POKéGENIE Chapter 01 Ash, Misty, and Brock were walking through the tropical Rubicund forest, in search of rare jungle Pokémon. Ash was following a request of Professor Oak's, since he was in the area, and had nothing better to do. Misty and Brock cast concerned glances at Ash, hoping that getting lost and missing the Silver City Pokémon tournament wouldn't upset him too much. A rumbling in the distance and the ground shaking caused the three to stop. "What's going on?" Ash asked a bit fearfully. Brock calmly replied, "Oh that's the Stormflare volcano. It erupts periodically. All Pokémon Trainers should know of it Ash. It's the main source of Firestones and Thunderstones." "Brock, why would I care about where the Elemental stones come from? I won't force a Pokémon to evolve, if it doesn't want to." "Pika-pi!" Pikachu stated from Ash's shoulder, while nodding his head. "Well you should know where they come from so you can take precautions. You don't want Pikachu accidentally evolving." Pikachu disappeared into Ash's backpack shouting, "Pika!" Misty, looking in the direction of the rumbling, asked, "Are we in any danger from the volcano?" Brock replied, "Nah. Pokémon Trainers have been coming here for years, and no one has been hurt. The big theory about Stormflare is that it really isn't a volcano at all; it's a stone production plant." "Aw, heck with this. There are lots of rare Pokémon in these woods and Professor Oak wants to see some," Ash said, while dashing off into the forest. "Ash, wait up," Brock said, running after him. Misty sighed, shrugged and muttered, "He'll never learn." ------------------------------------------------------ Gary Oak was a bit upset. He had the perfect opportunity to humiliate Ash Ketchum and lost it, due to Ash's perpetual lateness. His preoccupation, with Ash's not showing up, threw him off and he was knocked out of the competition in the second round. Jack Chase and John Cypress, fellow Pallet town Trainers, offered Gary condolences on his defeat. Gary acknowledged their words, but didn't hear them. He was intent on one thing: proving he was a better Trainer than Ash Ketchum. He found out from his grandfather that Ash had left for the tropics on a mission. *I will prove that I'm better than you, Ash,* Gary thought. *Even if I track you across the world.* His cheerleader squad started cheering Gary, "Gary, Gary he's okay! He'll with the tournament another day! Go, Gary!" "You're darn right I will. Just as soon as I defeat Ash." Jack and John watched as Gary walked off in search of his rival. They looked at each other and shrugged. The two picked up their packs and followed along. "Who do you think is better? Ash or Gary?," John asked. Jack replied, "As a Trainer? I don't know. But, that really doesn't matter. Ash might not have as many Pokémon as we do, but he has had some of the most exciting adventures." John inwardly smirked as he said, "Yep. I would love to trade places with him. The giant Tentacruel, the battles against Team Rocket, going into cyberspace: the list goes on and on. Just because he was late getting to Professor Oak's, he's had all those adventures." "Or, because we arrived on time," Jack countered. "Well, there is that." The pair ended their conversation, when they saw that Gary was looking back at them. They waved at him, as they continued to follow. Both, hoping to share in some of Ash Ketchum's adventures, walked on. ------------------------------------------- "What are those three up to now?" Jesse asked, as she spied on Ash and company with a pair of binoculars." "Who cares. Just so long as we nab Pikachu. Right, Meowth?" "Would you two stop talking? They'll hear us," Meowth whispered hoarsely. "All right already, Meowth," James stated calmly, while sniffing a rose. "We'll hold it down." Team Rocket remained as quiet as they normally could and watched the direction the trio went. After a few seconds, they realized that had lost sight of them. Team Rocket quickly ran forward and fell into a concealed pit. "Oh, where did this pit come from?" Jesse demanded. James replied, "I thought they might come this way and..." The feline member of the group said, "Come here." --------------------------------------------------------- Ash stood in a forest clearing, looking at what appeared to be a red mongoose. He grabbed Dexter and pointed it at the Pokémon. Dexter stated, "This is Pyromon. A mongoose Pokémon that uses fire. It is very rare." "A rare Pokémon? All right!" Ash said excitedly, as he grabbed a Pokéball. "Pidgeot, I choose you." Ash threw the Pokéball containing the bird Pokémon in it. Opening, the ball released Pidgeot. Seeing the red Pokémon, Pidgeot knew what its target was. "Pidgeot, gust attack!" Pidgeot sent a whirlwind towards the strange creature. The red Pokémon bounced against a tree and fell to the ground. It quickly jumped to its feet and cast an angry look at Pidgeot. "PY-RO-MON!!," the creature said, as it launched a searing red bolt of flames at Pidgeot. Pidgeot barely dodged the attack, and countered with a second gust attack. The second attack spun Pyromon around like a top. Seeing the wild Pokémon was dizzy, Ash threw one of his Pokéballs at it. The ball struck and opened up. A beam of red light engulfed the wild creature and pulled it inside. Ash waited as the ball rocked back and forth. After a second, the rocking stopped and the light in the center of the ball went dim. "All right, I've got Pyromon," Ash stated as he picked his ball up and stood in his victory pose. The Pokéball flickered and vanished, sending Pyromon to Professor Oak for safe keeping. The light from the vanishing orb disturbed some long, black creature in a nearby river. Seeing it, Ash pointed Dexter at it. "This creature is an electric eel. It is normally found in the depths of the ocean. When found near the surface, it is probably hunting for food," came Dexter's report. "A water Pokémon. This one's mine," Mist said as she sent Staryu to soften it up. Once she felt the eel was ready for capture, she sent a Pokéball at it. The ball hit the eel and sunk into the water, without opening. Dexter said, "The electric eel is not a Pokémon." Misty, annoyed, said, "Now it tells us. Ash, can't you get that thing to speak faster?" "Er. Um," Ash managed before being distracted by something. The electric eel passed by a bunch of yellow glowing rocks, that were laying on the riverbank. The recent scuffle and the eel's splashing sent a number of the rocks into the water. One struck the eel, who responded instinctively with an electric shock. The electrical energy interacted with the yellow stone and caused it to glow brighter. The stone exploded in a shower of miniature lightning. Some of the bolts struck the other stones and started a chain reaction, with the eel in the middle of it. Once the electrical display died down, the electric eel started glowing. After a few seconds passed, the eel had enlarged considerably and changed its color to a dark purple with yellow specks. Misty and the others looked on as the six meter long eel reared up out of the water and eyed them balefully. Dexter continued, "However, if exposed to numerous Thunderstones, it will evolve into Shockate. It is a very strong water/electric type Pokémon." "Yep. You're definitely going to have to figure out how to get your Pokédex to give us all the information at once," Brock stated, while swallowing heavily. Misty backed up and threw a Pokéball at Shockate out of reflex. The ball struck the newly evolved Pokémon and sucked it inside. Misty watched as the sphere dropped to the river bank and started rocking back and forth. After it finished rocking, she picked it up and sent it on its way to the Cerulean City gym. Somewhat stunned, Misty muttered, "For a strong Pokémon, that was certainly an easy capture." "The shock to the system makes Shockate a very easy capture right after its transformation. At that point, it is as resistant to a Pokéball as much as a sleeping Caterpie is," Ash's Pokédex finally finished. Walking away from the riverbank, Ash snapped the Pokédex shut in exasperation and put it away. "Come on," Ash called back over his shoulder. "Let's find a place to camp out. We have lots of Pokémon to catch." Shrugging, Misty and Brock picked up their packs and followed. A few minutes later, they found a perfect place to set up for the next few days. It was a shallow cave that could easily be blocked off to prevent any wild Pokémon from surprising them at night. While setting up camp, Misty made some comments. "That was weird seeing that non-Pokémon change into one." Brock shrugged and replied, "There's a theory about the various stones as the originators of all the Pokémon. But, it takes a huge amount of stones to do so. The electric eel is probably the easiest, because it already has an affinity for electricity." Ash said, "That's wild. Maybe we'll find some more new Pokémon while were here. Eh, Misty?" "Er. Yeah." "Well, good night all. See you in the morning," Ash said as he got into his sleeping bag. Deciding that was the best thing to do, Misty and Brock also went to bed. --------------------------------------- During the night, Misty woke up and walked outside, absentmindedly leaving her Pokéballs in the cave. She was still a little unnerved about Shockate. She decided a walk would help her clear her head. A bit further on, she saw flashes of red and yellow lights. Curious, she creeped closer and saw a group of Voltorbs fighting some Growlithes. Misty kept quiet as she watched the battle. "Must be fighting over territory," Misty whispered to herself. One of the Voltorbs used the explosion technique to send a trio of Growlithes flying. One of the Growlithes landed almost on top of Misty. Seeing Misty, the Pokémon started yapping. The others hearing that one's bark, looked in that direction and saw Misty. The quickly forgot about their struggle and headed towards her. Misty had started running the minute that the Growlithe had seen her. She ran in zigzag patterns to try and lose the wild Pokémon, without much success. While looking over her shoulders, she missed the end of the ledge she was running onto. Fortunately for her, the fall from the ledge wasn't that great a height. "Ow. That hurt. Now where am I?" Misty asked herself as slowly got to her feet. Looking around she saw that she was in a natural bowl. Apparently the bowl was used as a dumping ground for Pokémon. It was filled almost to the edge with red and yellow stones. Misty gulped as she realized that she was standing right in the middle of the bowl. She looked up just in time to see a Growlithe unleash an ember attack and a Voltorb let loose with a thunderbolt. The world exploded in an orange haze. ------------------------------------ Ash jumped out of his sleeping bag and to his feet when he heard a loud explosion. "What was that?" he said, as he raced from the cave and grabbing his Pokéballs on the way. Ash saw an orange light coming from where he believed the explosion to be. Throwing caution to the wind, he charged towards the light. Pikachu raced along right behind him. He came to a stop when he saw a glowing orange mist. Grabbing Dexter, he pointed the Pokédex at the cloud. "There is no data on file. Preliminary readings suggest that this is a Pokémon in its evolutionary state," came the readout. "Sort of like Misty's Shockate," Ash said. He turned his hat around and grabbed a Pokéball. "I'd better use an Ultraball for this. I don't want it to get away." He launched the Pokéball at the cloud. It struck the target and pulled it inside. The Pokéball dropped to the ground and started violently rocking back and forth. The ball bounced a few times into the air as whatever it was tried to get out. An orange light surrounded the Ultraball and caused it to spark and fizzle. Ash hoped that whatever was going on wouldn't hurt the Pokémon. A few tense minutes later, the ball finally came to a rest. The orange light surrounding the ball flared up and died away, leaving the ball with burn marks. Ash hesitantly picked up his Pokéball up and looked at it. "That was weird, but at least I've got me a new Pokémon" After a few seconds, he noticed the ball wasn't flickering to life to teleport to Professor Oak's. He pointed Dexter at the ball and brought up the diagnostic screen. "This Pokéball has been damaged due to the Pokémon's struggle to get out. It is recommended that when this happens a Trainer should take the ball back to where he received his Pokédex from and have the ball repaired or the Pokémon transferred to a new ball. This is one of the very few situations where a Trainer can have more than six Pokémon with him." "Oh brother, wait until Misty hears about this," Ash muttered. "She'll accuse me of putting a Pokémon at risk. Well, it looks like this expedition has been cut short." Ash sighed, as he put the damaged ball into the inner breast pocket of his jacket. He headed back to the cave, where Brock was still sleeping. He was so bothered by the damaged Pokéball that he didn't notice that Misty was gone as he went back to bed. ----------------------------------- Ash was woken by Brock shaking him. "Ash, have you seen Misty? I can't find her anywhere." "Um. No, Brock. The only time I went out was to catch a new Pokémon." Brock stood up and declared, "Well, she's gone and left her Pokémon behind, including Togepi." "That's not like her. We'd better go search for her. Pikachu watch Togepi and Misty's other Pokémon while we're gone." "Pika-chu," Pikachu said, while saluting. The two males started searching for Misty. They were very careful not to disturb any wild Pokémon on their hunt. After about an hour the two sat down to rest. "Where do you think she's at?" Ash asked. "I don't know," Brock replied and then changed the subject. "By the way you said you got a new Pokémon. What is it?" "I have no idea. I caught it in the middle of its evolution. It did put up an amazing struggle though. After we find Misty, we're going to have to leave." "Why's that?" Pulling the damaged ball out, Ash replied, "The Pokéball was damaged by the struggle and it won't teleport. I checked with Dexter on this and the recommended course of action is..." "To take it back to either have the ball repaired or the Pokémon transferred. I know," Brock interjected. Ash hit the button to bring the ball to full size. He figured since he was resting, he might as well try and clean it up. He fished a handkerchief from his pocket and started rubbing away at one of the burn marks. He quickly dropped the ball when he saw it start to smoke. The smoke slowly became the form of Misty. She put her hands on her hips and looked at Ash. "Ash, how dare you do that to me." Numb with shock, Ash used his Pokédex to get a reading on Misty. "This is an unidentified Pokémon" Misty grabbed the Pokédex from Ash and yelled at it, "I am not a Pokémon." "Well, Dexter says you are and you did come out of my Pokéball." Misty stuck her nose up in the air and said, "Humph. It still doesn't change the fact that I'm not a Pokémon. Remember Ash you still owe me for a bike." Brock looked at the sky, "Oh no. Here we go again." "Your bike, again? I wish you had a replacement bike. Maybe then, you'd stop bothering me about it." Whatever was about to be said was stopped as for some reason Misty blinked and nodded at the same time. After she did that, a new bike appeared between Ash and Misty. "Huh? "What?" "What's going on?" Misty asked as she hugged herself and backed away slowly. "Er. Misty, could you please tell us what happened last night?" Brock asked. Misty nodded and related what she had done during the night. She also related the depression where all those Fire and Thunder stones were located and what had happened. Ash then related what he did after he was woken by the explosion. When he related the capture, Misty glared at him. Brock nodded as he looked at the bike, "I see. I think I know what has happened." Misty looked at Brock and asked, "You do?" Nodding, the former Gym leader said, "Yep. I used to tell stories to my brothers and sisters about magical humans. Such as genies. Which is what I believe you have become." "A genie? How romantic," Misty said as she daydreamed for a second. She quickly came to her senses. "Wait a second. You said I'm a genie?" "Yeah," Brock nodded. "Where do you think that bike came from?" Misty took a good look at the bike. She shrugged as she got on it and rode back to the cave. Ash looked in the direction she went and said, "She seems to be taking this well." "I don't think it has sank in yet." The pair quickly made their way back to where they left Pikachu and Misty's Pokémon. They looked at each other when they saw that Misty was calmly explaining what had happened to her to Togepi. Ash looked outside and saw the Growlithe pack in the distance. "Oh man, I wish I had a Great Ball so I could capture one of them," Ash stated. Misty hearing Ash, walked over to the entrance of the cave. She blink-nodded and summoned a Pokéball. Brock and Ash looked at the Pokéball as it appeared and dropped to the ground. They both sweatdropped. "Misty, you might be an expert water Pokémon expert," Brock said. "But, you are a lousy genie." "I'll say. Look at the size of that thing," Ash stated as the Charizard sized Pokéball dropped to the ground in the middle of the Growlithe pack. The giant Pokéball opened and sucked in the entire pack. After the last Growlithe was sucked inside, it snapped shut and teleported away. "The Professor isn't going to like that," Ash stated. Misty, feeling a bit angry at the comments, walked back into the cave. The two males of the group looked at her, just before they were buried under a mound of Pokéballs. Misty had picked up Togepi and her purse. She then mounted her bike. She looked on as the pair struggled out from under the Pokéballs that she had summoned. "You'd better find a way to change me back, Ash Ketchum" she said loudly. "M-misty return," Ash said as he pointed the burnt Pokéball at her. After Misty was sucked inside with her Pokémon and bike, Ash glanced at Brock. "Don't look at me. She's your genie." Pikachu shook his head and said, "Pika-pika-pikachu. Pikachu-chu- pika" ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 02 Brock and Ash Ketchum were trudging their way back to Pallet town to deal with the situation that had just arisen. Ash kept looking down at the burnt Pokéball that held Misty, unsure of his feelings. After a few moments, his conscience bothered him enough to let Misty out. "Misty, I choose you," Ash said as he threw the Pokéball. Ash caught the ball on the rebound after it hit a tree. He looked at it in confusion. Brock started explaining, "Ash, If you want to let Misty out, you should rub the ball as if your were polishing it.” Ash started wiping his hand across the ball's surface and asked, "Like this?" Before Brock could answer, smoke came from the ball and formed Misty. Misty glanced at Ash and away. "What do you want, Ash? To make a wish?" Misty asked. "Or, have you figured out how to change me back?" "Er. No. I'm just letting you out, because I don't think you should be in there," Ash stammered. "Um. Thanks Ash, but I think I'd better get used to travelling in the Pokéball. If it takes as long to change me back as it did to replace my bike, I'm going to be linked to it for a long time." Trying to head off an argument, Brock asked, "Something I've been wondering, how were you able to take your Pokéballs and bike into that ball?" "I have no idea," Misty replied. "I just knew I could. The inside of the ball is huge. Ash, if you don't mind, I'm decorating right now. And, I want to check up on Togepi." "Er. Um. Okay," Ash stammered, as he pointed the Pokéball at Misty. Before Ash could recall Misty, a strange buzzing noise came to his ears. He turned in the direction of noise and saw a huge Beedrill approaching. This Beedrill was lime green in color and almost twice the size of a standard Beedrill. "Uh oh," Ash muttered as he lowered the Pokéball. "I think we're in trouble." As if to confirm his words the green Beedrill shot a massive beam of energy towards them. Ash, Misty, Brock, Pikachu dodged the searing orange bolt. While dodging the blast, Ash stumbled against a tree, dislodging all his inhabited Pokéballs. He looked on in shock as the Beedrill's attack. The attack blew a huge crater in the ground and uprooted several trees. "That was the Hyper Beam!" Brock yelled. "It is one of the most powerful attacks a Pokémon can know." The insect Pokémon wasn't finished yet. It fired off five barbs at the group. All but one of the pin missiles missed. Unfortunately the one that did hit, struck Pikachu. Pikachu started having spasms. "That thing's a menace," Brock stated, as he fumbled for one of Pokéballs. "Pikachu!" Ash yelled, as he ran towards his friend. The Beedrill lined up Pikachu up for a blast from the Hyper Beam. Ash knew he was going to be to late to save Pikachu from the attack, but he was going to try anyway. Misty was also running towards Pikachu, calling Ash's name. She reached Pikachu and shoved him towards Ash just before the Hyper Beam hit. Ash, Brock, and Pikachu watched in horror as the orange bolt blasted Misty. As the smoke cleared, they were shocked to see Misty standing in the middle of another crater, completely unharmed. Even the giant bug was taken aback by it. "Wha?" came from both Brock and Ash. Misty looked up at the Beedrill and shouted, "That stung." Ash noticed a red glow around one of Misty's hands. So, he pulled out Dexter and analyzed it. Dexter said, "This is the Ember attack. It is the most basic of all fire attacks." "Misty, Ember attack the Beedrill!" Ash yelled instinctively. Hearing the word 'ember' allowed Misty to focus on her power and unleash it at the insect. She threw it in the form a small fireball. The Beedrill shrieked in pain as the fireball hit, because Bug Pokémon are weak against fire. Burning, it fell to the ground in front of Ash, who threw a Pokéball at it. The Pokéball sucked up the Beedrill and held it fast. "That was close," Ash said, panting. "Pikachu, hold on. I'll get you an antidote." Ash pulled out a small vial and gave it to his injured Pokémon. After making sure, Pikachu was okay, he went and gathered his Pokéballs. "Let's see. Here's Squirtle. Bulbasaur. Charizard. Pidgeot. Ah, there's Muk." As soon as Ash picked up Muk's Pokéball, it flickered to life and teleported away. He looked at Misty and Brock, confused. Both of them shrugged. He finally went over to the Pokéball that held the Beedrill and picked it up. "All right, I've caught Beedrill," Ash said while standing in his victory pose. That ball also flickered to life and teleported to Professor Oak's lab. "You caught? I'm the one who blasted it," Misty declared. "I'm the one who should get to keep it." "Er, Misty," Brock said, hesitantly. "You weren't using your Pokémon. You were using your new powers. Ash gets the Beedrill since one of his Pokémon weakened it. Remember, you are a Pokémon which Ash caught and he is your Trainer. I think that is why Ash only has four Pokéballs. Dexter is counting you along with Pikachu as his Pokémon." Misty glared at Ash, who was totally oblivious. Ash had started praising his new Pokémon. "Wow, Misty. You did great as a Pokémon. You zapped that Beedrill with one shot. I thought you were a goner when that Hyper Beam hit you, when you saved Pikachu. She was great, wasn't she Pikachu?" "Pika!" Misty sighed as she realized that Ash wasn't seeing her as Misty. He was seeing her as a Pokémon. She stopped as she recalled something. "Why wasn't I affected by the Hyper Beam? Brock, you said it was one of the most powerful attacks." "erm. Give me a second," Brock replied, as he scratched his head. "Let's see, Hyper Beam is a powerful normal attack that can affect even the strongest Pokémon. But, it is totally ineffective against Ghost Pokémon." "Ghost? You mean I'm dead?" Brock shrugged, "I doubt that, but maybe Genies were always Ghost type Pokémon. Considering your first attack was Ember, you might be a Fire type as well." Sighing, she turned back to Ash. "Ash, you'd better find some way to change me back. But right now, I want to check on MY Pokémon. So if you would?" "Oh. Sure," Ash said as he pointed Misty's Pokéball at her. "Misty, return." A red beam of light was emitted from the center of the ball and struck Misty squarely in the chest. She glowed red for a second and was pulled inside the ball. Ash looked down at the ball and debated on whether he should hang it on his belt with the rest of the Pokémon or still carry it in his jacket pocket. After a few seconds, he returned it to his jacket pocket. --------------------------------------- Inside the burnt Pokéball, Misty was staying busy. One of the first things she did was explore the size of her cage. The inside of the ball had a diameter equal to the length of Cerulean City. The size of the interior had surprised her at first. Apparently the energy that had transformed her, changed the Ultraball also. She was still a bit mad at Ash. "Ooohh, that Ash Ketchum... Just because he caught me, he gets the Beedrill. He'd better change be back," Misty ranted as she used some of her new power to decorate the place. Near the bottom of the ball, she filled the area with water. Once she had a sufficent amount of water, she put her water Pokémon in the artifical lake. Misty sat down and breathed heavily. Even with her new abilities, making a reservoir was a lot of work. She looked at Staryu, Starmie, Psyduck, Horsea, and Goldeen playing in the water and thought. *If I am going to be Ash's Pokémon some of the time, I'm going to need some way to send and recall my Pokémon in an instant.* She caused a slender belt to appear in her hands. The belt had a place to hold six Pokéballs. On the belt buckle, there were two buttons. Misty nodded in satisfaction as she put the belt on. *This should do,* she thought. She looked up and sighed. *I think the only reason I can change the area in here so easily, is because I am linked to the Pokéball.* After resting for a couple hours, Misty pulled out her rarely used Pokédex and pushed some buttons. Small flashes of light heralded the arrivial of Pokéballs. She picked up the balls and started releasing the Pokémon inside. The Pokémon she caught in the Safari Zone were there. A few others that she had caught when Brock and Ash weren't around were there also. The water Pokémon she sent to the lake. The others were sent to a small woods inside the ball. "Well, I might as well get some use out of all this space. I've set this up as my storage for excess Pokémon," Misty muttered to herself. "The next time I'm at a Pokécenter, I'm going to have to take a good look at those machines. Or, see if I can get the plans for one. This place is going to be a combination storage center and Pokécenter. Now, I'd better go check up on Togepi." Misty got to her feet and headed towards the top of her ball. In a small room that she had summoned earlier, Togepi was siiting on a bed. Picking up the Egg Pokémon, Misty looked up towards the rounded ceiling and lay down on the bed. The slight thumping noise coming from outside the ball lulled her to sleep. *At least I've got a place close to his heart,* Misty thought just before she fell asleep. Togepi huddled up next to its 'mother' and joined her in slumber. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Team Rocket had finally managed to climb out of the pit they had fallen into. It took them almost two full days to do so. The trio picked up the faint trail left by Ash and co. from yesterday morning and resumed their chase. "I can't believe you, James," Meowth ranted. "All we have to do is follow them and nab Pikachu while they are asleep. We don't need another pit. Especially one that is behind them and that we would have to go over ourselves." "Calm down, Meowth," Jessie said. "We'll catch up with the brats soon enough." Meowth just growled and walked away. Jesse and James followed the feline Pokémon and hoped they would catch up to Ash and Pikachu soon. They stopped when they heard a buzzing noise and looked around. Team Rocket looked up and saw a giant green Beedrill facing away from them. The Beedrill's stinger glowed with power as it unleashed a powerful orange bolt of energy. Meowth's sharp ears picked up yelling coming from the direction that the Beedrill fired its attack. Motioning for Jesse and James to follow him, Meowth whispered, "Be quiet. I think we found them." Team Rocket found a secluded area to watch the proceedings. They saw Pikachu get hit with one of the Beedrill's Pin Missiles and started having spasms. Meowth winced as he muttered, "Ouch. I hope the kid's got some antidotes with him. Otherwise, Pikachu isn't going to make it." James replied, while pointing, "I don't think its going to make it anyway. Look." Jesse and Meowth looked where James was pointing and saw the Beedrill lining Pikachu up for another blast. They watched as Misty and Ash desperately tried to save Pikachu. The trio winced as they saw Misty get nailed with the beam meant for Pikachu, right after she threw Pikachu to Ash. "Well," Jesse began and then stopped as she saw something that caused her eyes to almost pop out of her sockets. Standing unharmed by the attack was Misty. "What's going on?" James asked "I don't know and would you two keep it down. We're going to attract that Beedrill's attention," Meowth whispered harshly. Jesse and James remained as still and quiet as marble statues. They had no wish to face that monster Beedrill. Team Rocket saw and heard as Misty, herself, took down the Beedrill. From somewhere they pulled out megaphones and held them to their ears with the wide end pointing towards Misty. After seeing Misty being pulled inside a Pokéball, they had a small conversation. "So that water brat is a Pokémon now," Jesse said. "We'll add her to our list of rare Pokémon to steal. Isn't that right, James?" "That's right. A human Pokémon is probably really rare. Meowth?" "That's right," Meowth said reflexively, as he looked at Ash. *Doesn't that kid have any normal Pokémon?* Team Rocket started working up another plan to not only steal Pikachu, but Misty as well. -------------------------------------------------------------- Jack, John, and Gary had finally made it to the outskirts of the jungle where Professor Oak had said Ash was at. The Trio from Pallet Town started walking into the jungle. After a couple of hours of hacking through underbrush, they all sat down panting. "This is crazy. How can that loser move so fast though this stuff?" Gary muttered to himself. Gasping slightly, John whispered to Jack, "I think I've figured out one benefit of Ash always getting lost. He is in a lot better physical shape than we are." Jack nodded and shakily replied, "Especially Gary. He can't use his family's car or influence out here." As the trio rested, they noticed a group of birds running along. Jack nudged Gary, as he poined out the birds. "Look, Doduos. If we each catch one, we could use them as transportation. It'll sure beat walking." Biting back an angry response, Gary nodded and pulled out a Pokéball. Jack and John did the same. Gary sent out a Magnemite, John an Electabuzz, and Jack used a Jolteon. The three Trainers had their Pokémon Thunder Wave the Doduos. Once the birds were paralyzed, they sent out Pokéballs to capture one a piece. Before they picked up the Pokéballs, the trio cleared a space for their new Pokémon. The remiander of the Doduo flock had scattered. "Well that was easy enough," John commented as he recalled his Electabuzz. "Does anyone need Paralyz Heal? I've got plenty." "No." "Nope." Gary and Jack recalled their Pokémon as well. The three grabbed their respective Pokéballs. Just before they could call out the Doduo's, they heard a distant explosion. The explosion sent the flock back towards Gary and company. Looking up at the sky, the trio from Pallet Town groaned from being trampled by Doduos. "Somehow, I know Ash had something to do with that sound," Gary mumbled, as another distant boom was heard. The trio winced as they were once again ran over. This time by a pack of Oddish. They passed out holding on to the balls with the Doduos in them. --------------------------------------------------------------- Back at the cave, Ash had pulled out his Pokédex and pulled up some information. He frowned as he looked at the screen. Deciding he wasn't getting anywhere this way, he talked to Brock. "Hey, Brock. How did that Beedrill know Hyper Beam? That attack isn't listed in the attacks it can learn through experience." "Oh that. It probably set off a copy of TM15 and learned it." "TM15?? What's a TM?" Brock looked at Ash and replied, "You don't know what a TM is? TM stands for Technical Machine. It's a device that holds a skill that can be taught to Pokémon." Brock pulled out a small metal box and continued, "This is what one looks like. This TM is one that I constructed. All Gym Leaders are given the plans to build one type of TM. In my case, it is TM34. It holds the skill Bide." Ash stared at the box and remarked, "I think I saw a few of those near where I caught Misty." Brock stood up and said, "Let's go." "Huh?" "If you did see TM's, there might be a chance we can get some unused ones and use them ourselves." "All right. Should I call Misty out?" Ash replied, as he reached for Misty's Pokéball. "Not just yet," Brock cautioned. "Let's find out if they are TM's or not." Ash simply nodded as he walked out of the cave. Pikachu leapt to his shoulder and looked around. Following Ash, Brock hoped they would find some decent TM's. He wanted to study them and learn how to build other TM's. Even the discharged Hyper Beam TM would be useful to him. Ash led Brock to the area where he caught Misty. The two searched the area around the blast zone. They were about to give up when Ash fell flat on his face. Turning over, he saw that he tripped over a half buried TM. Looking around the area where he fell, Ash spotted other boxes. "Brock, I found them." "More like they found you." Brock replied good-naturedly. "Hmm. Let's see. Oh. You'd better call Misty out now." Ash nodded and pulled out the burnt Pokéball. Rubbing the Pokéball, Ash declared, "Misty, I choose you." Ash frowned a bit, because the smoke that came from the ball was now orange. The orange fog gathered and formed Misty. The human Pokémon was laying on the ground holding Togepi. She was fast asleep. Ash glanced at Brock. "Should I wake her?" "I think you'd better. She'll want to be in on this as well." Ash nodded heastintly as he reached down and shook Misty. Misty's eyes snapped open. She sat up and looked around, confused. "What? Where?" Ash said, "We found some TM's and thought you might want to get some for yourself." Misty glared at Ash for waking her up, but she let it go without comment. Glancing around, she saw Brock pulling out some metal boxes from the ground. Misty did a quick tally of the boxes. She counted eight TM's. She watched as Brock set one aside. "Well, that's probably where that Beedrill learned Hyper Beam. This TM has been discharged," Brock said to himself. Misty looked at the remaining seven TM's and wondered where they came from. She put that thought out of her mind as she remembered that Trainers have been coming here for years. Theese were probably dropped accidently over the years and they were brought here by the Pokémon like the Fire and Thunder stones were. She did a double take as she noticed the blast crater. Hugging herself, Misty trembled as she realized exactly where they were. "C-C-Could we get out of here, please?" Misty stuttered. "I really don't want to be here." Ash was about to say something, but noticed the look on Misty's face. He looked at Misty and then the crater. He just nodded as he touched Brock's shoulder. "Brock grab the machines and let's get out of here. I don't think this is the best place for us to be." Glancing up, Brock saw Misty shuddering and he replied, "I think you're right, Ash." Brock carefully put the TM's in his backpack and stood up. Ash and company quickly made their way from the blasted crater. They sat down when they felt they were far enough away. Just as they sat down on some rocks,they were hauled into the air by a giant net. "Prepare for trouble." "And, make it double." "To protect the world from devastation." "To unite all peoples within our nation." "To denounce the evils of Truth and Love." "To extend our reach to the stars above." "Jesse." "James." "Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light." "Surrender now or prepare to fight." "Meowth, that's right." Ash rollled his eyes and said, "Oh brother, here we go." Jesse demanded, "Surrender Pikachu and the girl and we'll let you go." "Huh?" "Wha?" "Why me?" Misty asked, hugging Togepi. Meowth responded, "We know that you were turned into a Pokémon, and we intend to take you back to the Boss." Ash said in exaperation, "I wish for once, that something would cause you to leave us alone for a while." Misty whispered sweetly, as she felt power building inside her, "Why thank you, Ash. I think I can do something." Blink-nodding, Misty smiled in satisfaction. Brock, Pikachu, and Ash sweatdropped as Team Rocket were flattened by stone letters. They looked at Misty. "You did make a wish, Ash," Misty responded to the unasked question. "And, I thought it was appropriate." "You overdid it again," Ash responded. "If you made more wishes, I could get better at this," Misty replied, getting angry. Brock said, "Um. Could we get out of the net first? Then you two can start arguing." Msity sniffed and looked at Ash. Staring back, Ash hoped he wasn't about to make a mistake. "Misty, I wish we were out of the net." Misty blink-nodded and the net vanished. The group tumbled to the ground and lay in a heap, with Togepi on top. "Togepi. Togepi," The egg Pokémon said as it rolled down the living hill, laughing. *I don't feel like arguing right now,* Ash thought to himself. He waited until Misty had picked up Togepi, before recalling the genie into her Pokéball. Ash looked at the stone letters and got up. Walking over to the pinned Team Rocket, he smiled at Misty's joke. Returning Misty's Pokéball to its place, Ash commented, "Well, you're always saying 'surrender now' and she did. Now, leave us alone." Ash and Brock quickly left, leaving Team Rocket trapped. Jesse was trapped under a gaint 'N'. Meowth was under an 'O', and James was pinned by a 'W'. Meowth muttered, "Surrender now? This isn't what we meant. We don't want a 'NOW'." ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ash and Brock qickly made their way back to the cave and sat down. They both started laughing at Misty's joke on Team Rocket. "That was hillarious, but a tad overdone," Brock stated. "Yes it was. Oh. By the way, what are the TM's we found?" "First, you'd better get Misty out." Ash reluctantly rubbed the Pokéball to release Misty. After she formed, she glared at Ash. "Do you mind? I was putting Togepi to bed." Brock hastily interrupted to prevent another argument. "He called you out on my suggestion. We're going to divide up the TM's. I have a request. Once you expend it, hand me the discharged TM. I want to study them and try and make new ones." Ash and Misty nodded. Brock pulled out the seven useable techincal machines and put them down. He quickly arranged them in numerical order. "Okay we have TM01, TM05, TM13, TM14, TM30, TM37, and TM41. I think Misty should get thirteen and fourteen, since her Pokémon are the ones who could probably use them the best. Ash you can have machine five. My Geodude can use machine one. The other three are sort of a problem. None of has any Pokémon that can use them." "Oh, what do you mean by that?" Misty asked, while picking up TM30. Brock replied, "Well take that one. It contains Teleport. None of us has a Pokémon that can learn it. The same goes for the other two." Misty was about to set the machine down when it slipped from her fingers and opened up. The energy from iside the machine went straight into Misty. Chiming from Ash's pocket, Dexter stated, "Misty has now learned the skill Teleport." Misty ran from the cave sobbing a bit. Ash stood up and followed her. Before he exited the cave he called back over his shoulder. "Brock give me TM41. I'll pick up a Pokémon that can learn it later." Brock nodded as he put Ash's machines aside and picked up the discharged one. Pikachu followed Ash outside and leapt to Misty's shoulder. "Misty, how are you doing?" Ash asked. "I'm not human anymore. How do you think I feel?" Misty retorted. "You weren't this upset when you found out about your condition." Misty sighed and said, "It hadn't fully sank in yet. When that skill just popped into my head, it brought the full realiziation of what had happened to me." "What do you mean?" Ash asked, confused. "Ash, if I can learn a technical machine, there might be a chance that I'm a Pokémon that has multiple stages of evoultion. I don't know if I could take evolving." "Pika," Pikachu said, as he gazed at Misty sympathetically. "I think we'd better get back to Professor Oak," Ash said. "Let's get our stuff and get back to Pallet Town as fast as possible." Misty nodded and thought, *Since I learned it, we might as well use it.* Misty and Ash gathered up their machines and stored them. Misty sent hers to her room inside the Pokéball. She filled Ash and Brock in on what she was about to do. They shrugged and waited. Misty's eyes flared orange and they Teleported to Pallet Town. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 03 A flash of light in front of the Ketchum home signaled the arrival of Ash and friends. Ash motioned for Misty and Brock to follow him. With Pikachu riding on his shoulder, he led them to Professor Oak's lab. Ash opned the door and walked in. "Professor, are you here?" Ash called out. A few seconds later, Professor Oak backed out of a room. He was holding a chair and a bullwhip. "Get back. Get back," Oak said, while cracking the bullwhip. "That's some Beedrill that Ash sent. It's still hungry." "Professor!! You're not hurting my Beeedrill, are you?" Ash cried out. "Yours? If it wasn't for that problem I have, it would have been mine," Misty countered. Professor Oak spun around at the sound of the voices. "Ash? What are you doing here?" Before reciveing an answer to that question, he answered the one put to him. "No, Ash. I'm not hurting your Beedrill. I just snap the whip to force it back by the Pokémon's reflexes in recoiling from the sound. I have never hit a Pokémon with it." "Err. Okay," Ash replied, sounding a bit unsure. Oak said, "Now that I've answered your question, what are you doing back here so early?" Before Ash could say anything, Misty explained, "It's because of me, Professor. There was an accident with a lot of Fire and Thunder stones. And, well...." Misty's voice trailed off as her courage started to fail her. Seeing the concern on the faces of Ash and Brock, he understood that whatever had happened was serious. He put the chair and bullwhip down and started fixing some lemonade. "Sit down, child. Just take your time and tell me what happened," Oak said, as he handed Misty a full glass. Misty found a chair and took Oak's advice. She sipped at her drink before relating what had happened. She started with her capture of a Shockate. The Professor was extremely interested in the description of how it changed into a Pokémon. Misty shuddered and took another drink before she told him of how she went out at night and saw the Growlithe and Voltorb battle. Professor Oak interuppted at that point. "That reminds me. Ash, where did you get that giant Pokéball from? I'm still trying to figure out where to put all your Growlithes." "I think you had better finish hearing Misty's story first, Doc," Brock said. "Hmm. Oh. Sorry child. Please continue," Professor Oak said. Misty nodded and described the chase and how she wound up in a pit of Fire and Thunder stones. A shudder went through her as she told of the two blasts that ignited the stones. At that point, Ash took over and relayed on what he did after he heard the explosion. Professor Oak held up a hand, stopping the conversation. He looked at Misty with sympathy in his eyes. "You've become a Pokémon, haven't you? And, Ash caught you?" Oak stated more than asked. "Yes. But, I think I'm also a genie as well. I've been able to grant wishes that Ash has made." Ash said, "Professor, the reason why we came is to find out if you would be able to change Misty back into a human." "I don't know. This isn't something I'm prepared for. I'm going to need Bill's help on this one. Stay here. I'm going to call him." Not waiting for an answer, Professor Oak headed to his phone. He punched in a number and waited. After a few seconds, he started talking. "Hello. Bill? This is Professor Oak. I need your help with a problem here in Pallet. I'd rather not go into details over the phone. It is very important. Yes, I'll have Ash bring you back by Pidgeot. Thanks a lot." The Professor hung up the phone and looked at Ash, who nodded. Walking outside, Ash summoned his Pidgeot and rode it towards Bill's lighthouse. He looked down at Pallet and hoped Professor Oak could find a way to help Misty. ---------------------------------------------------- Back in the Rubicund forest, Team Rocket started tracking Ash back to the cave. They were none the worse for wear for having multi- ton stones dropped on them. The trio found the campsite where Ash and company were staying. "Where are they, Meowth?" James asked. "I can't pick up their tracks anymore." Meowth sniffed the air and replied, "Their trail stops here. They must have used Escape Rope to leave the area." "No matter. That water brat will soon put us back on top again," Jesse stated. "She's more than a Pokémon; she's a genie as well." James got all starry eyed and said, "Just think of all the riches and rare Pokémon we could get with a genie under our command." "Meowth. That's right," the feline Pokémon agreed. *And, I won't have to worry about evolving into a Persian.* Team Rocket kept daydreaming, not noticing that another trio had managed to find the campsite as well. Gary Oak was furious that Ash now had a genie. Jack and John sighed as they looked at each other. John threw his hands up in disgust and threw a Pokéball. Out of that ball came an Abra. "See you later, Jack. I'm going to back to Pallet Town to work on my Pokémon band. Chasing Ash Ketchum is a pointless exercise. There's no telling where he'll be. I still want to share in his adventures, but I no longer believe following Gary is the way to do it. Abra, teleport." Jack waved good-bye as his comrade left. He agreed with John somewhat. He still intended to stick with Gary, because he was concerned that Gary was starting to lose it. Gary spun around after he heard the Abra teleport. "Where did John go?" Gary asked, slightly wild-eyed. John replied, "Er. He used his Abra to teleport to Pallet." Gary snatched a Pokéball from his belt and threw it. "Kadabra, appear." Gary Oak's Pokéball opened and a Kadabra formed. Looking at his Pokémon in satisfaction, he smiled nastily. "Kadabra, take us back to Pallet Town. I want to challenge Ash for that genie." Jack sighed as he felt himself fading away with Gary and the Kadabra. *This isn't good. Gary's taking every one of Ash's successes as an insult.* ------------------------------------------------------- Ash filled Bill on the situation, as the two of them rode Pidgeot back to Pallet town. The Pokémon researcher was intrigued and concerned at the same time. He was looking forward to the challenge that Misty would provide for him. Soon, the pair arrived back at Professor Oak's lab. Bill quickly went to talk with his old friend about the situation. Ash dismounted from Pidgeot and recalled the flying Pokémon. Sighing, he wondered what he could do to help. Walking slowly, Ash made his way to his house. There a surprise was waiting for him. Misty was there sipping hot chocolate and talking to Ash's mom. "And that's what happened, Mrs. Ketchum," Misty was saying. "I became a Pokémon and Ash caught me." Mrs. Ketchum hugged Misty's shoulders and said, "I'm sure Ash didn't mean to cause you any grief. Since you are one of his Pokémon now, you're welcome to stay here while the Professor works on a cure." Misty wasn't to sure on what to say. Before she could say anyting, Mrs. Ketchum looked up and saw her son. Waving him over, she started talking. "Misty here has been telling me about your adventures and what recently happened to her. As I told her, she is welcome to stay here because she is one of your Pokémon," Mrs. Ketchum explained. Giving her son a stern gaze, she asked, "Any objections?" Ash shook his head and went up to his room, not even noticing Pikachu leaping to his shoulder. Watching him go, Misty sighed and was glad she kept the bicycle incident from his mom. Changing the subject, Misty asked, "How do you make that soup? I could use it to heal my Pokémon and restore their strength." Mrs. Ketchum said, "Not to mention, you could use it yourself. Okay. Follow me into the kitchen. I'll show you exactly how to make that soup." Misty nodded, as she followed her Trainer's mother into the kitchen. She intended to learn as much as possible about Pokémon healing as possible, since she couldn't check on her Pokémon at the moment. They were in her Pokéball home and that was still in Professor Oak's lab. ------------------------------- At the lab, Bill and Professor Oak were having a discussion about Misty's condition. "Well Professor, I must say this is a new twist on things. We have to figure out how to change a Pokémon back into a human," Bill said. Professor Oak replied, "True, Bill. What about your DNA combiner/separator? Would that work?" Bill shook his head and answered, "I already thought of that. There is nothing to separate. Her DNA was altered, not fused." The Professor shrugged as he picked up Misty's Pokéball. He hunted around and found some tools. Picking a screwdriver up, he went to work on the Pokéball. Before he got to much further, the phone rang. Sighing, Oak answered the phone, "Hello? Pokémon Labs. Oak speaking." "Professor? This is Mrs. Ketchum. Misty just screamed and fainted. Ash is on his way over with her." "What?" the Professor exclaimed. "Did she say what caused her to do that?" "Not really. She said that she felt like someone was stabbing her in the back." "Okay. Understood," Oak said, as he hung up the phone. Bill asked "Problems?" "I think so. I think that Misty is linked to this Pokéball far more than any Pokémon should be. My hypothesis is that when I used the screwdriver on the ball, Misty collapsed in pain." Bill pursed his lips and said, "We're going to have to do something. The teleport circuit and Pokécenter link have to be repaired. Otherwise, Ash would get arrested for using a faulty ball." Professor Oak nodded and pulled out a green and black ball. He examined it closely before nodding again. "This should do it." "Er. What type of Pokéball is that, Professor?" "It's a prototype Pokéball that I was going to give to the Police forces, but decided against it. It is far to easy to abuse. This ball can capture Pokémon that are under a Trainer's control. It could easily shut down Team Rocket, if used properly." "But if Team Rocket gets it, they'll be able to steal any Pokémon they wished," Bill finished. "The Pokéball that originally caught the Pokémon can still recall it, if the Pokémon is released from the prototype. This Pokéball can't change that. I'm going to use it on Misty so that we can repair her ball without her being in pain. And, here she is now," Professor Oak said. Bill looked at Misty who was leaning heavily on Ash's shoulder. Her face was pale and covered with sweat, and her body trembled slightly. Oak looked at Misty sadly. "I apologize for causing you pain, Misty. I didn't realize at first how close you and this ball were linked. I have a way to shield you from the effects during the time we repair what we can of your ball." Misty, not even caring at the moment, whispered, "Do what you have to. I don't want to go through that again." Professor Oak picked up the proto-ball and used it on Misty. It opened and sucked her inside. Waiting for the light to stop flashing, Professor Oak picked up the Pokéball and handed it to Ash. "Ash, take real good care of this ball. I had to put Misty inside it for a little while. This is only until we get Misty's ball fixed up." Turning the green and black ball over in his hands, Ash replied, "I understand Professor." Ash shrank the ball and put it where he usually kept Misty's Pokéball. --------------------------------------------------------------- Inside the Pokéball, Misty was experiencing strange feelings. *Is this what Pokémon feel like when they're in a Pokéball? I feel weird.* Misty tried to turn her head, but realized that she had no head or body to speak of. The only feeling was a sense of alertness mixed with crampness. *I hope the Professor gets done soon. This is strange. Wha?* Images started filling Misty's mind as she waited. Before being lulled into a slight trance, she figured out a bit on how the standard Pokéballs worked. *I'm being kept awake, but I'm dreaming at the same time. No wonder Pokémon are always awake when they come out of a Pokéball.* That was the last thought Misty could form before the waking dream entranced her. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Professor Oak was soon finished with the repairs to the ball. He was unable to repair the opening mechanism of the ball. He hoped Misty wouldn't mind exiting the ball as smoke. A quick nod to Ash relayed what he wanted done. Throwing the proto-Pokéball, Ash said "Misty, I choose you." The ball opened and Misty formed of the red light. Her back was arched backwards slightly and she had her arms out to her sides, with fingers extend. Misty's head was tilted back and she had her eyes closed. Straightening up, Misty opened her eyes and gazed at Professor Oak. "Have you fixed the ball, yet?" she asked. Oak nodded, "Most of it. I can't get the ball to open, but I doubt that is a problem for you." Misty shook her head and replied, "No, it's not." Concerned, Ash asked, "How do you feel, Misty? You were in this other Pokéball for a while." Misty thought hard on the question, before answering "I feel...unfolded." "Huh?" came from all three males in the room. "I'm sorry. I can't explain it any better than that. When I first went into that ball, I felt cramped or I guess a better way of putting it was that I felt like a piece of paper being folded and put away." Misty scratched her head and continued, "I guess this is one experience that I can't explain fully. By the way Professor, have you figured out why my Pokéball is so large on the inside?" "I didn't know it was," Oak responded. "Oops. I forgot to tell you that," Misty replied and then went into how large the inside of her Pokéball was. Bill and Professor Oak were intrigued by the dimensions. Misty received the blueprints for a Pokéhealer, after she explained what she was going to do at the next Pokécenter she was at. She nodded in satisfaction as she rolled the plans under her arm and faced Ash. "Ash, if you would? I 'd like to check up on Togepi." Ash picked up the Pokéball that housed Misty and pointed it at her. She was pulled inside by the red beam of light coming from her Pokéball. After putting Misty's ball back into its rightful place, Ash handed Professor Oak back his custom Pokéball. After doing so, Ash patted the jacket pocket and looked at the floor. Bill started talking, "Ash, you have a great responsibility to Misty. Not only as a friend, but her Trainer as well." Ash looked up in surprise, "What do you mean by that?" Bill continued, "While Professor Oak and I are hunting for a way to change her back, you must help Misty deal with her powers and nature. From what we've been told, Team Rocket already knows of Misty's new condition. It will not be long before others find out as well. They will wish to challenge you for the right to train the new Pokémon. Others will want to test their Pokémon against the new one to see how she stands up." Ash looked out a window and mumbled, "I think you'd better call the Cerulean City gym and tell Misty's sisters about this. They should know about it." Oak looked up, "Sisters? Misty has sisters?" Confused, Ash replied, "Yeah. Her sisters are The Sensational Sisters of Cerulean city. They are the gym leaders there." Bill and Oak looked at each other and nodded. Bill quickly left, leaving Professor Oak and Ash behind. Ash shrugged and left for home. Before making it there, he was stopped by someone he didn't think he would see. "So loser, I've heard that you managed to acquire a genie," Gary Oak said. "How about a Pokébattle to see who's the better Trainer? And through that, who is better capable of taking care of a genie?" Ash bristled in anger a bit and replied, "Look, I'm not in the mood for a battle. I just want to get some sleep." "Chickening out?" "No. Okay look," Ash pulled out Misty's Pokéball and started rubbing. "I'm quite sure this genie wouldn't want to go with you." Whatever Gary was about to say was cut off as smoke was emitted from the Pokéball. -------------------------------------- Inside the Pokéball, Misty was dealing with one of her perpetual headaches. Holding a small metal box, she approached a certain yellow Pokémon. "Psyduck. This device will allow you to fight a bit better, and it might ease your headache. Do you want to use it?" Misty asked. *No matter how many problems Psyduck has caused me, I won't force it. I can't. Otherwise, I'd be no better than Team Rocket or even worse.* "Psy-yi-yi-duck," Psyduck said, while nodding its beak in the affirmative. "Thank you, Psyduck. Now, here you go," Misty said, while smiling slightly. She activated the Training Machine and pointed it at her Pokémon, being very careful to keep it pointed away from herself. The TM tinged as it expended its charge into Psyduck. "Next time I'm out, I'll give this to Brock," Misty said, as she stowed the expended TM. "At least Psyduck isn't totally useless in a fight anymore. I'd better get busy and build my Pokécenter. My Pokémon will always be ready for combat." She was about to do so when she felt a tugging sensation. She sighed and wondered what Ash wanted. She was a bit annoyed that Ash hadn't made to many wishes. She did want to play with the powers while she had them. Feeling her body start to turn to smoke, Misty pushed a button on her belt. Six ordinary Pokéballs appeared on it. Stowing another sigh, Misty waited until she materialized outside. ------------------------------------------------ After forming, Misty saw Ash and Gary. She mentally groaned in frustration. She had no wish to get involved with this rivalry. She was about to berate Ash when his words stopped her. "I don't know how you found out about Misty's condition, but there ask her yourself. I'm not putting her welfare on the line for some bet." *First sensible thought that has gone through your head for quite a while, Ash,* Misty thought softly. Deciding to take matters into her own hands, Misty declared, "I have no desire to be one of your Pokémon, Gary. Now, just go away." Gary pulled out a Pokéball and threw it. The ball opened up and a Graveller appeared. Misty rolled her eyes and said, "I'm not only a Pokémon, but a Trainer as well. Staryu, go." Misty threw a Pokéball and the Pokémon inside was released. "Psyduck." "Oh great. Now, I've got a headache. Psyduck, I didn't choose you." "Psy-yi!" "Oh, all right. Psyduck use your new attack." The yellow Pokémon grabbed its head and bounced around a bit, before unleashing a blue-white lighting bolt. The bolt struck the rock Pokémon and encased it in a clear crystal of ice. Misty smiled and asked the stunned Gary, "How else would you have your Graveller, but on the rocks?" She picked up Psyduck and followed Ash into the Ketchum residence. Gary shook his head, slowly recovering from the shock. He gazed thoughtfully at the Ketchum household and thought. *You won today, Ash. But next time, I'll be prepared.* ------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 04 Ash was laying in his bed, looking up at the ceiling, with Pikachu sleeping above his head. His fingers were idling playing with his cap, which was atop one of the bedposts. Thinking about what Bill had said to him, he caused his cap to spin around. "I wonder how I am supposed to train Misty," Ash murmured to himself. "How do you train a human Pokémon?" Ash sighed as he stopped the cap. He was about ready to fall asleep, when he heard a crash coming from the room where Misty was sleeping. Throwing caution to the wind, Ash snatched up Misty's Pokéball and rushed to Misty's room. Before entering, he saw his mom also rushing towards the bedroom as well. Nodding to his mother, he threw open the door. "Mis...," Ash started to call out, but what he saw stalled him. Misty was curled up like a sleeping cat. She turned over a couple of times. The human Pokémon stretched a bit and rolled over on her stomach. All of this was being done while Misty was hovering one meter above the bed. Looking around the room, Ash noticed a lamp lying on the floor. Apparently, Misty must have kicked it over. And, that was what had caused the crashing sound. "Okay, Misty can fly," Ash whispered. "I can deal with this. Can she?" An orange glow started emanating from Misty. Ash and his mother looked up in concern, because waves of heat were also coming from her. As the heat got more intense, Ash took a risk. "Misty, wake up!" Ash cried. The human Pokémon's eyes snapped open. Looking around, she noticed that she was in the air. The shock of being awoken and realizing where she was caused her ability to hover to shut itself off, and sent her plummeting. Ash reflexively dived under Misty, to try and break her fall. Misty fell on top of her Trainer hard, almost knocking him out. Ash's hands were stretched over one end of the bed, and his face was buried in the mattress. "Ash, what do you think you were doing? Why did you wake me up?" Misty demanded. "Ugh. You were going to set the house on fire," came Ash's muffled reply. "What are you talking about?" "I'll explain in the morning," Ash said, as he turned his right hand around. "Misty, return." Before Misty could say a word, the Pokéball in Ash's hand emitted its red beam and pulled her in. After Misty was inside the ball, Ash slid off the bed onto the ground, unconscious. The Pokéball rolled out of his hand. Mrs. Ketchum stopped the Pokéball and picked it up. She carefully put in the breast pocket of Ash's pajamas. Straining a bit, she carried Ash back to his room and covered him up. She smiled a bit as she thought of Misty. *She's in love with my son, but is waiting till they are both older before revealing it. I'm quite sure she's sticking with Ash, just to make sure she doesn't lose him and to make him a better person. Determined girl.* ---------------------------------------- The sun was on the horizon when Bill, riding his pet Farfetch'd, arrived in Cerulean city. He spotted the Cerulean City gym. Hoping it was still open, he landed in front of the gym. A beautiful blonde haired woman cam out and greeted Bill. "I'm sorry, but we're like totally closed until tomorrow. Come back in the morning if you want to have a Pokémon battle." Bill frowned as he replied, "I'm not here for a battle. I'm here to ask for some help from Misty's sisters. She had an accident and she needs her sisters to come to Pallet town." "Misty's hurt?" the blonde said. "I'll get the others." Bill sighed as he ruefully thought of several ways he could have stated the problem better. He shrugged and made a mental note to do better next time. He watched as two more girls followed the blonde outside and closed up the gym. After taking a look at the three girls and then his Pokémon he slapped his forehead with his hand. "I only have the one Pokémon and I don't think Far is up to carrying four humans." "Farfetch'd farfetch'd," the onion carrying bird agreed. "Oh, like totally lame-o," on of the other girls said. "We're Water Pokémon Trainers, so we can't help you on that." "Maybe we can borrow a hot air balloon and have Far drag it," Bill thought aloud. "There's the balloon we use when we're advertising a new show. It's around back." Bill nodded as he followed the girls to the balloon. "By the way, I'm Daisy," the blonde said. "Oh, sorry. My name is Bill. I'm a Pokémon researcher," Bill replied. Daisy looked at Bill in shock, "That Bill? The one of the lighthouse?" "I'm afraid so." "Now why does a Pokémon researcher need to be involved with Misty's accident? You haven't even told us what happened to our little sister." "When we're in the air, I'll explain. The winds at higher altitudes should provide a damper on any sort of eavesdropping." The Sensational Sisters looked at each other and shrugged. They all wondered what had happened to Misty and hoped she was all right. They all pitched in and helped Bill get the balloon ready for lift-off. Seeing that the hot air balloon was shaped like a Seel, Bill shook his head. *They really are Water nuts,* Bill thought. The Pokémon researcher told his Pokémon what he wanted it to do. Nodding its understanding, Farfetch'd grabbed a rope in its bill and started flying. The four humans piled in the basket and untied the rope holding the balloon down. The basket lifted into the air. After a bit, Daisy turned to Bill. Hand on her hips, Daisy said, "Okay, we're far enough up. Now, will you tell us what happened to Misty?" Bill nodded and explained what had happened. The three sisters were shocked at Misty's transformation. But, they shared a giggle when they found out who Misty's Trainer was. "Since you three are Misty's sisters, Professor Oak and I were hoping that we would be able to study your blood and DNA to figure out a way to change Misty back," Bill finished up. Daisy looked thoughtful for a second before stating, "Tell us the truth. Is there any chance of changing Misty back?" Bill shrugged and looked in the direction of Pallet Town. He considered the situation very carefully before answering. "I don't know. Misty is the first known human Pokémon. That right there is going to complicate matters." Other than the flapping of Farfetch'd's wings, the rest of the trip was spent in silence. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Golden light from the rising sun streamed in through Ash's bedroom window, striking him on the face. The brightness, even though Ash's eyes were closed, was painful and forced him to wake up. "Ugh. I forgot to pull the blinds," Ash said, as he got out of bed. As he stood up, the top part of his pajama shirt swung out and then back and struck him in the chest. Surprised, Ash put his hand to the breast pocket of the pajamas and felt that he had something in the pocket. He reached in and pulled out a Pokéball. He noticed that the top of the ball was orange, instead of red. "This is Misty's ball, now how did it get in there," Ash muttered to himself. He went over the events of the previous day, he then remembered the incident with Misty and his promise to give her an explanation. Quickly getting dressed, Ash took a look around the room and noticed that Pikachu was asleep on top of the television. Sitting on the bed, he rubbed the orange Pokéball. Misty formed from the smoke that was being emitted by the ball. Lying on the floor, the human Pokémon was curled up like a cat and with an arm wrapped around Togepi. Frowning in her sleep, Misty shifted a bit. After a few seconds, she woke up and looked around. "Ash! What do you think you're doing?" Misty demanded as she hit Ash upside the head, with a Voltorb action figure. After nailing Ash, Misty sat on Ash's bed and rocked Togepi back and forth. *Maybe I should have put all my toys away, before calling her out,* Ash thought, while his head was bent at a ninety degree angle from his body. Shaking off the strike, Ash said, "Last night, I told you I would explain how you could set the house on fire." Misty glared at him and demanded, "Start explaining. I didn't like being pulled into my ball when I was about to say something." Ash took a deep breath and told her of what had happened. Listening intently, Misty was a bit shocked at what she could do. She did understand the problem that she could cause while asleep. Once her Trainer finished up, she looked out the window deep in thought. "I've always concentrated on Water Pokémon," she whispered to herself. "Now, I'm going to have to learn about Ghost and Fire types. Just so I can understand myself." Hearing the whisper, Ash looked at Misty and wondered what he could do. He snapped his fingers as an idea came to him. "Hey, Misty. Last night you were floating above the bed. Maybe you know how to fly." Misty's head snapped around as that thought went through her mind. Looking thoughtful, the genie contemplated the situation and nodded. "Okay, Ash. I accept your offer to train me in flying." Ash put his hands to his head and said, "That's not what I meant." "Tough. I'm your Pokémon and it is your duty to train me. So let's go," Misty stated, as she left through the door. *This should keep Ash off balance for a while. Not to mention, I would love to be able to fly.* Ash mumbled, "And here I thought I had problems with Charizard." ----------------------- In an open field, Ash was watching as Misty tried to fly. He winced as she leapt up and fell flat on her face. "What am I doing wrong?" Misty demanded, glaring at her Trainer. Ash, in an attempt to delay admitting his ignorance, stammered, "Er. I think that... Um. You were asleep when you flew and you need to be relaxed to do so." The Pokégenie stared hard at Ash and said, "I think you're just making that up so I won't zap you, but I'll try it anyway." Misty calmed herself down, closed her eyes, and daydreamed of flying through the air. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes. "See it didn't work," She said, looking straight ahead. Not seeing Ash, Misty looked around and noticed that she was at the same height as the roof of the Ketchum residence. "Wha?" Misty blurted, as she fell. Ash, who had stepped beneath Misty, inadvertently broke her fall. Misty lay on top of her Trainer. She brought herself to her knees. Misty's and Ash's eyes met for a long moment. After an uncomfortable minute of silence, Misty got to her feet and looked up. "Well Ash, it seems that your wild guess was right. Just relax and fly." The genie kept her eyes open as she tried flying again. Even though she was getting a bit excited as she slowly started to lift in to the air, she kept herself calm. Once she was back at her previous height, she called down. "Ash, if I want to be able to do this properly, you are going to have to train me." Getting a crick in his neck, Ash yelled back, "What do I need to do?" Misty slipped a bit as she shuddered. *I don't like what's going to happen, but this is the fastest way.* She yelled down, "Have Pikachu throw Thundershocks at me until I faint. I have to be able to maintain my flight in combat." "Are you nuts?!" Not answering verbally, Misty used an Ember attack on Ash's sneakers. "Okay, okay," Ash said, and then whispered, "Yep, Misty's going to be an even bigger headache than Charizard." Misty waited in the sky for a few minutes. Soon Ash came out with Pikachu. The yellow mouse almost fainted from shock when it saw Misty was in the air. The human Pokémon explained to Pikachu what she wanted done to her. Pikachu sweatdropped as it nodded. "Pika-pika." Misty kept herself relaxed as she got hit with Thundershocks. She fought the pain that the lighting was causing her, so she could remain aloft. Pikachu threw another Thundershock that hit Misty incredibly hard. The blast had knocked her out and she started falling. Ash, seeing that Misty had fainted, ran underneath her and tried to catch her. He slipped and fell on his face and Misty landed on his back. "This is getting old. Ugh," Ash said as he crawled out from underneath his Pokémon. Ash looked at Misty and tried shaking her to wake her up. "Misty, wake up. Misty?" Looking confused, Ash pondered the situation. Suddenly a flash of realization hit him. *Misty's a Pokémon and she was fainted by another Pokémon. That means she won't wake up unless I take her to a Pokécenter, home, or give her some Revive. I think I have some Revive on me.* Ash patted down his pockets and found five vials. He separated one of them from the others and examined it. "Yep, this is Revive," Ash said to himself. He was about to give Misty the revive, when he looked down at the other vials. For a long moment, he contemplated giving Misty the other vials while she was out. Shaking his head, he gave the Pokégenie the Revive. Her eyelids fluttering open, Misty gazed into the face of her Trainer. "I take it I was knocked out?" she asked as she rested the back of her right hand against her head. "Er. Yes. Are you going to want Pikachu throw more Thundershocks at you?" "Hm. Oh. No. I just want to have some fun now. How did you wake me up so fast?" Ash looked down at the vials. Following the direction of the gaze, Misty saw four capped vials and one uncapped one. Seeing what the uncapped one was, she understood how she was woken up. Sitting up, she picked up the other four vials. She cast an accusatory glance at Ash. "You were thinking about using these vitamins on me while I was asleep, weren't you?" Misty said. "Er. No," Ash quickly lied. Misty frowned as she gazed at him. Slowly, she popped off the cork of each vial and drank it. As the vitamins entered her system, she felt stronger, faster, tougher, and more powerful. Seeing Ash wince at the small fortune she just drank, Misty felt satisfied that she got him back for lying to her. "Definitely worse than Charizard," Ash muttered. Looking up, Misty exclaimed, "Hey look. I think that's my sisters." Doing what Misty asked, Ash saw a Seel shaped balloon being towed by a Farfetch'd. He was about to ask how Misty was sure it was her sisters, when he saw the writing on the basket of the balloon. "The Sensational Sisters," he read aloud. Turning, he was about to ask Misty a question when he saw that she was starting to float up. There was a mischievous look on her face that made Ash's blood run cold. "Er. Misty what are you going to do?" The Pokégenie looked down at her Trainer and smiled. "I'm going to go have some fun," She said as she flew up to meet the balloon. Holding his head, like he had a very sever headache, Ash mumbled, "Oboy. I don't know who to feel more sorry for. Me or them?" -------------------- Chapter 05 Misty approached the balloon slowly. As she was doing so, she went over what she knew of Ghost type Pokémon. *From what I can recall Gastly are usually invisible and can go through solid objects. I wonder if I can become invisible. If that ability is like my flying, I just have to imagine it while staying relaxed.* Misty filled her mind with the image of fading from view. She slowly turned invisible, but she started descending as well. *Okay, this is going to be a bit trickier than I imagined. Let's try again,* Misty thought as she brought her flying back up. The Pokégenie worked a bit at trying to maintain both flight and invisibility as she snuck up on the Seel shaped balloon. As she was about a few seconds away from the craft, she managed to get it right. With a satisfied grin, even though it couldn't be seen, she approached her sisters. She decided to have fun with Violet first. She reached out with a hand and flipped her sister's hair straight up. "Wha?! There's like something here!" Violet yelled as she backed up against the gondola, sending it swaying. Misty grabbed hold of the gondola and stopped its rocking and laughed a bit. Bill and the Sensational Sisters looked around nervously. As they heard the laughter, but couldn't tell where it came from. Bill covered his mouth as he figured out what was going on. After chuckling a bit, Bill said, "I see you have figured out some of your powers. You do realize that invisibility isn't allowed in a Pokémon battle. And, it really isn't an attack." Still invisible, Misty replied, "I know, but I want to use these powers as long as I have them. So why did you bring my sisters along?" Seeing that Misty's sisters were starting to freak out, Bill said, "It might be better if you became visible. It would be easier to talk to you." Misty slowly faded into view, hovering a good three meters away from the gondola. Daisy, Violet, and Lily were taken aback as they saw their little sister appear before them. They looked down and then back up to Misty and gulped. Daisy said, "Misty, that wasn't funny." "Sorry," Misty said, smirking a bit. "I just wanted to try my powers out." Lily, recovering a bit from the shock, asked, "What kind of Pokémon are you?" Misty sighed as she answered the question, "I am a Ghost/Fire type. Judging by some of the other things I can do, I am also a genie." "Er. A genie? What do you mean by that? And, would you please get in the basket, it's like totally nerve wracking to talk to you like that." "O.K. Well, when Ash made a couple of wishes, I was, I guess forced to grant them. I am still kind of inexperienced in doing so," Misty said, as she flew towards the basket. The Pokégenie continued talking, totally oblivious to the fact that she had just phased through the gondola's walls. "When Ash wished that I had a replacement bike, I conjured one up." Misty's sisters backed up a bit when the human Pokémon did her ghost bit on the gondola. Daisy was the first to recover. Daisy asked, "Like why haven't you granted your own wishes?" Misty frowned and looked down to where Ash was sitting. She felt conflicting emotions on her current state as she gazed at her Trainer. "Ash has to make the wish. He has to direct me. I can interpret the wish any way I want. But unless my Trainer makes a wish, I cannot do anything with that power." The three older Sensational Sisters glanced at each other and then Misty. Lilly felt in her purse and brought out a matchbook filled with sewing needles and a spool of thread. She showed it to the other sisters, while hiding it from the sight of Bill and Misty. The other two girls just nodded. Not knowing what her sisters were up to, the Pokégenie talked to Bill. "Is there a way to change me back?" Looking up from his Pokédex, Bill said, "Hmm. Oh. Sorry. I don't know if you can be changed back." Misty looked at the Pokédex and saw her picture. Her eyes relayed a question. Before Misty had a chance to verbally ask, Bill explained, "Misty, I am a Pokémon researcher. I want to have the most complete listing of all the Pokémon out there. I am also responsible for giving any new information to all the Trainer Centers. I am sorry Misty, but that is my job." Misty gripped one rope of the balloon tightly, as she whispered, "That means, soon every would be Trainer will be coming after Ash to take a look at me or challenge Ash to a duel." ---------------------------- Back on the ground, Ash watched as Misty vanished and reappeared. He sighed and wondered what kind of problems he would have now. Seeing as the balloon was going to take a bit of time to land, he started back to Professor Oak's laboratory, with Pikachu following. An evil sounding laugh stopped him. Looking around, Ash saw a red and white Pokémon building a glass fence. Pulling out his Pokédex, he pointed it at the Pokémon. Dexter chimed, "This is a Mr. Mime. It is a Psychic type Pokémon." Ash shrugged, "Well, why not? Pikachu, Thundershock." Pikachu responded by throwing a bolt of lighting at the Mr. Mime. The electric attack struck the Pokémon and knocked it down. Before the Mr. Mime could get back to its feet, Ash threw a Pokéball at it. The ball opened and pulled the Pokémon inside. The ball fell to the ground and started blinking several times. After a few seconds, the light went dim and a sound like a vacuum being shut off was heard. Picking the ball up, Ash said, "All right, I've got Mr. Mime." "Pi-Pikachu." Throwing the ball back and forth between his hands, Ash murmured, "Misty could have had it worse, she could have been turned into a known type of Pokémon. Oh well, I think that I had better get that last badge soon. I do want to compete in this year's tournament." Ash started running, with Pikachu hot on his heels. They soon arrived at Professor Oak's lab. Opening the door, the pair went inside. "Professor, are you here?" "Pika?" "Yes, Ash. I am here. At least I think I am. Let me check." Professor Oak patted his chest and looked in a mirror. He nodded. "Yes, I'm here," Oak said. "What can I do for you?" "It's about Misty. Will she still be able to be a Trainer, now that she is a Pokémon?" Professor Oak ran his hand through his hair and replied, "I've made quite a few calls to certain officials. I know you and Misty wanted to keep this secret, but in this case it is probably best if it is known about. An accidental leak and Misty would wind up at some lab and you would be in jail." "I didn't think of that," Ash admitted. "So? What did they say?" Taking a deep breath, Oak said, "Misty can remain a Trainer. There are some rules however. First: When she is acting as your Pokémon, she cannot have any of hers nearby. Second: She can't use her powers when she is acting as a Trainer. And finally, at official tournaments and gym matches, she has to have some sort of visible identification for when she is acting as a Pokémon. "Visual identification?" Ash asked. "That will be up to Misty." Shrugging, Ash brought forth his new Pokémon and had the professor examine it. "Ah! A Mr. Mime. I haven't seen one of these in a while," Oak said, as he brought out a beaker and gave it to the Pokémon to drink. While healing up the Mr. Mime, the door to the lab opened once more. Seeing Bill plus Misty and her sisters, Oak relayed the information he gave Ash. Bill took a strand of hair form each of the girls and went over to some equipment. At the end of his explanation, Misty looked confused. "What do they mean by 'visual identification'?" Misty asked. Bill replied, "There has to be an easy way to tell when you are acting as Ash's Pokémon or not." Smirking a bit, Daisy said, "Leave that to us. Come on, Misty. We're going to get you some visual identification. Ash, please wait here." Ash held up his hands in confusion as he nodded. The Sensational Sisters led their younger sister off to another room. Figuring that they would be busy a while, Ash started a conversation. "Professor, can you tell me what the specialty of the Viridian Gym is? I need that last badge to compete in the tournament." The Pokémon professor shrugged as he responded, "It changes from year to year. I think three years ago, it was Bug type. Beedrils, Butterfree, and Parasect. One year ago, it was Fighting type. I'm not sure about this year." "Thanks anyway," Ash said, looking a bit dejected. "Don't let it get you down," Bill stated, "Your primary team covers most of the bases. You'll do fine." "Thanks, Bill. Have the two of you figured a way to turn Misty back yet?" Bill looked down at the machine he was next to and shook his head. "No. We're comparing Misty's DNA to her sister's to try and figure out what was changed. It will take some time just to get the preliminary analysis done." The three men talked about various types of pokémon for a while. Suddenly, shouting interrupted them. "You have got to be kidding! I can't wear this!" "Yes you can, Misty. We just like based it off of what you told us. Now go in there and show your Trainer what your visual I.D. is," Daisy's voice retorted. After a bit of grumbling, Misty opened the door and walked in. She was wearing one of her red bikinis, but there were some alterations. Sewn to the bottom of the swimsuit were transparent, orange, silk pant legs. To the top of the bikini was sewn silk sleeves, also transparent and orange. She was also wearing red slippers and had her hair down. Ash's face looked like a beached Magikarp as he saw his human Pokémon walk in. Behind the Pokégenie came her three sisters, smiling. "Er. What?" was all Ash was able to say. Still smirking, Violet said, "She looks totally cute this way doesn't she? You like see. Since she told us she was a genie, I like figured that she should have an outfit that would like go with her current condition. We used one of her bathing suits to make this totally rad genie outfit for her." Ash glanced at Misty and then looked away. He wasn't exactly sure what to say or do in a situation like this. "Why that's a terrific idea," Professor Oak said. "It makes perfect sense and is easily recognizable. Bill change the picture of Misty to one where she is wearing this outfit." "I understand, Professor," Bill replied. Misty shook her head and mumbled, "Scientists." Turning to her Trainer, Misty asked, "So when are you going after the last badge?" "I guess I'll start out tomorrow. We'll pick up Brock in the morning and start off." Hearing the conversation, Oak spoke up, "By the way Ash, I think you might be needing this for the tournaments." Oak handed Ash the prototype Pokéball and continued. "If you're in a tournament, put Misty in this Pokéball during it. That way you don't have to rub the ball to activate it." Holding the ball, Ash asked, "You wouldn't mind, would you Misty?" "As long as it's only for tournaments. I have a lot of work put in my Pokéball. Now if you don't mind, I would like to change back into my regular clothes." Holding up Misty's Pokéball, Ash said, "Misty, return." After sucking the genie back into her ball, Ash headed home. He didn't notice the shudders that the Sensational Sisters had when they saw their sister being pulled into a Pokéball. Watching Ash leave, Lily commented, "You know we never did ask what it was like to be in a Pokéball." The three sisters looked at each other and shrugged. They also left and found a place to stay at a newly constructed Pokécenter. The three girls were waited on hand and foot by a teenaged boy who had spiky brown hair and never opened his eyes. -------------------------------- In the morning, Ash headed out to the new Pokécenter to pick up Brock, with Pikachu riding on his shoulder. There was something bothering him all the way there, and he hoped that he could get an answer to that. He entered the center and saw Daisy sitting at a table and drinking a hot cup of green tea. "Er, Pardon me, Daisy," Ash began hesitantly, "But, there is something bothering me." Daisy set her cup down and said, "I know what you are going to ask. You are going to like ask why we didn't try and get our little sister back." "Er. Yeah." Sighing, Daisy continued, "Misty still wants to travel and see the world, but the three of us are tied to the gym in Cerulean. We really can't leave for extended periods of time. From what we managed to get from your like totally blushing friend is that Brock could, because his father showed back up. Besides, Misty is Ghost/Fire. She wouldn't fit in with the theme of our gym." "I don't understand." Daisy patted Ash on the head and replied, "Actually you do. Trainers are going to come and challenge whoever Misty's Trainer is to a Pokémon duel. A Water gym is the worst place for a Fire Pokémon to be. Considering how well you take care of your Pikachu, Misty couldn't be in better hands." Ash looked down, twiddled his fingers, and mumbled something. Daisy picked up her tea and started sipping. The cup covered her smile. "Right," Ash finally said. "Do you know where Brock is? I want to get an early start to Viridian City." Daisy pointed to a booth. Curled up on one of the benches was Brock sleeping. Ash walked over to his friend and shook him. "Come on, Brock. It's time to wake up." "Can't it wait for later, Timmy," came Brock's mumbled reply. "I'm not your younger brother," Ash muttered and then turned back to Daisy. "When Brock wakes up, please tell him I'm on my way to Viridian." Brock sat up quickly, "I'm awake. Let's go." Ash watched as Brock threw a bunch of food and some firewood into his backpack. The former Gym leader picked up his pack and headed for the door. "Are you going to stand around all day, Ash?" Brock asked while standing in the doorframe. "I thought you wanted to get an early start." Daisy and Ash looked at each other and sweatdropped. After a second, Ash followed Brock out and waved good-bye. "See you later. I'll do my best," Ash said. "Pikachu!" the electric mouse affirmed. ----------------- Before leaving Pallet town, Ash called Misty from her Pokéball. Once she was outside, the four walked down the trail leading to Viridian city. The sky above them was a dark blue, with low hanging clouds shaped like boulders. The sky's appearance coupled with the lack of sounds from the surrounding woods, put an eerie feeling into the group. Looking at the sky, Ash commented, "I've never seen the sky like that before. It looks like you could just jump up and touch the clouds." Shivering slightly, Misty commented, "Forget about the clouds, I just want out of here. Something's going to happen. I can feel it." Before anyone could make any further comments, a dark cloud arose from the tree line. The calls they heard, told them they were in trouble. "Spearow! Spearow!" "FEAROW!!" A massive group of Spearows led by a trio of Fearow filled the air. The wings of the birds blocked the sun. The flying Pokémon started to dive-bomb Ash and company. Pikachu let loose with his most powerful attack: Thunder. The electric attack blasted a good portion of the Spearow to the ground, allowing sunlight to shine through momentarily. The Spearow quickly filled the hole back in, once more preventing the sun from shining through. One of the Fearow cawed and came directly after Ash. Ash quickly went prone and heard the Fearow's claws snatched at empty air. "I wonder if this Fearow is the Spearow that I hit with a rock," Ash muttered. Ash rolled to one side as the Fearow tried to land on him. He looked around and saw that his friends were also engaged in combat with the bird Pokémon. Misty resorted to her new nature and started throwing fire at the attacking Pokémon. Brock had called Geodude and Onix to fight. Ash saw that Pikachu was getting tired from blasting away with the electricity. *I have to do something,* Ash thought as he pulled out a Pokéball. "Pidgeot, I choose you," he said as he threw the ball straight up. The ball opened, releasing Pidgeot. Instead of attacking the Spearorw and Fearow, Pidgeot cawed several times. The cloud of birds looked up and saw the third stage Pokémon and started upwards to attack it. Before they could do so, another cloud of birds arose from the forest. This cloud was composed of Pidgey and Pidgeotto. The two groups of birds began an aerial duel with each other. The humans and Pokémon on the ground made sure that none of their attacks would hit any of the Pidgey or Pidgeotto that were rescuing them. Ash pulled out Dexter and pointed it at the cloud of birds. "Spearow and Pidgey along with their evolved states are natural enemies. They will usually fight over the same territory. An area that only has Spearow in the area, is very hazardous to humans, since Spearow will attack in groups." "Tell me about it," Ash muttered as he recalled his first conflict with Spearows. "Ash, this is no time to be playing with Dexter!" Misty yelled. "Help out!" "Er. Right." Ash said as he pulled out another Pokéball and threw it. "Which one was that?" Brock asked. "I-I don’t know," Ash admitted. The ball opened and a white light was projected from it. The light grew and coalesced into a form. Once the light faded, the group saw the massive orange form of one of Ash's Pokémon. "Charizard," the orange Pokémon called. The sudden appearance of a Charizard broke the nerves of both groups of birds and they scattered, leaving only Pidgeot behind. "Um. Good work, Charizard," Ash said nervously and pointed the ball at him. "Ch-charizard return." The red beam of light struck Charizard before he had time to react. The dragon-like Pokémon was quickly sucked back inside its ball. After Charizard had been recalled, Pidgeot landed in front of Ash. "Pidge. Pidgeot. Pidgeot." Pikachu looked at Ash and pointed at Pidgeot. "What is it Pikachu?" Ash asked. Pikachu mimed flying and brought his paws together hard. He pointed at Pidgeot once more and then the forest. "I think I understand. Pidgeot wants to stay here and keep the Spearow in check and protect his tribe. Am I right?" "Pika," Pikachu said while nodding. Ash nodded and turned towards Pidgeot, with unshed tears in his eyes. "We've had a lot of good times together haven't we? But, I do understand what you need to do. Goodbye, Pidgeot. I won't forget you." "Pidgeot," said the giant bird, who was also crying. With a mighty flap of its wings, Pidgeot flew off to rejoin the tribe it had left so long ago. Brock put a hand on Ash's shoulder and said, "It was the right thing to do. Pidgeot won't forget you either." Ash nodded and hurried down the trail, "Let's go. I have another badge to win." Misty shook her head and thought, *He's keeping busy to try to keep from crying over the loss of one of his friends. If I am going to be a Pokémon, I 'm glad I have a considerate Trainer.* The group started running after Ash, all of them wishing the best for Pidgeot. ------------ On the outskirts of Viridian city, Ash and his friends stopped. They looked on the city. Ash, Pikachu, and Misty noticed that they had put up a new Pokécenter. "Well are you ready to try for the last badge, Ash?" Brock asked. "I am, but Misty isn't." Misty was confused, "Huh? What do you mean by that?" "Remember what Professor Oak told us about what you have to do, before going into a gym?" Misty glared at Ash and nodded. Ash pulled out Misty's Pokéball and sucked her back inside. Brock was scratching his head in perplexion. "Did I miss something here?" Ash replied, "Just that Misty has to have some sort of visual identification if she's going to act as a Pokémon. She has to wear a special costume that her sisters made for her." "Oh, is that what they were talking about?" Ash shrugged and replied, "I guess. I wasn't there." Brock nodded and changed the subject, "Ash, Gary has probably already beaten you to the gym. Please remember that you walk, Gary has someone driving him around." "Why did you say that?" "Because we're all getting a little tired of you complaining that you can never get ahead of Gary. It is getting a bit annoying. Besides, your Pokémon are probably stronger because we trudge through the wilds and not have someone chauffeur us around." Ash looked down at his Pokéballs and hoped that Brock was right. Looking up he walked into Viridian city in search of the gym there. About a half hour later, they stood before the gym. Sitting on the front steps was a very miserable looking Gary. Looking up, Gary said, "So the loser is going to try his luck at getting an Earth badge. Don't bother. They have an unbeatable Pokémon in here and you'll never get the badge. Even with your genie, you don't have a chance. You might as well turn the genie over to me. At least under my direction, there is a chance that it could beat that new Pokémon." Ash frowned, "I'm not going to give up. And, Misty isn't an it. An accident turned her into a Pokémon, and your grandfather is trying to figure a way to change her back." He shook his head and paid no more attention to Gary, as he climbed the steps. Opening the doors, Ash entered the gym. Looking around he saw a group he hope he wouldn't see. "Prepare for trouble." "And, make it double." "To protect the world from devastation." "To unite all peoples within our nation." "To denounce the evils of Truth and Love." "To extend our reach to the stars above." "Jesse." "James." "Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light." "Surrender now or prepare to fight." "Meowth, that's right." Ash groaned and asked, "What are you flakes doing here?" Mewoth replied, "We're the temporary Gym leaders here. And, we'll prevent you from getting an Earth badge. As well as getting your Pikachu and the girl away from you." Ash sighed, "Well since you are stating that you intend to kidnap Misty, Misty I choose you." Ash rubbed the Pokéball and Misty formed from the orange smoke being emitted. Instead of her regular clothes, she was wearing the genie outfit that her sisters had cooked up for her. Seeing who she was facing, Misty groaned in frustration. "Would you please stop bothering to steal me? I have no intention of going with you." "What you want doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're a rare Pokémon and that you will be coming with us," Jesse retorted. Misty looked back at her Trainer and nodded. Turning back to Team Rocket, she said, "If you want a Pokémon battle, I'll give you a battle that you won't forget." Misty prepared herself to enter into her first official Pokémon fight as a Pokémon, and hoped that she was up to the challenge. --------------------------------------------- Chapter 06 Misty stood in a ready stance and prepared her Ember attack. Deciding to let Misty handle the fighting, Pikachu snuck off and hunted for any dirty tricks that Team Rocket was going to pull. Jesse decided to try for an easy victory and sent out her Lickitung first. "Lickitung, Wrap attack." "Misty, Ember." Due to experience and skill, the Lickitung went first and wrapped its tongue around Misty and tried squeezing her. Misty shook a bit in disgust at having Pokémon saliva on her, but ignored it as she tossed a small ball of fire right into her opponent's mouth. Jesse's Pokémon reared back, pulling its tongue through Misty. Phasing through the tongue, Misty launched another fireball at Lickitung. "Lickitung, Disable now!" The pink and yellow creature's eyes glowed blue for a second and Misty felt part of her mind shut down. She tried summoning her fire and found that she could not. Checking Dexter, Ash saw that Misty's Ember power was out for a bit. Hoping that she could still fight without Ember, Ash yelled, "Misty, start hitting that thing with your fists." The orange-haired girl, nodded her understanding and launched a punch straight at Lickitung's eye. She smiled a bit as her opponent stepped back a couple of steps. Watching from the sidelines, Meowth pulled a small box out. "Let's see how you like being shocked," Meowth stated, as he pushed a button on the box. Meowth's skeleton showed through his body for a few seconds as electricity coursed through him from wires that were attached to his feet. Pikachu was standing nearby humming 'It's a Small World', trying his best not to laugh. "Way to go, Misty!" Ash exclaimed as Lickitung fell over, unconscious. Throwing a Pokéball, a furious Jesse stated, "So, you think you're good, Don't you? Well try this. Arbok, Acid!" The purple snake, raised its head up and spat out a glob of black liquid. The liquid hit Misty, who screamed a bit from the pain. Instinctively, she protected her clothes from degrading under the assault. The human Pokémon jumped back and hoped that her fire ability would unfreeze soon. Ash bit his lower lip as he wracked his brain on what to do. "Misty, try seeing if you have a Nightshade attack," Ash called. Misty shook her head at Ash's order, *I should have had Ash figure out what all my attacks were before entering into a battle.* Calming herself, She tried projecting fear at Arbok. Waves of dark purple and black energy spiraled from Misty and hit the snake squarely. The poison Pokémon was knocked around a bit by the assault. Misty felt like someone threw a switch inside her head. "Misty is no longer disabled," Dexter chimed in. "All right," Ash muttered. "Misty, Ember attack." Even before Ash had given his command, Misty had gathered fire into her right hand. Arbok tried launching another Acid shot at the genie, but it hit the wall instead. Drawing her arm back, the Pokégenie threw the fireball like a baseball. The fire hit Arbok and streamed over its body and onto the walls. The snake writhed a bit on the ground and passed out from the intense heat. "You brat. How dare you do that to my Pokémon," Jesse ranted, as she recalled her Pokémon. Holding a rose and throwing a ball, James said, "Now let's see how you do against me. Wheezing, Poison Gas." Ash called, "Misty, Night Shade." Once more, the human Pokémon imagined the feelings of terror washing over her opponent. The gas bag Pokémon backed up a bit from the ferocity of the assault. Wheezing fired off a cloud of toxic gas that engulfed Misty. The genie coughed a bit, as she raced out of the cloud. She was able to hack up all of the poison before it seeped into her system. Not waiting for her Trainer to give her a command, Misty launched another Night Shade. Wheezing wobbled a bit as it was almost knocked out of the sky. Jesse had secretly snuck away and headed for a room underneath the Gym arena. Secretly following her, Pikachu also went under the arena. "That brat made a fool of me and my Pokémon. I'll make sure she and her Trainer never see this badge," Jesse said, while putting a small green pin on a table. Waiting until Jesse was occupied somewhere else, Pikachu rushed forward and, using his mouth, snatched the badge from off the table. He rushed over to a dark, secluded alcove and dropped the pin there. *If Misty wins, I'll bring the badge to Ash. Otherwise, I'll just leave it here. Now, I'd better go see what Jesse is up to.* The yellow mouse silently padded his way back to where the female Team Rocket was working on a small bomb. "Let's see how the water brat likes an explosion. There that should do it." Jesse said. Pikachu shook his head and waited for a moment, when he could defuse the bomb. ----------------------------- "Wheezing, Tackle her," James called. Rolling her eyes at the stupidity of the command, Misty let the Wheezing pass through her and launched another Night Shade. This time, the Wheezing fell from the air unconscious. "I'm impressed, girl. But, let's see how you do against this. Victreebel, Razor Leaf." Not bothering to respond to James, Misty launched the most powerful Ember attack she could. The fireball hit and knocked the plant Pokémon out in one shot. The spillover from the fire streamed into the ground and burnt its way to where Jesse was at. Brock and Ash dived for cover at the first sound of the explosion. Somehow Jesse, James, Meowth, and the other Rocket Pokémon were launched into the air. "It looks like Team Rocket is blasting off again," came the massed voices of James and Jesse. Brock and Ash crawled from their refuges and looked around what was left of the Viridian Gym. Sitting on a burnt table, Misty was completely unhurt by the bomb. The roof and upper stories of the gym had been blasted completely away. What was left off the walls looked like broken teeth thrust into the dirt. Ash sat down on the ground and brought his knees up to his chest. Looking up towards the sky, Ash said, "Now, I'll never get the last badge." "Mmmika," Pikachu said, while holding a green pin in his mouth. Ash looked up, "Huh? Pikachu? What's that you have?" Taking the pin from Pikachu's mouth, Ash realized he was holding an Earth badge. He looked at both Brock and Misty, unsure of what to do. Brock said, "Keep the badge, Ash. Misty was able to beat Team Rocket as one of your Pokémon." Misty put her hands on her hips and stated, "You'd better keep it, I don't want my effort to have been wasted." Ash jumped to his feet and picked Misty up and spun her around, "Yahoo! Way to go Misty! We've got the Earthbadge!" Misty was torn between feeling pride that her Trainer was complimenting her and her desire to be human once more. ----------------- Leaving Viridian City behind, Ash and company headed back to Pallet Town. Misty had taken time to get changed out of her genie clothes and back into her normal attire. "Well, Misty. How did you enjoy your first battle as a Pokémon?" Ash asked. The human Pokémon thought for a minute before replying, "It was...different. After the fight, I felt strange." Brock and Ash looked at Misty and asked in unison, "Strange? How?" "It felt like intense warmth and a tingling sensation spreading throughout my body." Brock said, "That probably means you are getting more powerful." "I guess so," Misty responded, somewhat reluctantly. Trying to change the subject, Misty asked, "Since the tournament isn't for another two weeks, what are we going to do in the meantime?" Ash looked up and said, "Well there is a circus in town. We can go to that tomorrow." "Right. Sounds like fun," Misty replied. "Now if you don't mind, I want to take care of my Pokémon." Ash held up a Pokéball and a red beam of light was emitted. The light struck Misty, who felt her body tingle all over. Soon, she was pulled inside the ball. Ash put the Pokéball in his breast pocket and continued walking, with Pikachu and Brock following. Inside the ball, Misty was looking after her Pokémon. She knelt down and picked up a walking egg. "Hi, Togepi. Sorry I was gone so long, but I had to take care of something," Misty said. *All the conveniences of home, plus travel at the same time.* The genie walked to her Pokécenter and checked the equipment. After making sure everything was running smoothly, Misty opened a cabinet and looked at some of the stuff in there. She gazed at a certain grouping of items and debated on using them or not. "What do I do? These vitamins were expensive and I wanted to use them on my Pokémon. But, I also want to make sure I don't get stolen by Team Rocket. Maybe I should wait until Ash gets some more for his Pokémon." Misty closed the cabinet and sat down on a chair. Holding her right palm in front of her, she brought forth a small fireball. *When that Lickitung disabled me, I felt like part of me had died. And when the power came back, I was relieved. Will I be able to give up my powers to be human again?* Misty thought as she gazed at the fire. *Oh well. Before the tournament, I'm going to have to have Ash put me in that other ball for a night. I need to know what its going to be like to stay in it for a long time.* Misty got up and headed to her bedroom, near the top of the ball. She lay down and let Ash's heartbeat lull her to sleep. ----------------------------------- At dawn, Ash called Misty from her Pokéball. Nibbling on a tomato, Pikachu was sitting on his shoulder with not a care in the world. Misty woke up, feeling the cold tile floor of the kitchen beneath her. "Are you ready to go to the circus?" Ash asked. Laying on the ground, Misty propped her head up with on arm and looked at Ash. "Ash, the circus hasn't even set up yet," Misty said and pointed at a piece of paper affixed to the refrigerator, "According to that flyer, they won't open until noon." "I know. I just want to see them set up. Come on. It'll be fun." "I've got a better idea, Ash. Why don't you allow me to have breakfast first? I haven't eaten for a while," Misty replied. *It's odd not feeling hunger or thirst for a few days. An advantage of being inside the ball, I guess.* "Err. Okay. I forgot," Ash replied. Misty shook her head as she got up and opened the refrigerator. She pulled out an egg carton and liter of milk, and quickly fixed herself some scrambled eggs for breakfast. The genie took a couple of bites and looked down at the eggs, with an odd look on her face. "Is there something wrong, Misty?" Ash asked. Misty replied, "I'm not sure. These eggs taste funny." Ash grabbed a fork and took a hesitant bite of the eggs. Looking back at Misty, he shrugged. "They seem all right to me." Misty reluctantly finished the eggs. A couple of times it looked like she was going to loose it, but she managed to fight the gag back. Ash watched her in concern, as she ate. After finishing, Misty said, "I think I'd better go see Professor Oak first." "Why?" "Just a hunch." Curious, Ash followed Misty to the lab. She quickly found Professor Oak and Bill going over some equations. Looking up, Oak said, "Ah. Misty, it's nice to see you. It's still going to be a while before we even figure out how you were changed." Shaking her head, Misty countered, "That's not what I'm here for. I'm here for a different reason." "What's that?" Bill asked. Taking a deep breath, Misty said, "I was wondering if my transformation would have any other side effects. When I was eating this morning, the eggs I fixed tasted funny." The two men went over their notes, while Misty waited. After a few minutes, Oak turned back to her. "Yes, there is an effect on how you taste things. You might want to have Brock teach you how to make some Pokémon food." "That horrid stuff?" Ash interjected. Professor Oak said, "Misty should be able to enjoy it. Her body has been altered. Wait a second, I have some food I feed Charmanders around here somewhere." Oak scrounged through some shelves and cabinets. He soon found a can of food, acting as a paperweight, on his desk. Taking it to a can opener, he opened the can and handed it to Misty. The Pokégenie stabbed at the Pokéchow with a look of disgust. "You can't be serious? Eat this?" Misty demanded. Looking a bit sad, Bill replied, "Just try it. You're going to have to retry all the foods that you've had in the past, just to find out what you can stomach." Wrinkling her nose a bit, Misty took a few bites of the food. Her look of disgust became relief when she tasted it. Ash's stomach turned as he watched Misty finish the slimy looking mess. "What was that?" the genie asked. Bill took the can and said, "It is supposed to be Jalépeno stuffed sausages basted with concentrated tobasco sauce." Ash covered his mouth as he ran from the room. The human Pokémon looked at the two men curiously. Bill answered the asked question, "Misty you're a Fire Pokémon. You have to base your diet on what Fire Pokémon eat." "This can't be happening," Misty mumbled, while looking down at her hands. Oak gently took the young girls hands and gently said, "We're doing all we can. Keep your hopes up." Misty nodded and replied, "Thank you. Now, I'd better go find Ash and Brock. We're going to the circus." "Have fun," Bill said. Misty walked out of the labs, trying to keep up her hopes that she would be human again. ------------------------------------------- Watching as the circus was being set up, Ash and company noticed all of the circus Pokémon. Brock said, "Hey look, Ash. They have a Mr. Mime as well." "I wonder if I should bring mine, so it can be taught by an experienced one." Misty commented, "It can't hurt your training style any. You need lots of work." Ash grumbled a bit and pulled out his Pokédex. Pushing a few buttons, Ash called a Pokéball from storage at Professor Oak's lab. Misty asked, "Ash, what are the Pokémon you are carrying? None of your Pokéballs vanished." "You, Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charizard, Mr. Mime," Ash replied. "I've been thinking about putting Lapras in the empty slot. But for now, Mr. Mime will do." Misty shook her head and wondered why Ash kept Charizard with him. She put that thought out of her mind as she saw the circus was setting up a Pokémon sideshow that would have rare Pokémon from around the world. She looked forward to seeing if they had any Tentacruel or Dewgong in the exhibit. She looked at Ash, who was reading a flyer posted to a tree. Noticing that Ash was a bit depressed, the human Pokémon walked over. "What's the problem, Ash?" Pointing to the sign, Ash said, "This. The circus is going to be holding some Pokémon contests. I only have one legitimate Pokémon that I can enter, and that's Pikachu for the shock contest." "What are the other contests?" Brock asked, as he came over. Misty recited the events, "Rattata races, Sandshrew digging contest, Cocoon hardening event, Magikarp bell ringing, Pikachu/Voltorb shock machine, Nidoran maze." Brock stroked his chin and said, "I see. Just the standard stuff for common Pokémon. Misty probably has a Magikarp at her storage area. But for the rest, we'd have to go hunting for some Pokémon." "No. I'll catch what Pokémon I want. I'll enter Pikachu into the shock contest, but I'll pass on the others." Brock gave Ash a slap on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry about it. I'm quite sure there will be other Pokémon related events going on." "I hope you're right," Ash said. Ash looked back at the circus where they saw a young woman arguing with a Mr. Mime. "I wonder what the problem is?" Misty asked Shrugging, her Trainer answered, "I don't know. Let's go find out." Ash, Pikachu, Misty, and Brock made their way to the woman who was still arguing with her Pokémon. "Gee, Ash. And, here I thought you were the only one who couldn't control his Pokémon," Misty said. "Errg. I'll get Charizard to listen to me yet." Brock, blushing, asked, "Um. Miss, is there anything we can do to help?" The Circus Tamer turned and saw the three humans and Pikachu. She sighed heavily as she watched as her Mr. Mime took a nap. "We need Mr. Mime here to have the main show go on, but he won't do so. If I could make it jealous of another Pokémon, maybe it would help out once more." "We'll be glad to help out. Right, Ash? You do have your Mr. Mime with you." The Tamer looked at Ash, "You have a Mr. Mime." "Yes. I caught it near my home. I was going to ask if I could let my Mr. Mime learn from yours, but now...." The Circus Tamer said, "This is perfect. By the way, my name is Thespia. I'll give you a tour, while the others are setting up." ---------------------------------------- Hiding up a tree, Team Rocket watched Ash and his friends had their conversation with Thespia. "We can catch two Mr. Mimes as well as Pikachu and that water brat," Jesse said. "I'll be top cat once more and Persian will be out the door." James added, "We'll show that circus that we can put on our own show." Jesse and James chorused, "Watch out big top, because Team Rocket will be hitting town." -------------------------------------------- Finishing the tour, Thespia ushered the group into the rare Pokémon sideshow. Ash noticed one Pokémon sitting in a small cage. The pink Pokémon just whined pitifully as it barely ate from its bowl. He turned to Thespia in anger. "How could you do that to a Pokémon?" Thespia looked at the cage sadly, "It isn't in the cage for punishment; it's in there because it tried to kill itself a couple of times." Brock and Misty gasped, while Ash asked in confusion, "Kill itself? Why?" Thespia replied, "Because it is depressed. It used to garner a lot of attention. Now that every Pokécenter has a Chansey on duty, this Chansey is ignored. We've tried to cheer it up, but nothing works. We have to make sure that it eats regularly as well." Ash took his hat off and said, "I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions." "Don't be. In every city we go to, we contact the Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy about the condition of this Pokémon. And in every case, they are just as stumped as we are in what to do about it." Ash walked up to the cage and patted the Chansey on the head and tried to cheer it up. Getting no response, he spoke to Thespia. "Could we talk on how we're to proceed to make your Mr. Mime jealous. This is getting depressing." "Sure. By the way I didn't catch your names." Brock hurriedly introduced everybody, "My name is Brock, that's Ash Ketchum, she's Misty, and of course Pikachu." Thespia stared a Misty for a second, pulled out a Pokédex, and pointed it at the red-head. Thespia's Pokédex chimed, "This is Misty a human Pokémon. An accident changed her into a Ghost/Fire Pokémon." "I thought you looked familiar," Thespia said. Misty rolled her eyes and asked in exasperation, "How fast did the information about my changing spread?" "I'm not sure. I update my Pokédex every week with the new information that is found, and I go through each entry to see if there are any Pokémon I should try and get for the show. From what I've seen, most Trainers only pull out a Pokédex when they are confronting an unknown Pokémon." The caged Chansey looked up, "Sey?" "It's almost time for the show. Will you help out?" "I guess so," Ash replied. The group left leaving the Chansey looking on with interest. ------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 07 Ash listened as Thespia explained what she wanted done. Looking down at a Pokéball, Ash wondered if this plan was sound. He was about to release the Pokémon inside when a shout caugt his attention. "Ash, is that you?" Turning, Ash saw his mother coming towards him. He waved at her and waited until she was in talking distance. "Hi, mom. My friends and I are helping out at the circus. We're going to try and make their Mr. Mime jealous, so he will be willing to perform again." "Pikachu," the yellow mouse agreed and then looked sadly towards a tent. Mrs. Ketchum frowned a bit and asked, "What Pokémon are you going to use? Not Misty?" "No. Definetly not her," Ash replied, shaking his head. "I think it's better just to show you. Mr. Mime, I choose you." Ash threw the Pokéball and his puppet Pokémon was released. Putting his hand on Mr. Mime's shoulder, he said, "I caught this Mr. Mime earlier. We are going to use him, and..." Ash's words were cut off by an explosion. Mother and son turned towards the sound, wondering what was going on. "Pikachu, let's go," the Trainer said. "Mr. Mime, stay here and protect my mom." "Mr. Mime," the puppet said, while saluting. Before leaving, Ash gave his mom Mr. Mime's Pokéball. Thrwoing caution to the wind, Pikachu and Ash rushed away. Mrs. Ketchum, gripping the Pokéball tightly, looked on. "Be careful, son," she whispered and turned towards the Pokémon. "Thank you for staying here, Mr. Mime. I really appreciate it." "Mr. Mime. Mr. Mime." "It gets so lonely with Ash gone all the time," Mrs. Ketchum mumbled. "Mr. Mime?" the human shaped Pokémon asked. "Sorry, Mr. Mime. You don't need to hear my troubles." Mr. Mime looked on a bit and resolved to protect her as best as he could. ------------------------------------------- Rushing along, Ash saw that the source of the explosion was a blue tank with big red R's painted on it. "Oh, great. It's Team Rocket," Ash muttered. "I wonder what they're up to now." The tank turret turned and pointed its gun in Ash's general direction. Over the tank's loudspeakers came familiar voices. "Well, well. If it isn't Mr. Hotshot Pokémon Trainer," Jesse said. "Hand over your Pokémon, and we won't harm you." Ash yelled back, "Forget it." Meowth said, "You're treading on thin ice. Just hand them over and say tank you, we let you off easy." "You guys are shell-shocked, and I'm the one to give you a good shell-aking. Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash replied. *Puns at fifty paces, is it? I can play that game too.* Pikachu rushed forward and let loose a bolt of lightning at the tank. The electricity hit the vehicle solidly and faded, leaving the tank totally unharmed. Jesse said, "Our tank is insulated against electricity." "Meowth. You might say we've steeled ourselves and grounded this plan fully." Ash and Pikachu looked at each other. Seeing the tank rolling towards them, Ash came to a decision. "Pikachu!" "Pika?" "RUN!!" Ash ran back the way he came, while Pikachu watched him for a second, with a sweat drop forming. Hearing the treads getting closer, the yellow mouse quickly followed his Trainer. Team Rocket laughed, as they saw that they had their enemy on the run. ------------------------------- Trying her luck at a ring toss game, Misty heard the explosion and wondered what was going on. Standing nearby, Brock was hitting on the female trapeze artists. Turning, Misty asked, "What was that?" "I don't know," Brock replied, momentarily forgetting about the girls. "I think we'd better go check." Misty just nodded and the two headed in the general direction of the commotion. They quickly came upon Mrs. Ketchum and the Mr. Mime. The two friends looked at each other and hurried their pace up. They knew Ash and what he would do. Worried about her son, Mrs. Ketchum followed the pair. They soon spotted Ash being chased by the Team Rocket Tank. "ASH!" Misty, Brock, Mrs. Ketchum yelled. Misty ran and placed herself between the tank and Ash. She fired off an Ember attack at the tank, causing the place where it hit to glow red for a second. "So the water brat wants to play," Jesse said. "Try some of Pikachu's thunder." The tank gun recoiled as it launched a bolt of lightning at Misty. Misty was thrown into the air by the blast and tumbled to the ground, unconscious. "Misty," Brock and Ash said. "Mr. Mime, my son and friends are in trouble. Can you help?" Mrs. Kecthum asked. "Mr. Mime," the Pokémon said, as it headed for the surplus army vehicle. Mr. Mime used his Lightscreen ability to form a protective wall between the tank and everyone else. The Tank rushed forward and hit the wall. The Lightscreen barrier held under the impact. After a second, the tank backed up and tried to go around the wall. But, it was stopped by another Lightscreen wall. Looking over, Mr. Mime saw another of his kind helping him. The two Mr. Mimes nodded and worked to enclose the tank in a tower composed of Lightscreens. Thespia came up and talked to the second Mr. Mime. "That was great Mr. Mime. You can do incredible things if you just try," she said. Looking a bit sad, she continued, "I'm sorry I was so hard on you, before. Will you perform in the circus again?" "Mr. Mime," the circus Pokémon said, nodding his head. "That's great," Thespia replied, hugging her Pokémon. "Mr. Mime?" Thespia looked up, "What is it Mr. Mime?" Not saying anything, the circus Pokémon pointed to Ash and his friends. They were kneeling around the still form of Misty. The circus tamer rushed over to see if Misty was okay. Ash asked, "Brock, is there anything we can do?" "Pika?" Pikachu said, gently pushy on the genie's shoulder with his paws. "I don't have a potion or a Revive on me," Brock replied, while shaking his head. "I came here to have fun, not get into any Pokémon battles. And, we're to far from a Pokécenter to get her there on time." "How bad is it?" Thespia asked. The looks on their faces was answer enough. "I'm sorry. If there was anything I could do...." "It's not your fault," Ash replied, as he dropped his backpack. When the pack hit the ground, two small metal boxes came tumbling out. Brock jumped a bit at the sound and looked over. He took note of the boxes. *Oh, just Ash's technical machines. Nothing important,* Brock thought. *Wait a second. TM41. That can help us.* Brock hurriedly said, "Thespia, can you get your Chansey over here, fast?" Looking confused, she asked, "What good will that do?" "Just do it. It might be Misty's only chance." While Thespia stood there slightly confused, the circus' Mr. Mime rushed towards the sideshow tent. A tense minute later, Mr. Mime came out carrying Chansey's cage. "That's fine, Mr. Mime," Brock said. "Set the cage down, I need to talk to Chansey." Mr. Mime put the cage down near Brock. The former Gym leader stared straight at Chansey. "Chansey, you're the only one who can help Misty out. Ash has a machine that will teach you how to share your health with injured Pokémon. A Chansey is the only Pokémon that can use that machine. Will you please help?" "Chansey?" the egg Pokémon asked and looked at Misty. Seeing the injured girl lying there, Chansey shuddered at the injuries she saw. She turned back to Brock and nodded. "Thanks, Chansey," Brock said. "Ash, hand TM41 over here. We're going to need to use it to save Misty." Not bothering to ask, Ash just handed the box over to his friend. Taking the machine, Brock activated it, while pointing it at Chansey. The TM dinged as its charge was expended. "Chansey, please use your skill to save her," Thespia pleaded, kneeling beside the cage. The pink Pokémon took the egg out of its pouch and threw it at Misty. The egg broke apart and ten blue-white motes of light circled around the still form of the Pokégenie. The motes grew brighter as the sped up and tightened their orbit. They soon impacted Misty and caused her to glow blue for a second, as they faded away. Once the glow had settled, Misty opened her eyes. "What happened," she weakly asked. Ash said, "Thank you, Chansey." "Chansey." "Pikachu!" Pikachu said, giving Misty a lick on the face. "Misty, are you all right?" Mrs. Ketchum asked. Shaking her head, Misty replied, "I feel so weak. I need to rest." Fumbling out a certain Pokéball, Ash recalled Misty. He looked at his mother, who gave a nod. He turned and addressed his Mr. Mime. "Thanks for protecting my mother and saving me, Mr. Mime. I really appreciate it," Ash said. "Mr. Mime." "Here you go, son. I think this is yours," Mrs. Ketchum said, while handing her son a Pokéball. "Mr. Mime! Mr. Mime!" the puppet Pokémon said, while hugging Ash's mother. Ash looked at Mr. Mime and tried to guess what he was saying. "Mr. Mime, do you want to stay with my mother?" Mr. Mime nodded, while saying his name. "Well, I guess mom would get kind of lonely at home," Ash said, while scratching his head. "Fine, you can stay with her." "Thanks, son. Come on, Mimie," Mrs. Ketchum said. "Mimie?" "That's what I'll be calling him. Cute isn't it?" "Er. Right." "Pika." Ash and Pikachu both developed sweat drops. The drops vanished when Brock put a hand on Ash's shoulder and started talking. "That was very nice of you, Ash. I'm sure your mom appreciates it." "Thanks, Brock," Ash replied. "Let's get Misty home or to a Pokécenter." Pikachu leaped onto Ash's shoulder, and the two started walking. Before they got to far, Thespia's voice stopped them. "Hey, you forgot your Pokémon." Turning around confused, Ash responded, "Huh? Which one? Mr. Mime is now my mom's and I have the rest of mine." Thespia kicked an empty cage behind her, as she hefted up a pink Pokémon. "This one. She got really depressed as you two were leaving. I think she wants to go with you." "Chansey. Chansey." Ash said, "I'm not sure. A Chansey that tried to kill herself...." "Chansey! Chansey-chan-chan-sey-sey-chan." Thespia tried to translate, "She said she isn't going to do that again. I think that she believes it is her responsibility to look after Misty." "Chansey," the egg Pokémon agreed. "Well then, welcome to the group," Ash said, gently tossing a Pokéball at the Chansey. The ball opened up and pulled the Chansey inside. After closing, the red and white sphere bounced back to Ash's waiting hand. "All right, I've caught me a Chansey," he said, striking his familiar pose. "Pi-Pikachu." Brock shook his head and thought, *There he goes again, in getting Pokémon to just follow him around. Oh well, it's fun watching him do it.* A sudden explosion interrupted Brock's musings. Looking back, he saw a gout of fire rush out of the top of the Lightscreen tower and saw three figure go shooting off into the sky. Ash also noticed the trio in the air. Before vanishing in th distance, Team Rocket chorused, "It looks like Team Rocket is blasting off again." "They really left with a flash and a bang that time, didn't they?" Ash asked. Brock didn't bother to respond, as the two friends made their way back to Pallet Town. ----------------------------------------- After dropping Misty's Pokéball at the Pallet Town Pokécenter, Ash and Brock headed back to the circus. It would be a little while before Misty would be better, and Ash wanted to see if his Pikachu could win the Shock Machine game. Once they arrived, they saw that there were three other players lined up, each with a Voltorb. Ash asked, "Ready, Pikachu?" "Pika." Pikachu took his place on one of four diases, with metal plates in the center. The four Pokémon started pumping electricity into the plates. After a few seconds, the machine that was connected to the plates launched three thunderbolts. Each bolt struck a Voltorb, stunning them. "Way to go, Pikachu." Thespia came up and saw that Ash was back. "How's Misty?" she asked. Ash replied, "According to Nurse Joy, she'll be fine in the morning. Brock and I came back so we could test our luck at some of these games." Looking at the machine, she saw that Ash's Pokémon had won. "Well, Ash. What do you want for a prize? A Thunderstone or Tri-rod?" "Those are the prizes?" Ash asked, dissapointed. "I'll take the rod. I don't force my Pokémon to evolve. By the way, what does a Tri- rod do?" Thespia reached up and pulled the rod down, while saying, "Excellent choice. It's a fishing rod with three settings. The first is shallow water fishing. The third setting is deep water fishing. And finally, the second setting is for fishing between those two extremes. It's used to catch Water Pokémon. Most fisherman have to use three different rods to catch Water Pokémon. This just makes it a lot easier." Taking his new rod, Ash commented, "Well at least I have something useful. Maybe Misty can teach me how to use it." After having Pikachu jump into his backpack, Ash headed over to where Brock was trying his luck at a Whack-a-Diglett game. He seemed to be wracking up big points as he hit the rubber Digglets with a rubber mallet. After finishing he took the tickets and redeemed them for a kerosene powered, portable stove. To the amazement of everyone, he shoved the stove into his backpack without distorting the pack at all. "Brock-o, ready to head back?" "Sure, Ash. There is nothing more we can do here." The two friends walked back to Pallet. Before heading home, Ash headed to the Pokécenter to check up on Misty. There he found Nurse Joy trying to hold back an irate Chansey. "Chansey! Chasey-sey!" Seeing Ash, Joy shouted, "Could you call your Chansey back?" Ash, confused, said, "Chansey, stop. What's the problem?" The Chansey waved her arms up and down and said, "Chansey-sey- sey-sey-chan-chan-chansey!" Brock and Ash looked at each other. Brock shrugged and said, "I have no idea." Hearing the comotion, Pikachu popped out of the pack and looked down. The yellow mouse jumped down and started talking to Chansey. The two Pokémon had a discussion as the three humans looked on. "Well, Pikachu?" Ash asked. *How did Chansey get out of the Pokéball?* Pikachu tried pantomime to convey the information. "Chansey wanted to do a rain dance in the back room?" Pikachu face faulted. After recovering, the mouse grabbed one of Ash's Pokéballs and handed it to Nurse Joy. He pointed at the Pokéball and then at Chansey. "I'm sorry Pikachu?" Ash said. "I can't figure out what you're saying." Brock stroked his chin and commented, "Maybe it has something to do with Misty." Pikachu held up a small sign with an orange 'o' on it. Ash said, "So it has something to do with Misty. What could it be?" Nurse Joy said, "I think I know. Your Chansey wants to keep an eye on your friend." "Is that it Chansey?" Ash asked. The pink Pokémon nodded. Ash said, "I know you're worried about Misty, but the Pokécenter can do a good job of healing Misty." "Chansey," Chansey huffed and turned away. "I think your Chansey doesn't trust the Pokécenter's Chanseys, Ash," Brock commented. Ash whispered, "Oh, great. This is just what I need, a Chansey that is jealous of Pokécenters." Ash sighed heavily and looked at Pikachu, Joy, and Brock. The three just shrugged. Brock and Pikachu left, barely containing their laughter. Ignoring them, Ash knelt by his Chansey. Ash explained, "Chansey, you're going to have to let Nurse Joy and her Chansey do the job. There will be times when you're going to need their help as well." "Chansey," the pink creature said, while turning her back. "Oboy. Please, Chansey. Just let Joy do her job." Nurse Joy interuppted, "If your Chansey promises not to get in the way, she can watch as we heal Misty." Ash asked, "How about it Chansey? Is that fair?" Chansey thought about the idea for a few seconds and then nodded as best it could with its egg-shaped body and no neck. Joy said, "Once we've finished healing Misty up, I'll contact my sisters about your Chansey. By the way this Chansey seems familiar." Ash said, "Thanks, Joy. Well this Chansey used to belong to the circus that is in town now." "Oh, it's that Chansey. Quite a turn-a-round," Joy said. "I'll definitely contact my family about this and get them to agree, which I'm sure they will." "Thanks, Nurse Joy. See you in the morning, Chansey," Ash said as he left the center. After leaving the canter, Ash spotted Brock and Pikachu rolling on the ground laughing. "It isn't funny, guys!" Ash said. "Oh, forget it. I'm going home." Pikachu stifled his laughter long enough to jump to Ash's shoulder and ride home. Brock managed to get himself back under control and re-enter the Pokécenter. All of them wondered what Misty would say about that Chansey. ------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 08 Misty awoke to a tingling sensation passing through her body. Looking up, she saw that she was inside her Pokéball. She noticed that her body was pulsing with a yellow light. Soon the light died away and Misty felt totally refreshed. *So, Ash must have taken me to a Pokécenter to have me healed fully. I guess I'll be stuck in here while waiting to be called out,* Misty thought. *Oh well, I'd better get back to working on my interior Pokécenter.* "Togepi-gepi-pigepi," came from Misty's egg Pokémon. "Hi, Togepi. Did you miss me?" Misty asked. "Togepi." "Well, don't worry about it. I'm going to be stuck here for a bit." Misty went to the widest level of her Pokéball, and went into a building that she had constructed there with her link to the ball. She soon finished up and then decorated the building with seashells and wave pattern. Togepi waddled around the building and made an inquiring noise. Misty, trying to guess what Togepi said, replied, "I know it makes no sense to have a building in here, but, to me, it acts as a way to keep track of where things are at." The egg made a few more noises and headed back to Misty. The genie picked it up and carried it back to her room, near the top of the Pokéball. She hesitated for a second and looked off into the distance. Shaking her head, Misty finished her climb and entered her bedroom. *I wonder what that feeling was. I felt cold. Maybe nothing.* ------------------------------- At the Ketchum home, Ash woke up early to see how his two Pokémon were doing at the center. Pikachu raised his head up, to see Ash leaving. He yawned and then used Agility to catch up to Ash. Soon, the pair made it to the Pokécenter. Going in, Ash asked, "Nurse Joy, how are Misty and Chansey doing?" Joy yawned a bit, "This is a bit early, Ash. But, your Pokémon are fine. We finally managed to convince your Chansey that we do know what we are doing. We put Misty's Pokéball into the recharger and she should be fine now." "Recharger?" Joy patted a meter tall cabinet with six circular depressions on the top of it. In the depressions were wires that had small suction cups on the end. A ball was setting in one of the depressions, with a suction cup attached to the central button. "This thing. It's how we refresh non-critically injured Pokémon. Your Chansey stabalized Misty, and all she needed was recharged." Joy picked up the Pokéball and handed it to Ash. "Here's Misty and I'll go get Chansey." The Pallet Town nurse walked into a side room, behind the cabinet. She soon returned with a Chansey that had black U's under its eyes. Holding up a Pokéball, Ash said, "Chansey, I think you'd better get some sleep when we get home. Chansey, return." A red beam of light washed over Chansey and pulled her inside the Pokéball. Returning the ball to his belt, Ash headed for the door. Before leaving, Ash said, "When Brock wakes up, tell him that I got Misty and Chansey and headed home." "Sure thing, Ash. I'll tell him" Ash shrugged and left for home. Upon arriving, he called Misty out. Forming from the orange smoke, the genie looked at Ash, holding Togepi. "It's about time, Ash," Misty said, "It's kind of boring in there. By the way, what time is it?" Ash looked at a clock in the kitchen and replied, "It is 6:10 A.M.." Looking a bit confused, "Er. What? How could it be six in the morning?" "You were injured by Team Rocket, yesterday," Ash said. Sighing heavily, Ash related everything that had happened dealing with Team Rocket. Misty was a bit unnerved at how close to death she had came. Once she heard about the circus Chansey joining Ash's Pokémon team and why, she looked a bit nervous. Ash then went onto explain what happened at the Pokécenter last night. *I thought Psyduck was my biggest headache,* Misty thought. *Just because Ash caught me, I have to deal with this bizarreness.* The Pokégenie kept her thoughts quiet, just to make sure that Chansey wouldn't hear and try to suicide again. "So, Ash. I take it we'll be leaving for the tournament later?" "Yes. I want to make sure we get there on time. In a couple of hours, we'll go get Brock and leave." Misty nodded as she looked at her Trainer. She once again felt a chill sweep through her. ------------------------------------------------ Two weeks had passed since the Rocket attack on the circus. Ash, Misty, Pikachu, Brock, and Togepi watched as the Moltres leapt from the torch brazier and flew over the stadium. The firey bird hovered in mid-air for a second and stared first at Misty and then at Ash. It flew away, looking like someone had given it a shot of whiskey. Blushing a bit, Misty commented, "I think it's laughing at us." Ash just pulled the rim of his hat over his eyes and turned away. Looking on, the president of the Pokémon League stroked his chin. He walked forward a bit and put his hand on Ash's shoulder. "Don't let it get to you. You're the first people to get the Moltres to laugh in public. It's quite an honor." Ash shook his head and said nothing. The President continued, "Well, anyway. I'm going to need to talk to all of you later. If you win, I'll talk to you after the match. If not, shortly after you are eliminated." Ash looked over his shoulder, in curiosity, and asked, "Why?" "I'd rather not say at the moment." ------------------------------------------ Ash and friends were sitting in the tournament restaurant having a conversation of Ash's first battle. Todd was listening to the conversation as he was going through his photos. Brock commented, "You're lucky that your Krabby evolved into Kingler during the fight." "I knew he could win. I wanted to give him the chance," Ash replied. Shaking her head, Misty said, "You're going to have to come up with a better strategy than that, Ash." Ash looked down at his cola and shrugged. He was busy thinking of what Pokémon to use in the next battle. A voice interrupted his reverie. "So, you're Ash Ketchum," a boy about Ash's age said. Looking up, Ash saw that the boy had a Pikachu on his shoulder and was smiling. The boy continued, "I saw that match you had earlier and I was impressed. By the way, my name's Richie." Richie held out his hand, which Ash took. The two Trainers shook hands, and Ash offered Richie a seat at the table. Brock asked, "Why are you talking to us?" "Well, I've heard a lot about you three, sorry four, and I wanted to meet you," Richie replied. Richie looked around and waved to have the other four huddle over the table. "Ash, there are some people saying bad things about you. One real joker is trying to get you disqualified from the tournament for using a stolen Pokémon. I think Damien is his name." Ash rolled his eyes and muttered, "Oh great. And since Charizard won't obey me, he'll be able to use that against me." Misty looked at her Trainer and then Richie. "There's more, isn't there?" she asked. Richie nodded, "I'm afraid so. It has to deal with some sort of human Pokémon. Something about how Ash used an unauthorized Pokémon to win his final badge." Misty groaned a bit and muttered, "That sounds like Gary Oak." Brock pushed back from the table and stood up. He rubbed his forehead as he thought. Finally, he spoke. "Ash, the president said he wanted to talk to us. I think now would be a good time," Brock stated. Misty, Ash, and Pikachu nodded. As the three were about to leave, Richie piped up. "Do you mind if Leon and I went along?" Ash asked, "Leon?" "My Pikachu," Richie said. Ash shrugged and said, "Sure, you can come along." Soon, the group consisting of two Pikachu, four guys, and a genie were inside the president's office. Richie relayed what he had heard. Sighing, the president pulled out a map. The president said, "Ash, this is part of the reason I wanted to talk to you. After the tournament, you and your friends should drop out of sight for a while." "Huh? I don't understand," Ash replied. Brock answered the question, "I think I do. We're in danger of some sort." The president nodded, "The Earth Gym leader is going to motion to have the licenses of you three revoked, because of the damage to the Viridian Gym." Ash protested, "That was Team Rocket. They planted explosives under the gym. Misty accidentally set them off with an Ember." The president held up his hands in halting motion. "Easy, Ash. I know it's not your fault. I also received from a Nurse Joy a report on Damien's Charmander. This vanishing act is to prevent you from losing your licensee. It should also prevent Team Rocket from going after Misty for a while." Misty asked, "And, just how will that help?" The president got a sly glint in his eye and smiled, as he replied, "Because, I'm going to disguise it as a punishment." "Huh?" came from five throats. "Considering how often and how long you three get lost, I think a two month exile to someplace secluded wouldn't be to much of a bother." "Exile? What does that mean?" Ash asked. Brock said, "It means that we won't be allowed contact with anyone else." Ash pulled his hat off his head and replied, "Well, if you think it's for the best...." The president of the tournament nodded and started tapping places on the map. He stopped on a small island and looked up. "I think this place will do. I've used it as a vacation spot at times. Greystice Island." Brock frowned, "I've never heard of it." "I'd be surprised if you had. It's not a very big island and it's not near any of the main shipping routes." Misty looked at where the island was located and asked, "What's it like?" "Cold. That's the big downside of the island. I'll have warm clothes and lots of firewood sent with you. You'll have to take shelter in one of the caves on the island." Ash stared at the map and recalled when he was trapped in a blizzard. He kept the tears in check for the loss of Charizard's friendship. "I guess this is for the best," Ash said softly. The president replied, "As soon as you have won the tournament or are eliminated, we'll get you three onto a ship out of here." Ash nodded and headed for the door. Before he left, the president spoke up. "Ash, in compensation for this idiocy that you are being forced into, I will be giving you something in return." ----------------------------------- Ash sat dejeted at a table. Misty and Brock tried to cheer him up. "Come on, Ash," Misty said. "You placed fourteenth in the league. That is quite an accomplishment right there." "She's right, Ash. You should be pleased." Ash slammed his fist onto the table. "I should have chosen Pyromon, rather than Charizard." Brock calmly explained, "You don't really know Pyromon that well, and Charizard did give a good showing for a while." "You should listen to them," Richie said, as he walked up to the table. "It was only because of Team Rocket's interference, that you lost. All of your more experienced Pokémon were exhausted. I want a rematch when you get back." "Richie, what are you doing here?" Ash asked. "I got trounced badly by the opponent I faced after you. I wasn't expecting all three Eevee evolutions." Ash clasped Richie's hand and said, "Sure, I'll give you that rematch. I'll see you later. Let's go guys." Ash and company went to the president of the Indigo League and told him they were ready to leave. The President nodded and handed Ash an envelope. "Ash, don't open this envelope until at least a week has passed after you have arrived at Greystice Island. It'll explain everything." "I understand sir." "Well now, let's get you three up and out of here." The president led the group to a dock where an old looking paddle-boat ferry was waiting. Motioning for them to get on board, the president waved good-bye to the group. Soon, the small ship was traversing the open sea. Misty decided to ask Ash a question that had been nagging her for a while. "Ash, when did you get a Lapras?" she asked. "I don't ever remember you catching one." "Oh, that. I found it being attacked by a school of Krabby. It joined me after Pikachu convinced it to come along. It was shortly before I rejoined you back near the Stormflare volcano," Ash replied. Shuddering a bit form Ash mentioning Stormflare, Misty said, "When we get to the island, I want to meet Lapras." "Err. Okay," Ash said, as he pulled out a Pokéball. Ash threw the ball and Bulbasaur came out. Ash explained what was happening and what he was about to do. Closing his eyes to go to sleep, Bulbasaur nodded. Ash called Bulbasaur back and used Dexter to switch Pokéballs. *I hope we arrive soon,* Ash thought, as he looked at the Pokéball. ----------------------------------- As Greystice Island came into view, the gang looked at it with misgivings. It lived up to its name. The cliff-face was composed of gray rock, making it very dreary looking. "This is just a barren rock," Misty complained. "I can't believe that you would agree to come here, Ash." "Easy, Misty. Ash did what he thought was right. We just have to deal with it." Ash turned towards the owner of the ferry. "Captain, how long will it take us to get there?" "About two hours. I don't want to tear the bottom of my ship out on some reefs." "Oh, heck with this. I want to get this over with as fast as possible," Ash said, throwing a Pokéball. "Lapras, I choose you." Ash's blue dinosaur Pokémon emerged from the ball, materializing in the water next to the ship. Lapras put his head next to Ash, allowing his Trainer to get on the Pokémon's back. Pikachu sat atop Ash's head and hummed. "Come on, Brock. Get on board," Ash called out. Misty put her hands on her hips and yelled, "And, what about me? There's not enough room on Lapras for all of us." "Pi-Toge," Togepi chirped from Misty's pack. Ash held up a ball and a beam of red light shone forth. The beam struck Misty, who was quickly reminded of her Pokémon nature by being pulled inside the ball. "That's how," Ash commented, while shrinking the ball. ------------------------------------------------------------ After landing on the beach, Ash returned Lapras to his ball and called Misty forth. Misty appeared before them with her hands on her hips. "Ash, warn me next time you're going to do something like that. I almost landed on Togepi." Pulling the bill of his cap down, Ash replied, "Sorry, Misty. I just wanted to get here as quickly as possible." "Well Mr. Trainer, did you happen to remember that all of our food and firewood are still on the ship?" Misty asked. "Umm. Oops." Ash meekly answered. Ash looked back over the water, where the paddle-boat was slowly approaching. He turned and saw an opening in a cliff face. The cave had a wooden tunnel built into its entrance. He quickly headed towards the shelter, to wait for the ship to arrive with the supplies. Misty, Brock, and Pikachu followed. While waiting, Ash called Lapras out to meet Misty. Pikachu started talking to Lapras, while Misty looked at the Water Pokémon in adoration. Brock and Ash shrugged. "So Ash, what are we going to do for the next couple of months?" Brock asked. Ash clenched his fist and stated, "There has to be Pokémon on this island, and I'm going to catch some." Misty broke off her staring at Lapras and said, "There is that. Plus, we could also train our Pokémon while were here. I have Staryu, Shockate, and Psyduck." "I've got Squirtle, Lapras, Pikachu, Charizard, Chansey, and you Misty. I think I'll use Chansey. She needs practice," Ash replied. Brock said, "Not here. After the ship arrives and drops off our supplies, we'll go hunt for an open field to use. I don't want to damage our only shelter." Misty and Ash put their hands behind their heads and sweat dropped. The ferry arrived and the captain of the ship had his crew unload the boat with the supplies that the gang would need for the next couple of months. Once they had stowed the stuff in the cave, the ship left leaving Ash and his friends behind. --------------------------------- An hour after the ferry had left, Ash and company started searching for a field they could use as a training field. They came upon a large open area in a shallow valley. The three looked at each other and nodded. Misty and Ash called forth Psyduck and Chansey for a practice session. After the two Pokémon had finished, Misty and Brock called Staryu and Zubat for a battle. Ash sat down on a large rock and pulled out a folder with papers in it. He opened the folder and looked at the contents of the file. He sighed wistfully as he examined what was on the sheets. Coming over, Misty asked, "Hey, what have you got there?" Ash closed the file quickly and stuttered, "Nothing. Nothing at all." "Right, Ash," Misty said, and snatched the file from him. Before Ash could protest, she opened the folder and saw that what Ash was looking at was the diagrams of a large building. She turned the pages and realized that she was looking at the plans for a gym. "I guess it's no use protesting now. Those are the plans of a gym that I drew up using a building designer program," Ash said. "I just wish that it could be built, so I could see how good a job I did at designing it." Misty's eyes began to glow orange as she walked away from Ash, holding the file near her. Before giving into the power, Misty said, "Great. This is just great, Ash. I'm going to be stuck building a gym for you, because you didn't watch what you were saying." --------------------------------- Somewhere, purple eyes stared off into the distance and somewhere else, blue eyes opened. -------------------------------------------- Chapter 09 During the week that Misty was using her power to construct the gym because of Ash's wish, she fell into a routine of only breaking when she got hungry or when it was time to go to bed. As the building was forming, she added her own little improvements to the design. In certain open rooms, she added large tanks of water. The walls of the construction themselves were made out of wood and seaweed ashes, that were compressed into a crystalline form. During the week, Ash and Brock stayed close by, to make sure she was all right and to watch as the gym was being built. On the final day of construction, Misty added windmills and dropped a couple of waterwheels in an underground river she had detected earlier and ran power lines from the devices to some huge batteries in the gym's basement. Once she was done, Misty said, "Well, Ash. Are you satisfied with your gym? If not? Tough. That was exhausting." Ash nodded. "Good. Let's get inside. I want to see what my handiwork looks like from the inside." "I guess it couldn't hurt," Ash mumbled. Brock commented, "It'll sure be better than staying in a cave for the rest of our 'exile'." "Pika." The four went inside the gym and looked around. Despite the fact that they knew the gym was empty, they had the feeling they were intruding on someone's home. Misty led them to the basement. Pointing to the score of two meter tall batteries, Misty explained, "These batteries are connected up to the windmills you saw, as well as some waterwheels. They provide power to the gym. So, we'll have heat and light." Ash asked, "Did you add a heater or lights to the place?" "Ash, I did take liberties and added to your wish," Misty replied, while rolling her eyes. "Not only is there heat, electricity, and water, I also added furniture and clothing for the three of us." "Lead me to the kitchen," Brock said. "I'll go get the food and store it there." Misty said, "It would be a lot easier if Ash would do something to get the food here." "Huh?" Ash asked, confused. "Wish it here!" Misty demanded. "You have to direct that power. I can't access it on my own." Ash mumbled something and wished the food to the kitchen. Satisfied, Misty used her ability to grant wishes to store all the food in the appropriate areas of the kitchen. Once that was done, she turned towards Ash. "Well, Ash. What type of Pokémon are you going to use for your gym?" she asked. "I guess my standard crew." Brock shook his head and replied, "No, Ash. It doesn't work like that. If you want this thing sanctioned by the leagues, you have to choose a type." "Leagues?" "Indigo, Orange, and Shock. There might be a few more, I'm not sure," Brock replied. Misty put in, "Look, think of it as practice for when we do get off this rock." Ash pinched his lips with the side of his forefinger and his thumb and thought. After a second he checked his pack and saw that he had over a hundred unused Pokéballs. Ash asked, "Is there a way to get what Pokémon I catch to come here instead of being sent to Professor Oak?" Nodding, Misty answered, "Sure. This is a gym you wished up, and it would be kind of pointless if you couldn't get to all of your Pokémon." Misty then went into a detailed explanation on how to switch where Pokémon would be sent, by using the Pokédex. She led Ash, Brock, and Pikachu up to a room where there were several cabinets. Each cabinet held eight shelves, and each shelf had indentations for forty Pokéballs. Misty put a hand on one of the cabinets. "As soon as I switch to this location, this cabinet is where my Pokémon would come, after I go over six. Right next to it, is where Brock's would go." "And mine?" Ash asked. "This is your gym, your Pokémon would go to the cabinet right in front of the door. That is to make it easier for the gym leaders to get their Pokémon." "Oh. I guess so." Ash said, sighing. "Come on, Ash. It isn't that bad," Brock said. "By the way, a week has passed. You could open that letter now." "Hmm. Oh, that. I guess," Ash replied, as he dug through his pack. After a second, he pulled out a crumpled envelope. He opened the letter up and pulled the sheet out that was in it. Ash started reading what was written and dropped the note to the ground. Brock and Misty noticed that there was a second sheet stapled to the back of the note. "Huh? What does it say?" Misty asked. Ash just stood there. Waving his hand in front of Ash's face, Brock said, "I think he's in shock." Misty picked the letter up and started reading aloud. "Ash, I know that you and your friends are innocent of all the accusations brought against you. I am also aware of Misty's Pokémon status. I will probably say these things to you in our conversation. Something that I won't mention is that I know that you three have been the most effective opponents to Team Rocket, and I have no wish to lose that. The three of you need a base that you can fall back on, if Team Rocket starts getting too annoying. The island is yours. Attached to this letter is the deed of the island. Don't worry about it being a gift, you left before you could pick up the prize money from the P-1 Fighting Tournament and that race. That was more than enough to purchase the island outright. After your so called exile is up, I'm going to have some trustworthy friends of mine build you a base. Be well. President of the Indigo League." Brock said, "Whew. No wonder Ash is in shock. A whole island of his own." Misty stamped on Ash's foot saying, "Snap out of it. You are going to have to get Pokémon for your gym." "Er. Well, I guess I could start hunting tomorrow and see what I can find," Ash said, still numb. "I guess it'll be what I find the most of." Misty rolled here eyes and replied, "Fine. Maybe it'll help you become a better Trainer." Brock asked, "Ash, could I use that fishing rod of yours? I need to add some Water Pokémon to my team." "Sure, Brock," Ash said, as he pulled out the tri-rod. "A tri-rod? Whe did you get that?" Brock replied, "Pikachu won it for him after you were injured at the circus. Nurse Joy said there was nothing we could do, so we went back to kill as much time as possible." Misty glared at Ash. Before she could say anything, Brock said, "Misty, you should try and find some non-Water Pokémon to add to your group. One good Thundeshock and your group is defeated." Misty turned and walked away. She knew that Brock was right, but she didn't know what she could find up here. Misty led the other two to their respective bedrooms, and headed to her own. ------------------------------------------ Early in the morning, Ash and Pikachu set off to find some Pokémon. Before leaving, Ash had called Bulbasaur back from Professor Oak's. He had also switched his holding location to the gym. "Let's go, Pikachu," Ash said, while carrying Pikachu under one arm. "There have to be Pokémon on this island and we're going to catch some." The two friends started hunting for Pokémon. Ash and Pikachu saw a small, fat, blue shape nearby. Ash pulled out his Pokédex and pointed it at the blue critter, while turning the volume on Dexter down. "This is Marril. The mouse Pokémon. It is of the water type," Dexter chimed. Ash threw a Pokéball and said, "Bulbasaur, I choose you." The ball opened and the plant Pokémon emerged. The blue mouse, startled by the appearance of Bulbasaur, unleashed a bubblebeam attack. Being of the plant type, Bulbasaur was not affected to much by the water attack. He countered by vine whipping the blue rodent. "That's enough, Bulbasaur. Now, it's my turn. Pokéball, go!" Ash said while throwing a Pokéball. The red and white sphere struck Maril and pulled the mouse inside. The ball rocked back and forth and came to halt with a whooshing sound. Picking the ball up, Ash declared, "All right. I've got Marril." "Pi-Pikachu," Pikachu said, while holding his paw in a victory sign. The ball shimmered to life and teleported away. Inspired by his success, Ash ran off in search of more Pokémon. Pikachu followed. ----------------------- Misty stood in the Pokéball storage room, when a hum startled her. A ball appeared in Ash's cabinet, right next to the ball that was linked to her. "I wonder what Ash caught. I guess I'd better wait until he gets back. I need to start my own search. I guess I do need something that is good against electric. Maybe a rock Pokémon like Geodude." Misty picked up her pack and put Togepi inside it. "Come on, Togepi. I'm going to show Ash that he's not the only one that can catch Pokémon," Misty stated. "Togepi." Misty left the gym with Togepi and her four inhabited Pokéballs. She also took along a supply of empty balls as well. She looked towards some rocky hills and pulled her winter clothes tighter around her. She nodded as she set off to hunt for some rock Pokémon. ----------------------- Sitting on the shore, Brock pulled out a kerosene heater and can of kerosene from his pack. He lit the heater, put the can back, and pulled out a folding chair. After fiddiling with Ash's rod for a bit, he managed to cast a line into the water, without bait. "Hmmm. This is more difficult than it looks," Brock said, while reeling the line back in. Attached to the line was a Magikarp. "Oh, well. I guess this is better than nothing. Vulpix, tackle." Vulpix went to tackle the Magikarp, but instead it leaped up and slammed Vulpix with its body. Vulpix whimpered slightly, but rallied back and tackled it. The fish flopped around a bit and hit the vulpine Pokémon again. "I'm not losing to a Magikarp," Brock said, as he dropped a Pokéball on it. He grabbed the Pokéball and held it closed, until the light dimmed. The ball jerked around in Brock's hands for a minite before stopping. Holding the ball up, Brock stared at it. "I'll have to ask Misty on how soon this one is ready to evolve. After seeing what a Gyarados can do, I don't mind having one of my own. Good work, Vulpix. Let's see if I can catch something a bit harder." "Pix?" ---------------------------- Ash was feeling a bit annoyed. He went over the last few captures that he had made. "A Sandshrew. A Rattata. A male and female Nidoran. And, a Dugtrio. Isn't there anything besides rodents?" Ash asked. "PIKA!" "Sorry, Pikachu. I didn't mean to offend you. I was hoping for something else." Pikachu cocked his head and leaped from Ash's shoulder. He looked back at Ash and waited for his Trainer to follow. Running, Ash asked, "What is it, Pikachu?" The yellow mouse didn't answer, but kept running. "I really hate it when he does this," Ash muttered. Pikachu stopped and pointed. Ash looked and saw that a baby bird was struggling along. An Ekans was closing in on the baby. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt. Drive that Ekans away." "Pika," Pikachu said as it leaped high into the air. The electric rodent unleashed a bolt of lightning onto the snake Pokémon, fainting it. Ignoring the snake, Ash picked up the bird and headed in the direction it came from. Soon, he arrived at a nest of crystalline eggs. He noted that one of the eggs had shattered. The shattered egg was much, much smaller than the rest. Holding up the bird, Ash said, "So, this is your nest? Don't worry. You're home now." Ash put the fledgling back into the nest and turned to leave, when he was buffeted back by something. Ash looked around and saw red eyes glaring at him, from inside a fogbank that had appeared. The red eyes dipped towards the nest and shoved the baby bird towards Ash. "I'm not taking it. What if its mother becomes worried about it," Ash stated. Another buffet of wind sent Ash stumbing back. He fell onto a snowbacnk and looked up. The red eyed creature had pushed the baby bird even closer. Pikachu shot forwards and dove into Ash's pack. The mouse came out, balancing a Pokéball on his head. The shrouded creature lifted the Pokéball up and held it over the fledgling. It opened up and pulled the baby bird inside. The ball was dropped onto Ash's chest, where he picked it up by reflex. The teleportation circuits activated and sent the ball on its way. Ash looked up, "I didn't want it." Ash was buffted back a bit more by another gust of wind. Pikachu motioned for Ash to leave. The human looked at his friend and wondered what was going on. "Are you sure, Pikachu?" Ash asked. The yellow mouse nodded. Waiting until Ash was out of sight Pikachu turned towards the red eyes. He started talking in Pokémon. "Why?" Pikachu asked. "The child is weak and would die, if he did not get the proper care. Care that can not be given by any wild Pokémon. But, a human can give the proper care. The nest will be moved to prevent others from finding it," the creature said. "I understand," Pikachu said. The red eyes dipped and looked at Pikachu on the same level. "From what I've seen, that child will do well in his hands." Pikachu nodded, "Ash is a tad dense at times, but his heart is good." The red eyes blinked and were gone. As the fog faded, the bird's nest had also vanished. Pikachu sweatdropped, as he raced back to Ash. "Pika?" "That is not how I want to catch my Pokémon, Pikachu. What if that bird's parents come back and find it gone." "Pika," Pikachu said, as he dropped his head in exasperation. Ash shook his head, and stated, "Let's head back. I want to check up on the bird." He ran forward and stepped on a brown creature, stunning it. Turning, Ash saw that he had stepped on a Diglett. Ash's shoulders slumped, as he muttered, "More rodents. Pokéball go." Ash picked up the ball, as soon as it stopped rocking. "I've caught me a Diglett," Ash whispered, as he watched the ball vanish. "Maybe tomorrow I can get something besides rodents. No offense, Pikachu." "Pika?" Ash shrugged and headed back to the gym. Pikachu hesitated and looked back the way they came. Sighing, the yellow mouse caught up to his Trainer, and the pair made their way back to the gym. ---------------------------------------- Ash watched as his two friends stumbled back into the crystal building. "So, did you guys have any luck?" Ash asked. Brock stated, "I caught a Magikarp and a Shellder. Other than that, nothing." "I guess I had some luck, I found a Geodude. I still need to catch a Fire Pokemon to protect from Grass Pokémon. How about you, Ash?" Misty replied. "Nothing but rodents, no offense Pikachu, and an injured baby bird. Maybe tomorrow, I'll have better luck." Misty asked, "An injured bird? Where is it?" Ash led his friends to where the bird was being taken care of. "I'm having Chansey look over the bird, but I don't think it's going to make it. I wish we had Pokécenter equipment here. We need it." Misty put her hands on her hips and said, "Ash, watch what you're saying. Pikachu watch Togepi, while I grant Ash's wish." "Pika." Misty put Togepi on the ground next to Pikachu. She turned and walked to an empty section of the building and blinked into existence the various devices used at a Pokécenter. Once she was done, she glared at Ash and put her Pokéballs into the recharger machine. "There you go, Ash. All the conviences of a Pokécenter. Are you going to be making any other wishes? If you are, please wait until morning. I'm exhausted." "Er. Sorry," Ash replied. "Don't worry about it. I should have put it in when I was first building the place. I'm just tired and don't really feel like wish granting at the moment. At least we can all use this to heal our Pokémon up." Once the device had beeped, Misty removed her Pokéballs from the machine. She showed Brock and Ash how to use the devices to heal their Pokémon. Once she did that, the two guys healed their Pokémon. Ash spent a bit longer, because he had caught more Pokémon than the other two. He took extra special care with the baby bird's Pokéball. He wanted to make sure it would live. "Other than that bird, you never did show us what you caught," Misty stated, while leaning against the door. Ash snorted and replied, "Nothing impressive. A pair of Nidorans, a Diglett, a Dugtrio, a Rattata, a Sandshrew, and a Marril." Brock asked, "Marril? What's that?" "It's a Water Pokémon. Marril is a blue mouse," Misty answered. Brock chuckled and said, "Well, Ash. You might not have an element like Pewter or Cerulean, but you do have a theme for this gym." "Oh? What?" Ash asked, while kicking at the floor. "Rodents. Along with Pyromon and Pikachu, you have quite a few of the rodent Pokémon," Brock explained. "Rodents? You can't be serious, Brock," Misty stated. Brock replied, "Why not? It follows a theme, and provides an early challenge to upcoming Trainers." Misty looked around the room, and said, "Maybe. It's still sounds weird. You know, this building is so big, that you could probably have two, maybe three gyms in here." Staring at his Pokéballs, Ash replied, "I'll think about it. Come on Pikachu. Let's go to bed." Misty and Brock watched him walk away. Misty commented, "He doesn't seem to enthused by the idea." "Give him time. He'll come around once he realizes Pikachu is among the group he could use." Misty looked up at the ceiling, "I really thought he would find Ice Pokémon on this island. An Ice Gym would be great." "Is this because most Ice Pokémon are also Water types as well?" Brock asked. Misty just smiled. -------------------------- In his bedroom, Ash lay down on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. He mentally went over what had recently happened. "Let's see, I'm in exile because of Gary and Damien. Not to mention, Team Rocket. I now own an island. Misty's still a genie and granted my wish to build a gym. What a week. Eh, Pikachu?" "Pika?" Ash sighed and continued, "I try and catch powerful Pokémon for this gym, so that I might be able to get it registered by one of the leagues. And, all I catch are what most people consider minor fighters, except for Dugtrio. A Rodent Gym? I don't know. Well, at least that way, I get to have you in the line-up." Pikachu nodded. "I'll try it. Tomorrow, I'll choose you, Marril, Pyromon, Sandshrew, Diglett, and a Nidoran to see how they stand up against Brock and Misty." "Pikachu?" "Even if this Gym is accepted with rodents as its theme, what would my symbol look like? One large circle with two smaller circles attached to it? A Pikachu wearing red underwear and red cape? I'll come up with something later." Ash removed his cap and set it on his bedpost. Staring at it, he planned his battles in the morning. He shook his head as an idle thought came to him. *I don't know what Gary's so upset about. I refused to use Misty in the games; and when I faced Richie, she was too tired of spending the night awake due to Team Rocket. Speaking of which, I really should give Misty more time battling as a Pokémon. Maybe Brock will take my place and we can see how Misty stacks up against my rodents.* --------------- In the morning, Ash awoke and grabbed his cap. He set out to find Misty and Brock. He found them in the gym's spacious kitchen. The two were eating breakfast. "Here's the Gym Leader. We saved some food for you," Brock said. Ash sat down at the table and looked around. Judging by the size and number of stoves, he figured this place could feed two hundred. The adjoining cafeteria was large enough that a pair of F-14's could be parked inside. Sitting down, Ash commented, "I never thought this place would look so huge." "Your designs, Ash. I just went by them," Misty replied. Before an argument broke out, Brock asked, "Have you thought about my idea any?" Ash nodded, "I'll try it. I do need to get used to them, though." "That's not a problem. We'll help out," Misty said. "She's right, Ash. We also need to get our Pokémon trained up as well." Ash nodded and said, "Thanks guys. By the way Brock, I'm going to want you to take control of my rodents for a bit while I use my other Pokémon. I want to see how they fare against them." Misty demanded, "What about me? Aren't I good enough?" Ash held up a Pokéball and said, "I'm going to be using you as one of my Pokémon." Misty sighed, "I'll have to go change my clothes before we start. I don't want to get sloppy and forget about that stupid rule." Ash mumbled something and concentrated on eating his breakfast. Before he started, he wanted to check up on the baby bird. --------------------------------------------- Chapter 10 Ash consulted his gym design, as he entered a large oval room with a skylight. He was pulling a wheeled cradle behind him. Putting the plans away, he pulled out three Pokéballs. The first ball he opened up contained the baby bird Pokémon. He gently picked up the small Flyer and threw the second ball. "Chansey, I choose you," he called, and caught the ball as it rebounded back after dumping its cargo. The pink Pokémon looked around the room and then at her Trainer. "Chan?" "This is where I'm going to leave you and the baby. We're going to be having a practice session in one of the arenas, and I don't want it to disturb this bird," Ash explained. *I guess I really did overdo it a tad on my designs.* Chansey nodded and put the cradle to one side of the room. The egg Pokémon examined the size of the bed and the size of the bird. Ash nodded at the questioning glance. "I know, Chansey. It is a bit large for the bird, but it's all I could drag from our Pokécenter. According to Misty, it needs peace and quiet for right now. I guess she knows what she's talking about, she did say she wanted to be a Pokémon Doctor someday." "Chansey," Chansey said, while looking at the third Pokéball Ash had in his hand. Ash bounced the ball up and down, debating on what to do. He pressed his lips together and threw the ball. "Charizard," Ash's firey Pokémon called. Charizard looked around and saw there was no one to combat and turned his gaze upon the human. Shrugging, Ash put the small bird into the cradle. Taking out and eyedropper, Ash explained, "There's no one here, Charizard. I'm just letting you out, so you can stretch your wings. By the way, meet your new teammate: Chansey." The pink Pokémon waved, "Chansey." Charizard nodded and watched as Ash fed the baby bird with an eyedropper. The fire Pokémon paid close attention as his Trainer kept the weak Pokémon comfortable. After a minute, Ash put the baby bird down and pointed his Pokédex at it. "This Pokémon is too young to be identified correctly," Dexter chimed. "Oh well. Chansey, keep an eye on...hmmm. What to call it? I guess Sapphire, since I have no idea what species it is." "Chansey." "Charizard, please protect Sapphire and Chansey. If not out of loyalty to me, out of loyalty to your teammates." Charizard humphed and lay down to go to sleep. Ash shook his head and left, not noticing Charizard's eyes were not all the way closed. After Ash left, Charizard opened his eye and took another look at Sapphire. He shook his head as he felt a slight dampness in his eye. As he lay back down, Charizard kept one eye open. Chansey seeing this, explained how and why she joined up. It took all of Charizard's will not to laugh. ---------------------------------------- Ash was standing in one of the indoor arenas of his gym. Brock and Misty had given his rodents a good work-out. He shrugged as he temporarily transferred control of his rodent Pokémon to Brock. After doing so, Ash held up a ball and activated it, pulling Misty inside. *Well, let's see. Misty, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Lapras, Muk, and Growlithe. Glad I was able to call my other Pokémon from Professor Oak's lab. Which one should I use first? Hmmm. I'll go with Bulbasaur first. He'll be good against Pikachu, Dugtrio, or Marril. Pyromon might give me a problem.* Ash threw the Pokéball. "Bulbasaur, I choose you." "Go, Nidoran!" The plant and the poison Pokémon faced off. Bulbasaur easily defeated the small purple rodent. As the battle went on, Ash was able to call Pokémon that had no disadvantage or advantage against his rodents. Finally it came down to the last two Pokémon. "Misty, I choose you." "Go, Marril." Misty appeared out of Professor Oak's prototype ball and faced her opponent. Appearing out of the other ball was the fat blue mouse known as Marril. Ash called out, "Misty, use Nightshade." "Water Gun attack." Misty called forth a wave of terror and threw it at Marril. The blue Pokémon went back a few steps. Shaking his head to clear it, Marril launched a bolt of water at Misty. The water struck the genie and knocked her out in one blow. Ash looked dumbfounded as Misty collapsed. "A Fire Pokémon is weak against Water, Ash," Brock explained. "Misty is Ghost/Fire. She has all the weaknesses and strengths a Fire Pokémon has. The only exception is to Normal and Fighting attacks. To those, she is immune." Ash recalled all of his Pokémon and started walking towards their Pokécenter. "I guess we should heal everyone up now. It's getting close to dinner." Brock nodded. "Right. You know, we really should have something other to do than sit around and train Pokémon." Ash shrugged and replied, "We could always explore some caves I saw when I was gathering up my Pokémon." "I guess. Well as soon as Misty's refreshed and released, we can start to eat." ---------------------- Back in Pallet Town, Professor Oak and Bill were going over Misty's file. They were comparing the DNA of Misty's older sisters to her DNA. Oak was a bit curious as to why all of Ash's Pokéballs had vanished. A voice interrupted the two scientists' study. "Hymie! Hyram Oak! You have got a lot of explaining to do," a female voice called. Hyram Oak turned around and saw a woman about his age, standing in the doorway. "Agatha, What brings you here?" Oak asked a bit nervously. Agatha replied, "I had just received word that a new Ghost Pokémon had been found and that it had been caught by one of the Trainers that you sponsor. I'm a bit vexed that you didn't call me. You know I'm the Ghost expert." "Er. I- Well-," Oak stammered. Seeing as his friend was a bit flustered, Bill said, "Hello. I am Bill of the Lighthouse." "Sorry, I didn't realize Hyram had company. I am Agatha Oak of the Elite Four. I am also Hyram's wife. We are separated now, because of our responsibilities." Stunned, Bill said, "I didn't know. Um. As to the new Ghost Pokémon, there is a bit more going on here than just a discovery." "Go on." Professor Oak and Bill took turns explaining on what happened to Misty and what they were up to. Agatha asked some questions about the genie and her Trainer. Finally, she had a clear idea on the situation. "I would like to meet this Misty. Even if it is only going to be temporary, I still want to know as much as I can about her type of Pokémon. Where is she?" Professor Oak sighed and told Agatha about the shenanigans at the Tournament and the temporary exile of Ash and company. Getting a promise of silence from his wife, Oak told her of the place they were spending their exile. Looking apalled, Agatha said, "If that island is where I think it is, then Misty and the others are in grave danger. A fierce storm has been reported in the area. The winds are at hurricane force and thundersnow has been seen coming from it." "Thundersnow?" Bill asked. Hyram Oak replied, "It is very rare. It is snowfall with thunder and lightning added to it. I've been through a Thundersnowfall once. I'd rather travel through thick fog at night, than go through that again. At least, I would have more light." "This is no time for a meteorology course. We have to go rescue those kids," Agatha said. "Call the Indigo League president and tell him of the storm." Bill did as he was told. After relaying the information, he received instructions on what to do. Hanging up the phone, Bill said, "The kids' exile will be suspended until the storm is over. We'll have to get them off the island ourselves, though. He doesn't want to risk a security breach by taking more people into his confidence." "Well Hymie, you still have that old derelict you call a yacht?" "The 'Spitting Shellder' is not a derelict," Oak retorted. Agatha said, "I'll take that as a yes. We'll have to use Water Pokémon to help guide that wreck." Bill said, "I think I'd better call Misty's sisters. I, personally, don't have any Water Pokémon." Bill, Professor Oak, and Agatha made the necessary preparations they would need to make the trip. At Pallet Town's only dock, the 'Spitting Shellder' was moored. Bill saw exactly what Agatha meant. Professor Oak's boat was painted a bright lime green with fluorescent pink trim. Attached to the prow of the boat were bas relief sculptures of Shellders. He turned away and saw the Sensational Sisters approaching. "Good day. I hope you don't mind helping us." "Like forget it. Misty is our little sister. And, we like want to make sure she is all right," Daisy replied. The three sisters took a look at the craft that would transport them and felt a bit ill. "Like who painted that thing? It is totally ugly," Lily commented. Violet added, "If this was like someone's idea of preventing it from being like stolen, it is like totally an original idea." Bill thought, *You might be right on that. No self-respecting criminal would even touch this thing. It's so ugly.* Professor Oak and Agatha stepped out from a cabin. Seeing that everyone was here, Oak called out, "Ready to go?" The four nodded meekly as they reluctantly boarded the ship. Soon, the ship was making its way across open water. The captain and passengers never saw the phony Gyarados following them. Inside the Gyarados, Meowth of Team Rocket said, "We'll get Pikachu this time as well as the girl. We just have to follow Professor Oak to where they're hiding. Don't lose it." Jesse replied, "How can I? That thing is definitely something that you can't lose. No matter how much you want to." "Well, it certainly is unique," James said. Meowth said, "Nothing can go wrong now." ----------------- On Greystice Island, Ash was selectining equipment for an exploration of the caves he spotted earlier. He pulled out his Pokédex and tried to figure out which Pokémon would be the best to take with him. Laying on a table, Pikachu wacthed. "Well, Pikachu. Who should I take? You, definitely. I want to cover as many types as possible." "Pika," Pikachu said, as it yawned. "I think I'll take you, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Diglett, and Lapras. I'll leave Chansey here to look after Sapphire. But, I stil need one more. Any ideas Pikachu?" Pikachu leaped up and pressed a button, summoning a Pokéball for Ash. "Misty?" Ash asked, a bit flustered. "I hadn't even considered her." "And, why not?" came from behind Ash. Spinning around, Ash saw that Misty was glaring at him, still in her Pokégenie costume. "I want to check out those caves as well as well. Not to mention, I also want to get better at my skills," Misty continued. Ash ran his index finger between his collar and neck, gulping nervously. "I thought you'd still be a bit upset at that one hit knock-out that Marril gave you." Misty sighed. "Ash, I know that I'm weak against Water, and that Brock was throwing Pokémon at random at you. If I didn't want to fight Marril, do you really think I would have tried to Nightshade it? I would have refused to fight." "Er. I guess." Misty nodded. "Now that that's settled, which ball are you going to carry me in? I'm going to let you do all the hiking." "Um. I guess you should get used to being in the prototype." "Fair enough," Misty replied. Ash pulled out a Pokéball and pointed it at Misty. She was pulled inside the sphere by the beam of red light. After putting Misty inside the ball, Ash put it and the other four Pokéballs in his winter coat pocket. "Ready to go, Pikachu?" "Pika." Ash and Pikachu headed for the door of the gym, where they met Brock. Looking at the sky, Brock held his arm in fron of Ash. "I think you'd better wait until tomorrow to go. I don't like the looks of those clouds. I think a severe storm is brewing." Gazing at where Brock was, Ash noticed that the sky on the horizion was filled with dark grey, almost black, clouds. Occasional flickers of purple light came form the clouds. "I guess the caves can wait," Ash reluctantly said. "It's probably for the best that you wait." Sighing, Ash headed for his room and hung his coat up. Seeing that Brock's Pokémon were still being cared for by Chansey, Ash decided to take a nap. Going under the bed, Pikachu curled up and also took a nap. Before going to sleep, Ash thought, *I have this feeling that I'm forgetting something. Oh well, it can wait until later.* ---------------------------------- Speeding along, the 'Spitting Shellder' was making good time on getting to Greystice. Bill kept casting glances at the fast moving clouds, hoping they would make it in time. He walked and entered the steering room for the ship. He noticed a VCR and a small television in a small cabinet. The devices looked like they were wedged tightly into the cabinet. Misty's sisters were giving Professor Oak some very sick looks. From the televison a voice was singing. "The mate was a mighty sailing man. The skipper brave and true. Five passengers set sail that day on a three hour tour." Bill, wincing, said, "Professor, don't you think that show is in bad tatse?" Hyram Oak looked at his passenger and flicked the televison off. "Sorry. There should be a tape with Teenage Mutant Ninja Squirtles among the tapes somewhere. Just look in one of the drawers," Oak replied. Violet said, "Like I think we'll pass on the entertainment. I'm more concerned about Misty. Like how long will it like be?" Oak shrugged, "I'd say another forty minutes. We're making good time." "Well..." Daisy began to say. A powerful gust of wind rocked the boat. Looking out the forewindow, Oak saw that the sky had turned black. "We're in trouble," Oak stated. Everyone looked at each other and grabbed hold of something that was nailed down. The "Spitting Shellder' started pitching from one side to the other as large waves bounced it like a volleyball. Professor Oak did his best to keep the ship on a course for the island. *I hope we get through this. I also hope that Ash and the others are all right.* ---------------------------- Under the waves, Team Rocket's sub was being rocked by the storm as well. Their sub was very near the surface of the ocean, because they were using their periscope to spy on Professor Oak. "Meowth. This isn't good. I thought we would have an easy time of it." Jesse replied, "Well, Meowth. Here's another mess you got us into. How are we going to get out?" James added, "Yeah, Meowth. How?" "Listen you mugs. I didn't know about this storm." James said, "I don't think it's going to matter." Before Meowth or Jesse could ask what he meant by that, they felt their sub being lifted up. They were caught in the crest of a forming tidal wave. Carrying its unwilling passengers, the wave moved rapidly in the direction they were going. Team Rocket chorused, "It looks like Team Rocket is waving bye- bye again." --------------------- Waking up from his nap, Ash looked out a window in his room. Shivering a bit, he noticed the black sky and the snow fall being pushed into an almost horizontal direction by winds. Putting his ear against the window, he barely heard the whistling of the wind. "Misty really did a good job on the walls. I don't think I could have slept through that otherwise." Grabbing his coat, Ash went off in search of Brock. Looking back, he saw that Pikachu had crawled a bit from under the bed and was yawining. "You can go back to sleep if you want, Pikachu. I'm just going to check on Brock." "Pi," Pikachu said as it burrowed his way back under the bed. Ash shook his head and left his bedroom. He decided to check out his new Pokémon and see what skills they had. There was a machine in his Pokécenter that would not only display the skills that a Pokémon had, but skill they would pick up later. A stray thought came to him. *I've been relying on Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Pikachu too much. I really should use some of my other Pokémon.* Pulling out the five balls in his coat, he mumbled, "I know, I'll pretend to start all over again. I'll choose one of these Pokémon at random and when the storm is over, use it to gather new Pokémon." Using his Pokédex, Ash programmed it to send all the balls away except the one he would hold in his hand. Dropping the balls on the ground, Ash picked one of them up and held it. He watched as the other four vanished in sparkles of light. "I'll explain to Pikachu what I'm up to later. I hope he won't mind," Ash said to himself, while bouncing the ball up and down in his hand. "This ball feels weird. Oh well. This Pokémon will be the core of my secondary team." Ash put the ball on his belt and checked up on Sapphire. He walked into the large room where the small bird was being cared for. Feeling his presence, Charizard opened one eye and gazed thoughtfully at Ash. Another of Ash's Pokémon was in the room, keeping an eye on Sapphire. "Hi, Chansey. How's Sapphire doing?" "Chan," the egg Pokémon said, while smiling. "I came to feed it," Ash stated, as he pulled some birdseed out of his pocket. Ash carefully fed the baby bird one small seed at a time. Afterwards, he used an eyedropper to give Sappire water to drink. All the while, Charizard watched the proceedings intently. The giant Fire Pokémon felt a slight dampness in his eyes and turned his head away. Chansey and Ash were so busy making sure that Sapphire was okay, they didn't notice Charizard's behavior. Walking out the door, Ash said, "See you later guys. Please keep an eye on Sapphire for me." "Chansey." "Charizard." Ash shrugged, as he was a bit startled to her anything coming from Charizard. He hoped that the time out of the ball would make Charizard more disposed to listening to his orders. He walked on and found Brock in the kitchen. "Yo, Brock-o. What's up?" Looking up, Brock answered, "Oh, I'm just cooking some food for the three of us. By the way, where's Misty?" "Er. Uh oh," Ash said, as he threw the only ball he was carrying. The ball opened up and bounced back, leaving a globe of light behind. The light condensed into the figure of Misty still wearing her genie costume. Her back was arched backwards slightly and she had her arms out to her sides, with fingers extendend. Misty's head was tilted back and she had her eyes closed. Her head tilted forward and she went into a fighting stance. Seeing nothing around, she turned towards Ash. "Sorry, Misty," Ash sheepishly began. "It's like this---" Ash then went on to describe the storm and how he forgot about relasing her. Misty glared at him, but said nothing. She did notice that the only Pokéball that her Trainer was carrying was the one she was in. "Ash, why do you only have one Pokéball?" Misty asked. Ash sweated and hesitantly explained what he was going to do. The genie looked at her Trainer and smiled very sweetly. "Why, Ash. Thank you for choosing me for special training. I'm sure Pikachu won't mind when he finds out that you are training me," Misty said. *Too bad, Ash. You chose at random and now you're stuck with me.* Brock coughed, covering a snicker. "You might as well give it up, Ash. I checked your Pokédex and found that until you refill your slots, you can't change Misty out or call any others." Ash shook his head in frustration and held up the Pokéball. Misty shrugged and tapped the ball with her finger. It opened up and Misty became a silhouette of red light, before being pulled inside. Before going into a trance, Misty thought, *I wonder if spending time with Ash as his only Pokémon will help me win him.* -----------------------------------------------------------------------