Hi everyone. I'm back with another part for you. How'd you like the last part? Well, never mind that. Here's part 8 of this fic.
Ash: 13
Misty/Todd: 14
Kenji: 17
Joya: 18
Brock: 19
Part
8: Giovanni Escapes!
RP: Last time we left our friends, a lot of weird stuff was starting to occur. For one thing, it started to snow suddenly and now we just found out that Giovanni escaped from out of prison. What will our friends do now?
Ash Title: Giovanni Escapes!
Everyone saw the redhead standing, seeming to be stuck in place. "Misty?"
"He's escaped?" she asked quietly, her eyes starting to water. "That evil, terrible man is free?"
"Sounds like it," Ash answered sympathetically, standing up, walking over to the girl, "but don't worry, Misty; we won't let anything happen to you!"
Todd stood up as well, also quite determined. "Yeah, he'll have to get through us to get to you!" He gave her a reassuring smile. "I won't let anything happen to you, Misty, not while good old Todd is around."
Ash looked over at Todd, quite suspicious. He wasn't sure if Todd still had romantic feelings towards Misty or not. Ash thought back to how Todd had risked his life twice for Misty, the first time being when Jessie and James were about to shoot all of them, and the second time when he sacrificed himself - so to speak - to Mewtwo to keep Misty safe.
"Th-thank you." Misty looked over at Brock, who had taken the paper back from Kenji. "How?"
"Don't cry, Misty," Ash slightly panicked.
"Yeah, I'll…er…I mean, we'll all keep you safe."
Ash rolled his eyes in annoyance at Todd's words. 'I wish he'd stop that!'
Brock decided to read the article to the others. The article read:
Yesterday, Giovanni, Ex Viridian gym leader and once leader of the infamous
organization, Team Rocket, has been let out! The
"He kept claiming to have seen a ‘bloody Growlithe with a slit throat,’ howling at him and torturing him. He has made several suicidal attempts to get away from this alleged Growlithe which no one has actually seen," says Warden Jenny of the Viridian City Prison. "We had to put him away for his own good!"
"Giovanni's psychic now?"
Kenji looked at the boy in pure amusement, and tried his best to hold back his laughter. "Ash, don't you mean psycho?"
"Oh yeah, that's right."
"Talk about a misleading title," Brock commented wryly. "At least we don't have to worry about him."
Everyone showed to agree, also relieved, except for Misty, who was quite furious as of the moment.
"I want to know how they came up with that kind of a title, when it's not even true!!"
"Journalists do that to get the readers' attentions, Misty," Todd explained calmly, "and I must say, it really worked."
"That's no excuse!" Misty cried as she sat down (Ash and Todd taking suit), still a bit piqued over the article.
"Is there anymore information," Kenji asked anxiously.
"Nope, not really," Brock replied while skimming through the rest of the article. "There's just talk about what the other inmates thought of Giovanni, and they pretty much said that he cracked."
"So does that mean that Growlithe is haunting Giovanni?"
Brock shrugged. "I guess so."
"Serves him right for what he did to Growlithe and my parents!"
"I, for one, am glad that he's being haunted," Kenji muttered sinisterly.
Misty started to shiver a bit from the cold air that blew in every time the door to the dining area was opened. She then stood up once again. "I don't think these clothes are going to keep me warm for much longer."
After hearing this, Brock rolled up his newspaper and began to hum the Taps theme.
"Oh, come on Brock, she can't be that bad," Todd said.
"Wanna bet?" Ash and Brock retorted in unison.
"Pikachu!" the rodent concurred in agreement with the trainer and the breeder.
"Wait, what about the bill?" Misty asked while wiping Togepi's messy face with a napkin.
"Oh, while you were gone, the waitress came back. I paid the check."
"That was nice of you, Todd. How much do I owe you for my share?"
"Oh, it's no problem, Mist." He gave her a smile. "Just consider it my treat."
"Thank you."
Ash rolled his eyes, about ready to sock the photographer with his camera for the way he seemed to flirt with Misty so openly. Todd had insisted on the rest of them paying him back.
"Let's get out of here," Ash muttered, quite bothered, standing up.
"Oh, wait Ash." Misty unhooked one of the Pokéballs from her belt, and handed it to the trainer. "It's Bulbasaur, all he needed was a good rest, pretty much."
"Thanks, Misty."
With that, they all walked back to the front desk where Joya was, but her outfit was completely different. She was no longer in uniform, and was now wearing an over-sized light-pink sweater and a pair of flare-legged jeans. Brock simply melted at the sight of her as they reached the desk.
"Joya-neesan, where is the nearest clothing store?"
"There's one not too far from here," she answered briefly. "It's over near the market, east of here in our big shopping district."
"Thanks! Okay group, let's go!"
Ash started to march off, but soon realized he was being held in place by Misty.
"Hold it, Ash."
"What?"
"Knowing you, you'll probably get us lost."
"Would not!"
"Would to!"
"Would not!"
"Would to!"
"Would not!"
Now broken out of his trance, due to the two teens' arguing, Brock shouted, "Shut up! Why are you two arguing!"
Both pointed at one another. "He/She started it!"
Brock rubbed his head in frustration.
"Sorry, Brock," Ash apologized before he could say anything, "I guess it's just a habit to argue."
"Yeah, I guess it is."
Brock sighed. "You two are impossible."
"Hey, there goes my sister. She got back right on time."
Walking towards the desk was a girl, a bit older than Joya. The two were similar in looks - obviously - but, her older sister looked more like your typical "Nurse Joy" than Joya (the one Brock had asked out) did. She was also already in uniform.
"Joya-oneesama!" Joya waved.
"Hey," she greeted. "I finished up earlier than I thought I would." She noticed the group in front of the counter. "Who are your friends here?"
"Well, this is Takeshi-san, Satoshi-kun, Kasumi-chan, Kenji-san, Toru-kun, and the three Pokémon are Togepi, Pikachu, and the tall one there is Mewtwo."
She bowed to them. "Pleased to meet you."
Brock (as well as the others) greeted her back politely, but to everyone's surprise, he didn’t act girl-crazed over her, or blush, or drool.
Misty blinked. 'Wow, maybe he's finally growing up!'
"Jen and I had a good time shopping, but she had to help out her cousin, Officer Jen," the older Joya explained, taking her younger sister's place behind the counter.
"Officer Jen?"
"Yes, Officer Jen."
"They wouldn't happen to be identical, would they?" Misty asked.
"Why yes, how'd you know?"
"Call it a hunch," Todd commented ironically.
"You can go now, sis, if you want. You should enjoy the day, especially since it's snowing out. It's so beautiful!" She looked over at Ash and his companions. "Aren't you all cold wearing those clothes?"
"Very," Misty quivered, "we're about to leave now to go buy some. All of our clothes are suited for tropical weather."
"I see. Sis, why don't you go along with them? I can tell from the way they're dressed, that they're new in town, and while you're at it, maybe you can show them around the island."
"It was sunny, bright, and a bit humid when we got here, how did it start snowing suddenly?"
"Let's go you guys," Joya answered quickly while pulling on a wool coat, ignoring Kenji's inquiry.
The girl took off, as if in a sprint, towards the entrance of the center, practically leaving the others behind. Brock seemed to float behind her, and the others trailing Brock.
After a while, the group arrived at a clothing store called, "ˇTodos los Días de Invierno!"
"Wait, what does that say?" questioned Ash, staring at the sign in utter confusion.
"Todos los días de invierno," Todd answered dully. "It means, 'Winter everyday,' or, 'All Winter's Days', pretty much."
"Wow, how did you know that, Todd!"
"It's Spanish…I understand Spanish and can read it."
"Oh yeah, I forgot!"
"This store specializes in winter clothing and items. It's the perfect place to come to buy winter-related things before heading up to the mountains for ski trips, which is a very popular past-time here," Joya explained. "Shall we go in?"
Misty was the first one in the door; since she wore the least amount of clothing, she was the coldest. Mewtwo, on the other hand, stared at the doors of the store, as if in deep thought. He didn't want to go in…like something was preventing him to. He turned to Ash. "If you do not mind, I would rather remain out here."
He shrugged. "If you say so, Mewtwo. We'll be back as soon as we can so you won't have to wait long."
Mewtwo nodded, as the rest of the gang walked into the store. Misty's eyes lit up, as she looked at all the stylish clothes, not knowing where to start. Joya decided to help Misty out, who was having a hard time making up her mind on what to buy.
While the two were looking through the racks, the two did get a bit of girl talk in, and were becoming pretty friendly with one another.
About an hour later, Misty was still trying to find something to buy.
"What do you guys think of this outfit?" Misty asked the boys, after exiting the dressing room.
All four of them nodded their heads vigorously, humoring her so that they could leave. "Yeah, yeah, great, wonderful, magnificent!" they all sputtered out.
"You really think so?" She looked down at herself. "Nah, this shirt doesn't match my eyes."
All four boys screamed in exasperation, face-faulting.
"Pika!" Pikachu squeaked, following suit.
Joya sweat dropped. "You know, I think I may have an outfit or two that I can lend you. You look like you're about my size." She studied the younger girl. "No way, you have to be smaller than me."
"I'm not that small. I'm only a," she lowered her voice so that the boys wouldn't hear, "size four."
"I wish I was that small in size!" She lowered her voice, "I'm a size eight." She went back to her normal tone of voice, and looked Misty over once again. "I might be able to find something for you in my closet. Maybe something I don't wear much anymore. We can alter it so that it can be a perfect fit!"
"Cool!" Misty turned to the boys. "Hey, we're all going to Joya's!"
Brock and Kenji hugged each other, in tears, while Todd and Ash began to dance around. "YAHOO, NO MORE SHOPPING!!"
Meanwhile, outside of the store, where it was starting to snow a bit harder, stood Mewtwo. He was still standing outside the doors of the store, staring blankly at the cloudy, grey sky. Suddenly, he held his head, as if in extreme pain. The only problem with this was that he couldn't determine where the pain was coming from, or what could've been causing it. He tried to fight off whatever was causing the pain, but couldn't even concentrate enough to use "meditate". People who were walking by, noticed the Pokémon who seemed to be having an internal battle, but were unsure as to what to do.
Right at that moment, Ash and the others walked out of the store with their purchases. Misty did buy herself a coat, and some thick socks, but she still had on her regular outfit.
Mewtwo stared at the group, having this strange urge to leave.
"Hey Mewtwo. Sorry we took so long," Ash apologized. Mewtwo didn't say a word, and just stared upward, as if preparing to leave. "Mewtwo?"
"I must leave you, cap bearer," Mewtwo answered, his voice quite monotone and robotic. "I must leave; I must go, for I have been summoned."
"Summoned?"
"Mewtwo," Kenji stared at the Pokémon rather inquiringly, "where are you going?"
"Must…leave," he grunted, holding his head once again.
Without saying another word, Mewtwo took for the sky, leaving a very confused group behind.
"Wow, I never knew Mewtwo could fly!" Ash looked to the others. "I guess he had something important to do."
"I hope Mewtwo is okay." Kenji looked a bit worried. "What did he mean?"
"I'm sure that Mewtwo will return after his task is complete," Joya insisted. "We should hurry; it is a bit chilly out."
They started towards Joya's place, enjoying the "winter wonderland" in spring, minus Misty, who was shaking more, her teeth chattering.
"I still wonder where Mewtwo went. Maybe Joya-neesan is right; maybe he did just want to get away for a while or something."
"Yeah, I guess so; now, let's hurry so I can get into some nice, warm clothes!" Misty snapped. "I'm freezing here!"
"It's not our fault the only thing you bought was a pair of boots, socks, and a coat! You should've bought some pants, sweaters, earmuffs, and a bunch of other things like the rest of us did!"
"When I want your opinion, I'll ask for it!"
"Chill you guys," Brock said, trying to stop the two from arguing, as usual.
"Misty is already chilling! She's even the color for it!" He laughed boisterously. "She looks like a blue popsicle!"
Misty bonked Ash in the head with her fist. "Who asked you!"
"And those two are a couple?" Joya asked Kenji, who was walking beside her. 'Hmm, this Kenji guy is a bit cute, but, he seems rather quiet and really serious. Now, the Takeshi guy on the other hand, seems less serious, and more playful. I wonder when we'll get to see our movie…'
"I know, you'd never guess that the two actually like each other with the way they argue, but most of their arguments are pointless, so no feelings are ever really hurt."
"So, it's like a love-hate relationship?"
"In the beginning I would say so, but I feel there's more so 'love' in the love-hate relationship than 'hate'."
Growing tired of the arguing, Todd walked in between Ash and Misty, putting an arm around both their shoulders. "I don't know about you guys, but I could go for a nice hot cup of tea."
"Yeah, tea would be nice," Misty said, settling down.
"We're almost there; we just have to go down this back street here. It's a short cut."
About five minutes later, the group arrived at a big house, two floors and an attic room.
"Here we are. Let's go in."
Joya pulled a key out of her jean-pocket, and unlocked the door of the big, two-floor house. After entering, Joya routinely took off her sneakers, which she left by the front door.
The group remained there, still staring in amazement at how big the house seemed to be. "This is a beautiful home."
"Arigatou, Kasumi-chan."
The others took their shoes off by the door, and stepped up. Joya led them to the living room.
"Hey, who else live here, Joya-neesan?"
"Let's see," she began to count, "I live here, my very best friend, Jen-chan, my older sister, and her friend, Laura-san."
"It must be nice. I never have any girls to talk with."
"And what's wrong with talking to us?" Ash demanded, feeling quite offended.
"Nothing."
"You don't like talking to me?"
"Ash, stop being silly, of course that's not true."
"Then why don't you like talking to," he pointed to the rest of the guys, "us?"
Both Kenji and Todd sighed out puffy white clouds from Ash's clueless nature and naďveté.
"Ash, don't you get it?"
"Get what, Brock?"
"Girl talk."
"What about it?"
"There are just some things that girls feel more comfortable telling other girls, instead of us," he started to flex his muscles, "Manly Men."
Misty rolled her eyes. "Oh
brother…"
x x x x x x x x x x
RP: Now "The Brock" is giving useful information? Boy, what a
shocker!
Brock: (Whispering to narrator) Not in front of Joya, she might hear you!
RP: Okay, okay. I was getting bored here.
Brock: Hon o yomu, RP! (That translates to, "Read a book, Relaxing Pikachu (RP)!")
RP: Now, I have heard everything!
x x x x x x x x x x
Ash stared blankly. "Oh."
"See, she doesn't dislike talking to us, it's just that we're too manly for her to tell us everything." He started to pose as if he was in some type of a contest for the most eligible bachelor, and smiled.
"No we're not," Kenji replied, "it's just too scary for us to know."
Brock face-faulted. He picked himself
up quickly, and brushed himself off.
"Yeah, you're right, but we're men---"
x x x x x x x x x x
RP: ...in tights! (Singing song from Robin Hood, Men in Tights song. The one
where they are all prancing around singing we’re men, we’re men in tights! That
was funny.)
Brock: HEY, THE BROCK DOES NOT WEAR TIGHTS!
RP: Thought you didn’t want to embarrass yourself in front of your new potential girlfriend. You really shouldn’t yell out that you’re "The Brock."
Brock: Um, well, er…
RP: I rest my case, now, let us continue.
x x x x x x x x x x
"Okay, let's see what we can do about clothes for you. I used to be about your size maybe about a
couple of years ago. Come on with
me. At least we know one thing that
never goes out of style is jeans."
"Okay."
"Hey, what am I going to do until you get back, Misty?"
"Manga o yomu, Satoshi," she replied in a bored voice.
Ash hmmphed, and crossed his arms. "Who says I actually want to; besides, I'm out!"
With that, Misty followed Joya out of the room, and up the stairs. The rest of the group remained in the living room. Kenji and Brock decided to watch television; both were curious as to what languages the shows were in. The shows seemed to be dubbed into various languages, English being the dominant, but one could change that through the language options. As for Todd and Pikachu, with Togepi following not too far behind, decided to look around the rest of the first floor of the house.
Ash was pacing around the living room, quite jaded. "I'm bored; I don't have anything to do."
"Look at television," Brock suggested vaguely, holding the remote out to him.
He took the remote and surfed through a few random channels. He then shut off the television, and tossed the remote aside. Grumbling, he went back to pacing the room blandly. "Nothing's on!"
"Stop complaining!" Kenji snapped petulantly, growing tired of the younger boy's complaints. "There isn't much you can do!"
Ash stopped pacing, and looked at Kenji, quite taken aback. "What's eating you?"
"I'm sorry, Ash. I guess I'm a bit confused about all that's happened to us so far. First it was night, then it became day; it was nice and sunny, and now it's snowy. It doesn't make sense to me."
"Hey, remember Professor Oak saying something like this place is enchanted," Todd said as he entered the room, Pikachu and Togepi behind him. "Maybe it really is."
"But that's scientifically impossible," Kenji retorted.
"I personally just thought he was crazy again," Brock commented.
"What do you mean, 'again'? He's like that all the time," Kenji countered reluctantly, as Professor Oak was his idol. "But, he is still pretty smart, only a bit unmindful at times."
Ash could only shrug. He didn't care one way or the other. "I guess you're right."
Due to all of the discussion that was going on amongst the four boys, neither heard the front door open and shut. A young girl was walking past the living room, holding bags, when she noticed the four males in her living room.
Startled, she dropped her bags, and got into a fighting stance, looking at all of them in suspicion. "Who are you?!"
Everyone looked over at the girl, who was at the entrance of the room; Kenji really looked at her. He seemed to have been enthralled by her radiant beauty.
"Well, I'm waiting! Who are you?!"
"Well, um, er, we're, um, I'm…"
"Kenji, are you okay?" Ash asked, not paying the girl any mind.
Todd looked over at Kenji, whose face was pretty red, and he was now speaking a bunch of gibberish. "What's wrong with him?"
Brock shrugged, also clueless as to what could be wrong with their friend.
"What's with that dreamy look on his face? And why is he so red?" Ash inquired.
Kenji walked up to the girl, as if entranced. He then reached for the girl's hand, to assure her that they weren't enemies, and shouldn't worry. Fearing that Kenji was about to attack her, she grabbed Kenji by the arm, and tossed him over her shoulder, slamming him hard onto the floor. The boy winced as he sat up slightly, holding his back.
"Hey, what'd you do that for!" Todd argued defensively.
"Yeah, he didn't do anything to you!"
"Pika!"
"C'mon guys, stop being rude to the girl."
"BROCK!!"
"You're in my house,"
the girl told them, stepping over Kenji, making sure to keep her guard up. "I can take all of you on! I am a master
of Kung Fu, Judo, and Karate! I studied
with my good friend, Kino Makoto,
who lives on the
Both Joya and Misty heard all of the commotion, and made their way back down the stairs and towards the living room. Misty was now wearing a pair of baggy, hip-hugger jeans and a bright, white turtle-neck. From the noise they heard, the two didn't have time to take the jeans in around the waist, so Misty put on a belt to keep them from falling.
When they reached the room, they saw Kenji lying on the floor, dazed, and the martial arts girl, about to attack the rest of the "intruders".
"Jen-chan! I know these people!" Joya shouted out.
Jen lowered her guard, and stance, and looked to her friend. "You know them?" Joya nodded. "Oh, well, what did you want me to think, four guys in our home, looking suspicious."
"Didn't you see extra pairs of shoes by the door in the genkan?"
"Well, um, erm…no, I didn't," she admitted bashfully. "I was a bit anxious to hurry up and rest and put my purchases away." Jen knelt down beside Kenji, and extended her arm to him. "I'm sorry. I thought you were going to attack me." She gave him a small, apologetic smile.
He took her hand, and laughed goofily. "That's okay."
Ash could only shake his head at the sight. "What is wrong with him?"
Todd frowned. "I think that slam affected his brain."
Seventeen-year-old Jen was about 163 cm (about 5'4) tall and had long aqua-greenish type hair, which was tied in a ponytail, which came halfway down her back. She resembled Officer Jenny a bit, with the exception of her hair color and style, and the way she was dressed. She was still wearing a wooly coat, but underneath, she was wearing a close-fitting white sweater, and a pair of light blue wide-legged jeans.
Kenji stood up, but began to trip over things to get back to his seat. It was like the part of his brain that controlled his motor skills, was currently malfunctioning. After he had managed to get back to the fluffy couch in front of the television, his face was redder than what it was before, from embarrassment. His face was as red as his headband.
"I think there's something wrong with Kenji!"
":I think I know what's wrong, Ash:"
"What did Pikachu say?"
Misty pulled both Ash and Todd aside, both extremely clueless. "He said that he thinks he knows what's wrong with Kenji, and I have a feeling I know what's wrong too."
"What?" both asked in unison.
":It's so obvious!:"
"Look at the way he's acting." Both boys looked over at Kenji, who was now getting a bit tongue-tied whenever Jen addressed him, or spoke to him.
"So," Ash shrugged, "he's acting weird."
"Oh no," Todd sighed in slight annoyance, "not another one."
"Huh, what?"
"I think he's fallen for that girl."
"Yeah, I know! Did you see how she slammed him?! She must be pretty strong to pick him up, and then toss him over her shoulder like that, since there's a difference in height, and he probably weighs more too! I wonder if she could've done that to Brock? He's a little taller; then again, they could be the same height." Ash looked to Todd, whose brow was twitching, all three (Todd, Misty, and Pikachu) felt like dropping from the boy's response. "What do you think?"
"He likes her, you dope!" Todd spat in a whisper.
"Oh." He thought for a brief moment. "Hey, you called me a dope!"
Todd ignored him, as he continued on somberly, staring over at the love-struck Kenji. "Love causes you to act dumb. I've never been in love, and probably never will. I refuse to; no good ever comes out of it."
"But Todd, love is a wonderful thing."
"Yeah, whatever, Mist," Todd scoffed. "You wouldn't know."
She looked at the boy, surprised by his indignant remark. 'I guess he's never been in a relationship with anyone, but I'm sure he'll change it once he finds the right girl.'
Ash pulled Todd aside. "What's your problem!" he hissed. "She just made a comment." Todd just shrugged mulishly. "Haven't you forgotten about something?"
"What?"
He lowered his voice a bit more, so that Misty wouldn't overhear. "When we met up with you on our way to Viridian, you were on your way to hook up with her. What do you call that?"
"That was different."
"How?"
"I liked her, not loved her. Besides, it was just a crush! I got over her weeks ago!"
Ash stared at the boy, not sure he really believed him. 'Man, what an attitude change.'
"Hey, what are you guys doing over there by yourselves?" Ash, Todd, and Misty heard Jen say to them. "Oh, what a cute Pikachu!"
":No one can resist my charm.:" the rodent gloated with a smirk.
Jen rushed over, and picked up Pikachu, giving him a hug.
"Be careful," Ash warned, "Pikachu doesn't like strangers."
"Oh, don't worry. I know how to handle Pikachu and lots of other types of Pokémon, Satoshi was it?" Ash nodded. "And you're Kasumi, right?" She nodded. "What kind of Pokémon is that? That's cute too!" Jen put Pikachu down, and picked up Togepi. "I've never seen this type of Pokémon before."
"Ash gave him to me."
"No he didn't," Brock corrected, "Togepi chose you."
"Well, yeah, but Ash could've tried to get him back since he won Togepi fair and square, but he didn't."
"I guess I figured Togepi would've been better off with you anyway. You'd make a better mother than I would; I mean, you area girl. You have motherly instincts and all that other stuff."
"Not to mention that you would've gotten a tremendous headache if you would've tried to get Togepi back," Brock whispered quickly.
"You said it!"
Misty rounded on the two. "WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT ME!"
Ignoring Misty, Brock felt it was better to get back to speaking with the owners of the house. "S-so, Jen-san, what do you like to do?"
"Well, I really want to become a Pokémon Researcher and Scientist. Biology is really interesting to me, and I really enjoy it. Too bad all of my cousins and aunts are police officers or law officials. Because of this, I've been trained in Martial Arts and self-defense techniques since I was about three years old. It's like everyone in my family is supposed to become a police officer, but I guess I'm the different one since I'm more interested in sciences than I am in learning law. I'm practically changing tradition.
"I was supposed to study with a great, wise Pokémon Scientist, by the
name of Professor Oak, and he's residing in a place on the mainland,
"The only ones who actually know what I'm doing are Joya-chan, Laura-chan, and Joya-oneesama. If my father and my mother finds out, they would disown me as their daughter, and say I have brought shame to our family's name, for breaking a tradition going back many generations."
"You should be whatever you want to be, not because of the family you come from," Misty replied sympathetically. "At least Joya-san here actually wants to become a nurse because she chose to be."
"To be completely honest, I don't really
want to settle as a nurse. I want to
become a Pokémon Doctor. Because of my
family, the females in my family are supposed to get into the medical field,
but only those where women take on those roles.
Only males make good doctors, according to my old-fashioned family. I'm studying to become a doctor at the
"The only ones who actually understand this, of my family, is my older sister, the one you met earlier. She's also helping me study for the big exam that will be given out next spring for those who want to become certified, licensed Pokémon Doctors. Right now, working at the Pokémon Center, is like an internship, and a part of my training which covers Pokémon breeding, healing, diagnosing, and differentiating between Pokémon injuries and side effects from battle. I plan on knowing that entire manual by next April!"
"Since you guys are new here, how about you come around town with us?" Jen suggested, after Joya's long story. "I don't have any classes today, nor do I have any forced police-academy training with my cousin and Professor Oak has given me a vacation."
"Sure, we'd love to join you!" Kenji spoke up, a bit too enthusiastically. Realizing that his voice came out a bit louder than he had meant for it to, he clapped his hand around his mouth, and once again, blushed from embarrassment from the outburst.
"You sure are enthusiastic," Jen giggled.
"Jen-chan, where's Laura-san?"
"Oh yeah, she went to pick up her younger cousin. Her cousin's going to be staying with us for a while; too bad she won't be."
"Why?"
"She has to work the late shift at the hospital, so she's staying with her boyfriend after she gets off."
"Jen-chan," Joya mused, "sure she's actually working late? She got in trouble by us last time."
"Come on, not in front of the kids," Jen smirked while pointing towards Ash, Todd, and Misty. "Anyway, she did promise to never do that anymore, just like we promised not to. She realizes it's not very considerate to the three other tenants of this house; well, if any of us are here anyway."
Joya sighed. "I guess it must be work. Besides, we probably shouldn't worry too much about her, since she is 20 years old. She also wouldn't leave her cousin here for us to entertain if it weren't important." She thought for a moment. "Is the cousin she's bringing the one with that pink, blobby Pokémon? They're kind of rare around here."
"A Ditto. Maybe when she gets here, she can hang around with them," she looked towards Ash, Todd, and Misty. She's about their age, so they may have a bit in common."
"That's a great idea! It's been
a long time since we've had a lot of company." Joya turned to Ash and his friends. "How would you all like to stay here for
the night, instead of the
"I would love to," Kenji answered for everyone, in pretty much a
trance, "as well as everyone else."
x x x x x x x x x x
"Our pal," Misty whispered to Ash, "is a bit less embarrassing
than Brock, don't you think?"
"Definitely less," he concurred with a small nod. "Brock asks questions that probably shouldn't be asked."
"You have to admit, though, Brock hasn't been all that bad since we've
gotten here. He hasn't made a pass at
Jen-san at all, and he's either controlling himself to not look at other girls,
or either he's really into Joya-san."
x x x x x x x x x x
"I-I mean if it isn't too much trouble," Kenji added on hastily.
"Of course it isn't," Joya smiled.
"Let's just wait until her cousin gets here," Jen said. "I'm about to go back out, to the market, to pick up some groceries and juice. Oh, by the way, Joya-oneesama said that she's staying at a friend's house tonight."
"Wow, everyone is gone tonight. Why is she staying with her friend?"
"On my way back home, I ran by the
"Oh no," Joya gasped out, avoiding the looks that both she and her friend were now receiving.
"Yeah, I said pretty much the same."
"Oh, guys," Joya realized that she and Jen weren't the only ones in the room, "you can do whatever you want."
"Do you have a Nintendo 64 with the game Pokémon Stadium, or maybe Pokémon Snap?"
"Jen-chan has all of that stuff."
"I'm still getting royalties for that game," Todd stated in a basic voice.
"What game?"
Todd rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Pokémon Snap, Ash!"
Jen and Joya turned their attentions to Todd, their eyes wide, realizing the connection. "You're Snap?!"
"Yep, I sure am."
Ash scratched the back of his head. "I never thought much about it. No wonder the character in the game looks so much like you."
Todd face-faulted from disbelief.
Misty shook her head. "Ash,
you're pitiful."
x x x x x x x x x x
RP: How can you play, Brock, if you can’t see anything? I mean, you do need eyes in order to play.
Brock: RP, you promised not to tease me as much!
RP: Shoot, you’re right…probably. Sorry Brock. (Frowns) Aww man! I like to tease you!
x x x x x x x x x x
":I think I'm going to go buy myself a new ketchup dispenser.:"
"And how are you going to do that, Pikachu?" asked Ash incredulously. "Come to think of it, where do you get your money from anyway? I never give you any."
Pikachu finally decided to share his money secret with Ash. He hopped onto Ash's back, and pulled out Ash's Gameboy Color from his backpack. He then pulled out a game cartridge, and handed both to the Pokémon trainer.
"'Pokémon Yellow'. So what, Pikachu? What about it?"
Misty read the rest of the title.
'Special Pikachu Edition'. I
never noticed the title much; I never really paid any attention to it. So, it's Pikachu's game, and he's getting
paid for it." Pikachu nodded. "So that's how you could afford to give
Ash and me that Crystal Articuno a while back.
This game has been selling out everywhere. I'm surprised Ash managed to get a
cartridge."
x x x x x x x x x x|
RP: (Streaked tears) I’m still
looking for it! It was sold out everywhere here!
Misty: You’ll get it someday RP. Don’t worry about it.
RP: Thanks, Misty. Well, I'll make up for it when Pokémon Stadium comes out
this March! I'll be sure to get it!
x x x x x x x x x x|
"How'd you manage to get it,
Ash?" Todd asked. "This game
is pretty difficult to get."
"I got it the first day it came out, just like all of my other Pokémon games." He chuckled lightly. "We now know Pikachu's little secret."
":Yeah, and that's only one of them:." Pikachu smugly answered.
The group engaged in conversation more until they heard the front door open and a woman's voice call out, "I'm home!"
The owner of the voice walked towards the living room. "Hey, is anyone else here? I saw a lot of shoes by the door." She noticed Ash and his friends, and retracted the question. "Well, never mind then," she said with a small laugh.
"Welcome home, Laura-san," Joya greeted.
"I'm sorry I can't stay too long. I took a quick lunch break to pick up my younger cousin, and get back to work."
"Where is she?"
"She's hanging her coat up."
"How come you have to work so late?" Jen asked her, a bit worriedly.
"Another attack," she whispered to the two younger girls with a tired sigh. "Your sister and I have a lot of work to do."
Right at that moment, a girl much younger than Laura, Jen, and Joya entered the room. "Hi," she greeted with a beaming smile.
Ash and the others looked at the girl, as if studying her. Todd did a double take, and really seemed to stare at her, feeling his heart beat a bit faster than what it was; his palms growing sweaty.
"Hey guys, what's up?"
RP: Well, looks like the group has a new friend. It also seems that Todd has maybe fallen for her or some attraction towards her. Has he finally fallen for a girl other than Misty? Will Todd's subconscious resentment from Ash finally be resolved? And speaking of Ash, will he ever get to battle for his badge? I wish he’d hurry up and get there. And what happened with Mewtwo? Will he finally return to the group? Tune in next time for Part 9 of this fic!
I know, I know. Jen! I couldn’t think of anything closer to Jenny. Well, my address is pikato8270 at aol .com or you can send it to SSJupiter at aol .com.
Japanese Words/Phrases
Manga o yomu, Satoshi. - Read a comic, Satoshi (Ash).
Now, I must mention this. I’m a Ronin Warrior/Yoroiden Samurai Troopers fan and a Sailor Moon fan! Daté Seiji just happens to be my favorite Trooper and Lita/Kino Makoto, aka Sailor Jupiter, is my favorite Senshi! This is just a bit of info dealing with the two so to let you know that I did NOT make up the locations and the Martial Arts info, although I am not too sure about Mako’s branch of Martial Arts that she studies. Also, of course I didn't make up these two characters.