The Year of Rocket's Revenge
Session: March, Part 2 (03.07.06/02.14.08)
(singing)
Little ditty, about Richie and Misty
2 Pokémon kids growin' up, on the windin' road
Richie gonna be a Pokémon Master
Misty's the gym leader of Richie's dreams
Sippin' on oatmeal right by the campfire
Man, this stuff really tastes horrible, she tells him bluntly
Richie say, "Hey Misty, let's run off 'hind those shady woods,
Tear away those clothes, let me have my way with you."
Say uh, oh yeah life is sweet
Long after the thrill of making out's gone
Say uh, oh yeah life is sweet
Long after the thrill of making out's gone. They do it right.
(end singing for guitar solo)
Richie strums a red guitar as if he were a rock star. Suddenly, Misty walks over, snatches the guitar, and then attempts to plunk him with it. Luckily, Richie is wise enough to duck it, then run for his life, exit stage left. Misty chases after, the guitar still in hand.
"Stand still so I can 'Have my way with you,' you creep!"
"Misty, no! I didn't mean it, honest!"
Friday, March 1st, Mt. Pyre
The dark recesses of the cavern were slowly being lit up as Chuchino used Flash to light the way of a rescue party - one to locate Ash Ketchum, who was kidnapped a month ago. A kidnapping that, surprisingly, nobody, not even Team Rocket, claimed responsibility for the vile act. With only the assurance of an old man through an Alakazam about Ash being with him, Misty was now at Mt. Pyre to search out her boyfriend. Accompanying her was a fellow competitor from her Novice League Tournament, Richie Sparky, who pledged his support to helping find the missing trainer.
But even in the daytime, the caverns were dark and treacherous, as Misty and Richie really had no idea what might be around the next corner.
"Pi, ka, pi, ka, pi, ka..." Chuchino chirped in step with his feet.
Vaporeon was right behind Chuchino, keeping her eyes glued to the ceiling and to either side of herself and Richie's Pikachu. Speaking of which, Richie was walking at the rear, side-by-side with Misty, who had an obvious look of concern on her face.
"You're worried about Ash, aren't you?" Richie asked.
"I know Ash can take care of himself," Misty replied, "but... it's the whole bit about me missing the deadline that I'm worried about. Will they back out because I was late? Or maybe they've left and wandered off somewhere else? Or... or... or..."
"You said Ash can take care of himself! I'm sure we'll able to tell from the minute we find him."
All of a sudden, the sound of ominous, dark laughter filled the cavern, causing a startled Chuchino to stop dead in his tracks. The rest of the group followed suit.
"W-w-w-what was... that?" Misty asked, a bit frightened herself.
Richie produced a flashlight out of his backpack and turned on. He quickly shined it all around the surrounding area of the cavern. But the search was fruitless... nothing was there except for the four of them and the cave walls themselves.
"That's strange..." Richie scratched his head, confused.
"Vaporeon, do you sense anything?" Misty asked her PokИmon.
Vaporeon stuck her nose up in the air and sniffed around, attempting to see if she could detect an unfamiliar smell. Her ears perked up, noting such an odor not too far ahead.
"Vaporeon? What is it?"
Before Misty got an answer, Vaporeon bolted further into the cavern.
"Vaporeon!" Misty yelled after her.
"We've got to follow her!" Richie exclaimed. "There's no telling what might happen if we all get separated!"
Richie and Misty ran after Vaporeon, with Chuchino leading the way.
After what seemed like many minutes of running but in fact were only one or two, Misty and Richie saw a light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. The two of them and Chuchino ran through, and were amazed at what lied before their very eyes as Vaporeon rejoiced that they had caught up; the water-type standing on top of a ridge overlooking a quaint in-cavern village.
Chuchino stopped using Flash as he noticed the huge bowl-shaped dome covering an enormous light source attached to the cavern's ceiling. Below, the foursome noted a small community of about 15 to 20 buildings, most of them resembling small huts or tent-like straw cabins. A handful had even been built into the cavern walls!
They also spotted a few adult humans, in the process of farming or cleaning or inspecting a nearby patch of ill-formed stalagmites. There also happened to be, towards the group's right, a pair of Duskull and a trio of Shuppet in the midst of a game of tag - or something resembling the game.
"Those are ghost types!" Richie deduced, matter-of-factly.
"G-g-g-g-ghost?" Misty stuttered.
Misty quickly hid behind Richie, determined to not let the ghost-types spot her.
"Oh, come on Misty! They look friendly!"
"That sounds like something Ash would say," Misty retorted.
"Pika!" Chuchino shouted, as he noticed a Pokémon heading towards them.
Vaporeon reared back in a defensive position as Misty and Richie turned to see a light-blue PokИmon with a round body and red-tipped, ribbon-like tail casually floating their way.
"What Pokémon is that?" Misty asked.
"You're asking me?" Richie shot back. "I've never seen that one in my life!"
Misty whipped out her cerulean blue Pokédex and aimed it at the incoming Pokémon, who continued to lackadaisically wander their way.
"Chimecho, the wind chime Pokémon!" identified the Pokédex. "A usually peaceful Pokémon who normally can be found only in grasslands, though they occasionally may be sighted in mountainous regions. Note that when it becomes enraged, its cries may results in ultrasonic waves that may send foes flying."
"A... Chimecho?" Richie repeated.
"Wow!" Misty gushed. "It's such a cutie!"
"Chime chime!" it pleasingly chirped, coming to a stop a few feet away.
Chuchino and Vaporeon hastily leaped in-between their trainers and Chimecho, both growling angrily at the little living wind chime.
"Chuchino, what's wrong?"
"Calm down, Vaporeon!"
Richie and Misty obviously didn't see Chimecho as a threat, like their Pokémon did. Chimecho proved the humans wrong as it used Astonish on Chuchino and Vaporeon.
"CHIIIIIIIIMEEEEEEE!"
The near ear-splitting sound from Chimecho caused Chuchino and Vaporeon to drop to their knees and cover their ears, seeking any relief from the paralyzing noise. Richie and Misty were nearly forced to do the same, screaming at their own personal anguish and pounding heads.
"ENOUGH ALREADY!" Misty screamed.
"HOW LONG IS THIS GOING TO LAST?" Richie yelled.
As if on command, the noise did come to an abrupt halt. The two teens glanced forward and saw Chimecho was being drawn into a Pokéball, just in front of Chuchino and Vaporeon, who were both flinching and unable to move because of the frightful scare. Richie looked around and noticed that they were surrounded on either side by eight adults from the village, with a few more on their way up he noted as he peered over the ridge. All Misty saw was the Duskull and Shuppet they had saw earlier, who were now circling her and the others.
"Eek!" Misty shrieked, ducking behind Richie again.
One of them, the eldest of them all - a bearded man in a red flannel long sleeve shirt and jean overalls - stepped forward.
"What do you think you're doing, frightening an innocent Pokémon like that?" he demanded.
"Innocent?" Misty exclaimed. "It was the one doing the scaring!"
"Don't you know that this is private land? No visitors unless you're invited by the Grand Champion himself!"
"The Grand Champion?" Richie gasped in awe. "Who's that?"
"Humph," the man grumbled. "If you don't even know who he is, then you two are far from worthy from meeting him!"
"Hey!" Misty cried, stepping out from behind Richie. "I'll have you know that I'm the gym leader of Cerulean City!"
"So? You still have no business here, much less any authority!"
"I was told to come here by someone! He said... he said..."
Misty had to stop for a second to compose herself, as she was on the verge of tears.
"HE SAID THAT 'HE' WOULD BE HERE!"
"'He?' The only 'He' here is the Grand Champion!"
"HE SAID THAT ASH KETCHUM WAS HERE! AND IF I DIDN'T COME, I WOULD NEVER, EVER SEE HIM AGAIN!"
"You need to watch that tone of yours, girl!" a woman in a gray, nondescript robe with an attached brown hood and cape. "As well as what you suggest. The Grand Champion would never kidnap anyone, much less any of us here!"
"If Misty says he's here," Richie stated defiantly, stepping past Misty and towards the two adults, "then Ash is here!"
"I said that you are incorrect!" she snapped.
"If you know what's good for you," the bearded one added, "you'll leave now before you get into some serious trouble."
"But I swear I'm telling the truth!" defended Misty. "Look, I was told this by an Alakazam..."
"An Alakazam, you say?"
Seeing an opening to convince them she wasn't lying, Misty began reaching for a side pocket inside her zipped-up windbreaker.
"I have this picture of..."
"Hold it right there!" the woman exclaimed.
Misty froze, wondering if her sudden movements were seen as threatening. The robed woman than clapped, and one of the Duskull came to her side.
"If you would, Duskull."
Duskull nodded, then flew speedily at Misty. Before she could dodge the ghost-type, Duskull flew right through her body and emerged with a small photo in hand. Dazed and a bit freaked at the intrusion, Misty cried out with disgust as she fell to her knees.
"AAAAHHHH! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"
Duskull handed the photo to his mistress. She then gasped in shock when she actually recognized Ash's face.
"This... this is..."
"He's the one!" the bearded man added upon seeing the photo. "It's... Sir Pikachu the First!"
"Wha?" Richie gagged.
"Sir Pikachu the First?" Misty asked, puzzled.
"That is his name... not this Ash that you speak of."
"What? I've known Ash for several years! I know him almost as good as his mother does... because I'm his girlfriend!"
"Girlfriend? Sir Pikachu has no need for such trivial things."
"TRIVIAL?" Misty yelled angrily, her head nearly exploding in rage.
"It's her!" somebody else in the crowd exclaimed. "It's... her!"
Misty calmed down, wondering who was pointing her out as a familiar. After a second or two, the supporter came out of the crowd. Or, rather, hobbled his way out. It was Alakazam... the same one who Misty saw at Cerulean Cape.
"It's you!"
"You're... (cough) late!" Alakazam stated. "You were... supposed to... be here... last... (cough) night!"
"I'm sorry, but..."
"No excuses! (cough) We have work... to... (cough)"
"What about Ash? When do I get to see him?"
"Bite your tongue!" the robed woman cut in. "Show the sage's Alakazam some respect!"
"Who is this young lady?" the bearded man asked. "Do you know her, oh great one?"
"Know her? (cough) You should all... know... who she... is."
"Well, she said she's a gym leader..."
"She is much... more than... that!"
"Huh?"
Richie scratched his head, stumped. "What's he going on about?"
Alakazam then pointed in the direction of Chuchino and Vaporeon, who had recovered from Chimecho's Astonish. Or, more specifically, rather at Vaporeon.
"Don't you see... (cough) (cough)... see it?"
The bearded man trotted over towards Vaporeon, who just stood still as he approached. He knelt down and peered into Vaporeon's eyes, paying close attention to them. When the color of the eyes changed from white to a watery blue and the eyes' shape changed from a circle to a spinning whirlpool, he suddenly became aware of what the sage's Alakazam was getting at.
The man nodded, then got to his feet and turned towards Misty. The young redhead took a step back cautiously, but didn't move another inch as he walked calmly over to her. He came to a stop about five feet away and he reached into his pocket. Vaporeon growled as Misty reached for a Pokéball from her belt. The man quickly pulled his hand back out to reveal a 24-karat gold necklace with a whirlpool-shaped charm on it. A little stunned, Misty could only watch as he placed it on the ground and took a few steps back. The rest of the crowd gasped, then quickly dropped down to their knees and bent forward, hands outstretched, until their upper bodies were all parallel with the ground. Once the man had gotten next to where the woman was, he knelt down and followed suit with the others.
Chuchino and Vaporeon gasped at this stunning sight, and Richie couldn't believe his eyes as Misty stood there, baffled about why she was presented such a gift.
"What's... going... on?" she asked slowly. "Did Vaporeon do something?"
"On the contra... (cough)... contrary," Alakazam spoke as he slowly crept forward. "They now know, just as you do and I do, that you are one of the legendary five."
"The... legendary five?" Richie asked himself. "Who are they?"
"They do?" Misty confirmed.
"Yes," Alakazam nodded. "Please, put the necklace on."
Misty looked a little apprehensive, but believing Alakazam, she squatted down and picked it up. Undoing the clasp, she brought that end around to the back side of her neck and secured the necklace. Misty then stood up, and Richie noticed how sparkling the charm was as it sat on top of the zipper of her windbreaker.
"Presenting..." pronounced Alakazam, "the arrival of Lady Vaporeon the Second!"
"LADY VAPOREON THE SECOND?" Misty and Richie shouted simultaneously.
Alakazam then turned to the bearded man and the robed woman.
"Roger and Silvia, please escort Lady Vaporeon to my... cough quarters. I need to speak... to her... in private..."
"Before you take her to the Grand Champion," Silvia, the robed woman, completed his words. "Very well."
"Please follow us, Lady Vaporeon," Roger, the bearded man requested as he and Silvia got to their feet.
Alakazam teleported away as the rest of the crowd got to their feet and cleared a path. Vaporeon walked over to Misty, half-entranced by the charm on her master's necklace, half-prepared to fight should this sudden show of good will go astray.
"Will I get to see Ash... uh, Sir Pikachu the First?" Misty asked.
"If the sage believes that you are destined to see each other," Roger told her as he beckoned Misty down the path, "then he will."
Silvia led the way, and Misty followed with Vaporeon by her side. Chuchino ran over and climbed up onto Richie's shoulder, looking at him as for advice as to what to do. Feeling he should follow Misty, Richie took a step in that direction. But the crowd quickly marched into his path, blocking him from proceeding.
"What? Hey, I'm with Misty!" Richie cried.
"We do not know of this Misty you speak of!" Roger told him.
"What are you talking about? She's right there!"
Misty looked back when she realized the others weren't letting Richie by. She turned to Silvia for an answer.
"Excuse me, but Richie..."
"He is not one of us, nor is he an invited guest of the Grand Champion. Therefore, he cannot come into the village with us."
"But..."
Misty glanced back again as Richie tried to force his way through the crowd through pushing. But they refused. Seeing the situation get a little hostile, Chuchino starting charging up for an electrical attack. Unfortunately, the pair of Duskull and the trio of Shuppet quickly surrounded them.
"Please don't hurt him!" Misty cried. "He's a good guy, I swear!"
"Very well," Roger confirmed, nodding for the ghost Pokémon to back off, which they did. "But we still cannot allow him to pass."
Misty seemed a little distraught and was about to let her rage consume her again when Richie spoke up.
"It's okay, Misty!" Richie exclaimed. "I'll just wait for you here."
"I'm afraid you can't do that," Silvia exclaimed. "When Lady Vaporeon learns of why she and Sir Pikachu are truly here, she won't be leaving this place for quite some time."
Misty was obviously concerned, as she had no idea what Silvia meant by the cryptic statement. Could she be walking into a trap from which she would never escape from? But the promise of seeing Ash alive...
"Go ahead and go, Richie. I'll be fine."
"Wait... are you sure, Misty?"
"Vaporeon can watch my back... right, Vaporeon?"
Vaporeon nodded confidently.
"Well, okay... I just hope you get to see Ash again!
"Me too," Misty said, under her breath. "Me too."
"C'mon, Chuchino," Richie told his Pikachu.
"Chu?"
"It's alright. Misty knows what she's doing."
He then turned to wave goodbye one last time.
"Let me know how things turn out, okay?"
Misty gave an affirmative nod. And with that, Richie and Chuchino walked out, with Roger going with them as an escort.
"This way, Lady Vaporeon."
Misty turned around and saw Silvia beckoning to continue on down into the village, and towards the sage's quarters. She had no choice but to continue on and meet this sage.
After a few minutes of walking, Silvia and Misty came upon the sage's quarters. It was a small hut, separated by quite a distance from the rest of the village residences. Silvia pushed aside the curtain that acted as door and stepped inside, with Misty following right behind. Once inside, it began to stick out how small the hut actually was. Other than a mini-bathroom in the corner, which was partitioned off only by another curtain, the living, sleeping, and eating space was essentially the one room Misty was standing in. The house was lighted inside by a few dozen candles, of which Misty saw Silvia going around and seeing if any had completely gone out and needed to be replaced. There were a few ground-based cupboards pushed together near one corner of the hut, each filled with a handful of plates, bowls, and utensils, as well as a few non-perishable food cans and boxes.
And then there was the sage himself, lying on top of a handmade quilt, staring up at the ceiling, with a green comforter covering up and a half-filled bowl of cold soup lying next to a small pillow that supported his head.
"I'll bring you some new candles as soon as I get the chance," promised Silvia, who bowed, then turned about to exit the hut.
Once Silvia was gone, Misty was alone in the room with the old sage. A little nervous, she cautiously made her way over to him. Once she was standing right above him, she found herself gazing into his wrinkly, old eyes.
"I believe you have questions for me, don't you?" he said.
"Plenty," Misty replied. "Let's start with Celebi-rus Syndrome. How did I contract it, where does it come from, and how can I get rid of it?"
The old man started to snicker for no apparent reason, much to Misty's dismay. In fact, that quickly grew to full-out, belly-busting laughter. And Misty was not too pleased at being ridiculed.
"HEY! I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO GIVE ME SOME ANSWERS!"
With that, the sage ceased his laughter and grew a serious face.
"I apologize. I made a bet on the first question you would ask me."
"Looks like I win again!" came a familiar voice from the entrance, causing Misty to suddenly perk up.
Misty quickly spun around, and there, at the curtains, stood Ash. Flashing a stupid grin across his mug, he was wearing a black T-shirt and a pair of brown slacks. With no hat covering his head, it was obvious that his hair had begun to grow out, as some of it reached down to his surprisingly stout shoulders. But the looks weren't what mattered to Misty... it was just who they belonged to.
"ASH!"
Tears streaming from her eyes, Misty ran over and wrapped her arms tightly around her boyfriend. After feeling Misty's warm body against his, Ash moved to do the same, coiling his arms around her back. The two of them stood there like that for a few minutes, just taking everything that had happened to them in the past two months and completely forgetting about them.
"Ash... I don't ever want to never be by your side ever again! In fact, I hope I never let you go!"
"T-t-t-t..." Ash stuttered, "that's the way I want it, too."
"Pika!"
Pikachu had just arrived, sporting a sweatband on his head as he had apparently run all the way here from somewhere. Misty quickly released her grip on Ash, unaware that he actually looked and smelt as if he had done the same, and she ran over to pick up Pikachu off the ground and rub cheeks with him.
"Pikachu, am I ever so glad to see you!" she said rejoicingly.
Ash fell over.
"Pika pika!" Pikachu responded enthusiastically. "Pikachu!"
"Man, that didn't last long, did it?" Ash said as he recovered from being 'dumped.'
Misty put Pikachu down and, at that moment, noticed for the first time that her windbreaker was now sweat-stained just below her neck and around her chest area. It was then that she not only noticed Ash's sweaty condition, but what else was different about him beside his long hair.
"Holy moly, you've grown a few inches, haven't you? And I swear I felt a few muscles! Could it be... Ash Ketchum's finally growing up?"
"C'mon, Mist!" Ash retorted, a little displeased with the teasing. "You know I'm two years younger than you, and I'm a guy! We start puberty later!"
Misty gasped.
"What?"
"Your voice got deeper! You actually know what puberty is! And... and... and..."
"And what?"
Misty ran over and started tugging at a little hair that was growing on Ash's chin.
"You've even got a whisker!"
"AAAHHHH! THAT HURTS, KNOCK IT OFF!"
Misty let go, and started gazing dreamily up towards the cavern ceiling.
"That means we can finally start doing REAL boyfriend-girlfriend stuff! This is so exciting! Now I really know what my sisters mean by the joys of being a teenager! I wish I had my diary with me so I..."
"I thought kissing was boyfriend-girlfriend stuff," Ash muttered under his breath as Misty continued to talk in the background.
"Pika..." sighed Pikachu.
"Though I have to say..."
As Misty's mouth kept going off, Ash was eyeing up Misty all over. The fact that she was wearing unflattering, skin-covering clothing didn't deter him from the thoughts racing through his mind.
"Man, if she looks this good now, I wonder what she'd look like with that old yellow shirt and jean shorts on from our old traveling days... wait! What's this feeling that's racing through my body? It feels... really, really good!"
Suddenly, the old sage coughed, quickly reminding both of them that they were still inside his hut and he was still lying there, bed-ridden because of his condition. The two quickly came to their senses and bowed several times in remorse.
"We're very, very sorry!" Misty apologized.
"We'll take our shenanigans elsewhere, Master Nero," Ash added.
"Master Nero?" Misty wondered out loud. "You don't mean..."
Ash snickered. "Of course not! He's too old to be Grand Champion, silly!"
"SILLY?" Misty yelled, before coming to a realization. "Wait... how did you know that I knew there was a Grand Champion here?"
"Everyone knows the Grand Champion! Don't you?"
"Well... not really..."
"Then I'll take you to him! Come on!"
Ash grabbed Misty by the arm, pulled her out of the hut, and tugged her along to the cavern exit opposite of where they had come from. Pikachu quickly tailed behind them, though steadily unable to keep pace with them.
"Ash, wait, where are you taking me?"
"To the top of the mountain, of course!"
Misty wasn't so sure about being dragged into an unfamiliar situation, so she made an attempt to break free. But, to her surprise, she found Ash's grip way too strong to escape from.
"What?!" Misty freaked in thought. "I've always been able to break free from Ash whenever I wanted to before! But now, not only is he so much stronger..."
She never got to finish her thought, as they reached the end of the tunnel and Ash pulled her into the white light...
To be continued next week in Part 3!
