Chapter Five
Don't Do Anything Dumb
Misty, remained bound by the tight sticky thread of the Ariados. She was dragged aboard the pirate ship and stowed away below. She heard the click of the keyhole on the outside of the doors lock. She had nowhere to run or fly.
Misty had been worrying since the moment she was captured by Team Rocket. Not much was said during the trek through the Fairy Hollow and across the beach. But Jessie did say before they left, "This time for sure, we will catch him. And you can't do anything to help your boyfriend."
Misty knew that Jessie meant that she was going to use her to ensnare Ash in a trap. The redhead hoped against hope that Ash would not run in with Team Rocket. She knew Ash could handle himself, well, at times. But, Ash was extremely reckless and her instinct warned her that her friend was can be a hazard to himself just as much as Team Rocket was.
Ash, be safe. Misty thought to herself, wishing desperately that he could hear her disembodied words. She didn't even feel any vexation towards him, even after the whole debacle in Fairy Hollow. Misty always felt responsible for him whenever they traveled together. She believed that it was a responsibility of a friend's to look out for another friend.
There was indistinctive chatter beyond the locked doors. Misty tried to listen to hear any sort of plans regarding Ash, Pikachu and the others. Not one word was clear, though, having Misty feel a new wave of worry crash upon her.
Time was running out, or so Misty thought. Team Rocket was capable of being crafty at times and pretty well endowed when it came to weapons. And this time they had a crew of pirates and their Pokemon to assist in their devious plans.
Scanning the room with no light or candle but with the illumination of the full moon outside the windows, Misty caught a glint in the middle of the room. The glimmer belonged to a long, silver sword, resting on a desk, which likely belonged to the Captain.
Misty hurried over to the desk; she was going to attempt to free herself with the help of the sharp blade. However, Misty's arms were bound at her sides, making it impossible to properly lift the sword.
She tried pulling herself free from her sticky confinement with all her strength. It was no use. The thread was so tight on her arms, causing her fingers to go numb. Misty attempted once again to break free from the binding web, but once more just strained her arms all the more.
The sword that lay idly in front of her taunted her. It was right there, no one guarding it, yet Misty could barely reach it with one hand. There's got to be a way, Misty thought determinedly.
Misty lifted a leg to, stretching it to reach the handle of the blade. She managed to move it forward, towards her, but felt her body losing balance. Hopping on the other foot, Misty retracted the leg reaching for the sword, settling back on the floor.
Taking a deep breath and allowing her leg to rest for a moment, Misty bit her lip and stretched her leg up and out. She strained the muscles in her leg to pull the sword a little more forward so that the blade hung over the edge of the desk.
Inching the leg just to the right spot, Misty's foot began to cramp up a bit, causing her to draw back again. This time she used her other leg to get the sword to the right position.
Once she achieved getting the blade to hang over the edge on at the precise angle, Misty placed her foot back on the ground, carefully not wanting to mess up the precision.
The point of the sword was now close to Misty's stomach. She turned her body to the side, letting the blade gently poke into the thread by her arm. This proved to be a tad difficult, as the contact between the blade and the thread caused the sword to edge to a different direction.
"C'mon," Misty whispered hurriedly as she attempted again. She bent her knees to motion her body up and down so that the blade would slice through her stringy chains.
Very carefully and very slowly, Misty's ears picked up the faint sound of the first layer of thread cutting. The strings swayed in the air before falling to Misty's feet.
Misty continued to move up and down, slicing through layer after layer. Her legs quivered as they cramped up; Misty pushed through not wanting to stop.
Each time a layer had fallen, it felt like an hour had passed. She was getting closer to freeing herself. Soon Misty was able to wiggle her arms. With the thread no longer as tight, Misty tried to pull it apart with all the strength in her arms. There was a sound of some thread splitting, but her bound still remained intact.
The determined redhead resumed using the sword to cut through. Even though she was getting so painfully close, Misty's legs were beginning to falter. She was in pretty decent shape thanks to being an active swimmer and Gym Leader, but after spending most of her time flying earlier, Misty's legs were fighting against the gravity.
Eventually, Misty's arms were more visible now. She let herself collapse onto the cold, cabin floor onto her knees. Looking down and heaving, letting her catch her breath. Misty then made another attempt to pull the last layers of the web.
The stringy thread was still tight but Misty was able to split the last few layers. Despite the thread cutting into her arms, feeling as though they were about to slice her limbs clean off, Misty stretched on, ignoring the growing numbness pulsing to the ends of her fingertips.
After what felt like an agonizing moment, Misty broke through her confines, stretching her arms above her head. Instantly, the color in Misty's arms returned, the blood starting to flow evenly through her arms.
She rose from her knees, rushing over to the door. She peeked through the foggy window on the doors, seeing the figures of the pirates scrambling.
No one was guarding the door, presumably because it was locked, therefore no one thought Misty would be able toe escape.
Misty shook the handles of the doors furiously to no avail. Clearly no one beyond the doors heard her feeble attempt at freeing herself from within the Captain's cabin.
Her eyes shot back to the sword on the desk. Misty didn't know how to use a sword, nor did she think that it would be any use in breaking down the doors. She now scowled at the blade with contempt even though it just helped her. Misty snooped through the cabin, hoping to find something that would be useful.
Scurrying back to the desk, Misty opened the drawers, finding nothing. She was panicking more now. Her mind barely focused on her own escape, but her thoughts of impending danger upon her friends, particularly Ash.
She wished to return to the Dragon Village, to warn everyone of Team Rocket. She wished to find her friends and tell them to hide. She wished to be there if Team Rocket leads Ash into a trap.
Ash had retreated to the campsite, shutting himself away from the world in the tree house. He was being stubborn and didn't understand what Misty was going on about.
"Wish everyone would stop thinking I was so immature…" Ash grumbled, lying on a futon nearby one of the open windows. He glared straight into the arched ceiling of the tree house, his hands behind his head. I know what you meant, Misty… Ash thought to himself, his eyes softening.
The black haired boy felt guilty about hurting Misty's feelings. Yet, Ash still was muddled about the subject of his feelings. Joy: whenever he was with Misty and/or Pikachu. Anger: at the moment, Ash was upset with Misty for ambushing him with such a heavy question. Jealousy: Ash supposed he did feel jealous whenever Misty outshined him at things and when she was more impressed with someone other than him. Love…was it Misty?
He pondered more and more on the last emotion Misty had asked him about. Ash told her that he did love, and he tried to think of what, of whom.
I love being a Pokemon trainer, Ash thought. I love traveling. I love my mother and Pikachu. I love my friends. I love…my best friend?
It was all too messy and complex. Ash never really put much thought into how he felt. He hadn't seen Misty in a long time, and was overjoyed when he succeeded in whisking her away from the Gym, inviting her back into his world.
His thoughts were interrupted, though when the sound of his friends returning to the campsite buzzed below him. They all sounded so happy and energetic, compared to Ash at the moment. And usually it was Ash who crackled with energy that rivaled a firework.
Ash tuned out his friends' content chatter. He felt his eyes grow heavy as his mind started to drift into a stupor. In a matter of seconds, Ash had fallen asleep on his futon, oblivious to what was happening below him.
For whatever reason, Ash twitched, awaking and he sprang up hitting his head on the ceiling. He then plopped back onto the futon on his knees, rubbing his head. "I wasn't sleeping!" he hissed defensively but there wasn't anyone there but him.
He noticed that he no longer heard any noise from the campsite. It was all a dream, then. Ash silently told himself. He felt relief flow through his body. He had simply fallen asleep after a day full of adventure, and sought to free him of exhaustion through slumber. The whole thing with Misty never happened. Misty and I are still friends, Ash told himself with a relieved smile on his face.
Sitting on the futon for a moment, and then stretching his arms letting out a tired yawn, Ash began to feel bored and restless. If it were a dream then where was Misty? Where was Pikachu? Where was everyone else?
He floated down from the tree house to the campsite and saw no one around. He thought he heard his friends here not too long ago. But maybe that was part of the dream too?
Even with the notion that he had just woken up from a weird dream, Ash felt uneasy about how quiet everything was. There was a fire crackling in the fire pit and all of his friend's belongings were strewn about the jungle floor.
"Wonder if they went back to the village…" Ash whispered, rubbing his eyes dreamily. His eyes scanned the campsite for any sign of his friends' having briefly dropping by and then leaving to wherever.
There was noting particularly interesting as his eyes glossed over his surroundings before glancing back at something he briefly saw. Ash's brown eyes paused at what looked like a goblet of freshly squeezed juice. Tiptoeing closer to the goblet that was left unattended on a tree stump, Ash picked up the beverage taking a sniff. The juice smelled exceptionally sweet, like a mixture of fresh mango, pineapple, orange, guava and likely many more that Ash could not for the life of him remember; but Ash could attest that whatever was in the goblet, smelled succulent and likely tasted delicious.
Before taking a tip, Ash noticed a scrap of parchment on the same tree stump. It was rolled up, and finding it to be curious, Ash set the goblet back down and unrolled the paper to see if there was anything written in it.
He was right. As he held up the paper with his gloved hands, the first thing Ash saw was his name written at the top left.
Ash—
Forgive me for being forward. Forget I said anything at all. I just want us to remain friends. I returned to the campsite to find you and apologize, but you were asleep in the tree house. I didn't want to wake you and went off to pick some fruit and whipped this up. Thought it'd be a nice gesture and thanks for being a good friend and an apology for trying to spoil it.
Your friend,
Misty
Ash was bewildered when he finished reading the letter. So it wasn't a dream after all. He and Misty did have an argument and Ash felt guiltier than ever. You don't have anything to be sorry for, Ash thought. I'm sorry.
Ash could no longer bring himself to drink from the goblet anymore. It was so tempting and sweet smelling; and he just woke up from a nap, leaving his throat bone dry. Then again, Misty did make it for him and Ash didn't want to further hurt his best friend.
"It's all my fault," Ash sighed, letting the paper roll back up as he dropped put it back on the stump. Ash wanted nothing more right then than to find Misty and apologize for being stupid and dense. He wanted to hear her out this time, even if it made him feel a little awkward. Misty meant a lot more to him than he ever realized.
"Pikapi!" Ash heard from a clearing, breaking him out of his reverie. His other best friend, Pikachu had arrived looking a little frazzled.
"Hey, Pikachu," Ash said sweetly, crouching down, rubbing the top of the rodent's head. "Have fun—?" Ash realized that his Pokemon's eyes looked a little worried. "What's up?"
"Pikapika, pikachu…" Pikachu started to explain sadly. Its hands, tail and ears were flailing about in a hurry.
"What happened?" Ash demanded, distressed.
Pikachu then tried to explain what it meant by mimicking what appeared to be each of Ash's friends. Ash deduced that something bad had happened to his friends. But he just heard them, but didn't hear anything out of the ordinary going on. When they were present whilst Ash was hiding in the tree house, his friends sounded happy and cheerful.
Ash was starting to get really confused. He began to wonder once more if it was a dream, but with the note from Misty, he felt convinced that he had not been dreaming and that he is not dreaming.
"We got to find them, Pikachu!" Ash stated, picking up the goblet with his hand, to take a sip.
As the rim of the goblet was about to touch Ash's lips, Pikachu leapt close its partner's hand and swiped the goblet out of Ash's hand.
"Hey! Pikachu!" Ash said a little angry. "What was that for? Misty made that!"
Pikachu took a whiff of the juice, which now stained the jungle ground. Ash's surprise in Pikachu melted away as he watched the liquid soaking through the leafy ground in stupor; the grass started to lose its color and slowly die.
Ash made a stark realization that the juice was likely laced with some sort of poison. Ash knew in his heart that that was not Misty's doing. Misty would never hurt Ash, let alone kill him. "That wasn't Misty," Ash said quietly.
A frightening thought bore into his mind and Ash felt his heart start to beat against his ribs. "Pikachu, have you seen Misty?"
Pikachu's eyes shot back up to face its trainer and shook its head sadly.
"But the others? You know what happened to them?"
Pikachu nodded hastily, but it had no time to explain. Instead the electric Pokemon gave a mock sneer on its face, raising one paw close to its cheek and its tail curling.
"Meowth?" Ash spat. "Team Rocket kidnapped them didn't they?" Ash's fists tightened in anger. Team Rocket was at it again and kidnapped his friends and tried to poison him with a drink that Ash believed to have been concocted by Misty.
Misty! Pikachu didn't know where she was, and nor did Ash. Not taking another moment to hesitate, Ash turned to his Pokemon and said, "We need to find Misty and make sure she's okay! Then when we do, we got to save the others!"
Pikachu nodded in the same determined manner as Ash and sprung into the air, landing on one of Ash's shoulders. Ash then kicked his feet off the jungle floor, shooting up into the sky; his mind wracked with worry and his heart aching at the thought of losing his friends, of losing Misty…
Misty was still locked in the cabin; the whole room was a mess due to her desperate search for something that would help her escape. "Whatever you do Ash Ketchum, make sure it's not reckless or dumb!" she swore between gritted teeth, trying to push through the locked doors. The door would not give way. She considered breaking the windows with something but decided against it, as the windows were too small and narrow for her to squeeze out of.
After a while of banging on the doors, and trying to pry them open with all her strength, Misty had tuckered herself out, and fell to the floor by the doors, feeling tired and angry.
Misty's mind was gradually sinking into despair but she held onto the shred of hope that she would find a way out of here, in time. In the meantime though, the Gym Leader's mind remain frazzled, not wanting to think of what could happen to her friends and Ash.
If only I had Staryu with me, Misty scolded herself. She was starting to feel guilt pummel her already broken heart. Misty couldn't help but think that if she had not said anything to Ash in the first place, he wouldn't have been scared off. And now she was separated from everyone, especially Ash. No matter what her best friend believed, Misty was always certain he would need her help.
Breaking out of her reverie, however, Misty's ears picked up the sound of new voices. She raised herself up a little to see through the foggy window.
"Let us go!" a boy's voice shouted.
Misty gasped amidst a mixture of delight and shock. Tracey was aboard the ship and although Misty was somewhat pleased to be near a friend, she was scared to realize that he was aboard Team Rocket's pirate ship. He must've been kidnapped like her. "Oh no…" Misty breathed.
Tracey continued to struggle, grunting as he clearly was trying to squirm away from the pirates' hold. His voice was soon drowned out by loud whines.
"Put me down! I refused to be captured twice in one day—stop!" Max shrilled, likely kicking and flailing in the grasps of another pirate.
Misty saw a few more silhouettes through the cloudy glass. There was more coming into view, confirming her fear that her friends had indeed been lured into danger.
"Don't hurt Bonnie, please!" Clemont's voice begged as the sound of more feet shuffling rumbled the deck. "Get off of me!" he said with clenched teeth.
"Ouch!" came the voice of a pirate. "You'll pay for that!" the voice threatened.
"Leave him alone!" Gary's voice snarled.
An eruption of yelling broke out; Misty caught the voices of Cilan, Brock, Bonnie, Dedenne and then the demands to remain quiet from the pirates. The ship began to rock slightly at the chaos ensuing.
After about a minute, a loud screeching coming from somewhere on the boat silenced everyone. Misty clamped her ears shut, not able to bare the insufferable high-pitched screech. It sounded as though nails were scratching against a chalkboard.
Once the screeching ceased, everyone on the ship remained quiet.
"Thank you, Meowth," said the voice of James.
Misty knew that the figure standing with his back to the cabin doors belonged to James. She assumed that Meowth was standing beside him but she couldn't see it. Then came the figure Misty could easily identify; Jessie had come into view, standing ahead of James and Meowth.
"I'll wait for you all to take a seat," Jessie said, her voice with mock patience. "If you do not cooperate then you will all walk the plank!"
There was a collective thud and everything went silent. Misty pressed her ear against the doors once more, hoping to hear anything about Ash's whereabouts. She figured that Ash and Pikachu were safe at least, considering that she didn't hear either on the boat. But, Misty still carried a heavy amount of distress on her heart, thinking that Ash was still in grave danger.
"Good…" Jessie trailed as silence consumed the boat. "Is that all of them?" she asked someone, presumably the pirates.
"Yes, Captain," one pirate, replied.
"Alright then," Jessie said in a pleased tone. "Hoist the anchor! We have some business to handle with these folks…"
The hostages broke into whispers and gasps, causing Jessie to snarl at them to be quiet once more.
Misty's ears were met with the sound of heavy chains grazing against the side of the ship, followed by a heavy clang on the deck. She soon felt the ship to slowly drift from the spot, her heart drumming against her chest and massive lump in her throat.
Why were they leaving? What about Ash and Pikachu? Did they have something planned if they were fleeing the area?
As the ship continued to float away against the subtle current, Misty heard James whisper to Jessie.
"What about the twerp and Pikachu?" his voice was so slow and at the mention of Ash and Pikachu, Misty smashed her ear further into the doors, ignoring the sudden pain and numbing that developed.
"Did you leave the drink and note at the campsite?" Jessie murmured, clearly not wanting to rile up the captives.
"Mhmm," Meowth said. "Do you reckon he bought it?"
"Perhaps…" Jessie answered, her voice a little unsure. "If he believes it's from that bratty redhead then he surely will drink it. But, he has proven that he isn't as dumb as he looks."
"But we have plan B, right?" James asked nervously.
"Right," Jessie stated, her tone regaining confidence. "If he drinks it, he's dead and Pikachu will be free to snatch up. If not, he'll follow us to help his pathetic friends. We're going to have to wait and see, though."
"So what're we going to do with his friends in the meantime? James asked. "Take them to the cavern?"
"No," Jessie whispered. "For now we wait. By sunrise, if we do not get a visit from that flying imbecile, then we send them to the plank."
James and Meowth crooned in hushed laughter. Misty felt disgusted as she held back tears. If Ash drinks whatever they were talking about, he would die. And to make matters worse, Team Rocket left a note implying that it was from Misty. She couldn't stomach how cruel the whole matter was. Please don't drink it, Misty begged in her mind, thinking about her best friend stumbling upon the drink and note that was supposedly from her.
A part of Misty felt that Ash wasn't that dense enough to drink something out of nowhere, even if it was from a friend. After all he and Misty had a nasty argument just before.
"What're do you want to do with the redhead?" Meowth asked, breaking Misty out of her reverie.
"Let her join the others," Jessie ordered. "She is the cherry on top." And in mere seconds, Misty heard their footsteps approach the doors before her. She rolled over to the side, dodging the bursting doors, hiding in the darkness.
As Team Rocket ventured inside the cabin, Misty caught a glimpse of three shadowy figures, looking about and ultimately wandering over to the Captain's desk where the sword dangled over the edge.
"What's this?" Jessie spat, bending down to pick up the fallen thread. James and Meowth followed her, examining the web as well.
Misty took this opportunity to emerge from her hiding spot and run out to the deck where she met her friends all tied together. She rushed over to them, hoping to untie them, but there was a sudden uproar at her appearance.
"Ay, she got loose!" one pirate shouted from the superstructure.
"Captain! Come quick!" another one said loudly, starting over to Misty, brandishing a Pokeball in his hands.
Soon, the remaining pirates surrounded her, all holding Pokeballs threateningly.
"Misty, fly out of here!" Brock ordered.
Misty realized that flying was indeed her only option, but as she kicked up into the air, she ended up falling front first onto the deck. It was like she lost the ability to fly; she could no longer feel the weight falling off her and felt chained to gravity.
"Oh no…" Misty breathed, her eyes becoming shaky. "Why can't I fly anymore?" she grunted, pulling herself off the deck and standing tense in front of her friends.
"Misty what's wrong?" Bonnie asked hastily.
"I—I don't know," Misty stammered, her eyes still focused on the threats before them. C'mon, fly, Misty told herself.
Team Rocket had arrived at the scene of chaos, pushing through the link of pirates, quieting everyone down. Jessie stood ahead of everyone, glaring down at Misty.
Misty held her arms up, in an attempt to shield her helpless friends. "You're not going to touch them!" she barked at Jessie.
The sight of Misty, however, amused the captain. "You're outnumbered, twerp," Jessie spat, her eyes shining with deviousness.
But the Gym Leader stood her ground, beaming baleful eyes at the enemies. "I won't let you hurt them!"
"Misty," Gary whispered. Misty turned her head slightly to listen, but kept her eyes straight ahead. "You have to get out of here."
"You have a death wish, brat!" boomed Jessie, irritation masking her face. "Surrender, and I might be generous."
"Listen to me!" Gary hissed. "You have to try and fly again. Don't worry about us. Find Ash and—"
"I can't," Misty said harshly with gritted teeth. Misty was crossed as to what she ought to do. She couldn't fly anymore, or at least she thought. She didn't comprehend what had happened. And even if she could, Misty refused to leave her friends behind.
"Gary's right," Cilan murmured. "Worry about us later, you have to check to see if Ash's okay."
"Or alive," Gary reminded, having Misty's stomach drop.
Jessie let out an agitated groan, oblivious to the conversation occurring amongst the captives and Misty. "Last chance, girl, or else!"
Misty closed her eyes, trying to will her body into lifting itself off the ship and into the sky. But nothing seemed to work. Her mind was thumping with intense fear.
Fed up now, Jessie released an order to her crew. "That's it! You've caused enough damage to our plans. Send her to the plank!"
"Don't you dare touch her!" Brock shouted, wriggling against the tight rope that bounded he and his friends together.
"Leave her alone!" Max shouted, kicking his feet uselessly.
Misty backed away as the pirates swarmed her, trying to grab her. But there were too many of them. One managed to get a firm grip on both her arms. An even bigger eruption began as the pirates led her to the upper part of the ship, where a wooden plank hung over to the edge.
"No! Let Misty go!" shrilled Bonnie.
"Misty, fly!" Gary croaked, desperately.
Misty tried fighting off the pirates as they dragged her to the plank but they were too strong for her. Flashes of white light appeared suddenly, as some pirates released their Pokemon to assert order back into the ship.
The pirate that held onto Misty shoved her onto the plank, having her stumble on the faulty wood that sprung like a diving board. As she stood there, Misty saw that the ship had sailed out pretty far; she barely saw the island anymore.
Jessie stepped passed the pirates, James and Meowth by her sides.
"This is the end for you," Jessie said, her face twisted in a devilish smirk in the moonlight. "First your boyfriend, now you." The pirates and Team Rocket burst into cruel laughter as Misty's friends gawked at her in worry; they were no longer moving as a Golbat and Toxicroak surrounded them, ready to strike at the slightest movement.
Misty gave her friends one final determined look. Team Rocket was foolish to think that Misty would meet her end at below the water. Misty never feared the ocean, as she was skilled with Water Pokemon, spending most her time at beaches, lakes, rivers, pools, etc.
Yet, looking down into the black abyss that was the treacherous sea, Misty found it hard to jump.
"Well go on!" growled Jessie, placing her foot on the opposite end of the plank.
Misty felt the wood wobbled beneath her feet. Fly, Misty, the Gym Leader ordered herself. But before she could make another attempt, the Team Rocket Trio, stamped their feet on the plank, causing it to quake violently under Misty. She lost her footing, and felt her body plummet into the cold, murky waters.
"Misty!" her friends screamed, while Team Rocket and the pirates laughed once they heard a great splash.
"Misty…" Bonnie whimpered, her voice cracking.
"She had to survive," Max said. "She had to."
The cold water almost immersed Misty into unconsciousness, but she managed to hold on, remaining awake. She had landed roughly with great impact, feeling soreness cruise through her legs and back. The drop was also deep, and with the strength she had left, Misty propelled her body upwards to get some air.
Her lungs shriveled in protest, practically screaming for air. Aside from that, when she fell, Misty sworn she had the wind knocked out of her. She saw the moonlight at the surface and continued to swim, but her legs suddenly cramped up, making it much more difficult for her to reach the surface. Misty attempted to sway her cramps limbs against the torrential sea, but they only stiffened in response.
Everything was starting to go as black as the waters' depths. The light she saw from above was beginning to flicker out of sight while her lungs expelled a release of bubbles. I have to get back on the island, Misty said in her mind. I have to save everyone. I have to save Ash…
Her whole body was numb from the frigid cold ocean and Misty felt her mind drifting away. Misty swore she felt two pairs of arms take hold of her, bringing her up to the surface. Misty's head popped out of the dark water and her vision was coming back.
Instantly, Misty began to sputter out water from her chest and then realized her arms, hung limp over something. She was being pulled gently across the ocean's surface. Her eyesight was still blurry, but Misty managed to make out the shape of the island coming towards her. Someone had rescued her, yet she didn't know who it was. Her eyes began to droop as the exhaustion was staring to consume her once more.
After what felt like a couple of minutes, Misty was pulled onto the shore of the island on her back.
"Misty?" said a soft, sweet voice.
"Is she going to be okay?" asked another voice.
"I hope so," said a third.
Upon, feeling the warmth of the sand beneath her back and hearing the voices of her rescuers, Misty's eyes fluttered open. She coughed a bit, choking on some salt water that remained in her throat. Lifting her body up, which ached in protest, Misty propped herself up with an elbow and was met with the people who rescued her.
"Uh…May?" Misty breathed, her eyesight clearing up. "Dawn? Serena?"
Before the redhead on the shallow shore of the beach, sat the three mermaids of the lagoon. The three of them let out a relieved sigh and gave Misty warm smiles.
The mermaids saved her? Even though Misty was still a bit disoriented, she found it hard to believe that these mermaids came to her rescue. They weren't exactly friendly upon her arrival at Neverland.
"How're you feeling, Misty?" May asked, kindly.
"I..uh…I'm okay," Misty responded weakly amidst feeling flummoxed. "How did I get here?"
"We saw you fall into the water," Dawn explained. "From Team Rocket's pirate ship," she finished.
"We swam as fast we could to make sure you wouldn't drown," Serena said. Her eyes shone with sincerity and warmth contrasting the sour glower she gave Misty at the lagoon. "Are you hurt?"
Misty tried moving her legs, as she remembered they had stiffened as she tried to emerge to the surface. Misty winced a little, but her legs were better now then they were in the water. She felt a little relief at the sight of her toes wiggling. "Not so much," Misty said hoarsely.
"That's a relief," sighed Dawn with a smile.
"You all saved me?" Misty asked, getting into a sitting position. She was amazed to have May and Serena help her up.
The mermaids nodded.
"I—thought…" Misty began but changed her mind. She was grateful and didn't want to come off as anything but so.
"Though what?" Serena asked.
"Nothing," Misty shook her tired head.
Serena read into Misty's sudden meekness. The mermaid's eyes saddened as she said in a whisper, "You thought we didn't like you, huh?"
May and Dawn both dipped their heads down in shame. Misty's eyes softened at the mermaids' despondency. "Well, yeah…" Misty answered.
Letting out a low huff, Serena spoke once more. "Sorry, Misty. We were just a little jealous I guess."
Misty's eyes widened, perplexed. "Of what?"
"Well you and Ash…" Dawn trailed, her eyes looking away awkwardly.
"Ash and I aren't—" Misty tried to explain but stopped at the sight of the mermaids beaming at her.
"Misty, don't you see it?" May asked eagerly like an excited schoolgirl.
Misty shrugged, her brows furrowing. "See what?"
"Ash obviously cares about you, Misty," Serena elucidated.
"He cares about all his friends," Misty pointed out.
"We've all known Ash for a while now," May started to say.
"And even before we met you," Dawn continued on. "He's mentioned you a bunch of times."
"He has?" Misty asked, intrigued and surprised. Ash had made plenty of friends throughout his travels and Misty at times did feel like she was forgotten among all the new companions in his life.
Serena let out a small chuckle. "You seem to be as dense as he is."
Misty blushed a little. Apparently the mermaids weren't the only ones who thought there was something else between her and Ash. Iris made a comment that she and the black haired trainer "looked cute together". Team Rocket even taunted her about her "boyfriend".
Now Misty was brought back to the ugly feud at the Fairy Hollow. She had accused Ash of being so thick and clueless about his and her feelings. Yet here she sat, having these mermaids imply that Ash cares more for her than she gives him credit for; he likely just doesn't understand his feelings yet.
"We're sorry," Serena said sincerely, having Misty redirect her attention towards the mermaids.
"It's okay," Misty sighed, a smile etched on her drenched face. "Thank you for saving me." Misty groaned as she tried to get up on her two feet, which quavered at the weight, but Misty regained her balance. "Have any of you seen Ash or Pikachu?" Misty asked, quickly, getting back to the more important matter.
The mermaids all looked puzzled as they shook their heads.
"Are they okay?" Dawn squeaked with concern.
"I don't know," Misty said hastily, turning towards the jungle. "I'm going to find them!" She tried willing herself to fly again, but no luck. Despite being exhausted, Misty settled on finding Ash and Pikachu by foot. If she came across the Dragon Village, Misty would asked the villagers for any sign of Ash and warn them about Team Rocket.
"We'll check the lagoon and the other side of the island!" May yelled as Misty successfully broke into a wobbly run.
"Right!" Misty shouted back at them. "Thanks again!"
The mermaids reentered the dark ocean, disappearing from the shore, their fins briefly glittering in the moonlight, before vanishing completely.
Misty pushed herself further, ignoring the pain that whined at her side. She felt herself falling forwards, but managed to carry herself onward into the jungle. "Please be here!" Misty panted. She continued to run with all the speed she could muster, navigating through the trees and vines, hoping to reach the campsite in time to find Ash and Pikachu there, alive.
Ash staggered onto his feet in the middle of Fairy Hollow. He had returned with Pikachu on his shoulder, hoping to find Misty still here, safe.
"Misty!" Ash called out, his hands cuffed over his mouth. "Misty!"
"Pikachupi!" Pikachu shouted for Misty, hopping off his trainer's shoulder and sniffing the ground for any sign of the redheaded trainer.
"Misty!" Ash cried out again, his voice becoming hoarse. He turned to his Pokemon friend with worried eyes. "Any sign of her, buddy?"
The electric rodent lifted its head from the jungle floor, facing Ash with a saddened expression, shaking its head. "Pika…chu…"
Ash let out an exasperated huff through his nostrils. His heart was drumming hard against his chest as his mind buzzed with frets about Misty's whereabouts. He tried to convince himself that Misty was fine and that Team Rocket did not lay a finger on her. But his worries were winning, having him feel hopeless.
"Misty, where are you?" Ash called out, his voice echoing throughout the glimmering forest. "Misty!"
"Pikachupi!" Pikachu called out again, but only hearing the echo of its own voice as a response.
"This is where she was," Ash explained to Pikachu, remembering him flying away after their heated squabble. Ash had assumed that Misty would remain here, but whom was he kidding? Misty wasn't the type to stay put and wallow in sadness.
The burdensome guilt was weakening Ash. He felt entirely responsible for everything. Team Rocket, likely at the campsite while he slept in the tree house, had kidnapped his friends. Had he been awake Ash would've have swept into action, defending his friends and saving them from being taken. And now Misty was missing and possibly in the hands of Team Rocket as well.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu called out to Ash, pointing directly ahead.
Ash teetered forward, his heart swelling. "Misty?"
Ash felt his heart deflate upon seeing that it was not Misty approaching but a Spritzee; the same one he met with Bonnie. "Oh," he said, disappointedly.
"Spritz?" Spritzee asked, turning its small body to the side in puzzlement.
"Sorry, Spritzee," Ash apologized. "I thought you were someone else. Wait! Have you seen Misty?" His voice was laced with hope.
"Spritzee, spritzee…" the fairy-like bird said sadly, shaking its beaked head.
"Do you know if any other Pokemon here has seen her?" Ash implored desperately.
Before Spritzee could reply, Pikachu leapt ahead of Ash, speaking in its own language to the fairy. Ash watched them intently, looking for any sort of sign of good news.
After the conversation between Pokemon, Spritzee nodded and disappeared into the trees. Ash concluded that Pikachu must've asked Spritzee to help look for Misty.
"Did you tell it to ask the other fairies?" Ash asked Pikachu, to which the yellow mouse nodded. "Great, thanks." He looked around the spot, to see if anything or anyone was approaching. But seeing as it was still only he and Pikachu, Ash decided to venture into other parts of the Hollow. "Let's check elsewhere, Pikachu," he told his partner.
They both wandered into the tree-strewn hollow, calling out to Misty.
"Pikachupi!"
"Misty! Misty!"
During their trek, a few fairy Pokemon would emerge in response to the calls. Pikachu would communicate with them, relaying their task to which the fairies would kindly agree to help, vanishing leaving sparks behind.
After wandering through the Hollow for a while, Ash thought perhaps Misty either went back to the Dragon Village or the campsite. He decided he would check those places next but wanted to spend a little more time in the Hollow, before retiring to another spot.
"Misty!" Ash cried out again, hearing his echo to be the only other sound. Ash sighed as his echo finished. He and Pikachu stood there for a moment, as Ash sulked in distress. He felt tears flooding his eyes, and he tried to hold them back.
Pikachu's ears then pricked, grabbing Ash's attention. "Pi?" it said, taking a few steps ahead. Ash followed closely as his Pokemon's ears continued to twitch at a sound that was inaudible to him. Moving closer and closer to the source of the mute noise, Ash's ears were met with the voice that he desperately wanted to hear.
"Ash!" it screamed faintly. "Ash! Pikachu!"
Pikachu began to run to the voice, Ash hot in pursuit. "Misty!" he called out. The closer they got, the more familiar the voice was, and it was indeed Misty as Ash believed.
"Pikachupi!"
"Misty! Misty!" Ash couldn't contain his impatience anymore. He hoisted Pikachu onto his shoulder and jumped into the air, gliding all the way to find the owner of the voice. "Misty! We're coming!"
"Ash!" the voice grew louder and closer, much to Ash's relief.
But, Ash then stopped in midair, causing Pikachu to become confused. "Pika?" it said, tugging at Ash's hat for him to journey on. Ash suddenly felt hesitant. How was he sure that this was Misty? It could be another trap, using Misty as a ploy to ensnare he and Pikachu.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu demanded, tugging away. Pikachu seemed keen that it was Misty, ordering Ash to go forth.
"What if it's not…her?" Ash murmured, nervously. Ash normally acted before thinking, but with how much trouble had been caused, he didn't feel safe acting rash.
But Pikachu persisted that his trainer meets the voice ahead. Ash was afraid that he might end up causing more trouble if this were a trap. He would lose his chance at helping his friends, especially Misty.
However, with Pikachu angrily tugging away at Ash's hat and his own yearning to find Misty, Ash couldn't resist taking the chance. It would be out of character for him to do so anyways.
Ash zoomed ahead, having Pikachu nearly clamber off him. "Misty!" he shouted. After soaring through a clearing he caught sight of a redhead with blue pajamas; it was Misty.
Her back was turned in the other direction, crying out, "Ash!"
"Misty!"
"Ash—huh?" Misty said, turning around only to be tackled with such a force, she was surprised she hadn't fallen backwards. Her arms were bound to their sides as the arms of her best friend Ash enveloped her tightly.
"Misty!" Ash said, happily, holding his best friend close.
Wincing a little, Misty griped, "Ash, let go!" She tried to squirm out of his steel grip but he only squeezed her tighter. She sighed, a little happy that he ignored her request. She absorbed the warmth radiating from his body and beyond ecstatic to find her friend safe and alive.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Author's Note: So...I decided to change a few things from the 2003 adaptation. I thought this would make it more exciting for Misty to escape and with the help of the mermaids, who made a turn-around. Originally, I wasn't going to have the mermaids reappear anywhere in the story but decided that they aren't all bad, especially since they are portrayed by the other Pokégirls. Plus, it would be out of character for Misty if she wasn't able to help her friends, particularly Ash. Because she is a very strong character, after all. Consider this my own spin/adaptation of Peter Pan while borrowing elements from the movies with Pokémon characters. Anyways, hope this chapter was exciting enough! Reviews are always appreciated! Until next time!