Hello Fanfiction Readers! How have you been? Here's yet another installment of the story. You know what to do.

Disclaimer: It seems that I have lost the Disclaimer to the story. Oh, where could it be?

Misty: Perhaps Ash ate it.

Ash: I did not! What would a Disclaimer even taste like?

Misty: Don't know. But I have a feeling you would be one to find out.

And yeah, I haven't managed to fix that blasted Fourth Wall yet.

Pokémon Black and White

Chapter Nine

Ash's Point of View

Man oh man, what a day yesterday was. After me, Iris, and Cilan rested to eat after my stomach was grumbling, we saw a wild Snivy. The wild Snivy had been eating some of our food and I decided that I wanted to catch it. However, it wasn't easy. In my attempts to battle and catch it, it used Attract on my Pikachu, Oshawott, and Tepig. That I figured showed the Snivy was a girl and that Oshawott and Tepig were guys. While chasing after it, me and Pikachu fell into some mud while I was swinging from vine to vine. Luckily Iris and Cilan were there to get me and Pikachu out. As we continued the chase, we found the Snivy near a river.

With a well placed Air Cutter attack from my Pidove, revealed to be a girl as Attract failed, I was able to capture the Snivy after two previous failed attempts. I was so excited to catch my fourth Pokémon of the Unova region. As we then continued on our way to my Nacrene City Gym challenge, we stopped by a nearby tower for lunch. Currently though, I was wondering when the meal would be ready. I was starving!

Normal Point of View

"Iris, Cilan." Ash said. "Is lunch ready yet? Man, am I starving."

"Here you go!" Iris said as she presented a plate of blue, pink, and yellow berries skewed with sticks. "The chef has spoken. Since tonight's a full moon, I skewered some berries and cooked up some Moonwatch Dumplings."

"I wouldn't really call that cooking." Cilan commented.

"Whatever." Iris said as she picked up a Moonwatch Dumpling. "If it's yummy, it's fine."

"Hey, I want one, too!" Ash exclaimed.

Before he could get one though, Cilan took the plate.

"Not so fast." He said. "My vegetable paella, made with fresh vegetables and olive oil, will be ready in no time."

"Wow, that looks good!" Ash commented as he looked at the food in question.

"Pikachu." ("Hey what about us.")

"Axew!" ("We're hungry!")

"Don't worry," Cilan reassured. "I didn't forget you! Here's some Pokémon food, using the natural flavor of Oran Berries."

"Pika." ("Thanks.")

"Ex, Axew." ("Looks good.")

"Good, the paella's ready." Cilan said as he went back to his task.

"Awesome, then let's eat!" Ash said before noticing something walking by.

"Whoa, what's that?" Iris wondered.

"Darumaka!" ("That is me.")

"I think it's a Darumaka." Ash commented, taking out his Pokédex. "Let's see..."

"Darumaka, the Zen Charm Pokémon. When asleep, even when pushed or pulled, it cannot be knocked over." The Pokédex uttered.

"I was right." Ash mumbled under his breath. "You're Darumaka!"

"Darumaka!" ("Yep, I sure am.")

"Aw, you're so cute!" Iris said as she got close and pulled one of its eyebrows then pulled both of them.

"Uh, Iris, I don't think you should be doing that." Ash said warningly.

Before Iris could respond though, the Darumaka fired a Flamethrower in her face.

"Darumaka!" ("Hands off!")

"Darumaka's the kind of Pokémon that stays focused and never gives up." Cilan commented. "Many think of it as a good-luck Pokémon."

"Sounds like me." Ash added. "At least the part about staying focused and never giving up."

XXXXXXX

"Huh what was that?" Pikachu wondered.

"What is it Pikachu?" Axew asked.

"Someone just took one of the bowls of Pokémon food." Pikachu replied.

"Think so?" Axew said.

XXXXXXXX

"Hey, what's going on?" Ash asked.

"Pikachu pika pi pika pika pi pika." ("Someone stole a bowl of Pokémon food.")

"Pikachu's food is gone!" Ash exclaimed.

"Pikachu Pika?" ("Did you see anything?") The Mouse Pokémon asked, turning to Axew.

"It was Axew?" Ash asked.

"Axew ax!" ("Nope, not me.")

"Axew says it didn't eat Pikachu's food." Iris said. "Maybe Pikachu ate it and forgot."

"Pika pika." ("That's not what happened.")

"If he did where is the bowl?" Ash inquired. "Darumaka, did you see anything?"

Darumaka however, was busy sleeping.

"Uh-oh." Ash said. "It's asleep."

"Sure looks that way." Iris commented.

"A Pokémon with a mild personality," Cilan began. "yet with an element of surprise as well."

"And when it's asleep, you can't knock it over no matter what." Ash said, remembering the Pokédex entry.

"I wanna try!" Iris exclaimed as she poked it.

Darumaka simply rocked back and forth a little.

"Wow, this is fun!" Iris said, clasping her hands.

"And she calls me a little kid." Ash murmured to himself.

XXXXXXX

"What is it Pikachu?" Axew asked before waving a hand in front of the Mouse Pokémon's face. "Hey world to Pikachu."

"I saw what took the food." Pikachu said. "It was a-" He was cutoff though as Axew tackled him.

"I think you stole the food."

XXXXXXX

"Hey, knock it off Pikachu!" Ash said, running over to his Pokémon.

"You too, Axew, stop!" Iris said as she did the same.

"What happened?" Cilan asked as the trainers pulled apart their Pokémon.

"Now Axew's Pokémon food is gone!" Iris said then heard the Tusk Pokémon. "You're saying Pikachu ate it?"

"Pikachu would not do that!" Ash exclaimed, then took on a questioning tone as Pikachu motioned to the Zen Charm Pokémon as he plead his innocence. "You say Darumaka did it?"

"But Darumaka was fast asleep the whole time." Cilan said.

"That's right." Ash said, putting Pikachu back on the table before walking over to the sleeping Pokémon. "Darumaka, you've got to wake up."

Ash then pushed the Zen Charm Pokémon. "Darumaka!"

Darumaka merely rocked from side to side again.

"Reminds me of a Munchlax or a Snorlax." Ash muttered, a bit irked. "Sleeping like a log."

Their attention was then diverted when something appeared behind them, holding the Pokémon food in one hand and the Moonwatch Dumplings in the other."

"Another Darumaka!" Ash said.

"There are two Darumaka!" Cilan added.

"Come back!" Iris said.

The sleeping Zen Charm Pokémon then leaped into the air, unleashing a Flamethrower in front of the unsuspecting humans before landing next to its friend.

"Oh no you don't." Ash said as the Darumaka fled. "Oshawott, I choose you!"

"Good choice, using a Water-type to deal with a Fire-type." Cilan commented.

"Oshawott, Water Gun!"

When the Sea Otter Pokémon unleashed a torrent of water, the Zen Charm Pokémon simply dodged it.

"What?" Ash exclaimed. "No way!"

"Dodge it, Oshawott!" Ash said as the Darumaka unleashed a Flamethrower attack.

Oshawott however, wasn't fast enough and was hit by the full brunt of the Flamethrower attack.

"Oshawott!" Ash said as he ran to pick up his fainted Pokémon. "You okay?"

"It's knocked out." Iris commented sadly.

"Two Flamethrowers will cause a lot of damage." Cilan added.

"We need to get to a Pokémon Center." Ash said.

"There should be one right up ahead." Cilan said.

"Right!" Ash said.

XXXXXXX

"Nurse Joy, will my Oshawott be okay?" Ash asked as they arrived in the Pokémon Center.

"Don't worry." Nurse Joy reassured. "Oshawott will be fine."

"Thanks, Nurse Joy." Ash replied.

"Audino, if you please?" Nurse Joy asked the Hearing Pokémon.

"Audino." ("Right away.") It said as it pushed the Sea Otter Pokémon away.

XXXXXXX

In the meantime, a certain trio were discussing their plans.

"Now, shall we?" James asked, putting down an empty cup.

"Yes." Jessie replied before snapping her fingers for a waiter to approach.

"Yes?" The male waiter inquired.

"A cappuccino." Jessie said. "And make it rocket fast."

""Rocket fast," you say?" The waiter asked knowingly. "Right away, ma'am."

"Here you go." The waiter said as he fulfilled the order.

The Rockets merely expressed their satisfaction as they saw the cup. The inside of it of have an "R" in it in foam.

Jessie then spun a spoon into it, making it dissipate into the beverage.

XXXXXXX

"Your Oshawott is completely healed and feeling fine." Nurse Joy said as the sun was setting.

"Audino!" ("In top condition.")

"Osha!" ("Much better.")

"Thank you so much." Ash said. "Glad you're feeling better."

"Osha!" ("I sure am.") The Sea Otter Pokémon said before being returned to his Poké Ball.

"But still, those two Darumaka are so annoying!" Iris exclaimed with irritation.

"What?" Nurse Joy asked, taken off-guard. "You met those two?"

"Yeah, you know them?" Iris asked.

"Yes." Nurse Joy replied before going over to the window. "Those two Darumaka live here in town along with Darmanitan."

"At first, they all couldn't have been friendlier to the townspeople," Nurse Joy began, recounting the story of the Darumaka and Darmanitan. "until one day the Darumaka started mysteriously stealing people's food. The two Darumaka were always with the Darmanitan, but, for some reason, only the two Darumaka stole food."

"And those two stole our food as well!" Cilan said.

"Yeah, then Oshawott tried to stop them." Ash added.

"That's what happened." Nurse Joy said.

"I'll bet you those two Darumaka are really hungry." Iris interjected.

"Maybe," Nurse Joy said hesitatingly. "but they didn't used to steal people's food like that."

"Something must have happened." Ash said.

"Yeah." Cilan said.

"What's that?" Iris asked as she looked out the window.

"Oh, you must be asking about the clock tower." Nurse Joy replied. "It's one of the oldest buildings in town, so old, in fact, the clock and bell no longer work and I'm afraid it's going to be torn down soon."

"Oh, that's such a shame." Iris said sadly.

"Yeah, too bad." Ash added in the same tone.

"That leaves a bitter taste in my mouth." Cilan said.

"Yes." Nurse Joy agreed.

Just then though, Ash's stomach grumbled, eliciting a sweat-drop to appear on Ash's head.

"Sorry!" Ash said, slouching a little with his hand behind his neck. "I'm really hungry, I guess."

"Oh my!" Nurse Joy said, chuckling lightly to herself.

"Because of what the Darumaka did, we haven't had lunch yet." Cilan said.

"I vote we stay here for the night," Iris began. "and have dinner right away."

"I'm with you on that." Ash said.

XXXXXXX

With the moon then set, they started enjoying their food.

"Awesome!" Ash exclaimed as he put a croquette in his mouth. "So good!"

"These croquettes are the best ever!" Iris added.

"You know what?" Cilan said. "You two are actually quite alike."

"Wait!" Ash and Iris exclaimed with incredulity in unison as they got in Cilan's face. "You think I act like him/her?!"

Cilan simply was taken aback by the outburst before laughing nervously.

"Excuse me!" Nurse Joy said. "Tonight's a full moon, so we have Moonwatch Dumplings for dessert."

"Delicious!" Iris said as other people voiced their enthusiasm.

"I'll help you hand them out." Ash said.

When they got to where they were though, they saw the two Darumaka.

"The Darumaka!" Ash exclaimed.

"Not you again!" Iris said.

"Hey, come back here!" Ash said as they Darumaka began to flee and tumbled into the window while almost catching it.

"Pidove, I choose you!" Ash said as he prepared to launch the Poké Ball. "Follow those Darumaka!"

"Pidove!" ("Will do!")

"Ash, what are you doing?" Iris inquired as Ash jumped out the window.

"I'm gonna find out why those two Darumaka are stealing food!" Ash replied.

"Come back, you two!" Ash shouted as he caught up with Pidove and Iris and Cilan caught up with him.

"They split up!" Iris commented.

"I'll go this way!" Ash said as he followed the path Pidove went down.

"Me, too!" Iris said.

"I'll go this way!" Cilan said as he went in the opposite direction.

XXXXXXX

"It got away!" Cilan said to himself as he continued down the street the Darumaka went through.

"Cilan!" Ash said as he and Iris caught up to their connoisseur friend. "Any luck?

"Sorry, I lost track of it." Cilan replied.

"Us too." Iris added.

"Where could they have gone?" Ash wondered aloud.

Their attention was then focused on Pidove when it chirped and pointed in the direction of the clock tower.

"There they are!" Ash said as they ran towards the clock tower.

"Headquarters is being very cautious." James commented as he, Jessie, and Meowth stood on a bridge with fog accumulating nearby. "Relaying our rendezvous point in that way."

"Proving, of course, what an extremely important operation this is." Jessie added.

"Also proving we were chosen for this mission because of our considerable skills." Meowth said.

A woman then approached from the distance, wearing the same outfit as the three rockets.

"Cold, isn't it?" The woman asked knowingly as she stopped next to Jessie.

"Yes." Jessie replied. "It makes we want to have a nice warm cappuccino."

"The new item." The woman said as she put down the blue briefcase she was carrying.

"Our next move?" James inquired.

"Head to Nacrene City and await further orders there." The woman answered before walking down the bridge again.

"Perfect." Meowth said as Jessie picked up the briefcase. "The beginning of Team Rocket's future."

"And this mission is the key to it all." James said.

"Bringing us one step closer to our goal." Jessie added.

"Come back!" Ash shouted as they ascended the stairs of the clock tower. "Hold it right there, stop!"

The Darumaka then freaked out a little before resuming their run at a quickened pace.

"You're not getting away!" Ash exclaimed determinedly.

XXXXXXX

"I wonder if they kept going up." Ash wondered aloud after they entered a room through a hole in the floor.

The Darumaka then unleashed a Flamethrower attack that Ash narrowly dodged.

"Stop!" Ash pleaded. "Why are you two doing this?"

"Look, Ash, behind you!" Cilan said as he noticed something warm behind him.

"Oshawott, put out the fire with Water Gun!" Ash shouted as he acknowledged the fire behind him.

The Sea Otter Pokémon then proceeded to easily put out the fire with its torrent of water.

The Darumaka however, were not done so fast as they unleashed another Flamethrower.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

As the two attacks collided, a billow of black smoke appeared.

"Quick, Oshawott, use Water Gun!"

Oshawott then unleashed a torrent of water which then blasted the two Darumaka above a nearby window.

"Ash, are you okay?" Iris asked.

"I'm fine." Ash replied.

"They're asleep again." Iris commented.

"That has to be how they both recover their strength." Cilan added.

The Darumaka then perked up as the humans approached, jumping over their heads and landing on the opposite side.

"Stop, Darumaka!" Ash pleaded. "We're not here to pick a fight with you!"

"Yeah, we're your friends!" Iris added.

The Darumaka then looked at each other in puzzlement.

"We're just trying to figure out why you'd want to steal all of that food." Cilan said.

The Darumaka then started to motion above them.

"You mean you wanna get up there?" Ash inquired as he walked over to look up at the hole in the ceiling.

"Darumaka!" ("Yes, we do!") The Zen Charm Pokémon said simultaneously.

"Okay, no prob." Ash replied as he kneeled in front of them and put his hands on their heads. "We'll help you get up there quick."

"Darumaka!" ("Thanks!")

"Hey Cilan," Ash said as he motioned to his friend. "do you mind giving me some help?"

"Not at all Ash," Cilan replied as he walked over and Ash climbed up to stand on his shoulders. "as long as I can help."

"Thanks." Ash said before jumping to get to the hole in the ceiling. "And up!"

"Okay, made it." Ash said, getting up after struggling for a little. "Cilan, thanks a lot."

"Sure!" Cilan said.

"Snivy, I choose you!" Ash said as he released the Grass Snake Pokémon. "Use Vine Whip and lift Pikachu up here."

"Snivy." ("No problem.") As she prepared the move. "Snivy!" ("Incoming!")

"Pi..." ("Huh...") Pikachu said as he was picked up by the vines.

"Pika pika!" ("Thanks Snivy!")

"Now, you two." Ash said as he and Pikachu looked down at the Darumaka. "You're next!"

"Darumaka!" ("Here we go!") The Zen Charm Pokémon said as they were encircled by the vines. "Darumaka!" ("Isn't this effective!")

"Darumaka!" ("Thanks!") They said as they were put down.

"No need to thank me and Snivy!" Ash said before looking back down. "Now it's time for you two."

"Hey, you feel heating from the ceiling?" Iris asked after everyone was situated on the floor.

"I wonder what's up there." Cilan added.

"Darmanitan huh." Ash muttered under his breath as he pulled out his Pokédex. "But just to be sure."

"Darmanitan, the Blazing Pokémon, and the evolved form of Darumaka. Darmanitan switches from Standard Mode to Zen Mode when it has little energy left." The Pokédex uttered.

"This must be the Darmanitan that hangs with the Darumaka." Ash commented as he put his Pokédex away.

"Let me see." Cilan began. "In Standard Mode its physical power's enhanced, while its psychic power's enhanced in Zen Mode."

"Wow!" Iris said as she stepped forward a little. "What a strange Pokémon!" Iris then felt the heat in the room more clearly. "I'm burning up. Hey, Darmanitan must be giving off that heat."

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing." Cilan said as the food the Darumaka stole glowed a blue light and floated to the Darmanitan.

"It's Psychic!" Ash said as the Darmanitan ate the food. "Of course! Those two Darumaka were stealing all that food so they could feed Darmanitan."

"Because Darmanitan keeps using Psychic," Cilan observed. "the heat from Darmanitan's flame sac is leaking out."

"I don't get it." Iris said, her hand to her chin thoughtfully. "Isn't it true that Darmanitan switches from Zen Mode to Standard Mode as soon as it recovers?"

"Right." Cilan answered. "You'd think it would have recovered with all that eating."

"Could it be because its exerting itself?" Ash asked as the two Darumaka came running up to him holding something. "Hey, what's this?"

"Wha...?" Iris wondered aloud, a bit confused.

"It looks like some kind of hook." Cilan commented.

"Something's weird with the bell." Ash said as the Darumaka pointed at it.

"It's-" Cilan began. "It's floating!"

Cilan then stepped forward a little, a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "I think Darmanitan's keeping it suspended using Psychic."

"Why do that?" Iris asked.

"Let's see..." Cilan began, envisioning what happened. "If that heavy bell were to fall, it would crash through the floor and possibly bring the entire clock tower down with it."

"To keep that from happening," Cilan continued. "Darmanitan must have caught the bell when it started falling and when it couldn't withstand the weight anymore, Darmanitan probably had to switch to Zen Mode to enhance its psychic powers and keep the bell from falling. And to help keep Darmanitan's strength up, these two Darumaka were bringing it as much food as they possibly could!'

"Is that right?" Ash asked as he put his hands on the head of the two Darumaka.

"Darumaka!" ("It's the truth!")

"You've done great." Iris commented. "Not easy, in this situation."

"Darumaka!" ("Thanks!")

The Blazing Pokémon then started to radiate heat more strongly.

"Darmanitan!" Ash exclaimed.

"At this rate, Darmanitan's heat will burn right through the floor!" Cilan said.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of it!" Ash reassured, stepping forward. "First, we'll fix the hook and then free Darmanitan."

"Right!" Iris and Cilan said in agreement.

"Tepig, I choose you!"

"Pansage, we need your help as well!"

"Tepig use Ember on that hook!"

"No good." Ash stated as the hook fell to the ground after the Ember attack. "It's not hot enough!"

Fire then appeared as the condition of Darmanitan was increasing in intensity.

"Ash, we really need to hurry!" Cilan shouted.

"Darumaka!" ("Let's help them.")

"Whoa, you two'll help us?" Ash asked as the Zen Charm Pokémon got in front of him.

"Darumaka!" ("Yeah!")

"Yes, let's do it then!" Ash said determinedly.

"Pansage, one more time!" Cilan requested as Pansage was holding the hook and quickly through it into the air as Tepig and the Darumaka followed with their Ember and Flamethrower attacks respectively.

"It worked!" Ash observed.

"Pansage, use Bullet Seed on that hook!"

The Grass Monkey then followed through, pelting the hook with its energized seeds as it bended to form an "S" shape.

"Great, just where we wanted it!" Cilan said. "Excellent presentation."

"Oshawott, use Water Gun!"

Blasting the hook with a torrent of water, the Sea Otter Pokémon effectively cooled it off as it then clattered to the ground with a clang.

To make sure it was cool, Pikachu ran over to poke it and when he found it was, he picked it up.

"All right, let's hook it to the bell." Ash said.

"Yeah, but how?" Iris asked.

'We'd need a ladder to reach up there." Cilan added.

Darmanitan then seemed to give its aura off with more intensity than before.

"Whoa!" Ash exclaimed as he and Pikachu glowed blue and were picked up into the air. "Darmanitan's using Psychic!"

"Pika, pika pi pika." ("Here, take this.")

Ash then took the hook and put it back where it belonged above the bell.

"It's so close, but I can't reach it!" Ash said as he tried to reach for the bell.

"Ash, you can do it!" Iris shouted encouragingly.

"Keep trying!" Cilan added.

"Come on." Ash said as he continued to try and reach for the bell.

Just then, Darmanitan changed from its Zen Mode to Standard Mode as Ash, Pikachu, and the bell started to fall.

"Darmanitan!" ("Here, this ought to help!")

"Now it's in Standard Mode!" Ash commented.

"Dar! Darmanitan!" ("Ready! Here it goes!") The Blazing Pokémon exclaimed as he threw the bell, jumped up into the air around the room, stopped where the hook was, and grabbed the bell as the people and their Pokémon were taken aback.

"Thank you! Hey, that was a close call." Ash said as he and Pikachu jumped off the bell. "We're not strong enough to lift up the bell. Could you put it back on the hook?"

"Dar!" ("Yep!") The Blazing Pokémon said with a wink before putting the bell back.

"Darman..." ("Good to see you.") Darmanitan said as it rubbed the head of one of the Darumaka's affectionately.

"Wonder what they're saying." Cilan pondered aloud as the Darumaka and Darmanitan ran over to the teens.

"I bet they're thanking us." Iris figured.

"And as for you two," Ash said, kneeling in front of the Darumaka. "no more stealing people's food, okay?"

"Darumaka!" ("Not anymore sir!") They exclaimed, making a gesture of saluting him.

XXXXXXX

As then sun then rose the next day, Ash, Iris, and Cilan were then departing.

"Another day to give it all we've got!" Ash exclaimed enthusiastically as he stretched his arms.

"Wait!" Nurse Joy said, catching their attention.

"Nurse Joy!" Ash said.

"The clock tower won't be torn down." Nurse Joy said. "I thought you'd want to know."

"So what's gonna happen?" Ash asked, making a few steps forward.

"It'll be completely restored and maintained, all thanks to the town." Nurse Joy replied.

"That's awesome!" Iris said as her Pokémon agreed.

"Yes. And to thank Darmanitan and the Darumaka for protecting it," Nurse Joy began before clasping her hands. "the town also decreed that they'd be able to live there for as long as they like."

"Delicious!" Cilan exclaimed. "People and Pokémon alike will be happy with a generous gesture like that!"

The teens, Nurse Joy, and the Pokémon then saw the Zen Charm and Blazing Pokémon happily waving at them.

"Hello? Darmanitan and Daramaka?" Ash said running forward a little and then cupping his hands like a megaphone. "That's great news!"

"Now, you take care!" Iris added, also cupping her hands in the same gesture.

"'Til we meet again!" Cilan said, one hand raised to cup a side of his mouth and the other raised straight up.

The Darmanitan responded by cracking a big smile as it and the two Darumaka continued to wave.

"Okay well," Ash said, looking down before running back to standing next to Cilan and Iris. "Bye Nurse Joy."

"Yeah, bye." Iris added as they continued their walk.

"Farewell." Cilan said.

"Good-bye." Nurse Joy said.

"Now, on to Nacrene City!" Ash exclaimed determinedly as they were farther away, a fist raised in the same determination. "I can hardly wait!"

Author's Notes: And there you have it, the ninth chapter.

Ash: How do two Flamethrowers, which are half as effective against Water-types, able to faint Oshawott?

TM24 shrugged: I don't know. The two Darumaka have to be able to live on their own without that Darmanitan around.

Misty: Seems ridiculous to me.

Well, at any rate, see you all later!