Hello everyone again. This is part 10 of this fic. In my opinion, I think I can do better. I don’t think it’s all THAT good of a fic so far. Don’t forget to let me know how I am doing. Feedback is really appreciated. Bad or good. It doesn’t matter. Well, here we go.
Ash/Duplica: 13
Misty/Todd: 14
Mondo: 16
Kenji/Jen: 17
Joya: 18
Brock/Jessie: 19
James/Butch/Cassidy: 20
Part
10: A Nice Casual Night Out!
RP: Last time we left our heroes, they met up with some new friends and an old one. We also found out that some strange person is controlling Mewtwo and is responsible for all of the random attacks by psychic-type Pokémon. Will Ash ever find out what happened to Mewtwo? I know I'm curious.
Ash: How can you be curious if you're the writer?
RP: I don’t know what’s going to happen either. I just write it as I go along, now leave me alone, stop questioning my authority, and announce the title.
Ash: Okay okay. Sheesh, calm down!
RP: I am being calm!
Ash: (Under his breath) Sure doesn’t seem like it…
RP: (Glares) What was that!
Ash Title: Um…A Nice Casual Night
Out!
RP: That's better. (Looks over at Ash with a wicked look)
Ash: (Laughs nervously) Gomen nasai.
x x x x
x x x
x x x
"This is amazing!" Misty gasped.
"We're standing right in front of the House of Imité!"
The two walked into the empty building, Duplica leading the way to where she kept her costumes.
"Why bother going back to my sisters' gym, when you have a lot of clothes here," Misty laughed, sitting Togepi down on the floor. "You have clothes for all occasions."
"Yep, I sure do, and remember, I can imitate anyone!"
Duplica stepped behind a rack filled with clothes, and came out looking like her cousin Laura. She then walked behind the rack again, and came out looking like Joya, wearing a nurse's uniform. She then went behind the rack once again, only this time, she came out looking like Todd. She even had a camera hanging around her neck. Togepi chirped gleefully at the show, while Misty clapped enthusiastically.
"Those were really good, and if it weren't for your eyes and your physique, you could pass for Todd 100 percent instead of maybe…99 percent."
"Well, I have been practicing, and I could get some extra practice in since I closed off the entire place for the week to visit my cousin."
Duplica went back behind the rack to change back to her regular self while Misty began to look through the choice of clothes she could choose from, Togepi sticking close to Misty due to the unfamiliar surroundings.
"Hey, I really like this, Duplica; may I try this one?"
"Sure, go right ahead; you can keep it if you'd like."
"Cool, thanks!!"
Misty grabbed the satin dress that had caught her eye from the rack. It was…pink!
x x x x
x x x
x x x
RP: Thought I was going to say aqua blue, didn't you? lol
x x x x
x x x
x x x
The long-sleeved dress seemed very much like an evening gown, and very fancy
looking, which went all the way down to the floor. After slipping into the dress, Misty looked
herself over in the mirror. It fit her
like a glove, which showed off her girlish curves perfectly.
"I feel like a princess!" Misty exclaimed as she twirled, checking the back of the dress, which had a big bow looped at the waist part.
Duplica went back to her rack of clothing to find something for herself. The only thing she didn't mind wearing in public was a silk, emerald-green evening gown. It had spaghetti straps, and a matching green jacket.
"Oh, that's really nice, Duplica!"
She blushed slightly, and muttered out a "Thanks".
"Hey, look, purses." Misty picked up one that matched her carnation-pink dress.
"I forgot these had matching handbags," Duplica commented, still feeling a bit awkward dressing up for a formal occasion.
Next on the list were shoes. Sneakers and an evening gown wouldn't be very fancy. Luckily, Duplica had shoes of all sizes and forms, from clown shoes, to Penny loafers, to high-heels.
"Oh my gosh!!" Misty shrieked as a clear pair caught her eye. "I hope these pair of heels fit!" The girl kicked off her sneakers, and stepped into the glass slippers. Her eyes became starry, realizing that they fit. "I really am a princess now!"
Duplica picked up a pair that matched her dress. "You know, Misty, do you really want to wear these?"
"And why not?"
"Well, the dresses kind of drag a bit."
"These types of gowns are supposed to, so when you walk, you hold it up on the sides, like a-a-a debutante!"
"Erm…okay?" She decided not to question Misty and let her do whatever it was she felt was fit.
Next on the redhead's agenda was hair and makeup. Makeup wasn't something that she did often, but decided to anyway. Duplica was pretty much the same way. The only time she used makeup, was whenever she was performing one of her shows.
"Okay, now sit!" Misty instructed to the slightly shorter girl. Duplica sat down, and Misty undid her hair so that it'd hang loosely down. It was pretty long, as it came halfway down her back. She studied her hair, when it came to her. She curled up Duplica's hair so that it would have spiral-type curls at the ends. Next, she styled it so that some of her hair was tied back into a ponytail, while some of her hair rested on her shoulders.
"How is it?" Misty smiled. "Don't you look beautiful?"
Duplica's face was a bit red, as she wasn't sure how to reply as no one had ever called her pretty or beautiful before, but was more so concerned as to how Todd would see her. Wait, why would she care what he thought of her? "I-I guess I do," she murmured shyly. One thing everyone tended to notice about Duplica was how she was anything but shy. "What about your hair?"
"Don't worry about me; I want you to get fixed up first."
"This is very nice, Misty, thanks."
After Misty was done with Duplica's hair, she went to her own. She untied her hair from her one-sided ponytail, and let it hang down, which came a bit past her shoulders. She didn't fix it up all exquisite like she had tried to do with Duplica's, as she was more concerned and intent on having the girl look as radiant as she possibly could.
Misty picked up Togepi, after looking down at her Starmie watch. "We better get going."
"Right," the other girl nodded.
"Oh wait, we forgot jewelry. Do you have any we can use?"
"Yeah, hold on for a sec." Duplica left the room, and returned with a small, wooden box. "This has a lot of trinkets that I never really wear for my performances; these are actually real."
She opened it and Misty looked in. One sparkly ring caught her eye, and with it were a pair of ear-rings. "Du-Duplica!" she gaped, her jaw dropped. "Is-is that a real diamond ring!?"
Duplica picked up the gold ring with the small stone decorating it, with the pair of dangly matching ear-rings. "Yeah, I forgot I had them. You can have these if you want; I don't have any reason to keep it."
"B-but, it's a real diamond! I couldn't…"
"No, go ahead," she insisted.
Misty trembled as she took the ring and shakily slipped it onto her finger. She truly felt that this was too good to let go. "Are you sure?"
The girl nodded again, as she picked up a gold bracelet with a matching gold ring.
":Mommy looks pretty!:"
She hugged the small egg-Pokémon. "Thanks, Togepi." She put the small egg down and put on the ear-rings. She admired herself in the mirror. Even her sisters would get envious over the way she looked currently. She picked up Togepi again. "Duplica, we didn't make any reservations for anyplace."
"Don't worry about it. My cousin knows the owner of the restaurant I had in mind, and so do I. He can get us something easily."
"It wouldn't be intruding?"
"No way. We can get in touch with him as soon as we get back." The girl picked up her Pokéball, and called out her Ditto. "Ditto, transform into Kadabra."
The pink blob obeyed, as its shapeless body turned to that of a squinty-eyed Pokémon holding a spoon. "Now that you know exactly where we're supposed to go this time, teleport us back to Joya's room."
Ditto obeyed, and teleported back to
x x x x
x x x
x x x
Back at Jen and Joya's home, looking in the
washroom's mirror…
Todd - wearing a dark-blue tuxedo - was frustratingly fixing up his bow-tie for what seemed like the 100th time. "Does this look all right, Ash?"
Ash rolled his eyes. "For the last time, Todd, you look fine."
"Sorry," he apologized, leaving the washroom, Ash behind him. "I guess I'm a bit nervous."
"Why? We've gone out to dinner before."
The two boys made it back to the living room. Pikachu was wearing a tuxedo, similar to Ash's, which was navy-blue, watching television.
Todd plopped down on the couch beside Pikachu before answering. "Never a fancy dinner. What if I do something wrong? What if I don't drink right? What if I don't order my food right? Duplica would think I was, well, I don't know, but she'd probably think badly of me…not that I really care or anything…"
"Nobody said you did. Anyway, we're going to have to act like perfect gentlemen."
Todd looked up at Ash fearfully. "What do you mean?"
"You know, escorting and all that silly stuff. I don't know what Misty sees in that type of stuff, but she thinks it's romantic." Ash gave off a short laugh. "I guess it's obvious I'm not the romantic type, but I try anyway."
Pikachu looked away from the television, trying to hold back his laughter. ":You're actually trying to look like a klutz?::"
"Pikachu, of course I'm trying to b e romantic! I guess I fool all with the charm I give off."
":What charm?:"
"Wait, Pikachu! What do you mean a 'klutz'!"
Pikachu continued to snicker, Ash ignored him.
"I hope we all have a good time tonight. It should be more fun since Duplica is coming along."
"Yeah, yeah, Duplica." Todd stood up abruptly. His stomach was incredibly nervous. "Oh well, it's almost time to go." With that, he rushed out of the room. He could really use a glass of water or either some fresh air to calm his nerves.
"He sure is acting crazy."
":You said it, although, I don't think he's acting.:"
Ash laughed at the rodent's statement. "Leave poor Todd alone, Pikachu." Pikachu calmed down, finally, wiping away a tear. "Wonder what's keeping Duplica and Misty. They're taking forever!"
":They're making themselves really pretty, Ash.:"
"They better look really pretty," Ash muttered exasperatingly. "I hate waiting around."
":You just don't get it, do you?:"
"Get what?"
Pikachu sighed at his trainer and friend. ":Never mind…:"
x x x x
x x x
x x x
"Finally, we're back," Misty declared, sitting down on Joya's large bed.
Duplica made her way over to the phone, to call up
one of the best restaurants
After hanging up, Duplica smiled proudly, and shared the news with Misty, who was very much amazed. "How do you know the owner anyway?"
"Well, I have a lot of connections here," she started, but her
tone turned to that of a semi-bashful one, "and the fact that the mayor of
Misty nearly fell over, as her eyes went wide in astonishment. "Mayor?! Your uncle is the mayor!"
She put her hand in the back of her head, and gave off a timid laugh. "Well, erm, yeah. I haven't talked to him in a while. The owner of the restaurant is a good friend of my uncle's and the owner has also known me since I was really little."
"Wow," Misty mouthed out, still surprised over the news. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot…Togepi, can you do mommy a little favor?"
":Sure, mommy.:"
"I want you to go get Pikachu, and ask him to bring me my bag. It's probably a bit too heavy for you."
Togepi "prii'd", understanding his task, and waddled off in search of Pikachu.
"Misty, instead of sending Togepi, why didn't you go?"
"I don't want the boys to see me, or you, yet."
Duplica scratched her head in confusion. "Um, why?"
"Because we aren't completely dressed yet."
Duplica was confused by the redhead's words, but decided to leave it at that. Misty was obviously more experienced in the dating department than she was, so this must was normal.
A short moment later, Togepi walked back in the room, with Pikachu holding Misty's red bag.
":You two look very nice!:" Pikachu complimented, handing Misty her bag.
"Thanks, Pikachu."
"Yeah, thanks Pikachu." Duplica then turned to Misty and whispered, "What'd he say?"
"He said that we looked nice. Anyway, thanks for bringing my bag, Pikachu, and thank you, Togepi, for getting Pikachu."
"Are Ash and Todd ready yet, Pikachu?"
Pikachu nodded, and stalked out of the room, Togepi tagging behind him.
Misty looked over at the clock, noting the time. "It'll take a while, probably to get to the restaurant, Duplica. Maybe if we leave now, we'll get there at a good time."
"Not unless you go by limo."
"A limo?" Duplica nodded smugly. "How?"
She winked. "I have my ways."
With that, Duplica went over to the phone, while Misty went through her bag, pulling out a small, seashell-shaped bottle, with a blue-liquid inside. "Ahh, here's what I was looking for, my perfume." Erica of the Celadon City Gym would always send her samples of the latest perfumes to her sisters' gym. Misty usually had her sisters send them to wherever she was staying. This time, however, she picked it up personally since they had dropped by. This sample was called Umi no Paradaisu, which was supposed to be as lovely and soothing as the sea. She dabbed a bit on her wrist, and sniffed it. It smelled quite nice. She then dabbed some on her neck.
After Duplica hanged up the phone, which was on the stand by Joya's bed, Misty gave some to Duplica.
"This is really nice."
"Yes, it is. Erica had this fragrance when we were in Celadon. She told me that as soon as she got some more made, that she would send it to me. I'll always treasure this one."
Duplica added a bit more of the perfume to her wrists. "How come?"
Misty grew quiet. "My mother would've liked it." She grew a bit misty-eyed, and stared away from Duplica. "She always loved stuff dealing with the sea, or water. It helps me to remember her."
Not sure how to reply, Duplica set down the bottle of perfume. "That's, really nice, Misty," she managed to get out, feeling slightly lost.
Misty wiped her eyes and smiled triumphantly. "Well, enough chatting! Let's get going!"
Duplica's stomach was extremely jumpy and full of Butterfree. She then
gulped vaguely. "Yeah, let's
go."
x x x x
x x x
x x x
Ash and Todd were in the living room, waiting around for both Misty and Duplica, along with Pikachu and Togepi, whom were both playing their Gameboy
Colors once again to pass the time.
Suddenly, the sound of a car coming to a screeching stop was heard, causing Ash and Todd to rush over to the window to see what it was. They gaped at the sight. "A limo?!"
"Maybe they got the wrong address," Ash presumed.
"Yeah, that or either the driver is looking for directions."
A tall, gruff man wearing a dark chauffeur's uniform exited the vehicle, and walked up to the house. He rang the bell, Ash and Todd rushed to answer it, leaving the two Pokémon to their games.
"Hello there," the man replied in English with a bow, "I am your driver for the evening."
Todd blinked in stupidity. "Driver for the evening?"
Right at that moment, Misty and Duplica made their way to the front door, Togepi and Pikachu walking behind them. Ash felt his brain go to mush as he stared at Misty, captivated by her beauty, regardless of the plainness of her hair. Todd, on the other hand, was trying his best to avoid looking at Misty, as it pained him to, but was really trying to make an effort to avoid looking at Duplica, but against his will, looked anyway.
"You look nice, Misty." Ash complimented, which he felt was a very wise thing to do.
"Thanks, Ash."
"You look nice too, Duplica."
Her cheeks went slightly pink. "Th-thanks."
Todd couldn't say a thing. It was like he had momentarily forgotten that he had the gift of speaking. He was staring at Duplica, as if studying her, or trying to make something of her. Both girls wondered if the boy was going to compliment them in any way, Duplica at least. Todd wanted to compliment Duplica, tell her that her outfit was very nice and how she seemed to have led an interesting life, but all he could manage to say, was, "Let's go, I'm starved."
Duplica looked a bit crestfallen, as she nodded, which both Misty and even Pikachu, noticed, shaking their heads sadly at the sight.
Ash put out his arm for Misty, like a gentleman, since he knew she liked that stuff, and gave Todd a look. The taller boy rolled his eyes and, reluctantly, put his arm out for Duplica, who gladly accepted it.
'I don't really want to do this,' Todd thought sourly as they made their way towards the limo. 'I know what's going to happen; some other guy she's known for a good while is probably going to come along and take her away, or, she'll like him better, just like what happened with Misty. I should leave while I have the chance, but I'd disappoint Ash, Misty, and Duplica.' He gave an exasperated, inward sigh. 'Todd, why do you always get yourself into these messes…'
The four young teens, and the two Pokémon, finally made it to the limo, hopping in. Ash, instinctively, sat next to Misty on one side and, unfortunately, for Todd, he sat next to Duplica on the other. Pikachu and Togepi sat on the same side as Ash and Misty, chatting away energetically.
During the ride, Duplica tried her best to converse with Todd, but he would avoid eye contact with her, and would only give quick or short responses if she spoke directly to him. When it was group conversation, he'd participate half-heartedly.
After a while, the girl gave up trying to talk one-on-one with him, and gazed out the window, a bit disappointed, which suited Todd just fine. It meant less awkwardness for him. She really wanted Todd to notice and have an actual conversation with her. She truly wished that he didn't act as if she was diseased or an incurable virus.
The limo-ride finally ended, and the group exited the exotic car.
"Here we are," Duplica announced while pointing to the big building. "Imitenokyuuden!" The outside of the building looked to have towers, like that of an ancient castle. The walkway leading up to the doors, had a red carpet so that all that dined there, would feel as if they were royalty.
"This place is amazing!"
Ash concurred with Misty. "It's really fancy looking too!"
"Pikachu!"
The group walked up the long walkway to the ancient looking doors, where a medium-framed man stood, in uniform. He bowed, and opened the door for them. "Right this way, Imité-sama."
Duplica smiled to the man. "Arigatou."
After everyone had entered the restaurant, he entered as well so as to
escort them. The inside of the building
was just as large as the outside. The
decorations were similar to that of the
In the very back, where the man led them, had a row of private rooms. He led them to the best room this restaurant had to offer. It seemed to look like that of a court with an indoor fountain and garden, which was really pretty during the day. The place was dimly lit, as it had a candle-lit golden chandelier. Everything here seemed to be either made of gold, or gold in color.
In the middle of the room, sat a small, round table set for four and a smaller table set for two for both the Pokémon, which Duplica made sure to mention. The cups (shaped as goblets), the silverware, and the plates all were gold in color. On each plate, was a cloth napkin in the shape of Articuno. The glasses, for their water, were made of crystal. A short ways away from the table, a stage for musicians to perform was set up. Very fancy.
Ash and Misty sat down on one side of the table, leaving the other side free for Todd and Duplica, much against Todd's wishes, while Pikachu and Togepi sat down at the small table right beside it.
"This is a really nice place, Duplica. How did you ever…" Misty stopped shortly, coming to a surprising realization. "Wait a minute, the name of this place!"
"It's a family restaurant," the girl explained as a waiter arrived in the room. "Laura normally manages stuff around here whenever she isn't working in the ER, which isn't too often."
The man who had been standing there patiently, handed the group menus and
asked, "Y a il
quelque chose que je peux faire pour vous, Mademoiselle Imité?"
x x x x
x x x
x x x
RP: That simply translates to, "Is there anything I can do for you,
Mademoiselle Imité?"
x x x x
x x x
x x x
Duplica spoke back in French - which the others
didn't know she knew - but Misty stared on with extreme curiosity, deep in
thought. 'I wonder what's going on here,
and what Duplica meant earlier about there being
trouble here…'
x x x x
x x x
x x x
At the Michu Movie Madness Cineplex….
"Wow, that was a nice movie," Brock commented forcibly as he and the others exited the theatre.
"Yeah…really nice," Kenji added, his voice quite dull, catching on. "I'm sure the girls enjoyed it as well."
Brock's voice was extremely monotone and dead. "Yes, I am sure they did."
Jen and Joya stared at the two, and then busted out laughing. Kenji and Brock looked on in confusion.
"You guys actually thought we enjoyed that dull movie?" Joya asked, holding her stomach between laughs.
"You mean you didn't…" Kenji started.
"No way!" Jen composed herself, as did Joya. "Pokéanic is one boring movie. I thought that it was going to be much more interesting than what they advertised for."
Joya nodded. "Yeah, and that Theorello…Fiorello, whatever his name is, Cappucino isn't all that great either. I don't know what all the girls see in him." Joya blushed crimson as she looked over at the squinty-eyed Pokémon Breeder. "I'd take good old Takeshi-san any day."
Jen - who as more outgoing than Joya - also felt a bit of red creeping into her cheeks, as she looked towards the Pokémon Artist. "I'd take Kenji-kun over Theorello too," she mumbled quietly.
"Wow, no girl has said that to me before," Kenji said, awed.
Brock was quite flabbergasted. First he had managed to land himself a date, and now a girl was talking about how he'd choose him over a famous, handsome movie star. "Me…neither…" he blinked.
The four left the theatre, and started to walk down the busy streets of the city.
"I was just wondering," Brock started, "how did that theatre get such a name?"
"Well," Joya scratched the back of her head, as if to kill time to only fail miserably, "it's a legendary Pokémon here."
"A Michu is a legendary Pokémon?"
"Yeah," Joya continued. "It's not the only one; there are more of them, but the Michu is pretty much the most well-known of them."
"Do they still exist, and just live here?" Kenji asked.
Joya shook her head. "No, they don't."
"Yeah, they've been extinct for years."
"But how---"
"So, how about a bite to eat," Jen interrupted the artist before he could get another word out.
"Yeah, that would be nice," Kenji began slowly.
"I'm hungry too, and I'm not into all that fancy stuff, so how about a burger and fries?"
"Great idea, Joya-chan! It's nice and quick."
"What places are nearby, though?"
"Not to worry," Joya smiled, her cheeks rosy from the cold. "I have the perfect place in mind. You guys don't mind burgers, do you?"
"No, not at all."
"What place did you have in mind?"
"What other place would I have in mind?"
Jen thought for a moment. "Oh
yeah, the
"The
The two girls nodded. Joya shivered a bit. "It's so cold out here. I, for one, love snow, but not at this time of the year as it's the time to be picking flowers or flying kites, not having snowball fights," Joya stated randomly.
Jen breathed out, steam escaping her mouth. "Yeah, but that's not unusual seeing as who our mayor is. He's always liked snow and cold weather."
Both Brock and Kenji were beyond confused of the two girls' conversation. "What are you two talking about," Brock questioned them.
Both girls grew quiet. "Oh, nothing," Jen answered sharply, avoiding the question. "Wow, look, there's the place we told you about!"
Once again, they were avoiding a subject that seemed to be quite, well,
scientifically impossible from the way they arrived there, to the bizarre
weather change. 'What are they hiding,'
Brock inwardly wondered as he and Kenji followed the girls into the burger
joint…
x x x x
x x x
x x x
Cinnibar Island (Earlier that day)…
"Okay, everything is set," James told Jessie and Meowth, who were both sitting around playing cards.
"That's good." Jessie put down her handful of cards. "Are you ready to go Meowth."
He jumped up, a small suitcase in hand. "Meowth is ready to go!"
James cut Meowth a suspicious look. "You're not carrying around a bunch of those fake badges, are you?"
"Now James, you know me betta den dat! I can't believe you'd think I'd go so low as to sell fake Pokémon League…" Jessie grabbed Meowth's suitcase, "…HEY!!!"
Jessie opened up the suitcase, which had made an unusual metal clanking sound. The suitcase was filled with the bottle caps Meowth had earlier. "Meowth!" both ex-Rocket members shouted to the shifty feline.
"Fine, fine!" he grumbled, his arms crossed. "I won't sell 'em!"
James tossed the suitcase aside while Meowth
stomped off. "We should get to
Pallet in no time at all, and the ride from Pallet to
"Going by sea, we should get there before the day is out," Jessie informed them. "It's only 14:00 now."
"Let's hurry and pack a few more things."
Jessie laughed playfully as she stood up from her seat. James's suggestion of packing a few more things seemed to be a good idea. "It's so nice being semi-rich, and even much nicer that you managed to even get a Yacht out of your parents too."
"You said it! They were saving that for my 18th birthday, and gave it to me after I told them I wanted to start up a business." James gave off a melancholy sigh as he stared into Jessie's eyes. "For once in my life, I'm actually happy, Jess. I'm also glad that you got the modeling thing going, too. I'm sure you'll excel at that since you are pretty."
She hugged him tightly. "Naturally," she giggled playfully, "I am the gorgeous one! I'm glad too, and thanks."
"Just promise me something," his expression was now very serious, "since you are modeling now."
"What's that?"
"Don't ever starve yourself or anything like that just to get thinner if you want to. You're a normal size, and no matter what anyone says, you'll always be pretty; no, beautiful to me."
Jessie was a bit surprised at James's serious statement. His concern, though, was very sweet, so she gave him a passionate kiss.
"I promise," she uttered quietly after they broke, staring into his big, green eyes.
Holding two suitcases - one with his counterfeit badges (there was no way he was going to let Jessie and James stop him), the other with who knows what - Meowth stood, looking like he was about ready to gag. "Stop all dat mushy stuff and let's get goin'!"
"Yeah, yeah," the two muttered, getting out of one another's embrace.
The three hurried themselves along, packing up a few extra things, and
headed to the boating docks, hopping into James's luxurious Yacht, making their
way towards Pallet Town…
x x x x
x x x
x x x
Viridian City Gym…
"Oy, Mondo," Cassidy called to a young man with short, brown hair wearing a black t-shirt with matching black slacks, who was out in the back of the gym, "I feel a bit guilty for closing the entire gym down at such an early time, so how about you just battle in place of me alongside Butch?"
Mondo, who was playing with the Pokémon, stood up, quite honored of being given such a task. "You bet! I would be happy to."
Cassidy stretched, as Butch walked up to the two. "What's wrong anyway, Cassidy," the younger boy asked in concern.
"I'm just a bit tired."
"Cassidy," Butch seemed a bit worried, "how come you're so tired all of a sudden anyway? You didn't get enough sleep?"
"Or maybe she got too much?"
"I don't know; I've just been tired lately." She then muttered, "I also have the feeling that something isn't right."
"Like what?"
"Worrying could also lead to lack of sleep," Butch inferred, his neatly cut hair, blowing in the spring breeze.
"I really don't know; I just know that it has something to do with the Pokémon League Games."
"What are you talking about?" Butch asked in utter perplexity.
"Well, so far, no one has shown up for them."
"What!?!"
"Butch, Cassidy, it's still early you know," Mondo reminded them. "It doesn't officially start for about two more weeks, or either a bit under two weeks."
"But normally, about 40 or 50 of the trainers that are qualified get there early to train and to register."
"Mondo's right, Cassidy; it is still pretty early, like he said. You really shouldn't be worrying yourself over something like this."
"The games are being held at the Indigo Plateau, but no one is there right now, and no one has called. The snobbiest and the richest of the bunch haven't even called and made special reservations yet. Earlier this morning, while you were training, Butch, and you were out here with the Pokémon, Mondo, I received a call from Mr. Goodshow wondering if any trainers passed through who qualified for the league games and found it odd that not one participant had registered just yet."
"That is a bit strange. Maybe the other gym leaders know something about it."
"Maybe, Butch, but who could we actually call?" Cassidy frowned. "Some of them aren't all that fond of us because of our history with Team Rocket. You should know that!"
"I know, I know, but it's at least worth a try." Butch turned to Mondo. "Could you do us a favor, and call the gym closest to here, and see if he or she knows anything about the games."
"Okay, but which gym would that be?"
"The
"Mondo, instead of just trying them, call up all the other gym leaders if possible."
Mondo nodded and headed back in the gym, to the
office. He went to the visa-phone,
dialing the operator, who - in return - gave him the number to the
"Ring ring ring,
ring ring ring, phone call,
phone call," the phone rang out.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," a middle-aged man with spiky brown
hair and narrow eyes grumbled as he made his way to the phone. When he picked up, the screen showed Mondo. "Hello, Pewter
City Gym; this is
"Hello there, sir. My name is Mondo, and I am the assistant here at the Viridian City Gym," the boy greeted back quite courteously and politely. "I was wondering if I could get some information about where the Kanto Pokémon League Games are taking place this year."
"Thank you, sir."
"You're welcome."
"You’re welcome, son."
Both hanged up the phone and the screen went blank. After receiving the information, Mondo passed it on to Cassidy. She told him to call the next gym on the list, and decided on Cinnibar. The phone was picked up, and a man wearing small sunglasses, and a long wavy-haired wig appeared on the screen. He reminded Mondo of a Hippie.
"Hello, this is the Riddle Inn, erm, I mean
the Cinnibar Island Gym. This is
"Hello sir. My name is Mondo, and I am the assistant of the Viridian City Gym. I was wondering if you knew anything about the upcoming Indigo Pokémon League Games and where they are being held this year."
"The answer to that is pretty simple, young fellow."
'If I'm remembering right, I think this is the gym leader who asks all those riddles, and he won't allow you to battle him unless you solve them. That's why it's tough to get the badge from him. Some people don't even manage to answer the riddles.'
"It is a plain with the color of Turquoise."
"Excuse me?"
x x x x
x x x
x x x
RP: (Tsks) Such a simple riddle…
Misty: (Pops in the room) Indigo Plateau?
Mondo: Hey, wait a minute!
Misty: I couldn’t resist such an easy riddle.
Brock and Ash popped into the room.
Ash: We're not dumb, and we're going to solve this riddle!
Brock: Yeah!
Kenji and Todd walked in.
Todd: I wasn't around when you battled
Kenji: Same here.
Mondo: (Annoyed tone/waving hands around trying to get noticed) HELLO!
No one noticed Mondo.
Ash: That's an easy one! It's, um...SANTA CLAUS!
Brock: Santa Claus goes down chimneys, not up!
Ash: Well, he has to get out somehow!
Todd: Ever hear of a door?
Brock: (Crossed arms) Hmm, how about...smoke?
Todd: It can't be smoke! Smoke goes up chimneys, not down! How about air?
Ash: No, air doesn't count! That's the same thing as the smoke!
Todd: But warm air rises!
Ash: And any other time it's still!
Todd: Are you trying to sound smart and scientific? How do I know you're not just making all that stuff up!
Ash: Cause I'm not, THAT'S why!
The two continued to argue.
RP: I'm not getting into that argument. I'm not too sure myself.
Brock: (To himself) And I thought Ash and Misty argued a lot. (Noticing Kenji and Misty/ignoring Todd and Ash arguing) Looks like the two "geniuses" of the group can't figure it out either.
Kenji and Misty were thinking.
Misty/Kenji: I've got it! (Pointing at one another) You do! (Both nodded)
Kenji: What do you think it is?
Misty: What do you think?
Kenji: I know, let's just say it together. We may both be right.
Misty: Could be.
Brock: Good idea, I'll count.
Kenji/Misty: Okay!
Brock: 1-2-3, go!
Misty/Kenji: Kasa!
Ash: (Scoffing) An umbrella! That's a good one you two.
Todd: Yeah, an umbrella?
Todd/Ash/Brock: WHAT! HOW!
Ash: WHAT KIND OF ANSWER IS AN UMBRELLA!
Misty: Well, when a person trying to go up a chimney is holding an umbrella that is closed or "down", he or she can go "up" a chimney with it, but...
Kenji: ...if it's open, or "up" and you try to go "down" a chimney, it won't. It'd get stuck. Get it?
Ash/Todd: (Muttering) I guess.
Brock: I wouldn't have thought of that.
The three of them left, the two younger ones grumbling, wishing they had come up with the right answer.
Kenji: Wow, that was fun, not to mention an easy riddle. Well, it's time to go.
Kenji leaves.
Misty: Well, that was fun
Misty left.
RP: Mondo had a MONDO sweat drop from the previous
characters' entrances. Is that what you would you would call a bad joke?
(Thinks for a moment) Hmm, that was
different…
x x x x
x x x
x x x
"Well, like I was saying, young fellow, Indigo Plateau is the right
answer, and that is where it was being held this year. As a matter of fact, it is always held
there."
"Thank you, sir."
The screen went blank as Mondo hanged up. He then decided to call the other gym leaders of Kanto. Most were quite cooperative, but Lieutenant Surge of the Vermillion City Gym, the wise, old ninja, Koga, of the Fuschia City Gym, and the mysterious psychic gym leader, Sabrina, of the Saffron City Gym were a bit traverse with Mondo, as he was once a Rocket Gang member, as were Butch and Cassidy. Even though neither seemed to want to associate with him, they put their ill-feelings aside, and answered his question. Both seemed to want to get away from him or didn't like the fact that "the likes of him" had called them.
All that Mondo called, though, said the same thing, pretty much, Indigo Plateau. He had now called five out of the six other gyms; Cerulean was left on his list of places to contact. In actuality, he wasn’t even planning on calling the Cerulean City Gym since it was more of an aquarium with water shows than it was a gym for Pokémon battling. The Pokémon League Gym Officials were even currently considering on whether or not the Cerulean City Gym should remain an official one or not.
He dialed up the Cerulean gym. After a few moments, a young lady with shiny, wavy blonde hair appeared on the screen. "Hello, you have reached the Cerulean City Gym, and this is Daisy speaking. What can I do for you?"
"Hello, ma'am," Mondo routinely started, "I…"
"Ma'am!!!" The beautiful girl's head grew ten times its normal size, truly offended. "HOW OLD DO I LOOK!!"
Mondo, scared at the moment, sweat dropped fearfully, and anxiously apologized. "Not old! You're young and pretty!" he insisted sincerely. "I'm sorry if I offended you."
Daisy stared for a moment, her lips pursed. She then calmed down, much to Mondo's liking. "Yeah, yeah, okay."
"Good. My name is Mondo, and I'm the assistant of the Viridian City Gym. I was wondering if you knew anything about the Indigo Pokémon League games, or where they're going to be held."
"Usually, they're, like, held at Indigo Plateau, but for this year,
they're going to be held at
"Lost
"It's an island that's supposed to be east of Cerulean. Misty called when she first got there and
said that finding it wasn't easy. They
had to use a psychic-type Pokémon in order to get there." Daisy noticed the confused look on Mondo's face, as if she were spewing some strange, made-up
story. "I don't know everything,
but the best person to talk to about it is Professor Oak of
"He also mentioned that Ash had to get something called a Shadow Badge from there, to officially qualify for the league. He should be able to answer your questions and maybe help you get there if that's what you're trying to do."
Mondo thanked Daisy and hanged up the phone. He then looked up Professor Oak's number, and gave him a call. He had grown rather curious.
"Hi there," Professor Oak answered idly, appearing on the screen. He was sitting in front of his computer, typing away.
"Hello there, Professor Oak. You might not know who I am, but---"
"You're the assistant of the Viridian City Gym, and…your name is Mondo, correct?"
Mondo blinked, truly astonished. "Yes sir, how did you---"
"Oh, Satoshi-kun told me about you, and about everything that happened a while back dealing with the Rocket Gang." He stopped typing and gave the boy his undivided attention. "So, why have you called me? I was just about to have a big dinner here with a guest."
"What else would you like, Professor dear," Mondo heard a female voice call.
"It doesn't matter," Professor Oak called back to the young, Mrs. Ketchum. "You're the quite the cook."
"Thanks, and today, Mimie is helping me."
A faint, "Mime Mime!" was heard in reply.
"That's lovely. It smells very nice, whatever you've started preparing."
Mondo was starting to grow a bit annoyed from being ignored, like how he had been when he called Cinnibar. "Okido-hakase…"
"Oh, yes, now what's the problem now, son?"
"I was wondering about this place located east of
"What about it?"
"I was just wondering if the Pokémon League games for Kanto were being held there this year."
"No, they're not. Like every year, it is held at the Indigo Plateau."
Mondo looked a bit exasperated. Was someone playing a cruel joke on him? "But one of the gym leaders of the Cerulean City Gym just told me that---"
"Well, I'm afraid she's mistaken," Professor Oak interrupted, going back to his computer.
"Well, thank you for your time, sir," Mondo replied in pure confusion. He knew that the Cerulean Sisters weren't taken really seriously, but why would even Daisy believe such a thing and then relay that information to him, and then list Professor Oak as the one to go to get even more information? It just didn't add up to him.
"You're very welcome and it smells like dinner is almost ready!" He smiled gratefully. "No Tofu for dinner tonight!"
With that, Professor Oak took off. Mondo hanged up, finally deciding to report back to Butch and Cassidy, who were sitting in their office.
"See, what did I tell you, Butch!" Cassidy cried after Mondo had told them everything. "Something is wrong. One person is saying one thing, and the others are saying another."
Butch stared at the blonde, apparently in thought over Mondo's news. He then slowly nodded. "You may be right, Cassidy. I know those Cerulean Gym Leaders don't take this stuff as seriously as they should, but the fact that the one Mondo spoke with mentioned that Lost Kage Island place and then pointed him to Professor Oak is just, well, weird. I couldn't see even them making that kind of a mistake."
"Neither could I, honestly," Mondo concurred. "I thought the same thing after speaking with her and Professor Oak." He looked to Cassidy. "We know something strange is going on, but what can we do about it?"
"I don't know, but for now, I guess we should wait a while." She stood up from her desk. "The gym is re-opened, so some people are bound to be coming soon for a battle."
Mondo looked out the door, peering into the
gym. "You're right. Time to battle!"
x x x x
x x x
x x x
Secluded Laboratory…
The distinguished dark haired professor was sitting at his computer with the giant screen, typing out some information. "Pure genius how no one suspects anything, sir," he said with a smirk. He stood up from his seat, and faced his mentor, who was seated in an old, rickety chair near him. "I guess we can restore the memories of all the Pokémon officials and leaders into thinking the games are being held in its normal place now." The professor went over to his printer, pulling off a sheet of paper, reading off its results. "According to this, all memories have been restored except those of the Cerulean City Gym, but that gym doesn't even seem to be one for battling. It seems that the only ones that suspect anything are the new Viridian City Gym leaders."
"Good, just the way I wanted it," the man's voice echoed in the
secluded lab. "Those air-headed
girls were never a threat to begin with, as they tend to only worry about their
looks. As for the traitorous idiots running the
The professor looked a bit skeptic as he tossed the paper into the
waste-basket. "Are you sure having all of the trainers thinking
that the games are being held here in
"Are you questioning me!" the middle-aged man's voice roared indignantly with an echo, as he stood. He didn't wait for an answer. "Of course it's okay! I have been plotting for a long time! Lost Kage has just what I need to help get me back onto my feet; rare Pokémon amongst other things." He sat back down, a bit more calm from his little outburst. "Now, go check on the status of the inhabitants."
The professor nodded as he brought up a screen. "Hmm, there goes a Drowzee, sir, attacking its trainer in the town square."
"Very good. After we get all of the psychic types, they will be able to control all of the other Pokémon and can help me out tremendously. I will finally get my revenge!"
Curious, the professor looked back to his mentor. "What will happen to all of the trainers and the inhabitants when they find out that all of this is an illusion? I mean, yes, the island is real, and so is this town, but what will happen they all find out that they were all hypnotized into believing that the gym has been here for such a long time, the inconsistent weather conditions, and the way the trainers actually got here?"
"I don't care!" he snapped fiercely. The professor gulped slightly. The last thing he wanted was to piss his mentor off. "The only ones I wanted to see get here, were those who actually had psychic Pokémon anyway. It was nothing but a test to see if their Pokémon were worthy enough for my taking."
The professor only shrugged, as he continued to check other parts of the town. On the screen, it showed an Abra trying to attack its trainer using confusion, and then rushing off itself, as if the attack had confused it as well.
Beside the computer the professor was using, stood Mewtwo, hooked up to a few machines, and much to his dismay, he couldn't get loose.
"It's a good thing that the mayor of Lost Kage is in on this, and the brain waves from this wonderful Mewtwo," the mentor sneered at the Pokémon, "is helping us out, not to mention the two subjects running the gym currently along with their two assistants."
"Yes, it is…I guess…" the professor muttered, checking on Mewtwo's vital signs, as well as his psychic capabilities…
x x x x
x x x
x x x
Imité Kage Burger Palace…
"So," Brock began, chomping down on a burger, "you guys never did tell us how it just got cold all of a sudden."
Kenji nodded while sipping on his cola. Both he and Brock were sitting across from the girls. "Yeah, it's the middle of April, and we're sitting here in coats and gloves. It was pretty much sunny and warm when we first arrived here, and even our getting here was strange."
Both the girls exchanged a look, while Joya seemed to shift in her seat uneasily.
"Do you think we should come clean with them?" Jen asked her life-long friend.
The doctor-in-training nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess we should."
Both boys put their attentions on the girls completely, quite intrigued.
"Well, this place is enchanted," Jen began. "The weather all depends on our mayor."
"On the mayor?" Kenji asked.
Jen nodded.
"How so?" Brock queried.
"Well, if our mayor wants it to rain, it rains. If he wants snow, it snows. If he's really angry, the heat is immense. It's cold now and snowy, and our mayor has always loved winter weather," Joya told them. "We don't know what happened. We all used to think that the enchanted thing was nothing but a myth, but for the past couple of weeks or so, it hasn't been."
"Yeah, a whole lot of strange and unusual things have been going on lately."
"I recall something about attacks of some kind," Kenji started, "is it connected to what's been going on here?"
"Well, all of the Psychic Pokémon lately have been attacking their trainers with powerful attacks for no apparent reason," Jen answered somberly.
"Yeah, my sister and Laura-san have been working terribly this past
week." Joya
sighed as she stared down at her half-eaten meal. "Every time we look, someone is being
brought in, people and Pokémon. They've been using the
"That's terrible. Brock, maybe we should go back and check on Ash, Misty, and the others."
Joya laughed amusedly. Brock and Kenji stared at her, like she had lost it. "No need to worry about them. They're much safer than we are since Duplica is with them."
Before either could question this, Jen added, "Duplica knows about what's going on, and she's our best asset since she's the only one that's immune to these attacks."
"How?" both asked in unison.
"We don't know, exactly," Jen went on, "but Laura-chan is still trying to figure it out. A few days ago, Duplica visited us, and was in one of those attacks, but she wasn't hurt at all. As a matter of fact, the Kadabra that was about to attack her left her alone completely, like it couldn't bring itself to. We still don't know why she wasn't attacked, or how."
"Maybe because her uncle is the mayor here?"
Jen nodded to Joya. "Maybe."
"Is it just me, Kenji," Brock began after downing a fry, "or do our adventures get weirder and weirder, or we either end up in some strange predicament?"
"They're getting weirder and weirder, but I wouldn't give it up for the world. I'm quite glad we met Ash."
Brock smiled, remembering when he first met his Pokémon-loving pal and how he had come a long way. "Neither would I."
"It's always an adventure," Kenji finished the last bite of his
burger. "The other trainers from
Pallet never had adventures like this.
According to Professor Oak, Ash and
"That's impressive," Jen said. "How many trainers were there?"
"I'm not sure."
"Five," Brock answered. He finished up his meal, as did the others.
"So, are you two guys ready to go?" Jen asked, finishing her lemonade.
The others nodded and stood, exiting the family-owned fast-food restaurant, going back into the cold, winter weather.
"It was nice of you for letting us stay with you," Brock told the two girls as they walked.
"Yes, but are you positive it's okay?" After spending time with Jen, Kenji had come to act as his usual self. "We aren't imposing, are we?"
"No, of course not," Jen answered brightly, staring up at the moon-lit sky with the scattered snow clouds. "It's not often we have cute guys stay over with us," she flirted.
Joya leaned over, and whispered, "You mean stay overnight because of our little rule."
The girl laughed slightly. "Oh yeah!"
The group continued on, talking casually, quite relaxed on this snowy, spring night. They were walking down the alley, which was a short-cut, to Jen and Joya's home, when three, heavy-set, muscular men - wearing all black - stepped from out of the shadows, holding weapons.
The first man (bald), who was holding a very large knife, sneered, his face covered in stubble, like he hadn't shaved for a few days. "Give us all of your money!" he demanded of them.
The second man, who was swinging around a pair of nun chucks, wasn't as huge as the first guy, but he still had an athletic build, and was quite muscular. He had a somewhat deranged look about him, which caused Joya to shudder at the sight of him. "Yeah, pay up now or you guys are going to get it!" he threatened, smiling psychotically, his long, dark disheveled hair blowing in the icy wind.
The third man had his hair tied back, smaller than the first guy, and looked to be the well-groomed one of the three. He was quite handsome, and it was surprising that someone who looked like quite the gentleman. He licked his lips, and pulled out a stun gun. "You guys better give us all you have, and don't try anything stupid, like sending out your Pokémon to attack us."
Kenji stepped in front of Jen, while Brock stepped in front of Joya, as if to protect the two girls. In reality, both were extremely scared, but instincts told them to try and protect the two girls by any means necessary, although both girls could've probably taken care of themselves in such a situation.
"Leave us alone," Kenji warned frightfully. "We-we don't want any trouble."
"Look at this," the third man barked, "the pretty boy with the headband is trying to protect his girl!"
The other two laughed along, also finding the sight of Kenji quite amusing. Kenji was beginning to grow tired of getting laughed at just because he looked wimpy. The man with the nun chucks grabbed Kenji's wrist hard, and pulled the Pokémon Artist towards him.
"Kenji!"
Not knowing what else to do, Kenji struggled and tried his best to get out of the man's tight grasp. He just stared at Kenji, a deranged, yet satisfying, look in his eye, which creeped the young boy out.
"He's not all that strong," he scoffed, as he let go of Kenji, who was now rubbing his wrist.
"Just leave us alone!" Kenji grew a bit more nerve, and raised his voice slightly. "We don't want any trouble."
The third man laughed mockingly. "Look, he's trying to persuade us to leave them alone. Oh no! We're so scared!"
The unbalanced thug, with the nun chucks, grew bored of the lack of cooperation, and kicked Kenji in the stomach, causing him to bend over, holding it in pain. Brock, who seemed to have been frozen on the spot, was about to rush over and help him, but the biggest one of the three, pushed him back, causing him to fall to the ground.
"No…stop," Kenji grunted with a cough, still holding his stomach, while the girls were pleading with the men to stop.
"Shut up!" the deranged one ordered, kicking Kenji again, and causing him to cower over more.
All three laughed, as if the situation was some type of a joke. The Pokémon Artist, because of this, actually felt something he never had before, especially since he was being laughed at, and ridiculed so harshly…anger. Anger was something he'd never truly felt before. He'd been very upset before - like the situation with his Growlithe, although he showed more grief than anger - and has been quite annoyed, but never really infuriated.
Kenji hated the fact that these men were disgracing his character in front of the others, and was angered enough to fight back instead of walking away. He decided to do just that, even though fighting wasn't one of his strong points. He was always pretty quiet, and a bit shy. He usually never had conflicts with anyone; reasoning was pretty much his strong point whenever in such a situation.
Putting his extreme pain aside, Kenji stood up shakily, looking down at the ground, his face going a bit pale. Brock and the others looked on, curious as to what he was going to do. Kenji looked towards the man with the nun chucks instantly, and ran towards him, his right fist bawled. He drew his arm back, and punched him with all his might. Not expecting Kenji to fight back, the man didn't shield himself, and he landed a hit right in the crazy man's jaw.
Brock couldn't believe what he was seeing as he'd never seen Kenji fight. Kenji seemed just as surprised, and didn't really know what to do next, as he was quite inexperienced. The thug looked to be quite enraged as he spit out blood.
"You'll pay for that!" The man began to swing around his nun chucks again, and hit Kenji on his side, who yelped out in extreme pain. This pain was even more unbearable than the kick to the stomach. Kenji staggered, but before he could think of doing anything else, the third thug used the stun gun on him. The sensation from the electric shock caused Kenji to practically fall out. Brock and Joya rushed to Kenji's side to help him up, but Jen, on the other hand, was way beyond furious.
Angry tears spilled from her big brown eyes. "I rarely ever get the opportunity to have fun, nor do I rarely get to go out with a nice guy!" She stared at the biggest man of the group. "How dare you attack us and hurt Kenji!"
They all laughed at her. The first man, with the knife, stared at her, not feeling threatened at all. "What can a puny little runt like you do?" He smirked, which annoyed Jen even more. "You don't want to fight us; you might break a nail or something." The man began to mock Jen, his voice girly, "Oh no, I've broken a nail!"
The gentleman-looking thug teased as well, his voice also girly. "Oh no, I might mess up my hair." He ran his hand through his tied up hair.
The deranged one, whose eyes were twitching sharply, jumped up and down in place, quite hyper. He tossed his long hair back, and laughed in mock fear. "Oh no, what's this little whore going to do? Scratch us with her nice new manicured nails?" His voice went girly. "Oh, I'm so frightened!"
Joya gasped while Brock frowned. Jen shook angrily. "Nobody
calls me that and lives to tell about it!"
The girl got into a fighting stance.
"I am Daté Jen and I will teach you three
idiots a lesson!"
x x x x
x x x
x x x
RP: I think I just heard the Mortal Kombat Fatality
music play. Those three are in for it
now! It's a good thing that she knows
Martial Arts. (Roots) Go Jen!
x x x x
x x x
x x x
Jen, at this point, was seeing only blind fury, and went after the "three
stooges". Each tried to attack her,
but Jen dodged each and every one of their attacks, as she was too fast for
them. She even managed to kick the stun
gun out of the third guy's hands, and punched the ground where it sat, breaking
it, and leaving a small impression there.
She then managed to roundhouse him in his face, causing him to fly back.
Next, the biggest guy came after her with the knife, but she managed to grab the knife from him, tossing it aside. She kicked him in the stomach, causing him to fly back. The deranged guy with the nun chucks, she kicked the chain in the middle, causing it to break, and grabbed them from the guy. She then held both ends, like a pair of swords, breathing hard. She didn't give the man the chance to defend himself, or even speak. She charged at him with an angry shriek, tears in her eyes still, and attacked him, defeating him easily.
All three men were now achy, bruised, and/or missing a couple of teeth. With that, the three now weapon-less men grew scared and rushed off as best they could. Jen tossed down the broken nun chucks and made her way over to Joya and Brock, who were still beside an unconscious Kenji.
"Kenji!" the girl cried. "Kenji-kun, wake up! Please wake up!"
Brock managed to stand up, and picked up Kenji, putting one arm around his
shoulder. Jen took Kenji's other arm and
put it around her shoulder, as she was slightly taller than Joya. Since they were closest to home, they felt it
was best to head there…
x x x x
x x x
x x x
At the time when Kenji and the others were attacked, Ash and the others had
just started dinner…
"Wow, this food is very nice," Misty complimented. "I rarely ever have foreign foods, especially French foods!"
"I can't pronounce what I'm eating," Ash began, "but yeah, this is good."
"Oh, the orchestra on stage is playing some really nice music!" Misty's eyes turned to stars. "It's the fancy, romantic type!"
Ash groaned slightly as he rolled his eyes. "Would you like to dance, Misty?"
"Not with an attitude like that!"
"No, honest, I really don't mind!"
"Well, in that case, let's go!" she giggled as she grabbed his hand. "Let's go."
She stood, as did Ash. He gave Todd a look meaning that he should ask Duplica to dance, but he looked at Ash somewhat annoyed. He wasn’t going to move for any reason. Ash sighed and went off with Misty to dance.
"I don't get what's wrong with Todd," Ash muttered, as he and Misty danced to the ball-room themed music. "It's like he hates Duplica or something."
"Yeah," Misty frowned. "Ouch, watch it, Ash!"
"Sorry," the boy murmured. He had stepped on her foot.
"Anyway," she continued, recovering from the slight pain, "I think Todd really likes her, and Duplica seems to like him."
"So that's why Duplica's been acting so friendly with him, unlike you who smacked me constantly." He smirked. "It was an everyday think for me. I woke up every morning, awaiting a smack to the head…"
With that, Misty bonked Ash in the head. "Stop getting smart." She glanced over to Todd and Duplica, who weren't speaking to one another. Todd seemed to currently be captivated in his meal, while Duplica looked absolutely miserable. "Those two would make a pretty cute couple, don't you think?"
Ash shrugged slightly, "I guess," stepping on Misty's foot once again, who winced.
"Will you watch where you're stepping!"
"Sorry," he apologized again.
"Let's play matchmaker!" Misty nearly shrieked in excitement.
"Aww, you know I don't like doing that kind of stuff," Ash groaned.
"But Ash…"
"Can't we just let them do this on their own? If they really like each other, then they'll get together at some point, or whatever."
Misty blinked, realizing that Ash was actually right in that regard. "Yeah, I guess," she murmured.
Ash, who was on a roll, decided to keep up with his attempted romance. "Let's just worry about us for right now," he told her sappily.
Misty couldn't help but laugh, and leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Ash, who at the moment didn't care who saw, gave her a passionate kiss, which Misty gave into, of course.
Todd noticed Ash and how he had laid a kiss on Misty, feeling slightly envious. He wished he didn't have such a rotten love-life, and hated the fact that he may have feelings towards Duplica.
Duplica, who bit her tongue, also taking notice of the couple, turned to Todd. "They sure do make a cute couple."
"Yeah, I guess."
"You sure don't talk much, Camera Boy," the girl noted, her voice a bit outgoing, which was pretty normal for her.
"What do you mean?" he asked dully.
"Well, you're really quiet." Todd just sat there, and didn't respond. Duplica's voice was still a bit gregarious, only she was now incredibly nervous. She held her stomach, trying her best to rid herself of her Butterfree infested tummy. The girl swallowed hard, and closed her eyes tight. It was now or never. "So, how about we, um, dance for a bit?"
Todd wanted to say "no" more than anything, especially since he didn't know anything about slow-dancing or waltzing, but he knew that it wouldn't be nice, he would come across as rude, and as a big jerk.
He forced on a smile. "Sure, let's go."
The two stood up, Todd feeling incredibly awkward, Duplica by his side. The two began to dance next to Ash - who was still stepping on his poor partner's feet - and Misty, who was determined to teach him how to do a perfect box-step.
Todd, while he danced with the girl, his hands around her narrow waist, started to lighten up slightly, though still nervous and concentrated immensely, so as not to mess up. He hated to admit it, but he enjoyed dancing with Duplica, especially since they were so close to each other. As for Duplica, she felt pretty much the same way. She finally admitted it to herself; she really liked Todd and was very much attracted to him.
After the slow song had ended, Ash requested them to play a nice, upbeat song. He hated slow dancing, as it was boring. The others agreed, and danced to the nice, fast music. Even Pikachu and Togepi got up and danced to the music.
When they were done with dancing, the group sat down to dessert, which consisted of another French dish that Ash couldn't pronounce the name of. When done, the group left the restaurant, and got back into the limo, where the driver opened the door for them, allowing them to enter. While riding home, Todd had pretty much calmed down to the point where he was actually speaking with Duplica voluntarily, putting all of his, "I will not allow myself to like this girl," feelings aside. He didn't feel as nervous around her; the dance was obviously the icebreaker for the two. Duplica, for one, was quite glad; Misty showed to be as well.
After the ride, which didn't seem unbearably long since Todd's attitude wasn't so dull and depressing, the cheuffer exited the car, and opened it for them, allowing Duplica and her friends to exit the vehicle.
"Thank you."
"It was my pleasure, Miss Imité," the driver replied (in English) with a bow.
With that, they walked up to the large house, Duplica unlocked the door.
"Tadaima!" she announced, after opening the door, walking it.
They made their way to the living room, to find both Joya and Brock sitting on the couch with distant looks upon their faces. Pikachu entered the room as well, holding Togepi, who was just as tired and exhausted as he was. Pikachu didn't even utter out a "Pika". He just left the room, and went straight to the little beds that both he and Togepi had set up earlier.
"What's wrong?" Misty asked, noticing the depressing atmosphere.
Right at that moment, Jen walked in, shedding a few tears.
"What happened?" Ash asked.
Jen hiccupped before answering. "The-these guys attacked, and Kenji tr-tried to protect us. They hit him hard, and one of them used a stun gun. I know he's going to be all right, thanks to Joya-chan, but he's still knocked out…"
RP: What a weird night for our friends and what is up with this dude and his obsession for Psychic Pokémon? Who is this Professor with the English accent that is helping him? Tune in next time for part 11 of this fic!
Hey everyone. I found out that Duplica’s Japanese name is Imité, which is why I used it. I guess you can say that 4Kids didn’t do all that bad in translating cause that’s the name of Duplica’s home.
Now, the Imité no Kyuuden
thing (which I wrote as Imitenokyuuden) simply means