AAML: Diamond and Pearl version

by EchidnaPower

Follow me as I remake the DP episodes in order and in sequence, all so I can add the biggest star besides Ash himself. Misty! Watch her and Ash's love grow as they go on their journey. A Pokeshipping series. Also includes Penguinshipping, Handymanshipping, slight mentions of Contestshipping, and a Brock shipping to be named later. Oh yeah, there's PikachuXBuneary here too.

27. Pokemon Summer Academy: Part 2

I am truly ashamed at how long it took for me to do this, but I had an internal battle with myself on how I would include Angie's crush on Ash with Misty actually being his girlfriend. o_O At any rate, I would like to thank you all for the reviews, they made sure that I didn't get lazy and they made me pull out what I hope is a quality filled chapter!
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Chapter 27

Day 3

The group was woken up by an extremely loud bugle at what seemed to them was the crack of dawn. Speaking of Dawn, she was ready to crack. "Even Buneary saw something! Don't you believe me now?" Dawn asked desperately. "Sorry Dawn, but all that means is that your Pokémon are seeing things too, I don't know what to tell you." Misty replied.

"What time is it anyway?" Ash asked groggily. "It's 7:00 A.M., now we know why we go to bed so early." Brock replied. "What's the matter Ash? Can't handle waking up early?" Angie joked. "I wouldn't be so sleepy if it weren't for your snoring." Ash said bitterly. "Me? Snore? Must've been a Kricketot." Angie replied. "Only if you inhaled it." Ash grumbled.

Just then, Brad barged in. "Rise and shine everyone!" he exclaimed. "We're up, but we're not shining Brad." Misty said with a yawn. "Maybe this'll get you moving. Breakfast is on the table." Brad said. "Breakfast? Well alright then!" Ash exclaimed. Ash quickly got himself out of molasses-mode and sped up his wake-up.

He ran into the bathroom, put on his clothes, and ran past Brad to the mess hall all in a matter of seconds. Once Ash was gone, Angie followed suit and mirrored Ash's actions. She put on her clothes, and blew right by him, almost knocking him over.

"Wow, I need to make a joke for when that happens." Brad said. Brad left to leave the three remaining teens alone, and headed to the mess hall so he could eat his own breakfast. When he got there however, he found a very frustrated Ash and Angie. "Something wrong?" Brad asked. "This guy's being a total pain, that's all." Angie said.

"He won't give me what I wanna drink!" Ash whined. Brad glanced at the man behind the counter and gave a small smirk; the man smirked back. "I'll handle this." Brad said, stepping in front of Ash and Angie.

"Can I help you?" the man asked. "Yeah uh, gimme a Coke?" Brad replied. "Pepsi?" the man said. Brad stared at the man and then turned back to Ash and Angie. "See?" Ash said. "Dude, Coke, Coke, I'd like a Co…" Brad was cut-off. "Pepsi ok?" the man said.

"Nyehh…! Co-Coke! Cooooke! COOOOKE!" Brad had resorted to spelling "Coke" in sign language, he even yelled at the top of his lungs, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. By now Misty, Dawn, and Brock had come in and were watching the scene unfold. "What's going on?" Misty asked.

"At first I thought this guy was being stupid, but I think we just walked into another Brad joke." Ash replied.

"Gimme a 7-UP." Brad said. "Sprite?" the man replied. "AAAAHH! Ah-ah, Dr. Pepper!" Brad yelled. "Mr. Pibb?" the man replied. "Quit it!" Brad screeched. The entire mess hall was now laughing. Some students even had milk fly out of their nose from laughing too hard.

Once Brad was satisfied with the turnout, he and the man behind the counter gave a bow. "Thanks Don." Brad said. Don gave a thumbs-up and motioned for the group to come and get their breakfast for real.

They sat down together at the last available table. "You planned that?" Angie asked. "I did say you wouldn't escape my jokes forever didn't I? Or did Ash forget to warn you?" Brad snickered. Ash flushed red and tried to look away.

"Lemme tell you something though, that joke comes from truth as well. The thing called 'common courtesy' is a lost art these days. What used to happen when they didn't have what you asked for, they would courteously tell you: 'I'm sorry, we don't have that, would you care for this?' Now, they just name the nearest beverage equivalent like it's the same thing and we can't tell the difference!" Brad explained.

"Unfortunately, that is true." Brock said. "And lemme tell you something, nothing these days mean what they're supposed to mean, we've changed everything to make things mean whatever we want them to mean." Brad said.

"I know this'll turn into a joke, but like what Brad?" Misty asked. "Imagine a stop sign. Stop signs used to mean…stop. Now it means, roll! Which means you kinda just look around to see if an Officer Jenny is around before you ignore the stop sign and drive by." Brad explained.

"And also, a yellow light! Yellow light used to mean, slow down, it's gonna turn red. Now it means, speed up it's gonna turn red!" Brad exclaimed. "I've seen that happen!" Angie said. "Which means it's true! Signs were put on the street so we didn't NEED cops on every corner of the street watching us." Brad explained.

"A 'No parking' sign used to mean…you can't park there! Now it means, 'Well, you CAN park there as long as you stay in the car…! And I'm like: Am I the only one who sees this moron at the Item Store parked under the 'No parking' sign, sitting back in his seat with his arm out the window staring at us as we pass like WE'RE the idiots!" Brad exclaimed.

"People do that?" Ash asked. "Yeah, and if you give them a look, they say: 'What? I'm not parked. I'm prepared to leave if Officer Jenny shows up.'" Brad said. "That's one of your funnier skits Brad." Ash said. "Then why haven't you laughed this whole time?" Brad asked. "Because I don't wanna spit food everywhere. That makes more work for you." Ash replied. "See that? That's common courtesy! Just for that, I owe you a favor now." Brad said.

"Gee, thanks!" Ash exclaimed. Suddenly, a loud beep was heard over the intercom. "Attention students, this is Principal Rowan, please meet us by the lake in five minutes. Thank you." Prof. Rowan announced. "Principal Rowan? Since when?" Dawn asked. "Meh, Rowan likes to play teacher around this time, so he calls himself 'Principal Rowan'." Brad explained. "Well we better hurry up then; we don't wanna be late again." Misty said. The group quickly finished their breakfast and rushed out towards the lake. When Misty saw it, she could barely maintain her giddiness.

"Look at all the water-Pokémon!" she squealed. "Misty's personal paradise, right here." Brock joked. "I'll be over here if you guys need me; maybe I'll go clean a twig or something." Brad joked. The group chuckled as Brad walked a few feet just to dip his toes into the cool water.

"Attention everyone. Yesterday you all did extremely well getting to know your Pokémon, but what do you say to something a little different?" Prof. Rowan asked. The students cheered, Misty was notably louder than anyone else; her water-type excitement was fueling her voice.

"Good, because I'd like you all to observe the water-type Pokémon in this lake." Prof. Rowan explained. "Now as you all can see, these waters are teeming with all sorts of Pokémon, the choice of which kind of Pokémon you observe is entirely up to you. You may express your findings in a report, sketch, or any way you choose, but your grade is based on a final presentation. You may work by yourself, or in groups." the male instructor said.

"Excuse me?" Misty asked, raising her hand. "Yes young lady?" the male instructor replied. "I noticed a Tentacool in that lake, are we allowed to catch them?" Misty asked hopefully.

"I'm afraid not." Prof. Rowan said, "Because the water-type Pokémon in this lake area are still being researched, they are not allowed to be caught."

"Also, please remember that leaving the area is forbidden. Rule number one is: Safety First." the male instructor added. "With Misty on our team, we'll get an A-plus for sure!" Ash exclaimed. "What? You think I'm doing the work for you?" Misty asked. "Um…well…" Ash stammered. "Sorry Ash, you're on your own." Misty replied.

Ash whined a bit more, but when Misty threatened to whack him with her mallet, he quickly backed down. She then turned to walk away. "Where's she going?" Dawn asked. "Who knows? But I'm sure wherever it is; it's got something to do with the water-types." Brock replied.

Ash, Dawn, Brock, and Angie walked along the water's edge, and eventually came across two Lanturn paddleboats. "Wow, I'll bet those are a blast!" Ash exclaimed. "And they'd be an awesome way to observe Pokémon!" Dawn added.

Suddenly, a flash of blue light came from the forest. "What's that?" Ash wondered aloud. When Pikachu suddenly started walking in a sort of hypnotized haze, Ash knelt down and shook Pikachu to his senses. "Hey, are you ok Pikachu? You were acting weird." he said.

Pikachu snapped back to reality and looked at its master with confusion, unsure of what had just happened to it. They pondered the origin of the light for a few moments, but eventually dismissed it when Angie asked to take one of the boats out with him.

Trying to act friendly and avoid hostility, Ash agreed, leaving Dawn and Brock to take the second boat. After a few sightings, Ash finally decided on a Dewgong that had leaped into the air and splashed him and Angie.

Meanwhile Angie had chosen a Sealeo to do her project on, and the two proceeded to sketch their choices. "Now I wish I had taken some drawing lessons from Tracey." Ash thought.

Dawn meanwhile had seen all sorts of Pokémon, but hadn't seen one that really caught her eye as of yet. "Where the heck is Misty anyway? She's been gone for awhile." Dawn said. As if on cue, Misty emerged from underwater in her bathing suit, startling the two boaters.

"What are you doing?" Dawn asked. "Believe me, there's no better way to observe water-Pokémon than to get up close and personal with them." Misty replied. "So I suppose you followed that Tentacool around then?" Brock asked. "Yeah, but not because I need to. I already know everything there is to know about Tentacool and Tentacruel." Misty replied.

"Where's Ash by the way?" Misty asked. "In the boat over there with Angie." Dawn replied. "Oh…with Angie?" Misty asked, slightly hurt. Her expression had not gone unnoticed. "Misty, don't even think what I know you're thinking right now. You know who Ash really cares about." Brock said seriously. "Besides, Angie doesn't really like Ash anyway; she keeps trying to pick fights with him." Dawn added.

"I guess." Misty said quietly. The mood suddenly changed when a Gorebyss swam by, leaving Dawn in total awe. "Wow, how beautiful!" Dawn squealed. "That's a Gorebyss, another favorite of mine." Misty said. "I'm gonna check it out." Dawn said, reaching for her Pokédex. Before she could start the scan however, Conway appeared next to her in a rowboat.

"Gorebyss, the south-sea Pokémon. Its long, beautiful pink body is more vivid in the springtime." Conway explained. "What do you want Conway?" Dawn asked exasperatedly. "To offer my help. My encyclopedic grasp of Pokémon is yours for the asking." Conway said. With a small chuckle, Conway began to row away.

"Oh yeah? I'm willing to bet that I know more about water-types than you could ever dream of!" Misty screamed. Conway just continued to row away. "Creep." Misty hissed. "You know what? I think that Gorebyss is the perfect choice for me!" Dawn proceeded to sketch the Gorebyss.

"As for me, Chinchou is a done deal." Brock said, as he also began to draw. "I'm gonna go check on Ash and Angie. Seeya guys." Misty submerged back underwater, leaving Dawn and Brock to do their thing.

Meanwhile, Ash and Angie were busy drawing their Pokémon, but Dewgong and Sealeo eventually grew bored, and swam off in opposite directions. "Angie, you need to move over, I can't see the Dewgong." Ash said calmly. "Oh yeah? Well why don't YOU move over so I can see MY Sealeo?" Angie replied.

Ash was quickly losing tolerance with the pre-teen; his temper was growing shorter by the minute. But a quick surprise kept his mind off his anger. "Hiya!" Misty exclaimed. The splash that Misty's surfacing created caught Ash and Angie by surprise, which was easily recognized by their yelps.

"What are you doing in the water Misty?" Angie asked. "That's the best way to observe water-Pokémon." Misty replied. "And I'll bet it's loads of fun too." Ash said. "Well yeah, that part doesn't hurt either." Misty said, "So how are your sketches coming along?"

Ash and Angie proudly showed the water-trainer their drawings. "What do you think?" Ash asked. "I think I need to give Tracey a call." Misty replied with a sweat-drop. "Oh come on Mist, my drawing isn't that bad." Ash said. "Sorry, but it is." Misty replied, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Who are we kidding? We give these to the Professor and we're done for." Angie moaned. "Why not go with my idea?" Misty asked. "You mean jump in and swim with them?" Dawn asked hopefully, as they paddled over to the others. "The water's great, come on in!" Misty said, before diving backwards back underwater.

After a few minutes, Ash and Co. were in their swimming attire and it wasn't long before they had found the Pokémon they had originally scouted out. "What'd I tell you? Being in the water is the only to check out water-Pokémon." Misty said knowingly.

"For sure!" Angie exclaimed. Dawn and Brock soon surfaced as well. "The Gorebyss is even prettier underwater!" Dawn exclaimed. Angie gave a yelp of surprise when Chinchou surfaced in front of her. "Chinchou produce electricity through their feelers." Brock explained. "Yeah, but if I get shocked with that static while I'm in the water, it's gonna hurt." Angie said.

"Oh please, try getting shocked with a 'Thunderbolt' and then we'll talk about real voltage." Ash said. "Well what do you say we get to shore and work on our report before we turn into prunes?" Misty said jokingly. The group nodded, and swam back to shore.

"(Sigh) Ok, now we can finally get to work on our report." Brock said. "Oh goody, when it comes to giving reports, I'm the worst." Angie moaned. "No, I am." Ash admitted. "Nope, it's me." Dawn added. "Wow Brock, we're the only intelligent ones here." Misty joked.

"That's why you need to help us!" Dawn said pleadingly. "Nope, sorry, if I won't help Ash, I'm not helping you." Misty said, sticking her tongue out at the blue-haired girl. "Fear not Dawn." Conway said, sneaking up behind the startled coordinator, "For I'd be happy to transcribe your thoughts."

"What do you mean transcribe?" Dawn asked. "Elementary. It simply means that you do the talking, and then I'll write everything you say down, and turn it into the perfect report." Conway said with a chuckle. "Why don't you go breathe down someone else's neck?" Misty hissed. "Not to worry Misty, I'd gladly give you the same offer." Conway said.

"Except she doesn't NEED your help." Ash grumbled. "Thanks anyway Conway, but I think I have to write the report myself." Dawn said with a sweat-drop. "As you wish, but as soon as you change your mind, I'll be there, ok? Ok." Conway replied coolly.

"You know what? I think we need to observe the Pokémon some more!" Ash said, quickly changing the subject. "I agree, back in the water everyone!" Misty exclaimed, trying to escape Conway's presence. "Hold on!" Angie cried.

"Angie, what's wrong?" Ash asked. "All of a sudden Shinx is missing!" she replied, an extremely worried look on her face. "Piplup, weren't you and Shinx playing together?" Dawn asked. Piplup replied with a nod of its head, but its worried expression said that it no longer knew where Shinx was.

"What's going on?" The group turned around and found Brad coming up to them. "Have you seen Shinx anywhere?" Angie asked with concern. "No, I was just coming to check on you guys." Brad replied. "Oh no. Guys, we've just gotta find Shinx!" Angie begged. "Don't worry Angie; let's go look guys." Brock said.

Brad joined in on the search for the small electric-type, and they went as far as the boundaries were allowed, with calls of "Shinx" coming from every member of the search party's mouth. "This isn't going to work. We have to try something else." Misty said.

Just then, the blue light flashed again, and this time everyone saw it. "There's that light again!" Ash said. "What do you mean 'again'?" Dawn asked. "It flashed once before over there!" Ash replied. Without warning, Piplup began walking as if it had been hypnotized. "Piplup, what's wrong with you?" Dawn asked.

Feeling Dawn's hands on its shoulders snapped Piplup out of its daze. "The same result." Ash said in awe. "Result? What do you mean?" Misty asked. "Earlier, that light flashed and Pikachu's eyes got all spacey." Ash replied. "As if…it was in a trance." Misty figured. "Maybe there's a Pokémon in the forest using 'Hypnosis'?" Dawn guessed.

"If so, then why?" Brock wondered. "Interesting." Conway said, once again sneaking up behind Dawn, close enough that their faces were a mere few inches from each other. Dawn jumped back and quickly put distance between herself and Conway.

"Conway, haven't you ever heard of personal space?" Misty hissed. "Do you know something about this Conway?" Brock asked calmly. "If what you say is true, then the legend just might be truth." Conway said. "What legend?" Dawn asked.

"You see, there's a famous legend concerning this lake: When a strange blue light flashes, Pokémon start vanishing!" Conway said mysteriously. "Man, I don't like that legend at all!" Ash exclaimed. "Pokémon vanishing from a blue light, and now Shinx is missing?" Misty said. "Well, with Shinx disappearing, it may just have something to do with that legend." Conway said.

"Uh, actually guys…" Brad was cut-off by Ash's usual attack of instinctive thinking. "We've gotta do something!" he exclaimed determinedly. "I'm not letting my Shinx be part of that legend! I say we go over to where that light is coming from!" Angie said.

"Oh for crying out loud." Brad face-palmed. "Hey folks, remember we're not supposed to go far from the lake!" Conway shouted. "But if Dawn's going, I guess there's not much I can do." he thought slyly. Conway chuckled to himself and chased after the group of teens. "I've gotta get back to the academy!" Brad said to himself.

Brad turned to run off, but stopped suddenly when he saw James and Meowth. Brad jumped into a bush to spy on them briefly, just to make sure they weren't up to anything.

"That flash has lots of zing!" James said. "You mean, like some treasure type bling?" Meowth asked. "I was thinking the same thing." James said evilly. The duo snickered devilishly as plans popped into their mind. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but there's nothing there." Brad said, popping out from his hiding spot.

James and Meowth reeled back and immediately went on the defensive. "We-we were just curious was all." James said. "Hey, if you wanna check it out, be my guest. I'm just letting you know you won't find anything to put in your rocket…I mean pocket." Brad snickered, hinting at his knowledge of their true guise.

"Well, tanks for dat tiny tidbit of intel." Meowth said. And with that, Brad ran off for the academy. "I tink he knows who we are." Meowth moaned. "He can't, otherwise we would've been kicked out by now." James replied. "Maybe, but he seems a bit too defensive of dat der light." Meowth said.

"What a bunch of idiots. They need to put helmets on so everyone knows how stupid they really are." Brad thought as he ran. It wasn't long before he reached the academy. And it was a good thing he made it when he did. A storm was just coming over the horizon, and it was a big one. He found Professor Rowan counting students, and he ran to meet him.

"Which way?" Angie asked. "I think it was that way." Ash said, pointing east. "And that's exactly why we should go west." Misty said, pointing the other direction. "Mist, come on, it had to be east!" Ash said. "And since when has YOUR sense of direction ever been right?" Misty asked. "Guys, come on, this is no time for a fight." Dawn said.

Ash and Misty shot quick glares at each other. "It was directly northwest from here." Conway said. Their glares turned into embarrassed smiles; they were both wrong. "Heh, sorry Mist." Ash said. "Me too." Misty replied.

"If you guys hug now, I swear I'll have Croagunk use 'Poison Jab' on YOU." Brock warned. "And then you get drilled into the ground by a mallet, so we'd be even." Misty replied smugly. The intense expression on Brock's face made her shrink back. Brock was not playing games; he was serious about the situation at hand.

"Come now, no need to quarrel, I'm sure Shinx is somewhere around here." Conway said. "You know, you don't have to come with us." Dawn said with a sweat-drop. "No, no, I want to soak in everything I possibly can about Pokémon." Conway replied with a chuckle.

Dawn rolled her eyes and ran off in the direction Conway had pointed in. "Whoa, when did we walk into a morgue?" Misty asked nervously. The sky had turned black with clouds, and the ground around them seemed dead, yet there was regular plant life beyond the ten foot radius. And in front of them, a rocky cave.

"There's something creepy about this place." Dawn said fearfully. "Not to worry, no matter what happens, rest assured, I'll protect you." Conway said chivalrously. "Err, thanks." Dawn said with a sweat-drop. A flash of lightning filled the sky, and rain immediately began pouring down on them. "Aah! Help me!" Conway covered his head with his hands and ran into the cave in fear.

"What a coward. He can't even protect himself." Misty said. "Maybe, but he was smart too. We're out here in the rain, he's in the cave." Brock said. Realizing Brock was right; the group also ran into the cave to shield themselves from the storm.

"Man, it's really coming down." Ash said. "I sure hope Shinx is ok!" Angie said worriedly. "No need to worry, I'm sure it's alright." Dawn reassured. "We'll look later, for now, we should probably take a break here." Brock suggested.

"Take a look at this!" Conway exclaimed. The group turned to look deeper into the cave. "What an eerie green light." Misty said. "That's right! I remember now! The legend states that the strange blue light comes forth from the green cave!" Conway exclaimed.

"And that's green if I ever saw it." Angie said nervously. "So that means…the light from the legend…is back there?" Dawn squeaked. "Then there's only one thing to do, we've gotta go look!" Ash exclaimed. "M-Maybe we could stay back here until the rain stops." Angie suggested. "Do you wanna save Shinx or not? It might be back there!" Ash exclaimed. Angie sighed fearfully, but nodded.

"Come on, let's stay together." Misty suggested. Ash grabbed Misty's hand, and Misty did likewise to Brock, and the line continued until everyone had a hand. Dawn ironically enough got stuck holding Conway's. "His hand feels…weird. Like he is." Dawn thought.

The light flashed once again, and the group froze in their tracks. "That IS the light!" Dawn squeaked. She unintentionally squeezed harder, making Conway give a chuckle. Dawn turned her head to face him and hastily yanked her hand away.

"C'mon Pikachu, keep it together!" Ash tried to shake Pikachu back to reality, the flash had put Pikachu back into a daze. With a small "Pi", Pikachu blinked and looked around with confusion. "That does it; something back there is definitely putting the Pokémon into trances." Misty said.

"Shinx just has to be back there!" Angie rushed for the light, not even allowing herself to have second thoughts. "Shinx, where are you?" she cried. The group soon followed, they looked around in awe at the cave. "Guys, look in the water!" Misty exclaimed.

They looked. And a blue light was slowly moving towards them. "Don't look!" Ash yelled. Pikachu managed to cover its eyes before it was hypnotized again, but Piplup's reaction time was slower. "Piplup, snap out of it!" Dawn shook her Pokémon back to reality, who replied with a small and confused "Pip".

"So THIS is where the strange blue light's coming from!" Ash exclaimed. Ash and Dawn held Pikachu and Piplup in their arms, shielding them from the hypnotizing light. They braced themselves for whatever was about to see; the owner of the light was about to make itself known to them.

Suddenly, the light seemed to splash out of the water, and attached to it was a Pokémon. "What's that?" Ash asked. "It's a Lumineon." Brock replied. Dawn pulled out her Pokédex to scan the strange Pokémon, but once again, Conway moved in first.

"Lumineon, the neon Pokémon. Lumineon lives in the ocean's depths. It lures Pokémon with a flashing light in the pattern of its tail fins." Conway explained.

"So it was just Lumineon's light. Nothing sinister about that." Misty said. "In fact, Lumineon's beautiful." Dawn said. "I wanna catch it!" Misty exclaimed excitedly. "Misty you can't, remember?" Brock said. "Oh yeah. Rowan said not to." she replied dejectedly. "But it's strange." Conway said. "What's strange?" Dawn asked. "A Lumineon shouldn't be in a place like this." Conway replied.

"Yeah, you're right. Lumineon are indigenous to oceans, not small ponds like this." Brock said. "So what's it doing here?" Misty wondered. Before a suggestion could be uttered, the group heard a small moan. "Did you hear something?" Dawn asked. "That sounded like Shinx!" Angie exclaimed.

Angie ran to where she heard the noise, and sure enough, there was her Shinx, hypnotized, but safe. "Pull yourself together Shinx!" Angie cried. She shook her small electric-type back to reality. And as soon as Shinx showed signs of actual consciousness, it was quickly and tightly embraced by its master. "I can't tell you how worried I was!"

"Looks like this mystery is solved." Misty said. "Yeah, we found Shinx and we know where the light's coming from." Ash added. "Perhaps, but there is another mystery here." Brock said. "And what's that?" Dawn asked. "We have no idea why Lumineon's here. If we could get to the bottom of that, think of the great report we could do!" Brock replied.

"Perfect! A group report worth ten points for each of us!" Misty cheered. "And if you don't mind, I'd like a part in this too." Conway added. "Hold on a minute!" A feminine voice said. The group turned around and saw Jessilinda standing in front of the water.

"It appears that I've FINALLY found a Pokémon that matches me." she said. "I know you; you're Jessilinda, the captain of the green team!" Conway exclaimed. "That's MISS Jessilinda to you, Buster!" she screamed furiously.

"Add a 'Miss' to your name and suddenly you think you're such a hot shot." Misty said. "Naturally, and that Lumineon; perfect for someone beautiful, elegant and refined such as myself. And luring all sorts of Pokémon doesn't exactly hurt either." Jessilinda said.

"That sounds awfully familiar." Misty said suspiciously. "Now I shall catch it, observe it, and then write a report on it. You can just go find something else." Jessilinda said smugly. "Hold on a second! If I can't catch it, what makes you think you can?" Misty screamed. "What? You mean follow Rowan's rules? I catch whatever I wanna catch. That's MY rule!" Jessilinda replied. "Again, that sounds familiar." Misty said. "You're right Misty, that sounds like a Team Rocket line." Dawn added.

"We found Lumineon first, and you know it!" Angie screamed. "Besides, how'd you even find out about Lumineon anyway?" Ash asked. "I have my ways. Enough foolish talk from you losers. Yanmega, let's go!" Jessilinda threw out a Pokéball, and a giant dragonfly emerged.

"If you want Lumineon, you'll have to get through us!" Ash yelled. "Please! If you don't mind, I'd like to handle this." Conway said confidently, "Dawn, I'll wage this battle for you."

Dawn sweat-dropped. "O…k." she said. Misty crossed her arms and watched Conway prepare. "Let's see if he battles as well as he talks." she said. "Come forth Slowking!" Conway tossed a Pokéball, and a Slowking emerged from it. "Well, we're not the sharpest tool in the shed, are we?" Jessilinda snickered, mocking Slowking's seemingly dumb nature. "Overconfidence can be bad for your health." Conway replied simply.

Jessilinda snickered devilishly, and then barked out an order. "Yanmega, use 'Sonic Boom'!"

Yanmega complied, and its wings sent out a powerful shockwave of sound. "Quick Slowking, 'Protect'!" Conway countered. Slowking crossed its arms, and an impenetrable, green force-field protected it from any damage.

"Slowking's 'Protect' is as strong as ever!" Dawn exclaimed. "Not bad so far." Misty added. "Why thank you ladies. I am honored. I owe you for that. And I intend to pay it back right now! Slowking, 'Water Pulse'!" Conway ordered.

Slowking formed an energized ball of water that quickly sent Yanmega flying backwards. "Don't take that from a dolt! Use 'Steel Wing', go!" Jessilinda ordered. As soon as it regained its mid-air balance, Yanmega charged forward with steel-hard wings.

"Protect', once more!" Conway countered. Once more, Slowking formed the green barrier, and bounced back Yanmega's attack. To say the least, Jessilinda was getting extremely frustrated. "I'm too cute for this!"

"Let's wrap this up! 'Psychic', let's go!" Conway ordered. Slowking's eyes glowed in an eerie blue color, and Yanmega was suddenly held frozen in mid-air. "That 'Psychic' did the trick." Brock said. "Looks like he is as good with Pokémon as he is with his mouth." Misty whispered to Dawn.

The two girls snickered quietly, but it soon amplified into loud laughter when Jessilinda began screaming with despair. "No! Don't do something, just stand there!" she begged.

"Not a chance!" Conway yelled heroically. Slowking finished the job; it sent Yanmega barreling into its master, and the impact sent it and Jessilinda literally rolling out of the cave. When she finally stopped, James and Meowth, wearing their janitor outfits, were waiting for her.

"Guess dat blows da treasure concept." Meowth said. "We've had enough concepts for one day." James added. They picked up the unconscious woman and quietly escorted her out of the cave before the group could see them.

"Jessilinda wait – Oh my…she's gone." Conway said in shock. "Where could she have gotten to so quickly? It's a one-way tunnel." Misty said. "You'd be surprised how fast embarrassment can make you move." Dawn said. "Good point, after that beating, I wouldn't be surprised if she made a hasty retreat." Misty said.

Outside, the two Rockets in disguise were greeted by the last thing they wanted to see. "I told you there was nothing for your rocket – I mean pocket." Brad snickered. "Well, you know what they say, curiosity killed the Meowth." James said nervously. "Could you please not use dat saying?" Meowth moaned.

"Why? Is there something wrong?" Brad asked. Meowth suddenly had a cold sweat on his forehead. "Look, I know you're Team Rocket; you're welcome to stay, but if we find one missing Pokémon, Slowpoke and Torkoal are gonna make you wish you had put helmets on! Are we clear?" Brad said seriously.

James and Meowth looked at each other nervously. It was quite obvious that their cover was blown. "Here, let me help you get Jessilinda – I mean Jessie back to the academy." Brad offered. James and Meowth stayed silent; nervous expressions still all over their face. But they allowed Brad to assist them in getting the unconscious Rocket member back to the school.

Meanwhile, Ash and Co. had gone back in to observe the Lumineon, but they were all shocked to find that…

"The Lumineon's gone!" Angie exclaimed. "But, where could it go?" Dawn asked. "Well, if I were a water-Pokémon, I would dive underwater to hide from all the noise." Misty said. "So who's gonna go in and look?" Conway asked. "That'll be me. Ok Buizel, time for you to help find the Lumineon." Ash called out his water-type, who gave a nod to acknowledge its orders.

"I'll help too. Corsola, let's go." Misty called out her water/rock-type, who was ready to go as well. Ash and Misty, who were wearing their swimming gear underneath their clothes, quickly took off their regular outfits and dived into the water with their Pokémon.

"At least the water's not cold." Misty said. "Make sure that you don't get caught by that blue light." Dawn warned. "We'll be ready." Ash said. "Ok Ash, let's split up and take one side each." Misty said. Ash nodded and dove underwater, hanging onto Buizel's waist for propulsion.

Misty did likewise with Corsola, although she grabbed onto one of Corsola's coral branches. She looked around left and right, not seeing anything but Ash and Buizel on the other side of the body of water. When she made eye contact with Ash, she motioned for him to surface. He nodded and met up with Misty at the top of the water.

"Anything?" Dawn asked. "Not yet, but we can still go deeper; the water's really murky." Ash replied. "I have a theory about that. The water's really salty." Misty said. "Does that make a difference?" Dawn asked. "It might, if my theory is right. The water in the lake was fresh water, this isn't." Misty replied.

"Tell me what to look for Mist." Ash said. "Anything that seems out of place, that's all, there isn't much down there." Misty replied. "I'll do some searching up here, maybe we can learn something." Brock said. "Alright, ready for round two Mist?" Ash said. Ash and Misty took a deep breath and submerged deeper than they had before; they once again split up.

After going a bit deeper, Ash spotted something that he thought was out of the ordinary. Ash signaled for Buizel to fire a 'Water Gun' in Misty and Corsola's vicinity, in order to get their attention. When Misty turned her head, Ash motioned her over.

Misty's eyes widened. There was a hole at the bottom of the water, and it stretched into a long tunnel. Misty motioned for Ash to surface, and the two swam up.

Meanwhile, Brock had made a discovery of his own. "Huh? What's this?" Brock had found something peculiar on a rock, but before he could identify it, Ash and Misty surfaced. "Did you find anything?" Dawn asked. "No, Lumineon's gone." Ash said.

"But now I'm positive my theory was correct." Misty said. "What theory was that?" Angie asked. "The water here is salty, which can only mean one thing: There has to be a connection to the ocean somewhere in here." Misty explained. "And that would account for the murky water." Conway added.

"But how can there be a connection to anywhere in here?" Angie asked. "We did find a hole at the bottom of the water; it stretched into a tunnel that was so long that not even Misty would be able to get through." Ash said.

"So maybe Lumineon uses the tunnel to come here from wherever it's living." Brock figured. "Here's the big question. Why would Lumineon want to leave the ocean to come here?" Misty asked. "I have my own theory, take a look at this." Brock led the group over to the rock he had previously found something on.

"This seaweed is a favorite of water-type Pokémon; Misty could probably confirm that, right?" Brock said. "Definitely, back in Cerulean, when I would take my Pokémon out to swim in an ocean, they'd be snacking on this stuff." Misty added.

"Cor sola sola cor." (Well it IS tasty.) Corsola said. "There's even more proof." Misty giggled. "And another thing you may notice, it looks like a lot of that seaweed has been eaten." Brock said. "No way Lumineon could eat it all by itself." Ash said. "Maybe not in one sitting, but after a whole bunch of trips here it might." Misty replied.

"Are you sure it didn't have help?" Angie asked. "I know water-Pokémon like the back of my hand, I'd be able to tell if there were traces of other Pokémon here, and there are none." Misty replied. "So it IS the Lumineon who's eating it all." Brock concluded.

"Wow, excellent detective work!" Conway exclaimed. "You two figured it out just by looking!" Angie exclaimed, obviously impressed. "Of course! Anyone aiming to be a water-Pokémon master or a top breeder has gotta be smart!" Ash exclaimed.

"And now we're gonna have the best report of anyone else at the academy!" Misty cheered. "The hard part will be the actual writing though." Dawn said with a sweat-drop. "Don't forget, my transcribing offer still stands." Conway said enticingly.

"Maybe that'll be fine." Dawn finally submitted and accepted Conway's offer to help. Since Lumineon was no longer in the cave, and the rain had finally stopped, the group walked out of the cave. "Well it looks like the rain stopped." Ash said.

"Hey, look up there!" Dawn exclaimed. The group looked in the sky, and stared in awe at what they saw. "Wow, what a gorgeous rainbow!" Angie squealed. "That's the best part of a thunderstorm. When it's finally over, we get one of these." Misty said dreamily.

"Our work here is done." Brock said. "C'mon guys, race you back!" Ash exclaimed. Ash and Co., minus Conway, sprinted back towards the academy. "Hmm, not a sad face in sight." Conway said to himself. He chuckled and began the long trek back to the academy.

And unbeknownst to them, a blue light shined from the cave, bidding them farewell. Afterwards, the group wrote up their report. Conway of course wrote everything down for the more pencil-challenged team members: Ash, Dawn, and Angie.

When it was finally time for the reports to be given, Ash and Co. went up there with high spirits. They gave their report on the Lumineon and were welcomed by a standing ovation from the Professor himself. "An exceptional report indeed. I give you all a full ten points!" Prof. Rowan said.

The group cheered. "However, you all left the lake area without permission!" Prof. Rowan said. The group suddenly became nervous. "For breaking the rules, we will subtract four points each." The male instructor said.

"But…since the only reason you left was because you cared for your Pokémon's safety, and you did send Brad to tell us what was going on, we award four bonus points each for showing extreme care for your Pokémon." Prof. Rowan chuckled.

"What? You mean you're not going to discipline these children for doing something without permission?" Jessilinda asked. "No. However, since YOU left the lake too, and without a decent reason, you lose four points." the instructor said.

Jessilinda sweat-dropped, and quietly sat herself down. "As for you Conway, we were told that you assisted the red team in helping to save their Pokémon, and so, you will not be penalized." the instructor. "What a pleasant surprise." Conway said.

"So the Lumineon is back eh? Albeit a little early this year." Prof. Rowan said. "Perhaps it just couldn't resist its favorite food." the instructor suggested. "Perhaps…everyone dismissed. Please proceed to the cafeteria for dinner." Prof. Rowan said.

Ash and Co. stepped off the stage, and found Brad waiting for them. "I tried to tell you what it was, but you wouldn't let me." Brad said. "Wait, you knew what it was all along? Why didn't you tell us?" Misty asked. "I told you. You wouldn't let me." Brad replied. "So I guess we're even now, since you kept us out of trouble." Ash figured.

"Actually, now YOU owe ME a favor." Brad snickered. "How so?" Misty asked. "I paid back the favor by keeping you out of trouble, and now you owe me a favor because I DIDN'T tell you about Lumineon, allowing you to figure it out for yourselves and present the best report of anyone here." Brad explained.

"That sounds about right." Dawn said with a sweat-drop. "Of course it's right, I wouldn't have said it if it wasn't right. That's kinda my thing, I say the right stuff." Brad said. "Like you've never said something wrong before." Misty said. "Of course I have, we all make mistakes, cause were humans, we all make mistakes. It's just very rare when I make one." Brad joked.

"Well, thanks for the help anyway Brad." Brock said. "As usual, no problem. Now get moving, dinner's ready." Brad said. "Awesome! Last one there gives up his dessert!" Angie exclaimed. "What if a girl loses?" Ash asked. "Then you still have to give up your dessert!" Angie joked. "Not if I can help it!" Ash yelled.

The group charged for the cafeteria for dinner time. Ironically enough, Ash WAS the last one there, since his legs were tired from all the extra swimming. Misty came second to last, but only because her legs were better conditioned and toned from her constant swimming, so she had more stamina.

When Ash was asked to give up his brownie, he protected it like gold. "My precious!" he said jokingly. Although he was determined to keep his dessert, Misty managed to get it away from him using a very sneaky technique: Kissing him.

While Ash was enjoying the taste of Misty's lips, she used her free hand to make sure Ash wouldn't get to taste any chocolate; she grabbed the brownie and held it behind her back. When she broke the kiss, Ash looked around dreamily, but quickly got back to his senses when he realized that his brownie was gone.

"Don't tell me…" Ash moaned. He glanced at Misty, who was now holding up HIS brownie in triumph. "Give it back Misty!" Ash whined. "Look at you, getting all worked up over chocolate." Misty said in mock disapproval. "I don't get to have any that often!" Ash replied. "Tough." was the simple response.

Ash continued to try and get it back, but a threat of a mallet to his head quickly shut him up. "That's a good boy." Misty teased. Ash pouted and crossed his arms, as he watched Misty divvy up HIS brownie to herself, Dawn, Brock, and Angie, who happily enjoyed both the chocolate, and the look on Ash's face.

When they got up to head to the dorm rooms, Ash was still frustrated. However, when Misty revealed that she hadn't eaten her brownie to save it for Ash, his spirits quickly lifted. "Thanks a lot Mist!" he said excitedly. "This doesn't go without a hitch you know." Misty said. "Uh oh, what's the catch?" Ash asked. "You have to share. It is MY brownie after all." Misty replied.

Ash felt like arguing about it, but something inside him, or rather, something that wasn't inside him yet, was telling him not to push his luck. He split the brownie in half and shared it with his red-headed girlfriend.

That night, Dawn was getting rattled again. "Please oh please, let tonight be normal." she begged to no one in particular. "When have any of our days been normal ones?" Misty joked. The look on Dawn's face said she wasn't amused, so Misty turned away.

Dawn calmed a little though when Pikachu hopped onto her bed, and Buneary emerged from her Pokéball and did likewise. "So, this is gonna be a nightly thing now?" Dawn asked. Pikachu and Buneary nodded in response.

They shut off the lights and fell asleep, with Pikachu taking first watch as usual, and Buneary grabbing onto Pikachu's tail as a pillow until it was her turn. When the humans were asleep, that was when Pikachu felt less awkward around Buneary. It wasn't strange to have her hold onto something he normally protected like it was the thing most important to him, but he still would've felt awkward trying to be affectionate towards her. Time would have to change Pikachu slowly. But there were already definite signs of emotional transformation.

DAY 4

The night was rather uneventful; nothing strange happened for either nightshift, which left Dawn in good spirits for the next class. They enjoyed a good breakfast as usual, and then the class began, but not before an announcement from Prof. Rowan.

"Ahem, this is Principal Rowan. Today's activity is to deal with the proper way to interact with ghost-type Pokémon. The goal of this program is to ensure you will be able to correctly approach ghost-Pokémon, wherever and whenever you encounter them. Your instructors will fill you in on all the details. That is all."

The loudspeaker quit humming, signaling that Prof. Rowan was finished. "Did you hear? PRINCIPAL Rowan." Dawn said jokingly. "I guess we'll have to call him that from now on." Misty said.

"Attention class, we will now go over our rules. After each of you teams up with a fellow classmate, you will both go together and retrieve this medal located in the summit ruins." the instructor said, holding up a gold medal with a carving on it, "Your final score will be based on how long it takes you. The event begins tonight at 7:00 sharp, so for now, your job is to find a partner."

"Found him/her!" Ash and Misty exclaimed. This outburst brought sweat-drops from their friends. "Sounds to me like a test of courage." Brock said. "And that's exactly why me and Ash will wipe the floor with everyone!" Misty exclaimed determinedly. "Yeah, we'll show them what we're made of!" Ash added. "Uh, no you won't." Brock said. Ash and Misty both replied with a confused "Huh?"

"If you two go alone, there's a good chance you won't make it back until who knows when." Brock said. "Yeah, I seem to recall something about an hour long firewood gathering trip?" Dawn said. "Oh come on Brock! You really don't think we can be together?" Misty whined. "I do, I'm just taking a precaution for the team; both of you find a partner besides each other." Brock said firmly.

"Geez Brock." Misty whined. The bell rang and each student was given a list of the students who could be teamed up with. Reluctantly, Ash and Misty took theirs and began their hunt for a partner. And as they walked outside, they both thought the same thing: "Stupid Brock."

"Ok, let's see who I can pair with, since Brock won't let me pair with Misty." Ash grumbled. As Ash scanned the list for a partner, Angie and Shinx walked up. "Hey Ash…since Pikachu and Shinx get along so well, what do you say WE be partners? I mean…I know you'd probably prefer Misty but…" Ash cut her off. "Hey, that's alright, sure I'll be your partner! Let's mop up the floor with those guys!" Ash exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Misty and Brock were both looking for partners, although Misty was upset. "I can't believe you Brock." Misty grumbled, as she leaned against a pole with her arms crossed. "Look, I want to do what's best for the team." Brock replied. "I don't know anyone else here Brock! Who do you expect me to team up with?" Misty asked angrily.

"You could always team up with me." a voice said. "And…who might you be?" Misty asked. "The name's Kendall, and me and my muscles would be more than happy to protect you from those super scary ghost-Pokémon." Kendall said, flexing his biceps.

"Uh, that's ok…I-I already teamed up with my friend Brock!" Misty exclaimed, gripping Brock's arm tightly. Brock sweat-dropped. "Your loss, I'm sure some other lady will be more than happy to use these muscles as a shield." Kendall turned around and confidently went in search of another girl.

"So, I guess we're partners now?" Brock figured. "That guy was just…ugh. Remind me again why I couldn't team up with Ash?" Misty asked. "You know, I don't remember." Brock replied.

"Hey Misty, found a partner yet?" Ash asked. "Uh yeah, let's just say I had to think fast." Misty replied, "How about you?"

"Angie asked me to be her partner since Shinx and Pikachu get along so well." Ash said. "Oh…ok." Misty mumbled. "Anybody seen Dawn lately?" Ash asked. "Not recently." Brock replied. As if on cue, Dawn walked up. "Wow, I can't find anyone to team up with, how are you guys doing?" Dawn asked. "We've actually already chosen." Ash said.

"What? You guys have partners already?" Dawn asked. "Afraid so." Ash said. "It just happened that way." Brock added. "So who does that leave for me?" Dawn asked sadly. Suddenly, a shadow appeared from behind Dawn. "Weird…I have a feeling…a feeling that something really gross is standing right behind me." she said.

"That would be a correct assumption." Misty replied. Dawn turned around and saw the muscular Kendall. "Hey there Dawn." he said. "Hi Kendall." Dawn sighed. "You have any idea what these biceps are for?" Kendall asked. "They're for doing what you're doing now? Freaking us out." Misty said.

"No, they're for protecting you from any of those scary ghost-Pokémon." Kendall said. "Oh." Dawn said with some disgust. "And let's not forget these powerful pecs." Kendall said, as he flexed his pectoral muscles, "When you're scared out of your wits and wanna run away, they'll be there to stop you!"

"Well, that's…very…thoughtful of you but…" Dawn was cut-off. "Come on, isn't this an offer you can't refuse?" Kendall asked. Dawn looked around. "What choice do I have? Everyone else is already hooked up…it's a deal, you and all those muscles." Dawn said reluctantly.

"Awesome, see you tonight." Kendall said. With that, Kendall left and began telling all his friends about the date he had. "Why is it that all of the weirdoes have to wind up hitting on me?" Dawn moaned. "I can't answer that question for you, I don't know the answer." Misty replied.

"I just can't believe everyone got to choose but me." Dawn said. "Check out that Jessilinda lady, those kids are fighting over who gets to go with her." Brock said. "I'd like to know what they find so appealing about her; she acts like a jerk after all." Misty said. "Beats me." Ash said.

Indeed, Jessilinda had five students, all male, begging for Jessilinda to pick them. "One teensy problem. A partnership takes two to tango instead of five." she said, "A team that big would get me thrown out of my adorable gear."

The five kids groaned and sweat-dropped with disappointment. "And so, as sole representative of this large lot, you're up. You protect me." she chose the small boy with glasses, who was as honored as could be to be chosen as her partner.

She then got up and inconspicuously walked behind a nearby storehouse, where ironically enough, Brad, James, and Meowth were busy working. "Excuse me, but I'd like a private moment with these two fine gentlemen, so if you would be so kind as to leave the area in an orderly fashion." Jessilinda said.

"Whatever, good luck with that chick James." Brad replied. Jessilinda sweat-dropped when he said that. Brad walked around the corner and disappeared. "He knows your name?" she hissed. "It wasn't our fault! He recognized us through these disguises!" James defended. "And I'll bet my charm dat he knows who you are too." Meowth added.

"This makes what I'm about to ask you all the more difficult." Jessilinda said. "I get da feeling it woulda been difficult without dat guy knowing." Meowth moaned. Jessilinda whispered the plan. "What? You want us to rig the program and cause you to win?" James asked.

"I do, and thank you for your support." Jessilinda said. "Not so fast Jessie." James replied. "We can't rustle up a robot without cash." Meowth added. "Cash, smash! You'll just assume the guise of a ghost-Pokémon and turn this party upside-down!" Jessilinda said. "Who me?" Meowth panicked, "Look I don't even KNOW much less LOOK like a ghosty-Pokémon!"

"Calm those whiskers," Jessilinda said, pinching Meowth's cheeks, "A little nip here and a tuck there and you'll make a lovely ghost-Pokémon."

"Yeah? In whose dreams?" Meowth moaned, his cheeks still out-stretched. "Oh come on, let's get to work!" Despite his protests, Jessilinda grabbed Meowth and dragged him into the storehouse to give him a make-over.

"Do you know why I won't try to stop you?" Brad asked, as he revealed himself from behind the storehouse. James jumped back in panic. "W-Why?" he asked. "Because no matter how convincing she makes Meowth look, the whole point is to learn how NOT to be scared of ghost-Pokémon, so it'll be pointless." Brad said. "If I tell Jessie that, she'll have a fit." James moaned.

"All the more proof that you all need to put a helmet on!" Brad said. James moaned and sweat-dropped. The rest of the day went without issue, and when the sun finally went down and the moon was out, the teams met at their respective starting lines.

"Alright, the red team will be departing at this red gate, but the blue and green teams will be leaving from different locations. However, rest assured that all the paths are the same distance from the ruins." the male instructor explained.

James had been assigned the job of shouting out the names of the pair-ups. "Alright, first team get on your marks!" he announced.

The first team consisted of Ash, Angie, Pikachu and Shinx. "That first place spot is ours!" Ash exclaimed. "You bet Ash!" Angie replied. "Don't forget, you still have to beat me Ash!" Misty exclaimed. "And so I will!" Ash countered. "Not if I can help it!" Misty shouted.

"Ok, I admire the competitiveness, but remember that you're all on the same team and whoever makes it first will earn the points for the entire red team." the instructor said. "Right." Ash and Misty mumbled. The instructor glanced at his watch, and the moment it became 7:00, he sent Ash and Angie on their way.

Five minutes into their trip to the ruins, they stopped sprinting and turned on their flashlights. "There's something creepy about this place." Ash said seriously. "Just let me know if you get scared, I'll make sure you're safe Ash." Angie said protectively. "Err…thanks, same to you." Ash replied.

As the days went by, Angie felt more and more admiration for the Pokémon Trainer. His training methods paired with his caring personality made him a unique individual in Angie's eyes. She was feeling less and less compelled to fight with him, and was feeling more compelled to form a friendship.

As for Ash, he was glad that she seemed to be chilling out, and he was glad that he could be friends with the young girl. He already had more than enough rivalry to contend with whenever he saw Paul, he didn't need to deal with another one, so Ash was relieved that Angie had finally dropped the constant fighting.

They continued their trek down the dark path in the forest, when suddenly Shinx gave a cry of terror and froze in its tracks. Pikachu immediately went into action, and blasted what appeared to be some sort of purple claw.

When the electricity nailed it, the claw released Shinx's tail without hesitation. "Hey, Pikachu, what's wrong?" Ash asked. Pikachu pointed into the bushes; Ash and Angie looked into it, and saw a Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar huddling close to each other for protection. "Hey, it's just some ghost-Pokémon." Ash said, "I'm really sorry my Pikachu attacked you like that."

Gastly and Gengar smiled slightly, but were still understandably nervous. Haunter on the other hand gave a large grin. "Thanks for trying to protect Shinx, Pikachu." Angie said. Pikachu gave a two-finger salute. "Alright guys, let's move out." Ash said. Ash and Angie waved goodbye to the ghost-Pokémon, who waved back.

"There was something familiar about that Haunter back there." Ash thought.

"Alright, the next pairing may proceed!" James exclaimed. That next pairing was Misty and Brock. "You better not slow me down Brock." Misty said bitterly. "Just relax, we'll make it in due time." Brock replied.

"We'll be on our way before we know it too." Dawn said. Before Misty and Brock took off however, they heard a loud chattering coming from behind Dawn. Dawn was reluctant to turn around, after all the weird stuff she had seen over the past few days, she had no desire to see what it was. But the noise didn't stop, so she braced herself and turned around.

With some relief, she found her partner Kendall with his knees knocking and his teeth chattering. "Hey, what's wrong?" Dawn asked. "Huh? Me? It's nothing!" Kendall replied. "Looks like your partner is scared." Misty snickered.

"You know Kendall, it's ok if you're scared." Dawn said. "I'm not scared! I'm…shaking with excitement!" Kendall replied. "Please keep moving, we mustn't delay the other students!" the instructor announced. "Good luck Dawn." Misty said before running off. "You too!" Dawn replied.

Misty and Brock ran into the darkness, leaving Dawn and Kendall to await their turn. "Kendall can talk the talk, but can't walk the walk." Dawn thought.

Misty and Brock eventually slowed to a walk, flashlights on and in hand. Suddenly, the Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar that Ash and Angie had previously encountered leapt out of the bushes to freak out their victims.

"Aah! Do something Brock!" Misty screamed. "Don't worry; I have just the thing to handle this." Brock said, "Here guys, check this out, you've gotta love this, I made it just for you: Super special ghost-Pokémon food." Brock placed the bag of food on the ground, and the three ghost-types slowly floated out of the bushes.

After taking a few sniffs, they began happily munching down on Brock's special mixture. "Phew, I'm sure glad you had that food with you." Misty said with relief. "It never hurts to be prepared, let's move on." Brock said. They left the three ghost-types to enjoy their meal, and continued their trek down the path.

Meanwhile, Dawn and Kendall had begun their walk down the path, although one of them was nowhere near calm. "D-D-Don't forget…anything weird comes, this bulked-up guy turns into a super protection machine." Kendall whimpered, hiding behind Dawn as if her petite frame could actually hide him.

Dawn sighed exasperatedly. "Great, thanks." she said. "You know, it gets kinda dark out here!" Kendall whimpered. "Well, anything can happen. Isn't it exciting?" Dawn replied. Dawn was taking the situation rather calmly, especially for someone who had been seeing things over the past few days.

Dawn suddenly stopped in her tracks. "Listen, do you hear that?" Dawn asked. "Sounds like monsters eating something…but what?" Kendall whimpered. Dawn shined her flashlight onto the path ahead of them, and it revealed the three ghost-types who were just finishing up Brock's food. Kendall immediately freaked out. "They're not eating me!" He charged back towards the academy.

"These pumped-up leg muscles are for running!" Kendall's voice eventually dissipated, as he continued to put distance between himself and the ghost-types. "Kendall come back! It's just some ghost-Pokémon eating Pokémon food!" Dawn shouted. Her cry fell on deaf ears; Kendall was definitely NOT coming back for ANY reason.

"Guess it's just you and me Piplup." Dawn said. When Dawn turned around though, the Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar had disappeared. "That's a little freaky." Dawn said. Dawn looked around and saw the Gastly and Gengar through the nearby trees, but the Haunter was nowhere to be found. "Guess he was just a visiting Haunter." Dawn figured.

Dawn continued to walk without a human companion, but she stopped when she saw something extremely suspicious. "Conway, alone, no partner? Wonder what that's all about." Dawn said to herself.

Conway DID have a partner, but not a student. What appeared to be a little girl was leading him. "This way, over here." she said, her voice echoing as she spoke. "Ok, over here." Conway mumbled. Dawn noted that Conway wasn't exactly acting like himself.

"Let's check it out Piplup!" Dawn ran off the path and into the woods to catch Conway, if she had gone any slower, she would've noticed an apple slowly being eaten, but nothing seeming to hold it.

Conway mindlessly walked towards the cliff, with the girl somehow floating over the chasm as if she was on solid ground. "Come on, come on!" she said persuasively. Conway was about to walk right to his death, when a large hand reached out and grabbed him before he fell.

With the girl's trance over him snapped, Conway suddenly came to his senses, and screamed at the top of his lungs when he realized exactly where he was and what he was about to do. The hand pulled him back over to the ground, where he gasped breathlessly on his hands and knees. "You scared me." he said.

Conway thought he was talking to a human, but when he looked up; he saw a large figure with one large red eye bearing down on him. Conway gave a shout of terror and passed out. The figure looked up and saw the little girl floating above the canyon.

The figure made an offensive move towards the girl, and in response, the girl floated away and seemingly disappeared. "Aah…Aah! Conway!" The figure turned around and found Dawn and Piplup, both scared for Conway and themselves.

"Alright, what did you do to Conway?" Dawn screamed. The figure waved its arms frantically, and disappeared just as the girl did. When the danger seemed to disappear, Dawn knelt down beside Conway, trying to shake him to consciousness. "Conway, wake up, please!"

Conway slowly opened his eyes, and looked around with confusion, his eyes finally focused on Dawn, who was still kneeling by his side. "Dawn? What are you doing here?" he asked. "I saw you almost fall over the cliff!" Dawn exclaimed. "Yeah…something…aah! What was that thing? Do you know?" Conway panicked.

"Wait…let's see." Dawn pulled out her Pokédex and searched for anything matching the description of what they had just seen. What they found however, struck fear into their hearts.

"Dusknoir, the Gripper Pokémon. It receives electrical waves from the spirit world with its antenna and is said to take people to the spirit world as well." her Pokédex chirped. "(Gulp) A few more steps and I would've ended up in the spirit world too!" Conway said nervously. "Yeah, that was a close one." Dawn agreed.

Conway looked around for what he thought was his partner. "Where'd she go? The girl I partnered with?" he said. "But…Conway…you were alone." Dawn said. "That can't be, I was just following her!" Conway exclaimed.

"You don't think…Dusknoir took her to the spirit world, do you?" Dawn asked nervously. "Aah! Then we'd have a BIG problem!" Conway exclaimed. "We've gotta tell Professor Rowan!" Dawn exclaimed fearfully. Dawn and Conway charged for the academy as fast as their legs would allow.

On the way, they passed the three ghost-types once more. When the Haunter saw their distress, it waved farewell to its two ghost friends and took off after them.

Meanwhile, poor Meowth was hiding in the bushes wearing a Banette costume, waiting for someone to pass by. "Oy vey…man, dis ghost-Pokémon gig could scare da sheets off of ya." he mumbled.

He looked around and saw flashlights coming down the path. "Belonging to none other dan da twoip team…now, here's where dis character gets good!" Meowth snickered. He attempted to zip up the zipper on his costume, but he ended up pinching his lip with the zipper instead. "People have been telling me to zip my lip all my Pokémon life but this time I really did it!"

"Did you hear something?" Angie asked fearfully. "Nah, it's just your imagination." Ash replied reassuringly. "I guess you're right." Angie said nervously. "No worries, let's keep going." Ash said with a comforting smile. Angie smiled back and continued walking.

"They split, and here I am with my chops caught in dis zipper!" Meowth yanked for a bit more before a grey hand freed his lip from its trap. "Ow! My whiskers!" he screeched, "You helped me save face, thank youuu!" Meowth was met by a for real Banette. Along with a Shuppet and a Duskull. "Yaah! It's the real deal! They're gonna turn me into monster mash!" Meowth ran down the path without looking back, leaving the snickering ghost-types to laugh heartily.

"I don't wanna end up Meowth mix!" Meowth kept on running, only to trip up from running down hill. He tumbled down the hill, shredding his costume and landing with a dull thud. But instead of lying there, Meowth quickly got up to check his surroundings. "Looks like I'll live ta see another day." he sighed with relief.

Meowth suddenly sensed something. "My creepy meter's ringing off the charts!" he squeaked. Nervously, he turned around and saw a girl, giggling spookily. "Want some?" the girl held a rice ball shish kabob up to Meowth, who after his little adventure could use a good snack.

"Anybody who offers me fried rice balls on a stick is a pally of mine!" Meowth said happily. Meowth bit down, but on air only. The girl floated backwards and waved the food around like a flag, persuading Meowth to follow.

"Oh, so you wanna make me woik for my grub, okie dokie, I can play nice." Meowth said. The girl suddenly frowned, backed off, and disappeared, leaving Meowth confused. "Hey wait for me, I'm starving!" he yelled. He attempted to chase after the girl and her rice balls, but was held back by a firm grip.

Meowth turned around angrily and snapped at the owner of the hand that held him. "Hey! I was moving in on some serious chow!" Meowth stopped when he realized what he was yelling at. The sight of Dusknoir looming over him was too much to handle, he was not only shaking in place, but a shriek of terror echoed throughout the entire forest area, and it did not go unheard.

"Was that a blood-curdling scream?" Jessilinda asked. "Yeah, it came from up ahead." her young partner said. He shined the flashlight ahead, and saw a Meowth passed out on the ground. "Look! You know, that looks like a Meowth." the boy said.

Jessilinda knew it wasn't just any Meowth, it was the THE Meowth, her friend Meowth. She ran to check on his condition, trying to shake him to consciousness. "Meowth, rise and shine!" she exclaimed quietly. "Jess…it's here." Meowth was only semi-conscious, but he managed to warn his friend of the potential danger as best as he could.

"IT'S here? Who?" Jessie asked. Meowth went into full unconsciousness once more, bringing worry to Jessie. But when she turned and saw what the "it" was, she dropped Meowth like a brick. She slowly got up and ran as fast as her legs could carry her.

"You schlep that Meowth with you and I'LL pull you two in my wake!" she screamed. "Please Miss Jessilinda, slow down!" With Meowth in tow, the two charged back for the safety of the academy.

The Dusknoir stayed still for a moment, but then floated off when it sensed others coming its way. Suddenly, the Haunter made its presence known to the Dusknoir, and asked what its purpose was. Dusknoir explained, and Haunter suddenly became fearful. Haunter nodded and promised to help Dusknoir with its mission, and disappeared after Dusknoir gave a grateful nod.

Misty and Brock were now getting close to their goal, when they suddenly saw the panicked Jessilinda coming towards them. "It's here, it's here! Somebody save me!" she cried. Her partner came running behind her, still schlepping a Meowth in his arms.

"Well…that was unexpected to say the least." Misty said. "I wonder what the 'it' is." Brock added. They would soon find out however, as Dusknoir floated up to them offensively. "Brock…do something." Misty whimpered.

"I still have some ghost-Pokémon food, don't worry!" Brock said. Brock offered the food to Dusknoir, but it obviously had no interest in eating. It fired a 'Will-O-Wisp' attack at the two teens that detonated mere inches away from them. And that was all they could handle, they too took off running.

"You must be losing your touch Brock, it doesn't like it!" Misty screamed. "In that case, I think we better go!" Brock added. Where else would they go…but back to the academy?

Dusknoir looked on as they ran, but was quickly distracted as the strange girl disappeared from where she was watching. Dusknoir chased after her determinedly, it was not going to let her escape by any means.

Meanwhile, Ash and Angie had almost made it to the summit ruins without very many encounters, when they suddenly heard a noise. "Angie, did you hear that?"Ash asked. "Yeah, it came from over there." Angie confirmed.

The noise came again, and the two shined their flashlights on the source. "Sounds like it's coming from INSIDE the rock." Ash said. "But…how?" Angie asked. They got their answer quickly, as a Misdreavus appeared from the rock and launched a 'Screech' attack at the two trainers. They ran away from the loud ghost-type, covering their ears in pain.

When they finally got out of range, they hunched over and gasped for breath. "Boy…you sure wimped out." Angie said jokingly. "Angie, we don't have time for this." Ash replied annoyed, "We've gotta find the ruins!"

Angie softly sighed and gave in to Ash's statement. She just needed something to shake the nervous tension off; a small argument would've done it. But Ash wouldn't allow it. He knew that arguments were stupid when a common goal was trying to be reached. Could he take his own advice? Sometimes, but he and Misty would still sometimes get into small quarrels about stupid stuff, but they came MUCH less frequently. A happy Misty meant a happy Ash, and as long as he stayed calm, Misty was more often than not, happy.

Thinking of Misty made him zone out for a moment, he thought about whether or not Brock was taking good care of her. But when Angie uncharacteristically clutched his arm tightly, he was brought out of his trance. "What's wrong?" Ash asked. "Did we just get ourselves good and lost?" Angie replied fearfully.

Ash looked around and realized that Angie was right. That small escape sprint from the Misdreavus had left them lost in the forest. They suddenly heard a quiet and eerie giggling, and the two trainers turned to find a little girl who was waving them over. "Over here, this way." she said.

"It's that way?" Ash asked. "Hey, thank you!" Angie added. "C'mon Angie, let's follow her there." Ash said. Angie smiled and nodded, but out of instinctive precaution, she did NOT release his arm. Ash didn't mind, he was proud that he could be a figure she could look up to, and if holding his arm made her feel safe, he wouldn't object. "But she's not Misty." They followed the girl through the woods, not even realizing what they were getting themselves into.

Back at the academy, all of the students from every team had gathered together with the same explanation: A Dusknoir had appeared and chased them off. "That's rather strange." Prof. Rowan said, "We monitor every single Pokémon in this area, but for some reason we don't seem to have any record of a Dusknoir dwelling here."

"Maybe it's visiting or something? Like the Lumineon." Dawn suggested. "Perhaps, but there's no reason for a forest-only dwelling Dusknoir to be in a place like this." Prof. Rowan replied. This brought gulps of worry from everyone. "Then what do you suppose that Dusknoir's doing here?" Dawn asked nervously.

"Well, an accident DID take place here the other day." Prof Rowan began, "We were doing some renovations, we accidently discovered a cave hidden deep within a stone wall, and there are some who believe it might be the legendary entrance to the spirit world."

"Entrance to the spirit world?" Misty, Dawn, and Brock exclaimed fearfully. "Right…the Pokédex states that Dusknoir will take people to the spirit world, AND if that is where the Dusknoir in question comes from, it's possible that Dusknoir might be attempting to take someone back with it." Prof. Rowan said.

"I have reason to believe there's a possibility it may have already abducted a girl." Conway said. "And Ash and Angie are still out there! What if it goes after them too?" Misty cried. "Brad, prepare the academy jeep, we're going to the ruins." Prof. Rowan said. Brad saluted the Professor and ran to get the vehicle.

"I would suggest that you all remain here to avoid any further danger. The instructors, Brad, and I will go to the ruins and confront the Dusknoir." Prof. Rowan said. "You're not going without me!" Misty exclaimed determinedly.

"It would not be a good idea. You too may also succumb to the Dusknoir's possible purpose." Prof. Rowan replied calmly. "I don't care! My friends are in trouble and I WILL help them!" Misty persisted. "That goes for me too sir!" Dawn added. "And me too!" Brock added. "I would also like to take place in this rescue." Conway said, much to the surprise of Misty, Brock, and Dawn.

Prof. Rowan sighed, but finally nodded. "Very well, but you will not do anything hasty, and you will make sure to keep yourself under control at all times." Prof. Rowan insisted. "It's a deal!" the trio exclaimed. By now Brad had come with the jeep, and in less than minutes, they were on their way to the ruins.

Back with Ash and Angie, the strange girl had fulfilled her promise and led them to the ruins. "Finally, we made it." Ash said. "And not a moment too soon." Angie said, out of breath from the long climb up the stairs of the ruins.

With only a few more steps to climb, they were met face to face with the medals. "Check it out, we're the first ones!" Angie exclaimed excitedly. Ash picked a medal and chuckled, and then a familiar gleam appeared in his eye.

"I got…the Summit Ruins Medal!" Ash did his victory pose, and laughed as he enjoyed himself. "Hey, that's a cool pose!" Angie exclaimed. "Heh heh, you wanna try it together? It's lots of fun!" Ash said, adrenaline now coursing through his veins. Angie happily agreed and grabbed onto one half of the medal while Ash held the other.

"Yeah! We got…the Summit Ruins Medal!" Their Pokémon joined in their own tongue, happily celebrating along with their masters. "Well, we're all set, let's head back." Ash said. But before they could do anything, the girl was calling to them again. Ash almost swore to himself that he saw the girl floating, but he only saw her from the corner of his eye, so he couldn't be sure.

"This way, over here!" the girl said persuasively. "What, is there something in there?" Ash asked. "Let's go, together!" the girl said. Ash and Angie looked at each other nervously; the girl was acting more strangely than usual.

With some reluctance, they walked closer. But before they didn't realize that the Haunter had been watching the entire time, and upon seeing Ash and Angie getting too close, he screamed at the top of his lungs for Dusknoir. Upon hearing Haunter's cry, the Dusknoir quickly moved to the source of the noise.

Dusknoir was not the only one that heard Haunter's cry. Ash suddenly placed his arm in front of Angie to stop her from moving. "What's wrong Ash?" Angie asked. "Don't move." Ash warned. As if on cue, Dusknoir appeared and spread its arms out like a blockade.

"It's a Dusknoir!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu and Shinx advanced and readied to attack, bodies sparking with electricity.

But Dusknoir's 'Psychic' held the two small Pokémon pinned down. Dusknoir then focused its attention on the girl, and readied a 'Shadow Ball' to hurl at her. "She's gonna get hurt!" Ash yelled. Immediately Ash ran to try and protect the girl; Angie followed to help, but Dusknoir sensed them coming and used 'Psychic' on them as well, which kept them pinned down.

Haunter went to get help, he had a feeling that the other trainers would be on their way to the ruins now. With Haunter leaving, the biggest job was left to Dusknoir.

But with the extra 'Psychic' being used on the humans, Pikachu and Shinx managed to break free from the weakened attack.

"Way to go Pikachu! Use 'Volt Tackle'!"

"Shinx, use 'Thunder Fang'!"

The two Pokémon charged ahead for a simultaneous bombardment of electric attacks. When the attacks hit, Dusknoir fell to the ground, and the two trainers celebrated their victory. The girl's frown turned into a sinister smirk, which Ash thought seemed suspicious; she had to give the girl the benefit of the doubt, but he couldn't shake this chill that was running down his spine.

"Let's play now, let's play now!" she said. "Hey, this is no time to play!" Ash yelled. "That Dusknoir's gonna wake up any minute now!" Angie added. "Let's play together, I want you all to come with me!" the girl exclaimed. One final chill that ran down Ash's spine confirmed it. This girl…was NOT human. "Angie, run!" Ash yelled. "Why?" Angie asked.

That hesitation on her part would prove to be costly, maybe even deadly. A vortex to a strange world opened up in the cave, and started sucking in debris like a black hole. The hole managed to get a hold of Angie, and she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Angie!" Ash grabbed tightly onto the young girl's wrist; Angie's eyes were shut tightly, she didn't want to see her incoming death, but she opened them when she felt Ash's firm grip.

She opened her eyes and found Ash holding her tightly with one hand, and gripping onto a nearby rock with another. "Angie, just don't let go of my hand!" Ash yelled. Angie just couldn't believe it. The boy she had spent all week tormenting was risking HIS life to save HERS. No one had EVER done that for her, for any reason. "Ok Ash, I won't!" she cried.

Meanwhile, Prof. Rowan and his team of tag-alongs were driving up to the ruins. "I sure hope they're alright!" Dawn exclaimed. Just then, the familiar Haunter appeared and gave the group a start, luckily the driver was Brad, so their course was not altered.

Haunter pointed in the direction of the ruins, trying to pass along the message of urgency. "That Haunter looks familiar." Misty said. "Yeah, it's the one we saw earlier!" Dawn exclaimed. "Actually, that's not what I…" Misty was cut-off.

"That Haunter's trying to tell us something!" Conway exclaimed. "Are Ash and Angie in trouble?" Brock asked. Haunter nodded vigorously, confirming it. That was all Misty needed to know. "Floor it Brad!" Misty screamed. "Ok, hope I don't have to teach you how to buckle your seatbelt, because you'll need it now!" Brad replied. Brad jammed down the gas-pedal and followed the Haunter to the ruins.

Meanwhile, Ash was beginning to lose ground against the pull of the vortex. "Ash, it's no use, let me go!" Angie cried, fighting back tears. Angie was completely overwhelmed by Ash's attempt at saving her life, but there was no way help would arrive before Ash's strength depleted. "If you don't let go, you'll end up going with me!" Angie couldn't fight the tears any longer. They flowed freely and got sucked into the vortex as well.

Ash had risked his life to save hers, but she knew it was useless. The least she could do was offer to allow Ash to live, even if it cost her her own life. But Ash wouldn't hear it. "No way! I'll never give up, even if that means forever!" Ash yelled. "Huh? Forever?" Angie exclaimed.

Ash simply wouldn't allow the young girl to die. He had survived worse situations than this, and come out on top. And he was confident that he would this time as well. After making that declaration, Ash's muscles tensed as adrenaline coursed through his veins, and the extra strength that had just been granted to him gave Ash back the ground he had lost.

Ash would die along with Angie before being the cause of another person's death. He would never be able to forgive himself if he knew he had failed to save her, so he held onto her hand even tighter. And in turn, Angie squeezed tighter as well.

By this time, Haunter had appeared with the other humans. "Over there!" Prof. Rowan yelled. "Is that the entrance to the spirit world?" the male instructor shouted. "And it's trying to pull them in; we've got to do something!" Misty cried. Prof. Rowan blocked the group of teens off with his arm. "Stop! Don't get any closer, any of you!" Prof. Rowan ordered.

"But Ash is in trouble, I can't just stand-by!" Misty begged. "You agreed you would follow my orders, do not move!" Prof. Rowan persisted. Misty tried to break through the blockade, but was held back by Brock and Brad. "Let me go, I have to try and save them!" Misty begged. Then and there she imagined the worst: She would never see Ash again; he would be lost to the spirit world forever. Hot tears began streaming down her face as she continued to protest.

"Misty, it's up to Ash!" Brad yelled. Misty stopped fighting, but her crying only intensified. She leapt into Brock's chest and cried as hard as she could, she was sure her boyfriend was going to die right in front of her eyes and she needed some source of comfort.

"Misty, stay strong, Ash wouldn't want you to be this way…trust him." Brock said. Misty opened her eyes and allowed another wave of tears to escape her eyes, but she gave her best try to allow one small glimmer of hope to stay aflame in her heart. "Please don't go Ash!"

Ash hadn't even realized that the others had arrived, but he did hear a slight noise that was barely audible above the howling wind. "Just hang on Angie!" Ash yelled. Angie nodded; she was just too stressed to talk anymore.

"I need help now! I can't hold on much longer!" Ash thought. Ash's grip almost totally gave out, and Angie felt a new wave of tears coming as she thought they were both about to die. But suddenly, Dusknoir woke up and dug its feet into the ground, holding the two trainers tightly.

"Dusknoir…you're trying to save us, aren't you?" Ash asked. Dusknoir nodded. "Well, it seems Dusknoir is protecting them!" Prof. Rowan said. "I don't get it!" Dawn exclaimed. "Who cares if it doesn't make sense? They're going to live!" Misty exclaimed. "Aah! Maybe not! Dusknoir's losing ground!" Conway yelled.

"It's no use; we're going to be sucked in!" Angie cried hopelessly. Angie let loose tears she didn't think she even had, and she hugged Ash tightly, looking for any source of comfort. Ash did not object; he actually put his "Misty" experience to good use, he wrapped his arms around the girl and held her tightly.

"Ash, no!" he heard a voice cry. Ash looked up and saw Misty watching, tears and all. Seeing her distress actually brought tears to his eyes as well, he let one fall onto the ground before giving Misty one last sad smile before his impending doom.

But suddenly, Haunter leaped into action and fired a 'Shadow Ball' right at the creature who was trying to take their lives. The attack made impact and the "thing" got knocked back into the vortex itself and gave an ear-piercing shriek as it seemingly disintegrated.

The vortex disappeared and the cave caved-in, leaving the portal to the spirit world sealed off forever. Angie fell to the ground along with Ash, who still had his arms wrapped around her. Angie was still crying, overwhelmed by what had just happened, and she needed her comforter and friend.

Meanwhile, seeing that the danger was gone, Misty ran to her boyfriend and attempted to embrace him, but Ash waved her off. Angie needed help and Ash was helping her, Misty couldn't interfere. Misty did not like his utter rejection, but she respected his opinion, sort of.

Angie eventually looked up at Ash, who was quietly shushing her. "You risked your life to save me." she whispered. "That's kinda my thing." Ash shrugged. Angie couldn't help herself from looking into Ash's chocolate-brown eyes with admiration. "Thank you." she whispered. Ash smiled at the young girl in response.

Angie felt something she never felt before. A sensation totally unfamiliar to her, and she had a pretty good idea what it was. The fact that Ash had a girlfriend seemed trivial at the moment, all she knew was that she officially had a crush on Ash.

Misty had seen the whole thing, and she turned to walk back to the academy, alone. Brad noticed her departure but did nothing about it. "I know where she'll be."

"Thanks Dusknoir, you were looking out for us all along." Ash said. "Yeah, thanks." Angie added. Ash looked around to thank the Haunter, but it had disappeared without a trace, and Dusknoir was doing the same thing. "Dusknoir, come back!" Angie shouted.

Dusknoir wasn't coming back, but it did give a "goodbye" moan before it vanished completely. "It would seem that Dusknoir had quite an interest in guarding this cave, and we all know why." Prof. Rowan said. "Does that mean that the girl I was partnered with wasn't part of the academy?" Conway asked. "If you ask me, I think you were partnered with a ghost!" Dawn replied.

Conway turned pale and had to force himself to not faint. "Hey, where's Misty?" Ash asked. "That's weird; she was here a minute ago." Brock said. "You don't think she's in trouble, do you?" Ash panicked. "Chill out, she walked back to the academy." Brad replied.

"But why?" Ash asked. "She looked pretty upset." was Brad's simple response. "Oh man, what did I do now?" Ash moaned. "Being honest, I don't think you did anything THIS time." Dawn said. "Then…why's she mad?" Ash asked.

"We won't find out out here, let's head back." Brock suggested. "Good idea. Brad, take the children back to the academy, the instructors and I will remain here and do some research." Prof. Rowan said. "Got it boss." Brad replied.

The trainers got into the jeep with Brad and drove back to the academy. Angie had fallen asleep on the way there, but she probably would've blushed if she had known where she had landed: Ash's lap. Ash didn't even notice however, he was too busy trying to process why Misty was mad at him, and how it would affect things if at all. "Ash?" Dawn said. "Misty, I'm sorry for whatever it is I did." Ash was back to being unresponsive and depressed. Why? Misty was seemingly out of reach once more.

Misty's POV

I reached the academy after the long, miserable trek, with the same scene replaying in my mind. I was just about to run and give Ash a hug, but he waved me off for Angie. The twelve year old Angie! The hurt feeling was almost too much to bear, I headed to the spot on the academy that had the best view of Mt. Coronet to try and forget what had happened.

But the image of Ash and Angie embracing each other simply wouldn't leave my mind. "He dumped me…like a load of bricks! For someone who isn't even in her teen years yet!" I felt rage and sadness building up inside of me, it was tormenting me.

As I leaned over the railing and thought about what had just happened, I reached for a Pokéball. I tossed it and Vaporeon emerged from it. Vaporeon…the Vaporeon Ash gave to me as a present because I was his girlfriend. I was so happy when he gave it to me, now Vaporeon filled me with sadness. "Vapo?" (Misty?)

I looked at it, and then closed my eyes to block the tears that were about to pour out like a waterfall. I clutched the Pokéball tightly and then threw it to the ground. I raised my foot to destroy it, and then I realized what I was about to do.

I slowly put my foot down and looked down at Vaporeon, whose fear filled eyes broke my heart even further. I knelt down next to it and hugged it tightly, just trying to find someone I could open up to.

"I knew you'd be here." I heard a voice say. "I wiped the tears out of my eyes and turned to find Brad standing in front of me. "Oh…hey Brad." I replied. "So, you're upset." Brad said. It would be silly to try and deny it since my eyes were bloodshot from all the crying, so I just nodded.

"You mind telling me why?" Brad asked. I looked away to avoid Brad's gaze. The last thing I wanted to do was open up to the comedian who made jokes over people's sensitivity. "Come on Misty, I just wanna help." Brad said. There was something different in the comedian's voice. It was soft and understanding, rather than the usual brash and bold tone he used. At this point, I was willing to take anybody, so I agreed.

"Ash doesn't like me anymore." I said simply. "And, what makes you say that?" Brad asked. "Well…you saw those two…they were…hugging." I replied sadly. "Hmm, I see your point." Brad replied. "Maybe I should just go back to Cerulean and try to forget Ash." I said. "Or, you could not." Brad replied.

"But Brad…I mean…when Ash came to get me, he told me he loved me, and then I find him waving me off to hug ANGIE of all people? I mean, what's that all about?" I huffed. "So I guess the logical thing to do would be to go back home." Brad suggested. "What? No way! If I go back now, I may never get to leave again!" I exclaimed.

Brad raised an eyebrow at me and I realized what I had just said. "Crud." I moaned. "Misty, is that the only proof you have to base your theory on?" Brad asked. "Well, he's been spending time with her more, and of course the hug and…you know." I said. "No, I don't know." Brad replied. He was not making this easy. "Ok fine, so that's all I have! Are you happy?" I screamed.

"Misty, if it had been you in Angie's place, he's still kinda new to you, you don't know him that well, you're about to die, and he puts himself in life threatening danger to save someone he barely knows. You're also emotionally stressed because you think you're about to die, and when the danger finally passes, you're left alone with the person who just saved your life. Add to the fact that you'd be a twelve year old who's just getting to realize what dangers life can throw at you. How would you react?" Brad said.

"I'd…I'd be overwhelmed." I admitted. "And thusly, you might've…" Brad paused to allow me to finish. "I might've hugged that person in thanks or because I needed comfort." I admitted. Brad had forced me to see what might've been Angie's point of view. Was I being upset for nothing? Ash was just being a nice guy, like he always was.

"So, what are you going to do with Vaporeon?" Brad asked. I knew exactly what I was going to do. "I'm gonna put her back into her Pokéball and go talk to Ash!" I exclaimed. "Good girl, so, do you feel better?" Brad asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes I do. Thanks Brad." I embraced the short, blonde man in a grateful hug, who reciprocated it. "Not bad for a man without sensitivity." I joked. "You do know that I only act that way when I'm joking right? In real life, I'm a totally different person." Brad replied.

"I'll try to keep that in mind. Thanks for talking to me Brad." I said again. "Quit thanking me and go talk to Ash already for crying out loud!" Brad exclaimed. Brad's brash and bold manner was back. I giggled and waved goodbye to the comedian, who waved back.

Ash's POV

"I don't get it…what did I do?" I was just so confused. Misty was mad at me and I didn't even know why! And when I tried to crawl into bed, Brock stopped me. He told me that if Misty was mad, I should give her space. So I was forced to sleep on the floor. Dawn, Brock, and Angie had fallen asleep already, but I was still awake.

I couldn't bear the fact that Misty was so mad that she would leave before even talking to me. Sure, I waved her off so I could console Angie, but that couldn't be it…could it? "Misty doesn't get jealous, not that I can remember anyway."

I figured that trying to understand Misty would only make my head hurt, so I just rolled over and tried to get to sleep. I didn't even have Pikachu to console me anymore, since he was on Dawn's bunk with Buneary. "Please Misty, don't be mad."

Normal POV

Misty quietly walked into the dorm room, not wanting to wake anyone up. She saw that Ash had not fallen asleep. Nevertheless, he didn't even realize she had walked in, his depression was too deep. His hurt expression hurt her as well. "What have I done to him?"

Misty slowly kneeled down next to him and gave him a soft peck on his head; this brought Ash back to reality quickly. "Misty?"

"Hey Ash." Misty replied. "Misty, what did I do? I mean, why are you mad? What did I…?" Ash was cut-off. "C'mon Ash, let's get some sleep." Misty said with a smile. Ash felt incredible relief and smiled back. He grabbed his pillow and blanket and crawled into the bunk with his girlfriend.

"Misty, you still didn't tell me why you were mad." Ash said. "I…I was jealous." Misty whispered bashfully. "Jealous? For what?" Ash asked. "I mean…you…you waved me off so you could hug Angie! I thought…you cared for her more." Misty whispered.

"I was just trying to make her feel better." Ash said. "I know, I was just acting so stupid!" Misty said. Misty was never one to demean herself, but when she was wrong, she felt horrible about it. Especially when it hurt someone she loved.

"I forgive you Misty, I'm just glad you're not mad at me anymore." Ash said. "And I'm glad you're alive, I thought you were a goner for sure!" Misty said sadly. "So did I." Ash said honestly. The two sat in silence for a moment, before Misty finally broke it.

"So, do you think Angie likes you?" she asked. "Who knows? I think she was just being grateful, I DID save her life after all." Ash said proudly. "Now if only you could save your own life that well." Misty teased. "Hey, I'm here aren't I?" Ash countered. "Nope, all I see is a ghost." Misty laughed, but then put her hand over mouth as she realized what she just. "I-I'm sorry, I-I'm so sorry." she mumbled. "No worries Misty, just relax!" Ash replied.

Misty nodded and rested her head on Ash's chest without another word. She would just try to sleep off the fact that anything had happened, she had been reassured that Ash loved HER and not Angie, he was just a nice guy who would do anything to make his friends feel better, even if it meant him using methods she personally would prefer be used on her and ONLY her.

And to think that she never would've realized it if Brad hadn't come to talk to her. She almost convinced herself she wasn't loved, almost released Vaporeon, and almost went back home to practically rot. Brad, the comedian who joked about sensitivity and such, showed Misty a side of him she had never seen before. Underneath all the jokes, he was an understanding and caring person. She thought to herself, as she dozed off into a comfortable slumber, "Ash may have saved Angie's life, but I owe Brad mine."

"Pika pika pika chu." (Looks like everything's alright.) Pikachu said to his bodyguard companion. "Bun buneary bun bun." (I'm so relieved they're together again.) Buneary replied. "Pikapi pi Pikachupi, pika chu pi pi pika." (Ash and Misty, it's never boring with them around.) Buneary agreed and relaxed as she dozed into a peaceful slumber. "Pikachu." (Goodnight.)

DAY 5

Misty as usual was the first to wake up, fully refreshed and still happy that Ash was truly hers. She placed a small peck on his cheek before getting ready for the final day. When she came out of the bathroom, she found everyone still asleep. "Staryu, come out and use 'Bubblebeam'." Misty snickered.

Staryu emerged and launched a stream of bubbles at the now complaining members of the red team. "You guys should be thanking me! Professor Rowan's announcement is in a few minutes!" Misty exclaimed. The group leaped out of their beds and scrambled to get dressed. Angie accidently ran into Ash in her hurry and blushed slightly; she ran off again before Ash could notice however.

The group met up outside with the other teams for the final announcement of the Summer Academy. "We had quite a busy night, but you all performed admirably. So I've decided to give each team thirty points." Prof. Rowan said.

"Oh please, what kind of thinking is that?" Jessilinda complained. "We're still in second? Ash should've gotten bonus points for saving the day yesterday." Misty grumbled. "Hey, at least we're still in second place." Brock said. "But I like being the winner." Misty grumbled.

"Oh I don't know, it gets kinda lonely at the top." Conway chuckled cockily. "We could handle lonely." Misty replied. "Listen up red team, let's turn this thing around!" Ash exclaimed. The red team roared their approval.

"Settle down please, I will now explain the final event." Prof. Rowan said. The rabble eventually quieted down, and Prof. Rowan gave his final announcement.

"Students, it is my honor and pleasure to announce the final activity at the Pokémon Summer Academy; it is without a doubt our biggest program: The Pokémon Triathlon! The things you've learned this week will play a key role, so be ready to apply it!" Prof. Rowan announced.

"The starting line begins here at the academy, and everyone will begin simultaneously. We have prepared a Pokéball for each one of you, but you'll have no idea which Pokémon it contains ahead of time." the instructor said.

"So it's day one all over again." Misty said. "Which means we'll have to work with whatever Pokémon pops out." Dawn added.

"You and your Pokémon will wind your way through the forest and head towards this lake." the instructor said. "Excuse me, but is that where we pick up our next Pokémon?" Brock asked. "Right, naturally you'll be using a water-type Pokémon to cross the lake." the instructor said.

"Perfect! That'll be my chance to take the lead!" Misty exclaimed. "And after that, it's marathon time!" Angie added. "At that point, everyone will make their way back here to the finish line, also, it is very important to remember that under no circumstances should you attack or battle any opposing team." the instructor said.

"First place earns fifty points, second place earns thirty points, and third place earns twenty points, all of our remaining contestants will earn ten points each." the instructor explained, "And here's some good news for the red team, the overall point total will be calculated using the points earned by each individual team member."

"Hey that's different from last year! That means if we do well we can overtake the blue team!" Angie exclaimed. "Great! We'll show them!" Ash added. "Alright everyone, you're dismissed. Prepare yourself for the triathlon!" the instructor exclaimed. The students cheered as they got up from their seating positions and basically scattered all over the academy.

"Those fifty points are gonna be all mine!" Ash exclaimed. "It's good to be pumped up, but keep up the hot air and you'll pass out." Angie said, "For your information Ash, I've done this before and it's a lot more intense than you may think."

"Whatever Angie, I'm just totally psyched about this!" Ash exclaimed. "You know Ash, if you don't see Angie as a threat, don't forget that I'm in that race too and I am NOT taking it easy on ANYONE." Misty said. "It's an overall race Misty; your water-type expertise will only help you on the lake so I'm gonna win!" Ash exclaimed.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"OH YEAH?"

"YEAH!"

"OH YEAH?"

"YEAH!"

"You're both wrong! I know all the tricks so first place is all mine!" Angie screamed. "Oh yeah?" Ash and Misty both shouted.

"Yeah!" Angie replied.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"OH YEAH?"

"YEAH!"

"Just stop it! All of you!" Dawn begged. "Guys, relax already. It doesn't matter who comes in first because the points earned all go to the entire red team in the end." Brock said. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Misty sighed.

"Yeah, he is right. So whaddya say Angie? May the best guy win?" Ash held out his hand for Angie to shake it and call a truce, but Angie was hesitant to make a move. She just stared at his hand as images of the night before raced into her mind.

"I'll never give up! Even if that means forever!"

Angie blushed slightly. "Um…well…uh…" she stammered. Ash looked at her with confusion. "What's wrong with you?" he asked. "Nothing I'm fine! Come on Shinx, let's go!" Angie ran off with her Pokémon, trying to use an old Misty technique of hiding her embarrassment behind rage.

Misty recognized that tactic, and she hoped that Ash wouldn't. "That's my trick. She was blushing! Come on Ash, show me that famous denseness!" she thought.

"What got into her?" Ash asked.

"Thank goodness." Misty thought.

"Something doesn't seem right." Dawn said. "I'm sure she'll be fine." Misty said. "Well…I guess." Dawn said. Just then, Conway appeared from behind Dawn again. "Well Dawn, it's almost race time." he said.

Dawn stiffened up at the shock and then jumped back away from Conway. "Can't you just leave her alone already?" Misty hissed. Conway took one step forward, but Misty's glare sent him two steps back. However he maintained his confident and cool composure.

"You see Dawn, I've spending a lot of time analyzing every last bit of data I've logged on you throughout the week…" Conway paused for dramatic effect. "And?" Dawn asked. "And…I've come to the conclusion that YOU'RE going to be my most formidable rival in the Pokémon Triathlon." Conway said.

"So now I'm your rival?" Dawn huffed. "That's right Dawn, I've got you marked see? Sounds exciting, doesn't it?" Conway snickered.

That did it for Misty. "Alright you creep, that's the last straw! I'm gonna make you forget every last bit of data you have in that pin head of yours!" Misty screamed. Conway knew what was coming. Screaming, he ran off as fast as he could, with Misty trailing him with mallet raised and ready to swing.

"What is up with that guy?" Dawn moaned. "Here's hoping Misty can give that guy what he deserves." Ash snickered. The remaining trio also snickered.

"Ahh, I can just feel the excitement building in everyone." a voice said. The trio turned around and saw Prof. Rowan walking up with a Nurse Joy and a Chansey. The trio greeted them cordially; Brock was more cordial than anyone else of course.

When asked what she was doing at the academy, Nurse Joy replied, "It's my job to make sure all of your Pokémon are strong and healthy, so remember if anything goes wrong during the triathlon, I'm here."

Brock couldn't resist any longer. "Just the thought of a lady in waiting makes my blood pressure start rising, and now my heart is beating a mile a minute which can only mean one thing! I need immediate medical attention!"

Brock was right. He did need medical attention, but only because Croagunk had emerged to pacify him with a 'Poison Jab'. "Why…do…I…keep…doing…this?" Brock fell to the ground in pain, and was dragged away by Croagunk just as Misty returned with a triumphant smirk on her face.

"What happened to Brock?" she asked. "Nurse Joy." Dawn replied. "What's with the smile Mist?" Ash asked. "Let's just say that Conway won't be waking up until the triathlon starts." Misty replied. The group laughed at that.

"The triathlon begins in about half an hour, so I would suggest you go and wake your friend." Prof. Rowan said. "Oh yes sir, I'd be glad to." Misty replied innocently. When the Professor and Nurse turned to leave, Misty tossed a Pokéball.

"You're supposed to go wake up Conway, Misty. What're you doing with Azurill?" Dawn asked. "I am waking him up. See?" Misty replied. Azurill sprayed a soft jet of water to the ground to demonstrate her method of alarm clock.

"Oh boy." Dawn giggled. With that, Misty walked away to give Conway a rude awakening. Meanwhile, Jessilinda was busy getting a massage from her little posse of kids. "Good luck on the upcoming triathlon Miss Jessilinda, you'll be great!" one of the kids said.

"The green team probably won't win anyway, but we'll keep fighting to the bitter end!" another one said. This got Jessilinda up off her chair. "Excuse me, but the green team NEVER gives up! It's all for one and one to win!"

The children roared their approval. Jessilinda suddenly became coy when she realized what she had just said; she blushed and said, "Sorry, but I seem to have misplaced my manners." The green team laughed along with their leader; apparently Jessie's better half was in play while she was in disguise.

James and Meowth, who were laying down the chalk lines for the race, were keeping an eye on their comrade. "Jessie's team spirit is on full burn!" James said. "Yeah, but her empty head can't seem ta grasp dat da green team's winning chances are zip, zero, nada." Meowth added.

"True, but it would be good for our future health if Jessie were to take that victory lap." James said. Their face suddenly became dark and mysterious. "Of course, we could help her out by being sneaky!" Meowth said.

"I just love when we sneak." James said. "So whadda we do den? A robot or sabotage?" Meowth asked. "How about you do your job?" a voice said. James and Meowth felt a chill run down their spine. Brad had heard their every word.

"Where'd you come from?" Meowth asked. "Simple. You've been watching her, and I've been watching you. No cheating you two." Brad warned. "It's da last day anyway! Whadda you care whether or not we cheat? We'll have to leave afterwards whether or not we do or don't!" Meowth exclaimed.

"True, but Slowpoke and Torkoal have been dying to get their shots at you, and I just might let them." Brad replied. James and Meowth sweat-dropped. "That's what I thought. Now finish laying those lines down." Brad said.

"Yes sir." James and Meowth moaned.

Later, all the students gathered at the starting line. "I fail to understand why you use such violent methods in everything you do." Conway muttered. "Only in the things that annoy me." Misty replied. To save time and effort, Dawn and Angie returned Piplup and Shinx to their Pokéballs. Pikachu stayed on Ash's shoulder of course.

"Alright, let's put this Pokémon Triathlon in motion!" Prof. Rowan exclaimed. The students silenced themselves, and readied themselves to take off. "Everyone on your marks…get set…"

Angie snuck a determined glare at Ash before the starting gun, and Ash shot one back at her. The blank pistol fired, and the students took off running. "Make way for the fastest feet in foot-racing! It's Jessilinda!"

Jessilinda charged ahead of the pack to take an early lead. "I'm not letting that diva get ahead of me! She reminds me of my sisters!" Misty charged forward to make up ground, leaving Ash and the others in her dust. "Whoa, she moves fast!" Angie exclaimed.

Up ahead, Jessilinda carefully chose her first Pokéball, giggling the whole time. "My swift speed comes from a heart that's pure. And now my reward!" she tossed out the Pokéball and a Hippowdon emerged. "(Groan) Sorry, bad choice. Take a hike." Jessilinda said dismissively. By now, Misty had caught up with her.

"Nice Hippowdon." Misty snickered. "Be quiet twerpette, I'll just hand this Hippowdon in for something sleeker and with more sass." Jessilinda said. Misty caught the "twerpette" comment, and her suspicions were beginning to rise. When Jessilinda reached for the Pokéballs, the instructor at the booth blew a whistle.

"The exchanging of Pokéballs is forbidden by the rules!" he said. "Eh, oopsie." Jessilinda mumbled. "Deal with it prima donna." Misty snickered. "You should learn respect for your elders." Jessilinda hissed back. Misty rolled her eyes and grabbed a ball from the pile.

"Come on out!" The Pokéball flashed, and a Rapidash emerged from it. "Awesome Rapidash!" Misty squealed. "Why does she get such a fast Pokémon and I'm stuck with slow and sluggish?" Jessilinda whined.

By now, Ash and Co. had arrived as well. "Wow Mist, you got lucky!" Ash said. "Yes I did, now if you'll excuse me, I'll be getting ahead." Misty replied. Misty hopped onto the back of the flaming horse and took off. "Giddy up!"

"She's getting away!" Angie screamed. Ash and Co. grabbed their Pokéballs as well, and tossed them all out. Their Pokémon emerged next to Jessilinda's Hippowdon, who was still waiting for Jessilinda to get over her tantrum.

"Wow! I got a Dodrio!" Dawn squealed.

"And check out my Spoink!" Ash exclaimed.

"That Onix sure looks strong!" Brock exclaimed.

"And so does my Ariados!" Angie added.

Jessilinda watched in horror as Ash and Co. disappeared from sight, trying to catch up to the water-trainer on the speedy fire-type.

"Alright, it's you and me Tiny. Hippowdon, catch up to the crew!" Jessilinda ordered. Hippowdon complied, but in its own manner. "Hey! No surprise 'Sand Tomb'!" Jessilinda cried. Hippowdon dug underground with Jessilinda ridding on top.

Meanwhile, Misty was galloping along with Rapidash. "That's right Rapidash! Hyaah!" Misty was pumping up her Pokémon's spirits, willing it to move faster, but apparently Dawn was doing the same with her Dodrio.

"Let's pass her up Dodrio!" Dawn screamed. Dodrio heard the coordinator's cry and willed itself to move faster, and it eventually came neck and neck with Misty and Rapidash. And before she could react, Ash was coming up, hopping along on his Spoink. "Slow down guys, not so fast!" he yelled.

"You're right Ash; I think I'll go faster! Give it all you got Rapidash!" Misty screamed. Rapidash found another gear and started putting distance between itself and Dawn's Dodrio. "We're catching up!" Ash yelled.

Spoink was putting more strength into its bounces and was starting to gain ground on Dawn, but Misty would be the toughest to catch, or so he thought.

"Eat my dust!" Angie screamed. Angie had used Ariados' 'String Shot' to swing from branch to branch, which made up for its slow foot-speed. Of course, the giant bug-type that had just swung by caused Misty to scream in terror and lose her balance.

Rapidash stopped when it heard Misty's shriek, which allowed almost every student to pass her up. "I'm gonna get her for that! Come on Rapidash, giddy up!" Misty shook off her fear and hopped back on the fire-horse. With a loud and determined neigh, Rapidash charged ahead at full-gallop.

Despite the speed of Rapidash, Misty had a long way to go before she would catch up to her friends, she was now caught in the middle of the pack where a whole bunch of students were jammed together. "Aah! You all better get out of the way!" that voice might've sounded threatening if it didn't sound so terrified.

Misty turned around and saw one of the green team members riding a flying Garchomp. "Oh boy, I smell trouble! Rapidash, MOVE!" Rapidash found one final gear and managed to pass up the Camerupt that was leading the pack.

And Rapidash passed it just in time, because Camerupt tripped trying to avoid colliding with the Garchomp, and it accidently sent off an 'Eruption' attack in the process. And once one attack was fired, all the Pokémon behind it fired as well, leaving a major people and Pokémon pile-up.

"Phew, that was close. Good job Rapidash!" Misty said with relief. Before Misty could get Rapidash going again, she gave a surprised yelp when Conway emerged from underground with his Dugtrio.

"I had a feeling that digging some holes and going underground was the only way to go." Conway chuckled. "Don't tell me YOU caused that?" Misty asked angrily. "Perish the thought; I have no interest in hindering other competitors." Conway replied.

"Well I have no trouble. Eat my dust creep!" Rapidash took off after the group at an incredible speed, leaving Conway and Dugtrio in a dust cloud. "Well, let's catch up with her then." Conway coughed. Dugtrio went back underground to maximize its speed.

Up at the lake, Angie arrived first riding Ariados. "Thanks Ariados." She then exchanged Ariados for her water-type. "You're up next!" the Pokéball splashed into the water, and a Lapras emerged from it.

"Ok Lapras, it's up to you!" Lapras squealed and swam off just as Ash and Co. reached the lake. "Ok, time to clinch this!" Ash exclaimed determinedly. Ash grabbed his Pokéball and a Mantyke emerged from it, and he wasted no time getting to full speed.

Dawn got a Sharpedo, and Brock got a Feraligatr. The two took off after Ash and Angie, just as Misty and Conway got to the lake.

"You were awesome Rapidash, thanks."

"A job well done Dugtrio."

Misty and Conway grabbed their Pokéballs and tossed them out onto the water. Misty wound up with a beautiful Milotic, and Conway got a Floatzel.

"Now's our best chance to take the lead! Milotic, full steam ahead!" Misty exclaimed. Being the water-type expert she was, Misty stood on Milotic's back and rode it like a surfboard as it skimmed across the water.

Meanwhile, Angie was cruising on the water, confident that her first place position was secured. "Winning this and getting first place will be a piece of cake." she said to herself. "Hey Angie!" a chill ran down the young girl's spine when she heard that voice.

She turned around and saw Ash gaining on her. "You haven't won it yet!" he yelled. "Oh no, it's Ash!" Angie cried. "Full speed ahead Mantyke!" Ash yelled. Mantyke poured on the speed as it passed up Angie and Lapras. "Coming through!" Ash gloated.

"Like that's gonna happen! Quick Lapras, use 'Ice Beam', now!" Angie ordered. Lapras fired and created a ramp of ice. It slid upwards all the way to the top and looked down on its opponent. "Let's go!" Angie and Lapras slid down the other side of the iceberg with their heads down to minimize wind resistance.

With the extra speed from the makeshift slide, Lapras blew right by Ash and Mantyke. "Seeya later!" Angie taunted. Ash was certainly not going to stand for that. "Quick Mantyke, step on it!"

While Ash and Angie jockeyed for position, Dawn and Brock were falling behind. "No surprise that neither of those two are willing to give up a single inch." Brock said. Before Dawn could comment, she heard cheering coming from behind them.

They turned around and saw Misty riding on the back of her temporary Milotic like it was a surfboard, and she was blowing everyone away. "Heads up!" she screamed. Before they could blink, Misty had passed them and was on her way to take the lead away from either Ash or Angie.

"Wow, they sure know how to mix it up don't they?" Brock said. "I don't care how competitive or how much of an expert they may be! Eight can play at that game! Quick Sharpedo, let's move!" Dawn shouted.

Sharpedo tried to speed up, but something blocked its path. "Aah! It's Conway!" Dawn cried. "Guilty as charged. Well my dear I'm afraid I'll have to catch up with you later." Conway chuckled. Conway dove back underwater on his Floatzel, still chuckling even under the water, which resulted in a literally bubbly laugh.

With dropped jaws and faces of annoyed disbelief, Dawn and Brock just stared like that, apparently forgetting they were in a race.

Meanwhile, back at the back of the course, Jessilinda and Hippowdon had just reached the exchange point. Hippowdon emerged from the ground, revealing a dirty, dusty, and coughing Jessilinda.

"I have had it! I don't remember this being in my job description!" Jessilinda said angrily. She thought she was talking herself, but when she heard the confused "huh?" that came from behind her; she had to think fast so as not to blow her cover.

"Thanks Hippowdon, return. A job well done." she said cheerfully. With a smile as fake as her disguise, Jessilinda returned Hippowdon to the female instructor, who erased any thoughts of suspicion from her mind.

"Not only did she almost blow her cover, but Jessie's dead last and sinking fast." James said from behind a nearby bush.

"Maybe we should give that girl's water-type Pokémon a submarine-type boost." Meowth suggested. Out of nowhere, James and Meowth got sprayed with a 'Water Gun' from the bushes on the other side. "You don't tink…" Meowth said.

They looked over and saw Brad with his Slowpoke. He was waving his finger in a "no" fashion, telling them not to try anything. James and Meowth sweat-dropped. "Why do we even try? As long as dat clown of a comedian is watching us we don't even be able ta steal cookies from da cafeteria." Meowth moaned.

By now, Jessilinda had chosen one of the two remaining Pokéballs. "Alright, on the double!" she threw the Pokéball into the water, and a tiny Magikarp floundered around. "A Magikarp?" James and Meowth said in shock. They could swear that they heard a snickering coming from the other side of the bushes.

The now growling, snarling, and hissing Jessilinda stomped into the water with a face so furious that it could rival a Misty glare. She reached down and picked up the Magikarp that was only a tiny bit bigger than her head, swinging it around furiously. "I need you like I need too much sun!"

Suddenly, the Magikarp she was holding seemed to become jet-propelled as Jessilinda fought to maintain her grip on it. It hopped along the water at unbelievable speed that was impossible for even a normal water-type, let alone another Magikarp.

With Jessilinda gone, James, Meowth, and Brad came out of their hiding spots. Even Brad was surprised at how fast that Magikarp was dragging Jessilinda. "Since when does a Magikarp move out like that?" James asked in shock.

"Dat Professor Rowan sure knows how ta pick Pokémon with primo pizzazz pluck." Meowth added. "Just goes to show you that anything can happen here at the academy." Brad added.

Meanwhile, Ash and Angie were still battling for first place. "Go go go go go! Do it do it do it do it do it!" they both yelled. Mantyke and Lapras were pouring on the steam to try and take a significant lead, but neither one could seem to stay in front for longer than a few moments.

Just then, the inevitable happened. Misty came up riding her Milotic. "Say hey to the queen of water-type racing!" she laughed. Misty easily took the lead as she literally surfed on her Pokémon. "Whoa, she's riding Milotic like a surfboard!" Angie exclaimed.

"She's just showing off, well I'll show her!" Ash yelled. Mantyke found one final gear and blasted ahead of Lapras. He reached the end of the lake and leaped off as soon as he was in range of solid ground. Ash returned Mantyke to its ball and placed it in the return box. After that, he made a mad dash to catch the water-trainer that was already way ahead of him.

Angie was left behind due to her hesitation by sending out Shinx. Those few extra seconds would cost her precious ground which she would somehow have to make up.

Back on the lake, Dawn and Brock were lagging behind with Conway. But Jessilinda was coming up fast thanks to the unnatural power of her Magikarp. She blew right by them and reached land first, although rather painfully.

She shook off the pain and laughed. "Now you all can see what I'm really made of." she said. Conway reached ground next and snuck up behind her. "I must say, that was quite impressive."

Jessilinda cringed. "Perhaps it might've been a smarter choice to keep tabs on YOU rather than on Dawn." Conway chuckled. "While you two discuss tabs, we'll be getting ahead!" Dawn exclaimed.

Dawn and Brock called out Piplup and Happiny respectively and took off. Not wasting any more time, Jessilinda called out her Seviper and took off, with Conway and Slowking following uncomfortably close behind.

Meanwhile, Misty and Vaporeon were running towards the cave in first place. But behind her, she heard banter being exchanged between Ash and Angie. "I am NOT losing to the likes of you Ash Ketchum!" Angie screamed.

"You're gonna be changing your mind real soon!" Ash countered. Misty did not want to lose her position, so she willed her legs to move faster, and it wasn't long before she was in the cave. But before she disappeared completely, she heard a familiar scream of panic. "That's it, I'm gonna test something." Misty thought.

Speaking of panicked screams, Jessilinda was running away from Conway. "Go pick on someone from your own planet!" she screamed. "Once I start keeping tabs on someone, I don't stop!" Conway replied. Jessilinda couldn't stand it any longer. She went into emergency mode and moved faster than anyone else in the entire race was at the moment.

She passed the confused Ash and Angie before they could even blink, and they became more confused when Conway passed them as well.

They reached the inside of the cave, and Conway was gaining headway on Jessilinda. "Enough being pursued! Seviper, take care of that fruitcake with 'Poison Tail'!" Jessilinda ordered. Seviper complied, turned around, and took a swing at Conway and Slowking, who just barely managed to dodge.

Ash and Angie did a face-plant to avoid the lifted dust and dirt. "Battling's against the rules, so stop!" Ash yelled. "There's nothing more cacophonous in a cave-setting than clap-trap! Seviper, boink them with 'Bite'!" Jessilinda ordered.

Now Seviper charged towards Ash and Angie, who barely managed to dodge. However Shinx got knocked into a nearby ditch, and Angie wasted no time going after it. "Angie!" Ash yelled. Ash ran to help, but Seviper was still on the attack.

Another 'Poison Tail' narrowly missed Ash, who was trying to find some way to dodge and help Angie all at once. But just then, Ash slipped on some loose gravel and fell to the ground. Seviper moved in to finish the job, when it was suddenly attacked from behind by a 'Water Pulse'.

"Misty." Ash thought with relief.

"I should've known from the beginning! The way you look, talk, and act, you're Jessie from Team Rocket!" Misty screamed angrily. "I don't know what you're talking about." Jessilinda replied. "But I do!" Misty shouted, "Vaporeon, use 'Water Pulse' again!"

Vaporeon fired the attack and held Seviper back from Ash. "Thanks Mist!" Ash said gratefully. "Never mind thanking me! Get Angie out of that hole! I'll hold Jessie off!" Misty screamed. Ash nodded and ran for the ditch.

"Forget this; my fight is with the bespectacled brainiac, not you." Jessie said, "Seviper, make sure you pin those pinheads."

Seviper charged forward to attack. "Sorry." Conway said. Conway coolly stepped out of the way, leaving Seviper to have his head slammed into the cave wall.

"Well I guess that settles that, I've won it along with my blue team. Guess my tab-keeping time on you is over!" Conway laughed. "No nerd disses me and then beats me!" Jessie fumed. She grabbed her snake by the tail and chased after Conway, leaving Ash, Misty, and Angie behind.

"Ash, you need help?" Misty asked. "Stay on stand-by Misty! Come on Angie, just a little more!" Ash yelled. "Right…don't worry; I'll get us out of here Shinx." Angie said.

Angie was carefully climbing her way up the ditch with Shinx held tightly in her arm, just when she was about to reach the top, the cliff crumbled and left Angie without something to grab onto.

She cried out with terror, but when she opened her eyes, she was once again being held by the firm grip of the Pokémon Trainer who had saved her life the night before. "Just hang on tight! You'll both be just fine!" Ash yelled. "Thanks Ash." Angie said, eyes sparkling with admiration.

With a determined roar, Ash yanked Angie out of the hole and onto solid ground. They panted and gasped for breath after that. "Are you guys alright?" Misty asked with concern.

"I'm alright Mist." Ash said, "How about you two? You hanging in there?" Angie looked up at Ash with a shy smile. "Yeah, we're fine. Thank you Ash." she said. "No prob, glad you're alright." Ash said. Angie couldn't stop herself from blushing. Ash had saved her life again, and her crush on him was slipping through her competitive nature.

All through this time, Misty was screaming to herself in her head to not act jealous. "He's just being nice, he's just being nice, he's just being nice!" Seeing Angie blush only made her more upset, but she quickly figured out a distraction.

"Well if you guys are fine, I think I'll go steal first place. So long!" Misty took off like a shot with Vaporeon, leaving Ash bewildered. Angie had neglected to notice, she was still basking in Ash's presence.

"Hey wait a second Misty! No way this is over yet! We're gonna turn this thing around!" Ash yelled determinedly. Angie's blush faded, and her competitive nature was returning. She stood up and charged out of the cave with Ash trailing her.

"I'm not going easy on you just because you saved me!" Angie exclaimed. "I didn't think you would!" Ash replied. Normally Ash would be able to burn Angie in a straight race, but the previous day's activities had gotten him sore and was slowing him considerably.

Meanwhile, at the finish line, Conway and Jessilinda were trudging along, slowly but surely moving forward. "Big mistake, getting Misty upset kept me from having time to do cardio training." Conway panted. "Come on Seviper, put some spring in your step, like me." Jessilinda panted.

James, Meowth, and Brad had gotten back from the lake by now, and were watching the sorry sight of the two competitors dragging themselves along. "Jessie looks like she just got back from shopping…but with a bounced credit card." James said.

"Wit all da living in da lap of luxury, she's gotten kinda soft around da middle." Meowth added. As they trudged along, they gasped when they saw Ash, Misty, and Angie sprinting for all they were worth to make it to the finish line.

"These legs aren't in perfect shape for nothing, that finish line was meant for me!" Jessilinda exclaimed. Despite her wish to win, Jessilinda simply didn't have the energy to go faster than she was. Conway on the other hand tried to unleash his kick, but he tripped up when he found that he had no kick left.

Unfortunately for Misty, Conway's fall not only knocked Jessilinda over, but it knocked her over as well since she was passing them just as Conway fell. With a resounding "Oof!" Misty fell to the ground with a thud.

"Misty!" Ash stopped in his tracks to check on her, leaving Angie to take first place. "W-We did it Shinx! We won the Pokémon Triathlon!" Angie cheered breathlessly. Shinx shared its master's enthusiasm, but was too tired to cheer.

Ash and Misty crossed the line next, which gave the red team the top three point totals, and the overall victory. "H-Ha! In your face Ash!" Angie gloated. Ash just smiled. "Congrats Angie, you sure raced hard." he said. Angie lost her fiery demeanor and smiled coyly. "Thank you Ash." she said.

"And thank you too Misty, if you weren't there in the cave keeping that Seviper away from Ash, I probably would've been a goner." Angie said. "That's what friends are for." Misty replied with a smile. "Even if you may like my boyfriend." she thought.

The rest of the competitors started crossing the finish in swarms. Dawn and Brock reached in fifth and sixth place, only a blue team girl with a Marill finished ahead of them. And finally, Jessilinda and Conway literally crawled to the finish line, reached with their hands and collapsed on the spot.

"A shame…my Pokémon expertise was unassailable, but my endurance was strictly sub-par." Conway said, his exhausted voice barely above a whisper.

"That's it…next time I grace the hallowed halls of the Summer Academy, I'm majoring in food service." Jessilinda whispered. Jessilinda passed out on the ground, and was helped up by James and Meowth, who gently deposited her onto a chair.

When it was all said and done, the final scores were:

Red Team: 390

Blue Team: 360

Green Team: 280

When all of the students finally caught their breath, Prof. Rowan gathered them together for his final announcement. "So this brings our Summer Academy to an end. First off, congratulations to the red team on their victory." Prof. Rowan said.

"And of course the blue and green teams were wonderful too. And I'm extra specially overjoyed that not a single student was injured." Nurse Joy added.

"And so I say goodbye with my one wish for all of you: That the friendship you have with all Pokémon deepens and you always learn from each other." Prof. Rowan said.

While the Professor was speaking, the instructors were going around handing out plaques to everyone. "Wow, so we all get this plaque?" Ash asked. "Yep, one for everyone who was involved!" Misty replied. "(Sigh) This is like number ten for me, I'll have to make room on my shelf for this one." Brad joked as he walked by. Ash and Co. chuckled, but Angie was uncharacteristically quiet.

"One more thing everyone!" Prof. Rowan shouted, "You're all invited to the annual final night bonfire!" The students cheered at that.

As night fell, a huge fire was lit in the school's fire-pit, and a buffet table with all sorts of food on it was available for all to enjoy. Ash and Co. enjoyed the sight of the roaring fire, while Conway and Jessilinda pigged out on the buffet.

James, Meowth, and Brad had gone on their own to watch the bonfire. "You know, Jessie didn't get first place but she gave it the old college try." James said. "No robots from us and she still managed to stay in da hunt." Meowth added.

"You know what? I'm proud of you guys. Same time next year?" Brad asked. "You mean…you'd be willing to work with us again?" James asked. "Sure, you worked hard this week, and even though you intended to do wrong, you did right by me." Brad replied. "We'll see how it plays out." James finally said.

"Since I must've been burned enough calories to power a nuclear reactor, I need to fuel back up!" Jessilinda said with her mouth full of food. "Miss Jessilinda?"

Jessilinda turned her head and found her entire green team looking at her. "You see, we wanted to thank you. We all had such a lot of fun being in all those classes with you every day." One of the kids said. "Well aren't you all sweet? Thank you." Jessilinda said, flattered.

Meanwhile, Ash and Co. were now roasting marshmallows on the fire to make smores. "Hey, where's Angie?" Dawn asked. "She's over there; she's been kinda quiet for a while now." Brock replied. "Ash, I think you should go talk to her." Misty said.

"You won't get jealous Mist?" Ash asked. "Get out of here Ketchum! I wanna be able to eat my smores without worrying about you eating it." Misty said with a smirk. Ash got the hint and walked over into the darkness, where Angie was quietly watching the stars.

"Angie, what's wrong?" Ash asked. "It's all done…you know, over. It's the last night before we head out." Angie replied. "Yeah, of course." Ash said.

"You know, I must've gone to the Pokémon Summer Academy a million times before, but this year hands down was the best one yet." Angie said. "Yeah, I had a lot of fun too." Ash replied.

"You know the most amazing thing that happened to me? Was that you saved my life two times!" Angie said coyly. "Duh, I mean, you and I, we're friends." Ash replied. Angie looked to the ground with the faintest hint of red on her cheeks. "We are friends, right?"

Ash extended his hand to the young girl. "We'll meet again, no doubt." he said friendlily. Angie accepted and shook his hand, not wanting to let go. "I'll come seeya, next time I get to Solaceon Town. I know, we'll battle!" Ash said excitedly.

"And that'll be nice…can't wait." Angie replied. Angie's blush grew slightly stronger at Ash's promise to see her again. She knew he had a girlfriend in Misty, but his personality and determination as a trainer was simply too much for her to ignore.

The night went on without any major events. They settled into their bunks for the final time, and when they awoke, they would be on their way to Celestic Town.

When morning came, the group got dressed and bid farewell to their friends, Angie was naturally reluctant to say goodbye, but the time had to come eventually. As for Brad, they looked for him, but couldn't find him, so they went on.

A little later, they heard a voice calling them. The group turned around to find Brad chasing them with a backpack slung on his shoulder. "Hey Brad, where you been?" Ash asked. "You guys are headed my way, so I figured I'd follow along, I have to meet someone on the way to Celestic Town." Brad replied.

And with laughter abundant, and a new temporary travel partner, the group continued their journey on the road of Sinnoh.
_

A/N: Again, I apologize for how long it took for me to do this. But I promise the next one will come out MUCH faster! Unfortunately, the one after that may be the toughest one of all. It's a movie! O_O So expect the chapter after the next one to take a long time. Cheer me on in your reviews everyone! EP is out! Watch out for updates!