Well, here's another chapter for you all. By the way, thanks to all you readers out there, "A Tale of Two Orbs" got a personal record breaking, over 800 hits in one day! Thanks to you all for making that achievement possible! And now the drama slows down a little, as we stop off in Solaceon Town. Enjoy! I own nothing except the story.
_
Chapter 35
Misty's POV
After the Team Galactic thing, we kept on pressing on to Ash's next battle. We decided on a layover in Solaceon Town so we could take a break after a whole day of walking. The sun was setting and we were getting something to eat at a snack stand in the park.
Somehow I couldn't shake this feeling of anxiety that had come over me ever since we arrived in Solaceon Town. It felt like…something was about to happen and I couldn't figure out what.
"So the Scarf Monster is in Solaceon Town…" I heard Brock say. We walked back over to Brock with drinks in our hands. Brock was reading an article in the Sinnoh Star.
"Hey Brock, what're you reading?" Ash asked. "An article about a monster wearing a scarf spotted around town." Brock replied.
"Whoa! Let me see that!" Brock handed Dawn the article, and we scanned the fuzzy picture of what a photographer depicted as the "Scarf Monster".
"Oh please, you call THAT proof?" I said. "That picture's nothing more than a big blur." Ash added.
"Well, if you look really REALLY closely, you could call it a Scarf Monster I guess." Dawn said. "Don't fall for it Dawn, this is just another newspaper scam." I said.
"Misty's probably right. Keep in mind that the Sinnoh Star isn't exactly a very reliable paper." Brock said. Just then, the lights lining the streets snapped on, signaling that night had indeed fallen.
"Wow, where does the time go?" Dawn said. "Angie's family's daycare center is just ahead, so let's move." Brock said.
"Yeah, I wonder how Angie and her family are doing now." Ash said. That was it. There was the reason for my anxiety…Angie.
Normal POV
The group had to walk through a forest in order to get to Angie's daycare center, and while three out of four was happy to get there, one member was anything but thrilled.
"What's the matter Misty?" Dawn asked. "We're going to ANGIE'S place. I'll bet anything that she still likes him." Misty replied.
"You feel threatened by a twelve year old?" Dawn asked incredulously. "Well – uh, not exactly THREATENED, more like annoyed. I won't even be able to hug Ash without making Angie feel lousy." Misty replied.
"Hey, he's YOUR boyfriend. You should be able to do whatever you feel like regardless of who's around." Dawn said. "Oh, so now you're giving ME boy advice?" Misty asked.
"Hey, what goes around comes around." Dawn joked. The girls laughed at their banter, when suddenly they heard a rustling in the brush. "Did you guys hear that?" Ash asked.
They nodded in response, and they quietly peeked around the brush and gasped at what they saw. "You don't think that could be…the Scarf Monster?" Dawn squeaked.
"Only one way to find out! Come on!" Ash charged after the shadowy figure in the foliage, and was followed closely by his friends.
They reached a clearing in the trees, and they looked in all directions for the shadow. "Were we seeing things?" Misty asked.
"No way! I know what I saw!" Ash exclaimed. "Maybe next time I say I saw something, you'll believe me. See how it feels?" Dawn said.
Ash, Misty, and Brock chuckled nervously, knowing that they had had their skepticism thrown back in their faces by the coordinator.
"Come on, the daycare center should be right over there." Brock said. As the group trudged their way out of the forest, a pair of glowing eyes watched them leave.
"Guess our eyes must've been playing tricks on us or something." Ash said sullenly. "I think that article's got us nervous, that's all. I personally still feel it's all fake." Misty added.
"Hey look! Isn't that Angie's house?" Dawn asked, pointing out a fairly-sized house down the road. "Yep. That's it." Brock replied.
As they continued walking, they saw the door on the side of the house open, and Angie and her Shinx came out with two buckets.
Shinx sensed a presence by the fence, and it ran to greet its friends that were leaning over the fence. "Hey Angie!" Ash exclaimed.
"(Gasp) It's Ash!" Angie dropped her buckets in shock, and she ran to greet her friends. "Wow, it's great to see you guys again!" she squealed.
"It's great to see you too Angie." Misty said, trying to remain friendly. She seemed to be doing a pretty good job of it, as Angie gave her a sincere smile.
"Looks like you've got your hands full." Ash said. "Yeah, Mom and Dad are on a little trip right now, so now I've gotta take care of everything by myself and to tell you the truth, I've been running myself ragged." Angie said.
"Well, why don't we help you out then?" Misty suggested. "Oh no, I couldn't ask that." Angie replied.
"Don't worry about us Angie; we're giving you a hand, ok?" Ash said. "Have you eaten? You just leave the cooking to me." Brock added.
"You lead Brock to the kitchen, and you'll get a meal you'll never forget!" Dawn exclaimed. "Man! You guys are life savers!" Angie exclaimed gratefully.
Angie led Brock and Dawn to the kitchen, and pointed Ash and Misty to where she was finishing up her chores.
"So…Misty…you ok?" Ash asked rather hesitantly. "Yeah, why shouldn't I be?" Misty replied.
"Well, last time we saw Angie…you kinda…well…" Ash was cutoff. "Relax Ash, jealousy is no more." Misty reassured.
"So why were you upset about coming?" Ash asked.
"Well…it's just that…I don't want to make Angie feel bad…after all, she likes you too and all…and…we can't be…you know, together while we're here. We'd make her feel lousy." Misty explained.
"Wait, Angie likes me?" Ash asked. "…Ash, don't tell me that even after all the times she's blushed around you, you couldn't tell." Misty replied incredulously.
"Guess I never noticed…I-I was too busy…noticing you! Yeah!" Ash said, trying to escape Misty's heckling.
Misty smiled and batted her eyelashes at him. "Good answer Ashy…and you know…Angie's not with us right now."
Misty sauntered up to Ash and started drawing circles on his chest with her finger. "(Gulp) Misty, what if Angie walks in? Remember, making her feel bad?" Ash stammered.
Misty sighed and backed off. "Fine."
Ash exhaled with relief. "Dang Mist, you sure know how to make a guy's heart race."
Angie walked in a few moments later, and they finished up with the chores. "Thanks for your help guys; it would've taken a lot longer without you." Angie said.
"Glad to do it Angie. Now whaddya say we get some dinner?" Misty said. The trio walked out of the garage and headed to the dining room where Brock and Dawn had laid out a feast.
"Dig in everyone!" Brock exclaimed. Brock had laid out a platter of white rice, grilled chicken strips and mixed vegetables.
The group sat down to enjoy the great meal, and after they were finished, Angie's belly was bulging, proving that she had definitely enjoyed it.
Even the Pokémon were asleep due to overeating. "Ahh…phew, that was good!" Angie said, leaning back in her chair and rubbing her stomach with satisfaction.
"I know, isn't Brock like the best gourmet chef in the world?" Dawn said. "You bet, it's too bad I never got to try his cooking at the academy. Thanks for making all this Brock." Angie said.
"It was my pleasure." Brock said, "So Angie, what kind of Pokémon are you raising now?"
Angie suddenly sat upright in her chair. "Uh, well, to tell you the truth, all different kinds." she giggled nervously.
"Hey Angie, have you heard about the Scarf Monster everyone's talking about?" Ash asked. "Uh, yeah. But…those are just rumors." Angie replied.
"Well get this, we actually saw it in the forest on our way here!" Ash said. "You can't be serious!" Angie screamed, getting up in Ash's face.
Ash sweat-dropped. "I-It was more like a shadow of something wearing a scarf!" he said nervously.
"Relax Angie, I bet it's just a hoax anyway." Misty said. Angie apparently ignored Misty's reassurance. "Oh man, not again." she whispered to herself.
"Angie, what's wrong?" Ash asked. "Uhh…Oh, I just remembered I've got somewhere to go! You relax and I'll be right back!" Angie ran out of the room, leaving a very puzzled group to look out the window and watch her run off.
"Why'd she start panicking as soon as we mentioned the Scarf Monster?" Brock wondered aloud. "You don't suppose she's hiding something do you?" Misty asked.
"I dunno, but something's gotta be up. Let's go find out what." Ash said. The group ran out the building and chased after the twelve year old girl to a cave. "Hey Angie!" Ash called.
Angie turned around and pasted on a fake smile. "How nice, you followed me." she moaned. "Alright Angie, what's going on?" Ash asked.
"(Sigh) Guess I can't get anything past you guys…you see, it's about one of the Pokémon I'm raising…but…the thing is, it's actually inside that cave." Angie said. Angie switched on her flashlight and led the group through the cave.
"What's your Pokémon doing in a place like this?" Ash asked. "See for yourselves and then I'll explain the whole thing to you." Angie moaned.
The group walked into the main part of the cave, and found nothing. "Sooo, what exactly are we looking at here?" Misty asked.
"I knew it! Truth is – ok, you know that Scarf Monster you saw? Well that's the exact same Pokémon I've been looking after." Angie explained embarrassedly.
"What are you talking about?" Ash asked. "I'll explain everything later, for now I need you to help me bring it back here!" Angie exclaimed.
"Sure thing Angie." Ash said. Angie nodded and led the group out of the cave and back to her house, where she grabbed a huge bowl and a bag of Pokémon food.
"What are you gonna do with that?" Dawn asked. "You'll see." Angie replied. They walked into the park and watched as Angie laid down a trail of Pokémon food bits, and then put down the bowl and filled it to overflowing.
She then hopped into the bushes, and the others followed suit. After waiting a few minutes, Ash was beginning to grow impatient. "Angie, you don't really think this is the way to capture Pokémon?" Ash asked.
"I can't catch it in a Pokéball! It belongs to someone else!" Angie whispered. "But you must have the original Pokéball, maybe when you see it you could just return it." Misty suggested.
"That won't work either. I'll explain as soon as – there it is!" Angie whispered. The group looked into the shadows and saw a large figure walking up to them.
"That's it! That's the same thing we saw before!" Ash exclaimed quietly. It's the Scarf Monster for sure!" Dawn added.
"Not so fast, I recognize that shape." Brock said. As the figure came into the light, its actual identity was revealed. "It's a Lickilicky!" Brock exclaimed.
Dawn pulled out her Pokédex to scan it. "Lickilicky, the Licking Pokémon. Lickilicky can wrap its enormous tongue around anything. Getting too close to this Pokémon will result in a saliva shower." her Pokédex chirped.
"Oh, that's gross." Misty commented.
Lickilicky finished eating the Pokémon food trail, and then gulped down the entire bowl with one bite, and then spit the bowl back out, literally licked clean.
"Guys, I'm afraid that Lickilicky that I just happened to be raising is the very Scarf Monster that everyone's been making such a fuss about." Angie said.
"You can't be serious!" Dawn exclaimed. "I think it's time you told us what's going on." Ash insisted.
"You see, what happened was my parents decided to let me look after this Lickitung for a little while, just while they were away on vacation. But I guess I over-trained it. I even taught it 'Rollout'! The next thing I knew, it evolved into a Lickilicky!" Angie explained.
"It's never a good thing when a caretaker goes ahead and evolves another trainer's Pokémon." Brock said. "I know." Angie moaned.
"Brock, don't make her feel worse than she does!" Misty hissed. "No, he has every right to. I should've been more careful." Angie said.
"Do your parents know?" Misty asked. "No…and to make matters worse, it also happens to hate being stuck in its Pokéball!" Angie replied.
"That explains why said you couldn't use it." Misty said.
"Right. So I've been trying to keep Lickilicky in that cave I showed you, just to make sure my Mom and Dad don't find out what happened. But there's been the teensy issue of Lickilicky's appetite. It keeps sneaking out of the cave into town, searching around for food." Angie explained.
"That's awful." Ash said. "But why is Lickilicky wearing that thing that looks like a scarf?" Dawn asked.
"That…well, as you can see, Lickilicky's not the smallest Pokémon and it doesn't like being in its Pokéball…so…" Angie pulled out two helium tanks from her backpack and stuck the nozzle into the thing around Lickilicky's neck.
She turned on the helium and the thing began inflating into an enormous crescent-shaped balloon. Lickilicky was lifted up by the helium, and it floated in midair, held down by a rope that Angie was holding.
"I just blow up Lickilicky's collar and carry it around like a balloon." Angie said. "Angie…you've got quite an imagination." Brock said in shock.
"Cool. So let's get Lickilicky back to the cave." Ash said. "Hold on a second. Angie, there's the little matter of when you're gonna tell your parents." Misty said.
Before Angie could respond, three strangely familiar reporters came running up from behind. "Not so fast!" they exclaimed.
The group turned around in shock and panicked, fortunately, the reporters seemed just as shocked as they turned their backs and went into a huddle.
"Oh my gosh! What do we do?" Dawn squeaked. "We've gotta hide Lickilicky!" Angie replied.
"Here, you take Lickilicky and head into the bushes; me and Ash'll take care of them!" Misty said, thinking fast.
Strapped of time and options, the group complied and ran into the bushes, while Misty grabbed Ash's hand and stayed away from there.
"What're you doing Mist?" Ash asked with confusion. "Just play along Ash." Misty replied.
The reporters came out of their huddle, and they confronted the couple who were trying very hard to look natural.
"Being high-powered members of the mainstream media, I was hoping for a word." the female said, holding up a tape recorder to their mouths.
"Uh sure." Misty said, trying to act irritated.
"Which word do you want?" Ash added, imitating Misty's tone.
"Maybe you don't realize, we're Sinnoh Star reporters, we've got a super Scarf Monster scoop and we seem to have lost track of it somehow. Could you help us get back on track?" the reporter asked them, moving the tape recorder even closer.
Ash felt a little nervous, but Misty had her plan all thought out. "Listen, do you see our hands?" Misty held up her and Ash's hands to show the reporter what they were pretending to do, "We were kinda trying to enjoy ourselves."
"I can see that, and I feel so very bad for interrupting, but when we sniff out a story, we just can't lose the scent, so if you could tell us if you saw anything peculiar, we'll be on our way." the reporter said.
Now Misty was starting to get a little nervous. She wasn't planning on the reporter to be so persistent even after she showed her that they were supposedly on a date.
"Come to think of it, I did see a weird shadow earlier." Ash said. Misty shot a glare at Ash, telling him to shut up while he was ahead.
"Really? Well which way did it go?" the reporter asked with interest. "It went that way." Ash pointed in the bushes, but when he looked he saw that he had accidently pointed to where Dawn was shaking her head violently in a 'no' fashion and Brock and Angie were shooting him intense glares.
"Crud! They really did go that way!" Ash thought.
The reporter looked in the bushes, but before she could get a good look, Ash and Misty jumped in her face and started pointing in all directions except for where their friends were. "Over there, no over there! There!" they exclaimed frantically.
The reporter became fed up with their outbursts and backed off. "Strange, even for them." the male reporter said.
"You said a mouthful." the short one added. "Well alright, but be sure to let us know if you get any leads, now won't you?" the female said finally.
"Whatever. Now if you don't mind, we have a date to finish." Misty said with irritation. "She changes moods faster than a Ninjask can fly." the male said. "We're wasting our time." the female added.
The trio of reporters took off down the dark path, leaving the group to catch their breath. "That was way too close." Ash sighed with relief.
"It wouldn't have been close AT ALL if you hadn't have pointed right to where they were." Misty hissed. "I panicked, alright? I forgot where they were for a second. We managed to lead them away anyway." Ash replied.
"Don't start arguing now. All's well that ends well, right?" Dawn said. Ash and Misty sighed and nodded. "Now don't apologize now, do that AFTER we take care of Lickilicky." Brock said.
"Right." The group grabbed on to the rope holding Lickilicky, and they started the walk back to the cave. When they reached the forest however, they heard a terrified scream coming from the nearby lake. "Oh no! Someone must've seen Lickilicky!" Angie cried.
"Quick, bring Lickilicky down!" Ash exclaimed. The group frantically pulled the rope and dragged the large Pokémon back to earth.
"Now what'll we do? Lickilicky definitely isn't going to walk back on its own." Dawn said. "Maybe someone carry Lickilicky." Brock suggested.
"Sure, any volunteers for a hernia?" Misty asked sarcastically. "I was referring to one of our Pokémon." Brock replied in an irritated tone.
"You think Charizard can carry Lickilicky?" Dawn asked. "I dunno, it's worth a shot." Ash replied. Ash called out his dragon who roared upon release.
"Shh! Charizard, we're trying to be stealthy here." Ash whispered. Charizard grunted to acknowledge. "You think you can carry Lickilicky?" Ash asked. Charizard glanced at the long-tongued Pokémon and raised an eyebrow at its master.
Ash shrugged. "Well, WE sure can't lift it."
Charizard rolled his eyes and set Lickilicky onto his back piggyback style. He accidently spewed a small flame with a strained exhale, but he eventually managed to straighten up and walk.
"Alright, let's get moving." Angie said. They began their walk again, but just five minutes before they would reach their destination, Lickilicky began to get impatient, and started squirming on Charizard's back.
Charizard struggled to keep Lickilicky on his back, but he was getting really angry with Lickilicky. Charizard finally snapped when Lickilicky licked his head with its long tongue.
Charizard bucked Lickilicky off of its back, and demanded that Ash return him, he had had enough of playing horsey with the bowling ball of a Pokémon.
"Alright, alright. You did your part. Sorry Charizard." Ash returned the peeved dragon to his ball, and hoped that the next time he called upon him, he wouldn't get barbequed.
"So, now what? We're almost there." Angie said. "Could Happiny do it?" Misty suggested. "Sorry, it's past Happiny's bedtime." Brock replied.
"Hey Misty, maybe Gyarados could give it a ride." Ash suggested. "Are you kidding? Lickilicky scared someone back there, what makes you think nobody will notice Gyarados?" Misty replied.
"She's got a point, but we don't really have a lot of options." Angie said. Misty sighed and called out her water-dragon, who also emerged with a roar.
"Gyarados, shh!" Misty hissed. Gyarados nodded and apologized for its outburst. "Put Lickilicky on your back and let's get to a nearby cave. We should be almost there." Misty said.
Gyarados complied without question and placed the licking-Pokémon on its back. "See that? Gyarados listens and doesn't complain." Misty gloated.
"That's because it knows Charizard did all of the work." Ash grumbled. "I heard that." Misty giggled.
The remainder of the trip went without a hitch, and Misty returned her dragon once they reached the entrance of the cave.
Once inside, they tied Lickilicky to a stalagmite to ensure it wouldn't escape again. "I know you don't like this, and I'm sorry. But you're just gonna have to lay low for a little while." Angie said.
"I made a little snack to tide you over." Brock said, holding up a huge bowl of his special food. Lickilicky stuck out his tongue sadly at them.
"You know Angie; you can't keep Lickilicky here forever." Misty said. "(Groan) I know…but…I just can't think of any other solution right now." Angie said sadly.
Misty would've kept pressing her, but Brock shook his head telling her to drop it. "Well, maybe we can think of something tomorrow." Brock said comfortingly.
The group said goodnight to Lickilicky, and trudged back to Angie's house. Angie led them to the guest rooms where they would spend the night, and then headed off to her own room.
"Angie's in trouble, isn't she Brock?" Ash said. "Well, she evolved another trainer's Pokémon, but it's not like she did it on purpose. Of course that fact won't make a difference when Lickilicky's trainer gets here." Brock replied.
"There's gotta be something we can do." Dawn said. "No. Once a Pokémon evolves, that's it." Misty replied.
"I feel really sorry for her. Her only mistake was that she tried way too hard. But that's what a trainer is supposed to do." Ash said.
"Being a caretaker must be a really rough job. Whenever you train a Pokémon there's a chance it might evolve, but how can you tell when it's about to?" Dawn asked.
"Angie should've stopped the moment Lickilicky learned 'Rollout', that's when a Lickitung can evolve into a Lickilicky." Brock replied.
"Well there's nothing that can be done now. All we can do is get some sleep and try to help Angie anyway we can." Misty said.
The group agreed, and slipped into their bunks. They were almost totally asleep when Dawn gave a shriek of terror.
The group jumped out of their beds in shock, and all eyes fell on Dawn, who was hiding underneath her blanket.
Angie came barging in the door; she was wearing her pajamas already and was ready for bed when Dawn shrieked.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Angie asked. The group waited for Dawn to stop shaking so she could answer. After a few moments, Dawn managed to gain enough composure to point towards the window. "T-The eyes are b-b-back." she stammered.
The entire group groaned at Dawn. "You're still seeing things? Every time I see you at night there's something out the window." Angie exclaimed incredulously.
"It went away for a while, but now it's back! You guys STILL don't believe me? Even after all that's happened?" Dawn squeaked. Pikachu rolled his eyes and started shuffling around in Dawn's backpack.
"What're you looking for Pikachu?" Ash asked. Ash got his answer when Pikachu grabbed a Pokéball and tossed it on the table next to him.
"Bun buneary bun?" (What's the matter?)
"Pika pika pika chu." (Dawn's seeing things again)
Despite the fact Dawn was HER trainer, Buneary couldn't help but feel a little annoyed that she and Pikachu would have to pull guard duty again.
She rolled her eyes and hopped onto Dawn's bunk with Pikachu. "Pika pi chu." (I'll go first.)
Buneary settled down, with Pikachu lying down so Buneary could cuddle into his side and relax. Pikachu turned back to Dawn and gave a thumbs-up, reassuring the trainer that there was no need to worry.
"Now that that's settled, can we please get some sleep?" Misty grumbled. Angie said goodnight once more, and the night went on without interruption.
The next morning, Misty woke up before everyone else and had gotten herself ready for the day. By the time she was dressed, the others were still asleep. "What a bunch of lazy bums."
Misty quietly snuck out of the room and bumped into Angie, who was already wearing an apron and gloves. "Why up so early?" Angie asked.
"I should be asking YOU that. You look like you've been up for an hour already." Misty replied. "Actually, an hour and a half. There's a lot involved in setting up for just one day here." Angie said.
"Well, the others are still fast asleep. Want me to help you out?" Misty asked. "Uh, that's alright…Misty…can I ask you a question?" Angie asked nervously.
"Uh, sure, what is it?" Misty asked. "Well…I'm sure you noticed that I might uh…have a crush…on Ash." Angie said nervously, trying to act timid to avoid Misty's rage.
Misty stiffened up. "Yeah, as a matter of fact, I kinda have." she said. Angie was starting to lose her nerve as she saw that Misty was getting tense.
"Well…you don't uh…mind…do you? I mean, I know that YOU'RE his girlfriend and all…and I've uh…tried to respect that fact…but sometimes…I…" Angie was cut-off by Misty.
"I-I get what you're trying to say. And you know what Angie? I appreciate that you came to me about this…I'll tell you the truth too then. I really didn't like when you were in Ash's arms at the academy, even though I knew he was just being nice…and uh…I get kinda upset when you blush around him…that's something I need to work on." Misty explained.
"Well uh…I suppose I could try and control myself around him…" Angie was cut-off again.
"Don't. If anyone needs to control themselves, it's me. I have to remember that just because he's my boyfriend; it'll stop other girls from liking him. I mean…Ash does have that…certain appeal." Misty said.
"So…what are you saying exactly?" Angie asked. "I'm saying that it's ok if you like him. And you don't have to worry about me getting mad. You can…" Now Misty was fighting every instinct she had now, but she couldn't turn back now, "Y-You can…hug him…if you want…don't feel threatened by me…you can do whatever…as long as you don't try to just steal him from me!"
"Wow Misty, I never thought you'd say that…" Angie said in shock, "I-I'll try to keep myself under control."
Uncomfortable silence then fell on the two love-stricken girls, as they studied each other's expressions carefully. Finally, Angie broke it. "W-Why don't you wake up the guys? I have to take some stuff to the garage."
"Y-Yeah, I'll…I'll do that." Misty replied awkwardly. Angie nodded and briskly walked away. "Now THAT was unexpected." Angie nodded.
"I just told her that we could share MY boyfriend. Have I lost my mind?" Misty mentally slapped herself for what she had done, but then got second thoughts. "Well, she is only twelve. And it's not like Ash is just gonna dump me for her; he's already made that perfectly clear. I suppose it wouldn't be so bad to let her have some happiness for a while. Besides, after this, we'll probably never see her again."
Satisfied with the circumstances, Misty took a deep breath to reset her attitude, and cheerfully walked back into the bedroom where everyone was still snoozing. "Oh brother, it's not like they worked all day and night like Angie did." Misty said to herself.
A sly grin spread across the water-trainer's face as an idea popped into her head. She sauntered over to the window, and opened it nice and wide, letting the sun shine brightly in the entire room.
Ash: "Aww Mist, what was that for?"
Dawn: "Misty! What are you doing?"
Brock: "Oh come on Misty, couldn't you let us sleep?"
As the complaints were shot off simultaneously at the water-trainer, Misty stood her ground and just smirked at them. "Come on, get up you guys! The sun's shining and it's a beautiful day outside, just look!"
The three drowsy teens yawned and stretched as they joined Misty by the window. It really was nice out. It was a comfortable temperature of 73 degrees and there was a cool breeze blowing. The sun was shining brightly and there wasn't a cloud in sight.
They smiled at the sight and their attitude quickly changed to match the weather. Just then, Angie walked by the open window carrying a box.
"Morning everybody!" she said cheerfully.
"Morning Angie." they replied.
"Thanks again for all the great help last night." Angie said. "Hey, no problem. Glad to do it." Ash replied.
Ash's expression suddenly turned stern as he stared at the twelve year old. "So how are you gonna take care of this?" he asked.
"No matter what you do, your parents are gonna find out." Dawn added. "And it'll be worse if they find out that you lied to them by hiding Lickilicky from them." Misty added.
"Maybe you should bring Lickilicky out of the cave and tell them what happened. It'd be a big weight off your shoulders." Brock said, giving his usual wise advice.
"Yeah…" Angie looked to the ground and refused to meet their gaze. The thought of her parents getting home and finding out what she had done intimidated her and worried her. Facing the truth of the situation brought her down dramatically.
At this point, Ash's "nice guy" mode kicked in once more. "Hey, we'll go and apologize with you." he said reassuringly.
"Huh?" Angie looked up and stared Ash right in his chocolate-brown eyes and blushed slightly. "How nice…thank you Ash!"
Angie then quickly remembered her previous conversation with Misty, and she nervously glanced over at the water-trainer. Misty was looking at her, with an expression that showed neither happiness, sadness, nor anger or envy. She was totally emotionless, which seemed impossible to someone like Misty.
Angie relinquished a small smile and walked to the garage with her cargo in tow. As Misty watched Angie walked away, she mentally kicked herself again. "Why did I make a promise I'm not sure I can keep? I'm practically handing Ash to her! (Sigh) Well it's too late now. I'm not one to break promises and I won't start now. But I've got to do a better acting job."
Misty reset her mood again with a deep breath and went off to find Angie and get her assignment for the day.
However before she could exit the building, Angie had walked in with a flashlight. "What's that for?" Misty asked.
"We gotta head to the cave and feed Lickilicky. And I happen to feed it before every meal I have, just to make sure it doesn't get hungry and run off…of course…maybe I should feed it twice as many times since it never seems to be satisfied." Angie explained.
"I could make a special blend to be more filling for Lickilicky." Brock said. "Could you? That'd be so awesome!" Angie exclaimed gratefully.
"Just watch me work my magic!" Brock dashed into the kitchen, washed his hands, and grabbed a batch of Pokémon food mix, and a bunch of herbs and spices.
"A little bit of this, a little bit of that, mix it all together, put it in the oven, and in no time we'll have Pokémon burgers just for Lickilicky!" Brock took a bow as Angie and the others applauded his performance.
"Chef Brock does it again." Misty said. "Now while that cooks how about I make you guys some breakfast? Omelets sound good?" Brock asked.
"It sounds great! But I don't know if we have any eggs." Angie said. "No problem, I'll just use Pokémon food mix." Brock joked.
Brock laughed as "ews" and "yucks" and "Are you crazys" rang through the air simultaneously. "Just kidding you guys. Angie, go see if you have any eggs. And if you do, look for cheese, ham, and whatever else would look good in an omelet."
Angie nodded and ran to the fridge while Brock washed his hands again. She came back with all sorts of stuff, and Brock went food crazy as he flipped the eggs in the pan like a master chef and created an amazing breakfast.
"I sure wish my mom and dad could cook like you Brock." Angie said. "I could leave some recipes behind if you like." Brock suggested.
Angie nodded excitedly and scarfed her meal down in a matter of minutes. After the others finally finished, Brock took out the Pokémon burgers and the group headed for the dark cave.
They were surprised at first when Lickilicky wasn't in plain sight. "Lickilicky?" Angie called, "Lickilicky, where are you?"
The group gasped when they saw that Lickilicky had snapped the rope holding it back. Brock picked it up and examined the rope. "It must've wandered off after snapping the rope." he said.
"The Scarf Monster roams again." Misty face-palmed. "This is bad!" Angie cried.
Suddenly, Dawn's Swinub popped out of its Pokéball, and excitedly began looking around. "Brock, close up those burgers before Swinub eats them all!" Dawn exclaimed.
"I haven't even opened the container yet!" Brock replied, revealing a closed case of Pokémon food burgers.
"Ok, so what's Swinub so excited about?" Ash asked. Swinub suddenly ran out of the cave like a locomotive, and charged for whatever it was heading towards. "Swinub, come back!" Dawn cried.
"Wait a minute; if Swinub smells it, it has to mean food, right?" Misty said. "Right." the group replied.
"So if we follow Swinub, we'll probably find Lickilicky!" Misty exclaimed. "Hey yeah! But…what could Swinub be smelling all the way out here? There're no other houses around here except for mine, and the town's over a mile away." Angie explained.
"You don't think…?" Misty paused. "I wouldn't put it past them. Come on, let's go catch Swinub!" Ash exclaimed. The group ran out of the cave and followed the small and hungry Pokémon through the forest, as it weaved through trees and branches, pursuing its quarry.
After a long while of dodging trees, bushes, rocks, and whatever else could be imagined, the group finally found the source of Swinub's excitement.
"I thought so!" Ash growled. The group found Lickilicky pigging out on an enormous ball of Pokémon food that was as big as Lickilicky was. But Lickilicky was tied up in a tough rope that kept its arms held down.
Swinub groaned and started tearing up because its breakfast had been claimed by a slobbery Pokémon. "It's ok Swinub; I think that you'll probably get to eat Brock's burgers after it finishes with that ball of whatever it is." Dawn said, returning Swinub to its Pokéball.
After giving it a closer look, Brock figured it out. "This is made entirely of Pokémon food!"
"No wonder Lickilicky wandered off, it couldn't resist coming to eat this thing!" Dawn exclaimed. "Hey, who are those weirdoes?" Angie asked, noting the trio cheering behind the food ball.
Jessie: "Talk about the pod calling the kettle black."
James: "Twerps have that twerpish knack."
Jessie: "On the wind!"
James: "Past the stars!"
Meowth: "And off my back!"
Jessie: "Bringing chaos at a breakneck pace."
James: "Dashing all hope, putting fear in its place."
Jessie: "A rose by any other name's just as sweet."
James: "When everything's worse, our work is complete."
Jessie: "Jessie!"
James: "James."
Meowth: "Meowth's the name!"
Jessie: "Putting the do-gooders in their place!"
James: "We're Team Rocket!"
Team Rocket: "We're in your face!"
"Team Rocket?" Angie asked. "They're an evil gang of Pokémon thieves!" Dawn exclaimed angrily.
"Knock it off! That's Angie's Lickilicky, not yours!" Ash yelled. "You need an eye exam! It's as plain as the ugly on your face that this is the Scarf Monster!" Jessie replied.
"Don't confuse us with facts!" James added. "Summer School's over!" Meowth added.
"Oh, comedians." Angie sweat-dropped. "I've seen you guys come up with some weird ideas, but this one really takes the cake, or should I say the ball?" Misty said.
"Da fact is dat da Scarf Monster is now ours and ours alone, and as soon as we hand it over to da boss, we'll be rolling in a mound of dough as big as dat food ball!" Meowth exclaimed.
"There IS no Scarf Monster; it's just a plain old Lickilicky!" Ash roared. "The scarf around its neck says otherwise." James replied.
"Alright I've had enough! If they want proof, I'll give it to them! Quick Shinx, use 'Crunch' to knock some sense into those bozos' heads!" Angie ordered.
Angie's loyal electric-type leaped towards Lickilicky and ripped the scarf apart with its sharp teeth, finally destroying the Scarf Monster rumor along with it.
"Uh oh!" Meowth groaned. "That's just a standard issue Lickilicky like the twerps said!" James added.
"I don't care if it's a One-eyed Purple People Eater! Just catch it!" Jessie screamed. "Yes dear." James moaned sarcastically. "But why?" Meowth asked.
"Because it's the scarf that makes the monster!" Jessie hissed menacingly. James and Meowth didn't question further out of fear, and just followed orders.
"Pikachu, use 'Iron Tail' to take that robot down quick!"
"Shinx, 'Quick Attack', let's go!"
"Piplup, you use 'Peck'!"
Misty grabbed a Pokéball in hopes of joining the battle. "Alright Politoed, come out and…huh?" Misty turned around and saw that Psyduck had popped out and was examining Politoed's Pokéball like it had never seen it before. "Why now Psyduck? Why don't you ever come out when we're just relaxing?" Misty moaned.
The three Pokémon charged ahead with their attacks, but Meowth had other plans. "Go ahead twoips, have your kicks!" Meowth used the robot's metallic foot to smash up a huge boulder and sent the Pokémon flying back.
Meowth cackled, "No fuzz-balls are gonna fuss with OUR robot!"
"Now let's kick it up a notch." Jessie said sinisterly. "Okey doke. BAM!" Meowth kicked a few more boulders, and sent chunks of rock flying everywhere. "Pikachu!" Ash yelled worriedly.
Pikachu waved at Ash, assuring him that it could handle the job, and then dodged another low-flying rock before charging at Team Rocket once more with Shinx and Piplup.
"Guys, let's free Lickilicky while Pikachu and the others drive Team Rocket crazy for a while." Misty said. "Sounds good, but we gotta be careful. Let's go!" Brock replied.
The four teens, and one preteen, snuck over to Lickilicky and began untying its arms. Unfortunately, Psyduck got too close and bumped Lickilicky's favorite organ, its stomach, and angered it. Lickilicky grabbed Psyduck with its tongue and shook it, causing Psyduck to quack for help.
"Knock it off you two!" Angie hissed. "Psyduck, be quiet!" Misty added.
They finished untying Lickilicky, but not before Team Rocket had heard Psyduck's panic attack and spotted them.
"Look! Stage left! Twerps teetering close to tagging Lickilicky!" Jessie exclaimed. "Too late, they see us! Come on, let's go!" Brock shouted.
The group ran off with Lickilicky in hopes of making it back to Angie's house before Team Rocket caught them. "You can't beat a bot!" Meowth exclaimed.
The robot took off into the sky and flew overhead, and then landed in front of the group holding an enormous boulder that would crush them all at once.
"Dig it dimwits! Hand over dat tongue-meister or I'll convoit you into twoips unda glass!" Meowth threatened.
Ash growled and made a move for Charizard's Pokéball, but Team Rocket caught that movement. "No ya don't!" Meowth had the robot kick up some more rocks, and they flew straight for the group. Everyone ducked except for Angie, who was frozen in place.
"Angie, look out!" Ash got up from his ducked stance and leaped in front of the young girl whose fear had prevented her from dodging. Ash was lucky that most of the rocks were merely small pebbles that didn't do much damage, however one rock was substantially big, and it hit Ash squarely in the wrist, forcing him to drop the mighty dragon's Pokéball and hold his wrist in pain.
"Ash!" they cried. Team Rocket sneered at them, and Meowth used an extendo-arm to snatch Charizard's Pokéball.
"Give Charizard back!" Ash roared, still clutching his badly injured wrist. "Finders keepers, losers weepers. Now start weeping and hand over that Lickilicky!" Jessie demanded.
After realizing that Ash had once again saved her, she snapped out of her trance and growled furiously at the trio. "Man you guys are pushy! I'll show you what happens to people who hurt my friends! Lickilicky, use 'Rollout'!"
Lickilicky used the move that had evolved it in the first place, and completely smashed the boulder that the robot was holding. "Now follow it up with 'Wrap'!" Angie ordered.
Lickilicky swung its long tongue around the robot and completely engulfed it and the the three inside. "I'm feeling tongue-tied!" Meowth exclaimed.
"And we're wet too!" James added. "Now I know what suckers feel like!" Jessie added.
"Now top it off with 'Slam'!" Angie ordered. Lickilicky swung its tongue once more, and lifted the robot into the air and destroyed it upon impact with the ground.
Despite his busted up wrist, Ash's battling skills were still at full potential. "Pikachu, how about a 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash ordered.
Pikachu smirked mischievously, and summoned every ounce of electricity from its red cheeks to zap Team Rocket into the sky.
"I hate to admit it but those tongue towing twerps licked us but good!" Jessie said.
"All because of the silly scarf scoop." James added.
"Hey, cheer up! At least we're clean!" Meowth added.
"And we're blasting off again!" *PING*
The group laughed triumphantly, and Angie picked up Charizard's Pokéball. "I tell ya Angie, you did a great job raising Lickilicky." Ash said.
"Thanks, but I would've done a better job by not letting it evolve, you know?" Angie replied, "Oh here, this is yours."
"Give it to Misty. My wrist hurts too much." Ash said with a sweat-drop. Angie smiled guiltily and handed Misty Charizard's Pokéball. Misty graciously accepted, but then she saw a man and a woman gaping at Lickilicky in shock.
"What's wrong?" Angie asked. Misty discreetly pointed behind her, but Angie got the answer much more obviously when an angry voice shouted, "Angie!"
Angie stiffened up, and slowly turned her head around to see her parents standing there. "Mom! Dad!" she stammered.
They all just stood in shock for a few moments. Then Angie's father spoke up. "Angie, what have you done?" he asked angrily.
"I can explain everything!" Angie cried shamefully. "I certainly hope so. Let's go inside and get you and your friends all cleaned up, then we have to have a long talk." her dad said.
Angie hung her head low as she was escorted into the house by her father, and her mother tended to Ash's wound.
"Your wrist hurts?" she asked sweetly. "Yeah, a rock kinda banged into me, so that's where it hit." Ash replied.
"Well we have a wrist brace inside the house, come with me." Angie's mother led the group into the house, and then went to get the first-aid kit. As soon as she left, Misty took the chance to talk to Ash. "Time to make good on my promise."
"Hey Ash, I think you should go with Angie to support her." Misty said. "I was going to anyway Mist, but I thought we ALL were gonna go with her." Ash replied.
"We can't have too many people in there…besides…she probably would want you in there more than me or Dawn or Brock." Misty said.
"I guess I see your point." Ash said, "One question though."
"What is it?" Misty replied.
"I figured you wouldn't want me alone with Angie. Why are you suddenly shoving me towards her?" Ash asked.
"I'm not SHOVING. Believe me; I'd prefer if I could go in there with you and her. But…I made a promise that I wouldn't get upset with her because she likes you. The girl's in love, I can't get upset at her for that. It's just not something you can control. If she chose to fall in love with you, then…that's her choice." Misty said. Throughout her diatribe, Misty's voice began to crack near the end.
Ash smiled at her sympathetically, and reeled her in with his good hand, wrapping her into a tight, one-armed hug. Misty started to cry a little, as the small amount of tears in her eyes was loosened by the affection he was showing her.
"I love you Ash." Misty whispered. Ash smiled and softly moved her head from his shoulder to where he could see her face to face.
"Would it make you feel better if I made my own promise?" Ash asked. Misty wiped her eyes of the leftover tears and nodded.
Ash released her and started goofing off. He made a feeble attempt to raise his right hand, but since his wrist still hurt, he settled for the left. "I, Ash Ketchum, do hereby solemnly promise, that Misty Waterflower is, and always will be, my one and only girlfriend, no matter who or what may cross our paths."
Misty smiled and hugged him again after that. "It's 'whom' by the way." she giggled. "Ahh, whom has time for grammar anyway?" Ash joked.
"Ugh, that's awful." Misty giggled. They stood there for a few moments, before the silence was broken once more.
"So, do you feel better now?" Ash asked hopefully. "How can I not…? I've got the best boyfriend in the world…and he's all MINE." Misty sighed and embraced him tighter, now totally satisfied that NO ONE would ever get in-between them.
Misty leaned in to kiss Ash, but Angie's mother had finally returned with the first-aid kit. Rather abruptly, they broke apart and blushed madly, confusing the woman who had just returned.
"I'm so sorry it took so long, I had to make a phone call." she said apologetically. "No worries ma'am, you know…Angie's a really good trainer. You should've seen how she got us out of that jam we were in." Ash said.
Angie's mother said nothing, and just finished wrapping up Ash's wrist. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and talk to my daughter." she said seriously.
Ash stood up and glanced back at Misty once. She nodded her head to affirm Ash. "Excuse me ma'am." Ash said.
Angie's mother turned around to face him. "Yes?" she asked. "If you don't mind…I'd like to go in there too, to support Angie." Ash said.
Angie's mother thought about it for a moment, and then smiled and nodded her head yes. When they reached the room, Ash took off his hat and quietly entered.
When Angie saw Ash walk in, her heart skipped a beat at the gesture he was making by coming in to support her. But then she remembered why he was coming in the first place, because she blew it with Lickilicky.
Ash sat himself down on the chair next to Angie, while Angie's mother sat next to her husband. Angie made the first move as she suddenly got up from her chair and cried, "I'm so sorry!"
"Angie, didn't I tell you to be extra careful?" her father said angrily. "Dear, you don't have to get so angry." Angie's mother said.
"Honey, it's not like this is something that can just be undone!" Angie's father said. After seeing that Angie was on the verge of tears watching her parents argue about the severity of the situation, Ash decided to speak up.
"Excuse me?" Ash said, getting up from his chair, "I'm really sorry too."
"You're Ash, right? Sorry for what? After all, YOU didn't do anything wrong." Angie's father said. "WE'RE sorry you've all been dragged into this." Angie's mother added.
"Look, I want you to understand Angie didn't do it on purpose. It only happened because she was trying way too hard, that's all. All Pokémon trainers, myself included, train as hard as possible at all times. This time she just made a mistake." Ash said.
"Oh Ash…" Angie was touched by his attempt to get her out of trouble. But in the back of her mind, she knew that he was just helping a friend. Not that she would reject the assistance, but she couldn't help but wish that reality could be a little different.
"That's so sweet. We're both quite aware of that." Angie's mother replied.
"But the fact remains, since it's a care taker's obligation to take complete responsibility for her actions, we had no other choice but to request its trainer come here this afternoon." Angie's father said.
"Not that that's going to help. Because of course once a Pokémon's evolved, there's no turning back." Angie's mother said.
The four teens sighed, but then Misty came barging through the door. "Hey guys, you're not gonna believe this!" Misty exclaimed.
"What is it?" Ash asked. "Lickilicky's trainer is here!" Misty replied.
"I guess the trainer's gotten here early!" Angie's father exclaimed.
Ash and Angie gasped nervously, and then they followed Misty out the door, where Brock and Dawn were watching Lickilicky and its trainer interact.
"Oh yes! Bello bello! Such a magnificent creature like I've never seen before!" the trainer exclaimed happily, his voice carrying a thick Italian accent.
They couldn't believe what they saw. The Italian trainer was happily hugging Lickilicky, while the Pokémon used its tongue to reciprocate.
"You were right Misty, I don't believe it." Ash said. "Instead of being upset about it evolving, the guy seems thrilled." Dawn said.
The trainer walked up to Angie's father and shook his hand gratefully. "Ooh! Wow! I can't thank you all enough! Evolving my Lickitung into such a bello bello Lickilicky has made me the most happy trainer in the whole Sinnoh Region! Thank you!" the trainer exclaimed, his accent making him difficult to understand.
"Ok wait; you don't MIND that I evolved your Pokémon?" Angie asked. "Are you kidding? I wanted it to evolve as soon as possible, and you saved me the trouble! Graci!" the trainer replied ecstatically.
"What'd he say?" Misty asked. "I think he said 'thank you'." Brock replied.
"Well Honey, as long as he's happy…" Angie's mother said with relief. "Yes. It does look like we all got off easy this time. From now on, please make sure you're a whole lot more careful young lady." Angie's father said.
"I will Dad! Thanks!" Angie exclaimed with relief. "That turned out good." Ash said. "Yeah. Thank you too!" Angie embraced the trainer in thanks, and Ash, who couldn't resist his nice guy nature, reciprocated the gesture as a friend.
He nervously glanced over at Misty, but relief washed over him when Misty merely smiled at him. "Well, I guess you guys'll just be going now?" Angie asked, as she collected herself.
"Not just yet. I made a promise back at the academy, remember?" Ash replied. "Huh? What promise?" Angie asked.
"I said I'd battle you, and I meant it! Let's see what you got!" Ash exclaimed. "Oh yeah! You're on Ash!" Angie replied determinedly.
"Excuse me, but I would be most grateful if I could see my glorious new Lickilicky in action before I take it home, would you please use it in your battle?" the Italian trainer asked.
"Sure thing! Hey Dad, can I borrow one of your Pokémon?" Angie asked. Angie's father gave his wife a skeptical look, but his wife smiled at him, and so he agreed to let Angie battle.
"Alright then! It's three-on-three!" Ash exclaimed. "Come on, I'll show you where we battle!" Angie ran to the back of the building, where there was an open field that was perfect for battling.
"I'll be more than glad to referee." Brock said, taking his place on the side, "The battle between Ash and Angie will end when all three of either side's Pokémon are unable to continue!"
"You want a coin toss Ash?" Dawn asked. "You bet!" Ash replied.
"Alright, call it!" Dawn exclaimed. Angie made the first move. "I call heads!"
"Guess that leaves me with tails." Ash said. "Ok, coin toss!" Dawn pushed the button on her Pokétch, and the virtual Magikarp coin flipped and landed on heads.
"Yes! That means I get the first move!" Angie cheered. "Alright Angie, don't hold anything back, and may the best battler win!" Ash exclaimed.
"Alright Nidorino, come on out!" Angie threw out the Pokéball, and her father's poison-type emerged and readied itself for battle.
"A Nidorino huh?" Dawn pulled out her Pokédex to scan it. "Nidorino, the Poison Pin Pokémon, and the evolved form of the male Nidoran. Its highly developed horn is extremely powerful." her Pokédex chirped.
"Boy, that sure brings back memories." Misty said.
"It's my turn! Chimchar, I choose you!" Ash called out his fiery monkey, who was ready for a friendly battle after taking a long break from any training due to its previous poisoning.
"Alright Chimchar, let's start right where we left off!" Ash exclaimed. Chimchar chattered determinedly, ready to do just that.
Brock called off the start of the battle, and the two trainers faced off.
"Nidorino, start it with 'Poison Sting'!" Nidorino fired the poison barbs, and they hurtled towards the fire monkey.
"Chimchar, use 'Dig' to dodge!" Ash countered. But Chimchar all of a sudden froze in place, chattering fearfully as the poisonous attack flew towards him.
"Chimchar, watch out!" Ash yelled. Chimchar still didn't move, and there was almost no time left as the attack was only a few feet away.
Realizing that Chimchar wasn't going to move, Ash quickly grabbed the Pokeball and fired the beam just a few split-seconds before Chimchar would've been nailed.
"Running away Ash? Pretty sad if you ask me." Angie snickered. Ash looked up and gave her a stern look, sending Angie a silent message to back off. Angie got it right away.
Looking back at the Pokeball, Ash gave it a soft toss, and Chimchar emerged, whimpering softly and refusing to meet Ash's gaze.
Ash kneeled down in front of the frightened fire-type and cupped its chin in his hand. "What's wrong Chimchar?" he asked softly.
Chimchar suddenly broke out into tears, as the flashback of Toxicroak stabbing it in the gut with its poisonous knuckle claw replayed in its mind. "I understand." Ash held the frightened close to his chest to comfort it, and eventually the shaking stopped.
"What's wrong with Ash's Chimchar?" Angie asked. Misty walked up to Angie and explained, "It's a long story. We had a little run-in with Team Galactic, and Chimchar took a huge blow from a Toxicroak using 'Poison Jab'. I guess a poison-type move scared it."
"Hey, just trust me Chimchar, ok? You just listen to me and you'll be alright!" Ash exclaimed, trying to spark a flame of optimism in the fire monkey's heart.
Chimchar smiled and nodded. "Alright then! Let's do it!" Ash exclaimed. Chimchar made a fist and chattered determinedly.
"Ash does it again." Misty said. "Well he's done it, now he's gonna GET it!" Angie exclaimed determinedly.
"And that's my cue!" Misty dashed off the field and headed back to the sidelines. "I must say, that Ash boy is quite impressive with Pokémon." Angie's father said.
"No wonder Angie talked about him so much. I wonder if he'd be interested in a job here." Angie's mother added. After hearing that, Misty felt like she had gotten punched in the stomach.
"I guess it figures that Angie told her parents about him." But then Misty remembered the promise that Ash had made to her earlier, her heart swelled and she silently sighed with relief.
"I, Ash Ketchum, do hereby solemnly promise, that Misty Waterflower is, and always will be, my one and only girlfriend, no matter who or what may cross our paths."
She thought of that and all doubts left her mind. "He's MINE. And that will never, ever change."
"The battle's back on! Nidorino, use 'Double Kick'!" Angie ordered. The poison-type charged to attack.
"Alright Chimchar, use 'Flamethrower'!" Ash countered. "Chimchar launched the fiery attack, and kept the poison-type at bay.
"Don't give up Nidorino! Use 'Poison Sting'!" Nidorino fired again, and the poisonous barbs flew towards the fire monkey.
Chimchar tensed at the poison-type move coming towards it, but Ash was ready. "Stay cool Chimchar, use 'Dig' to dodge!" Ash ordered.
Chimchar hesitated slightly, but Chimchar followed orders and went underground, leaving the 'Poison Sting' to just fly by.
"Watch out Nidorino!" Angie exclaimed. Nidorino looked around nervously, unsure where Chimchar would emerge.
Finally, Chimchar popped out from underground and knocked Nidorino off its feet by sweeping its legs out from under it.
Chimchar hopped out of its hole and smiled victoriously. "Nice job Chimchar!" Ash cheered. "Ash, watch out for Nidorino's 'Poison Point', don't be too hasty!" Misty exclaimed from the sidelines.
"Right. You hear that Chimchar? You gotta be careful you don't touch that horn." Ash said. Chimchar nodded and stared down its opponent.
"Now, use 'Flamethrower'!" Ash ordered. Chimchar fired yet another flame at the Poison Pin Pokémon. "Use 'Dig' to dodge it!" Angie countered.
Just as Chimchar did, Nidorino dug underground to avoid the attack. "No ya don't! Chimchar, you use 'Dig' too!" Ash ordered.
Chimchar obliged and followed its opponent underground. "What's Ash up to?" Dawn asked. "My guess would be that Ash is depending on his relationship with Chimchar to be stronger than Angie's relationship with her dad's Nidorino. It could be a huge difference on the winner of the digging competition." Misty said.
After a few moments, a hole started to form, and out popped Nidorino, looking around for its opponent. "Now Chimchar!" Ash roared.
Chimchar threw Nidorino into the air by coming from underneath and heaving it with its shoulders. "Aah! Nidorino!" Angie cried.
"We've got it now! Chimchar, finish it off with 'Flame Wheel'!" Ash roared. Chimchar leaped out of the hole and charged towards the airborne poison-type who was flailing desperately.
Chimchar connected with a hard hit to its head, but Chimchar did not go unscathed. When the fire-type landed, he groaned a little. "Oh no, are you alright Chimchar?" Ash asked.
Chimchar kept its eyes closed in case it would see something it didn't want to. But it felt its hands to make sure they didn't get punctured by Nidorino's horn.
Meanwhile, Angie returned the fainted poison-type back to its Pokeball, and thought about her next choice.
"Chimchar, do you feel any pain or sickness?" Brock asked from the referee spot. Chimchar slowly opened its eyes, and stretched its body out to feel for any poisonous effects.
It sighed with relief when it found that it had gotten away with hitting Nidorino and not having any repercussions.
"Thank goodness." Misty and Dawn sighed.
"Alright Chimchar, I may need you later, take a nice rest." Ash returned the fire-type to its Pokeball, and waited for Angie to make her move.
"Alright Shinx, get out there!" Shinx leaped from its master's side and onto the battlefield.
"In that case, Pikachu, I choose you!" Pikachu also leaped onto the field, and the two electric-types stared each other down.
"Electric versus electric. What do you think Misty?" Dawn asked. "Pikachu's got the advantage here. Pikachu seems a lot stronger than Shinx does, plus Ash and Pikachu have been together for four years." Misty replied.
"I'll start! Shinx, use 'Crunch'!" Angie ordered. Shinx charged ahead to bite Pikachu with its sharp teeth. "Alright Pikachu, jump over and use 'Iron Tail'!" Ash countered.
Pikachu charged forward to confront Shinx, but at the last moment Pikachu jumped straight up, leaving Shinx to bite nothing but air. Then Pikachu turned around and slammed Shinx with a powerful 'Iron Tail'.
"Shinx no!" Angie cried. "Follow up with 'Quick Attack' Pikachu!" Ash ordered.
Pikachu charged at lightning speed and tackled Shinx to the ground. "Don't take that from him! Use 'Thunder Fang'!" Angie screamed.
Shinx recovered and bit down on Pikachu before the electric mouse could even react. "That's the way to do it!" Angie cheered. But then all of a sudden, Shinx started wincing. "Shinx what's wrong?" Angie asked.
"Shinx looks paralyzed!" Dawn said. "With Pikachu's 'Static' ability, any physical move has the chance of getting thrown back in the user's face because of the paralysis that might come with it." Misty said.
"Let's finish this here and now! Pikachu, use 'Volt Tackle'!" Pikachu complied and ran forward with a golden electricity aura surrounding it. "Quick Shinx, dodge it!" Angie cried.
But Shinx didn't move, as the sparks from the paralysis kept it still. "Oh no!" Angie cried.
Pikachu slammed hard into the small electric-type, who despite its resistance to electric-type moves, fainted from the sheer force of impact.
"Shinx is unable to battle! The winner is Pikachu!" Brock announced.
"That's the way Pikachu!" Ash cheered. Pikachu held up its fingers in a peace sign.
"Guess that leaves Angie with just one Pokémon as opposed to Ash's three." Dawn said. "Oh yes! Finally my Lickilicky gets to battle!" the Italian trainer exclaimed with glee.
"Lickilicky, you're up next!" Angie threw out the Pokeball, and Lickilicky emerged, ready for battle. "Your trainer's here Lickilicky, let's make him proud!" Angie exclaimed.
Lickilicky stared Pikachu down in battle-ready stance. "What do you think Misty?" Dawn asked. "I don't know. Ash may have three Pokémon, but Pikachu and Chimchar have already come out, and Lickilicky's 'Rollout' sure packs a punch." Misty replied.
"My turn this time! Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash ordered. Pikachu's cheeks sparked furiously, and a lightning bolt surged towards the Licking Pokémon.
"Hold your ground!" Angie ordered. "What?" Ash yelled in shock.
Lickilicky took the hit, and practically bounced it off its blubbery body. "It can't be." Ash said to himself in a hushed tone.
"That 'Thunderbolt' did absolutely nothing." Dawn said in awe. "I can't believe it either. Angie must've trained Lickilicky harder than we ever could've imagined." Misty added.
"Yes! Go Lickilicky go!" the Italian trainer cheered. Misty and Dawn sweat-dropped at that.
"Alright then Pikachu, try an 'Iron Tail'!" Ash ordered. Pikachu charged ahead and swung its now steel hard tail into Lickilicky's body.
But again, Pikachu's attack was repelled by Lickilicky's defense. "Ok Lickilicky, use 'Wrap'!" Angie ordered.
Lickilicky swung its tongue around Pikachu and squeezed it tight. "Pikachu, quick! Use 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash yelled.
"Slam'!" Angie ordered. Just before Pikachu could launch the electric attack, Lickilicky threw Pikachu down to the ground.
Pikachu struggled to back to his feet, but he was determined not to go down. "Alright Pikachu, 'Volt Tackle'!"
Pikachu braced itself to run forward, and then once his strength was back up, he charged ahead. "Lickilicky, use 'Rollout'!" Angie ordered.
Lickilicky took a few bounding steps and then rolled up into a ball, and the two Pokémon charged for each other.
"There's no way Pikachu can fight that head on!" Dawn cried. "Pikachu, get out of there!" Ash yelled.
Pikachu heard Ash's cry and hit the brakes. But by the time he was ready to jump out of the way; Lickilicky rammed into the electric mouse and sent it flying like a bowling pin.
Pikachu landed with a painful thud and fainted on the spot. "Pikachu is unable to battle! The winner is Lickilicky!"
"Oh yes! You did a bello job Lickilicky!" Lickilicky's trainer exclaimed from the sidelines.
"You did great Pikachu." Ash picked up the electric mouse and placed it down on the sidelines next to Misty's feet. "Take a nice long rest."
Before Ash could turn and head back to the field, a white light flashed from Dawn's backpack. "Heh heh, you take good care of Pikachu for me, ok Buneary?" Ash said.
Buneary nodded with a smile, and began gently stroking Pikachu's fur. Pikachu smiled and closed his eyes, happily relaxing as Buneary massaged his aching muscles.
"That's sweet of you Buneary." Misty said with a grin.
"Come on! Let's get this battle up again!" Angie cried impatiently. "Alright! Chimchar, I need you again!" Ash called out his fire monkey once again, and it chattered determinedly at Lickilicky.
Lickilicky just ignored Chimchar, and awaited orders. "Lickilicky, use 'Rollout'!" Angie wasted no time sending Lickilicky out to use its most powerful attack.
The Licking Pokémon rolled like a bowling ball towards the fire monkey. "Alright Chimchar, use 'Flamethrower'!" Ash countered.
Chimchar unleashed a burning flame at its incoming opponent. Unfortunately, the attack barely did a thing as LIckilicky kept on rolling.
Chimchar took the hit dead-on, and fell to the ground with a painful thud. "C'mon Chimchar, don't give up!" Ash yelled.
Chimchar struggled to its feet and growled at Lickilicky.
"There's gotta be some way to beat that 'Rollout'." Dawn said. "I think there is…hey Ash!" Misty shouted.
Ash looked to the sidelines. "Remember Whitney and Miltank?" Misty exclaimed.
A light turned on in Ash's head, as he realized exactly what Misty was telling him to do. "Alright Chimchar, return for now!" Ash called back Chimchar and reached for his final Pokéball.
"Ok, Buizel, I choose you!" Ash called out his water-type who had his arms crossed and was ready for a battle.
"I don't care what type you throw out! Lickilicky, you just keep using 'Rollout'!" Angie ordered. Once again, Lickilicky went on the attack.
But this time, there was a smirk on Ash's face. "Alright Buizel, use 'Aqua Jetpack'!" Ash ordered.
"Aqua what?" Angie cried.
Buizel smirked and launched straight up into the air with 'Aqua Jet', and then it inflated its collar and fired 'Water Gun' to stay airborne.
"Now, make trenches in the ground with 'Water Gun'!" Ash ordered. Buizel obliged and used its high pressured attack to dig trenches all over the field. And at the same time, Buizel hit the confused Lickilicky a few times.
"This is pathetic! He's just making a mess! Lickilicky, use 'Wrap' to bring Buizel down!" Angie ordered. Lickilicky swung its tongue into the air, and forced Buizel to the ground.
"Now follow up with 'Slam'!" Lickilicky slammed Buizel multiple times into the ground, and a pained "Bui!" rung out with each impact.
"Buizel, use 'Aqua Jet'!" Ash ordered. Summoning all its leftover strength, Buizel activated 'Aqua Jet' and broke free of the attack, but Buizel was obviously in serious pain.
"Finish it off with 'Rollout'!" Lickilicky complied and started rolling once more.
"Yes!" Ash thought, "Alright Buizel, into the trench!" Ash yelled.
Buizel struggled, but eventually dove into the nearest trench. And just as Ash planned, Lickilicky was forced to roll along the trench.
"Ready with 'Water Pulse' Buizel!" Ash yelled. Buizel formed an energized ball of water and held it in its hands.
Now Lickilicky would be right over it in a few moments. "Now Buizel! 'Water Pulse'!" Ash roared. Buizel unleashed the attack, and the water pressure from the attack sent the rolled up Lickilicky flying into the air.
"Oh no! Lickilicky!" Angie cried. "Alright Buizel, hit it with a 'Sonic Boom'!" Ash ordered.
Buizel swung its tail, and multiple waves of sound slammed into the body of Lickilicky, causing it to uncurl and flail desperately.
"Yeah, that's the way!" Ash cheered. Unfortunately for Ash, he hadn't taken into account Lickilicky's massive weight.
Lickilicky plummeted like a rock, and ironically was falling right where Buizel was standing. "Aah! Buizel, get out of there!" Ash yelled.
Buizel looked up in shock and tried to jump out of the way, but by the time the water weasel could get its footing, Lickilicky had landed and rose up a cloud of dust.
When the dust settled, Lickilicky had fainted from the battle damage, and Buizel had fainted from being crushed by a huge Pokémon.
"Both Pokémon are unable to battle! And since Angie is out of usable Pokémon, the match goes to Ash!" Brock announced.
"You did it Buizel, you won." Ash returned the water weasel to its Pokéball for a well deserved rest.
"Oh, you were simply bello Lickilicky, I'm so proud of you." the Italian trainer said happily.
The two battlers headed to the sidelines and shook hands. "You were awesome Angie." Ash said.
"Thanks, but winning still would've been nice." Angie replied.
"What was it about what Misty said that made you turn the tables so fast Ash?" Dawn asked.
"While we were traveling in Johto, I battled a gym leader named Whitney, and her Miltank knew 'Rollout' and was knocking out my Pokémon before I could even react. Then I came up with the trench strategy with my Totodile. I just replayed history with Buizel." Ash explained.
"Hey guys, we probably should get going. The sun's going down." Brock said. "Oh man, time sure flew didn't it?" Ash said.
"Yeah…it sure did." Angie said, somewhat sadly.
The group quickly packed up their things, and met up with Angie and her parents at the front door. "Thanks a lot for letting us stay over." Ash said.
"Sure. Sorry things didn't go as smooth as I thought." Angie's father said. "No prob." Ash replied.
"And Ash, since I'm gonna work hard here at the center, YOU make sure to work hard on your battling, deal?" Angie said.
"You can count on it Angie." Ash replied.
"Well…I guess this is goodbye." Angie said sadly.
Ash glanced at Misty for a moment, and the water trainer nodded in understanding. Ash opened his arms for Angie, and the twelve year old girl gleefully embraced Ash for a goodbye hug.
After a few moments, Angie released Ash, and the group turned to leave, waving farewell to their good friends.
But just a few seconds after they were out of earshot, Ash sneezed for no reason. "Where'd that come from?" Ash asked, scratching his nose.
"You know, I once heard somewhere that if you sneeze for no reason, it's because someone somewhere is talking about you." Dawn said.
Misty looked up into the sky with a thoughtful expression. "Ash probably made her day. Well, I guess there's nothing wrong with a goodbye hug. Good luck Angie, I hope you find someone else like Ash someday, we all need someone to care for us."
And so the group headed back to Hearthome City for Ash's rematch, and that would surely prove to be a doozy of a battle.
_
A/N: And there you have it folks! That's the end of the Angie saga. I hope you guys thought it had decent humor along with the small bit of fluff here and there. And yes, Dawn's seeing things again lol. Don't worry, you'll get the explanation VERY soon. BTW, check out Midia-Melodramatic's dA account to see images of the first few chapter of the fanfic! Thanks a lot Mel! And I hope you stay on with me! Please review everyone, and I promise to start replying to your awesome reviews.