Well, here's another chapter up! If anyone wants to know who the Brad in this chapter is based off of, just ask in your review and I'll give you a link. Thanks for the reviews, and I hope you find this chapter as funny as I do. And now, on with the show!
Chapter 13
Normal POV
"I don't believe this Ash! I haven't even been here for one week and you've already managed to get us all lost!" Misty yelled angrily.
"Sorry Misty, I guess I still have a long way to go when it comes to maps." Ash said apologetically. Misty pouted and crossed her arms. She decided if Ash wasn't going to fight back, she might as well just make it easy on everyone else.
"Hey look! Maybe that guy over there can give us directions!" Dawn pointed over to a blonde man who was training a Slowpoke. They walked over to him and were taken aback a smidge when they noticed that the only one who wasn't at least a couple of inches taller than the blonde-haired man was Dawn. "Um, excuse me sir?" Dawn said to get his attention.
The man ceased his training and grinned at the teenagers, "Well hi there, the name's Brad. And what might your names be?"
"I'm Ash."
"My name's Misty."
"I'm Dawn; it's nice to meet you."
"And I'm Brock."
"Well it's nice to meet you all. What can I do for you?" Brad asked.
"Actually, we were wondering if you could give us directions on how to get back to the path to Veilstone City." Brock replied.
"Uh…no." Brad said.
"Oh, well, sorry for troubling you." Misty said dejectedly.
The team turned to walk away, and Brad smirked. "But!" he barked, startling the group. They turned around and Brad gave a mischievous snicker. "But…my friends, I do know how to get to a small town where someone could help you."
"That's great! Could you tell us how to get there?" Brock asked.
"Just follow me, and I'll get you there in no time at all." Brad said.
"Thanks man, we appreciate it." Ash said gratefully.
"But you know, you kinda scared us a bit when you screamed like that." Dawn said.
"Naturally. You could say that I'm a professional comedian." Brad said.
"You mean like 'knock-knock' jokes and stuff like that?" Ash asked.
"Not really, I go more along the lines of making fun of people." Brad said.
"Oh…really?" Misty asked with a disapproving tone.
Brad chuckled. "Now I know what you're thinking Misty, you're thinking that I must be some sort of a jerk or something because of the way I joke." Brad smirked when he saw Misty blush with embarrassment. "If any of my jokes have ever offended someone, it's because they can't take a joke." Brad explained.
"But what happens when you do offend someone?" Misty asked.
"Let me tell you something kid, there's a big difference between maliciously offending someone on purpose, and someone being offended by…truth." Brad explained.
"That actually makes sense." Brock said.
"Exactly, if the truth offends a person, that's their problem, not mine. And lemme tell you something else, often times those people who get offended are the people who do the dumbest things imaginable. Take these road signs for example." Brad pointed at a sign that had a Stantler silhouette printed on it.
"What about them?" Ash asked.
"This town always has signs everywhere, which makes it impossible to get around here." Brad said.
"Maybe that's why we got lost!" Ash exclaimed.
"Nooo, we got lost because you can't read a map!" Misty refuted, poking the boy rather harshly in his arm.
"Ow..." Ash rubbed his arm and frowned, side-stepping a couple feet to give himself some distance.
"Anyways, most of these signs are never helpful signs…" Brad paused to look at his friends, "They're always signs that are warning you about something that's about to go wrong!" The group was now snickering at Brad's overly animated body language. "Take this sign for example: Stantler Crossing. The sign tells you to watch out for Stantler on the road, well here's a question: Why'd they let them on in the first place?!" Brad yelled, "If they have Stantler leaping out onto the road, that's not a 'put up a sign' problem, that's a 'put up a wall' problem, know what I saying? That's 'dig a moat', that's 'put 'em on a leash', someone invented barbed wire, use it for crying out loud!" The group was now starting to laugh harder, Brad's movements; along with his tone of voice was a good combination. "And the people around here have adapted to this! They have Stantler leaping out onto the road periodically and they act like that's normal! Hee hee hee! Yeah it's normal, if you live in a cartoon!" Brad yelled.
"This guy's a riot!" Ash said, laughing harder than anyone else.
"What do the Stantler do? Jump out in top hats singing: 'Hello ma baby, hello ma honey'! AAAHH!" Ash and Pikachu had no desire to keep their composure, as they doubled over in laughter. While the other three managed to stay on their feet. "That's just one of the many things I make fun of." Brad concluded his skit with an exaggerated bow.
"Lemme tell ya, you are awesome!" Ash said, wiping a tear from his eye.
"I have to admit, that was really funny." Misty admitted.
"I have a whole bunch of routines like that. Maybe I'll show you another one when we get to the town." Brad said.
"Sure, I could use a few laughs after what happened yesterday." Dawn said.
"Why? What happened yesterday?" Brad asked.
The team grew grim as they walked along the path Brad was leading them on. "Dawn lost in the Solaceon Town Contest." Brock explained.
"Oh, well I'm sorry to hear that Dawn." Brad said.
"No need to worry, I just need to get my head together, that's all." Dawn shrugged.
"Well, we'll get to town in a few minutes." Brad said.
"What's the town's name?" Misty asked.
Brad sighed, "Doesn't have one. People in that town are afraid they'll 'offend' someone if they call it a name that someone doesn't like, so they left it unnamed."
"Hey, that's pretty funny." Ash laughed, thinking it was a joke.
"I'm not joking. That town is the most sensitive town I've ever seen in my life, everybody's afraid that they'll offend somebody else, so the town doesn't really do much." Brad shook his head in disgust.
"So why do you know about it?" Misty asked.
"It's where I live." Brad said, "Everyone's so sensitive that we can't even interact anymore. But lemme tell you something. I have a dream, if there's one thing I want out of life, I want to see extreme sensitivity die in my town, in my lifetime..but first…I want to watch it suffer." Brad grinned somewhat evilly, which got the teens to giggle. "Well, here we are!" Brad announced. Ash, Misty, Dawn, and Brock looked around at the small town, noting how quiet it was.
"It's so quiet here." Dawn pointed out.
"You get used to it after a while." Brad said, "Hey you know, you guys caught me in the middle of my training."
"Oh, sorry about that." Ash apologized.
"No need to apologize, but you guys all owe me a battle as payment!" Brad exclaimed.
"Wait, all of us?" Brock asked.
"That's right, and on top of it all, I only have my Slowpoke and Torkoal. So whaddya say?" Brad challenged.
"You've got yourself a battle!" Ash exclaimed.
"Alright then!" Brad said.
"I wanna go first!" Dawn raised her hand with excitement.
"Sure thing, we'll do two-on-two." The group followed their new friend behind his house, where he had a field just big enough to have a decent battle. "Ok, Slowpoke, let's go!" Brad called out his water-Pokémon. It moaned in a drawn-out tone, and landed on the floor. "Your call Dawn, who do you choose?" Brad asked.
"Since Slowpoke is a water-type, I choose Pachirisu!" Dawn tossed out a Pokéball, and the electric-squirrel emerged for battle, "Ready to go Pachirisu?"
"Chi chiwa!" (Let's do it!)
"Alright Pachirisu, use 'Discharge'!" Dawn ordered. The electric chipmunk charged its energy and fired a powerful electric attack at Slowpoke.
"Why isn't Brad doing anything?" Ash wondered as he watched the attack fly towards the Dopey Pokémon.
Amazingly though, Slowpoke took the attack and didn't even flinch. "That's…impossible!" Dawn gasped.
"Water-types are weak against electric attacks! But Slowpoke just stood there like it didn't feel a thing!" Misty exclaimed.
"Use 'Confusion' Slowpoke." Brad said calmly. Slowpoke's eyes began to glow, and Pachirisu floated in the air, helpless. "Now use 'Water Gun'." Brad said. Slowpoke launched the water-attack at Pachirisu, who squealed upon impact with both the attack and the ground.
"Ahh! Pachirisu, are you ok?" Dawn asked with concern. Pachirisu groaned, but got back up to continue the battle. "Use 'Spark'!" Pachirisu charged toward Slowpoke with an electric aura for a tackle.
"Use 'Protect' Slowpoke." A barrier completely enveloped Slowpoke and Pachirisu bounced off harmlessly. "Now finish it with 'Earthquake'." Brad said.
"Earthquake?!" Ash exclaimed in shock. Slowpoke stomped its foot, and a small Earthquake was created. The ground-type attack hurt Pachirisu to the point of fainting.
"Pachirisu is unable to battle, the winner is Slowpoke!" Brock exclaimed.
"You did good Pachirisu, return." Dawn recalled her little electric-type in awe, "How in the world did that Slowpoke take that 'Discharge'?"
"Slowpoke took that 'Discharge' without even flinching." Ash said quietly.
"Its defense must really be something if it can pull that off." Misty added.
"Buneary, let's do it!" Dawn called out her rabbit, who popped out of her ball cheerfully. It looked to the sidelines and winked at Pikachu who turned a bit pink at the gesture.
"What was that about Pikachu?" Misty asked teasingly.
"Pi…ka." (I…uh.) Pikachu stammered.
"Buneary has a little crush on Pikachu." Ash replied nonchalantly.
"Aww, how cute." Misty giggled.
"Buneary, use 'Dizzy Punch' go!" Dawn ordered. Buneary readied her ears to attack Slowpoke.
"Use 'Protect'."
"Again?!" Dawn growled as she watched Buneary attack uselessly against the green barrier. "Ice Beam' Buneary!"
"Confusion'!" Before Buneary could launch her attack, Slowpoke's 'Confusion' lifted the normal-type into the air just like Pachirisu, and the Dopey Pokémon slammed Buneary back down with a painful thud, "Finish it with 'Water Gun'." Brad said. The jet-stream of water struck Buneary and sent her flying into the stunned coordinator.
"Buneary is unable to battle, the winner is Slowpoke, and the match goes to Brad!" Brock exclaimed.
"You did a good job Buneary." Dawn whispered.
"Bun bun." (I'm sorry.) Buneary said sadly.
"No need to worry, take a good rest." Dawn returned Buneary to her Pokéball, "Well...you sure showed me."
"Yep, sure did." Brad smirked when he saw the surprised expression on Dawn's face. "What? You were expecting a feel-good speech about how practice'll make perfect? I'm sure you've heard that enough by now...so, who's next?"
"I'll give it a shot! Misty, take over for me here!" Brock took his place on the battlefield while Misty stood in Brock's place as the referee.
"Tell ya what, I'll even let ya choose the battle conditions. How do you want the rules Brock?" Brad asked.
"One-on-one!" Brock exclaimed.
"Ok then, Torkoal, let's go." Brad said calmly. Torkoal jumped into battle-ready stance upon reaching the ground.
"Hmmm…Torkoal." Dawn mumbled, pulling out her Pokédex.
"Torkoal, the coal Pokémon. Torkoal burns coal within its body to produce energy. As a defense, Torkoal is able to blow smoke from its nostrils and its back to confuse enemies." her Pokédex chirped.
"Ok, let's go Sudowoodo!" Brock exclaimed. Sudowoodo popped out of its ball and gave its trademark salute. "Sudowoodo, use 'Double Edge'!" Sudowoodo charged towards the tortoise to give it a hard shoulder tackle.
"Use 'Iron Defense'." Brad said calmly. Torkoal withdrew into its shell, and took the hit with little to no damage.
"That thing's tough!" Ash exclaimed.
"Now use 'Flamethrower'." Brad said. Torkoal spewed flames out of its mouth and Sudowoodo crossed its arms in an "X" formation to take the hit. Sudowoodo was pushed back a bit, but recovered quickly. "Use 'Flamethrower' again." Brad said. Torkoal fired another fire attack.
"Sudowoodo, use 'Mimic'!" Sudowoodo mimicked the attack, and countered with his own 'Flamethrower', not that the turtle felt anything.
"So, your Sudowoodo knows 'Mimic'." Brad said.
"Yeah, and now he's gonna use 'Double Edge'!"
"Torkoal, 'Iron Defense' again." Again, Torkoal withdrew into its shell, and Sudowoodo's tackle was useless.
"Sudowoodo, try using your 'Fake Tears'!" Sudowoodo started to fake crying, to try and gain some sympathy from Torkoal and make it vulnerable.
Brad just bark-laughed, "My Pokémon don't care if someone cries for no reason! Torkoal, use 'Solarbeam'!"
"Whoa! If that hits, Brock's finished!" Ash exclaimed.
"But isn't Torkoal a fire-type? Where are all these weird moves coming from?" Dawn added.
Torkoal took in the sunlight, and fired an ultra-powerful beam at the rock-type, who fainted onto the ground. "Sudowoodo is unable to battle! The winner is Torkoal and the match goes to Brad!" Misty announced.
"You did good Sudowoodo, take a break." Brock said, returning Sudowoodo to its Pokéball, "You're really good with defense Brad."
"That's part of my training, I teach my Pokémon to not feel anything they don't want to feel, like attacks. And your 'Fake Tears' didn't work because my Pokémon aren't affected by someone that fakes something just to get sympathy." Brad explained, "They know the difference between real and fake."
Misty's POV
"He really knows his defensive strategies, but he may be taking this whole sensitivity thing a bit too far. It's not like being sensitive is a totally bad thing." It was going to be my turn, until Ash walked up to me and asked if he would like to tag-battle with him. "A tag-battle with you Ash? Anytime!" I thought to myself. "Sure Ash, it'll be fun!"
Ash gave me a determined smile, and we walked up to Brad together. "Alright Brad, let's see if you can handle tag-battles!" Ash pumped a fist in determination.
"No problem, you and Misty will be battling Slowpoke and Torkoal at the same time then?" Brad asked, not at all fazed by Ash's expression.
"That's right! And we won't hold back!" I yelled.
"That's what I like to hear!" Brad exclaimed. "Alright, Slowpoke and Torkoal, let's go!" Brad's two Pokémon took their places on the field.
"Alright, Buizel, I choose you!" Ash launched a Pokéball, and his water-weasel emerged for battle.
"Misty calls Vaporeon!" I followed Ash's call out and sent out my newest Pokémon, who appeared on the battlefield and stretched out upon release.
"You're using Vaporeon Mist?" Ash asked, a certain gleam in his eye.
I smiled. "Of course! I said I would train her hard, and I intend to make good on that."
Ash gave me a loving smile back, and turned his attention to the battle. "Buizel, let's try a 'Water Gun' on Torkoal!"
"Vaporeon, try using 'Quick Attack' on Slowpoke!" The two Pokémon attacked, but just like before, the attacks bounced off like nothing happened. "Not again! There's no way we'll beat him by just calling out attacks!"
Ash looked at me and gave a grin, like he had a plan. "You attack first Misty! Tell Vaporeon to use 'Shadow Ball' on Slowpoke!" Ash told me. I obliged and told Vaporeon to use 'Shadow Ball'. The attack was launched and I expected it to just bounce off again, but I wasn't expecting Ash to do what he did. "Buizel, use 'Water Gun' on that 'Shadow Ball'!" Buizel fired, and the water merged with the 'Shadow Ball' creating a black and blue liquid.
At the sight of the combined attack, Brad seemed to be losing his cool. "Slowpoke, use 'Protect'!" The green barrier enveloped Slowpoke, but the merged water/ghost type attack broke through, finally giving Slowpoke some sort of damage as it landed on its back.
"Quick Vaporeon, use 'Shadow Ball' again!" My Vaporeon fired its attack, and this time there was nothing that could be done except watch the attack nail Slowpoke, since Ash and Buizel were keeping Torkoal busy with multiple 'Water Guns'.
"Oh no, Slowpoke!"
"You did it Misty! Now let's nail that Torkoal!" Ash said. I took a quick but admiring glance at the determined Pokémon trainer, and then got back to it. "Buizel, let's use 'Aqua Jet'!"
I suddenly got an idea myself; no way was I going to let Ash get all the credit. "Vaporeon, use 'Water Pulse' behind Buizel!" My plan was simple; add extra power to Buizel's 'Aqua Jet' by making a mini-tidal wave to propel him forward.
With the added power behind it, Buizel nailed Torkoal, and at long last, it took on damage. "Aah! Torkoal, try using 'Solarbeam'!" Brad yelled. That was a mistake, doing that left Torkoal vulnerable while it charged its attack.
One look at Ash, and I knew we were thinking the same thing. "Buizel, give it all you got with a 'Water Gun'!"
"Vaporeon, use your 'Water Pulse' and don't hold back!" The attacks were fired simultaneously, but something seemed off about Vaporeon, "Wait a second...that doesn't look like 'Water Pulse'..." The next thing I knew, a snowstorm was blowing towards the turtle, much to my shock and amazement, "Wow! Vaporeon is using 'Blizzard'! Amazing!" The attacks hit, and Torkoal went down without a fight.
"Both Slowpoke and Torkoal are unable to battle! The winners are Buizel and Vaporeon, and the match goes to the team of Ash and Misty!" Brock announced as Dawn and her Pokémon cheered for us over by the sidelines.
I wrapped Ash into a congratulatory hug which he gladly reciprocated. "Mmmm…I will never, ever, get tired of his hugs."
Normal POV
Everyone called back their Pokémon and congratulated them on a job well done. "Well, looks like I have more work to do on double-battles." Brad shrugged.
"I gotta hand it to ya though, your Pokémon are really strong!" Ash complimented.
"Well thanks Ash, but lemme be honest, if you and Misty hadn't merged those attacks, I probably would've won." Brad said plainly.
"You know, I think you're right Brad...as much as Ash and Misty may hate me for it, your Pokémon have really impressive defense." Brock said.
"No I don't hate you Brock..." Misty said a little too sweetly for the breeder's tastes, "You'll just have to pay for saying that later." Brock just gulped as Misty suddenly had her mallet in her hand.
"Say, you guys hungry?" Brad quickly changed the subject, "There's a Chinese restaurant over there."
"Awesome! I'm starving!" Ash exclaimed.
"Pika pika!" (Me too!)
"Come to think of it, it has been a while since we had breakfast." Brock said, quite relieved at the change of topic.
"C'mon, it's my treat." Brad said. The team walked to the restaurant, not noticing the trio hiding behind a bush.
"Boy, the twerps sure know how to pick friends." James said.
"Dat guy is a real piece of woik." Meowth added.
"That may be, but the way he described the tenants of this sleepy little town, it'll make for easy Pokémon snatching!" Jessie cheered.
"Right, let's get to work!" James said. Team Rocket snuck off to start poaching Pokémon.
"Go and get a table guys, I have to talk to a friend of mine first." Brad walked away and disappeared into the restaurant.
"Brad's a little strange, don't you think?" Misty said, once the blonde man was out of earshot.
"What? You suspect something?" Brock asked.
"I don't mean that kind of strange," she clarified "He's just…a little wacky."
"Maybe, but I'm sure that's just how he gets his laughs, he did say he was a comedian after all." Ash said.
"I guess, his little sign joke was pretty funny." Misty admitted with a shrug.
"The best parts are the looks on his face when he does it!" Ash laughed just thinking about it.
"That's what's called a visual comedian." Brad explained, joining them at the table.
"Oh hi Brad." Ash said.
"If you don't immerse yourself into the act, you don't get laughs. So I make sure that I exaggerate my reactions to things, it's part of the way I do things." Brad explained.
"It kinda sounds like a Pokémon battle! If you don't give it 100% every time, you don't get anywhere, right?" Ash said.
"Exactly my friend, hey, do you know why I have Slowpoke for a Pokémon?" Brad asked. The group shook their heads in a "no" fashion. "Because it's one of the few Pokémon that couldn't care less about being sensitive! It doesn't care! If it wants to do something, it does it. It doesn't ask a rock permission to lie on it, it just does it."
"No offense, but that sounds like a strange reason to have a Pokémon." Misty said.
Brad smirked, "You realize what you just said Misty?"
"Uhh…what?" Misty asked in confusion.
"You said 'no offense'. Lemme tell you something, there's only one thing that offends me, and that is…an offended person." Brad said with a chuckle. Ash, Misty, Dawn, and Brock looked at Brad with confused expressions. "Don't worry; I don't expect you to understand." Brad shook his head in amusement.
"Excuse me sir, may I take your order?" a young, attractive waitress arrived at the table.
At the sight of said beautiful woman, Brock immediately leaped out of his seat and got down on one knee. "You can take my order! How about a romantic, candlelit dinner for two – arrgh!" Brock groaned, after getting hit by Croagunk's 'Poison Jab'. "I think…I'll just have…some aspirin." Brock strained.
"Is he alright?" the waitress asked in concern.
"Oh yeah, don't worry about him, this happens every day." Misty waved off the issue as nothing.
"Um...ok...well, is there anything I can get you?" the waitress asked unsurely.
"Yes ma'am, I could use some utensils, since I can't use chopsticks." Brad requested.
"Oh yeah, I just noticed that. Um, me too please?" Ash added. Misty, Dawn, and Brock requested the same.
"Oh, I'm sorry, we don't have utensils here." the waitress, whose name was Rachel according to her nametag, said with a smirk.
"Wait, you mean you don't have a knife, a fork, and a spoon?" Brad asked incredulously.
"I'm so sorry sir." Rachel said, stifling laughter.
"This is unbelievable! Get me the manager!" Brad shouted.
"Right away sir!" Rachel quickly rushed to the manager's office with a certain spring to her step.
"Brad, you don't really think this is worth calling the manager for, do you?" Dawn asked.
"Just sit back and enjoy the show." Brad whispered.
The group stared at Brad in astonishment. "Hey, he seems like he knows what he's doing." Ash figured. They sat back into their seats to watch the show.
At this point, Rachel returned with the manager whose nametag read "Chen", "What seems to be the problem sir?"
"You really don't have any utensils in this place?" Brad said incredulously.
"I'm sorry sir, but we try to be authentic in this restaurant." the manager answered.
Rachel was now quietly giggling, as if she knew what was coming next. "Oh, you want to be authentic…let me get this straight…Bob." The group watched Brad get up and start getting his act on.
"Here we go!" Ash thought excitedly.
"I just walked into a Chinese restaurant in the middle of nowhere, I walked through brushed-aluminum doors to get in here, I was greeted by that blonde waitress behind you that sat me down at this Formica table and gave me a plastic-laminated menu." Brad paused to catch his breath. Ash, Misty, Dawn, Brock were now laughing at their friend's act. "I'm about to order Chinese food cooked by that Mexican guy in the back, and when I finish eating, I'm paying with a credit card, but you think if you throw in chopsticks, I'm suddenly jet-propelled into the Ming Dynasty!" Brad yelled.
Ash was laughing harder than anyone else; he was banging the table as if he was trying to dent it. "C-Calm down Ash!" Misty said through laughter.
"S-Sorry Misty." Ash replied through more laughter.
"Brad's just way over the top!" Dawn exclaimed.
Brad gave his friends a wink, and then continued by looking at the manager who was growing more irritated. "Dude, what delusion are you living in? I mean you're gonna have to give me a chance to suspend my disbelief! Why stop at chopsticks? I'm gonna need a whole 'I-reject-modern-technology' theme day so I can be prepared. I'll wake up to the sound of a Torchic outside of my window, I'll look down at the sun-dial to see what time it is, then, taking my clothes down to the nearest stream I'll beat 'em with the rocks to get 'em nice and clean, then I'll come back and call a girl to see if she wants to go to a Chinese Restaurant but I won't use a phone, I'll use a telegraph, or better yet, a smokescreen attack!" Brad caught his breath and continued. "Then, I'll go pick her up in my best Rapidash drawn chariot, and once we get over there to eat, I'm not gonna pay with a credit card, I'll pay with three Torchic, a woven blanket, and some beads! And then when we go home, I'm not walking her to the door, I'm beating her over the head with a club, and dragging her by the hair, now when you throw in chopsticks, I get it!" Brad finished with a bow, and his friends applauded his performance.
"Get out of my restaurant! Out! Out!" the manager yelled. Everyone's expressions changed to fear except for Brad and Rachel's.
"Ahh, put a helmet on ya sore-head! Can't you take a joke?" Brad yelled with a smirk.
"No! You just insisted that silverware is better than chopsticks in a Chinese restaurant!" the manager screamed.
The teens looked at each other incredulously, "Um...aren't they though?" Dawn whispered.
Brock nodded, "Without a doubt."
Brad's face fell. "You know, you're right." Brad said. Ash, Misty, Dawn, and Brock's jaws all dropped at that remark. What had happened to the fiery comedian? "I did say that…silverware is better than chopsticks…because they are!" Brad yelled with a smirk. Their faces lifted as they realized it was all part of the gag. "Obviously, a knife, a fork, and a spoon are better than chopsticks!" Brad yelled.
"You're being eccentric about this!" the manager yelled.
Brad repeated himself: "Obviously, a knife, a fork, and a spoon, in tandem, are better than chopsticks!"
"You're just being intolerant and insensitive!" the manager yelled.
"Oh for crying out loud, let's get two bowls of soup, I'll get a spoon, you can use chopsticks, let's race and see who gets to the bottom first!" Brad yelled. The group was laughing too hard to even try to contain themselves, tears were coming out of their eyes, and even the waitress behind the manager began to laugh.
"And what do you think is so funny?" the manager asked angrily.
"Let him off the hook Brad, he's had enough." Rachel said laughing.
Brad bowed to his friends and they gave him an ovation of applause. "Alright, what's going on?" the manager asked, simmering down a bit.
"This is just a joke sir. Every time a new manager is hired, I call Brad to give him a good-natured heckling." Rachel giggled. The manager smirked and shook his head, walking away mumbling about young upstarts. "I'll get you your food in just a sec." Rachel winked and headed off towards the kitchen.
"You kinda gave us a scare at first." Dawn said.
"Yeah, for a minute I thought we were really going to get kicked out without a meal." Misty added in a mock sarcastic tone.
"It happens every once in a while, depends on how the manager at the time takes it. This was one of the better ones." Brad explained.
"Wait, you've actually gotten thrown out a few times?" Brock asked in shock.
"Oh yeah, but Rachel's always there waiting for me by the service entrance with a bag of food-to-go if I do." Brad said.
"But I thought everyone in this town was overly-sensitive." Ash said.
"Nah, not everyone, there are a few people around here who are regular people." Brad said.
At that moment, Rachel came back with a Machoke who was carrying a huge plate of what seemed like every item on the menu. "Whoa! Awesome!" Ash exclaimed, already drooling at the sight.
"Eat up you guys, this one's on me!" Rachel winked and turned to leave, but she was stopped by a certain breeder who had once again leaped out of his seat.
"Oh my darling Rachel, since you insist on paying for lunch, how about I pay for dinner?!" Brock said passionately.
"Ok, that's it." Misty hopped out of her seat and yanked Brock back to his seat by the ear. "I think she's had a gut-full of you Casa-no-duh."
After the hearty lunch, the group went outside to a grassy area, and there, Ash and Pikachu fell to the ground onto their backs. "Ash, what's wrong?" Misty asked.
"Stomach…full…world…spinning." Ash moaned.
"Piiika." (Ohhh.)
"Ash, you do this every time we eat out!" Dawn exclaimed in exasperation.
"You still haven't learned, have you Ash?" Misty teased, kneeling down next to Ash and his bulging stomach.
"Just let me lay here." Ash moaned.
All of a sudden, Buneary popped out of her ball and hopped over to Pikachu. "Huh? Buneary, what are you doing?" Dawn asked. Buneary started rubbing Pikachu's belly, and Pikachu gave Buneary an appreciative smile, which caused her to blush. "Awww, that's so sweet!"
"You know, I think Buneary has the right idea." Misty said.
Ash's POV
Oh brother, why did I keep doing this to myself? My stomach felt like it was ready to explode because it was hurting so much. But then Misty started rubbing my overly-stuffed stomach, and the pain steadily began to decrease. "That feel good Ash?" Misty asked soothingly.
"Does it ever…" I turned my head a little so that I could look right at her, "It feels good Mist; I'm starting to feel better. Thanks." Misty gave me a smile, and I closed my eyes to enjoy the massage.
Normal POV
"I think I'm gonna puke." Brad gagged.
"Oh come on, this sort of sensitivity isn't bad! It's sweet!" Dawn gushed.
"I didn't say it was bad, I just said I wanna puke. It's too sweet for my tastes." Brad said.
"Hey Brad, you know we haven't seen anyone around here at all?" Brock said.
"Yeah well, that's just the town." Brad said dismissively.
The team suddenly heard screaming in the distance. "What was that?" Dawn wondered.
"I dunno, let's go find out!" Brad hurried in the direction of the screams, with Brock and Dawn following close behind.
"Ash, are you feeling better?" Misty asked.
"Yeah, let's get going!" Ash got up and ran off and Misty chased after them, with Pikachu and Buneary close behind.
When they got back to the main part of the town, they found a huge group of people screaming. "What's going on here?!" Brad yelled.
"Just look, they're stealing all of our Pokéballs!" a random person replied.
Jessie: "Listen, is that the voice of overly-sensitive people I hear?"
James: "It's speaking to me loud and clear."
Jessie: "On the wind!"
James: "Past the stars!"
Meowth: "In your ear!"
Jessie: "Bringing chaos at a breakneck pace!"
James: "Dashing all hope and putting fear in its place!"
Jessie: "A rose by any other name is just as sweet."
James: "When everything is worse, our work is complete."
Jessie: "Jessie!"
James: "And it's James!"
Meowth: "Meowth, now dat's a name!"
Jessie: "Putting the do-gooders in their place!"
James: We're Team Rocket!"
Team Rocket: "In your face!"
"Wobbuffet!" (Yeah!)
"Mime mime!" (Yeah!)
"Team Rocket!" the teens yelled.
"How'd you get your hands on those Pokéballs?!" Brad growled.
"Simple, we just said that if they didn't hand over their Pokéballs, they'd offend the great Team Rocket!" Jessie announced proudly.
The group (including Brad) did a face-fault after hearing that. "Oh come on, if you have to ask in order to steal Pokéballs and you're thieves, put a helmet on!" Brad heckled.
"How dare you?! Don't you know how much that offends us?!" James yelled.
"I don't care…game over…I win!" Brad countered.
"Fine, if you won't let us just take them, we'll fight back! Go Seviper!" Jessie shouted.
"Carnivine, you too!" James added. The two Pokémon got into battle-ready stance, but not before Carnivine took a detour to hug James, who quickly threw it back to the battle.
"I can't battle, Slowpoke and Torkoal are exhausted!" Brad said.
"Then leave this to me! Staravia, Chimchar, I choose you!" Ash yelled. Staravia and Chimchar emerged, ready for battle. "Chimchar, use 'Flamethrower' and Staravia use 'Aerial Ace'!" Staravia flipped in mid-air and charged toward the two Team Rocket Pokémon at an incredible speed, meanwhile, Chimchar spewed out flames that hurled towards them. Seviper and Carnivine were taken aback, but fought back with 'Poison Tail' and 'Bite' respectively. "Dodge 'em!" Ash yelled. Staravia flew into the air to avoid the attack, and Chimchar jumped up to avoid it. "Now Chimchar, nail 'em with a 'Flame Wheel'! Staravia, use 'Aerial Ace' and get those Pokéballs back!"
Chimchar knocked the two Pokémon back to the balloon with the 'Flame Wheel' attack, and Staravia cut the rope holding the Pokéballs. "Hey, we worked hard to get those!" James yelled.
"Finish the job Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash yelled. Pikachu used a powerful electric-attack, and sent Team Rocket blasting off again.
"Why do we keep losing like this?!" James moaned.
"I can't believe that guy, heckling us like that, what is he a comedian?!" Jessie yelled.
"I tink we shoulda taken his advice ta put a helmet on dough…" Meowth paused.
"Because we're blasting off again!"
"Wobbuffet!"
*Ping*
"Way to go everyone!" Ash said, congratulating his Pokémon. Buneary hopped over and hugged Pikachu, which caused him to blush out of embarrassment.
As the town members went to receive their Pokéballs, Brad made an announcement. "You see what can happen being overly-sensitive?!" Brad yelled, "If these guys weren't here to save your Pokémon, you would've just let them get away with them!" The townspeople dropped their heads in shame. "Here's what I say now, I say we just stop being this way, and learn to laugh again! Who's with me?!" Brad yelled. At first, it was silent, until one blonde-haired girl started clapping.
"It's Rachel from the restaurant!" Misty whispered. The applause slowly started growing louder, until everyone in the crowd applauded the idea. Brad gave a bow, and walked back to his friends.
"Well Brad, it looks like your dream came true." Brock said.
"It's about time too." Brad replied.
"Hey! I just realized! We never got any directions!" Dawn exclaimed.
"Waah! That's right!" Ash exclaimed.
"You need directions?" Rachel asked, walking up to them.
"Yeah, we need directions to Veilstone City so I can fight my next gym battle!" Ash exclaimed.
"Well, all you have to do is follow that path over there, and you'll head straight to Veilstone City!" Rachel explained.
"Thanks so much!" Dawn exclaimed.
Brock got one knee and grabbed Rachel's hand. "We can never repay you enough for helping us, but if you would like to stay in touch I can give you my e-mail addreeeesss!" Brock screamed, after being jabbed by Croagunk.
"I have to apologize for our friend, when he meets a pretty girl he can't help himself." Misty said.
"Don't worry; good luck on your journey everyone!" Rachel said. Brock recovered and said a regular goodbye along with the others.
"And watch out for Stantler!" Brad yelled. Brad had given them one more laugh before waving goodbye.
"Brad was really something, wasn't he?" Ash asked.
"He sure was." Misty agreed.
"But I wonder if he was serious about those Stantler?" Brock asked. Their question was answered when a Stantler hopped out of the bushes and leaped into the bush on the other side of the road.
"I guess that answers that." Dawn giggled.
"Well, at least we're on the right track again, let's get going and get that gym badge!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu cheered in agreement, and the group walked down the path to Veilstone City.