Disclaimer: Don’t own Pokemon! A/N: And here’s chapter 2! Oh and by the way, sorry but Togepi will not be in this fic. Sorry to all you Togepi fans, but I have a hard enough time trying to remember to insert some ‘pika’ dialogue without having to remember the damn egg lol! Anyways, with that said enjoy! Chapter 2 – Psychic Deceptions “Welcome to Festival Day in Laurel City!” Tons of balloons of all different shapes, sizes, and colors filled the sky as the celebration of…well, I didn’t quite know what the townsfolk were celebrating, but it looked like fun, whatever the occasion. “Pika chaa…” I heard Pikachu squeal in delight. I could tell it was probably looking forward to a day full of fun and relaxation along with the rest of our pokemon. “Wow, who would’ve thought we’d stumble into town on Festival Day,” marveled Brock as he whipped out his trusty guide book. “What’s it say?” I asked, peeking over his shoulder. “Hmm…it says that the festival’s held once a year to celebrate life, love, and prosperity,” he announced, “Apparently, the city was founded over 100 years ago when a young couple came looking for a fresh start. The couple seemingly had been disowned from their families for harboring a forbidden love for one another.” ‘A forbidden romance,’ I thought wistfully. “That’s kind of sad, yet romantic at the same time,” I sighed looking off into the distance dramatically. “Pika!” “It says here that they planted a laurel tree on the cliff located on the outskirts of the town. The tree is supposed to symbolize everlasting love, devotion, and trust. People have come to witness the tree to gain inspiration and receive the blessings of the couple that once planted it.” “Oh, we definitely have to go see that!” I squealed excitedly, “You might get some inspiration and luck for your next match Ash.” “Yeah, I guess,” he smiled goofily. It was the first words he had spoken since we left our campsite and I could only chalk it up to the fact that I had kissed him on the cheek. Had I done the right thing or was it too forward? I mean, I had kissed his cheek before, but I think it was only in a friendly gesture sort of way. Was now really any different? Brock eyed Ash suspiciously and raised an eyebrow, “You know man, you’ve been acting weird ever since we left that clearing this morning. You two sure nothing happened?” “Nothing happened Brock!” Ash and I yelled simultaneously. I swear, sometimes Brock was just too smart for his own good. That mouth of his was going to get him into trouble someday…not like it didn’t already get him into trouble… “Pikachu pika?” “You’re right Pikachu, first things first. Let’s get to the pokemon center and check ourselves in,” replied Ash, as Brock and I followed his lead. As we walked through the relatively small town, I couldn’t help but notice the many stands, selling everything from food to souvenirs. There was a vibe to this city that made me feel at ease with all the things that had been happening to us lately. Maybe this would be the place where I would get my fresh start… “Come one, come all!” We all turned our heads and saw a small booth located in front of a vacant warehouse, which was occupied by three people…well, the third person looked kind of short and stubby with ears like a cat, but I wasn’t one to judge. They were wearing brightly colored clothes that wrapped around there bodies and over their mouths so that the only thing visible were their eyes. What appeared to be a crystal ball sat in the middle of the table, glistening in the morning sunlight. “Ah, you sir! Yes you, come here!” called the male in a weird accent as he motioned towards Ash. “Oh, no thank you, we were just passing through,” smiled Ash as he waved them off. “Oh, so you don’t want to know your future as a pokemon master eh?” prodded the female in an equally strange accent. This had gotten Ash’s attention. Leave it to something like pokemon to get his attention… “So what are you, psychics or something?” Ash questioned, stepping up to the booth and taking a seat. “But of course!” supplied the cat-like individual. “I dunno about this,” sighed Brock, “Can you prove it?” The female looked into the ball as her eyes widened, “I see you meeting a beautiful maiden…and she appears to be in this town!” “B-B-Beautiful maiden…” drooled Brock, obviously not in his right mind. I rolled my eyes at his obvious naivety and weakness when it came to anything pretty. Brock then, without notice, took off, immediately searching for the nearest pretty girl. “Excuse me, but are you the one I’m destined to meet?” Brock asked, hearts in his eyes as the girl literally fell over in embarrassment. Turning my attention back to Ash and the psychics, I eyed them suspiciously, not liking where this was going. “We can also tell you whether your rat--err your Pikachu will win its next battle. Wouldn’t you like to know that?” asked the male. “Uhh…I dunno, what do you think buddy?” questioned Ash, turning to Pikachu who was perched on his shoulder. “Pika?” “Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to see what kind of training I need to do in order to win,” Ash said, giving into temptation. I looked at the three so-called psychics, uncertainty filling my mind, and shook my head unconvinced. The cat-like person started waving his hands around the ball in an attempt to ‘see’ Ash’s future. “Ah, very, very interesting,” breathed the cat-like person. “What is? What do you see?” asked Ash excitedly, trying to peer into the ball. “I see you holding a trophy…perhaps the Johto league trophy? (A/N: I don’t remember if he actually wins or not, just go along with it!),” announced the female, who had snatched the ball away from the cat-like individual. “The Johto league!” marveled Ash, standing up, “Anything else?” The man pulled the ball away from the female and peered into it, “Yes…in order to achieve this goal, you must undergo intense training and push your pokemon to their maximum potential.” “All right!” smiled Ash, looking to Pikachu, “Let’s go buddy! What are we waiting for? Thanks a lot!” With that said, he turned on his heels and headed in the direction of what I could only assume to be the pokemon center. I looked to the three ‘psychics’ and saw them giggling but immediately resumed their serious expressions when they saw my glare. Something was up… “Hey Mist, you coming?” called Ash as he turned around and started jogging backwards. “Yeah!” I replied, running to catch up with him. I looked back to the three ‘psychics’ as they retreated back into the warehouse. ‘Hmm…something’s not right…’ I thought, but shrugged the feeling off as I raced to the pokemon center with Ash. As we entered the center, we, minus Brock for obvious reasons, checked in, found our rooms then set off towards the training area in the back of the center. “This is gonna be great!” said Ash as he pulled out his pokemon all at once. “Ash, don’t get too worked up just because of what those psychics said,” I warned. “I’m not,” he said defensively, “I just wanna win.” Simultaneously, Cyndaquil, Bulbasaur, Bayleef, Noctowl, and Totodile (A/N: Again, I have no idea what Pokemon he has, just go along with it) came out looking to their master for instructions. “Okay, guys, the Johto league isn’t too far off and we haven’t been doing much serious training lately, so we’re making up for it today. You guys ready?” Ash asked, receiving cries of determination from his pokemon. “All right, everyone run two laps to warm-up,” Ash announced as, he too, started to run with them. I looked on watching the pokemon and Ash run around the track while stealing a glance at my watch and noticing that it was noon. He wouldn’t keep this up for long…lunch was just an hour away after all. Little did I know, however, how determined Ash was when I realized 5 o’clock had rolled by. His pokemon looked absolutely exhausted, Ash included, and had not been given a break since starting their vigorous training session. “Okay guys, another round…Pikachu, Bayleef you’re up,” panted Ash as he placed his hands on his knees. “Pika…” “Bay, bay…” I heard them both whimper, however, they reluctantly entered the make-shift battle stage and prepared to battle one another. Though I knew they were tired and wanted to stop, they would always battle for Ash and wouldn’t dare disobey him. However, I had other thoughts. “Ash,” I called out, getting his attention, “Don’t you think they deserve a little break? You’ve been at it for five hours!” Ash looked to his pokemon, all of them tired and panting, and shook his head. “Nah, they look fine to me,” countered Ash. That was it…this had gone on long enough. “Ash, you listen to me! Look at them, they’re exhausted! How dim-witted must you be to not see that!” I yelled, my blood boiling. “Hey, why don’t you mind your own business! I don’t tell you how to train your pokemon!” “That’s because I don’t take pokemon training advice from three so-called psychics!” “That has nothing to do with this!” he yelled, his voice rising. “It has everything to do with it! You wouldn’t have pushed your pokemon to this level had you not met up with those three!” I countered. “No one’s asking you to stay, you know! Why don’t you just leave! That’s what you want, isn’t it?” I heard him yell, though I sensed a bit of hurt in his voice, “I’m just taking up your valuable time…” “Fine, I’m outta here,” I breathed, still heated. I turned on my heel and started to walk away when I heard Pikachu call out to me. “Pikachu pi!” I turned around only to be surprised when Pikachu jumped into my arms. It gave me a pleading look as if to say ‘don’t go.’ I smiled wearily at it and hugged it lightly. “Don’t worry Pikachu, I’m not leaving for good. I just need to clear my head,” I sighed, making sure Ash didn’t hear me. It gave me a weary nod and licked my cheek affectionately. “And don’t let that hard-headed trainer of yours work you guys too hard, okay?” I reminded. “Pika!” I heard it respond, giving me a thumbs-up. “Pikachu, come on! We’ve still got training to do,” I heard Ash call out. Pikachu reluctantly jumped from my arms and scampered off towards the rest of the pokemon as I threw Ash a dirty look. Without another word, I walked off, needing to be alone for the time being. As I walked the streets of the quaint, yet bustling town, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of calming, despite my recent situation with Ash. Ash…he had never spoken to me like that before. Sure we fought, but never like this. He had lowered his own self-esteem by belittling himself about how I felt about him. He really had no clue did he? After such a wonderful morning, how could things have gone spiraling out of control? It was then that I realized that I was standing in front of that same booth with the three psychics, though they weren’t present. Had my subconscious brought me here perhaps? It was then that an idea popped into my head. What if I talked to the psychics and asked them to talk to Ash about this whole misunderstanding? It would get him off of that high horse of his and save his pokemon from over-exertion. Plus, it would end this ridiculous fight between Ash and I. My mind made up, I stepped closer to the tent and called out, “Hello! Is anyone there? I was here earlier with a friend of mine, I need to talk to you!” When I was greeted with silence, I tightened my grip on my bag and approached the warehouse. Opening the door, I noticed that everything was submersed in darkness. Suddenly I heard one of my pokeballs open and could only think of Psyduck letting itself out again. I sighed and looked for some kind of light switch, but soon found myself being pulled forcefully to one side, my mouth being covered by a stranger’s hand. My heart started to pound and I started to breath heavily, wondering who this mysterious person was. I found myself wishing that Ash was here, wishing that I had never gotten into that stupid fight with him. Now, I would probably never see him again. Reverting my attention back to my current situation, the first thing that came into my mind was some crazed rapist or lunatic serial killer, however, my fears only intensified when I felt my assailant caressing my neck with his lips. With his hand over my mouth and a firm grip around my arms, I felt my nightmare from my past beginning to resurface. He whispered in my ear in a soft and suave voice…a voice, however, that I didn’t recognize, “I’m counting on that Psyduck of yours to bring Ketchum to me.” I shook my head in a panic, realizing where this was going. He wasn’t just some stranger, he was someone who had a grudge against Ash and was possibly using me to get to him. He lowered his hand from my mouth and allowed me to speak. “No…w-we got into an argument, he won’t come,” I responded, tears coming to the corners of my eyes. I heard the figure laugh maliciously, “You think one little argument will stop him from coming? I guarantee at the end of the day, he’ll be powerless to stop me.” With that said, my mind fell into a state of unconsciousness… A/N: Hope you guys liked it! Sorry it took so long to get this one out but I was in Vegas for a couple of days lol (lost all my money!)! Take care and AAML for life!