Chapter 4: Mall He Can Handle
(Mall, Beverly Hills, CA, USA; 11:26)
The mall… One place where the almighty dollar draws everyone together. The spies, agreeing to help Ash's depression, took him to the mall with Pikachu. He still felt the impact of a crushing loss to Paul back in his realm and help from his friends barely made a dent. The mall would offer some comfort with different clothes. In one clothing store, Clover sifted through a coat rack, some that have sewn-in earphones. "So, you're a guy who likes to travel a lot, right?" she recalled as she combed through the rack of spring jackets. She soon found a navy blue short-sleeve jacket. Ash, not wearing the black vest, hat and gloves, drove the sleeve through his arm. He noticed the fabric mesh within the sleeve.
"High tech fabric within?" he noticed.
"Well, kinda," Sam shrugged. "It keeps the wearer dry, absorbing sweat during… whenever you're out doing your thing." Ash could imagine going around any region back home with this.
"Really?" Pikachu had gone out somewhere before and returned with a navy blue visor that had white lightning bolt across the front with a gold outline.
("What do you think?") he squeaked. Ash and the girls looked down to see Pikachu's new headgear, bemused at his choice.
"Someone wants to be a San Diego Chargers fan," Alex teased. Pikachu blinked, confused to the name she offered. She removed the visor from Pikachu's head. "Though, you did give me an idea. A new cap for Ash. Something to show off when he and his Pokémon return to his friends." Ash pondered about having a new cap while here to bring home.
"Let's see what they have," he wanted to know. "Pikachu, where did you find this?" Pikachu led the teens to a series of shelves filled with different caps, some with sports logos, some with random logos and the rest completely blank. One hat caught Ash's interest, a green baseball cap that had a white eagle's head.
"Philadelphia Eagles?" guessed Sam.
"Well, the logo shows a fierce nature that I can see as it's going in fast for its prey. Not to mention my series of Flying-Type Pokémon that I've captured."
"So there you go," Alex smiled. Ash huffed a chuckle to the clothing options the girls chose for him. "Once we get this all paid up, how about we hit the cafe? I'm getting hungry." Clover could feel the rumble in her stomach.
"My tummy seconds the idea," she joked as she clutched the spot of the rumble. As they filed out of the department store with new clothes, plenty of teenagers had mostly filled the cafe area, plenty with various food on trays. A pair of teenage girls loitered around the cafe, no food on their table. The brunette showed the auburn-haired three tickets which the lighter-haired grew excited.
"Are those… tickets to the Teensicle concert next week?!" the excited auburn-haired guessed.
"That and they'll have their new album at the concert as well!" the brunette informed.
"That… is… AWESOME!" The brunette placed the tickets on the table.
"Yeah, my dad knew I'd be wanting to go to this. Too bad Tony didn't want to go."
"So that explains the extra ticket. Sorry, Tiffany. I could ask Diego but he's not a Teensicle fan." Tiffany consoled her friend for their boys not willing to go with the two. "If there was someone who can be the third member." That's when Tiffany spotted Ash and the spies after a stop by a shoes store where Ash got a pair of red foot-shaped shoes. That wasn't the only thing he carried and apparently, the spies got in on the act. Pikachu was on Alex's shoulder with Ash carrying the merchandise.
"We still have yet to hit up David's store," Clover opted. A smug look from Alex seemed to reveal Clover's intent.
"So that's your ploy," she sneered. "You go and see David while we babysit him." Tiffany gawked at her good fortune with the eying of Ash.
"Amber, over there!" she pointed out to her auburn-haired friend. They saw Ash, realizing their potential for a member to the concern.
"Pinch me!" shuttered Amber. "I'm dreaming!" To them, Ash would be perfect to go to the concert. "Let's ask him out when those girls step away."
"Good idea..." As Ash and the girls sat down, he wanted to know about David, someone Clover had an interest with.
"So who's David?" he asked. "Sounds like someone important to your lives."
"He's a dreamy hunk who works here, as you know," she explained. "A real hobby magnet. He's into art, guitars, poetry, nature, history..."
"Okay, Clover!" irked Sam. "No need to exaggerate how much you want him. How many boys have you dreamed to date?"
"Sam, you're also interested in him as well." Sam's point forced some nostalgia from Ash.
"That sounds awfully familiar, though it's more of a pain than pleasure," he groaned. Alex and Sam wondered what Ash brought up.
"You mean someone with the same interest in men?" questioned Alex.
"Well… more of the other way around. Ever since that night at Maiden's Peak, my friend has been asking about every 'beautiful' lady on dates. It doesn't help that Brock still does it, even if some of my other friends, or his Croagunk do all they can to pull him away." Sam and Alex blinked at this odd twist.
"You're joking..." gulped Sam.
"I'd wish. It wouldn't be too much of a surprise if, by any chance, he'd try and ask you three out." The three shuttered at the thought of someone like his friend. Only now did they realize the similarity between Brock and Clover. Even Clover couldn't believe that Ash befriended someone with peculiar behavior around certain people.
"So, our friends have equal reactions to seeing members of the opposite gender, is that right?" teased Alex.
"Hey, I'm not that bad!" denied Clover. "Besides, I recall you two drooling mad for David as well!"
"At least it's David and not a bunch of other guys!" mocked Sam. "Anyway, we should get some food. I know a kiosk that's right up Pikachu's alley." Pikachu grew interested with what Sam offered. The WOOHP agents left to get lunch. This left Ash all alone and a few girls making their approach. A little paper airplane landed on the table, bonking off the hardwood and Ash's knuckle. Ash looked at it, which had a number after unfolding.
555-8436
It looked to be a phone number. Before he could look around for the origin of the airplane, a raven-haired teen came by and slipped another paper on his desk. This one was also a phone number.
555-0218
How could Ash call these girls? He didn't have a cellphone. Tiffany and Amber made their way to Ash's table, not minding the numbers already handed to him.
"Hi, there," Amber greeted. "Seems you're getting plenty of attention."
"Yeah, I'm starting to notice," Ash fidgeted. Amber presented the tickets to Ash to see if he'd have an interest.
"Well, we're kinda bummed about our boyfriends not willing to go with us to the Teensicle concert next week. We thought you could be our company for the concert." Other girls came to Ash's defense, or their personal requests.
"No!" another girl protested as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I want him! I gave him my cell!" A girl with glasses cupped Ash's head to get a kiss on his cheek.
"I think he's better with me," she argued. "Wouldn't you say so?" The girl wrapping his neck saw the kiss, puffing her cheeks.
"No fair! I wanna kiss him!" She did on the other cheek to a boy who seemed to be getting plenty of love. More girls began to pile on, wanting the only boy within sight. Somehow, Ash escaped and soon made a dash to flee. The girls got out of the pile and pursued while Pikachu and the WOOHP agents watched on.
"Did Ash do something to those girls?" asked Sam. Not even Pikachu could figure out the ordeal. One place was the arcade which he tried to play a fighting game with an older teen. The screaming forced him to back away.
"Okay, bad idea!" he regretted that spot. As soon as he created distance, he hid in a sporting goods department. The girls made their way around to the football section when they passed mannequins in football gear: helmet, shoulder pads, jersey, colored pants, cleats… Except one mannequin was Ash. Once the girls scurried to another aisle, Ash passed the ball away and disrobed, still wearing his clothing that he came in with. "I can see how Misty gets jealous when another girl's with me. Still, that's a lot more for me to take in." Without warning, though…
"Over here!" alerted someone. A young tanned brunette man waived him over. Ash reached and the man guided him to the fitting rooms. He unlocked one of them. "Duck in here!" Ash listened and entered the room. The young man closed the door just as the girls found him. Amber was the first to confront the brunette.
"Did you see a cute boy with dark hair around?" she asked. The brunette pointed in the direction, telling the girls their target was just ahead. Joshed, the girls dashed onward. No women in sight, the brunette backhanded the door to knock. Ash emerged from the fitting room.
"I don't think Brock could handle that many girls, let alone all at once," he gasped.
"Yeah, those girls can be a handful," he agreed. "At least you're okay. I'm David." The name of the young man brought back Clover's description before the spies drifted for food.
"You're David, the young man Clover has a crush on?" Hearing the name of a familiar girl, David believed Ash knew her and her friends.
"So you know Clover, Samantha and Alexandra? That makes two of us." Ash and David shook hands as the spies and Pikachu found the boys in the midst of their handshake.
"I see you two have gotten acquainted," Sam noticed. Ash and David turned to the girls where Pikachu leaped from Alex to his trainer.
"Hi, David," Clover waived with blushing cheeks.
"Well, if it isn't my favorite girls," David huffed a giggle. "Had to bail your friend out of that mob."
"Yeah, sorry that happened," Alex apologized. "I suppose one of us should have been with him to keep the mob away from Ash." That's when David saw three girls, one of them being Mandy. One was a tanned raven-haired young woman in a magenta tank-top and purple pants while the other had midnight red hair and wearing similar pants but with a pink blouse with a flower imprinted on.
"How about them?" he pointed. Ash and the girls turned to Mandy as she had a girl on each side.
"Well, Clover and her two losers hanging around David as always," mocked the boisterous leader. The spies groaned at the trio who appeared.
"Just lovely," Clover mulled. Ash came around Alex, unknowingly supporting Alex's claim. "Mandy, Caitlin and Dominique. Come to ruin us?"
"Actually, we heard a commotion that led all the way here." That's when Mandy eyed Ash. Remembering last night, she grew a little suspicious about the new boy. "So you're the cousin from Florida. For someone rather younger than me, he's got a look I can chance on." Alex blinked at how Mandy described Ash.
"Florida?" she whispered to Sam.
"I had to think up something on the fly," she admitted. Clover came forward and nudged Mandy back to defend Ash.
"Back off, Mandy!" she warned. "We brought him here to make him feel better about what he's going through! This is the last thing he needs!" Mandy wasn't having any of Clover's denials.
"Please, hanging around you will further bother him! Besides, you're better suited with that icky mouse." Pikachu growled from the insult. Worse, Mandy pushed Clover back to David, who caught her before she fell on her backside. David grew frustrated with Mandy's behavior. With a snap of her fingers, her two partners walked to Ash and hoisted him by the shoulders. Mandy closed in, cupping the Pallet Town Trainer. "Now I can claim your lips and reign as my new boyfriend." She leaned in to kiss but Pikachu knew what to do to defend his master. He leaped high before emitting a massive wave of electricity. The electric attack shocked the girls and Ash for several seconds. Once Pikachu relented, the four caught in the shock collapsed but Ash recovered almost immediately. A few bursts of smoke popped and Mandy and her two cohorts now had puffed-up Afros. Pikachu came to Ash, concerned if he was hurt by the new trio.
"I'll be fine, Pikachu," he assured. Sam and Alex helped Ash on his feet.
"David, I am so sorry about all this," Clover apologized.
"No, you didn't do anything to deserve that retribution," David forgave. "And I gotta say… where in Florida do you have electrified mice? Tampa?" The spies could tell David but they believed he wouldn't understand. Mandy's friends were the first to awaken.
"Did that rodent tasered us?" asked the redhead. When they felt their hair all puffy, they freaked out with screams.
"Our hair!" they screeched. They tried to get their hair down with their nails but it did little. Clover snickered as she took out a camera.
"I know social media's gonna love this," she cheered as she snapped a few photos. After a few snaps, the group departed.
(Villa, Beverly Hills, CA, USA; 18:55)
Back at the villa, Ash and the girls sat at the glass table as Pikachu felt terrible about the ordeal. Speaking of, the spies felt worse. The trip to the mall wasn't suppose to be as stressful as it did. "Ash, we can't tell you how bad we feel about the trip to the mall today," Sam mulled. "We only meant to help you get over your anguish from that loss."
"I mean… we didn't expect a group of girls to approach and swarm you, less Mandy and her goons," Alex added. Ash understood their motive for the trip.
"It's alright, guys," he shrugged off. "I had a good time up to when those girls asked me out."
"Yeah, but still..." A slight giggle jerked heads to Clover on a laptop computer with Pikachu gazing at the screen. Clover uploaded photos of Mandy and her friends after Pikachu shocked them.
"What do you think?" she asked. "This one? Or this one?" Pikachu looked at the photos before deciding.
("I like this one!") he chose.
"Yeah, that one is good!" The other girls didn't appreciate Clover's inability to join.
"Don't you have something to say to Ash about today, Clover?" questioned Sam. Hearing her fellow spy, Clover looked up at the girls and Ash.
"Listen, don't fall for anything that witch Mandy has to say. You're too good of a kid to go out with someone like her, Caitlin or Dominique." Ash bobbed his head, understanding Clover. Night fell and Clover had Pikachu tonight. As Ash slept on the couch, Sam awakened to use the bathroom. A flush of the toilet and washing his hand, she exited with relief.
"Hate going to bed on a full bladder..." she groaned. Before going to her room, she looked to Ash on the couch. Noticing his peaceful face to Ash. "Hard to believe his face when he's known to have a fierce nature back home." She began to feel entranced to Ash's innocent figure. "I doubt it'll hurt to have someone sleep with him for one night." Sam crawled over him and partially removed the blanket. Once under the blanket, she wrapped an arm over Ash's shoulders and quickly fell asleep. After all the chaos Ash endured, he could finally have peace… if only for one day.
TO BE CONTINUED...