Shadows on the Heart Window to the soul
by mal1958
Chapter 5
Sinnoh Bound
Ash and the group walked back to the house and changed back into their everyday clothes, and Ash came down to the kitchen to see Misty putting the bouquet in a box along with a note.
"What cha doing Mist?" he asked watching the scene. "I can get a vase for those so they can be fresh for a while, if you want."
"I'm sending them to the Gym," She replied with a dreamy smile. "I'm asking Sandy to have her milotic encase them in ice so that they can remain like this for at least three years or so."
"I got a better Idea." Ash said, snapping his fingers. "Viridian City Plastics."
"What?"
"They encase things in plastic," he took a step forward. "Lacy things, baby booties, and flowers. In the commercial they showed a bouquet of flowers in-cased in a plastic dome on a silver stand."
"That would be perfect." She exclaimed softly then she frowned. "But it's probably expensive, and I can't use much money from the gym or we won't be able to pay the bills."
Ash walked over to a large cookie jar on a high shelf and took it down. Reaching inside he pulled out a bundle of bills, and flipped it on the table in front of Misty.
"That should cover it." He smiled, then went wide eyed in confusion when she pushed the bundle of money away and glared at him.
"I couldn't take your mom's money, Mr Ketchum." and she stalked out the door of the kitchen, throwing back over her shoulder. "It wouldn't be right."
First he felt confused, why was she mad at him? Then the confusion turned to hurt, and then to anger when he realized that she thought that he was giving her his mothers money. He scooped up the bundle and stalked out the door in her wake. He called to her.
"MISTY!" and his tone was angry, even enraged. He saw her spin to him with a combination look of hurt and anger. He thrust the money on top of the box and looked at her. "THAT money is NOT my moms." he said in a angry voice tinged with hurt. "She keeps her money in the bank, where I can't until I'm fourteen. THAT money and the money in all four of those ceramic jars there are the winnings that I got from the Silver conference, the Orange Island cup, and the Hoenn League. I rarely buy things for myself, so it sorta added up a bit. I wanted to try to make up for two christmases and three birthdays I missed, and I still will. Use it to encase those flowers in that plastic. I NEVER would steal from anybody, Misty," then he felt a tear roll down his face and saw a look of shock from Misty. "I thought you knew me well enough to know that." And he turned and pushed by Brock who was standing behind him and went up the stairs two at a time.
She looked at the stairs, then to Brock, her heart in her eyes.
"Oh my GOD, Brock," she said in a small voice filled with pain. "What did I just do?"
"Don't worry Misty," Brock responded in an even tone. "I'll try to help patch it up for you." and he too went up the stairs.
Misty stood there for almost two whole minutes, feeling herself die. How could she have been so dumb as to think that Mrs Ketchum, now Mrs. Oak, would keep large sums in a cookie jar. And she practically accused Ash of trying to steal it. She had seen the hurt in his eyes, and wondered, 'can you forgive me, Ash?' She put the box down on the coffee table and bolted for the stairs. She had to try to make it up. She wasn't sure what she was feeling towards Ash now, but she knew that she had just spurned a thoughtful and sweet gift from him and wounded him deeply. She had to make it up somehow.
She found herself in the hallway near Ash's room, his door was slightly open and she heard sniffling from that doorway. She wanted to go in the room and beg him to forgive her, but Brock's voice froze her to the spot.
"She misunderstood, Ash." he said his voice rising slightly. "That's all"
"She practically said I was trying to steal money from my own mother." And she winced at the pain in his tone. "I would never steal from anyone, especially to give it to somebody else like that. That's not a gift."
"Tell me Ash," Brock stated evenly, "Did you tell her that the money was your winnings when you gave it to her?"
"No," Ash responded "But to think that I would steal?"
"ASH!" Brock almost yelled. "Misty is one of the best damn water pokemon trainers I have ever seen."
"yea, me too."
"She is also one great Gym leader, who, incidentally pulled her gym out of ruins to become a jewel."
"Yea, so." Ash sounded like he was getting confused again.
"But despite all that, she is a girl. And girls run on emotions almost like cars run on gas or electric." Brock sighed. "She just went through an emotional power surge. I saw her at the wedding, Ash. Crying, then Laughing, then crying again. Then catching the bouquet. With that much going on she was probably overloaded, and just said something that she didn't really mean. I really don't think that she meant to say that you were stealing anything Ash. Misty was just overloaded with emotions from the wedding and it happened to boil over at that moment."
"What should I do?"
"Go to her and tell her you understand that she didn't mean it." he chuckled slightly. "Don't be surprised if she apologizes to you either. I don't think that she meant to hurt you, it was just something that slipped out at the moment. Don't tell me that's never happened to you, either."
"Brock," Ash began, and Misty heard some of his old self in the tone. "I damn glad I have a friend like you to help me keep my other friends."
"I am too, Brock." Misty said in low whisper, tears flowing from her eyes. "I am too." and she retreated to the bedroom that she had shared with Ash's mom for two nights.
She saw the light from the partially open door get blocked for a moment and heard Ashes voice.
"I just hope that she isn't half way to Cerulean City by now," he said in a sad tone. "because I would have to put this trip on hold until I could see her again." Then he opened the door and saw Misty sitting on his moms bed with her head down.
He looked down as he approached the doorway, halfway expecting her to bolt from the bed and slam the door in his face. He had exploded on her and really didn't mean to. He now figured that girls weren't the only ones who could get overloaded with emotions. Standing in the doorway he struggled to say something.
"Mist?"
"Ash?"
They had spoken at the same time, and they grinned slightly.
"I'm sorry," Again they both said it at the same time, but Misty signalled him to let her go first.
"Ash, I'm sorry." She said quietly. "I don't know why I said that. I should have known that you would never steal anything, and I still don't know what came over me to make me say that. I can only hope that you will forgive me and still let me go with you on your journey."
"I forgive you Mist," he answered, and then started to scratch the back of his head. "If you could forgive me for blowing my top like that, that is. Brock said that girls can get overloaded with emotions, and maybe it applies to us guys too." They both gave a sniff, and then started to laugh.
Meanwhile Brock heard the laughter, looked up into the sky through the kitchen window and uttered thanks to whoever might me listening. He saw Pikachu come into the kitchen and promptly sit in his chair, then glance at the stairs where the laughter was coming from.
"Pika?" She uttered, glancing towards Brock.
"You just missed the beginning of the fireworks display, that all." he told the little yellow pokemon.
Pikachu responded with a tired sounding 'chooo' and placed her head in one paw.
"I really feel that, Pikachu." then he gave her some ketchup and began to fix up a dinner.
They packed that night so that they could leave early the next day for the train station. Ash made sure he had packed Misty's gift to him that portable electric alarm clock. He also made sure that he pulled what he hoped was enough money from his winnings to get everything that they would need. He rolled up the sleeping bags and attached them to the bottoms of each of their packs and added in the one thing that they did not have on the first journey. Three generous sized tents made from waterproof material and lined with a layer of thinsulate. These items, he said were supplied by Gary. They also had sturdy boots, and some extra thick clothing for colder climates that Gary had provided. Then they lined up their backpacks near the door and went to bed.
Mercifully for both Ash and Misty there sleep was uninterrupted by dreams and they woke refreshed and ready for the day. Gary and Tracy arrived just before Brock started fixing breakfast and he simply increased the amount of eggs and bacon. He informed Gary and Tracy to help themselves to the remainder of the perishable food since it would not hold for the week that the honeymooners would be gone, and then they ate. Afterwards the five came outside since 'Mimey' Delia's Mr. Mime had shooed Brock away from the sink and started humming as it did the breakfast dishes.
"Well come here and see that Mimey is fed and cared for until your mom gets back, Ash," Tracy assured them as they stepped out on the porch.
And Gary told Ash he would send Emails to all the people in his address book telling them that he would be gone for an extended period and that there would be a change of Email address for him. It was then that Misty gasped and pointed skyward. Soaring through the sky was a huge pokemon that had a rainbow sparkle trailing behind it. Gary stood there staring at it, as well as Tracy, and they both started when they heard Ash say.
"Ho-Oh,"
"You've seen it before?" Gary asked incredulously, not taking his eyes off the site.
"Yea," he answered quietly. "On the day I started my journey. Pikachu had just used some electric attack on a whole flock of spearow and caught me too. We were both down, and then I saw Ho-Oh flying over head. I didn't know that it was Ho-Oh at the time though." Then he saw two items falling slowly down from the sky. "Misty, look." and began to move towards one. He saw Misty heading to the other.
He watched the thing fall, weaving back and forth as it drifted down until he could see it was an iridescent feather. He reached up and it seemed to drift into his hand. It was as long as his arm and almost as wide as his thigh at its widest point, the main colour was red but is seemed to shimmer slightly into other colours. He saw that Misty had caught the other and was gazing at it in awe.
"They say that sighting Ho-Oh is supposed to bring very good luck on a venture, but to get a gift of a feather is said to make dreams come true." Tracy said looking at the feather in Misty's hands.
"Hey Ash," Gary began, mesmerized by the sight of the feather. "You want to leave that here, so you don't lose it?"
"Just as long as you don't destroy it in your investigating." Ash laughed, and was soon joined by the whole group.
Brock mentioned that they would have to hurry if they wanted to make the train to Vermilion City in time to catch the Ferry to Sinnoh. And Gary offered to give them a ride to the station. They all piled into his car and soon were going through the main part of Pallet Town. Ash felt a pang at this. He knew that when he returned either victorious or not, he would not be going to the house that he had been born in. Instead, he would go to the House of his new father, Professor Oak. He gave off a deep sigh.
"What's wrong Ash?" Misty inquired, praying that he still wasn't hurt by her remarks the evening before.
"I was born there, Mist." He stated in a sombre tone, "And raised there. I spent my whole life there. I used to play with my father's pokemon in the yard. I tried to comfort my mom there when dad died, and she comforted me. I took my first steps right in the living room. It's gonna feel weird when I come back, win or lose, to see somebody else living there, that's all." He sighed again.
"Not going to happen Uncle Ash," Gary quipped from the front seat. "Gramps is going to incorporate your old house with the Lab grounds. You and your mom have too many good memories there, and gramps said that he never wants to take those away. So your place is going to stay the same Unc."
He pulled into the station and they piled out.
"Thanks Gary, for the ride, and the news about the house." Ash said, his spirits lifting. "Tell Professor Oak that I said thanks to him too."
"Sure thing Uncle," Gary said with one of his jaunty salutes as he backed the car out of the slot. "And look for Duplica and me in Sinnoh in a week or two, we'll be there checking on the local pokemon for some research for the lab." And he pulled the car out and into traffic, which was getting heavy at the moment.
"Wait," Ash suddenly exclaimed, "Uncle?"
"Wow, Ash," Misty said with a theatrical roll of her eyes. "You really are dense. I had that figured out on the train coming here."
He noted the eye roll and shook his head as they shouldered their packs.
"Why didn't mom tell me?" he said to nobody in particular.
"She obviously," and she winked at Brock who winked back, "Gave you more credit then she should have." And she began to run laughing into the station.
Ash caught the winked exchange and found himself grinning. He yelled out 'HEY' laced with mock hurt and then started laughing himself as he followed Misty into the station. Brock looked at Pikachu who was looking after the pair with a quizzical "Pika?" and Brock just shrugged his shoulders, picked up the little electric rodent and jogged after them.
The train ride to Vermilion city was fast, cutting through mountains where it would not impact the local pokemon population, and then flowed along on tall trestles, again to avoid disturbing the pokemon. They arrived in Vermilion City at about three in the afternoon and started out toward the ferry almost immediately.
"Hey look, pop," He heard a young voice calling nearby, "He has a baby pokemon." That was followed by a snicker and then a sound "thwap" and a 'Hey'. Ash and his friends turned to see a young kid dressed in fatigues holding the back of his head and none other then Lt. Surge, the electric gym leader scowling at the boy.
"I thought I recognized you, Ash," Then to the kid, "Now apologize."
"Sorry," but he didn't mean it.
"That 'baby' as you call it beat my raichu three years ago, so show some respect." Then he addressed Ash. "You here to get another Thunder Badge for the Indigo Plateau?"
"No, sir." Ash responded, with a grin. "I'm off to Sinnoh to try my hand at the League there."
"You'll do just fine there," he said as he steered the boy around, before talking to him. "Keep that up and I'll wait until your eleven to give you your pokemon." Then they were off.
They boarded the ferry and were given their room assignments and then began to explore the ship. Soon it pulled out of the harbour and the group of friends were on their way to Sinnoh.
**************************************
In the bridge house the Captain, first mate, and navigator all looked at the weather reports with a worried eye.
"How big, Captain?" the navigator said with concern.
"Cat three." He responded. "And it's running parallel to our course."
"I'll keep a watch on it, sir." Put in the first mate.
"Do that, and alert me if it should change direction, and /or intensity" Was the Captains reply. "We can handle a Cat three, but if it grows and heads towards us, then GOD help us."
*********************************************
In a life boat, under a tarp, was a woman, a man and a pokemon. They watched Ash and company With greedy eyes, Save the man.
"Well, well," Said the female with a laugh. "Twerp trio at three o'clock. Do we grab Pikachu now, wait till night, or try in the morning?"
"How about we don't try at all, and just get off this ship when it docks and lose ourselves." The man moaned with a frown.
"Don't be getting soft now, James," The pokemon spoke in human words. "The boss is expecting us ta get dat pikachu, and it'll mean a raise if we do."
"That's if there is a boss to give pikachu to." James sadly proclaimed and brought out a recent paper.
*Giovanni Indicted on RICO charges, population is rejoicing.*
"This puts a kink in our plans" The woman said with a frown, as she patted her long bright red hair.
"More then a kink," James complained. "It's tied any plans we may have into a damn knot."
"How," The Meowth said with a scowl. "The boss won't stand still for dis."
"He won't have any choice Meowth." James went on. "If they issued the indictment, then that means they have a grand jury selected and hidden. It also means curtains for all Rockets everywhere."
"How is dat possible?" then Meowth turned to the female who was nibbling on her finger nail. "Jessie, what's meat head talkin about, what's dis RICO ting?" and his voice betrayed a bit of worry.
"The boss has been indicted on racketeering charges, or RICO, that means that all rockets are covered under that indictment and can be picked up on the spot. RICO charges carry a thirty year sentence, with out any Judges consideration." Then she pointed at the article. "it says here that all his pokemon were taken into custody, pending outcome of the trial. and that one poke ball was found with the work 'Loser' inked on it, and that it had been reset by Giovanni. He was heard saying that it was the poke ball of a worthless Meowth."
"NO!" Meowth nearly yelled, but both Jessie and James covered his mouth. Then more quietly and with a tear rolling down his face. "Da boss went and trew me away like a dirty sock?"
"All of us, it seems." James turned the page to show a list of all Team Rocket people. "We're not on the list, so that means that we were fired before they got any information on the other rockets."
"You mean that were Jobless?" Jessie said clutching her hands together and looking sad.
"This is a good thing, Jessie." James said with a sly smile. "It means that we aren't in risk of being arrested and jailed with the other Rockets."
"OH!" and her sadness vanished in an instant. "That means we are free agents."
"Free as a bird."
"We'll be fish food if you two don't pipe down," Meowth said in a hissing whisper. "We're stowaways, remember?"
"He's right, James."
"Once we get close enough to shore we can heist dis here boat and get lost in da crowd. And get some different clothes to boot." Meowth said with a smile. "I'd like to find out who ratted on the boss, so I could congratulate em. I hope he get da max, fer throwing me out like dat."
Ferry ride and shore surprise
It was night and the ferry was moving through the water slower then the Captain had hoped. Most, if not all the passengers were asleep and the Captain was watching the first mate on the phone with the engine room. He had answered the call, and was nodding.
"I'll alert the Captain, Smitty." he said and hung up.
"Anything wrong?" The Captain asked.
"The chief engineer says that the engines are running, for now." The first mate answered with concern. "But he also said that this is all the speed that we can safely expect. He's noticing that the welds on the drive rods are developing cracks."
"I'm no engineer, but cracks in the welds can't be good news."
"I was an engineer for a short time, sir" The Mate retorted. "And I can tell you that it isn't good."
"Get the sonar fired up to read depth," He said to the Mate, then he turned to the Bosun. "Get me a updated report on that storm. And get navigation to find me the straightest quickest route to SandGem town, at our current speed. I don't like the look of that thing next to us." he muttered the last looking out the window towards a large dark blob that was blocking out a good portion of stars.
*********************************************
Ash and company had retired to their rooms. Misty in one, and Brock and Ash sharing an adjoining one. Brock had insisted on the sharing part between himself and Ash to save money, and Misty tried to say that she could share with them but both Ash and Brock Objected. Ash told her that she would be losing any privacy soon enough when they would be in the wild or in a Pokemon Center, and said that he wanted her to enjoy as much privacy as she could. He also pointed out to her that the rooms, since they were adjoining, were cheaper. They ate together in the one room but then separated when they retired for the night.
***********************************************
"Captain, sir." The bosun called.
"Don't stand on ceremony now, Wilkins, what."
"The storm has been upgraded to Cat four," he began fear etching his expression and tone. "Winds are one fifty at the moment, and there is a small course change. At this speed we will catch the edge of the storm."
"Shit," The Captain exclaimed pinching the bridge of his nose. "Even the edge of a category four is going to be brutal."
"Well, the weather station said that it could be upgraded again within the hour,"
"My GOD," The Captain gasped, the colour draining from his face. "Jessup," he called to the first mate. "Call Smitty and tell him that we need speed, and we need it now." Then he heard a loud Cachuk sound and felt the ship begin to slow.
He closed his eyes tightly, and said a prayer, but the thrumming of the engine stopped about the same time as the phone rang in the Bridge house. He watched the first mate pick it up and then lose all the colour in his face. He hung up the phone after telling the other person on the line that he would inform the Captain.
"That was Smitty," The first mate said with a tone that was filled with fear, dread, and resignation. "The drive shaft snapped clean at the weld, and he said that he could fix it but it would take seven hours."
The Captain sighed and placed both hands on the plotting table. They were adrift with no engine, and at the mercy of a category four hurricane that would hit them broadside within three hours.
"Sir?" The Bosun said quietly. "Should I sound the alarm, and ready the lifeboats? Or at least send out an s.o.s.?"
"To what purpose, Wilkins?" The Captain retorted. "If that thing hits us, and it will, this ship will be ripped to pieces, what chance would a small wooden life boat have? Add to that we are eight hours at standard cruising speed from SandGem Town, and fourteen hours from Vermilion City. We'll be in the center of that," he jerked his thumb at the approaching storm. "Well before that, and dead shortly after, Barring any miracle."
They stood there, feeling depressed, knowing that the one thing that every seaman feared to have happen, was. Suddenly, the ship seemed surge forward so fast that everybody on the bridge was thrown to the floor.
"Sir, Were moving!" The bosun cried out, pointing out the window towards a coastline.
"Thank you for stating the obvious, Wilkins." The first mate called out rubbing his head and getting up from the floor.
"No, sir," The bosun said, jabbing his finger at the window while he dragged himself up and started to look at the plotting chart. "We're really moving."
They all looked to the window just in time to see a small island whip by at a speed that they knew the engines could not provide, even fully repaired and at full speed. Meanwhile, a light drizzle seemed to bath the ship. The Captain looked out the window of the bridge house and saw what he believed to be a fin, and he had to look twice at it to be sure. Even the term 'huge' didn't do it any justice. It was so large that one could place a house on it and have plenty of room. He watched it rise, swing forward, and then sweep backwards through the water. He would have gone outside the wheelhouse to check it out but the first mate stopped him, telling him that he could be blown over the side. Then the phone rang.
"If that's Smitty, tell him to not start up the engines under any circumstances, and if it's not, then somebody go and tell him in person." The Captain said, relief flooding his face.
"Well sir," The first mate said in an awed tone as he saw the fin make another pass. "You were asking for a miracle. I think that somebody heard you."