"Home Reckoning"
Author: Robert Brown
Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Nintendo,
Game Freak, and/or 4 Kids Inc. (except where noted, in which case
they were created and copyrighted by me or by another and I have
permission to use them). The author hereby gives permission for
this story to be downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy per user as
long as (1) no changes to the story are made without my express
written(not e-mailed) permission and (2) no attempt is made to
profit from this story. If either or both rules are violated, it
will be considered a violation of copyright law.
Author's Note: I can't believe it's been almost two years since I put out a
Pokémon fic. Two years. Does anyone even care about this series anymore?
I'm not going to stop, I've put too much effort into it. But I can just see
myself still writing fics when I'm 50. Ah well, if that's how life will be,
that's how life will be. I can do a lot worse. Take care everyone who's
still out there, and till next time, Happy Reading!
Since I've been writing this, I've gotten some bad news. My
mom has been diagnosed with ALS(Lou Gehrig's disease). It is completely
incurable and invariably fatal. As such, my muses have left me in my state
of depression. I'm trying to work my way through it, but please try to bear
with me.
#9
The western beaches of Cinnabar Island were just starting to stir in the
pre-dawn hours when two cries split the calm and quiet.
"Go Lapras!"
"Go Gyarados!"
Ash and Misty tossed their pokéballs into the air, releasing the water
pokémon into the waiting surf. Lapras squealed with glee when she landed it
the water and used her flippers to toss some of the chilly water onto her
trainer, causing Ash to laugh. Gyarados, while equally happy to be in the
water, was far more reserved in his actions and just waited for directions
from his trainer.
"All right, let's get home!" Ash yelled joyfully, his sentiment echoed
enthusiastically by Penny. The others were happy as well, but for different
reasons. Brock was looking forward to seeing Professor Oak at his lab and
seeing all the different pokémon he had. Suzie was nervous about meeting the
great Pokémon Professor, something she never thought she'd actually be able to
do. Misty was anxious to see Ash's mom again, hoping that the change in her
and Ash's relationship would be accepted. A small part of her hoped that
Ash's mom wouldn't want her son with Penny, but it was soon overwhelmed by
guilt for even thinking that way.
Ash climbed aboard Lapras and reached down to help Penny up. But when
he reached down to help Misty up as well, he was nearly knocked into the water
by a wave that Gyarados kicked up with its tail fin. "Hey, what's the big
idea?" he demanded, wiping water away from his face.
Gyarados roared angrily and fixed Ash with a harsh stare. "Umm, Ash, I
think Gyarados is mad," Penny said quietly. Gyarados roared a few more times,
looking purposely between Ash and Misty. "He says that he won't carry anyone
unless Misty rides him as well."
Misty looked a little upset for a second, but then her face brightened.
"All right, so we'll ride Gyarados and Brock and Suzie can ride Lapras!" she
suggested. No sooner had she finished when Lapras shook her whole body,
trilling in anger. "Let me guess," Misty sighed when Penny opened her mouth,
"Lapras won't carry anyone unless she's carrying Ash, right?"
"Right," Penny shrugged. "Oh well, looks like Brock and Suzie ride with
you and I'll ride with Pikapi!"
"In your dreams!" Misty yelled, jumping up and pulling Penny from her
seat by Ash. "If I can't ride with him, you can't ride with him."
"Whoa!" Penny yelped as she landed in the water butt first.
"Come on you two," Brock said from the beach while Suzie shook her head.
"Look, you two ride Gyarados and we'll ride with Ash."
"So you two get to ride together when we can't?" Penny and Misty asked
together, looming over Brock. "You ride with Ash. We girls will ride
together."
Suzie looked up at their suggestion, her eyebrow twitching slightly.
Like the others, she now carried a backpack of her own and was dressed for
travel. Packed away was the outfit she used to tend pokémon with. In its
place was a bright teal tank top and a light brown skirt that fell to her
knees with only the slightest of flares. "Oh no," she declared, "I'm not
going to listen to the two of you bicker all the way to Pallet Town. I'm
riding with Ash." While everyone just watched, Suzie climbed up on Lapras and
lightly tapped her neck, causing her to take off across the water. "See you
there!"
Ash knew full well that he would pay for it once the others caught up,
but he couldn't help but laugh. Suzie found herself laughing as well, and the
two friends shared a long chuckle together. "I can't believe you did that,"
Ash said. "But I want to thank you in a way."
"I meant what I said Ash," Suzie said, resting back against one of the
protusions on Lapras' shell. "Dealing with those two would've given me a
headache the size of a Snorlax. Let Brock deal with it; I still owe him for
going...how did Misty put it? Oh yes, 'girl-crazy' was the word she used."
"Sometimes I just can't understand those two," he confided as Lapras
made the turn north toward Pallet Town. "They're supposed to be the best of
friends. But just now I swore they were going to try and claw each other's
eyes out."
"It might have something to do with you Ash," Suzie said with a small
smile. "It has to be hard for them to share you like they're doing. Misty
had to be jealous of the idea of Penny spending time with you while she
couldn't."
"But she wasn't jealous when I took Penny on a date."
"That's because she knew she was getting one too. A word of advice Ash,
if you spend any significant amount of time with one of your girlfriends, make
sure to spend that much with the other as well. At least until you make your
decision."
Ash stroked Lapras' neck absentmindedly for a time. He hadn't really
thought about that aspect of his relationships really. This was all so new to
him, even though he'd had his first date with them both. Suddenly, Ash wanted
to get to Pallet Town as fast as possible. It was no longer that he wanted to
see his mother, he needed to see her. Maybe she could help him make sense of
his confusing feelings.
As if sensing Ash's thoughts, Lapras sped up considerably, pushing
herself forward through the water for her trainer's sake. Suzie nearly fell
into the water, unprepared for the sudden change in speed. Hoping to save
herself from an unneeded bath, she grabbed onto Ash's waist from behind. Ash
himself was a little off-balance from Lapras' actions, and having Suzie
suddenly hanging onto his waist didn't help matters any. But his grip on the
front of Lapras' shell was secure enough that he was able to hold on long
enough for Suzie to regain her balance.
"You OK back there?" Ash asked over his shoulder, turning his head as
much as he could to check on her.
Suzie nodded, her breathing a bit harsh from her near fall. Even though
she had her balance now, she couldn't quite bring herself to let go of Ash.
At the speed Lapras was travelling, Ash would be long gone in seconds if she
fell off for any reason. And that thought alone made her tighten her grip,
pressing herself more fully against Ash's back. The idea that the others
would probably find her on Gyarados didn't even occur to her. "I'm glad
you're here Ash," she quipped, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "If I was
holding Brock like this, he'd probably go girl-crazy and we'd both fall off."
Ash flushed slightly at how tightly Suzie was holding him and the soft
feel of her leaning against him. "I really don't think so Suzie," he said
after clearing his throat. "You're one of the few girls we've met that I've
never seen him go girl-crazy over."
"Is that a fact?" Suzie asked in return, her voice going colder than
Articuno's Blizzard attack.
Ash realized from her voice that he had just made a serious mistake.
"Wait a minute!" he added quickly. "You're misunderstanding me. Brock goes
girl-crazy over girls that he only sees how good they look. He respected you
before he even met you, and he sees you as a lot more than your looks. So
even though you're really pretty, he respects you too much to do that to you."
Suzie blushed noticably from Ash's inadvertent compliment as well as his
words about Brock's feelings. "I guess I can understand," she said, her voice
a little shaky. "I still don't want him to go girl-crazy at all though. It's
annoying at best and embarrassing at worst."
Ash laughed at the expression on Suzie's face. "You look like you just
swallowed a grimer," he said, making Suzie laugh as well. "But if you want to
hear about embarrassing, I have plenty of stories I could tell you about
Brock." That got Suzie's attention and she eagerly urged him to continue.
With the head start they had, it took another fifteen minutes of Misty
coaxing Gyarados to his fullest speed for them to catch up to Ash and Suzie.
In that time, Ash had related three tales that had Suzie laughing so hard she
was in tears. Currently, Suzie was playacting as a very ditzy girl that might
fawn over Brock. Ash, facing her fully now and playing the part of Brock, was
doing a perfect rendition of being girl-crazy as the recipient of that
affection. But it was so over-the-top and ridiculous that they were having
trouble keeping their faces straight.
That's not how it looked to the ones riding Gyarados though. Brock
could feel his eyebrows twitching as he watched the byplay between Suzie and
Ash. Seeing her show that kind of affection to Ash was really rubbing him the
wrong way. It didn't make any sense! Why was she acting like this? She
shouldn't be that flirty with anyone but him!
Reality hit Brock like a punch to the stomach. This annoyance and anger
he was feeling must have been exactly how Suzie had felt when he went girl-
crazy on the beach during their date. All the anger drained from him in a
heartbeat, leaving only guilt behind. This was the first time he could see
how everyone else saw it. He was more determined than ever to get control of
it now, he just had to figure out how.
If Brock had been just angry at what he was seeing, Penny and Misty were
beyond words. If one had to compare the emotions they were feeling, Brock's
would be as strong as a magikarp's Splash while Penny's and Misty's would each
be about the strength of an electrode's Explosion. Their hands were tied up
at the moment with keeping balance on Gyarados, so all they could do was plot
out different ways to maim and torture Suzie for daring to flirt with Ash.
It was at that time that Suzie felt a strange prickling sensation on the
back of her neck, as if she were being watched by someone who meant her harm.
She turned around to try and find the source of the rather uncomfortable
feeling and found that Misty and Penny were both try to burn holes through her
back with just their gazes alone. But why were they looking at her like that?
It couldn't be just from what happened back on Cinnabar's beach, could it?
But from how they were looking at her, especially at how close she was sitting
to Ash, it was almost like they were...jealous?
Suzie found herself blinking at the thought. As crazy as it was, that
was the only thing that made sense. But why would they be jealous of her?
After all, they knew of her feelings for Brock and Ash's feelings for them.
So what was the problem?
"Hey Suzie, are you all right?" Ash asked, tapping her arm to try and
get her attention. "You got quiet on me."
Suzie shook her head slightly and focused back on Ash. "Oh sure, sorry
Ash," she said with a half-smile. "I just got to thinking about some things."
"Well, if you want to talk, it's still a half hour to Pallet Town at
least," he said as he turned himself around to help guide Lapras through a
couple of shoals. "I don't mind talking things out if it'll help you."
Suzie's smile grew warmer, touched by Ash's concern. He really was
every bit the sweet boy he seemed to be. And that just made the reactions of
Penny and Misty that much more mystifying. Even if, for whatever reason, they
didn't trust her, they had to know that they could trust Ash. He hadn't given
them any reason to doubt them, unlike Brock had with her.
"I don't know," she said, becoming sadder the more she thought about it.
She held him from behind once more, her arms sliding easily around his chest
and waist, smiling softly as she could feel Ash tense slightly at the contact.
"There's not too much to talk about, I'm just thinking about how to deal with
Brock. I mean, I've already forgiven him for that one incident, but I don't
think I could forgive him a second time. I do have feelings for him, strong
ones, and I don't want to get hurt."
"I don't think you'll have to worry about that too much," Ash said after
a moment's thought. "Brock really likes you. I don't know if he told you
this but he was ready to offer me anything if I let you come with us. He's
gotta know how important this is to you, so there's no way he'll let you down.
You just gotta trust him."
Suzie felt her jaw drop open at the wisdom coming from Ash's mouth.
"Thanks a lot Ash," she said, her hold on him turning into more of a hug now.
"I really needed to hear that."
"Glad to help out a friend," Ash said with a bright smile. "Besides,
even though you always look pretty, you're beautiful when you smile."
Suzie grew a little shy from what Ash said. For years she had been so
focused on her work that the only compliments she had received were on her
breeding and pokémon massage techniques. And she knew Brock had feelings for
her so he couldn't exactly be unbiased. So for Ash, who had no ulterior
motives, to call her pretty and beautiful actually meant something. "You
know, you're really quite the charmer," she said honestly. "No wonder you
have two girls falling all over themselves to be with you." Ash turned his
head a bit to smile at her, his cheeks red from both her thanks and her hug.
Suzie couldn't help but giggle at the faintly embarrassed look on Ash's face.
"Has anyone ever told you that you're cute when you blush?" She asked
teasingly.
Ash felt his cheeks burn even hotter as he pulled his hat down to hide
his face. He wasn't sure what possessed him to say that to her, but he really
didn't like to see anyone sad, especially a friend. He'd overheard while
wandering around the hotel that the quickest way to get a girl to smile was to
compliment her looks, but only if it were true. He wanted to test it out on
Misty and Penny, but held back for fear of unnecessary pain. But with how
Suzie reacted to being complimented, it was definitely worth a try.
The rest of the trip passed with them bantering easily back and forth
with a good dose of teasing and flirting occasionally tossed in. Suzie found
herself not even caring about whether or not she was teaching a lesson to
Penny and Misty about trusting Ash. In fact, she hadn't noticed that Gyarados
had begun to fall behind, unable to keep up with Lapras' speed. By the time
Pallet Town started to rise on the horizon, Gyarados was far behind them.
Suzie noticed the approaching Pallet Town and sighed. She wasn't sure
if she were ready for the ride to end; it was a welcome diversion from her
thoughts and worries. "Thanks Ash," she said, hugging him even a little
closer than she already was and resting her chin on his shoulder so that she
could look at the profile of his face. "I really enjoyed this ride...and the
talk."
"Glad to be a help," Ash said with a smile, turning his upper body
around to face her fully, making her lift her chin from his shoulder. "And
hey, if you ever need to talk about what's going on with Brock just tell me.
He may know how to deal with us, but I'm no slouch at dealing with him
either."
Suzie smiled gratefully at Ash's offer, but then she suddenly froze.
With how Ash had turned, their faces were very near each other. All the
flirting and teasing they had done, along with hugging herself against him
since almost the beginning of the journey, had left their mark on her. Some
distant part of her knew this was wrong, but the only thing she wanted to do
at the moment was to kiss Ash. But did she dare?
Well behind them, Misty sat perched on one of Gyarados' coils, trying to
see exactly what was going on on Lapras. Lapras was still pulling away from
Gyarados; she estimated that there was at least three-quarters of a mile
between them now. All she could tell was that Ash and Suzie were still
sitting very close to each other. Maybe even closer now than they were
before, but she could not be certain of that.
So engrossed was she with her attempted spying that she didn't even
notice when Penny's face popped up next to hers. "Can you see what they're
doing?" Penny asked, wincing slightly as a particularly strong wave rocked
Gyarados. She tried to use the brim of her cap to shield her eyes from the
sun, but the glare reflecting off the water was just as bad if not worse.
"No," Misty admitted with a sigh. It didn't help that the distance was
growing larger with each passing second. She was proud of Gyarados for even
being able to catch up with Lapras in the first place; gyarados were built
for battle, not speed. And even though Misty could sense the desire to go
faster in the way her pokémon's muscles rippled and tensed, she knew that
urging him any harder than he was already pushing himself would only lead to
Gyarados becoming completely exhausted. And no matter how much this was
bothering her, she refused to do that to any of her pokémon. She was glad
that Togepi was sleeping comfortably in her backpack though; her "baby" would
not like the tension in her "mommy's" arms very much and Misty didn't want to
worry Togepi needlessly.
It was almost another fifteen minutes before Lapras reached the beach of
Pallet Town, and both Misty and Penny watched closely as Ash slid off Lapras,
then caught Suzie as she jumped off. It didn't look like anything
inappropriate was happening, but they were still too far away to absolutely
say so. Still, it wouldn't hurt to make sure that Suzie knew exactly where
things stood.
Gyarados' body wasn't as streamlined as Lapras' so he when he reached
the shore nearly ten minutes after Lapras had he was forced to beach further
out. Misty, Penny, and Brock jumped off in waist-deep water instead of the
ankle-deep water that Ash and Suzie had gotten to. "Thank you so much for
everything," Misty whispered to Gyarados before recalling him to his pokéball.
By the time those three had waded through the surf to shore, Ash and
Suzie were sitting side-by-side on top of a small mound of sand waiting for
them. "About time you three showed up," Suzie called with a wave. Ash waved
as well, but it was obvious his mind was on something else.
"Very funny," Penny muttered dryly as they stood up and hopped down to
greet them.
Suzie reached up on top of the dune where Ash's jacket was laying and
pulled it down, shaking some sand out of it. "Thanks for the loan Ash," she
said, handing it back to him.
"No problem," Ash said distractedly, oblivious to the jealous looks that
Misty and Penny were shooting at him.
As before, Suzie was not. "Is there anything you two would like to say
to me?" she asked sharply, arching an eyebrow.
"Why yes," Misty said in a sugary sweet voice, taking hold of one of
Suzie's arms. She nodded at Penny who took hold of Suzie's other arm, though
a touch hesitantly. "You boys go on ahead, we girls have a little something
to discuss.
"Let's go Brock," Ash said, adjusting his cap to fit better on his head.
"I'm sure by now Mom has breakfast cooking." He seemed to be more focused now
that the subject was on food.
Brock grabbed his and Suzie's backpacks, walking along behind Ash.
"Does this mean I finally get to taste your mom's wonderful cooking?" he
asked. When Ash just laughed in answer, Brock cracked a smile. "Hey, you
always compare my food to hers; about time I get to make the comparison too."
Misty and Penny made sure to walk Suzie slowly enough that Ash and Brock
had quickly walked beyond easy hearing range. "What was the big idea flirting
with Ash like that?" she hissed, making sure to keep her face neutral in case
Ash should look back.
"I didn't start flirting with him until you two gave me the jealous
looks of death," Suzie answered calmly.
"Yeah right," Penny countered. "We saw Ash giving you the 'girl-crazy'
look when you were acting flirty with him."
Suzie stopped suddenly, digging her heels into the sand and making Misty
and Penny stop with her. "The key word there is acting. Ash had been telling
me stories about how Brock has gone girl-crazy since they met to make me
understand how hard it's going to be for him to just stop. So we were having
a little fun with it and Ash did his best impression of Brock. That's all."
"That's all?" Misty asked, thinking about Suzie's words. It was true
that going "girl-crazy" was very unlike Ash; now that she was thinking
rationally she could see that. Suddenly she felt very ashamed of herself and
from the look and Penny's face, they both felt the same.
Suzie shook her arms free of them, a scowl marring her pretty face.
"Look, you're both supposed to be in love with Ash, right? Love is built on
trust, so even if you don't trust me you really should trust him. This is one
of the sticking points between me and Brock; if I can't trust him not to go
girl-crazy, I can't allow myself to fall in love with him. Not that I'm all
too far from it anyway."
Penny toed the sand with her boot, unable to meet Suzie's gaze. "It's
times like this I almost want to be just a pikachu again," she muttered,
rubbing her eyes. "But I can't bring myself to give this up."
Suzie walked around until she was behind the girls and threw an arm
around their shoulders. "Come on, you don't want to miss breakfast do you?"
she asked, steering them after the footprints that Ash and Brock had left
behind. Suzie's instincts held true and soon a very nice house came into
view. "I assume that's where we're going?"
"Don't ask me," Misty admitted. "This is my first time in Pallet Town."
"I've been here once," Penny offered. "Granted it wasn't a pleasant
time for me, but I do remember the house. And that is it."
The girls walked up to the house, their bad spirits melting away under
the bright sun. As they reached the door, it opened suddenly and Ash dashed
through it, almost bowling all three girls over in his haste. As it was, he
crashed into Suzie, nearly knocking her down; the only reason both her and him
were not on the ground was because she was being held up by Misty and Penny.
It took them a good thirty seconds to get themselves righted, during which Ash
found himself leaning fully against Suzie. "Sorry," he muttered once he was
on his feet, a faint blush staining his cheeks from the contact.
Suzie's cheeks mirrored Ash's, but she recovered quickly. "Where are
you going in such a hurry?" she asked, somehow managing to keep her voice
from squeaking as she dropped her arms from around the girls' shoulders.
"Umm, Professor Oak wanted to see me. He said it was something really
important that couldn't wait. He didn't even let me have breakfast."
Penny couldn't help but giggle at Ash's pout while Misty rolled her
eyes. "Well, the faster you get there the faster you'll get back," Penny
pointed out. "Go on, we'll keep your food warm for you." That got a bashful
smile out of him, which brought a smile to her face as well. She leaned in
and brushed a quick kiss across his lips. "I'll be waiting."
"Me too," Misty chimed in, stepping up to Ash and pressing a slightly
deeper kiss to Ash's lips than Penny had. "Don't take too long. And it's
that way Ash," she added, turning Ash around before he walked back down to the
beach.
"And while you're doing that," Ash's mom, Delia Ketchum, said, suddenly
appearing in the doorway and pulling Penny and Misty inside, "we can all have
a talk about just why you two are both kissing my son."
Ash felt very lightheaded as he walked down the path to Professor Oak's
lab. That was the first time that he had been kissed by both girls one right
after the other. And with what ahd already happened that day, he could not
wipe the smile from his face. He kept replaying the kisses over in his mind
so much that he didn't notice when he walked into the door. His head collided
with the wood loudly and he fell down with a surprised cry.
As Ash sat there rubbing his head, the door opened up. "Oh there you
are Ash," Professor Oak said, grabbing Ash's arm and helping him to his feet.
"Hmm, I can't do that too much anymore," he said, rubbing his back.
"Umm, you wanted to see me Professor Oak?" Ash asked, making sure his
cap was on right.
"Oh yes," Professor Oak agreed, his demeanor becoming serious. "Come
in, please. There's something very important that we have to talk about."
"Umm, all right," Ash said, a little taken aback by Professor Oak's
change in attitude.
Professor Oak sighed as he sat down and motioned for Ash to do the same.
"I'm sorry Ash, but the Nurse Joy who treated you wasn't as discreet as I
would've liked her to be. She informed one of her cousins about the your
condition, just in a casual manner. But that cousin was so taken aback by the
knowledge that she immediately told the Officer Jenny stationed in her town,
and the Officer Jenny felt it was her duty to inform the Indigo League
Council."
Ash felt a shiver run down his spine. The Indigo League Council, better
known as the Elite Four, made all the rules concerning pokémon battling in the
region. They were the ones who licensed the trainers and sanctioned the gyms
in which badges could be earned. Their word was law, completely unappealable.
"What did they say?" he asked slowly.
Professor Oak rubbed his eyes and looked at Ash with a sorrowful gaze.
"After careful review, and extensive questioning of me, they've given you a
choice. Either you promise never to use your powers again or you limit
yourself to carrying only five pokémon from now on with you being considered
your own sixth."
Ash leaned back in his chair with a harsh movement that nearly tipped
both him and the chair over. "Some choice," he muttered, shifting his weight
forward to right himself. "Can I change my mind at any point?"
"I'm afraid not. Once your decision is made it is final. Any attempt
to change it will result in your permanent disqualification from being a
trainer."
Ash pounded his left fist into his right palm. He was backed into a
corner with no way out. His dark thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a
pokémon rushing toward him. "Bulba!" Bulbasaur cried as he launched himself
into Ash's chest.
"Hey Bulbasaur!" Ash said, cuddling the grass pokémon to him. He
laughed as Bulbasaur's vine whips tickled the spot underneath his chin.
Just holding his friend like this helped to take the edge off his anger,
brightening his mood considerably.
Professor Oak cleared his throat, still looking rather ill at ease.
"Ash, as much as I don't want to push you, the Council has 'asked' that you
give your answer as soon as possible. In other words, I'm not allowed to
let you leave until you decide."
"Why is it so important that I decide now? I mean, this is something
I really need to think about."
"I understand Ash, really I do. But they're getting a little antsy
about it, especially now that you've earned your seventh badge. They're
afraid that if they don't impose some kind of limit on you then any further
battles you have will be tainted by you misusing your powers."
"I would never do that!" Ash yelled, the sentiment echoed by
Bulbasaur's loud cry.
Professor Oak held his hands up, forcing himself not to cringe as he saw
sparks of electricity arcing around Ash's fists. "Don't you think I know that
Ash? But they don't know you like I do.
"Ash, you could very well be on your way to being Pokémon Master, a
title few have ever held. One thing you will learn is that every move you
make can and will be dissected by those looking to bring you down. What on
the surface is innocent can easily be spun into something the general public
will find incriminating. You have to avoid even the appearance of impropriety
at all costs, and that's all the League Council is doing here. Is it right?
Maybe not, but it's the way it has to be."
Ash sat quietly, absently scratching the bulb on Bulbasaur's back. He
didn't understand all the words that Professor Oak had said, but he got the
main gist of them. "I'm not going to give up my powers," he said firmly.
"I've been working too hard on learning how to use them," he added, holding
his hand out and loosing a thundershock into the ground at Professor Oak's
feet. "I'm not about to let all that go to waste."
Professor Oak smiled for the first time since he'd sat down with Ash.
"I think you've made the right choice Ash," he said, standing up.
"I'm not done yet," Ash insisted, making Professor Oak sit back down.
"I'll follow all their rules, but I have one of my own."
"And what might that be?" Professor Oak asked warily.
"If I ever get into a six on six battle, my opponent will know that I'm
one of those six under these rules. I just want the option of registering six
of my pokémon and not being forced to use myself."
"You actually think you can dictate to the Council?" Professor Oak
asked, aghast at the thought. "They tell us what to do, not the other way
around."
"Professor Oak, one day I'm going to be Pokémon Master. If I let the
League push me around now, they'll never respect me as Pokémon Master. I need
to show them that I'm going to stand my ground or they'll walk all over me."
Professor Oak sat back, thinking about Ash's words. "I guess that's
fair, but I can't promise anything. It's up to the Council."
Ash stood and nodded, gently lowering Bulbasaur back to the floor.
"I'll abide by whatever they say, but I won't turn over a pokémon until they
make their ruling official." Professor Oak nodded and stood to walk Ash to
the door. What neither one was aware of was that their entire conversation
had been overheard by someone, someone who against his better judgement was
beginning to feel very jealous.
Ash walked back to his house, thinking everything over. He had to give
up a pokémon, but it was not going to be an easy decision. Pikachu, Lapras,
Squirtle, Charizard, Pidgeotto, or Articuno. A case could be made for each
of them. For instance, since his powers were electric in nature, it would
make sense for him to leave Pikachu behind. But he discarded that thought as
soon as he had it. Even if it weren't for the fact that she was also Penny
and he needed to figure out exactly where things were going with her, she was
his first pokémon. Ever since she'd run back to him the last time he tried to
leave her behind with that group of pikachu, he swore he'd never leave her
behind again.
Leaving behind Lapras made even more sense. Lapras was a water pokémon
who was most at home on the open water. None of the rest of his journey was
going to be on the water. Also, Professor Oak had a really nice lake on his
property. And yet, Lapras was one of his newer pokémon and he'd grown very
fond of her. Still, if she'd be happier staying with Professor Oak, he had to
at least keep the option in mind.
Squirtle was another option. He and Bulbasaur were best of friends, and
they'd surely be unhappy being separated. And he couldn't exactly bring
Bulbasaur along right now anyway or he'd have to find two pokémon to leave
behind. That was more of a headache than it was worth. But Squirtle was a
battler; he wouldn't enjoy living with Professor Oak for very long. He might
even get into some real trouble. Would it be worth it just to reunite some
friends?
Charizard. Now he seemed like the easy choice to leave behind. He and
Ash were still at odds with each other and it didn't look like that would
change any time soon. Leaving Charizard with Professor Oak would eliminate
one of Ash's biggest headaches. The problem with that was that this was what
Charizard probably wanted. It would be wrong to give him what he wants for
acting the way he did and Ash would never earn Charizard's respect that way.
Ash hadn't used Pidgeotto in battle since his first encounter with
Mewtwo, and he felt guilty about that now that he thought about it. He wished
he could say that he was going to do better in the future, but he didn't know
what lay ahead for him. Leaving Pidgeotto with Professor Oak would have the
least effect on his battling style, that was true. Still, he wasn't sure if
that would just be a copout. He cared a lot about Pidgeotto and he should
probably show her that more. Leaving her behind might do the exact opposite.
And then there was Articuno. Ash had to laugh to himself for a moment;
only he would think about leaving behind one of the three most legendary
pokémon in the area. Professor Oak had been waiting most of his life to study
such a valuable pokémon, and he owed him that much at least. But in the
battle with Blaine, Articuno had looked at him oddly, almost as if she were
truly seeing him for the first time. Either way, he wanted to know more about
her and what she was all about. And he couldn't do that if he didn't travel
and battle with her.
Ash was still undecided as he reached his house. As much as he didn't
like the idea, he knew that he probably couldn't make the decision until it
was forced onto him. But maybe the others could help. "I'm home!" he called
as he opened the door.
"Oh Ash," his mother said in a sickly sweet voice, "I'm so glad you're
back. We were just waiting for you to come back."
Ash paused where he stood. He had turned around to close the door so he
couldn't see exactly what was making his mom talk like that. But he knew that
tone of voice well. His mother almost never got mad at him, but when she did
she used this exact same voice to let him know that her anger wasn't very far
behind. He turned around slowly, expecting the worst. What he saw was beyond
even that.
His mother was sitting on a chair in front of their sofa, looking
intently at Penny and Misty. Both girls were squirming in their seats,
looking anywhere but at Mrs. Ketchum. Brock and Suzie were nowhere to be
found, probably hiding out back or something. Ash thought about going to find
them, wherever they were, but his mother suddenly turned and pinned him with
a glare as effective as any Arbok's. "Ash, would you please come here and sit
with us?" she asked, but Ash heard the underlying order.
Ash walked quickly into the living room and sat down in a chair in the
far corner of the room. One of his mother's eyebrows started twitching ever
so slightly and he moved to sit between Penny and Misty without her even
having to say a word. He swallowed nervously as both Penny and Misty sagged
tiredly against him. "Are you two OK?" he whispered, sliding an arm around
each of their waists. Misty and Penny both nodded and rested their heads on
his shoulders.
Delia's eyes narrowed as she watched the three of them. She folded her
hands on her lap and leaned forward slightly, making Ash and the girls lean
back into the sofa's cushions. "Ash dear, could you please explain to me what
you're doing with two girlfriends?" she asked as calmly as she could. "I
tried to get the story out of Misty and...Penny was it? But neither one seems
to be able to talk much at the moment."
Ash winced, knowing exactly what that felt like. "It's a long story
Mom," he said, trying to delay the inevitable. But from how her hands
clenched, he knew it was a hopeless tactic. "Let me start at the beginning."
Ash spent the better part of the next hour recounting the most recent
part of his journey. Through it all his mother stayed silent. He could see
the fear in her eyes when he mentioned the threat of the Red Squad, the
surprise of the singing contest, the shock at the de-evolution of Pikachu from
a Raichu, the concern over his own powers, the worry over his time in Seafoam
Islands, and her pride in his earning of his seventh badge. Her face was
carefully neutral however whenever he mentioned anything that involved either
Misty or Penny, especially the dates that he had taken them on. That worried
him. "And we came back to Pallet Town this morning," he finished.
During some point in Ash's story Delia had rested her elbows against her
thighs and brought her laced fingers up to rest her chin on. "You've had
quite the adventure," she said thoughtfully. "But I notice there is one part
you didn't quite explain. How did you meet Penny to begin with? I find it a
little hard to believe that she saved your life out of the blue from Articuno
and then showed up the very next day at a café with Misty."
Ash sighed and let his head drop forward. He'd been hoping that his
mother wouldn't make anything of that detail, but he should've known better.
There was precious little he could slip by his mother when he was younger and
she'd only gotten better as he got older. "Well Mom," he began nervously,
"you see that's a whole story in and of itself. I've known her really since
the beginning of my journey, but something changed recently to make her let me
know how she feels."
Delia finally allowed her confusion to show as she turned her gaze on
Penny. "I know you met Misty on your first day out," she said slowly, trying
to piece things together only to find that they didn't fit. "Ash, don't lie
to me. If you had met Penny that day I think you would've mentioned her
before this."
"I have to show her, don't I?" Penny whispered sadly. Ash's expression
was pained at the thought, but he nodded his agreement. Penny sighed softly
as she disentangled herself from Ash. She stood up with her arms out to the
sides. "I hope you won't hate me after I show you this," she told Delia as a
yellow glow surrounded her.
Delia leaned back sharply in her chair as Penny seemed to collapse in on
herself. When she saw a familiar electric pokémon's face sticking out from
the pile of clothing, her surprise was more than enough to send her falling
backward head over heels as she overbalanced in her chair.
"Mom!" Ash yelled, hurrying to her side. Misty and a quickly changed
Penny were there as well though Penny's clothes were a little askew from the
quick transformation. "Are you all right?" Ash asked, checking Delia's head
to make sure it wasn't bleeding.
Delia waved away Ash's probing hands. "I'm fine dear," she whispered
distractedly, looking at Penny. "Please tell me I didn't just imagine that,"
she said as she righted herself with the help of all three. "Pikachu? Is
that really you?"
"Pika!" Penny said as cutely as possible, adding a wink in for good
measure.
Delia rubbed her temples as she was helped to the sofa. "At least tell
me that you haven't always been able to do this all the time."
"Of course not," Penny said stiffly. "I only gained the ability just
before we headed to Seafoam. And a good thing I did too or Ash...." She let
her words trail off, but everyone knew what she meant.
Delia closed her eyes and let her head fall back against the sofa.
"Well Ash," she said in her best "mother" voice, "it seems you have gotten
yourself in quite the little dilemma here. You know I can't approve of you
having two girlfriends. I think you're too young to have one!"
Ash very nearly whined, "Mom!" at her words, but held it back because
that would have only proven her correct. What he said instead was simple,
straight, and to the point. "I love them Mom."
Delia lifted her head slowly and stared into her son's eyes. Many times
he had almost been able to slip a lie past her. But there was always
something in his eyes whenever he tried. She held his gaze for a long time,
searching hard for that hint. But it wasn't there. For the first time that
she doubted him, Ash was telling the truth. "Looks like my little boy isn't
so little anymore," she whispered, tears springing to her eyes.
Ash blushed a bit and looked down, embarrassed. "And to think, this
isn't my only 'dilemma' to deal with," he said as he sat in the chair across
from his mother.
"What do you mean Ash?" Misty asked, tilting her head to the side
slightly as she watched him.
Ash heaved a heavy sigh as Misty and Penny sat down on opposite sides
of Delia. "Apparently word leaked out about my powers," he said, making his
fists crackle with electricity to emphasize his point. "Professor Oak said
that the Indigo League Council heard about it and they're giving me a choice.
Either I only carry five pokémon on me from now on or I never use my powers
again. If I didn't agree to it they were going to strip me of my trainer's
license."
"That's not fair!" Penny exclaimed. "How can they make you not use
your powers anymore?" She was really worried about this. His powers were one
of the things they shared together, one of the few true advantages she had
over Misty in their friendly war over Ash's heart. If she lost that....
Ash smiled a sad sort of half-smile. "I'm not giving up my powers," he
said gently. "I decided I'm going to carry only five pokémon from now on....
At least, once they get back to me on my condition."
Misty opened her mouth to ask what he was talking about, but the phone
took that moment to start ringing. Delia picked up the handset and held it to
her ear. "Hello? Ketchum residence." She nodded along with whoever was on
the other end, despite the fact that this wasn't a videophone and therefore
she couldn't be seen. "OK, I'll tell him. We'll be right over Samuel.
"That was Professor Oak," she said as she hung up the phone. "The
Indigo League Council has agreed to your terms. They're expecting your
decision in a few minutes."
"That was quick," Ash muttered. "I haven't even figured out which one
to leave behind yet."
Misty reached over and pulled Ash to his feet, linking her arm with his.
"We'll figure it out on the way over there," she said, trying not to notice
when Penny did the same on his other side. Delia giggled a little as she
watched Ash grow uncomfortable in the grasp of both girls. Even though she
was still not sold on this whole "two girlfriends" thing, it looked like she
could use it to have a little fun at her son's expense. She decided to follow
along, just so she could do just that.
As they all walked to Professor Oak's place, both Misty and Penny had
their ideas on who should be left behind. Misty's vote was Charizard while
Penny urged him to leave behind Squirtle. Delia kept her own thoughts on the
matter silent but threw her support behind each girl as they spoke in turn.
She was trying to see if Ash would clearly favor one of them over the other,
but Ash remained perfectly neutral, focused solely on the task at hand. A
part of her was annoyed by this, but a larger part was proud of him for being
truthful about his feelings.
Professor Oak was waiting for them outside his lab, watching them
approach. He was a little surprised that the Council had agreed to Ash's
condition so readily; in his experience they did not take kindly to having
demands made of them. But Ash was only trying to insure the same options were
available to him as they were to other trainers. After all, no matter how
much you relied on one pokémon, there was no rule that said you always had to
use it.
"Hi Samuel!" Delia called, waving animatedly as she hurried forward
ahead of her son and his two friends.
"Well hello Delia," he returned, a slight smile touching his lips. "I
didn't expect you to join us today. Or either of the other young ladies
present."
Delia blushed as she was called a "young lady." She prided herself on
keeping her youthful looks despite having a teenage son, and compliments on
that fact were always greatly appreciated. "Well, you didn't think I was
going to let Ash make one of the most important decisions of his life without
me here, did you?" she asked with a playful grin. "There was no way he was
going to leave me or his girlfriends behind."
"Girlfriends?" Professor Oak asked in surprise, making sure to
emphasize the plural of the word. When all four nodded, he just shook his
head. "I'm sure this is an interesting story, but we'd better get the
unpleasantness out of the way first."
Ash sighed softly and disentangled himself from the grasps of Penny and
Misty. He pulled one pokéball from his waist and looking at it as he walked
toward Professor Oak. "This was a hard decision to make," he said quietly,
enlarging the pokéball to full size. "But I think the best thing for my team
right now will be to leave behind Lapras. I haven't had her long, but she's
already an important part of my team. I'm going to miss her."
"Very well," Professor Oak said solemnly. "I'll keep Lapras safe and
sound here until you want her returned. I've also been asked by the Indigo
League Council to officially record the five pokémon you have chosen to
continue your journey with. Would you please call them out now?"
Ash thought the request was a little strange but complied anyway.
"Well, you know I never go anywhere without Pikachu," he began as he pulled
four pokéballs from his belt.
"Where is Pikachu?" Professor Oak asked, looking around and realizing
for the first time that he didn't see the yellow rodent that was normally a
fixture by Ash's side.
Ash's gaze flickered over to Penny for a second and she rolled her
eyes. "You know, I'm starting to feel like I'm on stage or something," she
grumped, but transformed anyway. Professor Oak seemed to take it as well as
anyone who had seen it thus far, but a closer look showed that his knees were
trembling slightly. "Don't worry," Penny said after she had transformed back
and was adjusting her clothing, "this story is just as interesting as the
other one and you'll hear it at the same time."
"Quite so," Professor Oak said, mopping his forehead with a handkerchief
that he'd pulled from the pocket of his lab coat. "Continue Ash."
One by one, Ash called out Pidgeotto, who pecked Ash lightly on the top
of his head because it had been so long since she'd been let out of her
pokéball; Squirtle, who posed for a second while wearing his old Squirtle
Squad sunglasses; and Charizard.
Ash tried to call Charizard back quickly, hoping to keep any trouble and
damage to a minimum, but Charizard had other ideas. He hadn't been let out of
his pokéball since the incident with Giovanni in Team Rocket Headquarters, and
Ash had gotten the best of him then. Not only that, but he'd just been
enjoying a lovely little nap. He avoided the recall beam and instead torched
Ash with a close-range Flamethrower.
"Ash!" everyone present cried, watching as Ash emerged from the flames
more than a little singed and smoking. Charizard looked rather proud of
himself and snorted a small Ember at Ash for further insult before turning his
back on Ash completely.
"I've had it!" Ash exclaimed, tugging on Charizard's arm to try and
turn him around. Of course that didn't work and Ash only got backhanded to
the ground for his efforts. Penny looked like she wanted to transform back to
Pikachu and teach Charizard a lesson. Ash gestured for her not to though and
stood up, grabbing Charizard's arm again and pulling on it.
Charizard was getting annoyed with Ash now. Didn't this kid take a
hint? He tried to backhand him again but Ash was ready for it this time. Ash
ducked under the blow and brought his fist up into Charizard's chin.
Ordinarily such a blow wouldn't have even turned the fire pokémon's head,
which is exactly what Charizard was expecting to happen. But because Ash had
activated his powers just before making contact, Charizard found himself
roaring in pain as the electricity of a Thunderpunch coursed through his body.
Ash felt a sense of satisfaction as Charizard fell down on his backside
and looked up at Ash in surprise and shock. "Now return!" Ash said a little
more harshly than normal. Charizard, too stunned by what Ash had done, didn't
even attempt to dodge the beam that pulled him back into his pokéball. Ash
clipped the ball back onto his belt angrily and had just enough time to take a
deep breath before Misty and Penny were upon him, checking his for injuries
and scolding him for being so stupid, though Misty was more rough about it.
Professor Oak waited until both girls had satisfied themselves of Ash's
well-being and Misty had thumped Ash's skull a time or two before thinking
about talking, and even then he had to speak loudly over the startled cries of
the now awake Togepi who was sticking her head out of Misty's backpack.
"While I appreciated the demonstration of your abilities Ash, you do still
have one more pokémon to show me."
Ash's face twisted up like he had just eaten something really sour. "I
was hoping I could get away without that," he admitted, cringing at the look
Professor Oak shot him. "It's just that we've had so much excitement already
today that I didn't think we could handle much more."
"What are you talking about Ash?" Professor Oak wondered.
"I guess I'll just to show you. Go Articuno!"
For a split second, Professor Oak was convinced that he had misheard
Ash. But when the flash of light died down and before him stood one of the
three most legendary pokémon in the land, he felt his jaw drop somewhere
around the level of his feet. "I can't believe it," he heard himself say.
"What...how...when?"
"Another story for another time," Ash promised, letting Professor Oak
stare for a few more minutes before recalling her. "Is there anything else
you need? I haven't had lunch yet and I'm really getting hungry right now."
"Typical Ash," a familiar, and unwelcome, voice sneered from the shadowy
doorway of Professor Oak's lab. "Always thinking with your stomach first."
"Gary?" Ash asked, a little surprised at hearing that voice. "What are
you doing here? I thought you were--"
"You thought wrong," Gary said, walking out of the shadows and toward
Ash with slow, measured steps. "But then that doesn't surprise me. You've
always been wrong about a lot of things."
Ash blinked in surprise as he watched Gary approach. Since ending their
friendship, Gary had always had a superior smirk on his face when talking to
Ash. But the look on his face right now was quite different. If Ash didn't
know better, he'd swear that it was a mixture of anger and...hate? "Gary," he
said slowly, "is something wrong?"
Gary's expression became even angrier as he stopped in front of Ash and
folded his arms across his chest. "Is something wrong?" he repeated in a
slightly mocking voice. "Something is always wrong when it involves you Ash.
Just answer me one question. Who did you con out of Articuno? We both know
you're not capable of catching it yourself."
Ash tried to control himself in the face of Gary's anger but found it
increasingly hard to do so. "What are you talking about Gary? You're not
making any sense."
"You know what Ash? You're right." For a split second Ash hoped that
this was all some kind of bizarre joke on Gary's part, but that was quickly
dashed with Gary's next words. "You're not smart enough to con anyone out of
anything. So who did you steal it from?"
"Gary!" Professor Oak said sharply while the others gasped in shock.
"Oh please," Gary retorted. "We both know there's no way Ash possibly
could've done such an impressive thing. And I heard you got yourself a
Volcano Badge too. So tell me, did you get it in battle or because you
showed the gym leader how pitiful you are and you couldn't get badges any
other way?"
"That's enough Gary!" Professor Oak ordered sternly, keeping a careful
eye on Ash's hands as they started to sparkle with electricity. Penny and
Misty must've noticed the same thing because they ran over to Ash and tried to
calm him down. It took a little while, especially with Misty's attention
divided between calming Ash, caring for Togepi, and shooting death glares at
Gary, but the glow around Ash's hands began to fade.
Gary didn't move until his grandfather came up behind him and forcibly
turned him around. As he was marched back toward the lab, Gary looked back
over his shoulder and saw Ash being led away by his two girlfriends. A quirky
smile, warm brown eyes, and two green ponytails danced in his vision for just
a moment, but that just made him even angrier and he said the unthinkable.
"That's right Ash, run away from your problems just like your dad did."
The moment he said it, he knew he'd crossed a line that should've never
been crossed. But before he could do or say anything else, Ash tore away
from Penny and Misty and charged over to him, tackling him down to grass.
They rolled away from the others, throwing in a punch whenever they could
while trying to pin the other boy down.
"Stop it you two!" Penny pleaded while Misty looked on, torn between
letting Ash fight his own battles and jumping into the fight herself.
Professor Oak and Delia managed to separate the tussling boys before any
serious damage was done, but it wasn't so easy to keep them apart. "What is
the meaning of this Gary?" Professor Oak demanded. "I know you and Ash have
a rivalry going on but you've gone too far this time."
"Ash isn't my rival," he said coldly, shaking off his grandfather but
making no move toward Ash, "and it's time I proved it! It's time we settled
once and for all just who is the prodigy of Pallet Town. I challenge you to a
pokémon battle!"
"I accept!" Ash yelled, forcing himself to hold back his electricity so
that he didn't accidentally hurt his mom. "What are the terms?"
"Six-on-six, no time limit, no switching. Tomorrow morning, ten o'clock
on the dot. If you're late, you lose."
"Fine!" Ash agreed, twisting away from his mother and storming back
toward his house.
Gary smirked and started to walk back to his own house when he heard
footsteps running up behind him. He turned around only to be met with a
stinging slap to his cheek. "I can't believe you," Misty said in a voice so
cold that it made how Gary sound earlier seem warm and fuzzy by comparison.
"Don't you ever say anything like that to Ash again or I will make sure you
regret it." Gary sneered at Misty but said nothing more as he was escorted
away by his grandfather.
Much later that night, Ash was sitting alone at a small table in his
mother's kitchen in a short-sleeved pajama top and a pair of sleeping shorts,
a bunch of papers spread out on the table in front of him. Tomorrow would be
the most important battle of his life and he had to be prepared. Never mind
that he usually fought by the seat of his pants; that was not going to cut it
against Gary Oak.
Still, it would be a good idea if he tried to keep some element of
surprise. Being the grandson of Professor Oak, Gary surely knew every single
pokémon that Ash had ever caught, especially now that he had seen Articuno.
But Ash did not have that luxury; he didn't even know what Gary's starter was!
The best he could do was put together as balanced a team as possible and maybe
use a pokémon or two that Gary wouldn't expect.
Of course, there was one other surprise he had for Gary. After making
her wish, it seemed like Pikachu had gained a greater control of her electric
powers. They had spent the afternoon together away from everyone else trying
to come up with something that had never been done before. It wasn't yet
perfected, but maybe it would be enough.
Ash sighed as he looked over his notes again. No matter how many times
he went over this he just couldn't find the combination he wanted. Misty and
Penny tried to help at first, but he insisted that he wanted to do it by
himself. They kept him company for a while, trying to help with just their
presence. It worked, but eventually they had to get to bed and so he was
right back where he started.
But to be honest, he couldn't concentrate fully on it. So much had
happened in the past twenty-four hours that his mind was reeling. If he could
only find some answers to the things that plagued him, he might be able to
focus on the battle tomorrow. But those answers were even more elusive than
the perfect team he was trying to devise.
He glanced over at the waiting sofabed and sighed. His house was very
nice, but it didn't adapt to having this many guests easily. He had lost his
room to the girls; Suzie drew the long straw and got the bed while Penny and
Misty stretched out in their sleeping bags on the floor. That left only the
sofabed available and Brock had thankfully chosen to sleep in the backyard so
that Ash could get a good night's sleep. "I wonder what he'd think if he knew
that I was still up," Ash mused with a yawn.
"Oh!" Ash turned around at the unexpected sound, nearly tipping himself
over in his chair. Suzie stood at the threshold of the kitchen, looking at
Ash with more than a little surprise. She was dressed in a nightgown made of
teal satin that showed off her curves without being too clingy. "I thought
you were already asleep," she explained lamely, a hint of a blush on her
cheeks.
Ash stared at her for a moment before looking away, a blush on his
cheeks as well. He and Suzie had been avoiding each other most of the day by
an unspoken agreement, and having her here alone in the kitchen with him in
the dark of night was not doing his state of mind any favors. "I'll be
outside," he muttered, starting to gather up his notes only to stop when
Suzie walked over and placed a hand on his bare forearm. "Suzie?" he
whispered, looking up at her.
Her normally warm brown eyes were shadowed and troubled as she slid
into the seat next to him. "Ash, we need to talk," she said softly.
Ash felt a cold pit open up in his stomach but he decided to feign
ignorance. "Talk? There's nothing we need to talk about. Now if you'll
excuse me, I need to--"
"Ash," Suzie interrupted firmly but quietly. For a moment, she looked
like she might lose the nerve to say what she wanted to, but she found the
courage to continue. "We need to talk about what happened on Lapras."
He closed his eyes and swallowed nervously. He'd been hoping that she
had forgotten all about it, but it looked like he'd hoped in vain. Then
again, how could he expect her to forget about it when he himself was unable
to let it go? Even now, he could remember it like it happened a couple
minutes ago instead of early that morning.
* * *
Ash saw Suzie moving her head toward his and his mouth dropped open in
surprise. Not much, just barely at all. He realized that she was going to
kiss him a split second before it happened but was unable to marshal his
thoughts together before her lips slanted across his with a contented sigh.
His whole body tensed up as her lips molded to his. He really didn't
know what was going on, but he was unable to deny the tingles that shot
through him when she deepened the kiss, her own lips parting to more fully
press against his. He felt rather than heard her sigh again, her sweet breath
flowing lazily into his mouth and mingling with his own.
Neither Misty nor Penny had kissed him like this, but somehow he found
himself kissing her back. She began to pull away after about ten seconds, but
not before her tongue snuck into his mouth and swiped playfully against his,
letting him briefly taste the grape juice she had drunk as they left the hotel.
When he could see her face again, she still had that soft grateful smile
on her lips. "Thank you Ash," she whispered loud enough for him to hear.
To say he was stunned was an understatement; he wasn't even quite sure
that he was still breathing. He was aware of her snuggling his hear head into
his back, but that only served to put rational thought that much further out
of reach. He stayed that way until they reached land, coming to only when he
had to help Suzie down. Even then, he couldn't manage to get any questions
out of his mouth and only barely found enough calm by the time he others had
shown up to not let them know that anything was wrong.
* * *
"You're thinking about it, aren't you?" Suzie's gentle question brought
Ash out of his thoughts. He nodded shyly, rubbing his burning cheeks to try
and calm his blush. "I have too."
"It's been...hard not to," Ash admitted. "I just...I mean I can't...."
"You don't know why I did that, do you?"
"It's not just that," he said, pulling his arm away from Suzie's grip
and standing up. "I've never been kissed like that before, and it felt good,
really good. It was just...different somehow. And I can't figure out how."
Suzie sighed and watched as Ash began to pace. "I wish I could take it
back," she said slowly.
"So you regret it then?" Ash asked, wincing at how disappointed he
sounded and hoping Suzie couldn't hear it.
But she had and shook her head. "I don't regret it," she said quickly,
a blush darkening her cheeks. "Once we got here and I had time to think about
it, I knew I was wrong to do that. And that was before I saw how bad it was
bothering you."
"Would you still have kissed me if you knew?" Ash didn't know why he
asked that, but some part of him just had to know. Suzie's blush deepened as
she looked away from Ash, but he could still see the slight nod she gave in
answer. "Why did you do it then?" he asked, sitting back down in his chair.
Now it was her turn to stand up and pace. "It's hard to explain," she
said finally. "With all the playing around and the flirting and how easily we
were getting along, right then I could see what Misty and Penny both see in
you. All I could think about right then was kissing you. I was caught up in
the moment. Do you understand?"
"Kinda," he answered after a moment. "I know what it's like to get
caught up in something, though for me it's usually pokémon," he added with a
small chuckle. Suzie chuckled as well though it quickly faded away. "I guess
it could've happened with anyone under the circumstances."
"I doubt it," she said. "Other than Brock, I don't think anyone but you
can bring that out in me."
Ash stared at her in shock, dreading what those words could mean. "Wait
a minute. Do you mean...?"
"No!" Suzie said sharply, her voice a little too loud in the still
night. "No," she repeated more quietly, sitting back down at the table. "I
don't have those kind of feelings for you Ash. I just meant that you're the
only other boy that I can relax and really be myself with. That might be what
was so different about my kiss; you just didn't feel anything behind it."
"I wouldn't say I didn't feel anything," Ash said reluctantly. "I
just...I don't know. I wasn't really thinking about it at the time. You--"
Ash was cut off as Suzie pressed her lips against his again, sliding her
hand around his neck to hold him there.
Ash once again felt her kiss send tingles through his body and his eyes
closed as he returned it. Her lips coaxed his open and he felt her tongue
probe into his mouth as it had briefly during the kiss they shared while on
Lapras. But it lingered this time, sliding gently against his own tongue and
sending all new types of sensations through him. He tentatively moved his
tongue back against hers and felt her gasp before she gently pulled away.
The smile he remembered from when they were on Lapras was back on her
face but it was accompanied by a rosy blush in her cheeks and a slight sparkle
in her eyes. "Well?" she asked, her voice a touch breathy.
Ash tried to clear his mind and think about what he'd felt during that
kiss. It was amazing, outstanding, like nothing he'd ever experienced before.
But it was also...empty.
Suzie nodded as she saw understanding dawn on Ash's face. "It doesn't
matter how good it feels everywhere else," she said, placing a hand over his
heart. "If you don't feel it here, it doesn't mean anything." She stood up
and walked away as Ash absorbed that, patting his cheek affectionately as she
walked past him. "Don't stay up too late Ash. I don't want to have to tell
your girlfriends that you're still awake."
Ash smiled as she left the kitchen then turned his attention back to the
papers on the table in front of him. Now that he was feeling a little less
burdened, a plan was forming in his mind. As he put the pen back to paper, he
knew he had made an important breakthrough. A very small part of his mind
wondered if that kiss had felt as good to Suzie as it had to him, but he was
able to file it away to where it wasn't bothering him.
The morning dawned grey and cloudy but there was no threat of rain just
yet. Both Ash and Gary were in place long before ten o'clock as well as the
rest of Pallet Town. Word had spread about the match, probably because of
Gary boasting of how badly he planned to humiliate Ash. Most everyone who
didn't know Ash believed Gary and some had even placed bets on him. Brock
would've bet on Ash, but he was tapped as the referee and he had to remain
impartial.
Rooting for Ash was his mother, Suzie, Penny, and Misty. Gary had his
usual cheerleader squad in attendance, but he wasn't paying them much mind.
A bit surprising was the fact that Professor Oak was not sitting with either
side, trying to remain neutral. It was apparent he still hadn't forgiven his
grandson for his words to Ash, but neither could he turn against his own flesh
and blood.
Ash and Gary stared at each other until Brock walked between them.
"This is a six-on-six pokémon battle with no time limit," he said loudly,
quieting the crowd. "The rules of a standard battle will apply here with one
exception. If either competitor recalls a pokémon for any reason, that
pokémon will no longer be eligible to be used in the battle. Would either
competitor like to make a statement before we begin?"
"You won't be able to show your face in this town again after I get done
with you," Gary proclaimed confidently.
"I'll let my battling do my talking," Ash said, refusing to rise to
Gary's taunting.
"Gary lost the coin toss this morning so he will be the first to call
out his pokémon," Brock announced, stepping back and standing on the
sidelines. "Let the match begin!"
"Arcanine! I choose you!" Gary yelled, tossing out his first pokéball.
Ash nodded to himself. "I'm not surprised you have a fire type," he
said, detaching a pokéball from his belt. "That's why I made sure to have a
water type. Go Squirtle!"
"Arcanine! Fire Blast!"
"Dodge Squirtle!" Ash cried. Squirtle, who had just materialized from
his pokéball, was a little surprised to see the fiery symbol streaking toward
him before he could be ready. But he still managed to dive to the side and
avoid it. He wanted to call Gary on the cheap shot, but that would just give
him another opening to attack. "Water Gun!"
"Agility!" Gary ordered. The fiery pokémon blurred to the side,
letting the stream of water go past him. "Now use take down!"
"Withdraw!" Ash called and Squirtle ducked into his shell, letting the
hard shell take the damage. "This seems so familiar," he mused, thinking back
to the time he had fought this exact same battle with Blaine. "If Gary is as
good a trainer as he thinks he is, then he might try to pull the same thing."
"Arcanine! Aim your flamethrower right into--"
"Squirtle!" Ash interrupted. "Use Water Gun right in his mouth when he
gets close!" Arcanine had already opened his mouth to launch a Flamethrower,
but he got a nasty surprise when he got a mouthful of Squirtle's Water Gun
attack. Arcanine tried to follow up with Flamethrower anyway, but all that
came out of his mouth was a puff of smoke. "Now use Skull Bash!"
"Body Slam!" Gary yelled desperately. But even though the doglike
pokémon fell forward onto Squirtle, Squirtle still managed to ram his head
into Arcanine's chin, knocking the fire pokémon out cold.
Brock looked over Arcanine to make sure he was unconscious before making
his ruling. "Arcanine is unable to battle. The first round goes to Ash!"
"Good job Squirtle!" Ash said. Then he noticed the Squirtle's arm
hanging limply and got concerned. "Hey, you OK?"
"Squirtle!" the turtle pokémon confirmed, giving Ash a thumbs-up.
Gary snarled a little as he recalled his pokémon but stayed silent as he
chose which one to bring out next. "Go Wartortle!"
Ash's eyes narrowed as Squirtle now faced an evolved form of himself.
"A Wartortle huh?" he murmured, bringing out Dexter. "Well now I know what
Gary's starter was."
"Wartortle, use Skull Bash!"
"What?" Ash was so concerned with scanning the pokémon with his pokédex
that he forgot that he was in a battle. That distraction cost him as Squirtle
was caught flat-footed, taking the full brunt of the attack.
Brock forced himself to unclench his fist as Squirtle came to a stop
outside the marked battle area. Gary was fighting by the rules, but only just
so. He certainly wasn't being ethical, but more than one trainer he had faced
as a gym leader had done worse. "Squirtle is unable to battle. This round
goes to Gary."
Ash was having much the same thoughts as Brock as he returned his
pokémon, but he fought not to let them show. "Bulbasaur! Go!" The plant
pokémon emerged with a happy cry, glad to be back on the battling team. "Now
use Razor Leaf!"
"Use Water Gun to shoot them out of the air!" Gary responded calmly.
When all the leaves had been shot down like skeet birds, he gave his next
command. "Ice Beam!"
"Jump and use Vine Whip!" Ash said quickly. Bulbasaur jumped over the
ice attack and launched his vines at Wartortle, ensnaring the pokémon tightly.
"Now throw him over when you land!"
"Ice Beam the vines!" Gary yelled. But even though he was able to
partially cover Bulbasaur's vines in ice, Bulbasaur still managed to bring him
over and slam him into the ground. But Wartortle was tough and was able to
get up...at least until Bulbasaur slammed him down again.
"Wartortle is unable to continue," Brock ruled. "This round goes to
Ash!"
"Ash is really doing well," Misty commented as she watched Gary recall
Wartortle.
"You sound surprised," Penny whispered, her eyebrows drawing together
slightly.
Misty just shook her head, keeping her attention on the match. "Not at
all," she said, bouncing Togepi gently on her lap. "I'll never doubt Ash or
underestimate him again."
Meanwhile, Gary had called out his Eevee and was pelting Bulbasaur with
Quick Attack after Quick Attack. Bulbasaur was hampered in his efforts to
dodge because of the iced up vines that he couldn't retract so he was
basically a sitting duck for Eevee's attacks. "Bulbasaur is unable to fight
back," Brock judged after a particularly vicious Quick Attack. "This round
goes to Gary."
"Good job Bulbasaur," Ash said, retrieving his pokémon. "But now it's
time for one of my surprises. Let's go Tauros!"
"Tauros?" all of Ash's supporters and even Gary chorused.
Ash smirked at everyone's surprised look and decided to take advantage
of it. "Tauros! Use Stomp!"
"Dodge with Quick Attack and use Bite!"
Ash realized he'd made a mistake. Even though Tauros was bigger and
stronger than Eevee, his lack of training was glaringly evident. Ash kept
trying to have Tauros herd Eevee into a vulnerable position, but Eevee was too
maneuverable and was able to dodge easily. This upset Tauros to the point
where he stopped listening to Ash, using his Rage attack to go berserk. But
he still couldn't touch Eevee and eventually collapsed from sheer exhaustion.
"Tauros is unable to continue," came Brock's decision. "This round also goes
to Gary."
Ash recalled Tauros and started to sweat from the pressure. To this
point, he and Gary had been trading victories which left Ash in control. But
running off two straight had given the advantage squarely to Gary. He had
only three pokémon left while Gary still had four. The odds had now tipped
against him.
"Giving in Ash?" Gary taunted. "You can't beat me and you know it."
"Don't listen to him Ash!" Misty yelled. "Don't you dare give up!"
If Gary's words weren't enough to stoke Ash's competitive fires, Misty's
support definitely was. "I don't intend to!" he said confidently. "I choose
Muk!"
"Another pokémon he doesn't use much?" Misty wondered as she had to
hold her nose from Muk's powerful odor.
Penny shuddered and clenched her lips together to help keep her
breakfast in her stomach. "Is that doubt I hear?" she teased when she
thought it was safe.
"No!" Misty answered a little too quickly. But to her surprise, her
faith in Ash was well rewarded. Eevee's attacks were all but useless against
the poison pokémon and Muk looked content to just lay down on Eevee and try to
smother him. Gary was forced to recall him before any serious damage was
done.
"Eevee has been recalled," Brock announced. "This round goes to Ash by
forfeit."
"A lucky break Ash," Gary said, but he was confident beyond his words.
"But that luck stops now. Go Nidoking!"
Ash gritted his teeth. He was at a clear disadvantage now. Not only
was Nidoking also a poison type, but it was part ground as well. That made
all poison moves all but ineffective against it. But that never stopped him
before. "Muk! Use your Sludge attack!"
"Don't even dodge it Nidoking! Go straight through it with your Horn
Drill!"
"Harden!" Ash called. But even though Muk stiffened up as much as he
could, Nidoking's Horn Drill broke through his defense and threw him almost on
top of Ash.
"Muk is unable to battle!" Brock said, and it was clear from how he
sounded that the strain was getting to him. "This round goes to Gary."
Ash returned Muk and pulled the next pokéball from his waist. "Looks
like I'm out of options," he said quietly. "Go Articuno!" This time, the
whole crowd stood silent in awe of the majestic and legendary bird that flew
over the battlefield. "Articuno! Blizzard attack!"
"Nidoking! Look out!" Gary cried. Unlike all of the pokémon Gary had
used so far, Nidoking was not agile in the least. Instead, he crossed his
arms in front of him and took the blow as best he could. But even braced for
it, Nidoking's entire body was covered in a fine frost from Articuno's frigid
attack. "Nidoking, you have to take it out now! Hyper Beam!"
"Articuno, use your Hyper Beam!" Ash directed. The two powerful
attacks met in mid-air between the two pokémon and caused a massive explosion.
Articuno was able to glide away on the shockwaves using her wings to navigate
the tricky updrafts. Nidoking was not so lucky though; he was pounded into
the ground by the force of the blast.
Brock checked on Nidoking before calling the round. "Nidoking cannot
continue. This round goes to Ash."
"Don't get cocky Ash," Gary warned as he returned Nidoking. "I still
have two pokémon for you to deal with. Go Alakazam!"
Ash waited for the exact moment that Alakazam appeared before calling
out his next move. "Articuno! Use Sky Attack!"
"Teleport!" Gary said in response to Ash's choice. Alakazam
disappeared just before Articuno connected with her attack and reappeared on
the opposite side of the battlefield. "Now use Confusion!"
"Watch out!" Ash warned, but Articuno was still struck by the attack.
"Are you all right?" Articuno glared at Ash like he was stupid for even
asking. "Fine. Try Sky Attack again then."
"Teleport again!" Gary smirked. Ash was just proving him right. With
the decidedly amateur way he was handling Articuno, there was no way Ash
could have possibly caught her himself.
"Articuno! He's over here!" Ash called, pointing out where Alakazam
had just teleported to. Articuno winged around sharply and struck with her
Sky Attack before the psychic pokémon could set himself.
"Alakazam!" Gary all but growled as his pokémon landed hard near him.
"Use Recover and get back in there!"
"Stop him Articuno! Freeze him with your Blizzard!"
"Teleport!" Gary called. But Alakazam had already started to use
Recover and could not change the move that quickly. Articuno's Blizzard was
so powerful this time that it literally blocked Alakazam from view. When
the attack faded, all that could be seen was a solid block of ice where
Alakazam had been.
Brock waited a minute to see if Alakazam could free himself. When it
was apparent he couldn't, he called the round. "Alakazam is unable to
battle. This round goes to Ash!"
"All right Ash!" Penny yelled at the top of her lungs, drowning out
Gary's cheerleading squad. "You got him!"
"Don't be so sure of that," Gary said, pulling his last pokéball from
his belt. "I've saved the best for last. Go--"
"Articuno return!" Ash yelled suddenly, drawing Articuno back into her
pokéball before Gary could call his final pokémon.
"Umm...Articuno has been recalled?" Brock asked more than stated.
"This round goes to Gary by forfeit."
Ash looked a little smug himself as he saw everyone looking at him like
he was stupid much as Articuno had just moments ago. "You want to know why I
recalled Articuno?" he asked his opponent though his voice was loud enough
that everyone could hear him. "I know what your last pokémon is, and I know
you were trained by the best. If you think even for a second that I was going
to let you Transform into Articuno, you're the one who's crazy."
"You think you know so much Ash," Gary responded. "And what does it
matter anyway? You're right, I was trained by the best. And this is my best!
Ditto! I choose you!"
"If you're going with your best, so am I. Pikachu! I choose you!"
"You do?" Penny asked, surprised. "A little warning would've been nice
Ash!" She stood up and ran forward, grumbling the whole way. When she
reached the sidelines, she performed a mid-air somersault, transforming and
shedding her clothes in time to land in front of Ash. "Pika!" she growled,
her red cheeks sparking angrily.
"I might've known," Gary said. He didn't seem surprised by Penny's
transformation, and neither did most of the crowd; yet another piece of
information that it seemed was widely circulated. "Ditto! Transform and
let's show them what a real trainer can do." Ditto glowed white for a second,
then changed into a perfect replica of Pikachu down to the smallest detail.
"Now use Thunderbolt!"
"Dodge with Agility!" Ash said calmly. "Now use your Thunderbolt!"
"Dodge with Agility!" Gary said, mimicking Ash's voice. "I can do this
all day Ash!" Ash said nothing at first but just smiled at Gary. It wasn't
one of his normal friendly smiles either; it was one that said, 'I know
something you don't know!' "What's going on?" Gary demanded, feeling truly
nervous for the first time since the battle began. "What are you smiling
about?"
Ash chuckled and that only infuriated Gary further. "Don't worry Gary,
you're about to find out," he promised. "Used correctly, I know how dangerous
Ditto can be. But I've also learned Ditto's weakness: you can only use the
attacks that the pokémon you've copied knows. And if you don't know what they
are, then you're in trouble."
"What are you talking about? I know every move Pikachu knows!"
"Do you Gary? Do you really?" Ash asked in almost a condescending
tone. "Well since you know them all, this shouldn't surprise you in the
least. Pikachu! Thunder Bomb!"
"There's no such move!" Gary screamed. But against everything he knew,
Pikachu was charging up a sphere of yellow-white electricity between her
hands. When it grew to a couple inches in diameter, she tossed it right at
the Ditto-chu. Because Gary was too surprised to tell it what to do, it just
stood there as the sphere struck. True to the new move's name, it exploded
on contact, sending the pokémon through the air with so much power that it was
forcibly detransformed.
Brock picked up his jaw as Gary cradled the injured Ditto in his hands.
"Ditto is unable to battle," he said as soon as he could. "This round and the
match go to Ash!"
"Yes!" Misty cried, running over and nearly tackling Ash with a hug.
Delia, Brock, and Suzie quickly followed, each offering their heartiest
congratulations. Pikachu scampered over to her clothes and tried to find a
good spot to change back into Penny so she too could join in the celebration.
The rest of the town walked over like they were in a daze, not really
believing that they'd just seen the grandson of the legendary Professor Oak
beaten in a pokémon battle. But they all agreed it was a great match.
Gary glared at Ash as he tenderly placed Ditto back in its pokéball.
"It doesn't matter anyway," he said to himself as he stormed off, leaving his
crying cheerleaders behind. "I'll still become Pokémon Master! And then
everyone will have to admit that I'm better!"
But as much as he didn't want to admit it, getting his final badge was
going to be a problem. And if Ash got there first.... There had to be a way
to keep Ash busy while Gary got his final badge and made his way to the Indigo
Plateau. And looking as Ash shared a kiss first with Misty and then with
Penny, he knew just what he had to do. It was time the Sensational Sisters of
Cerulean City got a little update about their youngest sister. Specifically,
the strange relationship she now found herself in. (
geocities.com/televisioncity/satellite/6616/pokemon) (
geocities.com/televisioncity/satellite/6616) (
geocities.com/televisioncity/satellite) (
geocities.com/televisioncity)