A/N: It's Episode 3! ^_~
*RING-RING-RING! PHONE CALL, PHONE CALL! RING-RING-RING!*
"Hello, Ketchum residence. Ash speaking," said Ash, answering the video phone. The image of a Muk appeared on the screen. "Hello Ash. You're just the person I wanted to talk to," said a voice. "WAH! TALKING MUK!" Ash yelled, nearly falling out of his chair. "Oh, pardon me. Wrong camera," said the voice. The image switched from the Muk to that of Professor Oak. "Now then, where was I?" asked the Professor.
"You said something about wanting to talk to me," said Ash, relieved that he wasn't going crazy...yet. He had almost completely recovered from having Misty run away. Three weeks had passed since Ash had found her and brought her back, confessing his feelings for her.
"Yes, Ash. I need to ask a favor of you," said the Professor. "What kind of favor?" Ash asked. "I need you to accompany a few of my assistants on an archaeological expedition. A colleage of mine has discovered some ancient ruins and wants me to send some help for the excavation he is carrying out." "Uh, sure," said Ash. He could use a vacation from his normal routine.
"So, where's this excavation taking place?" Ash asked. "On top of Mount Moon," replied the Professor. "Isn't that place really cold?" "Well, yes, I suppose. I've never been there myself, so I couldn't say. Though, I suppose it would be," said Oak. Ash sweatdropped. "Umm...so who's going on this expedition?" asked Ash, trying to get his mind off of how cold this trip was going to be. "Well, just a few of my assistants and helpers, really," replied Oak, "They'll be leaving the day after tomorrow, so you had better get ready to leave soon."
"WHAT?! TOMORROW?" yelled Misty. 'I think she's taking it well,' thought Ash. "How could you agree to go on an expedition to the top of Mt. Moon for who knows how long?!" she asked him angrily. "Well, I guess I agreed to his request before actually listening to it," admitted Ash. "Well, if you can't get out of it I'll just have to go with you!" said Misty. "WHAT? Go with me?" asked Ash, confused. "Of course I'm going with you! I'm not letting you leave me alone, Ash Ketchum!" said Misty. Ash sweatdropped.
"I would only be gone a week, tops," Ash muttered. "You don't want me to go?" asked Misty. She looked sad, like she was going to cry. Ash started to panic. 'Not again! Not again!' "Of course I want you to go! I just didn't think you would want to!" he said quickly. Misty relaxed visibly. "Why wouldn't I want to go?" she asked. "Well, it's going to be really cold, and probably boring, too." he said. "I don't care about that. All I care about is being near you," she said. That settled the matter: she was going.
When the expedition finally arrived at the excavation site, they found a base camp already set up. Professor Birch had hired a construction company to build several small hut-like buildings to shield the expedition from the cold and house supplies and equipment. "Looks cozy," said Misty. "Y-y-yeah," said Ash, who was shivering in the cold. They had left Pikachu at home, since the mountain was too cold for the little mouse pokemon. 'I think it's too cold for me, too...' thought Ash.
Professor Birch was waiting for them in the largest dome. "Welcome, welcome! I'm glad you finally arrived," he said cheerily. "We are too, Professor," said Misty. "Yeah, it's freezing outside!" exclaimed Ash. "That is quite true,"admitted the Professor.
After Birch made sure everyone was inside and had something hot to drink, he began supervising the unpacking, setting up, and storage of the various equipment and supplies that were Professor Oak's contribution to the expedition. "You must be Ash," Birch said as he walked over to the table where Misty and Ash were sitting at, enjoying some hot cocoas. "Yes," said Ash. "Wonderful! I hope your fire pokemon are as strong as Professor Oak says," Birch said. "Uhh, well, I guess my Charizard and Quilava are pretty strong," admitted Ash. Birch clapped his hands. "Stupendous! I can't wait until we start melting the ice tomorrow!" he exclaimed. "Melting the ice?" Ash asked.
Misty looked as confused as he did. 'Glad I'm not the only one confused...' thought Ash as he tried to puzzle out what Birch was talking about. "What do you mean, Professor?" asked Misty. "Well, we'll be melting the ice that blocking the entrance to those ruins with the help of Ash's fire pokemon!" exclaimed Birch. "But I didn't bring them with me," said Ash. Birch sweatdropped. "You mean...Oak forgot to tell you to bring them?" asked Birch. "I guess so," said Ash, "he didn't mention it when he talked to me." "NOOO! I've been waiting 3 weeks and he FORGOT to tell you to bring your pokemon with you?" he asked. "Well, I did bring some pokemon, but not the fire ones. I thought it would be a little cold for Charizard's tastes," said Ash.
"Well, what did you bring Ash? Maybe we can get through the ice without Charizard's help," said Misty helpfully. Ash thought for a moment. "Well, I've got Bayleef, Kingler, Tauros...and Ivysaur! We can use Ivysaur's Solar Beam to melt the ice!" yelled Ash excitedly. "Yes...yes, that could work!" yelled Birch as he grabbed Ash's hands and jumped up and down excitedly.
Misty sweatdropped. "Ash, people are staring," she whispered. Ash looked around and saw several research assistants staring at them. One was walking their way...a very pretty blonde girl. "Hi, Ash," she said. "Uhh, hi," he said. 'Who is she?' he thought. "Oh, Ash! Don't tell me that you don't recognize me! It's May!" she said sadly. "WHAT?!" said Misty/Ash. "Let me guess. Grandpa didn't mention that I was here either," she said, sounding annoyed. "No, he forgot to mention that, too," said Ash. Meanwhile, Birch had decided that he was done talking to Ash, so he casually walked away, leaving the teenagers to talk among themselves.
"Oh, that is so typical! Grandpa's a briliant scientist, but he forgets everday things so often, I could just scream! He's lucky I help him remember appointments and things, but since I've left the lab to work up here he seems to be slipping again." May sighed in exasperation at her grandfather. "You mean...you work with Professor Oak now?" asked Ash. "Yes, I'm his new chief assistant!" May said proudly, "I do my own research, too." Ash looked impressed. "I never knew you were so..." 'What to say? What to say? Pretty...? NO ASH! Misty's *right there*! You can't say that! Uhh... talented? No...smart!' "...smart," Ash finished after a few seconds. Misty looked surprised, too. "Wow, May. I never thought of your as the book-worm type," she said. "Well, when you put your mind to something, you'd be surprised what you can accomplish," she said. May's eyes gleamed almost evilly.
"Okay, Ivysaur! Use your Solarbeam on that ice!" directed Ash as he stood in the knee-deep snow shivering. "IVY..SAAURR!" his pokemon yelled as it gathered sunlight into the plant growing on its back, then focused it into a powerful beam and launched it at the ice. The ice glowed for a moment, started to crack, then exploded into millions of tiny shards that flew everywhere. "Watch out!" yelled May, diving toward Ash. She tackled him to the ground just before the spray of sharp ice pellets sailed into him.
When the danger had passed, Ash and May climbed to their feet. "Whew, thanks May," he said in relief. "No problem...Ashy boy," she said coyly, winking at him. "Uhhh..." he said, looking a little embarassed. "ASH! Are you okay?" yelled Misty as she ran up to him, squeezing him tightly. He melted into her embrace. "Yes, I'm fine thanks to May's quick reflexes." If either of them had been looking, they would have seen May get red in the face...but just for a second. "Oh, it was the least I could do," she muttered.
The next day, Professor Birch had assigned Ash and a few of his staff (including May) to start clearing and mapping the ruins. Misty decided to stay at the base camp, since she wasn't needed and it was very cold outside.
"Come on Ash, let's check in here!" said May excitedly, running ahead of the others. "Hey, wait! We should try to stick together!" yelled Ash, running after her. He stopped dead in his tracks as he rounded the corner. "Wow..." May had stopped just as suddenly in front of him. They were both staring at the huge gallery that was spread out before them. The ceiling was easily four times the height of the hallways and chambers they had explored up to this point, making it over 30 feet high. There were large sculptures scattered throughout the room, and there were bass reliefs carved into the walls. A thin venere of ice covered everything in the room, making it look like everything in the room was carved solid blocks of frozen water. "You said it," May finally said. "This is easily the most beautiful room I've ever seen in my life," said Ash. He turned around to call the others to see this, but they weren't there.
"May, where is everybody else?" he asked. "What? I thought they were behind us!" she exclaimed. She looked panicked. "Stay calm. I think we just got seperated," said Ash, "I know the way out, though...I hope." May looked scared. "Come on Ash, let's get out of here. I'm getting claustrophobic. I don't want to be trapped in here until we're frozen to death!" She latched onto Ash's arm as he led her through several twists and turns. Finally, after Ash had almost given up hope of remembering the way out of the ruins, they saw daylight at the end of a long tunnel. "I did it!" exclaimed Ash, sounding a little surprised at himself.
Suddenly, there was a faint rumbling. "What's that?" asked Ash as he stopped to listen. "I don't know," said May. The rumbling grew louder. "Whatever it is, it's getting louder...and that could mean closer!" said Ash nervously. Suddenly, the rumble grew deafening and abruptly stopped as the sunlight was blocked off. They were instantly plunged into an eerie darkness that was totally silent. Until May screamed.
"AHHHHHHHHH!!" Ash covered his ears and waited for May to finish. She was completely panicked now. "Ash, we're trapped! I'm scared!" she cried as she latched onto him and squeezed him tightly. "May...I can't ...breathe..." "Sorry," she said, relaxing her grip slightly. "Don't worry, May. They'll get us out of here," said Ash. "I hope so," replied May as she began to shiver.
"What was that noise?" Misty asked. She had been chatting with the Nurse Joy that was serving as the medical officer for the expedition. "It sounded like an avalanche!" replied Joy. They ran outside to find Professor Birch and several of his research assistants and workers frantically digging into a giant pile of snow that stood where the cavern entrance had been only minutes earlier.
"Is everyone okay?" Joy asked Birch. "I think so. Nobody was hurt out here, but Ash and May aren't accounted for. They may still be inside," said Birch as he continued digging. Misty grabbed a shovel and began digging beside the professor. "Hang on Ash..." she whispered.
"I'm cold, Ash." Ash looked up at May. He was sitting against the wall, waiting for Professor Birch's crew to dig them out. "I am, too," he admitted. She walked over to him from where she had been pacing. She looked agitated for some reason. Ash was glad her fear had slowly left her, but now she almost seemed nervous...or angry. Maybe she was both. She sat down beside him and said, "Let's keep each other warm."
She cuddled up against him and put her arms around him. "Uhh, what are you doing May?" he asked. "I'm trying to keep warm, what's it look like?" she replied. She definitely sounded annoyed. "Okay..." he said.
"Are you warmer now?" he asked after a few minutes or her leaning against him with her arms wrapped tightly around his waist. "A little, but it would help if you'd hug me back..." she said quietly. 'Hug her back?' he thought. "I mean, the point is to share our body heat," she added quickly. "Okay, I guess." He slowly put his arms around her. "That's better," she sighed as she laid her head on his shoulder. "Uhh, May do you have to do that?" he asked nervously. "I'm tired, okay?!" she asked angrily. He decided to drop it.
Ash was trying to think of something to talk about when he heard digging sounds coming from the entrance. "Do you hear that? They'll have us out in a few minutes," he said happily. 'Oh, shit. I don't have much time,' thought May. "Hey, Ash?" "Yeah?" "Have you ever..." "Ever what?" "Have you ever done this?" she asked. She reached up and bent his head down, then kissed him fiercely on the lips. Ash was too surprised to even struggle. She broke the kiss.
"What was that all about?" he asked angrily. "I...I thought you would like that!" she said, hurt. "I...I'm sorry I yelled at you, but I have a girlfriend. I love her a lot, and I don't want to hurt her," he explained. "Who?" "Misty." "Oh..." May said sadly. 'What's up with her?' Ash wondered. Did she like him? What about Misty? 'Misty is definitely not going to like this,' he thought.
Suddenly, they heard a sound from the entrance. The archaeologists had broken through. Ash turned to look at the sunlit opening when May launched herself on top of him, covering his mouth with her's. Her tongue slipped past his defenses and her hand snaked its way into his pants. He struggled to get away, but she locked his legs together with her knees.
"ASH KETCHUM!" he heard a familiar voice scream down the tunnel. "Misty! Help!" he yelled as he finally twisted his neck around and broke the forced kiss. Suddenly, May was hauled off by her hair and Ash stumbled to his feet. "What do you think you're doing with my boyfriend, missy?" Misty said angrily. "Just doing what he wanted," May replied innocently. "WHAT?!" She turned toward Ash, eyes glowing red. "No, no. Misty, it's not like that! I can explain!" he said, dropping to his knees. Misty reached for her mallet. She drew it out slowly. May looked a little surprised, but happy overall. 'Now, when she breaks up with him he'll come crawling to me for comfort,' she thought, grinning wickedly.
*WHACK!* May flew down the tunnel and through the entrance. "Misty, thank you for believing me! I'm sorry that happened, but she jumped me," Ash explained, relieved. "I knew you were telling the truth," she said. "What? How?" asked Ash, curious as to how she had figured out May's plot. "Simple. I found some the dynamite she used to create the avalanche in the snow that was blocking the entrance."
Ash was shocked. May had engineered the entire thing. He shook angrily. "I can't believe she would do something like that!" he said. "I can. It seems I have a rival, Ash," she said, teasing him. "Very funny. But you know that nobody could ever compare to you," he said. He walked to her and hugged her tightly. "I love you, Misty."
"Rats, I was so close!" May said to herself, sulking in her room at base camp. She had been pouting for a day and hadn't come out of her room since Joy had treated the head injury she had sustained. Joy had asked where she had gotten it, but May just told her it had happened during the avalanche. May wasn't sure if Joy believed her, but she had dropped that line of questioning, and May was willing to do the same.
"Why did he have to fall in love with that stupid sensational sister, anyway? It's not fair! I'm much smarter than her, and better looking, too!" She stopped pouting and dried her tears. "Oh, well. Another day, another battle. I'll win him over eventually. And when I do, you'll never see him again, Misty Waterflower! HAHAHAHAHA!"
Ash was a little concerned about May. She was on Misty's black list right now, and he was still mad at her for trying to break them up, but he was still concerned that she hadn't come out of her room. 'I hope she's okay...and I hope she doesn't come after me again!' he thought nervously. "Hey Ash, let's get something to eat," said Misty, who was lying on the other bed in his room. "Okay," he said.
They walked to the cafeteria, both of them deep in thought. 'I wish Pikachu were here,' thought Ash. "What are you thinking about?" asked Misty. "Oh, I was just wishing that Pikachu was here," he said. "Oh, so you weren't thinking about May?" she asked, nervously. "No, why would I be thinking about May?" he asked, a look of confusion crossing his face. "Oh, no reason..." she said, letting her voice trail off.
"Misty, I don't like May," he said, trying to convince her. "Well, you sure didn't seem to be fighting her off when I got there. She even had her hand down your pants..." she said. "Misty, don't. I love you, and only you. What May did was just plain wrong. She was trying to steal me from you, but she failed. Now, can we talk about something else?"
"Well, okay," said Misty, still not convinced. "Misty, why don't you believe me?" he asked. "I just..." she didn't finish what she was trying to say. Ash stopped her by kissing her. As he broke the kiss he asked, "Are you convinced now?" "Not yet, but a few more should do it," she teased. Ash was glad. She was relaxed now and was smiling for the first time since she had rescued Ash from the clutches of May.
They were passing May's room in the hall now. Ash caught a little of what she was yelling. "...you'll never see him again, Misty Waterflower! HAHAHAHAHA!" Ash sweatdropped. 'Time to get out of here...and fast!' he thought. "Uh, Misty. Let's get something to eat! I'm starving!" he said as he raced for the cafeteria. "Hey, wait up!" she yelled after him, laughing playfully as she went.
FIN
As usual, please direct all comments to: jon_schug@yahoo.com
Sayonara,
Kenshin