" Misty asked as she turned her face completely to Ash, curious to hear what had happened.
And so Ash informed Misty of how he faced Team Rocket, being outnumbered five-to-two and being at a huge disadvantage. He also told her how he came up with a brilliant strategy to counter the disadvantage and finally send Team Rocket flying through the stratosphere.
"Wow, that was good thinking, Ash." Misty complimented Ash on his quick thinking.
"Why thank you." Ash replied, his noise pointed into the air because of his inflated ego.
"Too bad you couldn't think that fast in your previous league matches." Misty mocked with a smirk, which caused Ash to face fault and Pikachu to scratch the back of his head sheepishly.
"What's that supposed to mean!?" Ash indignantly asked as he glared at Misty after recovering from his fault.
"Oh, nothing…" Misty nonchalantly said as she shrugged her shoulders. "Hey look, we're here…" she declared before Ash could say anything else.
Ash's attention immediately turned to their injured pokemon as well as Misty's injured arm. "Let's go get you guys patched up!" he declared before stomping through the front doors of the Pokemon Center.
Misty simply sighed along with Pikachu at Ash's hastiness before following his example and walking through the front doors of the Pokemon Center.
Once Misty and Pikachu entered the Pokemon Center; they spotted Ash already making his way over to Nurse Joy, not even bothering to wait for them.
Misty sighed once more before also making her way over to Ash and Nurse Joy, with Pikachu in tow on her shoulder.
"Hey, Nurse Joy!" Ash happily greeted Nurse Joy.
"Hello, Nurse Joy." Misty also greeted Nurse Joy after she stopped next to Ash.
"Hello, you two." Nurse Joy greeted with a friendly smile.
"Chansey!" Chansey happily greeted from next to Nurse Joy.
"What can I do for you children today?" Nurse Joy asked.
"Well," Ash started as he took Bayleef's pokeball from his belt. "I was wondering if you could take care of my Bayleef and Pikachu please." He said as he held the pokeball out to Nurse Joy.
"And my Staryu, Nurse Joy." Misty added as she unconsciously took Staryu's pokeball from her belt with her left hand, which caused her to jerk her arm in pain.
"Misty!" Ash called out as he turned to Misty. "Are you okay?" he worriedly asked.
"Oh my, is something wrong?" Nurse Joy asked as she came around the counter and stood on the other side of Misty.
"Yeah, Nurse Joy." Ash answered. "You see, some crooks tried to steal my Pikachu. Misty tried to save him, but ended up getting hurt in the process." He explained.
"That's terrible!" Nurse Joy angrily exclaimed.
"I'm fine, you guys." Misty said. "It just hurts a little…" she added.
"Come on, dear." Nurse Joy said as she turned. "You and Ash follow me to the back. I'll fix that arm right up. Chansey, will you look after their pokemon for me?" she asked.
"Chansey!" Chansey nodded as she picked the two pokeballs up.
Pikachu gently jumped off of Misty's shoulder and followed Chansey, while Ash and Misty followed Nurse Joy through a different door…
"Hmmm…" Nurse Joy exclaimed as she examined Misty's arm. "It looks like you were hit by an Electric attack of some sort." She explained.
"An Electric attack?" Misty repeated in thought. "I must have gotten hit when Pikachu was protecting us from Arbok's Poison Sting!" she figured.
"Yeah, that's probably what happened!" Ash agreed.
"Well, in any case, don't worry." Nurse Joy said. "It's nothing serious." She added as she pulled a Potion bottle closer to them. "Now, this is going to sting a bit…" she said as she held Misty's arm straight before spraying the bottle's contents on the wound.
"GYAAH!" Misty yelled as the contents made contact with the sensitive wounding, causing her to jerk her arm back and blow on it.
Ash laughed at Misty's unfortunate circumstance, which earned him a glare from the redhead. But to be honest; he really didn't care. He was just happy that Misty would be fine after all of the drama.
"Now, hold still." Nurse Joy ordered Misty as she took hold of her arm and started covering the wound with bandages while Misty and Ash intently watched. "There, all done." She declared as she stepped away from Misty.
"So, how do you feel, Misty?" Ash asked.
"It's all better! Thanks a lot, Nurse Joy!" Misty exclaimed as she stood up from the examination bed.
"It's no problem, dear." Nurse Joy assured Misty. "Now remember: No strenuous activity for the next couple of days, and make sure properly clean that wound, okay?" she prescribed.
"Sure, thanks again, Nurse Joy." Misty politely said.
"It's a pleasure. Now follow me, so we can go check up on your pokemon." Nurse Joy said as she walked through the corridor, followed by Ash and Misty, which lead back to the front desk…
"Now if you would just wait here while I go check up on your pokemon and Chansey." Nurse Joy said before disappearing through another door which probably lead to Chansey and their pokemon.
"Wow, what a day…" Ash said as he pluffed down on a couch in the waiting area of the Pokemon Center.
"Tell me about it…" Misty agreed as she sat down next to Ash, albeit more carefully because of her injured arm.
The two of them sat in relative silence after that as they waited for Nurse Joy to return from inspecting their pokemon. They soon spotted Nurse Joy coming through the door which she disappeared into earlier and both of them stood up and made their way over towards her.
"How are our pokemon doing, Nurse Joy?" Ash curiously asked as he and Misty stood before Nurse Joy.
"I'm happy to say that all of your pokemon will be just fine." Nurse Joy informed Ash and Misty, to which they started to cheer, until they were interrupted by Nurse Joy. "But, I would like to keep them here for a little while, since they are pretty exhausted and the peace and quiet in here will do them good." She proposed.
"Sure, it's no problem, Nurse Joy." Ash answered. "Thanks so much." He added.
"It's no problem, you two." Nurse Joy said. "Be sure to pick your pokemon up before 7 o'clock. I don't want you outside after that hour." She informed Ash and Misty.
"We won't." Misty answered as she and Ash turned around. "See you later, Nurse Joy!" she greeted Nurse Joy.
"So long, Nurse Joy." Ash greeted Nurse Joy before he and Misty made their way towards the front doors.
"Goodbye, children! See you later!" Nurse Joy greeted Ash and Misty as they disappeared through the front doors…
"So…" Misty stated as she and Ash stood outside the Pokemon Center. "What are we going to do now?" she inquired as she turned to Ash.
"Hmmm…" Ash exclaimed as he placed his hand under his chin, giving the situation some thought. "Well…we could go get something to eat!" he proposed, which resulted in Misty slapping her palm against her forehead. "I mean…we didn't actually have anything to eat at the restaurant, so I'm pretty hungry…" he added.
"Well, if you put it that way; it seems like a good idea." Misty replied. "Let's go get something to eat, then. And I know the perfect place to eat at!" she declared.
"Alright!" Ash cheered with a fist pump through the air. "Lead the way, Misty!" he anxiously said.
Misty smiled and started walking down the road, with Ash in tow, towards the restaurant she was talking about…
"Man, Team Rocket has really made a nuisance of themselves these last few days…" Ash said as he walked a bit behind Misty with his hands behind his head.
"Yeah, and they almost got away with Pikachu on both of those times…" Misty stated.
"So that's why it's a good thing that we'll be leaving soon." Ash nonchalantly declared.
"Leaving?" Misty repeated.
"Yeah, you said your sisters are coming back in a couple of days, so then we can hit the road again!" Ash enthusiastically stated.
"Ash, we're not leaving in a couple of days…" Misty informed Ash.
"What do you mean?" Ash asked as he frowned at Misty. "Of course we're leaving!" he irritatedly repeated.
"No, we're not!" Misty firmly replied as she glared over her shoulder at Ash.
"But-"Ash started protesting.
"Drop it." Misty firmly said, causing Ash to keep quiet. "We're here." She declared as she stopped in front of a red building named Cerulean Kiosk Plaza. She then proceeded to enter the building without even acknowledging Ash's existence.
Ash quickly followed Misty, but decided to rather keep quiet for the time being.
The two of them were welcomed by a male waiter.
"Good day." The waiter greeted Ash and Misty. "I am Peter and I will be your waiter for the day. Table for two?" he asked.
"Yes, thank you." Misty simply replied before Peter nodded and started leading her and Ash through the restaurant.
The two of them sat down at the table which Peter prescribed to them.
"Would the two of you like anything to drink?" Peter asked after he placed menus in front of Ash and Misty.
"A glass of water, please." Misty simply replied after a moment, to which Peter responded to by writing it down in his notebook and nodding in acknowledgement.
Ash was frowning at Misty every now-and-then, wondering what he did to tick her off this time. He then looked up and noticed Peter looking at him, waiting for his drink order. "Oh, uhm…I'll have an Orange Soda, please." He hastily ordered, followed by Peter scribbling it in his notebook.
"I'll be back with your drinks shortly." Peter said as he slightly bowed before making his way back towards his other tables.
Ash then turned back to Misty, who was not paying any attention to him and kept her eyes in the menu. He frustratingly glared at her before finally giving up and started looking through the menu, although he didn't really pay attention to it as he kept stealing glances at the redhead. 'What did I do this time…' Ash groaned in his head.
Peter soon returned with their respective drinks and placed them in front of Misty and Ash. "Have you decided what you want to eat?" he politely asked.
Ash was about to open his mouth to place his order, but he was interrupted by Misty.
"We'll have a medium-sized pizza." Misty firmly stated, causing Ash to look at her in surprise and objection.
Peter nodded as he scribbled something down in his notebook. "Toppings?" he asked.
"How abou-" Ash started, before being cut off again.
"Pineapple and mushrooms." Misty said.
Peter nodded as he scribbled something down. "Your order will be here in 3 – 4 minutes." He said before slightly bowing and made his way back to the kitchen.
"Misty, what's going on?" Ash angrily demanded.
Misty venomously glared at Ash. "Did you just raise your voice at me, Ash Ketchum?" she asked.
"Well, yes." Ash said, feeling slightly guilty. "But that's only because-" he started protesting.
"Save it." Misty cut him off.
"Misty." Ash gently said. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"I don't want to talk about it now." Misty firmly answered.
"But-"Ash started again, but he was interrupted as Peter returned with their pizza.
"Here you go." Peter said as he placed the pizza in between Ash and Misty.
"Thanks." Ash and Misty simultaneously said before Peter nodded and went back to the kitchen.
Misty wasted no time in taking a slice of pizza and started eating, using it as a way to avoid communicating with Ash. 'Stupid Ash. How can he just expect me to pack up and leave all of a sudden? I can't just leave the Gym!' she scowled in her head as she viciously took another bite of her slice of pizza.
Ash had given up trying to talk to Misty and simply looked around them as he ate his third slice of pizza, although he ate much slower than normal (he would have been busy with his sixth now under normal circumstances). He noticed that the restaurant was now much less crowded than it was when they first entered, probably because most people's lunch breaks were over.
The rest of Ash and Misty's meal went by without another word. Peter came and picked up their empty plate and glasses before returning once more to give them the bill before returning to the kitchen.
"I'll take care of the bill." Ash said as he reached out to pick the said bill up, but his attempt failed when Misty grabbed the bill before him.
"I'LL take care of it." Misty announced as she took the bill and stood up.
"But Misty," Ash started protesting as he got up and followed Misty, who was making her way over to the front desk.
"I said I'll take care of it, so stop worrying!" Misty coldly stated as she stopped in front of the counter where payments were handled. "Please put it on the Cerulean Gym's tab." Misty told the woman who was sitting behind the counter, to which the woman nodded and typed on the computer before nodding again, signalling that the meal has been recorded.
Misty then exited the restaurant with Ash on her heels. They then started heading back to the Gym.
Ash glared at the back of Misty's head the whole time. He was starting get beyond agitated at the redhead's blatant ignoring of him. "Misty," he started.
"Not now, Ash." Misty plainly answered as she kept walking.
"Yes, now!" Ash yelled as he firmly grabbed Misty's shoulder, forcing her to stop and face him.
Misty stared at Ash; her eyes wide open with shock and her mouth slightly agape.
"Tell me what's going on!" Ash said through grinded teeth as he placed his other hand on Misty's other shoulder. "NOW!" he added.
Misty stared at Ash out of shock for a moment, before a glare started making its way onto her face. "Do you want to know what's wrong Ash? Do you want to know why I can't just leave?" she rhetorically asked as she jerked her shoulders, causing Ash's hands to release their grip. "It's because I have RESPONSIBILITY!" she answered herself.
Ash looked at Misty with a shocked expression because of her sudden outburst.
"I can't just leave the Gym!" Misty continued. "I have a responsibility towards the Gym as well as the pokemon! It's my home, Ash!" she added.
"I don't see the point in staying." Ash simply stated. "I mean, your sisters are coming back in about a weeks' time. So we just get someone like Tracey to take care of the Gym until they get back, then we can continue travelling." He suggested.
"No, Ash; it doesn't work like that." Misty again argued.
"But if we stay here; it will only leave us open for another surprise attack from Team Rocket!" Ash stated. "So if we leave by tomorrow or the day after that; we'll be safe from any sneak attacks!" he explained.
That was all Misty could take. "Do you know what, Ash?" she softly asked. "If you want to leave so badly; then GO!" she yelled into his face. "I know that's what you want to do anyway…" she softly added before turning around walked back towards the Pokemon Center.
"What do you mean? I don't know what you're talking about, Misty!" Ash protested as he jogged in front of Misty to stop her.
"I heard what you said to Professor Oak!" Misty answered him as she kept walking, right by Ash. "I heard you saying that you're going to go home…" she added as they stopped in front of the Cerulean Gym's front doors.
"What are you talking abou-"Ash started, before he stopped when the memory came back to him. "Oh that! Misty, that's not what I me-"he started explaining.
"If you want to go, then go!" Misty yelled before she stomped into the Gym.
"Misty!" Ash called out as he ran in after her.
Misty merely continued walking through the different rooms in the building before she stopped in the room where the swimming pool was located. She grabbed a pokeball on one of the racks and then walked into the living room.
"Misty, please stop and listen!" Ash pleaded as he followed from point to point.
Misty ignored Ash and then picked up his backpack, which was lying next to the couch on the floor. She then acknowledged Ash by glaring at him, before turning around and heading back the way she came: Outside, in front of the Gym.
"Misty, please…" Ash pleaded as he stopped in front of Misty outside the Gym.
"Here, take your bag and go!" Misty yelled as she shoved Ash's backpack into his arms before shoving the pokeball she took into his hand. "You can go pick your pokemon up at the Pokemon Center. Tell Pikachu and Bayleef I said goodbye." She added.
"Misty, just listen. You don't under-"Ash again tried.
"No, Ash. You don't understand." Misty coldly interrupted Ash. "You can't expect me to leave the Gym like this. I was right back then, you're just a kid." She said.
Ash looked at her with wide eyes.
"You think just like a kid." Misty added.
Ash clenched his fists as he bit his bottom lip.
"And you'll always be a ki-" Misty started saying, before Ash had heard enough…
He dropped his backpack and the pokeball, which probably belonged to Totodile, on the ground, before he stepped forward towards Misty. He looked at her before determinedly leaning in and sloppily placed his lips onto hers while placing his gloved hands on her cheeks, shutting his eyes tightly.
Misty was shocked beyond doubt. She stared wide-eyed into Ash's face, not even breathing and her arms slightly flailing next to her. Her shock didn't last long however, as she closed her eyes and leaned towards Ash. She lightly placed her hands on his shoulder as she instinctively pressed her lips a bit harder against the Pokemon Trainer's. Her hands quickly jerked away, however, as she pulled herself away from Ash.
Ash looked at Misty with his eyes wide in surprise and his mouth hanging open.
Misty breathed a bit strained as she looked at Ash with wide eyes as well.
"Mis-" Ash started, still dazed by the kiss.
"I-I-I…" Misty stuttered out as she took another few steps back. "I-I've got to go…" she quickly said before turning around and running down the road.
Ash simply stared at Misty as she ran down the road, still too shocked to really fathom what's happening. "Misty…" He mumbled as he started snapping out of his daze-like state while watching the redhead disappear into the distance...
The first kiss! I hope you guys liked this chapter.
I know the conflict wasn't really original, but I guess Misty's frustration showed here.
Please review you guys! Positive and negative criticism is always welcome! It only helps improve my writing (MMThunder31: Sorry about the cliff hangers, but thanks for pointing out how you feel. Because it helps me improve. Too much tension can be really bad in some cases, because it produces blood-hungry readers and reviewers!)
Until next time.
Cheers!