1-2 “Meet Ms.Lockheart”


“You want us to do what?!” the young pokemon trainer, Ash Ketchum, stated blankly. Misty, Ash, and Prof.Oak had been discussing the reason for the Prof. urgent message they had received.
“I know it’s a lot to ask from you, especially when you are right in the middle of your pokemon training, but I need your help, Ash. I have no one else I can turn to,” the Prof. replied. “I received a message from the Pokemon Preservation Board on Saturday. They said they needed my assistance to help save hundreds of pokemon located on an island down South. They said a new type of pokemon disease had recently been discovered and unless something was done about it soon, there would be a good chance it could spread to other pokemon outside of the island. It has become a very big problem and they need me there to help find a cure. I will need to be there for at least six months, if not longer, but the problem is that I would need someone here to run the lab while I’m away. That’s where the two of you come in. I need the two of you to stay here and run the lab while I’m gone.”
Ash looked down at Pikachu who was resting on the rug near him. He knew helping the Prof. would be the right thing to do, but that would mean he would have to put his pokemon training on hold and be behind his competition. “What about Gary? Haven’t you asked him yet?”
“I was planning to, but I haven’t been able to get a hold of him yet. I would rather you be the one in charge instead of Gary anyway. He may be my grandson, but he just wouldn’t be able to give the pokemon the care and love that you would.”
Ash had to agree with that. Prof.Oak’s grandson cared more about how powerful and strong a pokemon was than about the pokemon itself. He couldn’t let Gary take over the place.
“But why, Prof., did you ask me to come too?” Misty questioned. “Because, even though Ash is a talented trainer, he isn’t exactly the most responsible trainer. I need someone who knows him fairly well to help him out and guide him.”
“No way! You’ve got to be crazy to think that I’m gonna spend six months here, running the lab, with her as my partner!” Ash yelled, angrily, pointing at Misty.
“Well I can’t believe he’s even considering putting you in charge. You’ll probably end up blowing up the place before he gets back!”Misty quickly shot back.
“What do you know?! All you care about is getting your stupid bike back. You would never be able to care for any other pokemon but your own.”
“I know a lot more about caring for pokemon than you ever will!!”
“Oh, yeah!!” Ash threatened, standing up.
“Yeah!!” Misty yelled, confronting him.
“Please calm down you two. How can I trust to hand over my lab to you if you continue to act this way? You need to learn to work together and get along. Hundreds of pokemon are counting on you. Please, will you do this for me? Can I count on you to be able to handle this?”
Ash walked toward the window and looked out. “If it’s for a pokemon in need than, yes, of course I’ll do it.”
“Count me in too. I’ll make sure to keep an eye on Ash for you, Prof., so there is no need to worry.”
Ash looked over at Misty and scowled at her, who only grinned back.
“Great! Then I’ll introduce you to the one who will be advising you on how to run the place. Crystal! Will you please come in here now!” the Prof. yelled to the next room.
A young girl, about Ash’s age, strolled into the room. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She had a short, tight tank-top and a short black skirt on. Her eyes were a clear aqua-green color, almost matching the color of her tank-top, and beautiful blonde-streaked hair which draped loosely over her shoulders almost reaching to the curve of her back. She had what looked like a medieval cross tattoo on her upper right arm and a gold heart-shaped locket resting on her chest. She also wore a cape-like cloth, draped from the bottom of the back of her tank-top and almost touching the floor (much like the outfit of Rinoa from FF8), giving the outfit a mystical, almost sexy look. Ash couldn’t help but stare. He defiantly wouldn’t mind spending six months there with her around!
Misty noticed the expression on Ash’s face. She turned and glared at the stranger, crossing her arms.
“Hello! My name is Crystal Lockheart. I will be the one showing you what needs to be done daily and how it should be done.” She turned to see Misty scowling at her and just smiled as if not noticing. “You must be Misty. It’s so nice to finally meet the famous Cerulean Gym leader and water pokemon expert. I myself specialize in the electric type. Maybe we could battle sometime to test out our skills.” Then she turned her gaze toward Ash. “And you must be the Ash Ketchum I’ve heard so much about. It’ll be a great learning experience to work with such a talented pokemon trainer, I’m sure!” she said giving him a flirting smile. Ash blushed sheepishly. Misty began to turn red too, but not from blushing.
“Well, now that we’ve all met, let’s go into the kitchen and have something to drink while we discuss my plans for you three!” the Prof. suggested, oblivious to the little episode being played out.
As Ash got up to follow the Prof. into the kitchen, Crystal grabbed Ash’s arm and linked it with hers. “Afterwards, you just have to show me all of your strong pokemon. OK, Ash!” she said, flirting. Ash smiled and nodded, “Sure.”
Misty looked at the couple angrily, then followed the two into the next room.


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