Hi everybody! Angel Kitten, reporting for duty! ( So. Lame. >_<') I am SO sorry for the delay!!!!! Please forgive me, but this was a very difficult chapter and I still have to improve my writing-skills..... Whoops, in my first chapter I forgot to add the ages! It doesn't really matter, but here they are anyway.... -Ash: 17 -Misty: 17 -Brock: 19 (P.S. thanx PsychobunnE13!) And Aika, thanx alot for ur encouragement! Anyway, this is the second chapter of my fanfic, I hope u guys will like it. Have fun and read on my friends! P.S. ~...~ means thinking ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Also, I would like to take this opportunity to give a word of condolence to all of you who have been involved in the terrible terrorists attacks of 11 September '01. All my thoughts go to you! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 'The Powerof Two' Chapter 2 Unexpected weather "Noooooooo! Mistyyyyyyyyy!" With a terrible scream Ash practically jumped out of his mummybag. His pitch-black hair stood on end and he breathed heavily, his dark brown eyes showing hints of fear and confusement. His dream had been terrible: he had seen Misty, al alone, standing on a cliff and staring at the sea she loved so much. Suddenly the sky seemed to fill with dark, stormy clouds, cracking bolts of electricity erupting from them. The sea had started to stir and a huge waterspout rose from its depths, making a terrible thundering noise. He had wanted to pull Misty away, but the red-head girl seemed to be hypnotized, standing frozen at the spot and staring at the waterspout with a blank expression in her beautiful eyes. The rotating mass of water drew near, its force suddenly griping on Misty and snatched her of the cliff. He had seen her disappear in the dark mass of water, to never return at his side again... His Misty. His...best friend A sudden sound startled him and he quickly spun around to locate its source, only to find a sleeping Misty, comfortably snuggled up in her mummybag with Togepi close by her side. He stared at her for a while, studying her fair features with a serious expression on his own. Suddenly he stood up and walked over at Misty's side. Softly his fingers trailed over her soft cheek, following the graceful curve of her neck and down to the satin soft skin of her arm. " Don't ever leave me Misty..." Ash murmured and leaned in to place a featherlight kiss on her slightly parted lips. She sighed and her long lashes fluttered, a sliver of clear ocean blue showing through the barely opened eyelids. " Ash..." she murmured softly extending one hand to carefully trace his cheek before dozing of again. Ash blinked in utter surprise, of all the things he would have expected her to do, this was clearly the least! Then, in sudden realization what he had just done, he quickly stole away to his own mummybag. While zipping up the outer covers, he allowed himself a quick glance in her direction. Ash sighed. " I must be out of my mind..." he growled, closing his eyes at last. Then he finally dozed of, dreaming about the most clearest blue eyes he had ever seen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Not far away, snuggled up in a pika-size mummybag, a little rodent-like creature laughed softly in its sleep, its podgy little paws holding on to a Polaroid camera. A look of sheer triumph marked its features as it opened one eye to gaze fondly at a newly-made picture. "Chaaa..." ("Gotcha!") * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The next day they had reached Harbor Town in no time, which was an exeption indeed since Ash always seemed to get them lost. Harbor Town was a quiet sleepy village, situated in a lush valley and surrounded by ancient trees. Nobody would ever guess that this little village lead enthusiastic trainers to the Legendary Islands, sacred location of the famous Aqua League. To compete in the Aqua League, one must gain three badges: one from Keda Island, one from Vata and one from Manta Island. From Harbor Town, competing trainers can take a boat to Keda Island and from there they can reach Vata and Manta with no problems at all. ( or so we think... ^.^ ) Ash was determined to win this League, he had gotten a bit lazy since Johto and yearned for new adventures. He shot a look at his loyal pal Pikachu and frowned. The little pokémon was once again looking at a fumbled Polaroid-picture, a devilish grin marking its mouse-like features. Earlier in the morning he had tried to take a sneak peek at the mysterious treasure, only to be fried instantly by a very annoyed Pikachu, who had just woken up. (morning just wasn't his best part of the day) " Hey Ash, I think I've found someone who can take us to Keda Island!" Ash looked up, only to find Brock with an all too familiar dopey look on his face, holding the hands of a young woman with curly brown hair. " This beautiful young lady says she has a boat and she'll take us to Keda Island!" " Would you really?" questioned Misty happily, her eyes sparkling with excitement. The young woman, scarcely past her girl-hood, smiled sweetly in agreement. " Ready and willing!" Brock, still holding her hand, took a dramatic pose. "Together we shall brave the mysteries of the sea, conquer the powerful waves, capture the almighty sea monsters, gain the- "Yeah, yeah, we heard yah Brock. Let's just get into that boat and leave!" * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Soon, they had set off. Surrounded by nothing but clear blue sky and the calm ocean, Misty sighed in content. She glanced over at Ash and noticed he was wearing a deep frown, his brows slightly colliding with his dark brown eyes. Misty sighed. ~I wonder what's the matter with him~, she thought worriedly. ~Since morning he has been very quiet and hardly speaks a word! I hope I haven't said anything wrong...~ Turning to he left she saw Brock and their curly-haired captain having an animated conversation, they seemed to get along quite well. Misty grinned, it was a first to see Brock talking to a girl for more than five minutes without being slapped.... A low rumble suddenly reached Misty's ears and she startled, uncountiously tightening her grip on her little baby-pokémon Togepi. She shot a worried glance at the sky and noticed dark, stormy clouds closing in on them, now and then illuminated by a bolt of lightening. ~Oh no, looks like a storm is coming up! I hope we'll reach Keda Island in time...~ A strange tingle reached the edge of her senses and she turned her attention back to the sea. A small frown knitted her brow. Something wasn't right, she could feel it. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * In the depths of the sea a dark figure hovered over a basin-like form, grasping the wands with trembling hands. His sharp, ocean-blue eyes stared at its contains almost hungrily, for where one would expected his reflection, a young girl with flaming hair and bright, blue-green eyes danced on the surface of the silvery liquid. A mysterious blue aura seemed to surround her every move, and her eyes... Her eyes were just his own. The dark one hesitated for a moment. Who was she? For he knew this was no ordinary girl. Powerful eddies of magic radiated around the bright-eyed teen in grand waves. The dark one could sense a great power dormant within the red-head girl, some of its magic escaping through her sparkling eyes when she smiled. The mysterious watcher closed his eyes, concentrating on every spark of magic he possessed. When he opened them again, the clear ocean blue was suddenly replaced by a brilliant white. The dark one inhaled sharply, a great force building up within him. "Storm, release!" he roared. A loud thundering noise suddenly broke the serene silence of the sea as powerful bolts of pure magic erupted from the dark one's claw-like hands. They illuminated his dark dwelling for a moment and then sped up to the surface, destroying everything that lay in their path unceremoniously. The mysterious watcher averted his eyes back to the basin-like form, where the image of the lovely teen still swam on the surface. He sighed and his expression softened. "Forgive me, lovely one, but I've got to know who you are... * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Ash pressed his loyal Pikachu closer to his chest, vainly trying to keep it dry as a new shower of rain hovered over the boat. He shot a look at the dark sky, where lightening forks of electricity illuminated the stormy clouds and the crushing sounds of thunder could be heard as two of them collided. A couple of minutes ago the calm sea had suddenly been replaced by a dark mass of water with rolling waves, knocking them of coarse. Ash had immediately realized that this was a dangerous situation as the boat rocked to and fro, sending them flying in every direction. Their curly-haired captain had been near a state of panic, witnessing how the storm was wrecking her precious ship with each smashing wave. A new wave hit the boat with a tremendous force and he saw Misty topple over, losing her grip on Togepi. The little pokemon fell and rolled over a couple of times, dangerously dreading near the edge of the boat. "Togepi!", Misty screamed, her eyes widening in terror as she quickly straightened up. Losing no time in hesitation, the red-head trainer quickly ran towards her precious treasure. "Misty, watch out!" "Aaaaaaah!" Another wave suddenly stroke and the boat shook violently under its massive attack, sending Misty flying forwards. She landed hard on the unforgiving floor, her head banging against the wooden surface. "Misty!", Ash shouted in horror a trickle of blood slowly began to emerge from a deep gash in her forehead. She made no reply. Ash started rushing to run at her side, but before he could even take two steps, a new flow of seawater suddenly gushed over the boat, dragging Misty's motionless body away with it. Her lithe body slid over the deck 'till it reached the edge of the boat and then vanished out of sight, followed by a sickening splash. Brock and the curly-haired girl stood horror-struck, not willing to believe what just had happened as they watched Ash slowly sink to his knees. The black-haired teen stared at the place his best friend had once been, life going out of his eyes. He flopped down the floor, tears clouding his eyesight. "MISTYYY!" * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Misty's mind drifted between two worlds, that of full consciousness and that of oblivion. She could feel her body sink lower and lower, massive waves dragging it down. A faint, rumbling sound caught her ear ever so often, letting her know the storm was still raging on. With extreme effort, Misty slowly opened one eye to gaze into a blurry mass of blue, now and then replaced by shades of dark purple and black. Misty's eyelids shivered lightly as she now opened both her eyes, her senses slowly returning. Something had to happen soon, she had to get out of here somehow. The lack of weight on her back told her she had left her backpack on the boat, therefore the red-head trainer was unable to call out one of her water-pokémon, if it had been possible. No, pokémons were out of the question. But what next? Maybe she could try to swim to the surface... Misty's frame twitched ever so lightly as she struggled hard to convince her arms and legs to move, her eyes now wide open. Something in her screamed for her not to give up, to get moving again, but her legs just wouldn't give in and remained motionless. Misty's eyes slowly began to close again, her head sinking to her chest. As she sank lower and lower she fought a silent battle with herself to remain conscious, for she didn't want to die. She wanted to live to see the sun come up every morning, to breathe in the soft morning air. She wanted to live to fight battles with her beloved pokémons and become the greatest Water-pokémon Master that ever existed. She wanted to live to travel with her friends, looking for trouble and exploring the unexplored. And finally, she wanted to live to marry the one she loved most, and spend the remaining days of her life with him... ~No!~, she mentally screamed, ~ I will not die, not today!~ Something deep within her snapped as she suddenly started to glow a brilliant white. Then a bright flash exploded before her eyes and all went dark. From the depths of the sea, a mysterious, silvery-white creature suddenly emerged from its hiding place and slowly approached the unconscious girl. Its intelligent blue eyes showed signs of surprise as it sensed a strange power radiating around the young teen. ~Could she be the one?~ The pokémon hesitated for a moment, but then carefully placed her on its smooth back and headed for the surface with an amazing speed. It knew humans couldn't last long without oxygen and this particular one had to be saved, at any cost. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Brock hastily wiped away a tear with the back of his hand, the other resting around the shoulder of his new-found friend who was quietly sobbing. Absently he stroked her thick, silky curls in the little comfort he could offer as her head was rested on his chest, her tears staining his shirt. The Pewter City Gym leader shot a quick, worried glance over at his buddy who stood on the deck of the boat, with Togepi in his arms just staring at the sea Misty had loved so much. No one, not even Pikachu, dared to speak to him since Misty had been washed away in the storm. They all knew perfectly well what Misty had meant to the black-haired teen and losing her seemed to grieve him beyond reason. Brock sighed, ~Things are sure going to be different without having Misty around...~, he thought sadly as more tears started to well up. ~I mean, who's gonna take care of Togepi? Who's gonna solve the riddles? Who's gonna call out her faithful Staryu to give us a fresh shower when we're all covered up in Wheezing's sludge attack? Who's gonna argue with poor Ash now that she's gone...~ His throat tightened again and he had to gulp down a few times to recollect himself, for he didn't want to cry in front of Ash. To avert his attention a little he gazed at the currently calm sea, as a last tribute to his old friend. ~Well, at least Misty was right~, he thought, his eyes fixed on the shimmering surface, ~It is beautiful...~ Still staring at the smooth, blue mass of water he suddenly noticed that the calm ocean had started to stir a bit, and air bubbles were appearing on the surface. Brock's eyes widened and he inhaled sharply, causing both Ash and his curly-haired friend to look up. Immediately noticing the air bubbles they both held their breath and stared at the surface expectantly, waiting for whatever it was down there to come up. Brock's nerves were on end,~ Could it be...?~ Suddenly a magnificent, silvery-white dewgong with exceptionally rare blue eyes broke the surface, with on his back... "Misty!" As if summoned by this desperate cry, the mystical sea-creature swam over to Ash and gently placed the red-head girl before him. He tenderly picked her up as Brock and the curly-haired girl crowded around him. A relieved hush fell over them. There, laying unconscious in Ash's arms, was a living, breathing, soaked and severely injured Misty Waterflower. With a trembling hand Ash carefully traced his friend's soft cheek as he watched her long lashes beginning to flutter. "...Ash...?" came a hoarse whisper from her lips. "Yeah, it's me Misty..." "...Am.. I in... heaven?" He grinned mischievously, cupping her slender hands in his. "Don't think so Misty, or else I wouldn't be here..." The barest of smiles curled up the corners of her mouth as her eyes sparkled joyfully. "Good... `cause I'd... really miss you...hanging around to... argue with", she ended with a genuine smile. Ash smiled back, his expression changing quickly ,though, when she fell limp and silent. Worried at this he checked her pulse, his smile returning. "She's all right..." he said softly, turning to Brock and their curly-haired captain who smiled back in relief. "Deww..." the mystical sea-creature suddenly voiced, in want of some attention. He succeeded quite well as everybody turned their head to gaze at him in wonder. "Now where did that come from?" Brock mumbled as he patted its magnificent head. "Aren't dewgongs supposed to have brown eyes?" , his newfound friend ground as she smiled down at him. "Yes, and this one has an extraordinary color too..." he added, eyeing the silvery hue of the creature's skin. As if its splendorous appearance wasn't enough, the dewgong surprised everybody again by suddenly disappearing into a blue beam of energy sucked up by an aqua-blue pokéball. Ash carefully picked it up as the others stared at in complete wonder and placed in Misty's hands folded neatly in her lap. "An extraordinary pokémon for an extraordinary person!" he grounded happily. "Pika!" another one in need of some attention agreed. (hehe ^_~) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Hovering over the basin-like form the dark one smiled at the image of the unconscious teen laying into the arms of her black-haired friend, an aqua-blue pokébal resting in her lap. "You're the one..." he voiced softly as regret filled his sharp eyes. "Forgive me,...my Queen, for all that I have let you suffer..." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * YES!!!! This chapter is done! Ready! Finished! Finally... O.K. people, this was easily the most hardest thing I have ever done in my LIFE! Sorry for the long delay, but I've been so busy... Anyway, howd'yah like it? Cool ne? ::grins proudly and points at her second chapter:: I really hoped you guys have enjoyed it, at least I enjoyed writing it. If you have any tips, questions, comments, compliments? Please mail me at: angelkitten63@hotmail.com Bye for now! Luv, Angel Kitten.