Ash Ketchum, Formula One Driver
Disclaimers:
I think you know the drill by now. I've been writing this fic for nearly a year now. You should know it by now. If not... well, just look back on past chapters!
Notes From Mario:
Keith, Ash and the rest of the gang have arrived back at Ferrari HQ. The attempt to get both Terrell and Ketchum out of Kanto in one piece was successful. Now, get ready for somewhat of an aftermath as the guys now have to wait to head to Spa Francorchamps for the Grand Prix of Belgium.
Ash Ketchum: Formula One Driver
Chapter 17: Aftermath Of The Kanto Escape
The Other Jennys were pissed that the F1 drivers escaped from their ambush in that Ferrari jet. The drivers would have given up, until I let myself be taken hostage by that Aussie guy Mark Webber. In return for my safety, they let the other guys go, including that cute Canadian driver Riley Jenius. After they left and I returned to Blackthorn City, one of the older Jennys, who is one of the police commissioners in Johto, yelled at me for hours, saying I should have fought back against Webber and I should always listen to them. Like, when was the last time I ever listened to another Jenny? And I'm glad I helped the F1 guys get Keith and Ash out of there. If I did fight Mark Webber, he would have torn me in two!!
A journal entry from the Blackthorn City Officer Jenny, written one day after the escape of Ash and Keith.
Ash, Keith and the rest of the guys limped off the plane at Ferrari HQ. The group of 7 had barely escape with their lives after a Officer Jenny ambush left them with cuts, bruises, scratch marks, internal injuries and damaged "goods". Lucky for them, the Blackthorn Jenny (the same Blackthorn Jenny that had her face cut up by Meowth in 2001) let herself be taken hostage by Mark Webber and got the guys to the Ferrari Jet and out of Kanto. The workers got what's left of Keith's Ferrari 550 Maranello and Ash's Toyota Supra off the plane. Both cars were damaged beyond repair. It was quiet before Rubens whistled as he saw the damage. The Ferrari guys were not pleased that he destroyed their Ferrari, but understood Keith's position in the time. He was targeted by Team Rocket because he was from America. Michael on the other hand, really doesn't like Keith that much and he always let everybody know about it.
"Damn. He pancaked the whole right side of the car! And there's blood on the car too!! He had to hit somebody." Ross Brawn said as he pointed to the now totaled right side of the Ferrari where Keith was slammed into a barrier on the highway to the airport. The front of the car was busted up, due to Keith hitting the stands inside the airport terminal. The windshield was broken also because of the stands. There was plenty of blood on the car as well, meaning Keith had to hit Team Rocket guys and send them blasting off again.
"There's some bullet holes ridden all over the car. Somebody wanted him dead." Jean Todt said as they saw the bullet holes that Team Rocket put into the car, trying to shoot at Keith. Michael touched the door and it fell off the hinges and onto the ground. He looked inside and saw bullet casings, empty ammo magazines, some of his blood on the driver's seat, an M-16 and an Uzi. The Ferrari guys pushed Ash's wrecked car behind the dead Ferrari. Ash's Supra took shit loads of damage trying to get out of Kanto from the police. All of a sudden, the Japanese sports car fell to pieces. The doors, fenders, quarter panels, everything fell off the car. Its engine exploded and small engine pieces were now on the ground.
"Man, that reminds me of that Blues Brothers movie I saw a while back. Their car fell to pieces also after some really hard driving. That was funny." Rubens said as he looked at the now dead Supra,
"Let's fire him." Michael said. Mr. di Montezemolo just shook his head no, much to Michael's disgust.
"I am going to give Mosley and Ecclestone a piece of my mind about Ash when I see them at Belgium." Mr. di Montezemolo said as Ash and Keith stopped right in front of them, with the help of medics. Pikachu, Meowth and Suicune were ready to kill. Some other medics directed the other guys to the med center.
"Don't say... a fucking... word." Ash groaned as he held his ribs,
[I'll shock you like you've never been shocked before.] Pikachu added, ready to shock the Ferrari Boss and everybody around Ash in a moment's notice. Suicune was guarding Keith like he was its child and just growled at the team, telling them to back off. Meowth just extended one of his sharp, powerful claws, just begging them to take one step closer. They would get slashed with Fury Swipes real bad.
"My head... " Keith groaned as the two, along with their Pokémon were helped into an awaiting ambulance to take them to a hospital for observation.
"I think I'm going to give Mr. Terrell a contract extension after all of this crap he was put through. Plus, I want his yearly salary increased to $6 Million Dollars from $2.5 Million effective immediately. And Michael, I do not want to hear your bellyaching or I will cut your salary and give that to Rubens. Is that clear?" The Ferrari boss asked,
"Yeah. Why are you blaming me?!! It's Keith's fault he destroyed the Ferrari!!!" Michael said,
"Mr. Terrell was targeted by Team Rocket!!! They were planning an attack on his home country and wanted to kill him to send a message!!! Now, if Team Rocket wanted to take over Germany and wanted to kill YOU and or your family to send a message, wouldn't you fight for your own life and that of your family?!!!" He asked,
"Hell, those Americans made so many enemies these past 5 years!! I'm surprised that Keith wanted to race in Formula One!!" Michael said, now getting more infuriated on the subject.
"END OF DISCUSSION, MR. SCHUMACHER!!!!! We all know, all of the FIA knows and even I know that you do not like Keith and refuse to work with him!! That is why I ordered you to work with Ross for Rubens' championship run and I have Mr. Todt working with Keith on making him a better driver, so he can make his own run for the title with us in the future. I don't plan on giving up one of the most promising drivers from America because you hate him. I do not want to lose our immensely huge American fan base and neither does Mr. Ecclestone. Americans have been watching Formula One races ever since Keith arrived at Monaco in 2004 and the ratings have increased to an all time high. Our road car sales have skyrocketed since Ross saw Mr. Terrell race in F3000 and brought him here to replace you!!! Is that understood?" Michael just nodded and walked off, leaving the team to salvage the cars. A few minutes later, Mr. di Montezemolo saw that the guys knew what they were doing and headed back to his office to call a press conference later in the day. One hour later, one of the Ferrari gofers entered the Ferrari President's office.
"Pardon me for interrupting, sir. What about the five drivers that Michael ordered to help Ash and Keith? They have been checked over by our doctors and are in the waiting room as we speak." The gofer asked,
"I almost forgot about them. I will see them at once. Oh, once you have told them, head to the garage and tell the crew at Ash's car to send what's left it to Toyota base in Germany. Also, talk to the guys at Keith's car to check for anything that can be saved from it. Make a report of what can be saved and leave it with my secretary." The Ferrari boss ordered,
"At once, sir." The gofer said as he left the office and proceeded to the waiting room.
----------
"How long?" Alex Yoong asked as he and the others sat in the waiting room next to Mr. di Montezemolo's office. They have been waiting there since the group was released from the small medical center next to the Ferrari shop. The gofer has told them that the boss will see them shortly.
"Um... one hour." Mark Webber answered. Riley Jenius didn't listen because he was listening to some music that he got from the Internet and downloaded it into his MP3 player.
"Man, I can still feel those hits that those damn Jennys gave me. How can women who look exactly the same and pack no heat, hit, scratch and slap so damn hard and kick even harder?!!" Jenson Button asked as he held an ice pack to his face,
"At least you didn't get kicked in the nuts like I was Button. I almost lost my two little friends!!" Ronin Vertigo said. His voice was higher than usual, due to the hit to the crotch by one of the Jennys. The five just sat there for a few more minutes until Mr. Montezemolo arrived. Riley was the first to notice him as he was searching for batteries. The ones in his MP3 player ran out.
"Dammit. I should get rechargeable... Oh, hello sir. Idiots, he's here!!!" Riley said as he hit Webber and Yoong behind their heads. Both Minardi drivers gave the Canadian death stares as Button got up and Ronin gingerly got up from his seat, still holding onto his package.
"I must thank you five for helping Ash and Keith get back here in one piece." Mr. di Montezemolo said as the group gingerly stood up,
"That's okay, sir. I wanted to get my Canadian hands on Team Rocket for a long time. But... are you sure Michael asked for us? It sounded more like an order or he'll beat the crap out of us." Riley said as he searched his pockets for batteries,
"Yeah. I mean I almost got my ass kicked by a bunch of chicks in short skirts!! Again!!" Jenson said, referring to the 2003 F1 Invasion. He was ambushed in an alleyway in Celadon City with 10 Officer Jennys. He barely escaped with his life intact.
"Mr. Vertigo. Why are you holding your crotch?" The Ferrari boss asked,
"One of those Officer Jennys kicked me hard in the nuts, sir. She was wearing those damn high heels to boot. I was singing soprano the whole trip back." Ronin said as his hands finally left his privates. He was feeling somewhat better.
"Actually, gentlemen. Michael ordered you five to get them back. Unfortunately, we can't give you anything in return, although I wish I could, seeing how beat up you guys were. Michael didn't want to give anything to get Keith and Ash out. But, you are welcome to stay here and can come with us when the F1 teams have to go to Belgium." The boss offered,
"We have another proposal, sir. One of your personal Bridgestone tire guys is one of Yoong's old buddies. He and the rest of the technicians are jetting to Spa after lunch tomorrow to get some important readings of the track surface for you guys. They said it wouldn't be a problem if they took us with them to Spa, if you gave us permission." Mark Webber said,
"If it's all right with them, it's perfectly all right with me. The least we could do is let you guys stay for the night." Mr. di Montezemolo said,
"That would be just fine. We'll go crash at Keith's place for tonight. The five of us don't want to put up with Schumacher's crap for 2 more days. I'd kill myself if I did." Jenson said,
"Ditto." Ronin Vertigo added,
"Well, please make yourself at home. I have to go to a press conference I called for earlier today."
"Have fun talking to the media sluts." Yoong said after Mr. di Montezemolo left. Back in Keith's house, Mr. di Montezemolo started talking to the media in the Ferrari press conference room about what really happened in Viridian. Keith was checked out by the paramedics and was all right, so he went back to his place to rest. Keith started to watch the telecast when Suicune popped out of his Poké Ball. Suicune wanted to sit on Keith's lap and have the American pet him while they watched the conference.
"We have heard reports that Toyota F1 driver Ash Ketchum and your driver Keith Terrell, might have gotten in some trouble in Ash Ketchum's home country of Japan. Has the young man told you anything about his "adventures" he had?" One reporter asked,
"Well, I would have the two drivers in here right now... but they were very beat up from an angry mob of F1 hating Pokémon trainers, Team Rocket and the law. They are getting some well-deserved rest at the moment and will be at the Belgian Grand Prix. As for their "adventures" as you said, I don't even want to know what Team Rocket and anybody else try to do to them." The boss answered,
"What about the negotiations on Terrell's contract with Ferrari? What will happen if Michael Schumacher wants to race? Would you release Keith for the 6-time champion, retain the services of Rubens Barrichello, lose Terrell and your immense American fan base at the same time to any other team?" Another reporter asked,
"Yeah. I want to know, too!! I want to know if I'm being shipped to Sauber of Jaguar or anywhere!" Keith said as he brushed Suicune while watching the telecast,
"As of right now, Keith Terrell's contract ends this year. Also, the 10th anniversary of Michael coming to Ferrari is next season, plus Rubens Barrichello is fighting for the 2005 Driver's Title with Juan Pablo Montoya. With Terrell's giant fanbase and support from America, we have to keep him. So, I am giving Mr. Terrell a 3-year contract extension worth $24 Million Dollars. I will have a talk with Michael later this week." The Ferrari boss answered as people started taking pictures and talking about the announcement. Keith on the other hand, was smiling. He's going to stay with Ferrari for 3 more years.
[Did you hear that? You get a 3-year contract extension worth $24 Million bucks! That's $8 Million smackers a year!!!] Suicune said,
"I sure did, buddy. I just have to try harder in my races from now on to earn my keep and show them that I can give Rubens a run for his money." Keith answered. He continued to scratch the Legendary Dog Pokémon's mane, but he was distracted for some odd reason.
[Hey, Keith. What's up?] Suicune asked,
"Um... just thinking about her." Keith answered,
[Oh. You want her, don't you?] Suicune asked,
"Well... Um... you see..." Keith tried to get the right words out of his mouth, but couldn't. It's true. He did like Lorelei, but he was too shy to admit it to her.
[You should thank me for hooking you up with her. She might be the one for your sorry ass.] Suicune said and started to yawn. The Dog Pokémon decided to take a nap as Keith took out a card and looked at it for a few moments. He signed, picked up the phone and dialed a number.
"Here goes nothing. Suicune, you're right as always." Keith said as he heard the dial tone go off once... twice... three times. The fourth tone was about to stop until someone picked up the other end. It wasn't the answering machine, much to Keith's disappointment. He was hoping that Lorelei was out somewhere.
"Hello. I'm sorry I couldn't come to the phone as fast as I could. I was just... spacing out." The person said on the other line,
"Oh, don't worry. I had that happen to me in a race and I crashed." Keith answered. The person on the other line gasped before talking to Keith.
"Keith Terrell!!! It that you?!!!" Lorelei asked, very happy to hear Keith's voice after only a few days. She wasn't expecting him to call her at all. Lorelei was probably thinking that she would never see him again, but her fears were long gone.
"Yeah, it's me. Suicune bugged me to call you." Keith said, trying to figure out what to say to her. Talking to women wasn't one of his strong points. Even making small talk with friends is hard for the American.
"This is a big shock!! I was starting to think you weren't going to call me at all!!" Lorelei said, still in some shock of Keith calling her.
"I had to force myself to do so. I'm not that good with women at all. Um... what's been going on in Kanto after Ash and I hightailed it?" Keith asked,
"Well... Lance is still pissed off and still wants to get you and Ash. After you guys got out of there, I stayed at Ash's Mother's house in fear that he'll try something. I just returned to my home 2 hours ago." Lorelei answered,
"If he does try to harm you, just call me. I'm sure I can convince Mr. di Montezemolo to let you stay here for a while. I won't let anybody hurt any of Ash's friends or new friends that I've met this past two weeks." Keith said. He gasped slightly, because he didn't think of Lorelei as a friend. Actually, he does consider her a friend.
"I can take care of myself, Keith. But, thank you anyway for worrying about me. I wouldn't mind seeing Italy one of these days, so I'll think about that offer of yours." Lorelei said,
"Actually, Lorelei. I want to thank you." Keith said, just blurting out that last part. His shyness was already kicking in, but he was determined to fight it.
"Thank me? For what?" Lorelei asked,
"For having the honor of meeting a beautiful woman like you back in Celadon City." Keith said and he started blushing. Already his mind was asking himself, why did I do that?!! Lorelei was also blushing at her end of the line. Even though she met him just 2 weeks ago, she actually likes Keith a bit and decided to hit on him for awhile.
"Well, you don't need to thank me. It's not everyday that a very handsome driver from Formula One does some sweet-talking to me. And it's not everyday that a cute American like you can sweet talk me." Lorelei said. She was pouring on that womanly charm and she knew that Keith was about to babble like the village idiot. She gave a small laugh when Keith tried to say something, but failed.
----------
Later that night, Ross Brawn and his team finished up loading all the cars, engines and equipment for the trip to Spa in Belgium. Since Ferrari and the rest of the F1 teams don't have to leave until the day after tomorrow, he told the guys to take the next day off, but made sure they were all at the Ferrari base the next morning. Upon leaving the office that he and Jean Todt share, he noticed that Michael Schumacher was still in his office. Upon entering, Ross saw Michael hogtied and gagged with some Ferrari souvenirs on the floor and was trying to move towards him.
"Michael? What happened?" Ross said as he undid the Ferrari flag around Michael's mouth so he can talk. The first thing that came out of the German's mouth was wave after wave of swears in German. After spewing out some curses, Michael calmed down long enough to tell Ross what happened.
"Damn idiots got pissed off that I didn't pay them for getting Keith and Ash here!! So, Vertigo and Yoong hogtied me, Button gagged me and Webber held me still while they did it!!" Michael said angrily as Ross finally untied him from his binds. Immediately, he ran out of his office and Ferrari HQ, on a beeline to Keith's small house. It was a nice place that overlooks Ferrari's test track and has a good view of the Ferrari base that houses the F1 team and its exotic car factory. The Ferrari grounds also have a Historic Museum next to the HQ, where all Ferraris in history were made as well as past F1 cars are displayed for the public to see. Keith's house was built next to a house where all kinds of pictures of Ferrari and Formula One's past were on display inside. The house used to serve as an office and a place where drivers would stay for testing. Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari used this house to see F1 races when he couldn't go to the races himself. Now, it is a part of Ferrari's past as well as Formula One's past. The two houses next to this piece of history are the houses of Keith and Rubens Barrichello. Since the FIA passed a new rule in late 2003, which made the F1 teams build a house near their HQ for their drivers to live in during the season. The reason, to have the drivers work more closely with the teams by having them live near the team instead of drivers jetting back to wherever. Amazingly, this new rule is a popular one and it also saw the drivers get along much better than usual. Keith's pad was a normal 2-bedroom, 1 bath, big kitchen house that is usually shared with two drivers. Suicune usually has a habit of sleeping in the other bedroom when Keith lets him out. Rubens' place is bigger with 4 bedrooms, 2 baths and everything you need because Rubens' family sometimes comes to Italy to spend some family time. Most of the time, Rubens lets Michael sleep in a lot, but Rubens heads home to Brazil 6 times out of the F1 year. Keith doesn't have anywhere to go in the U.S., so he is always there, showing to the others that he does deserve to stay with Ferrari. Unlike what Michael Andretti did when he raced in F1 back in '93. Before Michael kicked Keith's door down, he could hear a lot of rowdy cheering inside. The guys were watching The Osbournes on MTV.
"Hey, The Osbournes!! I love this show!!" Jenson Button said as the usual bleep fest inside the house of Ozzy Osbourne. Already, Riley was laughing his ass off, Webber couldn't believe what he was seeing, Ronin was starting to drink his vodka and Yoong excused himself to go call Paul Stoddart at Minardi to tell him that the two were alive.
"Now all we need is some Black Sabbath playing." Riley said and Keith got up from his seat. He headed to his room upstairs and the group heard some rustling upstairs. Moments later, Keith came back down with a box labeled "Ozzy Stuff."
"Your wish is my command. I got every Ozzy tape and CD ever made!!" Keith said as he pulled out a lot of tapes and CDs of Ozzy's music,
"Kick ass!! Crack up the stereo!!! I wanna ride the Crazy Train!!" Riley said and Keith put in one of Ozzy Osbourne's latest CD's. Before the music started to blast from Keith's 10-CD changer player, Michael started bashing the door.
"I know you 5 assholes are in there!!! I'm going to kill all of you for hogtying me in my own office!! Terrell!! Open this damn door, NOW!!!" Michael yelled out as he pounded on Keith's front door,
"You hogtied Michael in his office? This I got to hear." Keith said,
"Oh, it wasn't anything big. We went down to the Ferrari gift shop, bought a few flags and t-shirts, busted into Schumi's office, Webber pinned him to the floor and the rest of us hogtied him." Ronin answered,
"What gave you that idea?" Keith asked,
"THAT'S IT! I'm kicking this door down!! What? Don't tell me to get out of my way!! I'm Michael Schumacher, dammit!! HEY!!!" Michael's voice was gone, now replaced by that of a pizza delivery guy.
"Mr. Terrell. I have your 8 large pizzas here." The delivery guy said,
"Oh, thanks kid. COME AND GET IT, BOYS!!!" Keith yelled out and like a raging river heading to flood a town, Webber and the others ran to the front door to get their own pizzas.
"The one with everything on it is mine!!" Webber yelled out as he took his from the delivery guy,
"I ordered the bacon with extra cheese." Riley said as he appeared out of nowhere and took his pizza from the delivery guy,
"The olives, mushrooms and sausage belongs to me." Ronin said as he took his pizza,
"If it's hamburger, green peppers and American cheese mixed with mozzarella, that's mine!!" Jenson said as he took his pizza, opened the box up and already started eating a piece right off the bat!!
"The all veggie with pepperoni is all mine." Yoong said as Keith handed the Malaysian his pizza,
"That leaves me with my extra American/mozzarella, bacon and pepperoni. How much, buddy?" Keith asked,
"$74.32, sir. And the giant bag of Pokémon food you also ordered too." The delivery guy answered as he pointed to the bag of real good Pokémon food next to the car.
"I'll get that for you." Webber said as he placed his pizza down on a table and grabbed the 80 lbs. bag of Pokémon food while Keith paid for the food and tipped the delivery guy.
"Just place it in the kitchen, Mark. Suicune and the others will come running." Keith said as the Australian went to the kitchen and placed the bag of Pokémon food on the floor. Once Webber did that, Keith's Poké Balls opened up and all six of his Pokémon were ready to chow down!! After watching this, Michael just shrugged his shoulders and gave up on his mission. Instead, he walked to Rubens' place to check up on his young protégé. He found Rubens inside, already finished packing his clothes for the trip to Belgium.
"Oh. Hey, Michael. I didn't hear you come in. What's up with Keith's place? I hear nothing but partying over there." Rubens said, noting the Ozzy Osbourne music blaring from Keith's house.
"Damn American is protecting his stupid friends from me." Michael said as he sat down at a table across from Rubens, who was enjoying a glass of orange juice and reading an F1 magazine.
"Oh, they hogtied you, didn't they?" Rubens asked, leaving Michael with a look of "How did you know?" on his face. After shaking off thought of killing Rubens, Michael got back to the real reason he's here.
"Where's Ash?" Michael asked,
"Sleeping upstairs. I wouldn't disturb them if I were you. Meowth can sense people near him and will slash accordingly. Besides, the poor kid needs his rest after what he's been through." Rubens said as he downed his O.J. From past experience with Ash, never awake him at all when he's sleeping. For some odd reason, Meowth can tell during sleep when somebody is going to rudely interrupt Ash's slumber and will use Fury Swipes to get the person out. Michael learned that out the hard way when Ash started his F1 career.
----------
The next day arrived quickly at Maranello. For Jenson, Yoong, Webber, Riley and Ronin, they were already up. Trying to shake off the effects of last night's party. It was hangover city for the guys.
"Hey, dumbass. Get up. We got a plane to catch to Belgium in 2 hours." Jenson Button said, still groggy from last night as he slapped a barely awake Alex Yoong in the back of the head.
"A plane... OH!! Now I remember. I'm going back to sleep." Yoong said as he went back to sleep. After that, Jenson gave up and he went back to sleep also. Keith slowly made his way downstairs and expected the place to still be a mess from last night. To his surprise, he saw Marowak already finished cleaning the house. He was getting over one hell of a hangover.
"Ugh. That's the last time I'm throwing a party in this house with those guys. They're worse than me when partying." Keith yawned as he almost tripped over Riley. He looked down and saw that Riley was still sleeping. As well as the others. Somebody knocked on the door and Marowak went to answer it. The Ground Pokémon opened the door and let Rubens Barrichello inside after pointing to the other guys.
"Big party?" The Brazilian asked,
[You don't know the half of it, brother.] Marowak said as he went back to finish the cleaning job. Then, Rubens heard the sound of puking coming from Keith's bathroom. Lo and behold, Keith was there. Barfing. The hangover was at its final and really bad stages.
"This... is the last... party I am... throwing!!!" Keith moaned as he continued to hurl. Rubens decided to leave until he tripped over one of the other guys. He looked down and saw Mark Webber sleeping like a baby. He then remembered that the 5 guys have to catch the with the Bridgestone guys in less than two hours.
"The hell... WAKE UP!!! You guys have to catch the place!!!" Rubens yelled loudly into Webber's ear, but the Australian didn't even wake up. After that, the Legendary Dog Pokémon Suicune waltzed into the house after having his usual morning run through the Italian countryside. He saw all five drivers still sleeping from the party.
[They should be up by now to get that plane. Oh, well. I'll do it myself.] Suicune said to himself as he used his teeth to drag Webber outside. Marowak came out of the bathroom after handing Keith some Alka-Seltzer and saw Suicune drag Mark Webber outside with Rubens looking on.
[Enjoy your run, Suicune?] Marowak asked. All Rubens is doing is just watching the Pokémon have their discussion in the Pokémon language. He doesn't understand what the two Pokémon are saying, unlike Ash.
[It was all right. Now, if you're done helping Keith get over his puke spell, help me get these idiots outside so I can hose them down.] Suicune said as he continued to drag Webber's sleeping body outside. Marowak decided to help and grabbed Ronin to drag his sleeping Russian ass outside. The Ground Pokémon looked up at Rubens.
[You could give us a hand instead of just standing there.] Marowak said, knowing that Rubens wouldn't understand him at him. Rubens looked at Marowak and decided that he should help out. So, he picked up Alex Yoong and took him outside to where Suicune has stopped dragging Webber and placed him down on the grass. Marowak placed Ronin next to Yoong as Suicune and Rubens returned with Jenson and Riley. Suicune pounced onto the roof of Keith's house, ready to use Hydro Pump on the sleeping drivers.
"Those guys are going to have one hell of a hangover and think that they are drowning at the same time." Rubens said,
[I think we better get way back. We're in Hydro Pump range.] Marowak said as he grabbed Rubens' hand to lead him back to the house. Then, Suicune used Hydro Pump. A giant blasting stream of water shot out of Suicune's mouth and directed it towards the 5 sleeping drivers. As soon as the water wave blasted them, they all woke up and panicking like crazy!!! Suicune stopped the water attack and all five guys were fully awake, wondering why they are outside of Keith's house and have been drenched head to toe with water. Jenson on the other hand, was thinking that he was drowning.
"Oh my god!! I'm drowning!!! Somebody help me!!" Jenson yelled out as he flailed his arms all over the place. Yoong, Webber, Riley and Ronin just looked on at the pitiful sight until Rubens came to his "rescue" and picked him off the ground.
"You're drowning, huh? I just wish I had my video camera with me. You flailing around like that was priceless." Rubens said,
"What? Barrichello?!! What are you doing here in the middle of the ocean?!!" Button asked, his mind still not awake. So, Rubens slapped him around a few times and stopped. Jenson looked around and finally realized that he was outside at the Ferrari grounds, soaking wet and the other guys wringing the water out of their clothes.
"Man, that's the last time I'm partying with you guys. You're worse than the F3000 guys." Ronin said as he pounded his head to get out some water,
"Oh, my head. This is going to be one bad hangover." Webber said as he fell to the ground, holding his now painfully pounding head.
"Well, get your ass up and follow me. I got the perfect Brazilian remedy for removing hangovers real fast. You idiots will be good as new and on that plane in no time." Rubens said as he helped Webber to his feet and the hungover group made their way slowly to Rubens house. Keith Pokémon returned to the house where Keith got over his hangover, thanks to an old remedy that he got from his grandparents. He placed Suicune's bowl of Pokémon food on the floor and Marowak's bowl on the table. After they ate for 10 minutes, Keith wondered where the other guys were at.
"Hey, guys. Where are the guys?" Keith asked,
[Rubens took the losers back to his place. Something about him having the perfect Brazilian remedy to removing hangovers.] Suicune said,
"Oh, dear. Those guys are going to have it. Right about... now." Keith said and right on cue, the frightened screams of Webber, Yoong, Riley, Jenson and Ronin were coming from Rubens house. The Brazilian remedy for hangovers usually has some pain on the side.
[I've got to find out what the Brazilian remedy for curing hangovers is from Rubens later.] Marowak said as he went back to eating his Pokémon food.
----------
At noon, the plane for the Bridgestone tire technicians was ready for takeoff after talking to the Ferrari test drivers Luca Badoer and Luciano Burti. Right on time, the five drivers were there, scared shitless from Rubens' hangover remedy. They didn't even talk to Mr. di Montezemolo, who was telling the Bridgestone guys the importance of getting all the readings of the track as they can!!
"Hey, guys... uh, what's happened to you 5?" One of the Bridgestone guys asked. Yoong was the first one to get onboard. In fact, he literally jumped into the plane.
"Get this thing out of here!! I want to be as far as I can from Dr. Pain over there!!!" Yoong yelled out, pointing at Rubens. The others ran into the plane and hid also.
"Rubens. I am not going to ask you what you did to them at all. I don't even want to know." Mr. di Montezemolo said. Then, everybody heard the war cry of one Michael Schumacher, as he ran for the plane to get his hands of the five guys. He wants revenge and wants it bad!!
"STOP THOSE BASTARDS!! I WANT TO KILL THEM!!! They won't get away from me!!! They'll pay for hogtying me!!" Michael yelled out as the plane started to head for the runway. Michael was determined to get his hands on them before Belgium. But, the plane was much more faster than Michael and was in the air, heading for Spa. The 6-time champion stopped running and yelled out in frustration, laced with some swears muttered in German. As the small group looked on, Keith appeared bruised and battered from taking Suicune for a "walk" as Luca Badoer likes to put it bluntly. Suicune usually loves to run through the countryside, while Keith is holding onto Suicune's leash for dear life as he hits the ground a lot. The Ferrari boss was the first to see Keith limp to him.
"Did Michael get them?" Keith asked, holding onto his left side. His clothes were dirty and ripped up with some cuts all over his body, as well as a lot of bruises.
"No. The jet took off for Spa with the others. Why is Michael pissed off at those young men?" He asked,
"All I know from Ross is that they hogtied Michael. That is all I know, sir." Keith said as he winced from the pain on his ribs. Luciano looked at Keith and asked,
"You took Suicune out for a "walk?"
"Damn straight. Damn dog jumped over a wall and I crashed into it head first." Keith groaned as Suicune just looked on and wondered why his master didn't enjoy today's "walk." Keith was hanging onto the leash for dear life while Suicune ran at fast speeds all over the place. Later that day, Ash finally woke up in one of Rubens' spare bedrooms. Pikachu and Meowth were already waking up as well. One of the medics used something on Ash that made him sleep for 18 hours at the most by mistake. Pikachu and Meowth were so tired that they slept as long as Ash did. Because of his long nap, Ash was feeling recharged, mind, body and soul, for the first time in a year.
"Man. I've never slept that good in a long time. I wonder when we're heading for Belgium?" Ash asked as he got out of the bed. He noticed that Rubens got his backpack, which was full of his clothes and other stuff, from the totaled Supra. Ash saw that Pikachu and Meowth were not fully awake yet, so he decided to take a quick shower before trying to find out when the Ferrari team is leaving. Minutes later, Ash appeared refreshed after the shower and threw on some fresh clothes. He headed downstairs and heard some voices from Ruben's kitchen.
"Hit me. Um... Hit me. I'll stay." Ash heard Michael's voice from the kitchen so he went to investigate. He then heard Meowth's voice next.
"Hit me. Aw, crap!!!" Playing cards slapping the table was heard as Ash finally saw what was going on. Michael, Rubens, Keith, Pikachu, Meowth and Luca Badoer were playing Blackjack with Pikachu as the dealer.
"Hit me. DAMMIT!!!" Keith yelled out as he threw his cards into the discard pile,
"Blackjack." Rubens said as he showed a king and an ace from his cards, much to Luca Badoer's dismay.
"Lucky bastard. Hit me." The Italian said as Pikachu tossed him a card. "I'll stay." He said. Pikachu turned over her cards, which were an 8 and a 6, giving her 14. She placed one card next to the others and that was all she wrote. A 10 was the card and Badoer, Michael and Rubens were the winners. Actually, Rubens has already won. The group didn't notice Ash until Luca Badoer had to go back to the test track to do some more shakedown runs with the brand new F2006-07. Ferrari's first new chassis in 2 years.
"Hey. About time you got up, Ketchum. We were about to draw straws to see who is going to kiss you awake." Luca Badoer said and that got a small chuckle from the guys at the table,
"Shut the hell up, test driver. I haven't slept that good in a year. What did those medics give me?" Ash asked as he peaked inside Rubens' fridge for something to eat, while Luca excused himself to go back to work. "Hey, where's Webber, Riley and the others?" Ash asked,
"They're gone. They went to Spa with the Bridgestone guys. Michael wanted to kill them for what they did to him." Rubens said as Michael started brooding,
Why can't you guys just drop it?! HUH?!! Michael thought as Ash poured himself a glass of O.J. and sat down after Badoer left,
"I don't know what they did to him. I was sleeping. If I know Ronin, he probably convinced those guys to hogtie Michael in his office." Ash said, earning a look of pure hatred from the German.
"You know, Ash is right. Ronin would do that. He told me he did that to his figure skating family one time and missed an important competition. They still haven't forgiven him for that." Keith said as he laughed for a bit.
----------
The rest of the day came and went and the nighttime seemed that it didn't want to stick around that much. It was fine with the Ferrari team, though. The crewmembers for Rubens and Keith's cars have arrived and already loaded up the transporters onto the cargo jets for the trip to Belgium. As for Rubens and Keith, they were getting psyched up for another Grand Prix of the FIA Formula One World Circuit. Already thinking on how to run the track, Rubens and Keith visualized the track in their minds and pictured a flying lap around Spa Francorchamps. Keith should have the upper hand because he won his first ever Formula One Grand Prix win there last year. Rubens finished in 6th place in that race also. As for Ash, he was a bit nervous going to Belgium without the Toyota team for the first time. So, he was an outsider to the Italian team, even though he did total $16 Million Dollars worth of Ferraris during his training. Ash just held onto Pikachu as he and Meowth boarded the jet that will take Rubens, Keith, Ross Brawn, Jean Todt, Michael and other big shots at Ferrari to the track. The rest of the team is on a normal passenger airliner that has taken off, along with the two cargo jets with the team's cars and equipment.
"So, Ross. What's our E.T.A. at Spa?" Meowth asked, starting to get bored of the silence as the Ferrari jet waited for takeoff.
"5 to 6 hours with a refuel stop in Germany, I would say. I would probably add another hour because the other teams are going to be landing at the same major airport as us. So, we decided to take off an hour later than our cargo jets." Ross Brawn answered, also tired of the silence. Rubens and Keith were already discussing their plans of attack at Spa with Jean Todt and Michael Schumacher.
"We know we can't use last year's setups on my car and Rubens, due to that new patchwork they did at the Bus Stop Chicane. Although we could, but we have to run some laps on that new patch to figure out anything." Keith said as he showed the guys an updated track map and circled the Bus Stop Chicane, which was now all concrete.
"We don't know how the Bridgestones will work on this concrete patch. If the Michelin guys do like the concrete patch, we're out of the running for the win." Michael said,
"I'm still worried about what the FIA will do to Rubens after they found that board under the car was shaved off too much at the European GP. If he gets DQ, Montoya will take the win and change this championship real good." Jean Todt added,
"Wasn't Montoya's car having that same plank problem at Hungary? As I tried to get the lead back, the bottom of the car was hitting the ground a lot. Is the FIA looking into this as well?" Keith asked,
"I don't know what the FIA is going to rule for. But, let's not let this problem stray us from the task at hand. Trying to win the Driver's and Constructor's Championships." Michael said and the guys nodded. Ash kept silent as he watched the brains and the drivers of Ferrari make their battle plans for Belgium. Moments after takeoff, Ash decided to get in a small nap and dozed off, dreaming of his friends and Mother back home in Pallet.
To Be Continued...
Coming up next... Ash Ketchum makes his return to the Formula One paddock as the Grand Prix of Belgium weekend gets underway!!! It's going to be a fun reunion for Ash as he sees his friends/rivals for the first time in a month. How is the time he spent in Kanto, going to affect his driving as he gets back to the thick of the Formula One circus? Look out for Chapter 18 of Ash Ketchum: Formula One Driver!!
Have a question? Have anything to say? Just leave a review of send anything to Hornet19us@Yahoo.com to say your mind. If you have any good questions to ask me about this fanfic, please go ahead and send them. All e-mails from you fans will be accepted. Even flames.
Mario Alvarado
1/13/2003