Disclaimers:
I don't own Formula One. I don't own the teams. I don't own Pokémon. I do own Keith Terrell, Riley Jenius, Ronin Vertigo, Francois Deletraz and Celia Jenius, because I created them.
Mario Alvarado's Notes:
Keith Terrell has won the Grand Prix of Italy for the second year in a row, thanks to Ash Ketchum making rookie mistakes and Rubens Barrichello for pulling over. In this chapter, the crash in chapter 27 will come back to haunt Keith in a big way. Also, a powerful Pokémon whom Ash and Keith encountered in Kanto arrives at Monza and you won't believe who is crazy enough to capture it!! Lastly, one certain driver will be getting some bad news that will affect his career.
Ash Ketchum: Formula One Driver
Chapter 29: Don't Celebrate Just Yet!!!
"How can this be, Mr. Terrell? That giant Pokémon you caught nearly killed you and you end up finishing 5th in the race today? Finished the race with some broken ribs, a fractured ankle and a broken leg? That is not possible. I would have had those U.S. Marines kill me before I would ever clear you to race!"
"I've had worse injuries than this, Doc. I was shot 6 times in the body in a gunfight when I was 9 years old."
"6 times? And you lived? You should be dead, Mr. Terrell."
A conversation between Professor Sid Watkins and Keith Terrell 4 hours after the 2004 European GP.
"This is the Italian Grand Prix post race conference and we have the top three finishers here with us. It's Keith Terrell, Rubens Barrichello and Ash Ketchum. Keith, congratulations on your 2nd Italian Grand Prix victory today in front of the Italian fans here at Monza. This is your 4th Formula One Grand Prix victory and your second this year. What was going through your mind after the giant crash at the start?"
Keith Terrell: It's one of those things that you don't want to happen to anybody else, let alone yourself. I thought I was going to die when I slammed into the Armco after my throttle stuck. But the cars today are so well built that it withstood busting through the Armco at around 150 and tearing through some trees before coming to a stop just like that. I didn't want to get in my spare for fear of another crash, but I coaxed myself to race. That is what I get paid for and what everybody else gets paid to do. We all just sucked it up and took it easy before the real racing began. I'm just happy nobody was injured in the wreck.
"We all saw you help your teammate, Rubens Barrichello pick your way through the field after the two of you had to get in your newly built spare cars. How did that affect your plan for the race?"
Keith Terrell: Rubens was really screwed up after the crash where he was the preverbal meat in a Sauber sandwich. Knowing that Montoya was up at the front and in a position to gain a lot of points, I had to baby him through the traffic and spent most of our day at the back before the two of us caught up to Ash. We're lucky that he got that drive-thru penalty or he would have won.
"Since there are no team orders anymore, did you plan on letting Rubens pass you and to hold off Ash so Rubens can win and take the points?"
Keith Terrell: Well... that WAS my plan. I knew the Ferrari brass wanted to let Rubens win so he could gain more points on Montoya for the title. After we passed Ash, I accidentally locked up at the Lesmo when I was thinking about something else and Rubens shot by. I was about to back off to hold off Ketchum, but he locked up his brakes at Ascari and he let me by and let me take the win. I know that Mr. di Montezemolo told us that there are no team orders between Rubens and I and we can race against each other for wins.
"Were you ever worried that Ash would run away with this race after the 2nd start? And what was your role in helping Rubens catch up to Ketchum?"
Keith Terrell: Yeah. Rubens and I were mired in the back as Ash rocketed through the field in a few laps. That Toyota engine he has sure had some horses in it. The whole field couldn't keep up with him!!! Hell, I couldn't keep up with him... and Ferrari has a powerful engine! And they even put BMW to shame. Toyota sure did their homework today, that's for sure. As for my role, I knew Rubens was a bit shaken up after the crash. So, I had to babysit him until he was confident to race. By that time, we were 20 seconds behind him. I was driving like a bat out of hell with Rubens barely keeping up. Then, we saw the dust, meaning he must have did some rally racing in the lesmos or whatever you call that turn. Then, it was easy for me to draft his ass, then Rubens got our draft and passed both of us for the lead. I then passed Ash for 2nd and that was that.
"Thank you, Keith. Rubens, it really was a bad wreck at the first start. Now, after the 2nd start... how was your mindset and were you worried that you would finish 2nd to Ash for the second straight Grand Prix?"
Rubens Barrichello: My mindset wasn't all there when the race restarted. It took me around 19 laps to get my usual racing mindset, but my heart wasn't there after the wreck. As for catching Ash, Keith passed and cleared open lanes for me during the race. I just tagged along for the ride and drafted off him. We clawed our way back to 20 seconds with 2 laps to go and all of a sudden we see a cloud of dust and gravel all over the Curve del Serraglio straight. I thought one of the lapped cars went off. We came to Curva del Vialone and Ketchum was fighting for grip through that turn and Variante Ascari. He went wide on the exit of the chicane and didn't have enough speed to hold us off coming into the Parabolica. I was drafting off Keith's car and he made his move on Ash in the Parabolica, in which Keith passed Ash for the lead, then I passed him on the straight and took 2nd. Overall, It was a great race for the fans to see. It had a lot of passing for all positions today.
"During the one hour break to repair the cars, Ferrari had to get new spare cars build from the ground up. Whose idea was it not to bring the spare cars? Did you think you were almighty at Monza?"
Rubens Barrichello: You can blame that one on Michael. He insisted that the team don't bring along any of the spare cars for Keith and I. When we return to home base, Mr. di Montezemolo is going to kill Michael for not bringing the spare cars. The whole team should get a raise for building two spare cars from the ground up in an hour. Right now, I just want to kick back and forget about being the meat in a Sauber sandwich. Maybe, I'll get some roast beef on sourdough later.
"Well, then. Enjoy. Last question, Rubens. With two races left, it's still down to you and Montoya by a handful of points in the ever so important Driver's Championship. Who has the psychological edge at this juncture in time?"
Rubens Barrichello: Well, I had a chance to race for the Driver's Title last year against David Coulthard. I lost by a lot!! This is my second time fighting for the Title and Montoya's first time. So, I would say that I have the psychological advantage.
"Thank you, Rubens. Ash, you won the last GP at Spa, now you almost won Italy. Was your Toyota on steroids?"
Ash Ketchum: Well... I wouldn't say that. Ever since I won Belgium, my focus has been renewed greatly that when I'm in the car, I can finally bring out its maximum potential. I'm a bit pissed off at myself for losing the race due to wearing out my Michelin tires. As for the Toyota on steroids, the engine guys developed this new, more powerful engine, which slaughters the BMW engine and Chevrolet engine in the horsepower department.
"Well, you looked like you were on your way to winning your 2nd race in a row, but what exactly happen in the Lesmos with 2 laps left?"
Ash Ketchum: Well... I misjudged my speed into Lesmo 1 and went off-road. I thought I had a 20 second lead and I just cruised through the gravel and made my way back on the track. I just made a rookie mistake. Then, I see two red cars behind me and I knew that I must have blown my whole lead in the gravel. So, I went into the Ascari chicane too deep and I ended up going through the gravel once again, damaging the under tray of the car. Then, Keith passed me in the Parabolica along with Rubens and that was it. I couldn't get close to them at all to take the lead back.
"With your win at Belgium and now your 3rd place here today, do you think you might have a shot to be a contender for the win at the United States Grand Prix in two weeks with your new momentum?"
Ash Ketchum: I don't know, really. Indianapolis hasn't been good to me in my last 2 visits, so I don't think I'll be able to fight for the win there.
"Thank you, Ash. Keith, you won this race last year and the Tifosi went wild when you did. This time, you win with Rubens behind you, holding off Ketchum. Can you describe the feelings you have it like being an American driver with Ferrari?"
Keith Terrell: The Tifosi were cheering so loudly that it drowned out my engine. It was deafening. I pulled into Parc Ferme and I look into the crowd and I see all these Ferrari fans waving American flags. It... kinds of gets you right here. This means a lot to me.
"We're heading to Indianapolis for the United States Grand Prix in two weeks time. Do you think you can actually win the race this year and not have a repeat of the riots last year?"
Keith Terrell: God, I hope so. I'm destined to win that race. I would have won it if Rubens didn't try to pass me for the lead. We both spun out and that damn Irvine took MY win!!! MY win!!! MINE!!! MINE I TELL YOU!!! If anybody does that to me again, there will be riots 7 times worse than last time!!!
"Um... Thank you, Keith for... that colorful... comment of yours. And now Rubens and Ash, a comment about the race in your home languages."
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Keith exited the press room as the others were giving their comments of the race in their native tongues. As he made his way to the Ferrari lounge to speak with Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo, he wasn't feeling too well. After arriving at the press conference, he felt dizzy and light headed. His dizziness started after being doused with champagne by Rubens for stealing the win from right under Ash's nose. He had a hard time walking because his vision was blurry and everything around him was spinning real fast. A few steps later, his mind blanked out and he found himself on the ground. A few Monza officials saw Keith fall to the ground and rushed to his aid.
"Get some people here to rush him to the FIA Infirmary!! Keith Terrell's unconscious!" The guy yelled out as a few other officials arrived. Inside the Ferrari lounge, the Ferrari Boss was awaiting the arrival of his winning driver, unaware of Keith's problems at that moment. The sound of the door opening and closing made Mr. di Montezemolo look up to see one of his aides with a cell phone on one hand and an "I'm gonna die!!" look on his face.
"Pardon me for interrupting, Mr. Montezemolo. You have two very important phone calls, both from America." The aide said,
"Who would call me in the United States? It should be around 10 A.M. over there. Who is it?" The Ferrari boss asked,
"Well, the corporate offices of the Frito-Lay are on line one and the big wigs of Pepsi-Cola are on line two." The aide answered as he handed the phone to the boss,
"Frito-lay and Pepsi? This is unexpected." Mr. di Montezemolo said as he answered the phone. "This is Ferrari president, Luca di Montezemolo speaking." He answered on line one. A few seconds later, a look of shock appeared on the boss' face. "You did? They ate what? You want to pay us what? Why, yes. I do think we have a good place to advertise that particular brand of chips that Keith and Rubens ate this morning on our Ferraris. You want to sign with us at 11 A.M. your time? Great. Thank you for watching the race." He said as a smile appeared on his face as he ended the call. Seconds later, he started talking to the Pepsi guys on line two. "This is, Luca di Montezemolo speaking. Oh, you did? He did? Well, now... I think we can find a nice, big place to advertise your product on our Ferraris, especially on Keith's car." The Boss said. There was nothing more satisfying than getting some new sponsors on the Ferraris.
The Toyota team were already getting the equipment and cars ready to packed up into their transporters, but most of them were working on getting Ash's primary car ready to be shipped back to Germany after its crash. As for Toyota's 3rd place finisher, he was inside the Toyota lounge on his cell phone talking to a very important person.
"I'm still pissed off, Mom. I had the race won!! But I screwed up. I would have had a shot to get it back at Ascari, but Barrichello let Keith by and I had to hit the brakes to avoid him." Ash said. He was still bitter about losing the event and decided to call his Mother in Pallet.
"Oh, don't be so hard on yourself, Ash. You did the best you could. I'm not disappointed because you lost." Delia said. Since Vidphones are only found in Kanto and Johto and not anywhere else in the world, Delia was speaking to Ash through the voice only option.
"It's not that I lost. It's the way I lost." Ash said, still being his stubborn self.
"I told you, Ash. You ego side got the better of you!!" Brock's voice was heard on the other line, causing Ash to panic a bit.
"Who was that?!!" Ash asked, panicking that somebody he knew watched his mistake on worldwide TV.
"Ash, calm down. That was only Brock." Delia answered, trying to calm her son down, but to no avail.
"I thought you were on my side, Brock!!! You traitor!!" Ash said,
"I am, Ash. But that ego problem you have got in you way again." Brock said. Ash thought about something for a second, then he walked out onto pit lane to face the people still left in the paddock.
"OKAY!! IF ANY OF YOU PEOPLE CAN HEAR ME, RAISE YOUR HANDS IF YOU THINK I HAVE AN EGO PROBLEM!!!" Ash yelled out. Everybody in the paddock, as well as a lot of the fans raised their hands. Even a few Toyota team members raised their hands too.
"Traitors." Ash muttered to himself. As he was about to press the "off" button on the cell phone, Delia stopped him.
"Before you hang up, Ash. That nice, young girl Duplica came by a few days ago." Delia said,
"She did? What for?" Ash asked,
"Well, she gave me her phone number and wanted me to give it to you the next time you called home." She answered,
"Well, I'll be damned. I'll be sure to call her during the off time." Ash said and the call ended after Delia telling Duplica's number to Ash. He looked at the small card he wrote the number on and placed it inside his wallet. He planned on calling Duplica sometime soon. He was thinking about what to say to her when somebody decided to interrupt his thoughts.
"Well, Ash. Are you planning you revenge on the American and that other guy?" A female voice asked. Ash turned around and saw Giselle standing next to him.
"No, not really. Still pissed off about losing the race with a lap left." Ash grumbled, forcing himself to remember the Ferraris passing him down the pit straight.
"Actually, I was on the edge of my seat up on the paddock. This was a very exciting race and I was glad to see you up front." Giselle said,
"I bet my fan club nearly died when I lost the lead." Ash said, as he laughed a bit, probably picturing the members of his fan club dying at the sight of him losing the race.
"Well, I'm on my way home to Kanto and I'll become the newest member of your fan club. Good luck at the United States Grand Prix." Giselle said, as she was about to walk to the hotel she was staying and prepare for the jet trip back to Japan.
"I'll need all the luck I can get, Giselle. Indianapolis hasn't been good to me the past 2 years." Ash said, seeing her walk away and stopping to look at him.
"Oh, don't be so hard on yourself, Mr. Ketchum. That track owes you a good finish." Giselle said as she gave him a cute wink and Ash waved bye to her. Moments later, she was on her way to the hotel. Ash felt a bit better and decided to get something to eat. Leading a race for a long time and then losing it can make a guy hungry.
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Keith woke up and found himself laying down on a bed inside the FIA Infirmary. He started feeling dizzy and light headed after the Italian Grand Prix post race press conference. He nearly fainted after leaving the press room and some guys took him to see Professor Sid Watkins, F1's resident doctor to see what was wrong with him this time. After waking up, the F1 doc arrived to check up on him.
"Well, Mr. Terrell. Looks like you had a dizzy spell when you left the press room. I bet you didn't get any nutrients in your body during the red flag. All the drivers got something to eat to get their energy up. And that crash you had might have been the start of your dizzy spell. I was amazed that you didn't black out during the event." The doc said as he looked over Keith one final time,
"Sorry, doc. I was just too focused all day about catching up with Ash and making sure Rubens was still behind me." Keith said, groaning a bit as he shifted around on the bed to get more comfortable.
"Don't blame yourself, Keith. Now, just take a nap here and I'll clear you to go to celebrate your win and another Ferrari 1-2." The doc said. "Actually, Mr. Terrell. Before you go party, eat a couple of burgers with a side of fries to get something in your stomach. Doctor's orders." Prof. Sid said and Keith stifled a laugh after the doc left. Keith started to doze off when he heard someone yawning in the bed to his right, causing him to wake up.
"Huh? Who's that?" Keith said as he looked around,
"It's just me, Terrell." The voice said from Keith's right. It was David Coulthard with an IV stuck in his arm. The Scot finished 4th, around a minute behind the two Ferraris and Ash. He passed Juan Montoya in the Parabolica on the last lap, which was one of the best on track battles of the race.
"Dehydration?" Keith asked,
"Yeah. Damn race was bloody hot today. I passed out when I got to Parc Ferme. That was the hardest earned 5 points I got in my life. What about you?" David asked,
"Dizzy spell from not enough nutrients in my system. I tossed my cookies after my near death wreck. I didn't get anything to eat during the red flag." Keith said as he laid down on the bed. Coulthard noticed the Suicune plush doll poking out from Keith's helmet on the bed stand.
"What happened to your dog?" Coulthard asked,
"Oh, this? Riley's daughter gave it to me before the first start. She found it in a store in Great Britain and said it would bring me good luck. So, I kept it inside my racing suit during the race." Keith said as he tossed the plushy in the air for a minute. "Well, it must be good luck because I almost died today and I couldn't chase down Ash. I don't know how or why he slowed so much with 2 laps left and allowed us to pass him and for Rubens to pull over to let me win." Keith added,
"Simple. I heard that he misjudged his entry speed at Lesmo and went into the kitty litter real good and just drove over it for a long time. He made that same mistake at Vialone, allowing you and Rubens to catch up and steal the win. Basically, Ash made a rookie mistake." Coulthard said,
"You know, David. I was thinking. Why is it, that whenever I finish a race in the points, I always end up on the podium? I mean I scored points in 7 and 6 of them are podium finishes, including today!! Except my 7th at Australia." Keith said,
"That's good racing luck. I have around the same number of point finishes as you, but I usually end up near the back half of the points." David said. Then, Ash came into the room with a well-rested Charizard. Ash was still drenched in champagne and didn't get his bite to eat because a lot of reporters were bugging him for comments about the race. Most of them were reporters from Japan, following Ash's season in F1. He was in a better mood now.
"Hello, Dr. Sid. How's the Vaporeon that Charizard and Meowth found?" Ash asked,
"Well, thanks to Mr. I Can Sleep Anywhere I Want To's quick response, the Pokémon is perfectly fine. I was worried that it wouldn't make it because I'm not a Pokémon doctor. It woke up before the race ended. Want to see it?" Prof. Sid Watkins asked. Both Ash and Charizard nodded and went to a bed that had Vaporeon eating a bowl of Pokémon food. It still had some bandages on it, but it was healthy and ready to be on its way. Keith and David sat up on their beds to see what was up.
"Well, then my little friend. How are you feeling?" The doc asked as he petted Vaporeon slightly. Just after the FIA medic crew finally cleared all the drivers, Charizard and Meowth brought in the Vaporeon to see if they could help it. It was a challenge for the crew, but they did manage to get all of Vaporeon's injuries taken care of.
[I'm fine.] The evolved Eevee answered,
"It says it's fine." Charizard said in human language, translating what Vaporeon just said. This was the first time anybody else have heard Charizard speak Ash's fight yesterday during Qualifying.
"YOU CAN TALK?!!!" Everybody in the room asked in pure shock, while Ash looked like he knew this all along. In fact, he already knew this and laughed at the looks on the faces of the others.
"I started yesterday. Did you think the first word out of my mouth was a curse word?" Charizard asked. Everybody just shook their heads no.
"Does it have an owner?" Ash asked. Vaporeon just shook its head no.
"Poor thing was probably abandoned and left to fend for itself." Keith said. Ash looked at the Vaporeon for a second. Then, he got an idea that involved the daughter of one of the drivers.
"Hey, I got an idea. Why not let Celia have it? Maybe she can leave Espeon alone for once." Ash said, spilling the guts about his idea.
"Celia? Having a Pokémon as a pet?!!" Keith asked. He thought about that for a second. "Why not. Maybe it'll get her to stop doing her usual hello to us." Keith answered, agreeing with Ash.
"That could work." David said and as if right on cue, Riley and Celia entered the infirmary. Since the Canadian heard of Keith passing out, he had to check up on his friend.
"Well, hello Mr. Iron Man. Didn't get anything to eat during the red flag?" Riley asked jokingly,
"Oh shut up, Riley. I just know the Speed Channel guys are just loving this." Keith said as he laid back down on his bed. Celia spotted Charizard and Prof. Watkins next to a bed at the back of the room and left her Daddy to joke around with Ash, Keith and Coulthard.
"I would recommend Riley to keep her away from the Pokémon for a few days to recover. Other than that, all it needs is some T.L.C. and it will be 100% in no time." The doc said as he looked over Vaporeon one last time. Charizard noticed Celia trying to jump and get a look on what's on the bed.
"It's cuter than Ash's doggie!! Can I have it?!!!" Celia asked enthusiastically to Prof. Watkins. At that time, Riley wasn't so sure about the idea of letting his kid have a Pokémon of her very own.
"You want to give her a Pokémon?!!! That's Ash's department!! That's your department too, Keith!!!" Riley panicked,
"I have 6 of them, Riley. And I already have a Water Pokémon." Keith said,
"I don't know, Keith. She's been bad today. She nearly killed Bernie again during the race." Riley added, thinking back on the past few hours where Celia was pestering everybody in the BAR garage. Giving her a Pokémon would only add to her uncontrollable force. David was thinking about something that would work on a girl like Celia.
"Why not give her an ultimatum, Jenius? If she can be a good girl and stay out of trouble until 8 P.M. tonight, she can have the Pokémon." David said,
"That's not a bad idea, Coulthard. You're not so old after all, chisel chin." Riley said, causing D.C. to get a bit pissed off at his unofficial nickname Meowth gave him back in '04.
"I hate it when he calls me that." David said as Keith let out a small chuckle. After Riley called for Celia, he told her about David's idea and she agreed to be a good girl to get her own Pokémon. She skipped away from the FIA medic room and Riley turned to face David once more. The look on his face could burn a hole through metal.
"This better work David. If not, I'm punting you off the track during the U.S. GP at Indy." Riley said in a threatening manner as he left the room. Coulthard gulped and was thinking about writing a will if his plan failed.
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Ash, Pikachu and Charizard exited the medic room and bumped into Michael, who was talking on his cell phone to somebody he knew about his plan.
"Geez, Michael. What's gotten you all riled up? Got something big planned for your wife tonight?" Ash asked,
"No. Just something I'm working on for later. Okay, call me back in 20 minutes. I have to see a few people." Michael said as he finished his cell phone call. As soon as he did that, the German got a funny feeling run through his body. It was the feeling of somebody was watching him and Ash from far away. "I have a strange feeling that something is spying on us." Michael said. Seconds later, a giant gust of wind came out of nowhere and sent Ash, Pikachu and Michael flying in different directions. Keith and Coulthard ran out from the medical room to see what happened. There was Ash, Michael and Pikachu getting up off the ground and a Pokémon hovering in the air, radiating a lot of powerful energy. Keith knew who it was.
"Shit." Keith muttered to himself before the Pokémon let loose a blast of energy that sent him flying into the side of the Minardi team transporter. He groaned as he slowly got to his feet. "I know it's you, asshole!!! You tried to fuck with my mind!!!" Keith yelled out at the Pokémon. If you guessed that it was Mewtwo, you're damn right.
"I was hoping that I would take control of all your minds, so I could use you to destroy Team Rocket. Looks like you inferior humans are of no use to me." At this time, Michael Schumacher wasn't going to let anybody, not even Mewtwo, call him inferior. Nobody says that to the greatest driver in history and lives!
"Me? Inferior?!! You're just a Pokémon!! I'm Michael Schumacher, dammit!!! The greatest driver that has ever lived!!!" Michael yelled out, challenging Mewtwo to a war of words.
"You are just as inferior as the kid and his Pikachu over there." Just after Mewtwo has said that, Michael ran up to it and punched it right where the stomach would be. Mewtwo doubled over as it gasped for air. Michael wanted to take on Mewtwo all by himself.
"What now, bitch?!! Who's the inferior one now?!!" Michael yelled as he kicked Mewtwo in the head, knocking the Psychic Pokémon to the ground.
"Schumacher!! Are you fucking crazy?!!! Mewtwo will kill you!!" Keith yelled out as he struggled to get to his feet. It wasn't long before Mewtwo's eyes were glowing red with hatred.
"YOU WILL PAY!!!" Mewtwo let loose a destructive Psychic attack on Michael, but it was deflected back by another psychic attack. Keith stood in a battle ready pose along with Suicune.
[Oh, I've been waiting a long time to fight you, Mewtwo!! Picking on Schumi? That's Keith's job!! Why don't you pick on a Pokémon your size?!!] Suicune asked, challenging Mewtwo to a battle.
"Oh, please." Mewtwo said and with a wave of his arm, an unknown force knocked Suicune off his feet and slammed hard right into Keith, David and a few Minardi team members. David's body hit Michael hard and the German went down. The group hit the ground hard, knocking out Suicune and Keith at the same time. Pikachu was about to use Thunder, but Mewtwo countered with Disable and kept Pikachu from using Thunder. Ash muttered some swears in Japanese as he readied an empty Poké Ball. Unknown to Ash himself, the Poké Ball he took out was a Master Ball, the inescapable Poké Ball. Not even Mewtwo could get out of it, even at full strength.
It's risky! But, I have to catch Mewtwo!! At all costs! Ash thought to himself. Mewtwo saw Ash palm the Master Ball and used its powerful psychic energy to lift Ash in the air and slam him down hard on the ground many times. One of those hits caused Charizard's Poké Ball to get loose from Ash's Poké Belt and opened up, letting loose the Fire Pokémon.
[Oh, god. Not you again, asshole.] Charizard muttered to himself. Mewtwo saw Charizard appear and barely missed being fried by Fire Blast. Mewtwo let go of Ash, who was now knocked out and used some more psychic power to blast Charizard away and make him crash hard into a group of parked cars. Pikachu got back into the battle by biting Mewtwo. Unfortunately, Mewtwo grabbed Pikachu and tossed the mouse Pokémon right at Charizard, knocking them both out. Ash was down, Pikachu was knocked out, Charizard was in dreamland, Keith and Suicune were in la-la land and Michael was down. Mewtwo grinned a bit, seeing all the chaos it has done in a few minutes. He looked down at the German who put up a big fight. He was laying near Keith and Suicune. Nobody has given Mewtwo such a hard time like Michael Schumacher. As Mewtwo prepared to take to the sky and blast Monza off the map, Schumacher dove for the Master Ball, got up and used his remaining energy to chuck the ball at Mewtwo.
"Mein lieber gott!!" Michael yelled out as he threw the Master Ball, aiming for Mewtwo's body. Mewtwo heard Michael yell out, but it didn't see the Master Ball head right for it until it was too late. The ball hit Mewtwo's tail and opened up and started to take in the powerful Pokémon. Mewtwo turned into a red energy mass and was sucked into the Master Ball. The ball landed on the ground and it was shaking violently. All of sudden, the ball stopped moving. Michael Schumacher has caught a Pokémon?!!!!! First, it was Allan McNish, and now Michael Schumacher has caught the most powerful Pokémon ever?!!! Some of the members from other teams came out from their hiding places and didn't see Mewtwo. They only saw the Master Ball and Michael trying to get back up.
"Hey, Schumacher... you caught that Pokémon." One McLaren guy said. Michael just stared at the guy for a minute before everything began to sunk in. He really did catch a Pokémon.
"I did what?!!! I caught a Pokémon?!!!" Michael yelled out as he held the Master Ball in his hands. Mewtwo was struggling to get out, but it wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Moments later, Keith and Suicune got back to their feet.
[Where's that psychic piece of genetic crap?!! He was going to be my bitch!!!] Suicune growled as he searched everywhere for Mewtwo. Ash, Pikachu and Charizard came to and noticed that Mewtwo was gone. Ash spotted the Master Ball he took out and that was the one that Michael had in his hand.
"Uh... where's Mewtwo?" Ash asked, still a bit dazed from being slammed to the ground many times.
"I caught it." Michael said frankly as he showed Ash the Master Ball,
"You did what?!! You captured the most powerful Pokémon in existence?!!! You can't handle Mewtwo!! Give it to me!!! I'm a Pokémon trainer and you're not!! You can't handle a powerful Pokémon like that, Michael!!!" Ash yelled out as he tried to grab the Master Ball from Michael, only to be pushed away by the pissed off German.
"Ash, just shut up. I can handle this... abomination!!! This... mutant!!" Michael said and the ball started to wiggle around. Mewtwo was still trying to get out, but it was useless. The Master Ball was inescapable.
"Let me out!!! I command you!!" Mewtwo said through the confines of the Master Ball, hoping to scare Michael into letting him out.
"Shut up." Michael said as limped away to the Ferrari garage. He wasn't having any of it and needed to make final preparations for his plan on Keith. Some other guys came to help up the fallen Minardi crew and bring David back to the infirmary.
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Over at the Jaguar garage, Eddie Irvine was finished talking to the mechanics about how the transmission broke. The guys assured Irvine that the problem will be fixed by the time the F1 guys get to Indianapolis. He headed back to the Jaguar motorhome to check on the 6 Pokémon eggs that Charizard gave him. Upon exiting the garage, Eddie was approached by his boss, Sir Jackie Stewart.
"Eddie... I'm sorry. But, I have been ordered by Ford to terminate your services with the team, effective immediately." The 3-time F1 champion said, just getting to the point. Eddie didn't know what to say, but something had to come out of his mouth in defense.
"Terminate? Fire me?!! I'm in a giant points battle with 6 other drivers for 5th place in the Driver's Championship!! I can take them all!! Does that count for anything?!!!" Irvine asked, not believing that he was sacked.
"Eddie, I didn't want to do it. The Ford people want somebody younger to drive the Jaguar now. I'm sorry. My hands are tied." Sir Jackie Stewart said. He could see Eddie's anger in his eyes. After everything he had done for Jaguar, they were just tossing him off to the side to get somebody much younger than him. That was all Eddie Irvine could take. Just as Sir Jackie was about to head to leave, Eddie grabbed his shoulder and turned him around face to face.
"DAMN YOU!!! YOU ARE ONE LOUSY CORPORATE ASS KISSING, SON OF A BITCH!! YOU CAN TAKE THIS JOB AND SHOVE IT RIGHT UP YOUR ASS!! I QUIT!!!" Eddie screamed out as he right fist went straight for Sir Jackie Stewart's head. The end result was a punch so powerful that the force of Irvine's punch sent the 3-time champion off his feet and sent him flying 50 feet down the pit lane. The Jordan guys saw this and ran out to pit lane to see Stewart slowly get back to his feet with Irvine leering over him like a vulture.
"Holy crap!! It's Jackie Stewart!!" Kimi Raikkonen yelled out as Irvine stalked Stewart. When he got to his knees, Irvine kicked him hard in the ribs.
"And that's for Ford!!" Irvine said as he looked down on the old man whom he just beat up.
"Eddie, what are you doing?!!" Sato asked, but Eddie punched him in the gut. Sato gasped for air and dropped to his knees as a few Jordan guys helped the Jaguar boss on his feet. Stewart was now pissed.
"You can't quit, Irvine!! You're fired!! Nobody does this to me!!! I'll make you pay!!" Stewart yelled out, but Irvine just kept walking. He had nothing to lose now that he was fired.
"Then I'll send my little friends after you!!!" Irvine shot back as he headed for the safety of the driver's lounge, where nobody would disturb him. He was fighting back the tears in his eyes as he slid down the wall and saw down on the floor. After 13 years of F1 racing, it looked like his days in F1 are over. He thought he was alone, but he saw Celia Jenius look at him.
"Eddie... are you okay?" Celia asked as she peered into Eddie's face. She knew that he was crying somewhat and was trying his best to hide it.
"No. I just got fired because I'm too old." Irvine said, still wiping away some loose tears.
"Are grown men allowed to cry?" She asked,
"Sometimes. Sometimes when nobody is looking for you. Then, you're allowed to. It's an unwritten rule that only comes to effect every once in a while." Irvine answered,
"What are you going to do?" Celia asked again,
"Home. I'm going back home to Ireland. And I plan to stay there for the rest of my days." Eddie said sadly,
"I'll miss you." Celia said as she gave Irvine a quick hug. After pushing her away a bit, Eddie got up from the floor and was about to make his exit from F1.
"I'll miss you too, kiddo. Take care of your dad and give Stewart a kick in the nuts for me." Irvine said as he ruffled her hair and exited the driver's lounge to pick up his things, get the Pokémon eggs and leave. As he headed for the door, Michael Schumacher appeared.
"Hey, Irvine. Where you going?" Michael asked as he grabbed Eddie by the shoulder and dragged him back into the room,
"Home. I just got canned by those Ford bastards!!" Eddie said as he tried to get Michael's hand off his shoulder,
"You can't go home yet!! I need you for my plan!!" Michael said,
"Plan? What plan?" Eddie asked and Michael secretly told Irvine his plan for Keith. A smirk appeared on Irvine's face. "Okay, I'm in. What do I do?" Eddie asked as Michael took him from driver's lounge to tell him his plan, leaving a confused Celia to wonder what was going on.
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Seems like the day would never end for Keith Terrell. He has been through a lot today. Crashing hard into the forest, nearly killing himself, starting at the back of the grid with Rubens, fighting his way to the lead, winning the Grand Prix, nearly passing out due to hunger, just wondering how Celia will get along with her first ever Pokémon and hearing that Michael Schumacher catch Mewtwo!! What a day. Now, he just wanted to go get some well earned sleep. At 4 P.M., Keith sat inside the conspicuously empty Ferrari lounge, dressed in his street clothes. Most of the time, Rubens, Michael, Jean, Ross and the others would be in here talking about the race. In fact, Keith hasn't seen any of the team around since Michael caught Mewtwo a couple hours ago. Keith thought that Michael was acting odd today. He wasn't making fun of him like he always does during race weekends.
"This is really odd. Guess I'll pack my clothes, head back to the hotel, check out and drive back to the HQ myself. I'll arrive there in the morning." Keith said to himself as he exited the Ferrari lounge. He walked to the Ferrari motorhome to pack his clothes and get his first place winner's trophy. Next, he got to the hotel near the track to check himself out and to get a few more of his things. Finally, Keith got the keys to his brand new Ferrari 550 Maranello that the team gave him for getting Ash to the Belgium GP. He placed his things in the small trunk and closed it. Keith felt like he was forgetting something.
Idiot. You forgot your helmet!! You can't leave the track without your trademark United States flag designed helmet. Keith thought to himself as he got into his exotic sports car and drove back to Monza. Hidden inside the now closed Ferrari garage, Michael Schumacher was explaining to Lorelei about her role in his plan.
"You think that Keith forgot his helmet and he'll come back to get it. When he does and is about to leave, you want me to appear out of nowhere? Then, keep him occupied for 3 hours?" Lorelei asked, thinking that Michael's plan is crazy.
"That's it. I think I hear his car coming right now. Just appear and keep him busy! We need to get ready for later. Good luck!!" Michael said as sent Lorelei out of the garage and locked it. As Keith parked his Ferrari, Michael slipped out the back and hitched a ride with Rubens to an undisclosed location for the upcoming party. Lorelei spotted Keith as he walked to the Ferrari motorhome and retrieved his priceless helmet. As he walked to his car, Lorelei ducked for cover behind the garages. She was nervous as hell and was asking herself what she was going to say to Keith.
"Oh, what should I do when he sees me? What should I say? Should I just tell him why I'm here?" She asked herself as Keith walked by, humming a favorite song of his. She gasped at the sight and silenced herself, praying that Keith didn't hear her. Unfortunately for her, he did.
"Huh? I thought I heard something..." He said to himself as he stopped walking. He slowly turned to his left and saw her.
"Oh, hello Keith. It's... nice to see you again." Lorelei said quietly. All Keith did was just look at her wide eyed for a minute before letting his U.S. flag helmet drop to the ground. The "Do I see what I think I see?" look was etched on his face. He couldn't believe that she was here at Monza. Looks like his day isn't about to end so soon.
To Be Continued...
This took me a while to get out. Sorry about that. Life has been kicking me in the nuts for a while. Anyway, I'll get started on chapter 30, where we find out about Michael's devious plan that he has for Keith. And how will Lorelei keep Keith occupied for 3 hours? This race day is Keith's 25th birthday, so Michael could be planning a party to spook him. You never know. Chapter 30 is next!!!
As usual, please read and review. Send anything. Questions, comments, flames to Hornet19us@Yahoo.com
Mario Alvarado
5/18/2003
Whatcha gonna do, Kimi... when Michael Schumacher runs wild on you?!!!