Spitfire, Chapter 29: I could be, but...
As the numbers of team rocket troops dwindled, he figured that maybe alerting them of intruders were a bad idea after all. Sure, it made him feel like the champion that he legitimately was, but it was probably not his brightest plan. But, why should he worry? Gary, May, Max and Dawn were all champions in their own right; they didn't need an official title to prove that, and neither did Ash.
His feet skid along the titled floors as he rounded a corner near the north part of the boat, simply going up as many stairs as there were available on his way to find Pikachu. He checked as many rooms, holding areas, and spaces as he could find, but as of yet, no Misty, and no Pikachu. He exhaled sharply; dipping into the top floor and exhaling. He held his chest for a moment to catch his breath and looked back at this pokemon.
"Hey guys, take a rest for now. I'll call you when there's more." He said cryptically, returning Greninja and Charizard to their pokeballs. Stamina was of the essence right now, he had no idea what he would be getting into once he did leave the boat; and he and his pokemon needed to be prepared, especially because he only had the three. Well-he frowned, glancing out the window to the top deck-the two of them. With Pikachu gone, his team had a massive flaw in it, and a massive hole in Ash's chest.
Where ever Pikachu and Misty were, they weren't exactly making it easy to find them. He hoped Misty didn't run off and get herself hurt; she wasn't exactly known to be the most graceful. While she always bickered with him about his own reckless nature, she was never any better, not when something major was at risk. In thought, Ash pumped his legs along the narrow paths, until he came to a spiraling stop upon realizing that there was no more hallway to run into. A door sat at the left side of the corridor, and he rubbed his hands together, revealing Charizards ball, just in case.
Team Rocket of some form would probably be in there, it was the highest point on the ship, and what Ash suspected was the command center; he touched the handle, gently twisting it so it wouldn't creak, and very slowly pushed the door open.
What he found, was not what he suspected. He pressed the door open wide as a goofy grin plastered over his face at the image before him. Misty was, once again, trying to man her own escape—only this time, tied to the captain's chair with a piece of cloth tied around her mouth so that she couldn't speak. Her legs were tied at the ankles, her wrists bound and a rope wrapped around her chest and the back of the chair to hold her in spot.
The predicament, however, was that she rolled around on the ground like a squirtle stuck on its back, because she had, at least it looked like she had, kicked her legs up in attempt to get free, and had fallen over. Not only that, her face was sour, absolute detest was written across every muscle in her body and Ash couldn't help the laughter that pushed at the back of his throat, full of relief.
"Misty?" Ash muttered with a chuckle, catching her eye finally. She stilled, no longer wiggling and look at him wide eyed. At first he saw a trace of relief that was immediately followed with anger, possibly due to his laughing, but was replaced just as quickly with panic. He didn't move right away, stuck in a trance as he watched the red head raise her arms to her chest and attempt to yell.
"hrrmmy urmm!" She thrashed, successfully snapping Ash out of his stupor, he ran to her, grabbing a hold of her binds and pulling on the careless knot in the back. It wasn't even a knot, really, it was just a bunch of the ropes over lapped; definitely sloppy like Team Rocket. She murmured louder, shaking her head at him as he sat her back upright.
"mmmm mouhh!" her strained voice, even as slurred as they were, were pack full of frustration. Ash almost didn't want to remove the gag, and did so hesitantly. He untied the white cloth slowly, but the moment it fell from her lips she started a spiel.
"Move a little faster would you?! I'm going to maim someone when I get out of here!" She yelled loudly. Ash flinched as he tugged at the binds behind the chair.
"Not me, please." He said quietly, but she was on a tangent, raging about team rocket and how they were traitors, no good scumbags, and when she saw them again, a multitude of bad things were going to happen to them. Ash could only stare sadly at his old friend, worried that she had finally cracked after all of these years.
"Misty, calm down. What happened?" He asked as the binds around her chest fell limp around her waist, she sat forward for the first time and exhaled while putting her arms out for Ash to untie.
"Well, you know me and my poor judgment. I let Team Rocket out of their cage, and they lead me up here, and then stole Pikachu after I found him." She grunted angrily, blowing hair out of her face. Ash couldn't bother staring at her, as he did not need the distraction, especially when his skin touched hers so carelessly at the moment. Adornment was replaced temporarily with frustration.
"How could you let them take Pikachu?" He accused, sounding mortified. When the ties around her arms were through, he briefly caught a glimpse of blood around her wrists before she pulled her hands away. Wrath filled his chest as he watched her untie her own feet.
"I didn't let them. I didn't have any pokemon with me!" She shouted back, jumping from her seat the moment her feet were untied, she rushed to her bag, as well as her friends', and started to pile them over her shoulders; Ash followed suit, but was steaming with rage.
"They were right here you couldn't have just thrown one?!" He whined carelessly, eyes locking onto her wrists once again. She exhaled sharply, and spun on him.
"I was a little busy being held at gun point! I can't handle electric shock like you can, Ash! What did you expect me to do! At least I'm a lot more useful when I'm conscious!" She yelled back, turning away from him and starting towards the door. They didn't have time for this!
"You wouldn't have had to be if you had a little patience!? What even happened to your arms, Misty!?" He hollered, while he was worried, it sounded more like anger coming out of his mouth as he chased her down the corridor, back into the direction of the deck he saw earlier; from the observation room, they could see the whole area perfectly; so she probably saw where Team Rocket ran off to.
"I got out, okay?! I didn't know if anyone was coming!" She yelled back, jumping down flights of stairs at a time, his face twisted with emotion, following just a step behind her.
"Well...that's not... Of course I would come for you!" He retorted sharply, "But now look whats happ-"
She stopped suddenly at the door leading to the top deck outside, causing him to collide into her back. He took a step back, rubbing his face which slammed into her firm shoulders, and she spun on her heels to face him. Her face was red from running as she leered at him.
"We don't have time to fight about this! We have more important things to deal with right now!" She yelled, throwing up her arms, she let them crash onto the collar of his shirt. He didn't back down however.
Ash scoffed, staring wild eyed at her; "If you weren't so bull headed all the—mmmmphthh" but Misty had tightened her grip around his collar and pulled him in for a split second, hot kiss. Their lips only touched briefly, but it was long enough to turn Ash's head upside down and calm him down; finally balancing out his rage. She didn't pause to stare, she didn't even glance at him as she dropped his collar and let him fall backwards in drunken stumble.
"I said," She grumbled, kicking open the top deck door. A breeze of salty ocean air rushed down the corridor, smacking Ash in the face and out of his stupor, "shut up, Ash!" She finished her sentence, jumping out onto the deck, leaving him briefly. He swallowed hard, though his lips burned like fire, he pushed outside as well, keeping up with her fast pace as her eyes darted around; looking for team rocket.
That's right, they did have more important things to take care of than fighting with each other; and bickering wouldn't get Pikachu back any faster. He thanked heavens that at least she didn't hit him to pull him out of his tirade.
"Charizard go!" Ash yelled suddenly, alerting Misty, "Fly around and see if you can find our team rocket! They have Pikachu!" He commanded sorely. The fire type roared confidently, and spun off the ground violently, breaking into a swift wind as the dragon circled the area.
"What now?" Misty questioned, looking over the edge at where May, Dawn, Gary and Max were battling. They were holding their own against Team Rocket's men, working together to beat them back.
"I'm not sure how you managed to escape!" an angry voice called behind the duo, standing on top of a cargo box. They stood side by side with their arms crossed; and Ash could feel a motto coming on.
"Hell yeah, I did! Now where did Jessie and James go!?" Misty glowered aggressively, not even hesitating to reveal a pokeball. Cassidy waved the taser gun at Misty and touched her lips.
"Battle you, or win? Hmm, I think I'll take the later!" She yelled, but a gleam formed in Ash's eye. He threw up his hand to alert Charizard.
"Charizard, smash that stupid gun!" he yelled, loudly, and a look of fear crossed Cassidy as Charizard spiraled downward, ramming it's body into Cassidy to knock her down, and ripped the silly weapon right out of her hands. Ash pumped his fist forward, "Now get back to looking for Pikachu, and help out our friends if you get the chance!"
"What are you going to do now, Bart?!" Misty taunted, Ash felt equally as enthusiastic, sharing a thumbs up with Misty. Upon glancing at her though, the feeling of her lips against his came rushing back, and steaming, he turned away. Just focus on the battle and finding pikachu, Ash, he thought bitterly while tugging on the bill of his hat. Misty seemed to notice his nervousness; but she was much better at hiding her own, and she was focused. Butch and Cassidy recovered from their embarrassment to rage at Ash and Misty.
"My name is Buuuuutch!" Butch called aggressively stomping his foot, while slinging his Primape into battle. Cassidy followed foot, revealing her Sableye.
"I choose you, Starmie!" Misty called automatically as the star pokemon appeared from it's pokeball.
"I thought you didn't bring any pokemon with you?" Ash asked suddenly as he motioned for Charizard to continue looking for Pikachu, instead summoning Greninja to the battle. Misty scowled at him.
"I said I didn't bring all of my pokemon, I would never leave the gym without a couple!" She insisted, staring at his Greninja; she had never seen one in person before; and she had to fight the urge to coo over it. She held up her fist proudly; after this, she was going to demand that Ash let her battle Greninja.
"Let's finish them quickly, then. The sooner we can find Pikachu the better!" pulled out of her trance by Ash's determination, she nodded.
"Right!"
XOXOXOXOXOXOXXOXO
"Look at those twerps, they just don't give up, do they?" Jessie asked while peering out of the window on the boat. Charizard's looking would be for nothing, as they hid amongst the rafters the same way they did previously to hide from Ash and Misty. They ran right past the trio and didn't even notice.
"No, it appears not, Jessie." James added astonished by the groups' commitment. They watched from the large window of the observatory room, having returned there after Ash 'rescued' Misty, and watched the battle unwind between Cassidy and Butch, and Ash and Misty. Below that, they could see Mamoswine throwing team rocket members into the water by groups, as well as the fire blasts of Charizard, Blaziken and Arcanine ripping up the field. In the distance, moving through the trees—they could hear the faint sounds of sirens, and the flashing red and blue lights of the police moving through the forest.
This was a project too big for even Team Rocket; had they simply stolen the pokemon and ran, it could have been possible...but as usual, their greatest enemy was their own greed.
"Pika!" The rodent squirmed from inside of it's bag, attempting to chew through the rubber. "Pika pika, pikachu!" it yelled at them. Jessie and James turned to Meowth for a translation.
He raised his paws to his mouth thoughtfully, "He says that if we were real thieves, we woulda' caught him without taking advantage of other peoples failyas'" Jessie and James looked at one another while Pikachu continued, letting out another thunderbolt. It panted in the sack, exhausting itself from it's struggle, and running low on available, clean oxygen.
"He also asks if we would please let him go—he promises not to blast us off again."
"The girl twerp did seem kind of desperate, I feel kind of bad..." James said sadly, watching Misty as her Starmie tackled Sableye into the wall, knocking it unconscious.
"You know, when they find us Jessie; and with the police coming...we could get into a lot of trouble." He whined nervously as Jessie folded her arms irritably. Their pokemon had been stolen by Team Rocket as well, their own group betraying them and locking them into a cage. Misty freed them without much hesitation, even though Team Rocket followed them everyday of their childhood life, trying to, and sometimes moderately succeeding at stealing their pokemon.
...After so long, it felt more like a game of cat and mouse, visiting new places, trying new events that Jessie, James and Meowth would have missed out on originally. Part of Jessie believed that they were more like loud, obnoxious protectors of these twerps than they were proper evil doers.
James thought the same thing, but it was Meowth that finally pulled the plug on their plan, using his claws to scratch open Pikachu's bag. The electric pokemon tumbled out onto the floor.
"Pika!" it muttered, staring up at them tiredly, cheeks sparking and preparing for an attack.
"We're letting you go." They all spoke in unison, putting their hands up in defeat. Pikachu let it's guard down, relaxing as it stared up at Team Rocket. He looked between their smiling faces, and then broke into a sprint after it's trainer seconds later.
"Do you think we did the right thing, Jessie?" James asked tiredly, and she sighed.
"I guess we'll find out next week." She laughed, rubbing the back of her head. Just because they were willing to help out this once, they had no intention of giving up the life of evil. At least, not yet.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
Butch and Cassidy were pulling out all of their strings, Greninja was on his last legs; and weakened, Misty was forced to return Starmie and call Seadra instead.
"This isn't looking good." Misty crooned, standing beside Ash as Butch and Cassidy leered confidently. They had six pokemon each, and Ash and Misty were only able to defeat three thus far.
"We can do this!" Ash offered, and while Misty wanted to agree, knowing that she had three other trainers bags on her back, she wasn't entirely positive that any of their pokemon would listen to Ash or Misty in a battle. She grit her teeth.
"Ash, what about those Mega-evolution stones that Paul gave you?" Misty inquired, pulling Ash out of his own thoughts that echoed Misty's. He blinked at her,
"I forgot about those." He admit, and glanced over Greninja while revealing a megastone. He held it out for a moment, unsure of how to use it at first, but something else caught his eye instead; a bounding yellow fur ball running out from behind him, and into battle.
"PIKACHU!" he yelled happily, nearly dropping the mega-evolution stone from shock. However, Pikachu didn't stop to celebrate with Ash just yet, instead, it ran in front of Greninja to relieve the weakened pokemon. It's red cheeks surged volatility at Butch and Cassidy.
"How did that runt get out!? Who the hell is in charge her?!" Cassidy yelled, only as Butch squeaked beside her,
"Technically we are." He suggested, but she hit him violently in retort, leaving a gaping opening for the trainers below. Ash spared a glance at Misty, only to find her staring back at him. With a brief, distinct nod, both trainers raised their hands dramatically, shoulder to shoulder, as they called for their pokemon accordingly.
"Seadra, use hydropump!"
"Pikachu, use thunder!"
Butch and Cassidy looked up from their stomach to see an electrified bounding of water coming directly at them; the Hydropump and thunder had twisted into one mega attack.
"...Shit." Butch sounded off right as the torrent connected with their pokemon, and then their pokemon into them. They yelled as they flew backwards, hitting the observation deck window with their backs as their pokemon slammed hard into them.
"Again! Send them flying!" Ash and Misty spoke in perfect sync, leaning forward to pump their fists in the air eagerly. Pikachu and Seadra reacted in a timely manner, jumping high into the air before the ferocious wave of water and lightning exploded near Butch and Cassidy, igniting a spark below their feet, and blowing a hole through the ship.
The boat rumbled from impact, moments later a huge ricochet refracted from the blast, causing the entire observation room to explode, sending both members of team rocket flying high into the sky. Misty raised her hand, seeing the faint colors of maroon and purple flying above and felt a keen sense of revenge as a grin spread over her cheeks, she waved belittlement at them.
"You said we wouldn't blast off again!" Jessie, James and Meowth cried while Pikachu scratched his ears nervously.
"Bye, bye Team Rocket! Thanks for playing!" Misty yelled as each of them made their familiar catch phrase, and blasted off again, into a ping in the background. With the battle over Ash crossed his arms thoughtfully.
"Have you ever thought about the physics behind that?" He suggested, while pointing at the star they created in the sky, Misty looked back at him with an over-confident snarl.
"Don't question it, it's Team Rocket. They're full of magic."
He smiled at her, "I suppose so."
"Pika!" The electric pokemon cheered, running directly for Ash who caught him mid-jump and spun the rodent in his arms.
"I'm so glad that you're okay!" Ash sighed, squeezing Pikachu happily in his arms; it squeaked in return as Misty stared at the two of them, smiling with her hands behind her back.
...And then there it was, with the immediate danger out of the way, Pikachu found, and the battle taken care of; it was just the two of them staring at one another. A flood of emotions hit both at the same time. Misty blushed for what she had done earlier, deciding to kiss Ash in a split second rather than slapping him to get him to focus. Ash turned beet red for the exact memory; he touched his lips awkwardly,
"So, I did sort of save your life..." he contented, approaching her once again.
"No, you were late." She offered, red-faced and looking down at her feet. Ash grinned, taking a step closer to her, not that they were far apart during the battle to begin with. He stood only a few inches away from her; crowding her space as she leaned back, glaring at him nervously. She kept her arms firm at her sides, refusing to touch him.
"But, if I recall, you would still be tied to a chair if I hadn't found you." He begged to differ, staring down at her; she didn't seem impressed by his teasing. Both of their faces burned bright red, as she backed up.
"I would have gotten out." She said sheepishly, lifting up her wrists for emphasis on her initial escape. Presented with the reminder of her injury, Ash cradled her hands gently; forcing steam to rise from Misty's scalp. Pikachu covered his eyes and slipped out of his trainers arms carefully, Greninja covered his eyes as well; Seadra, formerly horsea, stared at the duo with hearts in it's eyes; completely, Misty's pokemon.
"Pikaa..." the electric type grumbled, feeling second par to it's trainer for the moment.
"And you always gave me hell for being reckless, look at you!" He complained jokingly, grinning down at her as their noses touched. She felt suddenly very light headed, and couldn't move back anymore. He added with his eyes closed happily, "I think I rubbed off on you!"
His laughter did nothing to calm her nerves, sending jolts of electricity down her spine, she shuddered happily; feeling his mouth closing in on her's, finally.
"We're here!" Paul and Drew's voice boomed through the door behind them, interrupting the sweet moment; ending it in it's tracks. Ash separated from Misty, only partially glaring at Drew and Paul who blushed upon seeing the scene that they walked into. Even Paul's stoic nature cracked, and he had to adjust his shirt to look macho again.
Drew covered his face, embarrassed while Paul scowled.
"We were worried, and you two were up here makin' out! I should have known!" Paul yammered while he approached Misty. She dropped the bags that she had collected earlier, allowing Paul to scoop his up and throw it over his shoulders. Drew cautiously did the same, unable to look at the young couple. He felt like he ruined a perfect moment, and being who he was—that was a pretty rough feeling. He felt bad for Ash.
However, Ash didn't deny that they were 'makin' out', and that only sufficed to make Misty blush more when Paul and Drew walked away as quickly as possible, carrying the rest of the bags for the duo. They muttered and grumbled amongst themselves, but the look they tossed Ash before the door closed behind them was one of dutiful apprehension that she didn't understand until she turned at Ash. At first, he seemed a little troubled; unable to look at her, so she shrugged her shoulders. There was always tomorrow, or later that evening. There was no need to push it now.
She laughed awkwardly, "See, I told you I wasn't rusty" She joked, referring to her battle technique as she closed her eyes. Ash pursed his lips in response, staring outward at the closed door as he shoved his hands into his pockets. When he didn't reply, she felt disheartened, lowering her shoulders timidly and sighing.
Quite frankly, she was growing tired of these awkward moments they shared, and while she could hear the rest of Team Rocket being rounded up by the police who arrived below, or the sounds of them attempting to swim away, she opened her eyes to face Ash; and do the one thing she was petrified to tell him from the start: the truth.
...Only, when she turned to face him, Ash was already there. The sudden intake of his sceny knocked the wind out of her chest as he caught her with the palms of his hands, wrapping his fingers gently behind her neck. He stared at her in that position, mouth cracked and watching her eyes for any hint of rejection. When he didn't see one right away, he leaned forward, finally caressing her into a long over-due kiss. A proper one, not the peck she asserted prior to their battle to get him to stop talking, but a warm, decadent touch. She could feel the heat radiating off his face, causing her own cheeks to flush as she once again closed her eyes, soaking in the flavors of his lips. Tilting into the kiss, he relaxed his shoulders as he lowered his right arm, drifting down her sides to leave trails of gooseflesh along her skin before wrapping around her back. Inch by inch, he closed the gap between them.
Misty's brain turned off at first, unable to comprehend what exactly was happening until he realized that the kiss was very one sided, and pulled away. Not a kissing expert himself, he was surprised at her wide-eyed gaze and lack of effort. He flustered, dropping his arms in the belief that he messed up. Turning away, her untimely shock died quickly because of his look of disappointment, and she swallowed back the lump that formed in her throat, and then grabbed his shirt to pull him back into her.
She caught his lips passionately the second time around, setting off fireworks in Ash's head as her lips moved against his in ways he hadn't thought possible. Aside from the cut on her lip, she was a very, very skilled kisser. His head spun in circles when the connection was finally made between their bodies once again as he dropped his hands to her waist and traced them daringly up her sides; partially feeling for injury, but mostly feeling just to feel. She fit perfectly in his arms. While tilting her head to one side, Ash leaned to the other to deepen the titillating sensation of their touching mouths. When a subtle, peaceful sigh escaped his lips, he eased desperately into the kiss. A new esthesis: eagerness. He felt starved, but it was a hunger that only Misty's lips could satisfy. When Serena had kissed him before, it was like a chore, an odd activity that he witnessed, but didn't participate in.
This.
This was different. He was enthralled with the way her lips felt against his own; how soft they felt, and the small sigh she made when he did something right. It was oddly perfect in every way, and it entranced him. Plus, every hair on his body stood on edge. His hands roamed her back, trying to find something to occupy them until he found the hem of her vest, and started to pull on it. Misty was equally amazed; though she was pretty sure this wasn't the most practiced kiss she ever participated in during her life, it was definitely the best, if not only because of the raw emotional power behind it—but because it was Ash.
She was, albeit shaking like a leaf, kissing Ash.
They remained in such a position, undisturbed for a time until their insistent smacking became too much to bear; and Charizard landed swiftly onto the surface of the deck. It crossed it's arms, looking agitatedly at it's trainer who finally broke away from the kiss, but not their embrace, to look at Charizard.
"Heh," Ash muttered, blushing furiously as the large dragon blew air out of his nose in disapproval, reprieved by Pikachu, who nodded his agreement with the fire-type.
"Pika," It said, forcing the couple to laugh anxiously together.
Misty shuddered, "I guess we should get back, there's no telling what Drew and Paul have said."
"Don't remind me." Ash added, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, but still, they did not separate. Misty was the first to let go, allowing her hands to fall to her sides before crossing her arms.
"We should go then." Misty tried, looking down to see that Ash hadn't let go of her.
"We should." Ash said instantly, unable to make eye contact with her. She raised her eye brows.
"You need to let go of me, Ash." She warned, though the underlying happiness in her voice was screaming in pure, unadulterated bliss.
"Oh," He said suddenly, "Right...right..." He added, looking down to see that his arms hadn't moved yet. His eyes were open, but Misty was sure that all the lights weren't turned on.
At first, it was as if his entire body wouldn't move, and he struggled awkwardly. His mouth twitched as he unhinged his arms, having to use more strength to pry them off Misty than he did holding her. When they were separated, he cleared his throat, much to her astonishment. She found herself grinning; amused by his shy nature. After a moment, Misty grabbed his hand firm in her own.
"You need to return your pokemon, too, Ash." She muttered, returning Seadra as they spoke.
"Oh...yeah." He stammered, nervously; chuckling at his incompetence as he returned both Charizard and Greninja while offering a quick thank you and 'good work'.
Misty shifted with raised eyebrows as Pikachu jolted towards them, jumping up onto her shoulder instead of Ash's. His cheeks were flushed a sickly shade of red, and his body movements were all jagged. He might have also been cutting the circulation out of her finger tips; but that was okay, he was nervous. She giggled at him, which did nothing to help his composure. So, with Pikachu on her shoulder and an unwavering grin; she dragged the awestruck boy down through the boat.