Allrighty! Part four with a side of fries on the way! Sorry I’m a little late churning out this chapter, but I’m having a tough time in deciding what to put. A big thank you goes to Biancapi for helping me with what to put! Oooookay, here goes! By the by, please read parts 1, 2, and 3 to understand what’s going on, and you can tell me what you think of my (nonexistent) writing talent by e-mailing me at sarah.e.wilkinson@fsmail.net Started: 18/5/03 Finished: 15/6/03 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Summer Camp part four Last time... “Where is Butch? I’d better check his cabin first!” Misty said to herself, once she had left the Hall. She set off in the direction of the wooden huts, humming as she walked. Once she reached his cabin, she knocked on the door. “Butch? You in there?” getting no response, she went inside. The cabin was empty, and Butch’s nightwear was resting on his bed, and his clothes were gone. “He’s probably gone to the Hall. I guess I’ll head back.” She was about to turn when something hard hit her in the back of the head. Her eyes rolled back and she collapsed onto the floor. -=-=-To Ash-=-=- ‘Where could she be?’ Ash thought as he searched the grounds frantically ‘What if she’s hurt or something? What if she’s gonna die?’ Ash’s sensible side interrupted his thoughts. This was the side that came up every time he was in a tough pokemon battle. ‘Will you get ahold of yourself? I’m sure she’s fine, so stop worrying already!’ Ash nodded to himself. The voice was probably right. Little did he know how wrong it was. A thought struck him. “Our cabin! Why didn’t I think of this earlier?” Angry at himself for not seeing the answer when it was right there in front of him, he ran towards the cabin. -=-=-To Guys cabin-=-=- Butch looked down at his girlfriend, who was lying disturbingly still on the floor. He hid Pikachu’s huge ketchup bottle, which he had used to hit her with. Kneeling down beside her, he gently patted her cheek. Misty’s eyes fluttered open. All she could see for a moment was a blurry outline of a person. She blinked a few times. The outline of Butch sharpened. “Hey.” he whispered, smiling at her “I a wild pokemon got in, but I attacked it with my Raticate, and it ran away. It’s a good thing I was here, eh?” Misty smiled back. “Yeah...Thanks Butch...” Misty gingerly sat up, and wrapped her arms around Butch in a hug. Butch hugged her back and smirked evilly to himself. ‘Now that she believes that I saved her, she will trust me completely. Ash will probably see through my facade, but if he tries to convince Misty, she won’t believe him. This is excellent!’ Misty pulled away. “D’you know that you’re my saviour?” she asked, leaning forward and giving Butch a peck on the cheek. Butch smiled at her. “I do now. Come on, the others are probably getting worried.” Butch stood up and helped Misty to her feet. She swayed slightly and Butch put his arm round her waist to support her. Just then, Ash burst in through the door. Once he saw Butch and Misty staring at him, and Butch supporting a woozy Misty, the questions flowed from his mouth. “What happened? Why weren’t you at the Hall? Why is Butch holding you like that?” Ash babbled, waving his hands. Misty held out her hand to make him quiet down. “I went looking for Butch ‘cos he wasn’t at the Hall, and when I looked for him in here, a wild pokemon attacked me from behind. Butch found me, and he beat it off with Raticate, and that’s when he woke me up.” Ash looked at Butch, who was careful to avoid his eye and look concernedly at Misty. Ash scowled inwardly. ‘I don’t believe a word that Butch says, and I’m pretty sure he attacked Misty, but if I say that, she won’t believe me, and then she’ll think I’m trying to drive me and Butch apart, and then she’ll not like me at all! Oh why, WHY, can’t I have a nice normal relationship, why???’ Ash thought, glaring at Butch. Butch himself nudged Misty’s shoulder with his. “Come on, sweetheart, we’d better get to the Hall, or people will start to worry.” Misty nodded, and smiled at her boyfriend. “Okay. Coming, Ash?” she asked, directing the question to the spiky haired, blushing teenager next to her. He nodded, his blush intensifying. The trio headed off towards the large building nearby, Misty and Butch walking in front, and Ash slightly behind, looking daggers at Butch’s back. Butch smirked inwardly. ‘This is going well. Soon, Misty will be completely trusting of me. Then we’ll see who’s kissing who, Ashy-boy.’ -=-=-To the Hall-=-=- Duplica, Brock, Whitney and Gary looked up as Ash, Misty and Butch came in. Duplica and Whitney jumped out of their seats to assist their friend, while Brock and Gary looked questioningly at Ash, who sat down next to them and concentrated on his plate. Gary nudged Ash and nodded toward the girls, who were fussing over Misty while Butch watched. “What happened?” he asked of the spiky haired boy. “Misty says that she went looking for Butch, and when she went to our cabin, a wild pokemon attacked her, making her faint. Butch beat it off and woke her up. At least...that’s what she said. I’m guessing that’s what Butch told her so she’d trust him.” Brock shook his head. “Ash, why do you have this bizarre notion that Butch is evil? He’s just going out with the girl you like; what’s so evil about that?” Gary nodded in agreement. Ash just looked over at Misty, who seemed to have pretty much recovered. “I just know...” he mumbled. Gary made the ‘cuckoo’ sign and Brock gave him a look that said ‘stop it or else’. Gary nodded and looked at Ash, who was once again examining his crockery. -=-=-To the Girls-=-=- “Oh my gosh, Misty! Are you okay!” Whitney cried as soon as Butch had sat her down next to her anxious friends. Misty smiled gently. “I’ll be fine, I just got attacked by a wild pokemon. But Butch came to my rescue.” Duplica turned to Butch and raised her eyebrows. “Your knight in shining trackies, I suppose?” she teased. Misty smiled at Butch, who grinned back. "You could say that." Duplica finished examining Misty's head. "You seem okay, apart from a little lump where the pokemon got you, but that'll clear up by the end of today." she stated, letting Misty's hair fall back down. Whitney nodded and looked over to Brock, Gary and Ash. Seeing Ash's downcast expression, she suddenly remembered what Gary had told her about Ash and Misty. She turned to Duplica and nodded towards Ash when Misty and Butch were too engaged in something else to take any notice of what they were doing. Duplica looked over and her heart melted into a sloppy puddle when she saw how sad Ash was. "We have to do something!" Duplica whispered in Whitney's ear. "I know, but what can we do?" Whitney replied, looking from Misty to Ash, before returning her gaze to Duplica, who looked thoughtful. "Let's just see how things go. We'll talk to Brock and Gary about it when breakfast is over, which should be soon." As if Carmen heard her, she stood up at the front on the raised platform and blew a whistle to get their attention. "Hi campers! How are you this morning?" there was a mixed response "That's good to hear! Now, today, we're all going canoeing on the lake in the morning and you can do whatever you want in the afternoon and evening. Have fun! Off you go!" The mass of people got up and deposited their rubbish and dirty crockery and cutlery in the disposal unit provided before heading towards the door. Brock, Gary, Duplica and Whitney waited until Misty and Butch had left, and Ash had got up before accosting him. “Hey man! What’s up?” asked Duplica brightly. Ash looked at her as if she had grown another few heads, before looking at a rather guilty looking Brock and Gary. He looked at them in an accusing manner before looking back at Duplica. “What?” she asked, unconsciously blushing slightly. Ash narrowed his eyes at the quartet. “What did you tell them?” he demanded of the guys. “Nothing!” said Gary in an entirely unconvincing voice. “Yeah, why so paranoid?” asked Whitney, turning the same colour as Duplica. “I’m not paranoid! You’re keeping something from me, and I know it!” Brock shook his head vigorously. “It’s not that bad! We’re just worried about you being so sad, that’s all!” Brock said earnestly. ‘Nice save’ Gary mouthed at Brock when Ash wasn’t looking. “Okay...I’m going to the lake. Coming?” the four nodded and followed Ash out the door of the Hall. -=-=-At the lake-=-=- The campers gathered round a raised platform near the lake, where a young woman who looked in her early 20’s. She was wearing a pink sleeveless t-shirt and denim cut-offs, and her blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Ash and the others joined the back of the crowd where Butch and Misty were waiting. “What took you?” Misty asked with her hand clasped in Butch’s. Brock shrugged. “What do you expect of us couch potato’s?” they all laughed, and it was then the woman at the front began to speak. “Hi guys! I’m Jo, and I’m the leader who’s going to be in charge of you in the water. It’s a maximum of four to a canoe, so if you can get into groups of four, we can begin.” Brock paired up with Duplica, Gary with Whitney, and Misty with Butch. Brock and Duplica went with Gary and Whitney, and Ash had no choice but to join in with Misty and Butch. “Let’s hope Ash can paddle well, cos I can’t.” joked Butch. Misty laughed while Ash had to force his laughter. A girl came over to them. She had shoulder length brown hair, and brown eyes. She was wearing blue jean shorts and a black spaghetti strapped shirt. “Hi, is it okay if I join you? It’s just that everyone else has a group already.” She asked. Ash, Misty and Butch nodded and she smiled at them. “Thanks. I’m Bianca, by the way.” “I’m Ash. This is Butch, and this is Misty.” Ash indicated to each one in turn, and Bianca gave them a little wave. “How ya doin’?” Jo’s voice carried over the chattering crowd. “Okay, everyone ready? That’s great. Now, if you’ll follow me, you can get in your canoes.” She stepped off the raised platform and walked towards the expanse of water which Duplica and Misty had sat at only about 10 hours ago. Duplica shot Misty a glance and they grinned at each other. “All right! There are 10 canoes, and since there are 40 campers in groups of four, we shouldn’t have any problems. If each four come up in order, then I’ll show them how to get in the canoe and use it.” A group of four boys moved forward and Jo taught them how to use the canoe, while the rest of the crowd chatted amongst themselves. Butch and Misty were talking quietly to each other, and Ash was watching them enviously. “Hello? Earth to Ash? Come in Ash? What’s up?” Bianca waved her hand in front of his face. Ash snapped out of his reverie and looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. “It’s okay, I’m fine...” Bianca raised one eyebrow in disbelief. “Sure you are. Come on, you may have only known me for less than 5 minutes, but you can tell me.” Ash didn’t reply, and Bianca saw him glance at Misty. “Let me guess. You like Misty, right?” Ash whipped round. “What?” he cried, but not loud enough for anyone but the smirking Bianca to hear him. “Oh come on, it’s obvious! I mean, you’re always looking at her, and your body language says everything. I’m not stupid.” Ash went redder than ever before (and that’s pretty darn red!) and began to stutter. “I-I-I don’t know w-what you’re talking about! I-I mean, me and Misty? No way!” Ash’s tone was so unconvincing that a Slowpoke wouldn’t believe him. Bianca, who is obviously a lot smarter than a Slowpoke, just shrugged. “Whatever. I’ll just run this theory by your friends, and see what they say.” She knew she had him. He sighed in defeat. “Fine, I like her! But it’s never gonna happen; she’s with that jerk, Butch.” Bianca nodded. “Yeah, I guessed that. But of course you have a chance! If you like her that much, then you’ll get her in the end, no worries!” Ash shook his head helplessly. “If only you half of it. She’s not going to just dump Butch in a second and fall desperately in love with me, is she?” “Well, no...” “So what am I gonna do?! I’m going to pieces here!” Ash cradled his head in his hands “Help me, Bianca!” Misty saw Ash clutching his head and asked him what was wrong. “Oh, it’s just a headache.” Misty looked concerned, but Butch asked her something and she rejoined him. Bianca rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “I’ll come up with something, promise.” she said, shaking Ash’s hand to seal the deal. Ash looked skeptical but slightly happier at the prospect of having someone on his side. Bianca looked over to where Duplica, Brock, Whitney and Gary were and, after excusing herself, went over to join them. “Excuse me, but I’ve just made friends with Ash, Misty and Butch, and I understand they’re your friends too. I’m Bianca, by the way.” Brock nodded. “Yeah, they’re our friends, what’s up Bianca?” “Well, Ash told me that he has a problem, and I was hoping that you guys could help.” Bianca explained. “Sure, what is it?” asked Whitney. “Well, he has this thing for Misty, and he thinks only Brock and Gary know, but I get the feeling you all know it. I’m trying to help him get together with Misty, but he’s really nervous, so I thought we could kind’ve help, but secretly.” The quartet all laughed, and Bianca looked at them confusedly. “Oh gosh, Bianca, we’re sorry. It’s just; we’ve had the same idea.” Duplica provided “We’re gonna have a game of Truth or Dare tonight, and make one kiss the other, and hope that gives Misty the clue.” Bianca smiled. “Great! One question, can I help? I mean, I’m not in your cabin, and I barely know you, it’s just that there’s this friend I have that I like, and I was hoping that I could drag him along. Is that okay?” The foursome nodded. “That’s fine with us, and I’m sure Ash, Misty and Butch won’t mind, as they don’t know about it yet anyway. Anyway, you already seem to be good friends with Ash.” Bianca smiled again and thanked them, before returning to Ash, Misty and Butch. A moment later, Jo called Ash and the others over to get into their canoe. “Okay guys, if you just get in like so, and each pick up an oar, then we can get started.” Jo directed them to their seats. They obeyed Jo’s instructions, and soon they were paddling out to the middle of the lake. (The order was: Ash in front, Misty behind him, Bianca behind Misty, and, you guessed it, Butch behind Bianca. Butch would be sitting behind Misty, but Jo had put them in the canoe that way. Anyway, we can’t have Butch with Misty all the time now, can we?) “This is kinda fun!” said Misty, paddling like Jo had showed her to. “Yeah!” Bianca agreed, matching Misty’s strokes. Ash nodded in agreement. Butch shifted the oar in his hands. “Is anyone else having trouble with their oars? Mine’s giving me friction burns.” Misty giggled. “You’re doing it wrong, silly. Here, you do it like this.” Misty turned slightly and demonstrated how you should hold your oar. “Misty! WATCH OUT!” yelled Ash, as the boat teetered dangerously. “AAARRRGGHHH!!!” screamed Misty as she fell out of the canoe, hitting her head on the way down, and knocking her unconscious. Her last thought before the darkness claimed was: ‘This really isn’t my day...’ End of Part four -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Will Misty be rescued in time? Will Bianca and the others succeed in getting Ash and Misty together? Will Pikachu find his huge ketchup bottle? Find out in Part five! I’m sorry, but I have to make them hit their heads all the time! It’s like a curse! I’m also really sorry this took so long, but I was plagued with writer’s block and end-of-year exams. I’ll start part five when I have time. Luv Sarah the Swinub