Anime-niac's Rhelm: Hope Regained, Part 1

The Seastone Showdown!

Scene: Ash, Misty and Tracey are sitting on Lapras. Ash is petting Pikachu, who is sitting on his lap. Misty is holding Togepi and has an embarrassed, yet shocked, expression on her face, and Tracey is looking at a map.

Lapras: Oeee!

Ash chuckles.

Narrator: After a marvelous adventure in a small town, Ash and crew gained a new perspective on togetherness as they left. Now they continue their travels… onward towards Seastone Island!

Ash {introducing title}: The Seastone Showdown!

Ash: This is a great swim for you, huh Lapras?

Lapras: Oeee!

Ash: This has been a long ride. Once we get back, you can have a nice, long rest in your Pokèball.

Misty continued to sport the horrified expression on her face.

Misty [thinking]: I hope Ash doesn’t remember what I said yesterday! I nearly gave away my secret… but, on the other hand, I don’t know. Ash is so dense; he’d never remember. But what if he did…?

{Flashback}

< Scene: Ash and Misty are sitting in a very small clearing within some bushes. Tracey is standing behind them and watching. In front of the trio are two Nidorans: a male and a female. They are cooing and nuzzling each other. Their trainers stand to the side. Ash and Misty watch the Pokèmon for a while, look at each other, and blush. Then, the Nidoran kiss and begin to glow with a mysterious white light.

Ash: What’s happening?

Tracey: They’re evolving!

Misty: Oh...!

The Nidorans evolve into Nidorino and Nidorina. Ash and Misty slowly begin to stand up, eyes still set on the newly evolved Pokèmon. Then, Ash turns to Misty.

Ash: Can one kiss really do all that?

Misty: I guess we’ll have to find out! >

{End flashback}

Misty [thinking]: Nah. He’ll have forgotten about that. He’s so dense. And besides, it was yesterday.

Ash quickly turns to Misty.

Ash: What did you mean when you said that yesterday?

Misty yelped and fell over, nearly toppling overboard. She sat up, put her arm behind her head, and closed her eyes.

Misty: I don’t know what you’re talking about, Ash!

Ash: You know… right after those Nidoran evolved. I asked you something and you said something about having to find out for ourselves.

Misty: Oh, it wasn’t important.

Ash: Come on, Misty! You can tell me!

Misty’s head grew extremely large as she turned to Ash.

Misty: I SAID IT WAS NOTHING SO LEAVE ME ALONE!

Ash had a sweatdrop on the left side of his head. He was bending backwards slightly and had a cowardly look on his face. His hands were up and in front of him.

Ash: Okay! I get the point.

Misty (with a smirk): Good.

Togepi: Togi!

Tracey looked up from the map as Ash lowered his hands.

Tracey: There’s an island called ‘Seastone Island’ about 3 miles east of here. There’s no gym, but it’s supposed to be full of Pokèmon. It’s also a great tourist spot!

Ash: I really want that badge…but it can wait! This is going to be a great few days. We need the rest, anyway.

Misty: Oh, Ash! You can always get that badge! We’re here now, so lets take a break.

Ash: OK…

Ash looked sad for a moment, but quickly pointed in the direction that he though was east.

Ash: Lapras, full speed ahead to Seastone Island!

Tracey and Misty had embarrassed/grim expressions on their faces.

Tracey: Uh, Ash? East is that way.

Ash: Really?

Tracey and Misty sighed a little anime cloud. Meanwhile, Team Rocket followed them in their Magikarp sub.

Jessi: Haha! The twerp trio is hoping to have a little fun on that island!

Meowth (giggling evily): Yeah, but they sure won’t be having any!

James: Am I missing something?

Jessi whacked James over the head with a paper fan.

Jessi: Stop being such an ignoramus!

Meowth: The little brats’ll be so busy having a good time, they won’t even notice we stole Pikachu!

Ash, Misty, and Tracey arrived on the island. They stood for a minute, staring at it with all of its splendor. Misty inched a little closer to Ash, and he didn’t notice. Ash turned around and held up a pokèball.

Ash: Thanks, Lapras! Return!

Tracey: Well, lets head on up to a Pokèmon center. We can get our Pokèmon recharged and, while we’re waiting, I can get some really good sketches!

Ash: And I wanna catch a Pokèmon!

Misty grabs them by the ears and drags them away.

Misty: Well, we’ll worry about that after we get there!

They arrive, and hand their Pokèmon over to Nurse Joy. Tracey goes outside and begins to sketch some Pokèmon. Ash and Misty were left sitting inside. The two of them watched him exit, and they slowly turned towards each other and blushed.

Ash: I guess it’s just the two of us.

Misty: It’s a beautiful island… it’s great…b-being here…

Ash: …being here with…

There was an awkward pause. They both were very tense. Nurse Joy watched over them from a dstance.

Misty [thinking] I guess it couldn’t hurt to tell him.

Nurse Joy [thinking]: Oh, how cute!

Ash [thinking]: I hope she agrees with me.

Misty: … you.

Ash: (at the same time as Misty) …all the rare Pokèmon.

Misty fell over, but she quickly picked herself up.

Misty: WHAT?!?! You little…

Nurse Joy: Your Pokèmon are fighting fit!

Pikachu ran up to them with Togepi in its arms.

Pikachu: Pikaaa!

Togepi: Togi togi prii!

Pikachu put him down and Togepi begin to walk in small circles around him. Ash and Misty looked down at their Pokèmon and then at each other. They blushed. After picking up their Pokèmon, they began to rise and walked over to the counter. The two of them grabbed their Pokèballs and attached them to their pokèbelts.

Nurse Joy: We hope to see you again!

Ash picked up Tracey’s 3 Pokèmon and he and Misty went outside. Tracey finished his drawing of a Rattata just as it ran away. Ash placed the pokèballs on his friend’s lap. Tracey then attached them to his pokèbelt, put away his sketchpad, and stood up. Without saying a word, the three of them walked into a forest. With that, Pikachu jumped onto Ash’s shoulder and crawled up onto his head. It was a thick forest with a small path down the center. Pieces of greenery hung down on the pavement and made it a little more difficult to walk. Ash tripped numerous times. After walking for about 15 minutes, a small rustle was heard in the bushes to their right.

Misty: What was that?

Ash: It must be a Pokèmon! I’m gonna catch it!

Ash went up to the foliage and separated some of the branches. Subsequently, a giant bug jumped up. Misty screamed and ran behind Ash and clung to him.

Ash: Wow! A Pincer!

Ash then pulled out his Pokèdex and aimed it at the Pincer.

Dexter: Pincer, the stag beetle Pokèmon. Pincer relies solely on its great strength and powerful pincers to over-whelm its foes. If it fails to crush the victim with its pincers, it will swing its victim around and toss it hard. It can't move if it's cold, so it lives in warm places.

Tracey: Ouch. I hope my relatives don’t take tips from him! My cheeks hurt enough already!

Ash turns his hat around and grabs a pokèball, which he then hurls into the air.

Ash: Bulbasaur, go!

With a stream of red light, Bulbasaur appeared. The pokèball closedand returned to Ash.

Ash: Bulbasaur, vine whip!!

Two vines emerged out of the plant Pokèmon’s back. They then proceeded to hit it. Pincer didn’t look affected.

Pincer: Pincer!

Pincer used its pincers to pick up Bulbasaur and hurl it into the air.

Tracey: That’s Pincer’s Seismic Toss!

Ash: Bulbasaur, Solar Beam!

Bulbasaur seemed to temporarily float in the air as sunlight was absorbed into the plant on its back. As it landed, a great beam of light came out of its back and hit its foe in the abdomen. It through him back a few feet, but still remained standing.

Ash: That’s one strong bug!

Misty continued to cling behind Ash, who didn’t seem to mind much.

Misty: But it’s still a bug!

Pincer then picked up Bulbasaur with its pincers and proceeded to crush it. Finally, he dropped it.

Bulbasaur: (panting) Bul….ba…Bul…ba….ba…saur….

Ash took the pokèball back out and a red laser came out and engulfed Bulbasaur while taking it back in.

Ash: Bulbasaur, return.

He took out another pokèball, but this one was not such an easy task. Misty was holding on tightly, and she was covering his pokèballs. After a quick struggle, he pulled it out and threw it into the air.

Ash: Squirtle, go!

Squirtle appeared with a red light and a little grin on its round, blue face.

Squirtle: Squirt Squirtle!

Ash: Squirtle, water gun!

A stream of water came out of his mouth and hit the Pincer hard. It fell.

Ash: Great job! Pokèball, go!

Ash pulled an empty pokèball out of his pocket and threw it at the Pokèmon. It went it with a flash of red, and its pokèball shook. Ash was sure it was caught when it appeared again.

Ash: Waa! The Pokèmon broke free!

He growled softly.

Tracey: Its about to faint! If you use another full attack, it’ll faint and you won’t be able to catch it. Give it up, Ash!

Ash: No! I’ll never give up! I declare to the Pokèmon of the world…

Pincer: Pincer!

Ash: Waa! Squirtle, spit out one bubble!

Squirtle: Squirtle?

Squirtle shrugged before spitting out a single bubble. After being struck, Pincer fell but was twitching. Ash grabbed another pokèball and threw it at Pincer.

Ash: Pokèball, go!

Once again, Pincer was surrounded with a red light and got sucked into a pokèball. Again, the ball shook, but then the light went out and it stopped moving. Ash walked over to the pokèball and Misty remained stationary. He picked it up and held it in front of him.

Ash: Yeah! I got Pincer!

As those words were spoken, Pincer’s pokèball began to dematerialize. Ash looked down at his hand.

Ash: Huh? Oh yeah! I can only carry 6 Pokèmon.

Misty: Yuck! I can’t believe you went through all of that for a bug!

Ash: Hmmph.

The scene changed to Professor Oak in his Pokèmon lab. Professor Oak heard a strange whirling and tureds to see what it was.

Professor Oak: Wow! It’s been a long time since Ash sent me a Pokèmon. I wonder what it is…

The machine stopped whirling and the Pokèmon popped out of its Pokèball with the same red light.

Pincer: Pincer!!

Professor Oak: Ooh! None of the other trainers managed to get a Pincer!

Pincer ran up to him and grabbed him in his pincers.

Professor Oak: AAAAAHHH!!

Back with Ash and crew, they made their way back to the Pokèmon Center to reserve a room for the night and to use the videophone. They casually walked in and Ash dialed the number for Professor Oak’s lab. After a few rings, the professor’s voice was heard. A few seconds later, the video snapped on. He was covered in bandages, and his voice sounded a little weaker than normal.

Ash: Hey Professor! Did you get my Pincer?

Professor Oak: Hello Ash. [annoyed] Yes, I did.

Ash: Why aren’t you happy?

Professor Oak: I am very proud of you Pokèmon skills, Ash. None of the other trainers have been able to catch a Pincer.

Ash: Not even Gary?

Professor Oak: No.

Ash beamed.

Misty: Then why are you so sad?

Professor Oak: Well, to put it simply, your Pincer bugs me, Ash.

Tracey then pushed them out of the way.

Pikachu: (angered) Pika….

Tracey: How are you, Professor? Did I ever mention how much I admire all of your hard work?

Professor Oak: Yes, Tracey, you told me.

Pincer ran up to the Professor and once again grabbed him.

Professor Oak: Aah! Stop! I’ll talk to you later, Ash… Misty!!

The phone then clicked off.

Ash: Well, at least they’re getting along.

Misty sighed.

Misty [thinking]: Ash can be so stupid at times.

The trio headed over to Nurse Joy, who was talking to her Chanseys.

Ash: Excuse me?

Nurse Joy stood up and headed back to the counter.

Nurse Joy: How can I help you, young man?

Ash: Can we have a room for the night?

Nurse Joy: Of course! Just follow me!

She grabbed a key and they obeyed.

Ash: Would you happen to be related to the Joy on Maikin Island?

Nurse Joy: Oh, yes! She’s my second cousin.

She then stopped in front of a room and unlocked it.

Nurse Joy: There you go!

Misty: Thank you, miss.

Nurse Joy smiled and went back to the front of the center. They put their stuff down on the beds and Togepi yawned.

Togepi: (sleepily) Togi…togi…

Tracey: I’m tired. I’m gonna stay here and go to sleep.

Ash: But it’s only 9:00.

Tracey: Well, I’m still tired. Why don’t you two go out to the beach or something? I’ll watch Togepi for you.

Misty: Okay, goodnight.

Misty placed her beloved Togepi, her pokèballs, and Ash’s pokèballs beside her fatigued friend and started for the door. Ash went to, but stopped and turned around.

Ash: Ya coming, Pi—

Ash stopped himself. He saw Pikachu in his own little sleeping bag. He knew well enough not to wake a sleeping Pikachu.

Ash: Come on, Misty. I guess it’s just you and me.

Misty liked the way that sounded. “Just you and me….” They made their way out of the Pokèmon Center and onto the nearby beach. The sun was just about to finish setting, and the sky was filled with indigo, magenta, cyan, and red and the colors blended so elegantly. Ash stopped at the edge of the beach and just stood watching the sun finish setting. Misty came up to him and stood next to him. He turned to her.

Ash: It’s beautiful, isn’t it?

Misty: Yeah.

She moved closer to him, smiling. Ash’s eyes grew wide.

Ash: What are you doing, Misty?

She fell over.

Misty: Nevermind. You sure know how to ruin a moment.

Ash: What moment?

Misty sighed an anime cloud.

Voice: Oh, look. It’s Ashy-boy and the scrawny excuse for a water Pokèmon trainer.

Ash and Misty growled.

Ash: I know that voice.

Gary came into the light, followed by his loyal cheerleaders.

Misty: DON’T YOU EVER CALL ME SCRAWNY!!

Gary: A bit over-reactive, huh, Scrawny.

Ash: Don’t talk about Misty like that!

Gary looked towards his cheerleaders.

Gary: I’ll meet up with you later, girls. I think I need to talk to Ashy-boy over here. Why don’t you take my pokèballs, too? Ashy-Boy sure isn’t worthy of a battle with me.

The girls giggled as they walked away with their idol’s pokèballs. Ash growled even deeper and louder.

Gary: I guess you had to settle for Little Miss I’m-a-Pathetic-and-Scrawny-Terrible-Pokèmon-Trainer because you were too poor of a Pokèmon trainer, huh, Ash?

Misty got really mad and ran up to Gary, ready to explode. She tried to punch him, but he caught her fist and shoved her to the ground. He laughed.

Gary: I’ll be seeing you later, Ashy-Boy. Hahahaha…

Ash suddenly felt a rush of rage build up inside of him. He swiftly walked up behind his rival and tapped him on the shoulder. Gary turned around.

Gary: What do you want NOW?

Ash: Just one thing.

Ash punched him in the stomach, and it caught Gary off-guard. He fell to the ground.

Gary: Oww….

Misty ran up to Ash and threw her arms around him.

Misty: Oh, Ash! You did that just for me!

A puzzled look flashed across Ash’s face.

Ash: I did?

Out of nowhere, a shadow cam up over the water.

Man’s voice: Oh, look. How touching.

Woman’s voice: But this won’t matter.

Squeaky voice: And we even got another one with it!

All three voices: Launch!

Suddenly, two mini-torpedoes were shot out of the water. The opened and two nets were revealed. One covered Ash and Misty; the other covered Gary, who was still in pain. The three of them screamed. Meanwhile…

Pikachu: (mumbling in his sleep) Pika ka ka...pikachu…

He turned over in his sleep and ended up rolling onto one of Tracey’s shoes. This awakened the little electric rodent . He stood up, yawned, and walked to his left. Suddenly, he stopped and his ears began to twitch. He looked over at Tracey, who was sound asleep.

Pikachu: (screaming) Pika! Pikachu! Pika!

Tracey didn’t do anything but drool, so Pikachu used a thundershock. It was very effective; Tracey fell off the bed charred and electrified.

Tracey: What is it Pikachu?

Pikachu began to tug at Tracey's shorts and point to the door. All of a sudden, the two of them heard the familiar screams of Ash and Misty.

Tracey: Oh, no! Let’s go, Pikachu!

Pikachu: Pika!

Tracey went over and picked up Togepi and held it securely in his arms. They fled the Pokèmon Center and Pikachu used agility to get to the beach. Tracey ran as fast as he could to follow his furry friend. Back at the beach…

Squeaky Voice: Hey! Where’s the other twerp?

Man’s voice: We got three little twirps!

Ash: Who are you?

The woman cackled and steped forward. Her shoes tapped against the metal she was standing on

Woman: Prepare for trouble!

Man: And make it double!

Woman: To protect the world from devastation!

Man: To unite all peoples within our nation!

Woman: To denounce the evils of truth and love!

Man: To extend our reach to the stars above!

Woman: Jessi!

Man: James!

Jessi: Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!

James: Surrender now or prepare to fight!

Meowth popped up from behind them.

Meowth: Meowth! That’s right!

Ash: I should have seen this coming.

Gary: Who are you guys?

Jessi: We are the world-famous Team Rocket!

James: Now hand over your Pikachu!

Ash: Never! Besides, he’s not even with me!

Meowth ran up to him and scratched his face.

Ash: Ow!

Meowth: I’m gonna keep doing that until you hand over that Pikachu.

James: That’s a good idea!

Ash: I told you! He’s not with me!

Meowth scratched ash more time.

Misty: He’s not lying!

Ash: We have to fight them!

Misty: But Ash, we left our pokèballs with Tracey!

James: Wait! There he is! After him, Meowth!

Pikachu was about five feet away from the edge of the water. He bolted there and Meowth came right after him. When he was about to be caught, he stepped to the side and Meowth fell into the water. Pikachu stuck his tail in the liquid while Meowth was throwing a hissy fit.

Jessi: Uh-oh.

James: What?

Jessi: Water and steel conduct electricity.

James: So?

Pikachu: Pi…ka…CHUUUUU!

Pikachu used a thunderbolt and shocked Team Rocket, who fell over rather charred. Tracey ran out from the path.

Tracey: Great job, Pikachu!

He took a pokèball off of his belt and tossed it into the air.

Tracey: Syther, go!

In a flash of red light, Syther popped out of his pokèball.

Syther: Syther!

Tracey: Finish them off!

Syther: Syth syth syth syth….

With flaps of its powerful wings, Syther tossed Team Rocket up in the air.

Jessi: The boss isn’t gonna like this…

James: (forcing a smile) Well, at least we tried!

Meowth: Shut up you two! ‘Cause it looks like….

All three: Team Rocket’s blasting off again!!

A star twinkled in the distance. Tracey ran up to his friends and Gary and set them loose. Pikachu hopped into its trainer’s arms.

Ash: Pikachu!

Pikachu: Pika!!

Narrator: Well, it looks like Team Rocket was defeated again. And with a new Pokèmon at their side, our heroes can have a lot more in store…

TO BE CONTINUED…