Chaper 4: Don't Break the Ice...
(Brock's POV)
"Yeah, that's right." I said in answer to Delia inquiries. "I'm sure that they are in love with each other."
"Finally, I have a good chance at having grandchildren." Delia squealed with delight. "Just five short years..."
"Yeah...well, I better tell Misty's sisters the good news as well." I replied; a bit embarrassed.
"Okay, you do that." Delia said in a cheery voice and hung up the phone.
--
"No! You're like kidding me!" Daisy was completely exasperated at the news.
"Young love!" Violet exclaimed. "Isn't it cute?"
"Have they like kissed yet?" Lily asked hopefully.
"No. They haven't even professed to each other yet." I replied nervously.
"Like, how romantic..." Daisy became lost in her thoughts.
"Don't worry about that." Violet grinned. "We know how to get Misty to make a move."
I quickly thought of a way to wrap up the conversation.
"Okay, thanks." I said briefly and hung up.
--
We seemed to have been walking endlessly and Ash began to complain.
"Are we there yet?" Ash asked in his immature tone.
"We will get there when we get there." I shot back.
"When might that be?" Ash grumbled. "A few million years from now…?"
Misty looked up, obviously wanting to make a comment but something caught her eye.
"Hey, Brock…" She pointed. "What's that?"
I turned my head to look in the indicated direction. It appeared that there were several large rocks poking up from the barren wasteland of white.
"Hey, Professor…" I radioed Professor Oak briefly. "We see some rocks in the distance. Does that mean we are close?"
"Why yes." Professor Oak's voice called out from the other side. "According to my sources, you should be very close to where the herd of Mamoswine was last seen."
"Great! Thanks, Professor." I switched the radio to receive-only to conserve battery power.
"YES!" Ash jumped up happily. "Now we get to see some real action!"
"Don't you think we have seen enough action already?" Misty snapped.
Ash looked a bit relieved that Misty had decided to talk to him again but he also looked a bit annoyed at what she had to say.
Ash wisely decided to change the subject.
"Hey, Brock…" Ash turned to me. "I hope we get to see Articuno."
I couldn't think of a worse thing to wish for under the conditions we found ourselves in.
"Ash, haven't you heard the old tales about Articuno?" I asked sternly as we began to make our way towards the rocks in the distance.
"No." Ash replied stupidly.
"Ash…" I sighed. "Articuno is said to have appeared to doomed travelers who became lost from their group. Of course, no one has been able to confirm these tales."
"Don't be ridiculous, Brock." Ash brushed away the warning. "Those are just stories."
We walked a bit further in silence as we approached the first pile of rocks. As we came closer, I realized that the word "rock" did not do justice to the gargantuan spires of ice that stood before us. Each ice rock stood nearly eighty feet high and was at least two hundred feet wide. Snow had piled up on their jagged surfaces; increasing their size significantly and making them appear quite mountain-like.
As we approached the first of the icy mountains, I heard a familiar group of voices.
"To protect the world from climate change..." Jessie poked her head up out from behind the rocks.
"To bring global warming to a proper range..." James poked his head out beside hers.
"To chill your bones down to your feet..." Jessie pulled herself up onto the rock, struggling to keep her balance.
"Which we hope to do each time we meet..." James remained where he was, fully aware of how foolish Jessie made herself look.
"Jes-s-sie" the red-haired villain shivered.
"Ja-mes" Jessie's partner-in-crime looked quite chilled as well.
"Meowth...ya know my name..." Meowth grumbled, grasping his tail in his arms as he walked up beside his two friends.
Jessie and James glared at Meowth.
"What? I'm freezing my tail off here!" Meowth snapped.
"Team Rocket, freezing our tails off at the speed of light..." Jessie seemed to have incorporated Meowth's line into the motto.
"Surrender now or we may not be in the proper shape to fight..." James almost pleaded
"Wo-b-b-ba...f-f-ett..." the blue, blobby Pokemon popped out to add his tidbits.
"Team Rocket…!" Ash called out to them. "What are you after this time?"
"Oh, you know...any rare ice Pokemon you may have scooped up." Jessie grinned, making a weak attempt at concealing her pitiful state.
"Yeah, so hand them over…please?" James said in a pathetic voice.
"What has gotten into you, James?" Jessie screamed at him.
"What has gotten into you, Jess?" Meowth spoke up. "Bringing us out here to freeze to death?"
"Enough of this!" Jessie growled and pulled out a Pokeball. "Seviper, go!"
Seviper, however, was hibernating when he came out. It lay on the snow like a limp rag. Jessie looked on stupidly.
"What's wrong with him!?" she wailed.
"Pikachu, would you do the honors?" Ash rolled his eyes.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu smiled, and leapt from my shoulder.
"Hold it, twerp!" Jessie yelled. "You can't just get rid of us so fast!"
"Yeah, we booked an overnight stay." James smiled weakly.
"That's not what I meant!" Jessie clubbed James on the head with her fist.
Before Pikachu could attack, however, we heard a vaguely familiar sound...
"What's that noise?" Meowth's ears perked up.
"Uh oh..." Ash looked over to the right.
The Piloswine herd had returned and they looked more infuriated than ever. Their hooves were stamping against the ground, kicking up snow so thick it was almost a haze. They snorted and huffed, puffing out clouds of ice crystals as they ran. As they drew closer, they lowered their tusks, ready for combat.
"There is NO way that a bunch of pigs are going to stop us from stealing their Pokemon!" Jessie shouted, getting the Piloswine's attention.
"Uh... Jessie..." James said nervously, beginning to turn and run.
"Yeah, see ya later, Jess!" Meowth ran after James.
"AHHH!" all four of them began running with the Piloswine close behind.
"Wabba-" Wabbafett was the first one to go. He was hurled in the air as one of the Piloswine used Headbutt on him.
Jessie, James, and Meowth soon followed.
"It's a good thing our insurance includes acts of God." Meowth muttered as he flew through the sky.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jessie demanded but never got an answer.
"We're blasting off again!" They cried and vanished over the horizon.
The Piloswine then turned their attention back to us.
Thinking quickly, I pulled out my Forretress and ran towards the herd of Piloswine...a decision I will forever regret.
"Forretress, Explosion…!" I ordered.
My Forretress jumped into the middle of the herd and exploded, sending shockwaves across the ice. The Piloswine flew in all directions, completely senseless.
"Great job, Brock…" Ash smiled but his smile soon faded.
"B-Brock?" Misty stuttered, pointing toward a large crack forming in the ice rock beside us.
"Watch out!" I yelled but it was too late. A large fragment of the rock broke off and began to tumble down the side, bringing a large amount of snow and ice with it.
The ice shard slammed into the ground, shattering and knocking Ash and Misty off their feet. The ice below us began to crack as well. The men with us began to run in all directions, leaving me all alone as the landscape began to change right before me. As jagged pieces of ice continued to break off and tumble down the mountain, they began to break up the ice we stood on into irregular "blocks." Each block began to rise or fall in a seemingly random fashion, creating crevices and mountains between us.
Thinking quickly, I ordered my Forretress to return and tried desperately to make my way over to Ash and Misty. The jagged ice and falling snow made any attempts of rescue nearly suicide but I pressed on. I scrambled up the side of one hill, only to discover that at least a dozen more stood between me and my friends. Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse...
I heard a loud, deep moan...and the sound of ice cracking. I looked down at my feet where the sound seemed to be coming from.
Then, it hit me. A Wailord had noticed the ice breaking up, and had decided to come up for a breath of air. Just what we didn't need right now...
The ice below me flew up into the air, carrying me with it. I hurtled through the air, briefly wondering if I was experiencing what Team Rocket had endured for years.
I looked below me as I fell back towards the ground. The icy ground came closer and closer. As I landed, I blacked out instantly.
--
Brock: NOOO! I can't die! I have too much to live for!
Ambezua: Relax...you're the main narrator for the story. I can't just kill you off. Besides, you only blacked out.
Misty: Yeah so quit overreacting. Ash and I are the ones in REAL danger anyway!
Ambezua: (checking the script) Misty! Don't spoil it for them!
Misty: Whatever
Ash: Well, this chapter explains a lot...like why on earth Misty and I got those phone calls and Brock didn't!
Ambezua: Hey, cut it out you guys.
Ash: (continuing as if he didn't hear me) It also explains what my mom told me before she hung up.
Ambezua: SAVE IT, ASH! I am the one telling the story, not you!
Ash: (grumbles)
--
Summary: Brock, Ash, Misty, and the men that decided to stay with them made their way to a group of ice mountains. Just as things are starting to look hopeful, Team Rocket shows up. After saying their motto, the Piloswine return, thirsty for revenge. After the Piloswine take care of Team Rocket, they turn on Ash and his friends. Brock uses his Forretress to defeat the Piloswine, but this also unintentionally causes the ice to crack... Brock is knocked out when a Wailord decides to surface at the cracking sight, leaving Ash and Misty's fate in the balance...