Episode 27! Authoress does a little dance of joy.

Disclaimer: *Sobs* I do not own pokemon. It belongs to Nintendo, Game Freak, Shogakukan comics, etc.

Notes: If you didn’t know before, ** indicates thoughts, <> indicates telepathy, and italics indicates translated poke speech!

Takes place after 27.

Ranma – Hehehe, oops! I guess I do write shonen-ai in pokemon. Yep, Gary starts sniffing around to find out Ash’s secret, but he won’t find anything easily… And I call it championshippy now, because mastershippy is Ash/Mewtwo =(*Shadow pulls out a mallet angrily*

Unknown – So Ash should go with Sabrina because he’s Destiny? Hmm… yeah… maybe you’re right…

Asher1987 – Thanx! Yay! A new reviewer!

John eon, Airfire0 – So you want Ash x Sabrina, hmm… it all depends on total votes. More new reviewers!

Dawn the Espeon – hmm… sorry, but Shadow doesn’t write pokeshippy. It’s too clichéd and stuff… thanks for leaving a review!

The Eevee Master – be patient! You’ll have to wait until the second arc for Ash to get his new eevelutions, and that’s like fifteen episodes away. However, ‘evolutionary problems’ seems to feature eevees, or if you want to check out my eevee/eevelution one-shots, there’s ‘Revenge’, ‘Thoughts of a pokemon’, and ‘More thoughts of a pokemon’. Hehehe… the ‘flame’ was funny. Oh yeah, I usually update once a week, just to let you know. I’m doing Ash x Erika in a different fic. And I never said I was going to do Ash x Sabrina, that’s just in case I decide to do romance, which I probably won’t do. Thanks for all of your nice reviews!

Tmp – hmm… you don’t want romance at all! Okay, that’s different! Maybe you’re right! I don’t really want to do romance in this fic, but just in case, I want to know what people’s preferences are as to try not and offend all my reviewers… actually, Magneton was a pokemon card. And Zapdos and Moltres will appear soon!

Ihire – so you want pokeshippy too? I’ll think about it, but there’s no guarantee of romance. Skymew is a mew, yes, with mostly water/psychic type abilities. You can always backtrack and read earlier chapters to find out! A smoke demon is used to attack people…

Episode 27: Some rest, relaxation, and other stuff

Ash was back at the pokemon center after the battle with Erika. He was floating on his back in the pool, next to Dragonair. This reminded Ash of the time he had tried to breathe underwater.

Hehehe. That was funny. Storm said. She splashed him playfully.

<So I didn’t know that I would wind up with gills! It was a reasonable mistake. > Ash said.

Pika-chan was floating on top of a buoyant yellow inner tube, sipping lemonade out of a tall glass. She smiled happily.

“Ah, this is the life.”

“Enjoying yourself, Pika-chan?” Ash asked. He petted Storm’s head absentmindedly and stretched on the blue floatation mattress. “Nothing like a refreshing dip after a pokemon battle!”

Todd had gone off to the library to sponge some books on fashion styles through the ages. Ash didn’t think he’d be back for a while.

This counts as a refreshing dip? Only your toes are in the water though. Skymew said in poke speech, since she was borrowing the form of a Poliwag.

Ash shrugged and slid off. He swam with Skymew for a few hours, stretching his tired leg muscles (Hey, riding makes you sore!) and generally just enjoying himself. He was on his way back to his room when he remembered something important.

“Oh yeah, I have to call mom.” Ash said. He quickly got out his cell phone. “Hello?”

Ash’s mom ran to the phone. She hadn’t heard from Ash in a while, and it was worrisome. She wasn’t sure that he had recovered from the accident in Vermillion. But it was nice to know that she cared so much about him.

“Hi, Ash. Where are you?” Delilah asked. Ash noticed that she was still wearing her white and pink nurse outfit, which meant she had just gotten home.

“I’m in Celadon now, mom. And I’m fine. Nurse Joy says that I’m perfectly healthy.” Ash reassured her.

“That’s good, dear. It wouldn’t do for you to have a relapse. We might have to cancel your pokemon journey if that was the case.”

Ash blanched at the thought of ending his pokemon journey now. “Okay mom, I’ll take care of myself.”

“Wait, Ash. I have something for you. Giovanni has something for you too. Have you sent him your pokemon yet?”

“Not yet, mom.” Ash said. “But I’m going to do it after I finish talking to you. Are you lonely back in Pallet?”

“It’s not too bad.” Delilah said. “Giovanni comes over every other night to keep me company, so at least I’m not alone.”

“Okay, mom. I’m glad you’re okay.” Ash said. “Bye!”

“Good bye, dear. And remember, don’t forget to change your underwear every day!”

Ash sweatdropped. “Okay.” He hung up and slipped his cell phone back into his red and blue backpack. “Shall we go?”

“Sounds good.” Pika-chan said. Ash picked up his toiletries and headed for the public showers.

Soon, Ash emerged in his bathrobe. He looked around carefully, but saw neither hide nor hair of Todd, so he assumed that he was safe. Ash quickly walked to his room, but when he arrived, he saw a set of clothes laid out neatly on his bed.

“Great.” Ash muttered.

Sunny looked up from where she was lying comfortably on his pillow. < I picked those. Todd hasn’t come back from the library yet. >

“Thank goodness!” Ash said. He thankfully changed into the golden and black shirt purloined from his Electabuzz costume, clean underwear, light blue jeans, and his blue-and-white league jacket. As a finishing touch he added the black-and-gold gloves that had also come with the costume and a pair of boots. There were a lot hanging around, thanks to Todd. How did he manage to carry all of it?

< It’s very electrical! > Sunny said happily. < Cool! I like it! >

“Cool, let’s go out and hit the department store.” Ash suggested. Pika-chan perked up. She was wrapped in a fluffy towel after her bath.

“Can we wait until I’m dry? It will only take a few more minutes. Besides, you should comb your hair.”

Ash groaned, but accepted the comb Sunny tossed him. After painstakingly working all the knots out (there were a lot), he turned to Pika-chan.

“That hurt! Are you ready to go yet?”

Pika-chan shrugged and spread her little white wings. “I’m ready when you are!”

They headed towards the department store. When they got there, Ash stocked up on Lemonade and Soda Pop, as well as some vitamins. Sunny blanched at the vitamins, but didn’t comment. When they reached the stone counter though, Ash thought of something.

“Pika-chan, do I have any pokemon that can evolve by stone besides Oddish?”

Pika-chan shook her head.

“Darn! Okay, sir, I’ll just take a Leaf Stone.” Ash said, handing over his money.

“Here you go.” The shopkeeper said. Ash pocketed the Leaf Stone, and then headed down to the floor with video games.

< Oh! Video games! > Sunny said excitedly. < Can I play? > Ash gave her a couple of quarters, and Sunny plunked herself down in the seat next to his, ignoring the questioning glares from some of the others.

Suddenly, the room went silent. Ash turned around and saw a huge strapping man, dressed in black with silver chains around his neck, tattoos over his bare arms, and a pair of dark glasses on his face. He looked angry.

Ash blinked. * Did I do something wrong? * He turned to Pika-chan; she threw him a clueless look from the top of the machine.

“What’s wrong?” Ash asked.

The biker dude growled. “Kid, do you know whose game you’re sitting at? Mine!”

“I don’t see your name on it.” Ash replied. * So that was why it was empty and everyone freaked out when I sat there. *

“Kid, I’m gonna have to teach you some lessons.” The biker said, picking up Ash with one hand and lifting him into the air. “Nobody sits I my seat. Got it? Now scram before I hurt you!”

Ash growled. * Why that arrogant bully! I just wanted to relax after that battle with Erika! Is a little peace too much to ask for? * He tightened his fingers on Storm’s great ball angrily.

The biker noticed this and dropped him unceremoniously on the floor. “So, kid, you want to duke it out! You’ve chosen the path of pain! Nobody’s ever been able to beat Goliath here!”

Ash turned to a green-haired guy next to him. “Is that true?”

“Yep! You betcha! That’s why nobody sits there! It’s suicide!”

Ash shrugged and turned back to Goliath. “I accept your challenge!”

Goliath blinked. This kid was crazy, but it was his funeral! “You’re asking for it! Machoke, pound the crap outta him!”

“Sunny, I choose you!” Ash said. Sunny leapt to his side in one fluid motion and faced the Machoke, hissing and shooting sparks.

Machoke charged its opponent, but the Jolteon vaulted over its head and landed behind it, before blasting it with Pin Missle.

“Idiot! Machoke, Seismic Toss!” Machoke picked up Sunny and picked her up, before throwing her to the floor. Hard.

“Sunny, hang in there! Use Bite!” Sunny nodded and sunk her canines into Machoke’s legs, eliciting a cry of pain from the fighting type pokemon.

“Machoke, Karate Chop its neck!”

Ash shook his head. Sunny dodged the chop and then blasted Machoke with Thunder. Machoke wavered and began to fall.

“Machoke, Fissure!” Goliath grinned. From the shocked look on his opponent’s face, the kid hadn’t been expecting that move. Served him right for underestimating Goliath!

Ash took a few breaths to calm him down. Sunny looked panicked. “Sunny, Double Team and Agility! Don’t let it hit you!”

Sunny nodded and the room filled with copies of Jolteon. Goliath shook his head sympathetically.

“Sorry, but that just won’t work. Machoke hit ‘em all!” Machoke nodded and began destroying the copies one by one.

But by the time Machoke got to the real Sunny, it was completely out of PP.

“Sunny, use Pin Missle again!” Sunny grinned wolfishly, before sinking her opponent so full of pins that he couldn’t move and fell over.

Goliath’s jaw dropped. This punk from nowhere actually had some talent! And to beat his Machoke with a Jolteon…

Sunny began to glow. Ash smiled. * All right! She’s evolving to magic-type too! Yeah! You rule, sunny! *

When the light cleared, Sunny was still there, albeit a bit taller and thinner. But the spikes around her neck were tipped with silver.

Ash hugged Sunny and waited for Goliath to make his next move.

It didn’t take too long. As soon as the shock from the evolutionary light wore off, Goliath called out his next pokemon.

“Graveler, pound that Jolteon!”

“Sunny, come back!” Ash said. Sunny retreated back to his side. Ash allowed himself a moment to smirk, before he threw out the next poke ball. “Oddish, I choose you!”

Oddish waddled out to the arena. Blinking, he faced the towering Graveler and yawned.

“Graveler, smash the plant!”

“Oddish, Stun Spore! Wait until it’s on top of you!” Ash commanded. Sparkling orange spores drifted out of Oddish’s leaf and engulfed the Graveler, which suddenly froze in place.

“What’s wrong, Graveler?” Goliath asked. “Use Self-Destruct!”

Ash gasped. This wouldn’t work! “Oddish, quick! Mega Drain!” Oddish latched onto Graveler’s head and began draining its HP. Graveler tried to move, but the Stun Spore was inhibiting its movements.

“Now, Oddish, finish it off with Razor Leaf!” Oddish grinned cutely before launching the volley of sharp leaves. Goliath winced at the sight of his Graveler.

“Return.” He said. He stomped off.

Ash shrugged. Then, he remembered something.

“Oh yeah, I have to send Vulpix to Giovanni today.” Pika-chan smiled and teleported them out of the now-crowded department store into the pokemon center.

When Ash got there, he summoned Vulpix.

“Are you ready girl?”

As ready as I’ll ever be! Vulpix replied. She wagged her tails. Don’t worry, if I get into trouble, I’ll just teleport out!

“Okay.” Ash patted her on the head and waved goodbye.

End Episode 27!

Please review! Flames will be donated to the Lava Ghoul, who will then devour the computes of those who didn’t review! Shadow growls and pulls out Destiny’s wand and waves it threateningly at the readers.