MistyLover said:
Where is chapter 6?!! I want it soooo badly, this is an awesome fic!!
Now that I see when I posted up Chapter 5 I admit that I have been running a bit late in posting up a new chapter
Sorry about that!
Well here is the long awaited Chapter 6! This is not only a major turning point, but it's also a BIG chapter! (17 pages with 1.5 double space O_O; ) I hope you enjoy this chapter! I'm off to work on Chapter 7 and try to finish it today...
Chapter 6-The Fall and Rise of a Champion
Misty slowly walked her bike to the garage of the Gym in Cerulean City as she was deep in thought. The sun had already begun to set when she arrived and the clouds were nowhere in sight as the clear sky was dyed with an assortment of orange, pink, and yellow mixed together into a supernatural palette.
Misty was deeply worried about Ash… One year had passed without any word of his return, only the occasional sighting from people who lived in Johto. Misty was just returning from her search for Ash in Johto after he was declared missing a few months after the league. She remembered the day when the first sighting of Ash had occurred:
It was a cold and rainy evening when Officer Jenny appeared on the front step of Ash’s house. She was in a completely soaked black raincoat, in Pallet Town to deliver terrible news. His mother, Tracey, Professor Oak, Brock, and Misty were all gathered in the living room in silence as Jenny declared that Ash was nowhere to be found. He would be declared missing.
Reports and television broadcasts and posters of Ash had already been set up throughout the region of Johto as there was a strong possibility that he was still wandering somewhere inside. After Delia had offered Jenny some tea, Jenny received a call on her walkie-talkie. Apparently, some locals near Azalea Town had spotted a young man in the Ilex Forest similar to the description in the Missing Posters around town. Once Misty heard this, she was determined that she would go to Johto to look for Ash and vowed to herself that she was going to go tomorrow and not return until she found him…
Since Misty’s sisters understood her motives, they agreed that they would try their hardest at keeping the Gym in working condition, but it soon became too overwhelming for them. Misty had to return to keep it in order after she spent nine months in Johto. She sighed from exhaustion as she turned the lock to the front door of the Gym and entered.
All the lights were completely off and it looked like no one was home. Misty dropped her backpack on the couch and began to walk towards her room when she heard a giggle coming from upstairs. Misty paused and stood still as she focused her hearing. She didn’t hear anything else so she began to walk to her room when she heard yet another sound, this time a male’s voice.
By this time, Misty was very suspicious so she began to walk up the dark staircase that led to her sisters’ room trying to keep as quiet as she could. She tiptoed towards Daisy’s room where the door was wide open with the light turned on as more giggles came from inside the room. She turned her head slightly and peeked inside Daisy’s room.
Lying under sheets was Daisy and Tracey, kissing each other on the lips while embracing each other. Misty gasped out loud in shock. Daisy instantly stopped and turned to look at Misty. They both looked at each other with wide-eyed expressions as the room was encompassed in an awkward silence. Misty turned around slowly and headed towards her room trying to force out the image of her half-naked friend making out with her sister. She opened the door to her bedroom and climbed into bed.
<- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ->
It was another dark and gloomy afternoon as Misty and her sisters stayed inside the Gym, occupying themselves with whatever they could find to do. Misty was busily massaging the back of her newfound Quagsire. She had caught and trained a Wooper while she was traveling in Johto and it had evolved in her travels. She stopped when she heard a knock on the door.
Misty looked at her sisters who signaled for her to get it and then she looked at the door. She walked up to it, thinking it was a trainer waiting to challenge her, but when she opened the door, a young man with a Pikachu on his shoulder stood in front of her as he swayed from side to side dizzily.
Misty stood in absolute shock as she looked at Ash standing before her. He was completely covered in dirt and his clothes were torn and in shambles. He smelled horrible and his face was grimy, giving off the impression that he hadn’t bathed in weeks. He was very thin and did not have the same muscle tone that he used to have before he left the Gym.
Misty had not moved, completely shocked at how much Ash had changed physically as he stood before her with his dirty hat covering his eyes as he continued to stand there without a word. He looked up suddenly and looked Misty in the eyes as he flashed her a smile; then he fell forwards onto Misty as she caught him in her arms. Tears fell down her face as he leaned heavily on Misty without moving or saying anything. She held onto him tightly in her arms. Shortly after, Misty called her sisters over to help her and closed the front door with Pikachu entering right behind her.
<- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ->
In the first aid room, Lily was treating Ash as he lay on the bed peacefully resting from his long journey. Misty looked over him with a worried expression as she played with Pikachu’s ear nervously. Ash was out for at least two hours by now and Misty began to worry desperately even though Lily reassured her countless times that he was alright. Ash slowly opened his eyes and he glanced over at Misty. She looked at him with a mixture of shock and relief in her eyes and she immediately grabbed him in a tender hug. Ash groaned out loud and Lily scolded her,
“Ash is still too weak from the journey! Give him some time and he’ll be up and ready. For now, just give him some space and plenty of rest…” Misty’s eyes were watering, but she shook it off and gave Ash a brave smile. He rested comfortably in the bed and drifted off into a deep sleep.
<- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ->
After two weeks and some change of resting, Ash was back on his feet and ready to go back home with a new found enthusiasm that he hadn’t felt in ages. Misty was still skeptical of whether or not he should be traveling right now so she was trying to convince him to stay longer. They were outside of the Gym to get some fresh air as Ash stretched leisurely in the warm sun. It was a beautiful climate; not too cold yet not too hot…. It was perfect traveling weather; he said so to Misty and she looked back at him with doubt.
“Ash, I don’t think you should be traveling; you just got out of bed and now you’re going to throw yourself to the road again? You need to rest and relax and spend some more time-”
“Jeez Misty, you nag more than an old woman!” Ash said as he smiled at her. Misty became furious and was about to smack him over the head when he braced himself. She thought to herself,
“
I can’t hit him… He’s just started to recover and that could really put him in more danger…” She lowered her hand and looked at him with a caring smile. Ash returned it and they both looked at each other in the eyes, rekindling their old friendship.
“So I guess that means you’re not mad at me for running away then right?”
“Wrong Ash Ketchum, you know how many months I had to endure waiting and looking for you? You had me worried sick.” He grinned playfully,
“If you missed me that much you should’ve told me and I would have come running back!” She whipped out her mallet and he sprinted the other way as she chased after him into town.
<- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ->
They arrived inside the Center and Misty was about to hit Ash over the head with her mallet. She suddenly realized that everyone was staring at her after cornering Ash against the counter. She hid the mallet behind her with an embarrassed smile. Ash stood up straight looking smug.
“You do care for me after all!” She stomped on his foot and blushed as a few people who were looking at them either snickered or sighed with an “Awww…” Ash grabbed his foot in pain and began to hop around on one foot as Misty went to the front desk to go pick up his pokemon. Ash appeared behind her with fire in his eyes and they locked eyes and prepared for another one of their countless fights.
<- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ->
After the brief argument erupted between them in the Pokemon Center, Ash and Misty returned to the Cerulean Gym after a long day of walking through town. He conceded to Misty and was going to stay one more day in Cerulean City. It was another clear moonlit night similar to the one they had before Ash left to the Johto region alone. and Misty was getting Ash’s bed ready in her room. Meanwhile he was gazing outside of the window at the full moon, reflecting on his last moments in Johto:
He was walking through a heavily wooded area as the moon began to rise, signaling the start of the night. The sky had changed colors and was now a deep black with the stars dotted throughout the sky. The night was the brightest he had ever seen; they were nowhere near any cities and its artificial lights.
He was about to cross the road that split the forest in half when he spotted a familiar girl with red hair walking down the road. She was holding onto her backpack spiritlessly as she trudged down the road in solitude.
He quickly hid behind a thick tree as Misty got closer. Pikachu began to protest, but Ash quieted him by covering his mouth. He did not want to be discovered by Misty just yet, so he watched her as she passed right in front of them. She stopped as soon as she was in front of the very tree that he was hiding behind and she turned her head to look at in their direction. Suddenly, her backpack began to ring and she reached behind her and pulled out her cell phone.
“Hello?” he heard her say. He couldn’t make out who the person was that she was speaking to or what they were saying, but from Misty’s facial expression, it was definitely bad news. She hung up angrily and threw the phone at the ground as she burst into tears. Ash’s grip around Pikachu’s mouth loosened as he looked at her with an aching feeling in his heart. He couldn’t stand to see her cry so he turned around and began to walk away from her when he heard her speak out to him.
“Well Ash, I guess I’ll see you later.” She wiped her nose with her arm as tears continued to run down her face. He turned around shocked that she had spotted him behind the tree and was about to answer her when she began to speak again.
“I wasn’t able to find you and I don’t think I ever will be able to because of my dumb sisters...” Ash was confused at this statement and he peeked from behind a nearby bush. She was looking up at the sky as her arms were wrapped around her tightly with the necklace that he had given her sparkling in the majestic night. He continued to look at her as she began to speak again,
“I just hope that you’ll be able to find your way back so I can see you once again because I…” Her voice trailed off as more tears began to run down her face and she turned to look at the ground. She was deep in thought and was motionless for a moment as the tears slid down her face. She turned around suddenly and began to walk back down the road. Her feet dragged against the floor as she walked off into the distance until she was out of eye sight.
Ash moved forwards to the middle of the road to where she was standing. On the dusty ground, fresh tiny wet spots of water were scattered. He looked at them sadly then at Pikachu who was looking towards the end of the road of where Misty had disappeared off to. He smiled at Pikachu as his best friend turned to look at him with a determined look. It was then that Ash understood that it was now time to return home. There were more important things than to feel sorry for himself and so he began his long and impending journey back to Kanto in which he never stopped to take a break…
He began to focus back to the present and he saw Misty’s reflection staring back at him, in her yellow pajamas. With her hand on her hip, the necklace dangled around her neck as she waited for him to turn around. The two weeks rest had done him good and he flashed her a charming grin as their eyes met. She looked away embarrassedly and he climbed into the bed opposite hers across her room. She turned off the light to her room and stopped in front of his bed.
“Goodnight Ash,” she said as she playfully flicked his nose.
“Oww!” He grabbed his nose in pain and he turned to look at her and smiled as she climbed into her bed. “Goodnight Misty…”
<- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ->
In the breaking hours of the morning, it was calm and serene throughout Cerulean City as a couple of Pidgey roosted comfortably on the tree outside of Misty’s window, taking in the warm rays of the sun. Suddenly, Daisy burst through the door scaring the Pidgey off from the tree as she looked at Ash and Misty with a nervous look on her face. They both awoke quickly from fright and stared at Daisy as she sighed in relief when saw that they were in separate beds.
“What’s the matter with you, bursting through my door like that?!” Misty said.
“I told you before that you should always leave the door open if you two are going to sleep in the same room; I don’t trust you guys…” she said as she suspiciously eyed them.
“Oh, grow up,” Misty said as she turned to go back to sleep. She grabbed her blanket and pulled it over her face as Daisy scoffed and exited the room without closing the door.
<- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ->
Everyone was sitting at the breakfast table eating pancakes when Daisy arrived from the living room after talking on the phone in a bright and cheery mood.
“This looks delicious! Who cooked it?” Daisy asked. Misty silently pointed to Violet as she received the compliment with a smile.
“What are you so happy about?” Misty said still annoyed from Daisy’s early wake up call.
“Nothing at all, why do you ask?” Daisy lied, still in her unusually cheery tone. Misty looked at her suspiciously as she tried to read what Daisy was hiding. Daisy avoided her eyes and looked at everyone else at the table as they ate. A sly grin spread across Misty’s face as she discovered who her mystery caller was.
<- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ->
After they had finished breakfast, Ash was sitting on the cream colored leather couches in the living room waiting for Misty with Pikachu by his side. They both looked towards the staircase as Misty began to come down the stairs. Just then the phone began to ring and Daisy sprinted from her room all the way to the phone in the living room like a madman, disregarding anything that stood in her way as she knocked Misty down the stairs.
Ash went to go to help Misty up, but Misty sprang onto her feet with fire blazing in her eyes as she began to walk towards Daisy. She was happily chatting with someone on the phone when Misty took the phone out of her hands and slammed it on the receiver. Daisy immediately got up out of her chair.
“WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!” she bellowed at the top of her lungs. They both looked each other square in the eyes and a spark appeared between them as they prepared to square off.
“THAT”S WHAT YOU GET FOR KNOCKING ME DOWN THE STAIRS! WERE YOU IN SUCH A RUSH TO TALK TO TRACEY THAT YOU COULDN’T SEE ME?!” Misty screamed. Daisy was taken aback at how Misty knew that it was Tracey who was calling, but she quickly snapped back,
“WHO SAID THAT IT WAS TRACEY? IT COULD HAVE BEE-”
“BECAUSE IT’S SO OBVIOUS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE SOMETHING TOGETHER, ESPECIALLY AFTER WHAT I SAW YOU TWO DOING IN YOUR ROOM!” Misty said fuming. Daisy was shocked and then she began to shake uncontrollably throughout her body as she clenched her hands so tightly that they turned red. That’s when Misty knew that she had made a big mistake. She turned around as Daisy began to say in a quiet and restrained voice,
“You promised you wouldn’t TELL ANYBODY!” Daisy began to scream at the top of her voice as Misty grabbed her backpack quickly and signaled for Ash to leave the Gym immediately as she made a run for it. He looked at her with a puzzled look and Misty began to explain quickly,
“Well you know how you always say that I have a bad temper? Well all I have to say about Daisy is she’s ten times worse! We have to leave right now…” Just then Daisy appeared from the living room with a look of rage on her face as she held a vase of flowers in her hand. Misty quickly took Ash by the arm and they exited through the front door as Daisy chucked the vase at the closed door.
They both looked back as she opened the door abruptly and they began to sprint down the road, never looking back. Daisy wasn’t going to let them get away that easily; she picked up a decent sized rock and chucked it at them. It hit Ash in the back of the head at high speed and he merely rubbed it off, seemingly unaffected by the deadly blow. Misty looked back at him in shock and he said with a laugh,
“I guess I’ve had so many hits on the head that the smaller ones don’t seem to affect me as much!” They both laughed and continued to sprint towards the road to Pallet Town as Daisy stopped chasing them, but could still be heard screaming obscenities at them.
<- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ->
During their walk towards Pallet Town, they began to talk about the first time they traveled to the Johto league. As they walked in silence for a moment, Misty broke it with a sudden question,
“Why did you run away from the league after you lost?” Ash looked at her taken aback at the directness of the question, but he looked at the ground in shame and he hesitantly replied,
“Well…because, I guess it was because… I was ashamed to see everyone after bragging so much and losing so suddenly. I felt like such an idiot and I didn’t want to face anyone just so they could tell me how sorry they were. Most of all though, I disappointed you guys…and myself.” Misty looked at him with sympathy, but she said in a reassuring voice,
“You shouldn’t be ashamed Ash… We’re your friends and we’ll treat you the same way no matter what.” He looked at her as she looked at him with a consoling smile. He smiled back, but turned away and remained unconvinced. Misty smiled knowingly at his expression and she said,
“Well if you must know, the person you lost to actually became the future champion of the league…” He turned and looked at her with a shocked look. She simply nodded, assuring him that it was the truth and he smiled as he looked at Pikachu who was on his shoulder. They continued their walk to Pallet Town as the sun continued to shine brightly over their heads lighting their way to Ash’s hometown.
<- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ->
After Delia had finished cleaning her room, she began to walk downstairs when she passed in front of Ash’s room. It was quiet and abandoned and everything was kept neatly as it was. She was used to seeing his room empty like this, but her heart ached as she knew that he wasn’t safely off on another journey to become a pokemon master. No, he was wandering aimlessly throughout Johto with no mission in mind and no care for the world around him, like a wandering spirit in the human realm.
She wiped away a tear as she made her way down the stairs. As she headed towards the kitchen, she heard a light knock on the door. She went to answer the door, wondering who could be visiting her. She opened the door slowly and right before her was Ash with Pikachu on his shoulder and Misty standing right behind him. He extended his arms widely as he spoke in a quiet voice,
“Mom…” His eyes glistened from the tears that were forming in his eyes and she couldn’t believe that it was true.
“My, my baby!” She leapt forward and hugged Ash tightly as tears ran down her cheek. He was very happy to be in his mother’s arms again after such a long time away and embraced her silently. Misty stood far away from them, trying not to spoil the beautiful moment between mother and son.
<- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ->
“I’m so glad that you’re back safe and sound from Johto, Ash,” Delia said with a great relief in her voice as she wiped away at her eyes. They were now sitting down in the living room as Mr. Mime prepared their tea in the kitchen.
“When Misty said that she was going to Johto to look for you, I was sure that she was going to find you… But once I heard that she had to return again and she hadn't found you, I, I don’t know what went through my head…” More tears fell from her eyes and Ash stood up to hand her a napkin. Misty sat across from them keeping quiet when she heard a knock on the door.
“I’ll go get that,” Misty said as she stood from the couch. She opened the door and standing right in front of her was Tracey.
“Hey Tracey!” Misty said greeting her friend with a wide smile.
“How’s it going? I heard from your sister-” Misty cringed as she thought about the scene in Daisy’s room a couple of nights ago, “-that you were coming here with Ash! Is it true?” Tracey said. Misty nodded and told him to come in. He walked inside as Misty closed the door behind her and he walked into the living room and saw Ash sitting by his mother. Ash instantly smiled and he stood up and greeted Tracey as they shook hands.
“How’s everything in the lab?” Ash asked looking across at Tracey as he sat down on the couch beside his mother; Misty in the meanwhile helped Mr. Mime with the tea.
“Very good, all your pokemon are healthy and I can tell they all miss you a lot! We should go visit the lab after you’re done here. The professor discovered something that I think you will like,” Tracey said as Misty carried a tray full of steaming hot tea cups, one for each of them.
“I think we’ll go as soon as we’re done drinking tea,” Misty said as she sat down after giving everyone a hot cup.
“And miss lunch?! No way!” Ash said as he looked at his mom with a smile. She smiled back and walked to the kitchen to prepare a big meal for them as they began to talk to each other about their experiences over the past couple of months…
<- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ->
Ash, Misty, Tracey, and Delia began to walk towards Professor Oak’s Lab after a huge lunch. Misty smirked over at Tracey who was walking at least ten feet from her. He had let slip out a secret while they were talking in the living room. During her search for Ash, he had been visiting Cerulean Gym very often. Because of his time in Cerulean, Daisy and Tracey got very close and soon started a relationship together, but they had kept it a secret from her sisters.
“That is until now…” Misty thought with a devilish grin, knowing she had some leverage on Daisy now.
They had climbed up the small hill that led up to Professor Oak’s Lab and now they were waiting on the front door for the professor to answer. He walked outside and he was a bit overwhelmed at the group standing in front of him.
“Well now, it’s great to see that you’ve returned Ash!” he said as he noticed a very eager Ash standing right in front of him.
“It’s great to be back Professor! I heard that you have some very important news for me?” Ash said, curious to hear what the professor had in store for him.
“Before we get into that I’m sure you’d want to see your pokemon right? They’ve missed you quite a bit,” the professor said as he petted Pikachu on the head with a wide smile. Ash’s eyes widened in excitement,
“Oh yeah of course! Where are they?”
<- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ->
Misty was outside sitting on a bench in the backyard as Ash stayed inside the lab to talk to the professor after an emotional reunion with all of his pokemon. She laid her head on the white wall of the lab as she sat back. She relaxed as the sun shone warmly on her face from its highest point in the sky.
Ash’s Totodile recognized her as he walked past her and he leaped happily in the air as he began running towards her at full speed. He was about to reach her when he tripped on a rock and bit her on the leg. She yelled in pain as she woke up from her daydream and Totodile began to apologize, but Misty simply smiled as she began to rub Totodile’s head with her hand. He perked up and laughed as Misty began to tickle him. She was laughing out loud when she suddenly heard Ash’s voice,
“So Professor Oak, what was the urgent news you had for me?” It came from the open window above the rosebushes and she quickly peeked in. Ash and Pikachu were looking at Professor Oak as the professor’s back was turned to them, looking around for something in the vast cabinets in his lab.
“Ah, here it is!” Professor Oak said as he lifted up a tiny disk. He inserted it into the disk drive of the big screen computer in his lab. As it began to read the disk, Ash looked outside the window. He admired the tranquility of the scenery as the wind blew through the tall trees located throughout the ranch; he wasn’t aware that Misty was hiding right underneath that very window, while using her hand to keep Totodile quiet.
“Have you ever heard of the Muntein region?” Professor Oak asked as the computer screen turned black, loading the disc’s data. Ash was sucked out of his daydream and he looked back at the Professor with a puzzled look.
“No, why?” The screen suddenly flashed a bright white as a female voice coming from the computer said “Greetings Professor Oak.”
“Well I hadn’t either before this disk came to me through the mail,” Professor Oak said and he turned to the computer as a menu appeared on screen. He selected one that was labeled as: “Muntein” and it began to show an overhead map of an island that lay to the far northeast of the world. It had four different mountains, each surrounding a piece of land in the middle of the island. Around Muntein was a ring of craggy rocks that created a natural barrier shutting the island off from the land and sea.
Starting clockwise on the bottom left of the island was a green region with a small mountain covered in trees; in bold black letters this region was labeled as Mt. Evergreen. To the right of that region was a barren field of rocks with a great lake in the middle of it. This region and its mountain were labeled as Mt. Minera; it also appeared that this mountain was part of a range of tiny mountains exclusive to the southeast corner.
To the north of the rock region was a black volcano that boiled with lava; the landscapes around it were varied, from a desert that lay to the left of the region to a tropical jungle on the northeast coast of the region. This section of Muntein was labeled as Mt. Therma. Finally, to the left of the volcanic region was a white and icy land, with a small pine forest and the highest mountain of Muntein labeled as Mt. Glacier. Ash looked on in amazement and then he turned to the professor with a question in mind,
“What does this have to do with me?” The professor smiled and he turned back and opened a desk cabinet pulling out a red rectangular object but he placed it in his pocket.
“Recently a group of construction workers have braved the fast currents that divide the mainland of Turbane, which lies to the far north of Johto, to the secluded island of Muntein. You see this island used to be a giant volcano that was still part of Turbane many years ago, connected only by a small piece of land. But thousands of years ago, it erupted with a great explosion that not only shattered the volcano into five islands, but changed the climates of the four largest regions.” Professor Oak continued,
“The explosion had effectively cut off the islands from the mainland. The ring of rocks around the island which used to serve as the base of the volcano, created a massive wall-”
“Kind of like the Whirl Islands in Johto!” Ash said. Professor Oak was surprised and then smiled,
“Very astute Ash! The waters of its sea are also some of the worst in the ocean like its Johto counterpart’s. The difference between the two though, is that it is also home to some of the most dangerous winds in existence, proving it impossible for air travel.” Professor Oak was beginning to ramble.
“But what does all of this have to do with me?” Ash asked again, getting impatient.
“Hmm? Oh right! Well after this team constructed an underwater tunnel through the fast currents they eventually buried into the ground of Muntein; then an astonishing discovery was made! It turns out that this region has pokemon that are specific only to it!” Ash’s eyes widened at the possibility of new pokemon waiting for him to catch and see.
“That is why I want you to travel there to collect data on these mysterious pokemon. There is also a pokemon league similar to ours there. To participate in it you will be going to the 12 Gyms located throughout the whole region. Because of this challenging and possibly dangerous rough terrain, all the trainers must have a special invitation to enter the Muntein league. These invitations came in the form as a Magnet Train Pass from Johto.” He began to search yet again for something that was kept in his cabinets.
“Wow that’s great Professor Oak! It must be pretty tough to live there so I’m sure the Trainers there we’ll be really good!” Ash said with enthusiasm now. Misty continued to eavesdrop from outside as she peered from the window, completely amazed yet saddened by the fact that a new region was discovered. She knew that Ash would be going and also that there was no way that she could go with him. Not as long as the Gym kept her tied down…
“Why, yes, of course! The natives who live there have had to adjust to the subtle climate changes over generations of living there. I’m sure they’ll pose quite a challenge.” The professor found the two gold bordered white tickets and pulled out the red mystery object from his pocket. He handed them both to Ash and spoke,
“This is an upgraded Pokedex; it will be able to give you detailed information on the new pokemon of the region.” Ash looked at the new Pokedex as he tried to open it. He pushed a button on the Pokedex’s cover and it quickly parted it in two, revealing a big black screen taking up the top half of the Pokedex with an assortment of buttons that took up the bottom half of it.
“Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town; age 18; 5’6”, 165 pounds with black hair and dark brown eyes,” said the robotic female voice coming from the tiny speaker that lay in the back of the Pokedex.
“The two tickets I gave you are your only way of entering Muntein. I was only permitted two from the league officials who sent me the disk and… I was originally going to give the other ticket to Gary; but he said he was too busy working on his pokemon research so I decided to let you decide who was going with you,” the professor said.
Ash immediately smiled and he already had a specific person in mind as Misty looked from the window wondering who Ash could be thinking of giving the ticket to.
“Don’t lose them or else you’ll miss out on this once in-a-lifetime opportunity!” The professor was stern to Ash. He smiled and assured Professor Oak that he would take great care of them. He thanked him and quickly exited the lab as Misty ducked out of sight from the window.
<- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ->
“Misty, where are you?”
It was late in the afternoon once Ash got out of the lab. He paused when he heard a rustling noise and he glanced at the nearby window. He saw her by the tip of her ponytail, the rest of her body was hidden by the rosebushes. He opened the colorful bushes and revealed Misty and Totodile.
“What’s up Misty?” Ash said with a grin.
“Hi Ash.” She was avoiding his gaze though and it confused Ash, but he continued regardless.
“The professor told me all about this new region and I’m going to travel there. The thing is you can only get there by using the Magnet Train and he gave me two tickets to ride. I was wondering if you wanted to go with me…” he said smiling as he looked to her. She was still looking directly at the bushes to the side of her.
“I can’t go Ash… I have to take care of the Gym… You know that…” She began to hurt in her heart as she said this.
“C’mon Misty there must be something you could do to leave!” She gasped and grimaced at the thought. But she kept silent and still looked away. His expression was serious as he stared back.
“At least say something Misty!”
“How long do you have until you leave?” Misty said with sadness in her voice.
“Probably a week …Why?” he asked.
“I’ll give you my answer then. For now let’s just enjoy our stay here.” She stood up and smiled weakly at him and he sighed.
“Alright Misty, but I want you to know that I really want you to go with me…” He smiled as he extended his hands to help her out of the rosebush. She blushed intensely as they held hands and she lifted her leg to avoid the thorns. Once they were finally face to face with each other Misty looked at him curiously.
“Think of all the new pokemon we could see!” She laughed half-heartedly,
“Yes Ash, that would be nice…” They started the walk back to his house. The entire time, Ash had tried to start up conversation but she was deep in thought. The moon beamed above her, signaling the beginning of the midnight where the craziest of ideas are manifested into thoughts…
Author's Notes
Well there you go! Ash is off to a new region and Misty can't go with him because of the Gym... She's only got a week until he leaves... Will she go with him? How will she able to? We'll have to wait til Chapter 7 for the answers to these burning questions! Overall I liked this chapter because I can finally reveal that: this fic is going to be way more than just 10 chapters! In fact I think it's going to be around 30+ (maybe more, not sure yet...) chapters! How, you ask? Well it will all be revealed in Chapter 7! I can't say anything because it would spoil the surprise, but trust me, it's definitely going to be unexpected!
Any comments or questions (I'm sure you must have some...) please post them! I hope you all enjoyed it!