Chapter 50
Knowing he wasn't getting much training done in Pallet Town, Ash and Brock decided to travel. Their destination? A Pokémon theme park that was specifically only for Pokémon. Sure, admittedly that didn't seem like it would be training at all, but it would give Ash's Pokémon a chance to relax before the big tournament. And all the while, Ash would be training himself while his Pokémon were out having a blast. At least, that what he kept telling himself.
It was a couple days' journey from Pallet Town, and so Ash and Brock said goodbye to Pallet for now and went on their way. Since the Pokémon Theme Park had just opened up, it was reported to be busier. But when Ash and Brock stopped to camp for lunch, they were shocked to see just how many people were around.
The whole clearing in the field by a lakeside was filled with tents and resting Trainers, all taking a break from their collective journeys and travels and coming together to the same destination. But Ash didn't pay them any mind, and as Brock finished up cooking lunch, he held a Poké Ball up in the air. "Yeah! The Pokémon League's gonna be a blast!"
"Just like my chili!" Brock interjected, throwing Ash off this game. He offered the boy a spoon to try it, and as soon as he brought the food to his mouth, the spices burned them instantly, and he cried out as he flung himself backwards.
"It's too spicy!" Ash complained, breathing in and out loudly to try and cool off his tongue.
"Uhhh, I guess I made it too hot..."
As Ash pulled himself to his feet, a girl approached their camp. "Excuse me, are you Pokémon Trainers too?" The girl had green hair tied into a pair of low-hanging pigtails underneath a knit cap, and wore light clothing that hinted she traveled outside as well.
As per his M.O., Brock swooped in and snatched one of the girl's hands in both of his own. "Uh, hi there! My name's Brock, and I'm a Pokémon Breeder in training, and it's very nice to meet you, and by the way, what's your name, and do you have a boyfriend?" The girl, was, of course, thrown off by Brock's flirtatious behavior, and laughed nervously as though she didn't really know what to do.
"My name is Katrina, and I'm a Pokémon Trainer who's looking for a good battle," she introduced. The mention of a battle – and proper training for once – perked Ash up instantly, and he pushed his traveling companion out of the way and grinned at the older Trainer.
"I'm Ash, and I'll have a battle with you!" he exclaimed happily.
Katrina returned his enthusiasm and pulled out a Poké Ball. "Why don't we skip all the small talk and get right to the fun?" Stepping back, she leapt into the air and threw the Poké Ball. "Gooo... Raichu!" The ball opened in the air, and within moments, a Raichu appeared.
"Rai, rai!" it cried, and curled its paw into a fist as it brought its brows down in time with a smirk.
"A Raichu, huh? This battle's gonna be really awesome!" Ash said, pulling out his own Poké Ball and throwing it forward. "Blastoise, I choose you!" Opposite Raichu, Blastoise appeared from the light that came out of the center of the thrown Poké Ball.
"Blaaast!" it announced. From the way its hydro cannons were out of its shell, it was clear the Water Pokémon was raring to go.
"Choosing a Water Pokémon is brave against my Raichu! Raichu, go! Thunderbolt attack!" Katrina began with a smirk. Her Raichu leapt into the air with a smirk that mirrored its Trainer as yellow sparks of electricity sparkled on its cheek pouches.
"Raiiiii..."
However, Ash also wore a confident smirk on his face, predicting Katrina to start with an Electric-type attack. "Well, Blastoise and I have counters against Electric attacks! Blastoise, use Dig!" Ash's Pokémon watched as Raichu jumped into the air, and pulled its hydro cannons – which were useless at the moment – into its shell before jumping a small height off the ground and diving down. Its arms and claws tore the ground to bits, and within moments, Blastoise was completely submerged as yellow electricity blasted at the freshly upturned dirt. The attack, of course, was in vain, and it bounced off the ground without so much as moving a speck of dirt. Both Katrina and Raichu gasped, and the Pokémon Trainer's eyes widened.
As Raichu landed back on the ground, it barely had time to regain its footing before the ground shifted underneath it, and the Mouse Pokémon was launched into the air, this time against its own accord. Right behind it was Blastoise, covered in a fog of dirt and debris, its arm upward from the strike of the super-effective attack.
A satisfied smile settled on Ash's face, and Katrina saw this and looked up at her Raichu. "Fine, if Electric attacks don't work, then we'll strike with something else! Raichu, Mega Kick!" The Electric-type Pokémon recovered and landed on the ground, and shook the pain and dirt off its body before glaring at Blastoise and launching itself at it with its foot extended. The appendage drove into Blastoise's stomach, but it barely affected the sturdy Shellfish Pokémon's shell.
Ash opened his mouth to call out a counterattack, but another voice cried out. "CUUUUT! CUT! CUUT!" Raichu and Blastoise broke out of their battle-trance and looked to the side, and their Trainers followed suit. Little had they known that their battle had gained an audience, but not one that was expected. A group of people, each of them holding all sorts of strange equipment – mirrors, microphones, and cameras big enough that they had to rest half of the equipment on their shoulders as the other half was stuck to their eye. In front of them was a portly man whose round face mirrored the perfectly circular sunglasses sitting on the bridge of his nose – it looked as though his face were made up of a series of circles that almost made it funny. He carried a cone in his hand and tapped it against the palm of his hand.
"Fabulous! I loved it!" he proclaimed, and then turned back to his crew. "Now we'll take a crane shot looking down at the battle scene and moving in on the underdog Blastoise; ending on an extreme close-up of the loser when it is defeated!" He made a box with his thumbs and index fingers and moved it close to Katrina's Raichu's face, and it didn't seem to appreciate this too much, and sparks of warning flickered from its cheek pouches. It was unseen by the man wearing the beret, and he adjusted his sunglasses and looked back at his camera crew for them to agree with him. "That's the money shot!"
"My Raichu is not a loser!" Katrina snapped, but this once again fell on ignorant ears as the man in red shot her a smirk.
"Prepare for trouble; no stunt double!" he recited, and the familiarity of the line caused Ash and Brock to exchange looks of confusion. Folding his hands behind his back, he looked down dramatically. "To protect the movies from devastation, to restore spectacle and imagination; to make great epics of hate and love; to direct the best films you've ever heard of." The man turned around, and with a big smile on his face, he put his mouth to the cone in his hand to amplify his voice. "Cleavon Schpielbunk!" He then posed with his cone pointing straight in the air. "Winner of the Golden Growlithe for the best director at the Flea Collar Film Festival! Lights... Camera... It's your mark when I call action or prepare to fight! That's right!"
When his motto ended, the silence that filled the air was heavy, and the tension that had vibrated in Ash's bones when the motto began had quickly disappeared, and now he stood with a frown on his face and his arms crossed and tucked. "I've never heard of him..." he said quietly to Brock, but the director overheard this and let out a cry of anguish and threw his heads on his head.
"All kids today care about are those crazy cartoon shows!"
Brock, however, quickly invigorated him with life with a shivering fist. "Mr. Schpielbunk, you're my hero!" he exclaimed. "You directed my absolute, most favorite movie of all time: I Saw What You Ate Last Tuesday!" The mention of the movie title significantly lightened up Katrina's face.
"You made that?!" she gasped. "Wow, I almost saw that one!"
"Well, it's nice to know there are some young people who go to see great films even if they lose millions at the box office!" The eccentric man tried his best to smile at the two before throwing his face into the fold of his arm and bursting into tears.
"So, you're a movie director? What are you doing here in the middle of nowhere?" Ash questioned, trying to ignore the fact that the grown man was suddenly crying his eyes out.
But as soon as the questioned was said, Mr. Schpielbunk stopped crying as quickly as he started and pulled his head back up. "Good question! Actually, I've been conducting a talent search for some fresh new faces to star in my latest film."
"I've never acted before, but I could give it a shot, Mr. Schpielbunk!" Ash offered.
"Yeah, me, too!" Brock agreed. The movie director blinked behind his dark glasses and crossed his arms as a frown colored his face.
"Oh, I should have mentioned: I'm only using Pokémon actors in my next production."
This prospect made Ash's face light up even more than before. "Wow! You're making a movie with just Pokémon?!"
"Mhmm! It's a love story! But it's also got lots of action and plenty of suspense!" He waved his cone and pointed it to his crew behind him, and as he did, his glasses flashed in the sunlight above. "And here's a sneak preview! The star of my film will be... Wigglytuff!"
The crowd parted to reveal a pink, oval-shaped Pokémon with long rabbit-like ears and a tuft of hair curled on its head. The Pokémon blushed and covered its face with its stubby hands as if it were shy. "Wiggly..." it said in a squeaky voice.
Once again, a silence fell over the group, which was interrupted by Ash. "Uhh, Wigglytuff?" He had never seen the Pokémon before. "It looks a little more 'wiggly' than 'tuff'..." Instantly, a dark look crossed Wigglytuff's face, and it glared at Ash before jumping up and slapping his cheeks back and forth hard. Each slap left an audible noise as contact was made, and soon Ash fell back with swollen, puffy cheeks. "Now I see it..."
"With a DoubleSlap attack that strong, Wigglytuff could be a superstar! I'd be careful not to step on any of Wigglytuff's lines," Brock commented with an amused smile on his face as he rested his hands on his hips. Wigglytuff, however, was not happy with Ash's comment and had its face away from him and its non-existent nose in the air, and it paid no attention to Brock as he knelt down beside it. "Just look at that face: hard to believe something so cute can be such a brute!" This angered Wigglytuff even further, and its eyes flashed open before it whipped back around.
"Wiggly... tuff! Wiggly!" it screamed, and slapped Brock back and forth as well, finishing off with a quick barrage of back and forth slaps with one of its hands that sent him back beside his traveling companion. As he collapsed on the ground, Wigglytuff huffed and walked away with its nose in the air yet again.
"Wigglytuff's kinda touchy..." Ash commented quietly, pulling himself onto his feet with Katrina's help, and as the Normal-type Pokémon walked away, Mr. Schpielbunk watched and quietly agreed.
"Abra was going to co-star, but Wigglytuff was too tough and Abra teleported off the set," he explained. "So now I have to find another Pokémon actor to co-star in the movie with Wigglytuff." The explanation only made Ash and Katrina even more excited, and as Brock recovered with reddened cheeks, he slowly pulled himself up and looked at the movie director with interest. "This movie will be seen by millions! The Pokémon I case is going to become a major motion picture star!"
"Now I'm really interested!" Ash exclaimed, smiling over at his Blastoise, who returned its Trainer's look with a hesitant one. "Where are the auditions being held?"
"We've set up a small outdoor studio just on the other side of this field, and knew that there were a lot of Pokémon Trainers in this area, so we were coming over to recruit some," the movie director explained. "If you follow me, I can show you."
o 0 o
True to his word, a small stage had been erected, and though it stuck out strangely in the middle of nowhere, it was, of course, only a temporary spot set up to hold the auditions. Hastily-constructed wooden benches had been placed sporadically throughout the area as well, and some Trainers sat to observe while others waited patiently with the Pokémon that they were hoping to become stars. Some looked like they had been there for hours.
When Mr. Schpielbunk told everyone that waiting time was over, all of the Pokémon rushed up on stage. Ash urged his Blastoise to go up as well, and as did Katrina with her Raichu. Also among them was a Tauros, a Doduo, a Hitmonlee, and finally a Raticate. In front of the stage, a small futon mattress was rolled out for Mr. Schpielbunk to sit, and beside him, Wigglytuff squatted as well, though it looked as though it could barely be bothered to watch and that this was a waste of its time.
"Good luck with your audition, Blastoise!" Ash cheered on the sidelines, and the Water-type Pokémon looked at its Trainer nervously. Not over the nerves for the audition, but because of the fact that it had to audition at all.
"Blast..."
"Sorry, Ash!" Brock called, rearing back his arm and throwing out a newly-produced Poké Ball. "But Vulpix is perfect for the part!" When the Poké Ball left his hand, not one, but two bursts of light shot out from Brock, and as Vulpix appeared elegantly in the air, the second flash of light formed at his feet into his yellow Duck Pokémon.
"Psy?" it murmured while holding its head, and Brock fell onto his backside from surprise. Propping himself up on his palms, he gave Psyduck a nervous laugh as well.
"Well, if you want to audition too, Psyduck..." he said, though his Pokémon simply cocked its head.
Finally, when all Pokémon were up on stage, Mr. Schpielbunk cleared his throat and raised his cone, beginning the process. "My star has to do more than act! Okay, start the music!" At his cue, loud, blasting pop music began to play over speakers in the corner of the stage, surprising everyone except the crew. "A real star's gotta be able to dance, too!" It seemed as though none of the Pokémon were expecting this, and they all stood awkwardly on the elevated platform, trying to figure out how to move. Eventually, the Hitmonlee was the first to start, and it tried dancing by doing what it did best: by kicking. It kicked in a can-can like fashion with its knee strikes and kicks. The Tauros to the far right began to clap its hooves on the ground in a small rhythm, and the Doduo swung its heads back and forth.
Trying to catch on, Blastoise began to sway back and forth, but it was Katrina's Raichu that really got into it, and a big smile spread across the Electric-type's face. Giving a curtsy to the Water-type that was previously its battle opponent, Blastoise's anxiety lightened up slightly and the two began to dance with each other like it was a ballroom. Ash and Katrina exchanged a grin when Blastoise even spun Raichu on one of its hands and ended in a small dip.
Brock's Vulpix was a star in and of itself, but it never had to perform a dance routine. The Fire-type Pokémon just opted to jump back and forth in the air, and when it did, it would pose a different way. It was actually quite entertaining to watch. Beside it, Psyduck was holding its head and had its back to the onlookers, and was using its Tail Whip attack to dance along to the music.
"That's great! Beautiful!" Mr. Schpielbunk called through his cone. "But I've narrowed the choice down to these five Pokémon!" He looked down at a card in his hand and read off the names. "Blastoise and Raichu!" Blastoise and Raichu's face both lit up at being called, still hand in hand with each other, and Ash pumped a fist in the air.
"Yes!" he cried as Katrina giggled happily beside him with her fingers folded through each other.
"Vulpix and Psyduck!"
"Awesome!" Brock cheered, smiling from ear to ear, though Psyduck just stared blankly with its usual mask on its face.
"And last but not least, Raticate!" The Normal-type Pokémon chittered happily and stopped dancing at hearing its name, and its Trainer laughed happily and waved to her Pokémon. The rejected Pokémon all slunk off stage – though to be frank some looked particularly relieved – and the Pokémon whose names had been called remained on the elevated platform.
The song had been cut with the first part of the audition over, and now all eyes were on the director. "Now, let's hear you sing! People... or whatever! You must sing with Wigglytuff to win this role!" Upon hearing its name being called, Wigglytuff gave a small smile and used that as its cue to walk up onto the stage with the rest. Like a prima donna, it had its eyes closed and walked elegantly up before pushing itself onto center stage. "Show 'em how it's done, Wigglytuff!"
"W-wait! If Wigglytuff Sings then-" Brock protested nervously, but he was quickly cut off when the Balloon Pokémon began to belt out its song.
"Wiiiggalyyy-tufff, Wiggalyyyy-eeyyyy-tuff!" It sang beautifully, but strangely enough, Ash's whole body began to relax, as if a wave of exhaustion had just crashed over him. As his muscles and limbs drooped, so did his eyelids.
"I feel... kinda sleepy..." Ash murmured, swaying back and forth as he struggled to keep its eyes open.
"Wigglytuff's special power... is in its Sing attack..." Brock explained, trailing off as the same effects were happening to him. "It puts people and Pokémon... to slee..." But Ash didn't hear the rest, as unconsciousness soon became too strong to overcome, and everything went black.
o 0 o
Ash, Brock, and Katrina awoke some time later, feeling completely refreshed and fully awake. The Pallet Town native gave a loud yawn and stretched his hands high above his head, and then smacked his lips together and looked around. Reality set in as he took in his surroundings, and soon remembered that he was at the auditions, and his eyes shot onto the stage. Wigglytuff was standing in the middle of the stage, and instead of looking angry at everyone falling asleep at its song, strangely seemed to be snuggling up to Psyduck. The Pokémon stood with its usual face on, staring blankly into space whilst holding its head. All of the other Pokémon around it were fast asleep.
One by one, each of the others began to wake up as well, as though Wigglytuff's sleep attack was on a timer. Mr. Schpielbunk rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, and when he looked onstage to see how much Wigglytuff had grown on Psyduck, a big smile spread across his face. "Since Psyduck was the only Pokémon to stay awake during Wigglytuff's singing, Psyduck gets the part!"
Everyone's mouths dropped open in complete shock at the director's words, everyone except for Psyduck, of course. The Duck Pokémon simply stared out into space, unaware of its surroundings, and as Wigglytuff trotted off-stage with its smile not seeming like it would ever fade, Ash and Brock exchanged confused looks, and Psyduck's Trainer crossed his arms in thought. "Hey... maybe it's not dumb after all... Maybe Psyduck's just acting dumb." As Ash, Brock, and Katrina all recalled their sleeping Pokémon back into their Poké Balls, Brock stepped up on the platform while everyone on the crew dispersed to take a small break.
"Congratulations, Psyduck!" Ash said to the yellow Pokémon.
"Who knew you had it in 'ya!" Brock complimented, kneeling down at his Pokémon.
"But I wonder how Psyduck managed to stay awake while everyone else fell asleep..." Katrina commented quietly as a finger pressed against her lip in thought.
"Well, believe it or not, Psyduck and I have been working really hard on-" Brock began to speak, but then suddenly stopped in mid-sentence as he stared at his Pokémon. Since they had woken up, Psyduck hadn't moved an inch, nor did it even utter anything at all. Looking closely at his Pokémon, a finger pressed against the Pokémon's forehead, and Psyduck tumbled backwards, standing still as a statue and fell onto its back. It was as though it had been replaced with a life-size figurine of the Water Pokémon, and instantly, everyone knew what had happened. "Aaaahhh! Psyduck just fell asleep with its eyes open!"
o 0 o
After a brief intermission, the director approached Ash, Katrina, and Brock – and of course, Psyduck – and spoke with them. "We're ready to begin setting up our first big scene!"
"Mr. Schpielbunk, how would you describe this movie in one word?" Brock asked. Since his Pokémon was officially going to be a part of it, he felt totally invested now.
"Brilliant." Mr. Schpielbunk's glasses flashed and his eyebrow cocked as he answered, and Brock inched away from him.
"O-okay..."
The movie director snapped his fingers, and at his command, one of the interns dragged over a wheeled cart with some storyboard slides on it. He held up the first panel, and the three looked down to see that it featured a drawing of Psyduck and Wigglytuff, and a heart between them. "Let me give you a little preview..." They all drew in closer to look at the art. "This is my own original story about two love-struck Pokémon.
"As the movie begins, Wigglytuff and Psyduck have just started going out." He slid to the next slide, which showed Psyduck waving goodbye to Wigglytuff, who was looking out over a balcony. "Psyduck just brought Wigglytuff home after their first date. Psyduck serenades our heroine under a full moon; it looks like smooth-sailing; romance-wise."
The next panel featured Wigglytuff and Psyduck standing back to back in the center. All around them were hordes of various Water and Normal Pokémon. "Their feuding family and friends want to drive them apart. 'We love each other so!'" he mimicked the last part in a cartoonish voice that sounded similar to Brock's Duck Pokémon. "'Why can't you live and let love!'
"Then, heartbreak!" He slid to the next board, which showed Wigglytuff being stared down by a Primeape and a Geodude. "As a stray arrow heads for Wigglytuff!" The movie director reached his arm forward and made a small arrow fly across the canvas toward where the drawing of Wigglytuff was.
Everyone then gasped as he switched to the next panel. This one featured Psyduck standing protectively in front of Wigglytuff, and a suction cup arrow was stuck to its forehead. "Psyduck leaps in the arrow's path in the nick of time! But Psyduck has been mortally wounded." The next panel showed Psyduck fallen onto its back, and Wigglytuff holding it with care in its drawn eyes. "It psy's its last psy in Wigglytuff's arms."
Psyduck and Wigglytuff were as they were in the last panel when he pulled to the next one, but this time they were circled by all sorts of Pokémon. "The tragedy brings their two families together, and their feud ends at last." This was the last panel, and when he placed down the final one, tears were falling down Mr. Schpielbunk's face behind his glasses. "Oh! I can see it now! It'll win tons of awards and clean up at the box office!"
"It sounds like a masterpiece!" Brock agreed, tears falling down his own eyes.
"I wanna see it again!" Ash cried with his own eyes leaking. The only one with dry eyes among them were Psyduck and Katrina.
"I'd be honored to work on this movie, sir!" Brock offered once they wiped their tears.
"Me too!" Ash interjected. "I'll do it for free!"
"So would I!" Katrina added.
"Well, why not! I could use some help!" Mr. Schpielbunk agreed, and immediate smiles spread across their faces.
"Really?! All right!" Ash exclaimed, and all three cheered and smiled amongst themselves. "This is our luckiest day ever, right Brock?"
"Mine, too!" Katrina replied.
"Okay! Let's set up for the first scene!" the movie director suggested, and they followed him to where they would be filming said scene. It was quite near where everyone was camping, and where Ash and Katrina had first met. But Mr. Schpielbunk led them to an empty field where the camera crew was setting up.
Upon arrival, Mr. Schpielbunk sat down in his director's chair and tapped his yellow cone against his lap in thought. "I'm going to need... a Pokémon that can use a wind attack, and one that can use a water attack."
"I have both of those!" Ash volunteered, retrieving two Poké Balls from his belt. He tossed both into the air – one in each hand – and called upon them. "Blastoise! Pidgeotto!" The red and white spheres opened in the air, and his Pokémon appeared at both sides of their Trainer.
"Blastoise!"
"Pigeooo!"
The movie director nodded in approval, and looked at Brock's Psyduck, whose eyes were looking in two different directions off in space, and tapped his cone against his palm. "Now, one that knows an Electric-type move!"
"Leave that to me!" Katrina declared, and tossed her own Poké Ball into the air. For the second time that day, her Raichu appeared by her side with a cat-like grin.
"Raii!"
"Great! And here comes the family Pokémon from both sides." There were lots of Pokémon all around them, with each of their Trainers giving them pep talks. There was a Tauros, a Chansey, a Blastoise, Poliwrath, and many more. Ash also noticed Wigglytuff standing off to the side, sitting in a seat similar to the director's chair, and it was getting its face powdered. Strangely enough, though, Ash noticed it kept glancing at Psyduck and then quickly looking away.
"Mr. Schpielbunk, sir, I'd be honored if you would consider letting my Vulpix be a part of your movie as well," Brock proposed, holding his prized Pokémon in its arms. "She's won many awards and is used to the spotlight."
The movie director considered this for a moment, but finally smiled and nodded. "Well, you do own the new star of my movie; I guess I can make an exception." With everything all coming together, Mr. Schpielbunk cleared his throat and called into his cone. "Now! Take your places for the last scene!"
"But, you're just getting started!" Ash replied with slight surprise.
"I always shoot the ending first so I know how the story turns out!" Mr. Schpielbunk answered quickly, jumping onto its feet. "Okay, set up the cameras over there in the field!" Once he started spewing directions, everyone perked up and began to run around to his demands. "Now I wanna see both you families battling like you're really feuding with each other!" Finally, he pointed ahead of him. "Places!"
The clouds made a perfect backdrop for a dramatic scene, and the Water Pokémon took one side while the Normal Pokémon took the other. Among the Normal-type Pokémon were two Tauros, one of which was Ash's, a Chansey, a Raticate, a Doduo, and in the front was Brock's Vulpix. Opposite them was Poliwrath, a Blastoise, a Cloyster, and a Gyarados. Both sides grunted and groaned with angry looks on their faces, and though Vulpix and Tauros were new to the acting scene, they both were spectacular so far. "All right, time to make some magic! This is the big confrontation, and I want emotion!" All of the Pokémon grunted in response, and he tapped the cone to his beret. "Quiet on the set, please! Okay, let's fire up those lamps!"
Upon the director's command, a pair of Magnemite with large lights attached to their magnets began to sparkle with electricity, and the light bulbs inside began to glow brightly. "Let's roll camera...!" The cameramen clicked a button on his camera and gave the supervisor a thumb's up. "Slate it!" A Krabby raised its claw to the lens of the camera, and the claw had a paper with a random series of numbers and letters that Ash didn't understand taped to it, and it opened and closed its pincer before scuttling away.
"Okay!" Mr. Schpielbunk stated, giving Ash a wave and looking at Pidgeotto. Knowing exactly what he needed, Ash looked down at his Pokémon.
"Pidgeotto, Gust attack!" he commanded with a point in the air. Leaping into the air, Pidgeotto threw its head back and let out a shrill as it flapped its wings.
"Geo-geo-geo-geo-too!" it cried. The wind began to pick up thanks to the beating of its wings.
"Cue... rain!"
"Blastoise! Hydro Pump attack!"
"Blaaaast!" Ash's Blastoise groaned, and opened its hydro cannons before firing a blast of water from them into the air. Combined with Pidgeotto's Gust attack, it created a fierce hurricane over the field that rained down over the actor Pokémon.
Happy with the results, Cleavon clenched a fist and brought the cone to his mouth to amplify his voice. "Now, cue the thunderstorm!"
"Raichu! Thunder!" Katrina called, pointing out toward the sky. At her command, Raichu leapt into the air and let out a cry before sending a yellow bolt of lighting high into the sky. The electricity disappeared into the clouds, which in turned darkened them, and soon a loud boom of thunder shook them to the bone before lightning came down and struck the field between the two opposing types of Pokémon.
"That's greeeaaaat! Start the battle... NOOOOW!" Both Pokémon obeyed the director and immediately closed the distance between each other. It soon turned into an all-out brawl, with Pokémon mercilessly attacking Pokémon. Vulpix drove its head into Poliwrath while Blastoise struck Chansey with a Mega Punch. Meanwhile, Doduo jabbed its beaks against Cloyster's hard shell with Fury Attack, and Gyarados and Tauros exchanged Tackle and Take Down, respectively.
The director observed with a smile on his face, and finally looked down at his two stars, Wigglytuff and Psyduck. "This is where you two make your dramatic entrances. Are you ready?"
"Wig!" Wigglytuff nodded with a smile.
"Psy?" Psyduck didn't seem to know what was going on, but followed Wigglytuff out as it walked out toward the battling melee. Immediately, Wigglytuff put on a horrified look, and held out its hands.
"Wiggly! Wigglytuff! Wiggly, wigglytuff!" it pleaded lively. Ash could see why it was regarded as a well-known actress.
Just then, Poliwrath hit Vulpix with a powerful DoubleSlap, which sent Vulpix flying straight into Wigglytuff. The Fire-type bounced off the Balloon Pokémon's face and landed back on its feet, blinking in surprise at the landing, but Wigglytuff was knocked onto its backside. Everyone held their breath as Wigglytuff slowly stood up and sat quietly, but then suddenly whipped around and glared daggers at Vulpix. "Wigglytuff! Wiggly!" it snarled, and proceeded to use its own DoubleSlap on Vulpix. Brock let out a cry of horror as his Fire Pokémon was knocked backwards, but this was drowned out by the director's own cry.
"CUUUUUUTTTT!" he shouted through his megaphone. "Vulpix is no longer allowed on set!" Vulpix jumped up onto its feet and its eyes flashed angrily at Wigglytuff. It looked as though it might attack the Normal-type back, but before it could, Brock rushed out and snatched up the Fox Pokémon into its arms.
"It's okay, Vulpix. You'll always be a star to me," he soothed, and ran its fingers through its fur. The Fire-type gave one last dirty look toward Wigglytuff and stuck its nose in the air as Brock walked away.
"Okay, let's continue from the top!"
o 0 o
A hard day's work gave way to a well-deserved rest under the moon. A large bonfire was made by the lake, and many of the cast and crew were sitting around, letting the warmth of the fire soothe their tired bodies. There were many logs placed on the ground for everyone to sit on, and everyone talked quietly amongst themselves, but at the log where Ash, Brock, and Katrina sat, the black-haired boy stared up with disappointment up at the twinkling stars above.
"I'm supposed to be training for the Pokémon League, but I got sidetracked again..." he murmured.
"But how many people can say their Pokémon are in a movie?" Brock reminded him with a smile. "Plus, you met someone who shares the same dream you do!" Ash couldn't help but perk up, and turned his attention to Katrina, who was sitting in between the two boys while her Raichu was curled at her legs.
"I bet we're gonna have some great battles in the Pokémon League!"
"But don't expect me to go easy on you just because we're friends," Katrina countered with a smirk.
"Okay, Katrina," Ash chuckled.
"Great concept!" The moment was interrupted by a loud shout, and everyone turned to see Cleavon Schpielbunk approaching them. "It could be my next epic: a boy and girl who share the same dream to train Pokémon! In the first weekend alone it could gross sixty million!"
"I'd sure love to star in that movie!" Brock piped up.
"It's a tough job! The actor I'd choose will be swarmed by millions of female fans!"
"I can handle that!" And as everyone laughed, Ash looked out at the lake. The moon was reflecting beautifully off the water's surface, but what really drew his eyes was Brock's Psyduck and Wigglytuff along the shoreline. While Psyduck was in its normal state of holding its head, Wigglytuff was leaning its head against the Water Pokémon's shoulder. It seemed that it had found one Pokémon that it could work with after all.
-end-
Ash:
Party:
Blastoise (Poké Ball)
Moves: Skull Bash, Dig, Hydro Pump, BubbleBeam
Pidgeotto (Poké Ball)
Moves: Gust, Quick Attack, Whirlwind, Double-Edge
Bulbasaur (Poké Ball)
Moves: SolarBeam, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Leech Seed
Charmeleon (Poké Ball)
Moves: Flamethrower, Fire Spin, Skull Bash, Slash
Tauros (Safari Ball)
Moves: Fissure, Horn Attack
Primeape (Poké Ball)
Moves: Thrash, Mega Kick, Scratch, Seismic Toss
At Professor Oak's Lab:
Muk (Poké Ball)
Moves:
Tauros (Safari Ball)
Moves:
Krabby (Poké Ball)
Moves: ViceGrip
Badges:
Boulder Badge
Cascade Badge
Thunder Badge
Marsh Badge
Rainbow Badge
Soul Badge
Volcano Badge
Earth Badge
Brock:
Party:
Onix (Poké Ball)
Moves: Tackle, Bind, Dig
Geodude (Poké Ball)
Moves: Seismic Toss, Tackle
Zubat (Poké Ball)
Moves: Whirlwind, Supersonic
Psyduck (Poké Ball)
Moves: Tail Whip, Water Gun, Disable, Confusion
Vulpix (Poké Ball)
Moves: Fire Spin, Flamethrower, Agility