Pokemon: Friends to the End
Chapter 39: Steamboat Willies!
Ash, Dawn, Denise and Brock stood on a cliff overlooking a large river.
"Hey, look."Dawn said pointing at something from below.
Denise and the two boys followed her gaze and they spot a large Wailord-shaped boat docked in a harbor below.
"Is that a Steamboat?"Ash asked.
"Well, it looks like it."Denise replied.
"Pika."Pikachu said quietly.
"Wow looks like one of those sight seeing boats."Brock stated looking at his boat.
"Whoa that's one of those?"Ash asked in surprise.
"Ride the river in style, enjoying our gourmet restaurant and our first class night club."Brock said. "Sounds like fun."
"Wow, I want some of that!"Dawn remarked.
"Me too, I'm totally in!"Denise agreed.
"Me three!"Ash added putting his fist up.
"Pikachu!"Pikachu said happily.
"And looks like the boat in on the route to Hearthome City too."Brock commented as he closed his book. "I'm starting to feel a pleasure cruise in our future."
"And it feels great!"Ash, Dawn and Denise replied in excitement.
An old man, supposed to be watching the ship, naps in a chair on the shore while Ash's group boards the ship.
"There is no one here."Ash said.
"Well, lucky us then."Denise admitted sweetly.
"Wow, look at that talk about the perfect place to party!"Dawn remarked.
"With a band."Brock added.
Pikachu runs over and plucks a string on a standup bass, making his body vibrate.
He runs upstairs to look out over the river in awe as the four heroes walked up to where he was.
"I agree with Pikachu."Dawn commented.
"Guys, come out to see this!"Ash stated.
He threw out his pokeballs and his pokemon came out.
"You, too!"Brock, Dawn and Denise agreed in unison.
They threw their pokemon up in the air causing all their pokemon to come out.
"Time for some fun!"Ash announced.
The Pokemon cheered in happiness.
Pachirisu and Happiny pick up some rings and get stuck inside them, making them fall over.
Piplup runs over and points out the rings are used for ring toss, so he throws a ring, which misses; however, Pikachu jumps up and catches the ring, then throws it onto the 100 point pole.
Grotle, Turtwig, Aipom, Pachirisu, Pikachu and Happiny applauds at Pikachu while Buneary fawns over him.
"I don't get it there should be lots of people, all over this place."Brock admitted.
"There must be someone here."Denise suggested and then notice the old man sleeping on a chair from below. "Let's ask him."
"Excuse me!"Dawn called out.
"Can I help you?"the Old Man asked.
"What time does the boat set sail?"Dawn asked.
"Oh that's easy, the steamboat leaves at noon."the Old Man replied.
"Not until noon? Man that's a long time to wait!"Ash commented.
"That's why decided to take a little bit of shut eye."the Old Man stated.
"Sorry, we woke you up."Denise apologized.
"Oh no problem at all."the Old Man assured. "Where are you and your friends going, young lady?"
"To Hearthome City, me and my sister are entering the Pokemon Contest there."Denise answered.
"And I've got a Gym Battle."Ash added.
"Excuse me, sir, would you know if there is a store around here that sells pokemon food supplies here?"Brock asked.
"Hmm, of course there is."the Old Man replied. "You just go through those woods over there and I'm sure they will have everything that you will need."
"It does?"Brock asked. "That's great, thank you."
"Hey Brock, I wanna come with you."Ash admitted.
"You can count us in too!"Dawn and Denise remarked sweetly.
"So guys..."Ash started and notice their pokemon was busy having fun with each other.
"I guess our Pokemon are busy enjoying themselves."Denise commented kindly as she watched Staravia and Hoot Hoot were flying in the sky.
"Aw, isn't that sweet?"Dawn asked.
"Yeah."Ash agreed with a nod.
"Look Happiny is having a ball."Dawn remarked.
"Sure looks like that."Brock replied. "Being a Play House Pokemon, Happiny is great at intimidating others."
"I really don't want them to stop since they are having such a good time."Ash admitted.
"Hey, I am sure your pokemon will be fine."the Old Man assured. "I will stay right here, while you go shopping."
"Are you sure?"Denise asked.
"Of course, I'm sure we're not schedule to board any other passengers for a while yet."the Old Man replied.
"Awsome, hey thanks."Ash answered.
The four heroes leave as Pikachu, Piplup and Ralts waved at them.
"Keep an eye out on everyone else, okay Pikachu?"Ash asked.
"And Piplup will you help Pikachu and Ralts out?"Dawn asked.
Pikachu, Piplup and Ralts responded with assured looks.
"Say those three look like good responsible pokemon you got there, if you ask me."the Old Man admitted.
Pikachu put his paw on his back while Piplup smiled and Ralts blushed shyly.
"Okay then we'll see you soon."Denise answered kindly.
"And be good now."Brock replied.
Pikachu, Piplup and Ralts waved good bye before scurrying off to join the others.
However, they notice that Pachirisu and Happiny are standing on the edge of the ship, reaching out to the sky to Staravia, longing to fly with it.
Just as they jump overboard, Piplup grabs Happiny and Pikachu grabs Pachirisu in order to stop them from falling into the water.
But then Pachirisu falls too far over the edge, so Piplup grabs onto Pikachu to hold on.
Ralts then used Psychic to help her friends out and place them back in the ship safely causing them to thank her.
Aipom, Buneary, Eevee and Turtwig play ring toss, while Buizel and Sudowoodo sit in back-to-back chairs and Croagunk stays in his life ring.
Grotle and Luxio relax in the sun while enjoying the nice weather.
A while later, the Pokémon have migrated to the dining room.
Croagunk settles himself in front of a mirror, staring at his own reflection.
Sudowoodo bangs on the piano, Pikachu plucks the bass, Buizel plays the saxophone and Turtwig plays the drums.
Piplup, Pachirisu, Buneary, Aipom, Ralts, Eevee and Happiny enter a dressing room filled with costumes and the latter five, being female, dive into a rack of dresses.
Pachirisu looks up on a shelf and sees some balloons and it imagines itself floating along with Staravia and Hoot Hoot.
It rushes up a ladder while Piplup sees a magic set and top hat.
Pachirisu ties the balloons around its waist and flies off, but the balloons can't totally support its weight and it floats just inches above the floor past Piplup, who was wearing the top hat and was playing with the magic kit.
Pachirisu floats out of the room while Croagunk was still in front of the mirror watching his reflection.
Meanwhile...
Ash and friends peruse the aisles of the store.
"Hey, Dawn, Denise, I think this is perfect for the gain."Ash admitted holding a can. "What do you two think?"
The two sisters surprises him by holding a Piplup and a Turtwig masks in front of their faces.
"Ha! Fooled ya!"Dawn laughed.
"Fooled ya, I didn't have in mind."Ash replied sheepishly.
Dawn and Denise then notice some seals causing them to rush over to check them out.
"We've been looking for these for a long time."Denise remarked as she looked at the Seal that had a black heart on it.
"Ah!"Dawn said in awe as she rushed to pick up a bottle of Shampoo. "I've got to get this hair gel, I can't keep asking Piplup to wash my hair with bubblebeam.
"Hmm, maybe I should also get the Seal that contains pink bubbles?"Denise suggested as she looked at the Seals.
Ash sighed seeing the girls so occupied with their stuff.
"Excuse, Miss!"
Ash turned his head and saw Brock dashing over a few young women.
"Wow, talk about real looks!"Brock flirted. "Not a single flower or plant that can hold together and handle that beautiful face of yours! It would be very much, if we can discuss this over a cup of tea!"
He starts to hesitate, then remembers that Croagunk was not there, so he continues to openly admire the young women.
"No Croagunk, I am a free man!"Brock remarked. "That means I love you, I love you and I love you!"
Back in the Ship...
Pikachu, Buizel, Sudowoodo and Turtwig play in unison, but the music was not very melodic, which causes Staravia and Hoot Hoot to cover their ears in agony.
In the dressing room, Buneary, Aipom, Ralts and Happiny have put on dresses.
Buneary, Aipom, Ralts and Eevee twirl, bow and curtsy.
When they notice Happiny had her dress on wrong, Ralts fix it for her.
Piplup continues playing with the magic kit and Pachirisu floats into the kitchen, knocking down pots and pans.
Pikachu heared the noise and he runs into the kitchen just in time to see Pachirisu knock over a set of dishes.
The Mouse Pokemon dashes and catches the dishes before they hit the floor.
Croagunk was still in front of the mirror and Pachirisu leaves the kitchen for the control room.
The balloons pop when they hit the windshield causing Pachirisu to get surprised and lets out an electric shock.
The jolt starts the ship, but Pachirisu was too exhausted to notice.
The rumble of the ship starting up causes dishes to crash on top of Pikachu, breaking on the floor and burying him.
Outside...
Grotle and Luxio get startled by their slumber causing them to notice the ship was moving much to their surprise and shock.
The ship leaves the harbor and the old man was still asleep on shore, not noticing what is happening.
Inside...
Drifloon goes to the kitchen and carefully places the broken plates off Pikachu causing the Electric Type to thank her.
"Drifloon."the Balloon Pokemon responded kindly.
Pikachu and Drifloon then heard voices chanting in the dining room.
The Pokémon minus Croagunk, Pachirisu, Grotle and Luxio were gathered around Team Rocket.
Jessie was wearing a disguise, James was dressed as Plusle and Meowth was dressed as Minun.
The three chant a variation of their motto and the Pokémon dance along with them after being invited to do so.
"And now for the big pay off!"Meowth said happily.
"It's time to enter the tunnel of fun!"Jessie remarked.
James leads the Pokémon into a small doorway that reads 'Welcome' and a door shuts behind them.
"Yeah, finito!"Meowth cheered.
"This key will be the guarantee of years to come."James said holding the key.
"When things go busy, I am thrilled!"Jessie agreed. "How about you?"
"Since this sort of thing never happened before in my world, I wouldn't know."Meowth replied with his arms folded.
"Stop standing around and lock it quick."Jessie suggested.
"Good idea."James answered.
Meanwhile...
Grotle and Luxio were searching for their friends causing them to notice Pachirisu has fainted in the control room.
Luxio carefully gives the Squirrel Pokemon some energy to charge up.
Pachirisu wakes up and falls on the steering wheel, making it turn several rotations, which makes Grotle and Luxio to get alarmed.
In the Dinning Room...
The ship makes a hard turn and the key falls out of James's hands and bounces across the floor.
"Wait, your not through yet!"James reminded. "Come back!"
"Quick, grab it before it takes off again!"Jessie stated.
Meowth picks up the key, but they turn around to see the Pokémon have escaped from behind the door and are angry.
Aipom uses Swift, Buizel uses Sonic Boom, Ralts uses Magical Leaf, Piplup uses Bubble Beam, Eevee uses Shadow Ball and Pikachu uses Thunderbolt to send Team Rocket flying off the ship.
"I don't care what kind of pokemon party poopers thought I liked our song."Jessie admitted.
"Like the kids did."James added.
"Fat chance."Meowth stated with a frown.
"Wobbuffet!"
"Mime Mime!"
"WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"Team Rocket screamed as they disappeared in the sky.
The Pokémon on the ship look up through the hole created by Team Rocket and see the ship was moving quickly.
Grotle and Luxio quickly rushed into the dining room to tell them the problem, so all of them run on deck.
Back on Land...
The Old Man wakes up and sees the ship chugging away causing him to stand up.
"But how?"He said in surprise. "Who's stirring?"
"What's going on?"
The Old Man turned around and saw the four heroes with their shopping supplies.
"That boat has taken off by itself without me or any of my crew."He stated.
"No way."Ash said.
"But how?"Dawn asked.
"I guess I must've dozed off again."the Old Man answered.
"Oh my gosh!"Denise gasped in shock. "Our Pokemon are still on board!"
"We'll have to get another boat."Brock suggested.
"But all our boats are sail boats."the Old Man admitted. "We'll never catch up to them, we'll have to hurry there is a gigantic waterfall up ahead!"
The four heroes gasped in shock.
"Pikachu..."Ash said worriedly.
"Okay Mantine, come on out!"the Old Man stated.
His pokeball opened and a Mantine appeared in the water.
"Whoa, a Mantine!"Denise said.
"And a big one too."Brock added.
"My Mantine is the fastest pokemon you have ever seen."the Old Man explained. "So you all go right ahead!"
"Wow, thanks a lot!"Ash, Dawn and Denise replied in unison.
The three trainers jumped on Mantine's back and rush after the ship, which was approaching a massive waterfall.
"Those three better hold on tight."Brock said hopefully.
"At this rate we'll be there on time!"Dawn assured.
"The Sooner the better!"Ash agreed.
"You've got that right!"Denise commented.
In the Ship...
The Pokémon on deck were frightened and appeared to be helpless.
Pikachu, Piplup and Ralts nod at each other and attempt to organize the Pokémon.
Pachirisu and Happiny get on Staravia's and Hoot Hoot's backs while Drifloon carefully held Eevee and Buneary while Piplup, Aipom, Turtwig, Buizel and Sudowoodo jump up on the ship's ledge to attempt to stop the impact with attacks.
Croagunk was still in front of the mirror, so Grotle and Luxio drags him away to help.
Ash, Dawn and Denise appear alongside the ship and the Pokémon rush over to meet them.
"Pikachu!"Ash called out.
"Is everyone all right?"Dawn asked.
"Just hang on, all of you will be all right!"Denise assured.
"Mantine, jump over the boat!"Ash ordered.
Mantine jump over the ship causing the three trainers to jump on deck as it does.
Dawn and Denise notice the dresses Aipom, Buneary, Happiny, Ralts and Eevee were wearing causing them to bend down and smile.
"Wow, you all look so cute!"Dawn remarked.
"All of you look like little performers."Denise agreed kindly.
"Save it for later."Ash stated. "Right now, we have to get out of here.
The two sisters stood up and nodded.
"Yeah, your right."Dawn commented.
Ash runs to grab the steering wheel.
"Okay Dawn, ready?"Ash asked.
"Now Piplup, Whirlpool!"Dawn ordered.
Piplup uses Whirlpool, which, in conjunction with Ash's turning, causes the ship to turn around.
The whirlpool, however, begins to drag the ship back.
"Dawn, we're getting dragged!"Denise admitted worriedly.
"Buneary, Ice Beam!"Dawn ordered.
Buneary uses Ice Beam to seal the Whirlpool, but then ahead was a rock pillar.
"We're gonna crush!"Dawn warned.
"Okay, Pikachu use Thunderbolt and Turtwig use Razor Leaf!"Ash ordered.
"Quick, Buizel help them out with Sonic Boom!"Dawn ordered.
"And Drifloon use Astonish!"Denise ordered.
Pikachu, Turtwig, Buizel and Drifloon fire their moves at the rock causing it to break.
A chunk of rock flies toward the ship, but Mantine crashes through it at the last second, breaking it into pieces that fall into the water.
"Its Mantine!"Ash, Dawn and Denise answered in unison.
Ash collapses on the wheel in relief as the Pokemon cheered.
"Man, how close can you get?"He asked with a smile.
Afterwards...
"Kids, I'm sorry."the Old Man replied with his head down.
"But everything turned out fine."Dawn admitted.
"Yeah, that what matters right guys?"Denise asked.
"I have to agree with Denise."Brock commented.
"Yeah, but..."the Old Man started.
"So don't forget it was your amazing Mantine that saved everyone."Ash said. "So you see..."
The four heroes bowed at him.
"We should all be thanking you."They admitted in unison.
Pikachu, Piplup and Ralts bowed in agreement.
"Well, you three were brilliant."the Old Man stated with a smile. "Making sure everyone was together, not matter what the consequences were, great work."
The three pokemon smiled in approval as the sound of the boat getting ready was heard.
"Well, good luck on your pokemon contest and gym battle in Hearthome City."the Old Man said.
"Thanks!"Ash, Dawn and Denise answered with smiles on their faces.
The four heroes then board the boat and the Old Man waves goodbye as they sail away.
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter
Feel free to review of what you think so far:)
Denise's Team:
Grotle (Male): Solar Beam, Heavy Slam, Razor Leaf and Bite
Eevee (Female): Water Gun, Shadow Ball, Attract and Thunder
Luxio (Male): Spark, Night Slash, Wild Charge and Ice Fang
Ralts (Female): Psychic, Double Team, Magical Leaf and Confusion
Hoot Hoot (Male): Peck, Reflect, Aerial Ace and Hypnosis
Drifloon (Female): Ominous Wind, Thunderbolt, Will-O-Wisp and Astonish