Next chapter up...twists abound.
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Chapter 62
Misty's POV
Well the past couple of days have been relatively peaceful given the way our lives go, we helped a Tangrowth and his friends save their forest, and then we defeated Team Rocket who had fooled several trainers into a competition, oh yeah, and that same day we helped Officer Jenny arrest two other Pokémon thieves not named Jessie or James. If we're being totally honest, I'm actually grateful that the most we've had to deal with for the past couple of days have been Jessie, James, and Meowth. As much of an annoyance as they can be, they're actually a relief given the nature of the situations we've been finding ourselves in lately.
I mean think about it...first Snowpoint City...it started out ok enough, even though Ash and I got into a brief little spat before he made up for it, in his own way. But after the battle against Candice, stuff started happening. Paul showed up, and things very quickly got tense just because of his presence alone. Then a Kanto Frontier Brain shows up in his flying facility, and not just any Frontier Brain mind you, the Pyramid King Brandon! Paul's fights him and loses, so Paul's older brother Reggie suggests a full battle between Ash and Paul. Ash of course accepted.
Then Hunter J and Regigigas happened and she almost killed us...no big deal right? Wrong. After that was Team Galactic again, still, we could handle it right? Sure, but it wasn't fun. Training for Paul got a lot of emotions to run high, then the battle itself was brutal beyond words. Ash called on his most powerful Pokémon in Charizard, Sceptile, and Snorlax, and everyone needed nothing short of intensive care from Brock and Nurse Joy once it was all over. I swear Ash was contemplating quitting training after seeing the pounding his team had taken despite their victory. But we managed to get his spirits up thanks to a pounding we gave to Team Rocket that same day.
So now we can relax right? WRONG! Now we're sucked into a time-travel conspiracy where the most powerful Pokémon in all of existence wanted to kill us! And I actually died for a few minutes before the timeline was repaired. Poor Ash, his heart was beyond broken when me and Pikachu disappeared right before his very eyes. And when we came back, I don't think I ever saw his eyes light up so strongly before in my entire life. So we saved the world again, and by now I was actually expecting something life-threatening to happen again...what a relief to find that all we've had to deal with lately has been Team Rocket. I'll probably never say this again, but thank you Team Rocket for giving our lives a certain sense of normalcy again.
Now we were at a Pokémon Center near Mt. Coronet, taking a brief rest before we start walking towards Lilypad Town again for Dawn's next contest. Now I'm here with Ash in our room, enjoying a nice little cuddling session...so why do I feel so uneasy?
Normal POV
"You feeling ok Mist?" Ash shifted a little to try and make him and Misty a little more comfortable, they were both sitting in the loveseat in their room, their sides intentionally pressed together while they watched a movie on the television. They were ok for a while, but about halfway through the movie Misty started getting a little fidgety. "You gotta go to the bathroom or something?"
Misty swiveled her head to narrow her eyes at him, "No I do not." she poked him rather harshly in the chest in an attempt to discipline him for his moronic insinuation, but when she saw the sudden hurt in his chocolate-brown eyes, she immediately regretted it. "I'm sorry." she sighed, looking away from him.
Ash felt better knowing she wasn't really angry at him, but her sudden temper tantrum confused him. "What's the matter Misty?"
What was the matter? Even Misty didn't necessarily know for sure, but she did know that something was bothering her. "I dunno Ash," she said exasperatedly. "I dunno if I'm bored, nervous, or a mixture of both..." Misty took a hold of Ash's hand and squeezed it, "I don't mean I'm bored with you," she relinquished a small smile before continuing. "I mean I wanna do something, but at the same time I don't because I'm afraid we'll go back to fighting for our lives all over again if we tempt fate."
Ash nodded slowly, "Yeah I think I get you." Ash roped the redhead around her waist into a one-armed hug and kissed the top of her head, and he smiled as he pulled away a little and saw her sea-green eyes twinkling back at him. "We've still got a little daylight to work with, how about we go and do a little bit of training? You know, just for fun."
"Gosh I love him...how does he manage to make me feel better so easily?" Misty kissed him tenderly on the lips, caressing the sides of his face as she did so. After a few moments she pulled back and sighed contentedly before leaning in to kiss his nose. She then leaped out of the loveseat and headed towards the door, looking over her shoulder at the boy she loved so much. "Well you coming or what? We can't have you falling too far behind me in skill." she then rushed out laughing as Ash chased after her in playful annoyance.
When he finally caught her he lifted her up in the air for a moment, earning a joyous squeal from the redhead and also the attention of everyone else in the room. He immediately put her down and blushed profusely as the other people and Pokémon in the room went back to their own matters, muttering to themselves about young love or getting a room, depending on their mood. "Heh...got a little carried away there." he mumbled.
"No I got carried away! It wasn't you who got lifted up in the air!" Misty teased, shamelessly latching onto the brown-eyed trainer, "So come on, let's train!"
Before they could go outside however, they were confronted by Nurse Joy, "Excuse me, are you Ash?" the pink-haired woman asked.
"Yeah, that's me." Ash replied.
"You have a call from Prof. Oak, he apparently has something fairly urgent to discuss with you."
"Um...thanks..." Ash watched the nurse nod and return to her duties before turning his attention back to his girlfriend. "Wonder what he wants."
"Only one way to find out." Misty took Ash's hand and led him to the videophones, and sat down next to him on the bench before he called.
Moments later, Prof. Oak appeared on the screen, "Ash! And Misty too! Thank heavens you received my message!"
"What's up Professor?" Ash noted the scientist's exhausted demeanor, "Why do ya look so tired?"
Prof. Oak sighed in fatigue, his form looking older and more decrepit than he truly was, "Truth be told my boy, Tracey and I have been running ourselves ragged these past couple of days trying to keep up with Haunter and Rotom...they seem...particularly mischievous as of late."
"You want me to talk to 'em?"
"No Ash...this may seem incredibly petty of me to ask...but I was hoping you could take them off my hands for a couple of days, just so I can get everything back in order...and between you and me, I think Tracey and your Pokémon would enjoy the days off."
"Oh boy," Misty sighed and rubbed her temples, "This probably means I'm gonna get a call from Daisy soon, she's gonna wanna chew me out for keeping her boyfriend away from her."
"YOU GOT THAT RIGHT!" All of a sudden Daisy came barging into the picture, knocking the Professor off his chair and almost scaring Misty out of hers, "I've been stuck battling challengers for the past three days and instead of enjoying some alone time with my sweet, adorable man afterwards, I've been coming to help him keep your boyfriend's Pokémon under control!" Suddenly Rotom appeared in the picture, which made the blonde scream in fear, "Don't make me get the glove you little pest!" Rotom zoomed off, and the sound of a Pokéball return light came from off-screen and Tracey walked on-screen moments later.
"Ok Dais, that's both of 'em." the artist sighed in relief, then noticed the two friendly faces on the screen. "Oh...hey guys, how's it hanging?"
"Look guys, I really am sorry about those two...tell you what, send 'em over and I'll send you two of my better behaved guys in return for a while." Ash suggested, holding two shrunken Pokéballs in his hand.
"We'd really appreciate that actually, I wouldn't mind getting some time with my precious water flower." Tracey cupped the blonde's chin, and she giggled sweetly in return.
"Oh baby, you're so cute." she blushed and took the hand that was cupping her chin into her own hands, kissing it lovingly.
"Is that what we look like to people? Suddenly I kinda regret all that stuff we did back in the lobby." Misty gagged.
Daisy made a face at her baby sister before turning back to her love, "Go and get that creepy Haunter's Pokéball, I think I put it somewhere over by Prof. Oak's desk." Tracey nodded and walked off, then Daisy turned her attention to Ash, "Say Ash, think you could go do something else for a second? I wanna talk to my sister alone."
"Uh...sure." Ash hesitantly got up and handed Misty the two Pokéballs, "I'll uh...meet you outside Mist." With that, Ash walked off and left the two sisters to themselves.
"Alright Daisy," Misty crossed her arms and her legs in annoyance, "What's so important that Ash isn't allowed to hear any of this? You do realize that even if he's not here, it won't take Tracey more than thirty seconds to come back with Haunter's Pokéball."
"Oh please," Daisy scoffed, "Have you ever seen Prof. Oak's desk? He'll be looking for that Pokéball for at least ten minutes. Plenty of time."
Misty huffed, "Fine. Go ahead."
"First of all, I wanna thank you for that talk we had a few weeks ago...gosh Misty, he makes me so happy I feel like my heart's gonna burst!"
The redhead couldn't help but smile, "I'm happy for you big sis, it's good to see you made up with him. After all the work you've been putting in at the gym, you deserve to experience what true love feels like."
Daisy leaned into the screen and whispered conspiratorially, "Would you think I'm crazy if I said I wanted him to ask me to marry him?"
Misty's eyes widened in shock, "Are you serious?"
Daisy nodded vigorously, her blonde hair shaking around her face as she did so, "He's the one Misty! I can just feel it! I've gone out with dozens of guys, but no one's EVER made me feel the way Tracey does..." Daisy's expression morphed into a dreamy one as she got a far-off look in her eyes. "I love him sooo much, when he touches me, I feel safe somehow, like nothing can ever hurt me as long as he's there. Have you ever felt that way with Ash?"
"All the time." Misty sighed with contentment.
"Tracey's just the sweetest thing, and he loves me for me, not for my celebrity. I mean, almost all the other guys I've ever dated just wanted to be able to say they dated one of the Sensational Sisters, it could've been Lily or Violet and it wouldn't've been any different for those pigs...but with Tracey...I feel special...with Tracey, I'm not Daisy Waterflower, one of the Gym Leaders and Sensational Sisters of Cerulean City...I'm Daisy, a girl in love with the most sincerely sweet man in the world."
"Stop Daisy." Misty took a deep breath and shook her head, "You're making me get all emotional..."
"Sorry...it's just...I had to tell someone, Lily and Violet are too wrapped up in their own affairs...and besides, they don't have the same viewpoint on this that I do...I was hoping you'd be more open to something like this." Daisy shook her head with a sad smile, "Never thought I'd ever find myself drifting away from them."
"Drifting away from Lily and Violet? C'mon Daisy, aren't you being a little overdramatic about this?"
"Maybe...it's not like we don't hang out or anything, but lately they've been going off to do their own thing more than they usually do, so a lot of the time I'm in the gym all by myself. Tracey shows up whenever he can and we get a little bit of training in...among other things." Daisy grinned a little at that, "But I miss having my little sisters around...if you ever repeat this I'll deny it...but at this point I feel closer to you than I do to either of them."
"Daisy...I..." Misty was stunned to say the least, "I-I'm sorry sis."
"Don't be," Daisy put her hand up, "And don't even think about playing the martyr and coming home, 'cause I'll boot you right back out again. I can handle things here."
Misty couldn't decide what was more shocking, the fact that she was hearing these words coming out of her oldest sister's mouth...or the fact that she was for the briefest of moments actually considering going home to help Daisy and keep her company, "I never thought I'd come to care so much for any of them." the redhead thought to herself. "Hey Daisy."
"Yeah?"
"If I remember my old schedule, the Kanto League should be starting in a few days right?"
"I think so...why, what are you thinking?"
"Well, since the gyms close once the League begins, why don't you make plans with Tracey and find a way to come and visit us here in Sinnoh?"
Daisy gasped, "Baby sis, we think more alike than I thought, I was actually planning on doing that not two days ago!"
"We think alike? There's a scary thought." the two sisters laughed for a moment, "If we're being totally honest with each other, I guess I can admit that I miss you guys too."
"You have no idea what that means to me Misty. I know you already told me you forgave us for all the stuff we did years ago, but hearing you say that makes me feel like we haven't totally lost you...I don't care what Lily and Violet have to say about this, there are four Sensational Sisters, and you're the greatest of us."
That did it, Misty just couldn't hold it in any longer. So much had changed since months ago when Ash first arrived at the Cerulean Gym and taken her to Sinnoh, all of a sudden she and Daisy were a picture perfect example of what sisters were, and this heart-to-heart they were sharing only confirmed it for her. The redhead felt her eyes starting to water as what Daisy had told her began to truly sink in. At one point in time she was considered nothing more than the runt of the litter, not even technically a Sensational Sister in her sister's eyes...now she had just been told that not only was she one of them, but she was the best of them. "I love you big sister." her voice cracked a little, but she didn't care at this point.
"I love you too little sister." For a moment the two girls just stared at each other, reveling in the new sisterly love that had recently blossomed between the two of them. Daisy wiped at her eyes and chuckled a little, "Um...this may seem like an inappropriate time, but could I possibly have a couple of your Pokémon? I'd like to give the gang the rest of the week off until the Kanto League."
"Aww way to ruin the moment!" Misty laughed and pulled a Pokéball off her belt, "How about Staryu? It could use a nice vacation after all the stuff we've been through lately."
"Staryu's fine, thanks."
Misty nodded and sent the Pokéball to Daisy, "Actually I'm kinda happy you asked, I've been wanting to catch some of these awesome new water-types that are here in Sinnoh and now I can!"
"Sounds like a plan to me...and hey, I'm looking forward to seeing you guys, I'll give you a call when Tracey and I get to Sinnoh."
"Looking forward to it! Although you do realize that we're gonna be doing some training while you're up here right?"
"Aww Misty! I wanted to take a vacation!"
"You will! But I'm not about to let you go without at least a little bit of training. As much as I appreciate what you've done, you did let the gym fall a bit in the rankings, not that that's entirely your fault or anything, it's not like you were training for years before I left. But lemme tell ya something Daisy, these Sinnoh gyms have inspired me. Ash is so powerful now that if he wanted to take a shot at the Kanto League he'd probably blow Sabrina and Lt. Surge away without even breaking a sweat, and he still has to give it his all up here or he'll take a pounding."
"They're that strong?"
Misty looked around to make sure Ash was still outside, "I'd never admit this to him, but he makes me look like a rookie trainer sometimes...gotta say...it's been bruising my ego."
"And you haven't said anything to him about it?" Daisy asked.
"What could I say Daisy? 'Hey Ash, could you not train so hard so I can catch up to you?' Forget the fact that'd be completely humiliating for me, it's flat-out selfish too."
"This is gonna sound really weird and dare I say hypocritical coming from me, but why don't you just train harder?"
"I'm actually going out to train with him right now before it gets too dark. I guess if nothing else I've learned a lot out here, and I'm gonna bring those techniques back home one day and turn our gym into the strongest gym in Kanto."
"You mean like that totally awesome 'Ice Aqua Jet' that Ash used?!"
"Exactly." Misty sighed and looked away almost shamefully, "Still...somehow I wish I could..." Just then, the two girls' significant others arrived, so Misty immediately quit talking.
"Come on Mist, what's the hold up?"
"Boy, I thought I'd never find that Pokéball."
"Ok boys, Misty and I are about done here, go ahead babe, send Ash his two creepy ghost-types." Daisy grimaced as she brought up the two pesky Pokémon.
"Hang on, gotta send you these first." Misty still had Ash's two Pokéballs, so she placed them in the transfer slot and within moments they materialized in Prof. Oak's lab, "Alright, go for it."
"Two ghost-types, coming up!" Tracey made the exchange, and Ash grabbed them and placed them on his belt the minute they arrived, "Thanks guys, we really appreciate it."
"No problem! Could you guys do me one favor though?" Ash asked.
"What's that?" Tracey replied.
"I want you guys to introduce Monferno and Gliscor to the other Pokémon, I'd like them to start making friends with the others."
"Is that all? Piece of cake!" Tracey gave the boy a thumbs-up, "Well if that's it then, Daisy and I are gonna go and get some dinner..." Tracey turned his attention directly to the blonde woman, "My treat."
"Oh Tracey, you're so sweet." Daisy pulled Tracey in for a kiss, and the gesture was happily returned by the artist. When they pulled away, Daisy giggled, "You taste sweet too."
"Get a room!" Misty gagged.
"Good idea! C'mon baby, I'm in the mood for one of our...special nights."
"Special nights?" Tracey cocked an eyebrow in confusion.
"Aa - aa - AAH! Bad images! Good luck Tracey!" Ash immediately hung up and began slapping his face in an attempt to get the dirty ideas out of his head.
Misty wasn't nearly as expressive, but she was just as mortified. "Never again...never talking about love with Daisy again."
"Well that worked!" Daisy was laughing hysterically back at the lab.
"We don't have 'special' nights, you did that to freak them out!" Tracey replied in disapproval.
"Not Ash so much, just didn't want Misty interrupting our 'us' time with her little remarks." Daisy kissed him again, and she could feel the anger just melting out of the young man. She pulled back and smiled lovingly at him, "Come on," she whispered. "Let's get something to eat, I want a table outside that's the farthest away from any other customers so it'll just be you, me, and the stars above."
"Sounds like a plan to me." Tracey took her hand and placed a feathery kiss on it before helping her up from the bench, then they walked out hand in hand to find a place where they could truly be alone. "Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something though?"
"That's it." Prof. Oak had finally gotten up after being knocked out by Daisy, "I'm getting a videophone in my private quarters."
Back in Sinnoh, Ash and Misty were wordlessly walking through the Pokémon Center, heading towards the back door where the battlefields were. On the way there, they ran into Dawn, who was working with Piplup and Buneary on contest techniques. Pikachu was there too, only to be close to the little rabbit he loved of course. Dawn noted their blank expressions as they walked by, "Guys...you ok?" they didn't even acknowledge her presence, which confused the coordinator greatly, "What's up with them?" Dawn scratched her head.
Pikachu shrugged, "Pika pika." (No clue.)
Once they finally got outside, Misty broke the horribly awkward silence. "We will never speak of that again." Ash nodded without a word and took his place on the battlefield, "Geez Daisy, you sure know how to ruin a moment." the redhead just shuddered again before fingering her Pokéballs, thinking about which choice she would make.
"Ok then!" Ash was determined to break free of the weirdness Daisy had inflicted on him, "Since I just got these guys back, I'll give 'em some training right now! Haunter, Rotom, I choose you!" Ash launched two Pokéballs, and the two ghost-types appeared and started flying around the area, "Hey guys!" Upon hearing his voice, the two ghosts swarmed Ash, "I'm glad to see you too!" the boy laughed.
"Hey, pleasantries later! Battle now! The sun's going down!" Misty grabbed two Pokéballs and tossed them, "Misty calls Surskit and Vaporeon!" The two Pokémon emerged and immediately got into battle-ready stance. "Well?!"
"Alright then!" Ash turned his attention to the ghosts, "Whaddya say we get a battle going you two?" Surprisingly, the two normally mischievous ghost-types were actually ecstatic about getting to battle. "Now I get it, you guys were just restless at Prof. Oak's lab! Well now we'll get some training in! Lemme just give you two a scan so I can find out what moves you can use." Ash pulled out his Pokédex to do just that.
After a few beeping noises, the Pokédex gave its analysis. "This Haunter's main moves are 'Lick', 'Shadow Ball', 'Shadow Punch', and 'Destiny Bond'...this Rotom's main moves are 'Shock Wave', 'Ominous Wind', 'Double Team', and 'Confuse Ray', Rotom can also use moves depending on the nature of electrically powered devices it inhabits, such as 'Air Slash' when it inhabits an electric fan. These Pokémon know other moves as well, would you like to hear more?"
Ash closed his Pokédex, satisfied with what he heard. "Wow guys, that's impressive! Rotom, we'll have to do some experimenting with different appliances and stuff to see what we can do when we battle!" Rotom nodded and grinned widely. "Ok Misty, here we come!" Haunter and Rotom took their places on the field, shuddering with excitement.
"I'm up first! Vaporeon, use 'Shadow Ball' on Haunter! Surskit, use 'Bubblebeam' on Rotom!" The two attacks were fired, and Ash called his counters.
"Dodge 'em!" The ghost-types split up and avoided the blasts, "Now Haunter, get in close and use 'Lick' on Vaporeon!" Haunter whooshed over to the Bubble-Jet Pokémon with his tongue waggling out.
"Quick Surskit, cut him off with an 'Ice Beam'!"
"Rotom, stop Surskit with 'Confuse Ray'!" The two small Pokémon rushed towards each other, but with her greater experience Surskit was able to fire first, and stopped Haunter in his tracks while still managing to dodge Rotom with a graceful spin. "Annoying little acrobat." Ash muttered to himself. "Alright Rotom, 'Shock Wave' Vaporeon'!"
"Shadow Ball', go!" Vaporeon immediately leaped up to meet the electric-ghost who had simply kept on flying after missing Surskit, and she managed to get off a good hit with her 'Shadow Ball', "Atta girl Vaporeon! Alright, let's follow that up with a 'Water Pulse'! And Surskit, use 'Bubblebeam' on Haunter!" The two Pokémon began to unleash their attacks.
"Not this time! Ok Rotom, 'Double Team' now!" Rotom immediately split into ten different Rotom and surrounded the two water-types, effectively confusing them. "Pour it on Rotom! 'Confuse Ray'!" Rotom's blue eyes suddenly turned purple, as did Surskit's and Vaporeon's. "Perfect! Now Rotom, 'Shock Wave' on Vaporeon! Haunter, 'Shadow Ball' on Surskit, let's go!"
"Come on you guys, snap out of it!" Much to the redhead's dismay, her Pokémon were simply too confused to listen, as the attacks struck them and put them in major distress as they cried out in pain. "No!"
"Yeah! Keep it up guys! Haunter, 'Shadow Punch'!" Haunter flew back and forth, unleashing a ghostly fist on the two Pokémon with each run. "Now Rotom, 'Shock Wave' again!"
"This is starting to get intense, Ash isn't letting up at all..." Misty was quickly reminded that Ash was no longer the same trainer she knew years ago, like she had just admitted to Daisy not ten minutes ago, Ash's strength made her feel like she was in over her head against him. "Well there's only one way to get back above water so to speak!" she thought determinedly, as she watched her team take another hit from Rotom's electrical attack. "Surskit! I know you're confused but you have to listen to me! Use 'Rain Dance'! You understand?! 'Rain Dance'!" Miraculously, Surskit managed to hear the words of her trainer, and strained to get off a ball of water that rocketed towards the sky and caused a storm cloud to appear overhead.
"Aww not again." Ash groaned.
Sure enough it started to rain, effectively soaking them both. "Yeah I know, I kinda didn't wanna do that either, but if my theory is right..." Once the rain started coming down, Vaporeon and Surskit blinked a few times and came back to their senses. "Yes! The rain snapped them out of it! Alright Surskit, let's use the rain to our advantage! Use 'Bubblebeam' on Vaporeon!" Surskit needed no convincing. The bug/water-type aimed directly at Vaporeon and unleashed a stream of bubbles that hit and allowed Vaporeon to feel the relief her special ability 'Water Absorb' granted her.
"Shoulda known they'd do something like that." Ash had been trying to get Rotom's electric attacks to focus mainly on Vaporeon since he knew that 'Water Absorb' would make it very difficult to knock the Bubble-Jet Pokémon out. "Wait a minute! I've been going about this the wrong way!" he realized. "If I wanna keep Vaporeon from healing, I gotta take out Surskit! As long as Surskit's still in the battle, I'll have to deal with her blasting a 'Bubblebeam' and giving Vaporeon a recharge every time she starts getting too weak!" With that in mind, Ash called out his next attack. "Alright Rotom, use 'Double Team' and then use 'Shock Wave' on Vaporeon!" Rotom split up and surrounded Vaporeon and got ready to fire.
"That gleam in his eyes...he must be baiting me! Trying to get me to have Surskit run interference, if he really wanted to attack Vaporeon he would've fired already...ok, I can play your game Ashy, you want Surskit? You'll get Surskit!" Misty grinned and called her move, "Surskit, 'Sweet Scent'!"
"Rotom, pull back!" Too late. Ash wanted to face-palm as he watched Rotom totally lose focus on his attack thanks to the 'Sweet Scent' Surskit just used. Instead he settled for a low growl. "Shoulda just let Rotom hit Vaporeon..." Ash instead formed a new plan. "Ok Haunter, 'Lick' on Surskit!" Haunter was spared the effects of 'Sweet Scent' as he was waiting for Surskit to get close with an actual attack, so the ghost/poison-type was able to swoop towards the bug with his tongue hanging out for a swipe.
"Duck Surskit!" One advantage the Pond Skater had was her size, being as small as she was she was able to flatten herself down and avoid Haunter's strafing run. "Now, use 'Shadow Ball' Vaporeon!" Vaporeon escaped from the still slightly distracted electric/ghost-type and aimed a shadowy blob at Haunter who had yet to turn around after his attack.
"Dodge it Haunter!" Unfortunately Haunter couldn't comply fast enough as the attack reached its target right on the money. Haunter fell to the ground with a wet plop and growled a little as he used his disembodied fists to get back up. "Haunter needs help Rotom! Use 'Ominous Wind'!"
"Haunter's looking weak...time for me to bait my own hook!" the redhead thought to herself, "Surskit, keep Haunter down with 'Sweet Scent'! Vaporeon, use 'Quick Attack' to dodge Rotom's attacks!" Misty's Pokémon followed their orders to the letter. Surskit emitted a sweet smell that distracted the ghost/poison-type enough to not care about getting back in the battle, while Vaporeon managed to use 'Quick Attack's' extra speed to dodge the blasts from 'Ominous Wind'. "Alright, this is it Surskit! Now that Haunter's distracted, finish him with 'Bubblebeam'! Point-blank range!" Misty took a moment to look up at Ash, "Is the fish gonna take the bait?"
"No way! Haunter, 'Destiny Bond'! Rotom, 'Ominous Wind' on Vaporeon again! Full power!"
"Hook, line, and sinker!" Misty couldn't help but grin, Vaporeon had gotten in perfect position for their trap to be sprung. "Dodge it Vaporeon! Surskit, fall back!"
"What?!" It was only then Ash realized his mistake. He watched in horror as Haunter's body became enveloped in a purple outline just as Rotom's 'Ominous Wind' which had been aimed at Vaporeon instead struck Haunter as the Bubble-Jet Pokémon had been standing right in front of him when he fired. "Don't give up Haunter, please!" Unfortunately Rotom's attack was too much for the weakened ghost-type to handle, and since Rotom was the one responsible for Haunter's knockout, the two orbs that came out of Haunter's eyes headed straight for the horrified Plasma Pokémon. "Rotom watch...out." The orbs hit Rotom before Ash could finish his warning, and sure enough, 'Destiny Bond' did its job as Rotom fell to the ground with swirls in his eyes. Ash had fallen for the exact same trap he had tried to set for Misty.
"We did it you guys!" Misty jogged onto the battlefield and knelt down in front of her two Pokémon to celebrate their victory over Ash just as the rain came to a stop. "Guess I'm stronger than I've been giving myself credit for."
"Return guys, you did good for a debut battle." Ash returned the two Pokémon and walked over to the love of his life, who was still happily embracing her own Pokémon. "Gotta hand it to you Misty, I never saw that move coming."
"Thanks Ash." Misty accepted the hand he was now holding out and got back to her feet, returning her Pokémon as she did so, but something started twitching in the back of her mind. "Um...Ashy...you didn't um..." she suddenly looked rather timid.
"Mist...what's the matter?"
"You didn't...let me win did you?"
Ash actually dropped her hand and looked at her as if she had suddenly turned into a sort of human Dodrio, "Let you win?" he scoffed, "When have you ever known me to throw a battle?"
The redhead crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow, "Well I do recall at least one instance when you threw a battle, say a few months ago?"
"That was different!" Ash threw his arms up in the air in exasperation, "The only reason I threw that battle was to show Daisy how it felt to win a battle and give her confidence, you know that!" Ash shook his head and huffed in confusion. "Misty, what is the matter with you? Why are you acting so..." Ash struggled to find an appropriate word, "Unconfident?"
The water-trainer scowled at him, "Oh I dunno Ash, maybe because this is maybe only the second battle I've actually won since I've been out here with you?"
"What are you talking about? We've battled plenty since you came out here and you've won a lot of those battles!"
"Battles where I'm teamed up with you don't count!" Misty was now breathing heavily, "I don't wanna have to rely on your power to win, I wanna be able to say that I'm the reason I won a battle! But I can't do that out here, the trainers are too strong, including you ok?! There, I said it! Happy now Ash Ketchum?! I just admitted it, I am not strong enough to compete out here!"
"Misty that's ridiculous!" Ash was about to continue when he noticed that it was now totally dark, "It's already dark...can we go inside to discuss this?"
"There's nothing to discuss." Misty turned her back on him and started to walk away, but Ash wasn't about to let her get away like that.
"Oh no you don't." He grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around, looking straight into her somewhat shocked bluish-green eyes. "I know I'm not the smartest guy out there, but if there's one thing I've learned it's how to read your feelings when it comes to me. I've known you too long and I think we've gotten too close for you to just pretend like what you just said never happened. I don't want there to be anything we can't tell each other, isn't that one of the most important things in a relationship? Trust? I trust you completely, don't you trust me?"
Stunned, Misty nodded. "I do trust you Ash...but...this isn't really a matter of trust..."
"Then what is it then? Pride? C'mon Mist, I thought we were closer than that! I don't wanna lose you over something as dumb as a bruised ego!"
That put a little fire back in her heart, "It's not dumb!" but the fire died out pretty quickly when she processed the other part of what he said. "Lose me? You're still worried about me leaving?"
Ash let go of her and let his arms fall to his sides, breaking eye contact as he looked at the ground. "You already told me something you didn't wanna admit, so now I'll tell you something." Ash took a deep breath and sighed loudly, "I haven't even told Brock this...not a day goes by Misty, that I don't worry that you might leave me. I mean, look at you," he gestured at her beautiful form, "You could have any guy you wanted! But you chose me? I consider myself the luckiest guy on the planet to have someone like you as my girlfriend, but I can't help but feel like I don't deserve you."
"Ash, you..."
Ash raised his hand up, "Lemme finish...I know I do a lot of stuff that drives you nuts, like the way I eat, or how I manage to get lost all the time when we're on the road...and of course I remember those really big fights we had when I eavesdropped on you and Dawn or when I opened my big mouth with Barry. I'm always afraid that eventually I'm gonna screw up even worse and you'll finally get fed up with it...that's part of the reason I've been training so much harder ever since I brought you out here, and battling you all the time is the best way I can get stronger, I'm trying to...impress you, I don't want you to have to deal with the fact that your boyfriend is a weak loser on top of being a stupid idiot."
Her own insecurities momentarily tossed aside, Misty reached up to caress his face, slightly hurt when he flinched at her touch. But she understood why he did, so she wouldn't let it linger in her mind. "Ash, how many times do we have to go through this? I love YOU! I couldn't care less if you were the worst trainer in all of recorded history, it's your heart that makes you so special, if you were just another handsome face or even just another strong trainer I never would've even bothered to follow you around those first couple of years of your journey. I didn't fall in love with Ash Ketchum the future Pokémon Master, I fell in love with Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, just a regular guy with a heart bigger than anyone I've ever met or ever will meet."
"I know what you've said Mist...but..." Ash took a shuddering breath, trying to keep his now stirred up emotions in check, "I can't help what I feel! I want you to be proud of me!"
"I am!" the redhead wrapped her arms around and squeezed him tightly, and she felt the boy start to heave a little as his heart began to overflow. "I am so, so proud of you. I always have been, I've always taken pride in the fact that I'm so close to a guy who would quite literally give the shirt off his back to someone who needed it and expect nothing in return. That has nothing to do with Pokémon, it's just you." Misty pulled back a little and looked into his moist brown eyes, and when he used the back of his finger to wipe a tear off of her face, she realized she had in fact been reduced to tears as well. "And I haven't been totally fair to you, I had forgotten for a second why I loved you because of my...dumb ego," she chuckled slightly as she quoted his words, "Yes, I'll admit I'm a little jealous of how much stronger you've gotten than me, but that's not your problem, you're just doing what you always do. It's up to me to pick up the slack and get stronger myself...I guess you can chalk this whole mess up to me reverting back to the old Misty."
"Naw," Ash snorted as a weak smile formed on his trembling lips. "We both just had a couple issues to deal with."
Misty giggled a little and snuggled her head into the crook of Ash's neck, hugging him tighter, "I love you so much." she kissed his neck a couple of times, "Oh I love you..." The two trainers simply stood in place, stroking and kissing each other until all traces of their sadness was chased away by their love for each other. "We must be quite a sight." Misty said after a while.
"Yeah, couple of lovesick kids standing in the middle of a wet battlefield in the dark, we probably look crazy." Ash pulled back and locked eyes with the redhead in his arms, "But I can live with that."
"So can I." she kissed him passionately on the lips, and felt her heart melt for what seemed like the third time in the past ten minutes as Ash reciprocated the gesture with all his heart. They might've stayed out there all night long, but someone had gone after them.
"Hey guys?"
The couple reluctantly broke apart and glanced at the breeder who was peeking his head out the back door of the Center. "What is it Brock?" Misty asked.
"Time to come inside guys."
Misty nodded and placed one last kiss on Ash's lips before breaking the embrace just so she could entwine her fingers with his. "C'mon Ashy, I'm exhausted."
"Me too." Ash led Misty into the Pokémon Center, and the couple walked with Brock to their room. "Misty...would you mind going out to the balcony with Dawn for a second? I'd like to talk to Brock about something." Misty just smiled and squeezed the boy's hand before walking out to join Dawn on the balcony. "Thanks Mist." Ash then turned his attention to Brock, who seemed to already know the nature of what Ash wanted to talk about as he had an understanding smile plastered on his face. "Brock?"
"What's up big guy?"
"What just happened to us? Me and Misty I mean?"
Brock breathed a chuckle, "Why don't you tell me what happened the way you saw it?"
"Well...we were just having a battle and the next thing I know, Misty's shouting at me and I'm shouting back...then we're hugging and crying with each other like two three year olds. Are we that insecure? I thought we were pretty solid..."
"Ash, all relationships, no matter how solid are gonna have their share of problems. You and Misty are still two different people no matter how close you are to each other. If you don't mind my asking, what were you two so insecure about?"
Ash gulped, "Uh...I'll tell you what I was worried about, you can ask Misty yourself later, I'd rather not tick her off after what we just went through out there."
"Smart move." Brock chuckled.
Ash smiled and explained, "I was just still kinda worried about losing her is all. You know me Brock, always trying to impress. I was trying to make sure I didn't screw up and make her angry, the last thing I want is for her to get fed up with me and take off."
"If it's any consolation, I can pretty much guarantee she won't do anything like that. She loves you too much. As for Misty's problem, I'll ask her myself, you get in the shower, you smell like road kill." Brock held his nose and pointed towards the bathroom, and the black-haired trainer just rolled his eyes before leaving. Brock then got up and slid open the balcony door, where Misty, Dawn, Pikachu, Piplup, Buneary, and Azurill were all hanging out. "Hey Misty, got a sec?"
"Sure thing Brock." Misty replied and got up from her chair, "You behave yourself for Dawn ok Azurill?"
"Azu azu!" (I will!)
Misty nodded with a satisfied smile and joined the breeder in the room, "So what's up?"
"I was just curious as to what happened to you two out there, Ash already explained his side of the story but he suggested I ask you your side myself. He didn't wanna invade your privacy by telling me what was up with you without your consent."
Misty beamed, "He's such a sweetheart...ok Brock..." Misty exhaled and gave her side of the story, "I was feeling kinda jealous over how strong Ash has gotten, so I started feeling like I couldn't measure up to him...so when I actually won our battle...I asked if he let me win."
Brock looked at her like she had just turned into a sort of human Dodrio, "Let you win? Since when have you known Ash to throw a battle?"
"That's the exact same look Ash gave me, and the exact same question too...it doesn't matter Brock, everything's alright now and I'm perfectly happy. I'm not weak, but I do have to start training harder to keep up, I can accept that challenge!"
Brock smiled, "That's the Misty I know and love."
"Don't be stealing her now Brock!" Ash came out of the bathroom with semi-wet hair and a wide grin on his face, "She's mine!" He gave her sides a quick squeeze for emphasis and the redhead reacted with a surprised squeal.
"Don't do that!" she playfully swatted at his hands, unable to hide her own grinning at his mischievous antics, "You know we're lucky to have such a great couples counselor in Brock."
"Yeah, sure are. Thanks Brock." Ash exchanged fist-pounds with the breeder, who ruffled the boy's hair right after.
"Anytime guys, you ever have a problem, you can be sure to come to ol' Brocko for some wise, sagely advice." Brock puffed out his chest with pride.
"Now if only you could take our advice and stop making cases for every Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny to accuse you of sexual harassment." Misty smirked evilly.
Brock face-faulted at that but he recovered quickly, "In any case, think we can bring Dawn back in now? She's probably tired of waiting outside."
"Of course!" Misty hurried to the balcony and poked her head out the door, "In case you're interested, it's safe to come inside now."
Dawn didn't need to be told twice. The coordinator practically jumped out of her chair and scampered off to the bathroom, closed the door with a slam behind her, and it took everything in her power to not let loose a very unladylike "Aaaahhhh" as she took care of some rather long overdue business. "Note to self: Always make sure to use restroom first just in case Ash and Misty are going through couple's issues." Not much happened after that incident, showers were taken, goodnights were exchanged, and the group of teens fell into a peaceful slumber.
The next morning, they got up bright and early and headed out after giving their Pokémon a recharge from Nurse Joy, and they soon found themselves in a foggy forest near Mt. Coronet. "Man does it feel super muggy here." Ash grumbled, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"That's because this is no ordinary forest, it's also a marshland." Brock explained.
"Good!" Misty exclaimed cheerfully, much to the shock of the others.
"I thought for sure you'd be complaining about how hot and humid it is here." Ash smirked as he looked over his shoulder to glance at the redhead.
She smirked back and softly whacked the back of his head, "I'm not a whiner like you," she stuck her tongue out at him playfully. "But in all seriousness, I'm glad we're in a marsh because I'm looking to capture some new Pokémon!"
"Trying to expand your team a little huh?" Brock asked.
"Yep! Vaporeon and Surskit were nice surprises, but I never technically caught them. Besides, I have a couple of empty slots since I sent Staryu to the gym, and all of these awesome Sinnoh water-types are just passing me by! Well no more!" Misty ran ahead of the group and pulled a Pokéball off her belt, "Misty calls Vaporeon!" With a mewl and a stretch, Vaporeon appeared from the sphere and looked back at her master with a smile. "Ok Vaporeon, this marsh has gotta be crawling with water-type Pokémon and we're gonna catch one! So be on the lookout!"
"Va po!" (Got it!)
"Funny you should mention crawling..." Ash snickered.
"Ash, don't do it." Brock warned.
Ash paid no heed, "You do remember the Pastoria Marshland right? Those weren't water-types, those were Croagunk, and probably a bug or two or twenty."
"He's toast."
Misty froze up and slowly turned around, an extremely agitated look on her face making her look scary to behold. "Why did you say that?" she snarled quietly.
Ash gulped and put his hands up in self-defense, backing up a few steps, "N-Now come on Misty, Mist? C'mon it was just a joke! Remember? We tease each other all the time!" Much to the boy's dismay, Misty actually said nothing, and instead pulled her mallet out of nowhere and twirled it around in her hand, "Oh I am so dead..."
"THAT'S RIGHT!" Misty charged with her mallet swinging dangerously, but Ash was able to duck the initial assault and ran past her deeper into the marsh, "Oh no you don't! Get back here Ash Ketchum! You think preying on my fears is funny?! Well turnabout's fair play! C'mere and face your fear!" Misty chased after him with Vaporeon hot on her trail, and she eventually caught up with him as he had stopped dead in his tracks, "Good! Now stay still and maybe I'll make this hurt less than usual!"
"Misty stop!" Unfortunately Misty couldn't quite the brakes quick enough and she soon found half of her body dangling over a raging river with a current so strong she'd most likely be swept away for miles if she were to fall in. Thankfully Ash was there and he grabbed her arm and yanked her back over dry land and into his protective hold before she could lose her balance and fall in. "That was close." he sighed in relief, squeezing her tight in a hug.
"Uh...yeah..." Misty stammered in shock. She took her mallet and softly bonked his head with it, not even enough to inflict pain. "Serves you right." she mumbled, still trying to catch her breath after almost falling into the rapids.
By now the other two teens had caught up with them, "Whoa, check out that current!" Dawn exclaimed.
"Yeah..." Brock then looked on the other side of the river, "Hey, look over there!"
The teens did, and they noticed a whole swarm of what appeared to be Shellos huddled together near the edge of the river, "Hey, those are Shellos right?" Ash said.
"Yeah, but Zoey's Shellos is pink." Dawn recalled. "Come to think of it..." Dawn pulled out her Pokédex to scan them, "Here, lemme check this out."
"Shellos, the Sea Slug Pokémon. A mysterious purple fluid oozes out of its soft body when Shellos is strongly squeezed. Two kinds of Shellos, pink and blue, have been confirmed." the Pokédex chirped.
"Blue is the color for me! Let's catch one!" Misty broke free of Ash's embrace and was about to send Vaporeon into battle, when she noticed something out of the ordinary, "Why do those Shellos look so worried?"
Then over the sound of the rapids, the teens heard desperate squeals for help, "Down there! Look!" Brock pointed at a rock in the river and there were two Shellos, one pink and one blue being crushed by the current. "They'll get washed away!"
"No they won't! Vaporeon, go for it!" Vaporeon followed orders and skimmed across the raging water towards the two distressed Shellos.
"Piplup, no!" Dawn cried out just as Piplup leaped out of her arms and began swimming towards the Shellos to help out Vaporeon in the rescue mission.
"Vaporeon, hurry!" Misty shouted. Unfortunately the Bubble-Jet Pokémon couldn't get there in time to save the blue Shellos as it started getting swept away, "Go after it Vaporeon!"
"Piplup, don't let that pink Shellos get swept away too!" Piplup managed to get to the pink Shellos just before it got swept away by the current, holding tightly onto the rock Shellos was previously being smashed against. "Hang on Piplup, we're coming!"
"Misty, we got this, go after Vaporeon!" Brock exclaimed as he started yanking on a nearby tree branch to bend it down.
As Ash and Dawn assisted Brock with that task, Misty sprinted along the river to try and catch up to her own Pokémon. "There they are!" she shouted to herself. As she started passing up Vaporeon and the flailing Shellos, her eyes widened in horror, "Oh no!" The sight of the rushing water taking a sudden downwards direction caused Misty's stomach to drop. "A waterfall! Vaporeon, a waterfall! You gotta get to Shellos now!" Vaporeon nodded determinedly and poured on the speed, finally managing to grab a hold of Shellos's head with her mouth. Unfortunately, the extra weight caused Vaporeon to no longer be able to maintain her control over the current.
"Vayyy!" (Heeelp!)
"If I don't do something now they're gonna go over!" Misty looked around desperately, when her eyes caught a slim branch hanging over where the waterfall began. "Of course. Like something out of an action movie." she grumbled to herself. Misty pumped her legs harder and managed to get some significant distance, but as she started to climb the tree that distance rapidly began to close. The redhead hung upside-down by her legs with her arms outstretched, "Grab on Vaporeon! Use your tail!" Just as Vaporeon passed by, Misty grabbed her Pokémon's tail and tried to reel her and Shellos in. Unfortunately she couldn't muster the necessary strength to get them out of the current. "It's too strong!" Suddenly Misty heard a crack, and the redhead's heart stopped as she saw the branch she was hanging on start to give. "Don't...please don't break!" It broke. With one loud snap the branch dropped into the water taking Misty with it, and the three went over the waterfall screaming at the top of their lungs. "This is it!" However instead of a painful splash, the next thing Misty knew, her trajectory had been abruptly changed by something as she made impact with it. "Am I dead?" She nervously and slowly opened her eyes, and what she saw made her heart soar.
"Need a lift?"
"Ash!" she squeezed him tightly in her gratitude. The two humans plus the Pokémon were now safely riding on Charizard's back, and the dragon soared back up above the falls and onto the dry land. "You saved me again...you really are my guardian angel aren't you?"
"Nah." Ash scratched the back of his neck, "Honestly, I was terrified when I saw you go over, it was like all of a sudden everything was in slow motion. I tossed Charizard's Pokéball over the waterfall and then I jumped down after you...next thing I know I'm on Charizard's back and seconds later we catch you."
Finally feeling her heart rate dropping to normal, Misty dropped to the ground and breathed a deep sigh of relief. "Well...I said I wanted to do something...and at the same time..."
"Yeah, didn't wanna tempt fate...looks like you didn't have to." Ash chuckled wearily.
"Ash! Misty!" the two looked to see Brock and Dawn heading towards them with the pink Shellos following close behind. "Are you guys ok?!" the breeder asked.
"We're alive, so I guess we are." Misty got up from the ground and held the blue Shellos in her arms, "How 'bout you, are you ok little guy?"
"Shell shellos." (I guess so.)
"Thank goodness!" the teens turned to see Nurse Joy running towards them with a first-aid bag on her shoulder, "You all saved those Shellos, right?" the nurse asked.
"Right!" they replied.
Brock however did not answer that way, as his eyes turned into hearts and he did nothing short of squeal at Nurse Joy's presence. The breeder got down on one knee and tenderly took Joy's hand into his own, "Who would've thought I would see the beautiful Nurse Joy out here?" he said huskily, much to the annoyance of the younger teens. "Look into my eyes...I am overwhelmed with tears of joy as wet as the marshlands of this humid area!"
"And you're all wet Brock!" Misty decided to take this one as she grabbed his ear and dragged him away from the stunned Nurse, dropping the blue Shellos to the ground in the process. Shellos of course landed quite easily and slithered over to its pink counterpart.
Once Nurse Joy recovered, she knelt down in front of the two Shellos, "Well now, this is strange."
"Strange, whaddya mean?" Ash asked.
"You see, pink and blue Shellos live on opposite sides of Mt. Coronet, so you never see them together...but since we're on the eastern side of the mountain, there should only be blue Shellos here...an unusual situation to be sure." the nurse explained.
By this time, Misty and Brock had returned. "So how come Shellos are different colors on either side of the mountain?" the water trainer asked.
"Well you see, long ago the Shellos got separated around the same time Mt. Coronet was beginning to form; it's said they evolved to their current shape and color to adapt to their new environment...but lately there've been a lot of pink Shellos that have gotten lost on this side of the mountain." Nurse Joy explained.
"Got lost?" Dawn wondered aloud.
"Do you have any idea why?" Brock asked.
"Oh, if I only knew." Nurse Joy sighed, stroking the back of the pink Shellos. "So for now, let's just take these two back to the Pokémon Center so I can check them out." The teenagers agreed, and they followed Nurse Joy to her Pokémon Center where she was able to examine the two Shellos for injuries. Moments later, they emerged from the treatment room. "I'm happy to say that neither of these Shellos were hurt one bit."
"We're glad you're both ok!" Dawn said.
"Shell shellos!" (Thanks!) they replied with a smile.
"If it's alright with you Nurse Joy, we'd like to take the pink Shellos back to its buddies on the west side of the mountain." Misty said.
"That'd be wonderful! I'm sure you'll find them easily, just head to the marshlands there and you'll have no trouble!" Nurse Joy replied.
"Shellos shellos!" (I wanna help!) the blue Shellos suddenly shouted out.
"You wanna come along Shellos?" Misty asked.
"Shell!" (Right!) it nodded.
"Well ok then! Let's get a move on!" Ash exclaimed.
"Well well...another lost Shellos I see." the teens turned around after hearing the somewhat familiar voice.
"Whoa, Mr. Looker." Ash said in shock.
"Hello, nice to see you again." Looker replied.
"Oh my, do you know each other?" Nurse Joy asked.
"Sure do!" the teens replied in unison.
"Yes well," Looker said quickly, "I'm in a hurry, so I'll see you later!" With that, Looker rushed off into the Pokémon Center.
"Huh, wonder what he's in such a hurry for." Dawn said.
"Who knows?" Brock replied, "So why don't we get on our way too?" The younger trainers nodded in agreement, and they began their trek up Mt. Coronet to return the pink Shellos to its home.
As they went up the mountain, Piplup marched on ahead with the pink Shellos happily perched on his head, "Piplup sure is in a good mood." Dawn noted.
"I think he and that pink Shellos have really hit it off." Ash replied.
"Shellos shellos." (Fast friends.) the blue Shellos said from his position next to the redheaded trainer.
They kept climbing, but after a few moments they noticed something somewhat out of the ordinary. "All of these holes in the mountain," Brock said, "I wonder if they're all caves."
"If they are, there sure are a lot of 'em." Ash replied.
Hearing Piplup's curious chirping from up ahead got the teens' attention. The penguin and the Shellos on his head were both peering into a hole in the mountain, a little too closely for Dawn's tastes. "Careful Piplup, it could be dangerous!" Piplup simply waved it off as nothing, and leaned forward so he could get a better look. But as a result of doing so, the tiny water-type perched on his head slid off and started falling down the hole. Piplup did manage to catch it, but all that did was ensure that he went down the hole with it. The teens gasped and ran to where they fell, "Piplup!" Suddenly however the ground gave way, and the teenagers found themselves falling down a deep pit.
They landed with a painful thud, groaning as they tried to sit up after the impact. "Is everyone alright?" Ash strained.
"I think so." Dawn shook her head a little to try and regain her bearings.
"Got the wind knocked outta me." Misty struggled for a breath, "Gimme a couple minutes, I'll be alright." she laid back down and tried to focus on getting her breathing back to normal.
"So for the most part we're ok." Brock said, "So now we have to focus on getting ourselves out of here."
The teens looked up, and they were reminded just how far they had fallen, "I don't think we'll be climbing out of here." Dawn sighed.
"How 'bout Charizard? Think he could get us outta here?" Ash held up his Pokéball in preparation.
"I don't think that'll work," Brock shook his head, "That hole looks too small for Charizard to get through...we'll have to think of something else."
By this time, Misty had managed to start breathing regularly again. "Shell shellos?" (You ok?) the blue Shellos asked in concern.
"Aww, you're worried about me?" Misty cooed, "It's ok Shellos, I'm just fine." Misty took Ash's offered hand and got back to her feet, stretching out a little to work out some leftover soreness.
"Looks like you and that blue Shellos hit it off about as well as Piplup and the pink Shellos." Dawn giggled.
Misty smiled, "Yeah, guess so." the smile quickly vanished as the gravity of the situation came rushing back to her. "So since straight up isn't an option," Misty turned her attention to the dark cave to their right. "The only way we can go is that way."
"But it's pitch-black in there! If we can't see where we're going there's a good chance we might fall down another hole!" Dawn exclaimed in worry.
"Have no fear, Brock is here!" Brock opened his backpack and pulled out a flashlight, "It always pays to be prepared!" Brock turned on the flashlight and it came to life, but it soon flickered out much to the confusion of the spiky-haired man. "Hey, what gives?" Brock whacked the flashlight a few times to try and get it to turn back on, but it was no use. "Dead batteries? Great." Brock grumbled and tossed the flashlight back into his backpack. "Anybody got a Plan B?"
"I might have one..." Ash reached for a Pokéball and tossed it, and Rotom emerged with a cheesy grin.
"What are you gonna do with Rotom?" Dawn asked.
Ash went into Brock's backpack and pulled the flashlight back out, "Hey Rotom, think you could jump into this flashlight and make it work again?" Rotom nodded excitedly and zipped into the flashlight, which made it change shape slightly. Once the transformation was complete, Rotom's face could be seen on the front of the lens. "Way to go Rotom! You - ow!" Ash dropped the flashlight like a brick, and moments later Haunter appeared out of his Pokéball and began to laugh along with Rotom.
"What happened Ash?" Dawn asked.
"Rotom zapped me!" Ash flexed his slightly tingling hand.
"Oh, the old gag flashlight prank. Classic." Brock couldn't help but chuckle a little.
"And you came out because you saw this coming huh?" Ash grumbled at the ghost/poison-type.
"Haunter haunt haunt?" (What can I say?) the ghost shrugged innocently.
"Come on, we're wasting time!" Misty picked up the Rotom-flashlight and stared into its face, "You behave yourself, for all we know we could be in danger down here!" Rotom grimaced and chittered out an acknowledgement. "That's better." With that said and done, the redhead led the other three teenagers through the cave.
But as they kept going however, they noticed it was getting harder and harder to move forward, "Boy, we're sure talking steep aren't we?" Dawn panted.
"Piplup!" (Guys!)
"What is it Piplup?" Dawn asked.
"Pip piplup pip!" (Check these out!)
"Shellos shell!" (Footprints!) the pink Shellos added.
The group walked up to the two water-types and shined the light towards the ground. "Footprints...down here?" the breeder scratched his chin in thought. "Misty, point Rotom this way." Brock gestured towards another hole in the mountain. Misty complied and illuminated the tunnel to their right. "Look at this side tunnel, it doesn't look like it was formed naturally." Brock pointed out.
"And look," Misty aimed closer to the ground, "More footprints leading into it...that means we're not alone down here...the only question is...are they friend or foe?"
Curious of the situation, the pink Shellos decided to just crawl on into the tunnel on its own, "Wait Shellos, where are you going?" Dawn asked.
Shellos looked back but didn't stop, "Shellos shellos!" (Follow me!)
"You think there's something down there that Shellos knows about?" Ash wondered.
"Could be...but even if there isn't, we can't let Shellos wander around all by itself." Brock replied.
"Right." the younger teens nodded and followed Shellos into the tunnel.
As they kept going though, a feeling of anxiety started to wash over the young adventurers, "Why do I have this queasy feeling in my stomach?" Misty gulped.
"You feel it too?" Ash replied.
"Piplup, stop wandering off without us!" Dawn scolded as her penguin waddled on ahead to try and catch up with the pink Shellos. Piplup paid her no mind however and turned left to follow his new Pokémon friend.
"Another tunnel!" Brock exclaimed, "Now I'm positive someone dug the tunnels inside these caves."
"Yeah...but why?" Dawn scratched her head.
"Guys," Ash turned to face his friends, "I dunno what's going on here, but I think our best chance of finding our way out of here is to find whoever made these tunnels and ask them for directions."
"But what if the people who made them aren't exactly friendly?" Misty asked.
Ash shrugged helplessly, "That's a chance we're gonna have to take." Ash turned to Haunter, "Haunter, be ready to fight in case we run into trouble." Haunter nodded and saluted the trainer with a grin. "You too Rotom, as of right now we're on high-alert!" Rotom jiggled a little in Misty's hand, which Ash took as an affirmative. "Alright, let's go!"
The teens started running down the tunnel, following the fast moving pink Shellos ahead of them. "Hey look!" Dawn exclaimed, "A light at the end of the tunnel! I'll bet you that's an exit!"
They hurried towards the light, but when they finally reached the end of the tunnel, they were stunned by what they saw. "Team Galactic!"
Saturn and another much older man were standing in the middle of the room while other generic grunts went around doing various jobs with strange equipment. Needless to say, Saturn was extremely unhappy with the trainers' presence. "Of all the people to wander in here off the street, it would be you troublemakers." Moments later, the teens were surrounded by Team Galactic grunts. "Take them into custody."
"Pikachu, Counter Shield time!" Pikachu immediately leaped off of Ash's shoulder and started up a carousel of electricity, shocking the grunts around the teens and giving them some breathing room, "Haunter, Rotom, it's battling time!" Haunter flanked Pikachu just as Rotom popped out of the flashlight and took the other flank next to Pikachu.
"Your efforts will only earn you greater suffering." Saturn snarled, "Give up now."
"Make us!" Ash snarled back.
The grunts moved in to attack, when the old man next to Saturn suddenly shouted out. "Stop!" the old man walked over to the teenagers, staring directly at the Plasma Pokémon hovering next to Pikachu.
"Charon, what is the meaning of this?" Saturn demanded.
Charon didn't respond, instead he just kept staring at Rotom. "Can it be?"
"Dude, quit staring at my Rotom!" Ash growled.
Charon again didn't acknowledge what had been said to him, instead the old man's face brightened dramatically, his former scowl now upturned into a joyful smile, "Rotom! My old friend, is it really you?!" Rotom tilted to one side in confusion. "Oh of course, surely you don't recognize the old man I've become. But I have a feeling you'll recognize this!" Charon reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a very old, rusty, metallic toy robot. "Do you remember now?" Rotom stared in awe, and after a moment began zipping around the man's head in ecstasy before landing inside the toy robot, causing it to transform.
"Rotom, wha?" Ash gawked.
Charon suddenly seemed to be the exact opposite of the stoic business-like man he was moments ago, as he chortled and hugged the toy robot like a little child. "It's good to see you my old friend, how I've missed our time together."
At this point, Ash couldn't take it anymore, "Alright, what'd you do to my Rotom?!" he roared.
At this Charon scowled at Ash, just as Rotom emerged from the robot to look at his current trainer, "I did nothing, Rotom and I are simply old friends from several years ago. Who do you think discovered and came up with its name?" Charon chuckled with pride.
"That was you?" Brock asked.
"Yes of course, we met when I found my old toy robot having misplaced it one day, Rotom appeared to me from my lawn mower, and moments later we became friends. I named him Rotom because it came from the motor of my lawn mower, surely you can see the link between the two names."
"Surely." Misty grumbled.
"In any case, I do thank you for returning my old friend to me, but now my use for you has come to an end. Seize them!" Charon shouted, "Come Rotom."
The grunts grabbed the teenagers and their Pokémon, all except for Haunter who couldn't be grabbed due to his gaseous form. "Rotom, no!" Ash cried, reaching out towards the Plasma Pokémon.
For a moment Rotom looked back, a worried frown on his face. Charon noticed this and grinned maliciously, "Do not concern yourself with those children my old friend, now that we're together once more we'll create a brand new world where nothing will ever separate us again." Rotom hesitated and actually locked eyes with Haunter who was looking at him in despair, but he eventually turned away and followed Charon.
Angry tears now threatening to pour down his face, Ash barked out an order. "Stop them Haunter!" Haunter was feeling the same betrayal that Ash was, and flew at Rotom to unleash a vicious 'Shadow Punch' on his former friend. Just before Haunter could reach Rotom however, he was sent careening towards the wall by a 'Dark Pulse' attack. "Haunter no!"
"Well, now that that's settled, restrain the children and place that troublesome ghost in a secure holding container." Saturn ordered, his Toxicroak flanking him.
"Sir!" the grunts saluted.
As Ash and the others got tied up, the tears started flowing for the betrayed trainer, "Rotom, why?!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Come back Rotom! We're your friends too! Don't go with Team Galactic! ROTOM!"
"Silence!" At Saturn's shout, a grunt came and gagged the sobbing Pokémon Trainer, and now that he was bound by both his wrists and ankles, Ash was pushed to the ground along with his friends, but despite that the enraged trainer tried to get back up. "Nuisance." Saturn scoffed. Ash was then karate chopped on his neck, and moments later Ash fell limp, his eyes closed and his consciousness gone.
"Ash?!" Misty cried. "Ash, please wake up! Ash? ASH!"
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A/N: There you have it. Another game element being infused into the story. Charon and Rotom were friends in the game if you remember. What happens next? Stay tuned.