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A Journey of Souls-Pokeshipping, PG-13

el_toro

Superfly
It's good to see you're back. ^^

Why, oh why is everybody hitting on Misty all of a sudden? XDDDDDD Reaction was funny though. ^^ I'll be looking forward to the rest of the chappie, when you post it.

And you haven't commented on my chapter 10 yet, I think. :(

It's great to be back too! ;)

And Misty's grown up to be quite the attractive woman; Ash is just too dumb to realize it fully. :D

Doh! I promise I'll get you your review when I find the chance (presumably tomorrow) I'll get it to you though. ;)

shadow_shipper said:
I'm glad to see you're still working on this

And, to be quite honnest, I just love characters like Dante ! You can do so much with them, plot-wise...

This will be good, but I bet he'll wipe the floor with Ash

See you soon
I like characters like Dante as well just because there is so much you can do with them! We'll just have to see what I do decide to do with Dante's character future now shall we? :D

(and shhh! about the whole Ash losing thing! I didn't think it would be that predictable...)


Well I'm starting to get back into the swing of things. I started to write a one-shot after a flimsy idea of mine, but then decided to leave it off for a while since I really got to get back to doing this story. Anyway, this section of the chapter deals with the titular character of this chapter and basically what his role will be in this chapter. (BTW, there's a bunch of symbolism usage so...be prepared!)




“You see the problem with this town is that all the citizens have lost the sense of love; what it means, what it feels like…what it should really be.” His gaze over the placid pond was stony yet rivaled that of a seer’s, peering into what was not perceivable to the human eye.

“They’ve all sold their souls to the loveless demons of modern society and replaced them with new “loves”: the love to be materialistic, the love of big business, the love to destroy. They’ve all forgotten the loves of our past: the love of nature and its natural beauty, the love of tranquility, the love to love…and I hate it so much…”

He bowed his head and shame as the fishing pole stiffly remained in his grasp, never as much as bulging an inch throughout his whole monologue, mirroring Misty’s expression as she looked on in awe.

“And yet the only reason why I’m staying in this loveless town is because of love, the love of another…Ironic, isn’t it?” he added with an unbelieving grin as he shook his head.

“Yeah I guess…” Misty interjected sympathetically, but with hopes to raise his mood, she curiously asked him,

“But if the person you love is here, then why aren’t you doing anything about it?” He turned to her with a familiar weariness in his eyes.

“This is all I can do little girl; watch time slide across the glassy surface of this pond until that day comes…” It was then that Misty realized the pond was completely vacant minus the murky water. There was no fish to be caught or anything else for that matter, only a false pretense to make it seem as if he was spending his time wisely. This touched a nerve in her and she was going to make sure he got a piece of her mind.

“So all you’re going to do is wait then?” she asked with a hint of desperation in her voice. “Why don’t you get up, take action? Instead of wasting your time stupidly fishing in an empty pond?!” She stood up from the log and began scolding him as he turned away and looked back at the pond.

“Sit down and save your breath little girl. Though we may not be far in years from each other, you still have a lot to learn experience wise.” Misty couldn’t believe how he was giving up so easily so she stood standing up with fiery defiance…until his words melted her with cool heat in each of his syllables.

“We are all just fishermen sitting by the pond, waiting for that lucky catch just so we can feel happy about it by the end of the day and then come back tomorrow.” He then turned around abruptly and stared at her with fierce intensity shooting from his eyes.

“But what if we don’t catch anything for the whole day? A whole week? What about a couple of months? What happens to the spirit of the fisherman who’s been waiting by the pond diligently for years yet nothing comes to him except for a fish that slipped from his hands and never returned?!” Now he was the one standing up, scolding the sitting person as Misty looked up at him, regretting the fact she had ever stepped out of the restaurant.

Yet there was something about this man that seemed familiar to her; she just couldn’t put her finger on it.

The fire blew away from inside his pupils and he was back at his seat, hands firmly on the fishing pole once again as he peered out over the pond.

“The fisherman can do nothing but wait, his whole life directed by what flows around him. If something is amiss, even the tiniest, miniscule object… The fisherman drowns in the irregularity.” He finished his sentence with a foreboding sense of ominousness and then he locked his gaze once more upon the pond.

Misty quietly observed him: he was a turmoil of emotions inside, hidden underneath that faded brown raincoat of his and his peaceful guise. She then stood up from her seat once again and began to make her way back to the center once she was convinced her time was done. Before she left though, she turned around and looked at the man.

“The fisherman who waits forever though has all the time for himself, but none for others. If all the fisherman does is wait for misery to flow over him…then what’s the whole point of waiting?” She shrugged and sighed deeply as her question floated about in the air. She stayed to let her words sink in a bit more then she turned around and entered the Center, not knowing if she would ever see that man again or not…
 
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Aaron Highest

MAKINGLARGESTTURDEVA
Awesome...Just awesome...This is a story I can see that actually would fit into the show, i've read many storys and I have found only 2, one is yours of course, and the other I'd rather not advertise, keep up the good work, from what i've seen, you would make an amazing author ^_^. You just need a little help here and there in certain parts, other than that, fantastic.
Sean.
 

xXPorygonXx

Sort of active
Man, it's been awhile since I've seen this thread! Glad to see your still writing, even if you're busy with college stuff. Nice little one-shot, it was very good. Well man, keep up the work. xXPorygonXx, out.
 

el_toro

Superfly
Wow it's been sinceAugust the last time I updated with a new chapter...

Which is why I have good news: The chapter is completed and needs just a really minor adjustment and I also need to draw out the new pokemon in this chapter. It shouldn't take long though, but schedule this week is pretty packed.

So what does that mean? It means the new chapter should come out around next week/this weekend. I'm not entirely sure since I have two projects to work on that require my first priority. T-T Only five more months...

With that said, I'd like to that thank everyone for reviewing as well as welcoming Aaron Highest! I'll update the fic requested characters once I update with the new chapter.

So just be a little more patient, the chapter is coming and from what my editor told me, the chapter is pretty good (which I agree as well ;))

Just giving you guys a heads up!
 

el_toro

Superfly
Well as promised here's Chapter 16. It took me a while (definitely an understatement), but it's here. Just as a recap, Ash and Misty left Syl Village after a brush in with the authority and now are on their way to Ash's next Gym battle. Hope you enjoy and as always, click on the spoiler button to show the new pokemon.

Chapter 16-Plenty of Fish in the Swamp

“No…no, get away from me! Stop! Stop! Stoooooooooooo-ahh!”

Ash awoke with a gasp and began to look around frantically as his chest heaved up and down, his body covered in cold sweat. It was now the break of dawn and he had just awakened from a terrible nightmare recalling only bits of pieces of it as he tried to piece it back together in his mind.

He groaned and rubbed his eyes wearily as he lay back down in his sleeping bag. He lost all interest in sleep after that dream so he decided he might as well get up and prepare breakfast. He rolled up his sleeping bag and put his shoes on so his feet wouldn’t touch the cold dewy ground. It was an unusually chilly morning and he shivered from the cold since he was dressed in just his undershirt and boxers so he quickly placed his pants and shirt on.

As he prepared the now customary ‘canned breakfast,’ not willing to risk his life to Misty’s cooking, Misty began to stir in her bag once she began to smell the aroma of the canned beans. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Ash hunched over a small fire he had prepared with a can in front of him.

“Hey Grumpy, what are you doing up so early in the morning?” she said as she yawned loudly. He turned and saw her looking at him lazily as she lay in her sleeping bag.

“Well I just had a terrible craving for canned beans so I just had to get up!” he replied sarcastically only to be met by a pillow in the face. She smiled back at him and yawned once more as she got up from bed. She ruffled her hair up a bit as she began to get dressed and started putting away her things as Ash continued to eat away at his beans, still thinking about the dream.

She sat right by him and pulled out her own can of beans as well as a spoon. As she began to warm it in front of the fire, she looked at it with distaste.

“Ash, either I start cooking or we buy something else besides canned beans from now on. I’m sick of feeling gassy…” she moaned as she clutched her stomach.

“Well I guess it can’t be helped; you are hot headed and all!” he said with a wide grin. She glared at him for the horrible joke and just stayed silent as she began to eat her beans, not willing to bear another corny joke. After a few minutes of silence, Misty broke the stillness of the morning with a question,

“So Ash why were you so up early in the morning?” He looked back at her as she looked at him curiously, can in hand with a spoon full of beans ready to be eaten.

“Well…I know it sounds kind of stupid, but I guess I’ll tell you anyway…

It was a nightmare, from what I remember, and it started off with me running, yelling, scared of what was chasing me. But…I couldn’t see what waschasing me… I couldn’t see anything at all! I kept running and running and running until…I started to fall. I kept falling and yelling until I finally woke up. I guess before I hit the ground…

After that, I couldn’t fall asleep, or even tried to. I was just too scared to even try…I know the dream wasn’t that scary at all, but…I was just really shook up for no real reason… I don’t know, it’s weird.” He looked back at her and could tell that she was deep in thought so he waited a while for it to sink in.

“You know Ash…Supposedly, dreams are supposed to have meanings behind them; you know, as if your mind was trying to tell you something. I think I’ll have to keep thinking about that dream though, I don’t what it could mean or why you felt that way…” She remained silent, a bit disturbed by Ash’s dream and its meaning, but she decided to drop it for a later time seeing as how Ash was starting to worry about her. She turned to him and smiled,

“Well anyway, I think we should start heading to Venox Village by now; who knows, the whole town might sink underground with the luck we’ve been having!” she said jokingly. He smiled back at her and nodded in agreement as they got up and put out the fire, leaving behind the cindering logs, huddled in a group to maintain what little warmth they had left…
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A few minutes later, they were back on the dirt road and on their way to the town, only a few steps away from the forested tunnel, light slowly fading away as they were shielded from it by the tall trees.

“So Ash, how do you think you’re going to do in this Gym battle?” Misty asked out of the blue, curiously looking at him.

“Well, I know for sure that we’re going to win no matter what!” he replied confidently.

“Oh really? Because from what I saw in the last Gym match you didn’t do so well,” she said slyly, egging him on.

“Hmph, what would you know about battling anyway? I haven’t seen you battle in years,” he replied burning in humiliation from her remark.

“Well I know that you won’t stand a chance against the water type with your current team,” she replied matter-of-factly.

“What makes you so sure that the next Gym is a water type Gym? And besides, I have Pikachu with me, right buddy?” Pikachu happily replied as he hitched a ride on Ash’s shoulder, giving him a warm smile in response.

“Well… First of all, let’s look at the facts OK? It’s in a swamp right? And a swamp is made out of water and mud? Soooo, do the math! I wouldn’t be surprised if the Gym leader had a Ground type thrown in there for cocky chumps like you!” she teased smugly, content with the look of utter disbelief on Ash’s face as his mouth gaped open.

”How can she do that?” he thought in his head, clearly not fully understanding it even though it seemed to make perfect sense.

“See Ash, that’s why you need me. If I wasn’t here you’d be-” As she spoke, a passing stranger abruptly slammed into her shoulder, interrupting her as well as knocking her off balance. She quickly turned around and yelled at the back of the passerby,

“Hey next time, you should look where you walk next time! Usually that’s how normal people do it!” she screamed as the man stopped suddenly in his tracks. He turned around slowly and he was grinning, much to Misty’s surprise. He looked at her with his deep red eyes and with a cocky smile for a dose of, what he thought in his head, coolness. Everything about him reeked of overconfidence: he wore a black trench coat with its collar popped up and it was made out of luxurious velvety fabric that he wore loosely on his tight blood red tee. His faded tight dark blue denim jeans were ripped and torn in various places and had a silver chain hanging outside of his right pocket. The gold chain around his neck sparkled secretly as it hid underneath his red shirt and his straight black hair was completely spiked upwards at an angle as he leaned slightly from where he stood.

He smirked and stretched his hand out,

“Hey, my name is Dante; I was wondering maybe if you weren’t doing anything later on, that we’d go out some time; maybe later on tonight, beautiful?” he added with a wink of his eye as he flashed her his perfect white teeth. The look on Misty’s face showed just how deeply confounded yet embarrassed she felt from randomly being asked out by a guy on the road that bumped into her. She quickly glanced at his outstretched hand then smacked it away with her hand. The sound of the palm of her hand striking the top of his resounded sickly in the air and the bold young man quickly grabbed his hand in pain.

“What kind of response is that?! You’ve got a lot of nerve coming up to me like that!” she yelled, slightly flustered by his behavior. A brief look of annoyance flashed on his face for a second and he turned his head away briefly, muttering something,

“No one ever rejects my offers…” He quickly shook his head and turned back to her with the same droop-eyed expression. He nodded towards Ash, who was standing behind her looking curiously.

“That your boyfriend?”

“WHAAAT?!?! Of course n-” The back of Misty’s hand came crashing into Ash’s mouth, silencing him.

“…Yeah.” Ash looked at her startled from the floor, gripping his mouth as he could feel the blood coming on. Misty’s face was a deep red and she avoided Dante’s gaze, but her voice was strong enough to at least fend him off.

He scoffed and walked past Misty, standing directly in front of Ash as he wiped his mouth.

“Hey you, is that your Pikachu?”

“Yeah, why?” Ash asked as he picked himself off the ground, wiping dirt and dust off his clothes.

“You’re probably a trainer…” he speculated while rubbing his chin, “a trainer not from around here…So…You were most likely invited to participate in the Muntein league through an invitation, am I right?” he smirked, confident that he had guessed correctly.

“Y-Yeah…but, how did you know all that?” Ash asked, extremely amazed at how a complete stranger could know so much about him at a glance.

“It was a simple deducing method. Listen, I don’t have time to explain things, alright? I just want to battle you since you seem like a strong trainer,” he replied in a careless tone, most likely not believing it himself. The main reason why he really wanted to battle him was so he could impress Misty by making Ash look bad. He smirked as he saw Ash reply without hesitating.

“Alright, then, I accept your challenge!” Ash yelled with excitement. “But, I gotta warn you, I’ve already earned two Muntein Gym badges,” he said confidently as he flashed the two badges pinned on the inside of his jacket.

“Oh really, two badges?” he said with feigned amazement. He reached into the inside of his jacket and gripped the pokeball strapped to his belt as he lurched forward.

“Guess I’ll have to go easier on you then…” Ash growled at his cocky attitude and shot his finger forward.

“Alright Pikachu, let’s show him who’s boss!” Pikachu leapt forward from behind his trainer and looked fiercely at the opposing trainer, waiting for his opponent.

“Get him, Igriff!” Dante growled as he held the pokeball in the air. He then threw the pokeball over his shoulder and his pokemon leapt out of the ball with a shriek as he spread his magnificent wings, gliding over his trainer and landing on the field with a massive thud, all the while scattering flakes of snow onto the field as his coat glimmered in the sun and snow:
igrifffinalyp8.jpg

“What is that thing?!” Ash said as he reached into his jacket and pulled out his Pokedex.

“Igriff, the Crest Pokemon. 7’ 8” Ice/Flying: These pokemon live only on the peaks of the highest mountains, earning their name as well as their typing. Their feathers are as rigid as ice and therefore very valuable as traded items. They are also obsessively territorial, to the point where they will attack anyone who even glances at their nest, increasing their rarity. Igriffs are also extremely prideful, making them difficult to train. A trainer owning a tamed Igriff is as good enough a testament to their own strength.”

The slender Pokedex closed as the last sentenced echoed in Ash’s mind:

“A trainer owning a tamed Igriff is as good enough as a testament to their strength… Does that mean this guy is really that good?”

He glanced nervously at Dante; his figure was relaxed, but rigid. He kept his hands in his pockets at all time yet his pokemon did not once waver in total obedience. Add to the fact that that specific pokemon was one of the hardest to train in the whole region of Muntein… Ash could see where he fell compared to this guy in front of him.

His hand quivered and his breathing was quick and fast. Sweat fell down his face and he looked at his own hands. The battle hadn’t even started and he was already getting this nervous?! No, that’s not how he was going to go out!

A female voice came shouting from behind him,

“Go get him Ash, you can DO IT!” He smiled confidently and his nerves instantly calmed down. Win or lose, he was going to show this guy who he was and that if they ever meet again, he would be sure not to underestimate him, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!

“Alright Pikachu, Quick Attack!” he yelled with an air of regained confidence as his pokemon disappeared in a flash. Dante, however, remained in his place and did not command his pokemon to do nothing. This worried Ash a bit, but he knew he wasn’t going to go down easily.

“Stop and use Thunderbolt, now!” Stopping a few steps away from his rival, Pikachu charged up a Thunderbolt and was about to unleash it when Dante issued his first command.

“Slash attack into Stomp, Igriff!” Without a moment’s hesitation, the beast reared up one of his arms and launched it at Pikachu as he unleashed his electric attack.

Igriff winced at the super effective attack as the electricity coursed through his body, but he carried out his attack, first slashing Pikachu across the face with his razor sharp talons then, with his other arm, crushing Pikachu’s small body against the dirt.

The electricity stopped flowing and Igriff panted in exhaustion as Ash looked on with horror as the griffin began to singe from the electrical attack.

“Lift him up into the air now Igriff!” Igriff pushed down harder on Pikachu with enough strength that Pikachu bounced off of the ground and was floating in front of him.

“Now use Wing Attack!”

“Pikachu, counter it with an Iron Tail!” Both attacks collided with awesome force and sent both assailants flying backwards before Dante called out again,

“Hit him with an Ice Beam to finish him off!” Without taking a moment’s rest Igriff quickly recovered from the attack and hit Pikachu midair with the stream of frozen energy, freezing Pikachu in the process as he landed onto the ground.

“Pikachu!” Ash began to run to his partner’s side when Igriff let out a barbaric yell and leapt from his position, flying to Pikachu’s frozen body prepped to attack once again.

Ash and Misty both looked on in terror and she immediately screamed,

“Call him off!” But in a brief second, Igriff had already shattered through the ice around Pikachu’s body and struck him with another swipe of his blade-like claws.

Ash gasped in horror and leapt in front of his pokemon as Igriff reared back for another attack. Without a single word from his master, Igriff launched his attack at the human laying in front of him as Misty screamed in terror.

Ash felt the claws dig into his skin, ripping through his shirt and tissue at the same time.

Now Misty was yelling at the top of her voice threatening to release her pokemon on Dante unless he recalled his Igriff back into his pokeball. The trainer merely scoffed and with a flash of red energy, the Crest pokemon was gone and back into the security of his ball.

Standing up from the ground, Ash looked at Dante with utmost disgust as he bared his teeth at him.

“What the heck is your problem?! You could’ve seriously hurt Pikachu!” all the while ignoring the fact that blood was streaming from three long gashes in his side. “If I hadn’t jumped in…” He turned to look at his pokemon sadly, his Pikachu breathing in short gasps of air while dirt stained his face and body. He looked back at Dante with fury, but he seemed indifferent.

“First of all, it’s not my fault if Igriff decides to do things against my accord. He is after all, from the wild…” he replied with a shrug. Ash clenched his fist and raised it before Misty grasped it within hers and lowered it only to quickly pull it away after realizing she had touched his hand.

After seeing their reactions towards each other Dante scoffed again with a sly grin as a thought popped into his head,

“You two really aren’t aren’t a couple are you?” They both looked back at him with surprise and then looked away from each other embarrassedly.

Dropping the awkward moment behind, Ash spat out another question at Dante as he began to walk away from them,

“What kind of way is that to battle anyway? You put your pokemon through a lot of pain just so you could land some cheap attacks!”

“I think you should ask yourself that question; you are the one that lost…” he retorted sarcastically as he turned around.

“Besides, I knew that poor excuse you call a trained pokemon couldn’t handle my expertly trained one,” he said with a flimsy wave of his hand as he walked away.

“Oh and one more thing…” he said, stopping in his tracks and turning around slightly to look at them with his hands in his pockets.

“If you expect to do well in the Muntein league, you’re going to have to battle way better than that! There are going to be trainers there who you can’t even begin to fathom how much training they’ve gone through just to prepare for that moment; trainers native to Muntein and visiting, just like you,” he said with a vicious sneer.

“Though, now that I think of it, if the foreigners battle just like you then I’ve got nothing to worry about!” He scoffed and with that said and done, he began to walk away from them, letting his words sink in like a freshly sharpened dagger.

Ash’s blood really started to boil after it all hit him and he was about ready to drop Pikachu and beat the living daylights out of him until Misty grabbed him by the shoulders seeing how riled up he had gotten.

“Don’t waste your energy on this guy Ash, he’s not worth it…” she whispered into his ear as she also looked at Dante with contempt. He shook with rage as he felt his head throb from the adrenaline rush he was receiving from his body, but regardless, he let himself get held back by Misty.

“See you guys later!” Dante said with a sinister grin as he looked over his shoulder at them then he added as he turned around to face them,

“Hope you have more than two badges the next time you face me, Ash! Maybe then you’ll last more than a minute against me!” He then burst out laughing as he continued walking backwards, not watching where he was walking.

Ash growled as his face burned in shame and anger mixed into one sensation; if it weren’t Misty, he was sure he would be pummeling this guy’s face to an unrecognizable pulp by now.

Dante wiped a tear from his eye and he began to turn around when his foot caught a stone on the ground, causing him to fall flat on his face.

Ash and Misty stared back in disbelief at the fallen man until he got up quickly and feverishly patted the dust off his jacket. He began to reorganize himself and fiddled around with his jacket until he paused and glanced back at them. He realized that they were gaping at him with widened eyes so he began to creep away before turning at the next corner and disappearing into the forest.

“Well, that was…unexpected,” Misty replied in disbelief as Ash nodded his head slowly before snapping back to reality upon hearing his Pikachu wheeze and cough.

“Jeez, I almost forgot! We got to get into town right now!” And he sprinted off into the forested tunnel with Misty dashing behind him yelling about how he had to cover up his cuts, leaving Dante, and his warning, behind them…for now.


part two down below...
 
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el_toro

Superfly
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The Pokemon Center had finally calmed down after a long day of hard work and injured patients. Nurse Joy’s feet began to throb painfully from the long hours of standing up without any break. Seeing as how there were no trainers in sight she decided it was the most opportune time to take a break before more trainers came in so she began to pack up.

She hung up her dress in the back room and started to remove her stiff shoes from her aching feet when she began to here a commotion coming from the front desk.

“Where is she?! I need Nurse Joy RIGHT NOW!”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t even work here!”

“Don’t play games with me miss, my pokemon is badly injured!”

“Ash, I really don’t think she works here…”

“Alright what’s all the noise here?! Don’t you realize that this a hospital?!” Nurse Joy walked outside wearing a tight lime green shirt with black stripes on her shoulders as her hands clung on her hips, a look of annoyance clearly present on her pale face.

“There you are! My Pikachu needs some medical attention right now!” Ash said thrusting his pokemon in front of her. She glanced down and gasped in horror.

His Pikachu wheezed and then began to gasp in short breaths of air, patches of dirt and bloody scratches spotting his entire body.

She sighed and even though she was tired and her feet were most likely blistered and calloused at this point, she knew she had an obligation as a nurse.

“Here, place him on the counter and I will call for a stretcher and have him taken care of immediately,” she said, slipping on some rubber gloves while running back to call for Chansey.

Ash smiled and immediately thanked her as he bowed his head. She turned around and smiled back,

“It is my job after all! Don’t worry your Pikachu is in good hands, just give him some time and he’ll be back to normal.” She turned around once more before stopping once again.

She looked behind her and could see that Ash was still standing behind the counter with Misty waiting beside him as she stared back. On closer inspection, Nurse Joy could see the wear of their travels on them: their clothes were dirty and torn up and their faces were pale from having not eaten a shred of food since the morning.

“Um, there is a restaurant right next to us that makes very good food along with a comfy hotel right next door, you two are free to go there if you’d like as you wait.” Ash smiled faintly at the idea, but he shook his head much to Misty’s dismay.

“I can’t…I’d rather wait for Pikachu here until he gets out. Besides I’m really not that hun-” and as if by a force of nature, the infamous beast in Ash’s belly began to grumble.

He jumped in surprise and then began to laugh embarrassedly with his hand scratching the back of his head. Nurse Joy simply grinned smugly and shook her head, and after seeing that the battle had been lost, Misty began to push Ash away despite his protests. As she shoved him away from the desk, her advice cut in between his groans,

“C’mon Ash, let’s go; besides there’s nothing you can do now so we might as well get some decent food for once…”
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As they waited to be seated inside the restaurant, Ash just remembered that they had finally arrived in Venox Village, where he could finally get his third Gym badge… Dante’s words snuck their way back into his head, but he shook them away and began to think about other things…like the “village” they were currently in.

From the looks of things, Venox Village was anything, but that. Yes 90 % of the town was made up of swamp water and the only means of walking across town was through patches of land in the middle of the swamp or by walking on manmade wooden bridges that hung over the water (or on small row boats, but that was another story). But, there were still tall buildings, large shopping malls that stretched for yards and newly built parks as the town continued to expand farther into the forest. Yes it seemed that business was beginning to thrive in Venox as he bumped into quite a fair amount of people running to the Center earlier on. He predicted that after a year or so…there wouldn’t even be a swamp to speak of once all the construction was finished.

A young waitress dressed in red and dark blue with a blue sailor’s hat finally found them a table and Ash and Misty followed her to their table beside a window overlooking the famous dank swamp. After they sat down and their menus were brought to them, Misty decided to break the silence that had been plaguing them since they left the Center.

“Ash what’s the matter? It seems like something’s been on your mind…which is a pretty big surprise when I think about it,” she added with a smirk. He smirked but largely ignored the remark and continued to look out the window, further worrying Misty.

“I’m still thinking about that jerk Dante and what he did to Pikachu… I just can’t believe he’d put his pokemon through that kind of fighting! I mean, what decent person would just let their pokemon get hit?!” He fumed at the thought of Dante’s smug face as he let Igriff mercilessly attack Pikachu even after he had fainted…but there was still something else on his mind…

“If you expect to do well in the Muntein league, you’re going to have to battle way better than that! There are going to be trainers there who you can’t even begin to fathom how much training they’ve gone through just to prepare for that moment; trainers native to Muntein and visiting, just like you…”

Has he trained enough for this league? Was it a good idea to start off fresh again instead of taking his more experienced pokemon with him? Questions popped up left and right in Ash’s head and the answers that he was providing for himself weren’t exactly helpful. But he didn’t want to talk it over with Misty because if he told her that he was starting to have doubts already, she might begin to think he wouldn’t be cut out for the league! And that’s the last thing he’d want her to consider…

“He’s been staring at that rock for five minutes now…” Misty said to herself in her mind. “There’s definitely something else on his mind, he just doesn’t want to tell me…”

Feeling slightly hurt from his actions she chose to occupy herself with a napkin on the table while Ash continued to drift off in thought wondering how he would rank in the upcoming tournament if he even made it that far.

Balancing two freshly cooked plates of food, the waitress greeted the pair and presented each of them with their food.

“Will that be all?” the waitress said, looking earnestly at them from her light blue eyes. They each shook their head and she politely dismissed herself, leaving the two in silent company of each other once again.

Glancing quickly at Misty, Ash then tore away savagely at the food served before him, gnawing at the breaded pork chop until there was no meat left on the bone, then moved onto the tomato soup and disposing of it in one gulp. Soon after, the bowl of rice served before him didn’t last more than 30 seconds, defeated between the squeeze of two chopsticks.

Misty looked back at him with disgust wide-eyed in horror as she held her spoon in hand, not having even commenced with her bowl of soup.

Despite Ash’s loud feasting though, neither of them was conversing and the table remained emotionally quiet because of this. Unwilling to bear this silence, Ash began to mutter about Dante and how arrogant he was, pointing out his obvious vain nature, among other things. Misty decided to focus on eating her food since she still felt hurt at his distrust in her and would occasionally nod just to give Ash the idea that she was listening to him when she really wasn’t.
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Every minute or so Ash would complete his plate and order another one, keeping the waitress on her toes as she brought back plate after plate after plate with a stack of finished bowls accumulating on the table. Needless to say, Misty was astonished at how much Ash was eating and was beginning to grow worried about the amount of meals he was ordering and whether or not they would have enough money to spend.

After twenty five minutes of gorging, Ash was finally satiated as he leaned back on his chair heavily with his hand on his potbelly. Ten plates were stacked on top of each other on each side of him and Misty looked back at him in awe as she just finished with her original order.

“Ash! Do you even have the money to pay for all this?!” Misty whispered frantically as she gazed at the towers of plates before her. He held back a burp and then replied,

“Of course I do, don’t sweat it Misty!” He reached into his jacket and felt the inside pocket where he usually left his wallet. His eyes widened in terror as they came across nothing and he stood up and began to frantically search himself for the wallet until he stopped, coming to a startling revelation, placing both of his hands on his head.

“I left the wallet at the police station when they confiscated it!” He sat back down on the chair and rested his head on the chair, slightly banging the back of his head on it in frustration. Misty looked back at him with wide-eyed disbelief as her heart leapt up into her throat.

“Ash, you can’t be serious!” She dropped her gaping expression and rested her elbows on the table as she massaged her temples. “I don’t have the money for all this food!” she said with disdain. He looked back at her hopelessly and despairingly.

“Are you sure? How much money do you have on you?” he asked fearfully. She counted the bills in her wallet and then responded,

“600 yen.” His eyes widened in horror.

“Each plate was worth at least 150 yen!” He looked around quickly in panic, only imagining how astronomical the bill would come out to be.

“Here you are sir,” the brunette waitress muttered as she attempted to balance the stack of plates with just one hand as she laid the black book carefully on the table. He nodded quickly and she quickly left almost losing her balance in doing so as she hopped on her left leg.

He stared at the closed book and sighed deeply as his heart raced faster and faster. Misty stared at him as he reached out to open the book, his face turning pale and sweaty. Before he opened the book calmly, he closed his eyes and sighed to calm down his nerves. He opened them and looked at the bill. The book fell out of his hands and onto his lap as he collapsed onto the table.

“Ash! Are you OK?!” He muttered something unintelligible and Misty looked at him puzzled. “I’m sorry, what?”

“6,300 yen…plus tip,” he cried with a deep heaviness in his voice, staring up at her apologetically with his brown eyes. Her eyes widened to the point that they could have shot of her eye sockets.

“Si-six thousand three hundred?!”

“Plus tip,” Ash added remorsefully. Misty exhaled deeply then ran her hands through her hair and then once more before joining them both in front of her lips.

“Ash…how the HECK ARE WE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS?!” Misty exploded as she slammed both of her hands on the table, making Ash jump as well making several neighboring people turn.

“I-I don’t know Misty, how should I know?” he replied desperately as a vein began to throb in Misty’s head; he knew he was in for it now.

“Ash, if you weren’t such a pig then maybe we could’ve gotten off easier! But no, someone had to stuff their face full of food that could feed this whole town!” She was fuming and clenching her fists as she couldn’t even bring herself to look at him now.

He remained quiet feeling extremely guilty for having lost control of himself and lowered his head in shame. After a few seconds or so though, he got an idea. He quickly raised his head and began to look all around him. The exit of the restaurant was right in front of them and the only people around were seated behind them. There was no cameras, no security, no waitresses around; even the hosts were busy at the moment! This was their chance; they could leave now and not get caught as well as not having to pay anything at all!

Ash looked briefly at Misty and he could see she was still trying to find a way how to inflict pain on him so he got up and looked around once more. Still no one yet… But he knew sooner or later someone would show up; it had to be now or never.

He slowly edged his way out of the table and began to walk towards the door when a voice stopped him in his tracks that sent chills running down his spine,

“Ash, where are you going?” Misty said with a not-so-subtle hint of anger. Ash immediately turned around and dropped to his knees and began to plead with her.

“Misty, we have absolutely no money on us! How do you expect to pay?! There’s no one around right now and we could make our getaway! All we have to do is leave the restaurant and-”

“And WHAT?!” Now Misty was on her feet and the whole restaurant fell quiet as they turned around to look at who was screaming.

“Leave the restaurant and make a run for the exit out of town until you eventually realize that you’re next Gym badge is in here and you have to return?! Then you’ll just drag me back here just so we can get arrested and wind up in jail all over again! You must really be enjoying yourself aren’t you Ash Ketchum?” Misty placed her clenched fists on her hips and glared down at Ash as he looked back up at her blankly.

“So…does that mean you’ll do it?” he said questioningly. That was the last straw. She screamed and shoved a still kneeling Ash out of her way as she walked past the staring onlookers.

“Misty! Where are you going?”

“Outside! I need some fresh air!” she roared back as she continued to head for the back exit.

The waitress, having heard the whole dispute and not looking too happy, whispered something in Ash’s ear.

“Oh okay…Hey Misty! Don’t take too long okay? We’ve got to start cleaning dishes to make up for the bill and I want to get this done as fast as we can so I can get my next Gym badge!” Misty clenched her fists even harder and it took every single fiber in her body not to turn around and send Ash soaring through the ceiling of the restaurant.

She exited through the double doors leaving behind Ash, a very unhappy waitress since she couldn’t receive her tip now especially after handling all of those plates, and a mysterious scarlet-haired woman as she refocused all her attention on Ash upon seeing Misty leave the restaurant.
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She sighed deeply as she felt a small cool breeze pass in front of her face upon exiting the restaurant. She laid her hands on a wooden railing and stared off into the murky green swamp that was in front of her. The back of the restaurant was a wooden observation deck of sorts where people could eat while enjoying the view around them

After a few minutes of dazing off, Misty began to observe her surroundings to occupy her mind. For having such a big population, Venox was pretty calm around this time. The sun was already starting to lower after reaching the apex of its cycle so Misty knew they didn’t have a lot of time to spare. If Ash needed to get his Gym badge today he’d need all the help he can get. She sighed and began to turn around when she spotted something very peculiar off to the side.

A man dressed in a very worn red vinyl jacket that had patches and tears everywhere was fishing by the swamp solemnly. The people who had decided to sit outside had seen this man and avoided him as a whole set of unoccupied tables surrounded him, isolating him further from the scene.

By the way he seemed so calm and undisturbed by his movements, he seemed unreal and surreal to her all at once. Yet she knew he was there, for no obvious reason to her knowledge than to sit on a deck and fish in a dirty swamp. She likened him to an irregularity on an otherwise perfectly serene image, a sort of spectral being come down to the realm of the living to fulfill his purpose then disappear back into obscurity.

She neared him until she could inspect him closer as if to unveil this mystery of a man simply by gazing at him. Yet the more she looked at him, the more ordinary he seemed by the minute: his clothes were completely torn, old, and dirty as well as severely faded; his red jacket, a once prominent and proud scarlet red, was now a whitewashed rose. His navy blue carpenter jeans were smudged with mud and almost completely ripped in half and the black galoshes he had on had holes that exposed every one of his toes and heels.

And hidden underneath a very worn and flimsy light yellow fisherman’s hat, was a mess of dirty blonde hair that fell over his eyes and his ears, leaving only visible the rugged yet unwrinkled face of this man and the slim line of blonde facial hair that ran from the bottom of his chin to his lower lip.

She glanced at him then looked back at the swamp, and then she looked back at him again then turned away quickly. She kept stealing glances at him for some odd reason; she just couldn’t figure out what was drawing her to this man. Before she knew it, Misty had already approached the man and stood behind him, waiting for him to turn around, for no apparent reason other than the fact that she had the sudden impulse to get nearer to him. She stood still and quiet not really knowing what to do or say until a low rumble of a voice spoke out,

“Why do you approach me? Can you not see I don’t wish for any company?” Misty gasped louder than she wanted and covered her mouth. The man, with his back still turned to her, felt her…approaching him? The hair on her neck stood on end and she felt as if she was being shaken by an unseen force as chills went up and down her body.

“W-who are you? What are you doing here…by yourself?” She gulped and waited for his answer with rising tension, her heartbeat increasing with each second.

His head turned slightly and he was now looking at her over his shoulder, his hat completely blocking his eyes as well as his identity.

“Should I be expecting someone? Should I be expecting you?” He had lightened his voice now and the sound coming from his mouth was velvety in her ears.

“N-no of course not… I was just wondering why you were out here all by yourself, behind a restaurant no less,” Misty said regaining a bit more confidence in her self and it apparently reflected in her actions because the man’s attention was completely centered on her.

“Sometimes the actions that we carry out are not of our own decision,” the man said cryptically as he turned around again and bowed his head in thought as Misty looked at him in wonder. The more she spoke to this man, the more intriguing he became to her.

“Besides, I would not want to associate myself with the people of this town; they’re all soulless corpses that walk on two legs,” he spat with disgust in his voice as he stiffened his upper lip.

“Aren’t you from around here though?” Misty asked, taking a seat right next to him. He quickly glanced over at her then looked at the other side of the swamp, towards the part where they were reconstructing and knocking down trees as they spoke.

“I wish I still had the pride in myself to regard this town in such a high manner…but I do not, therefore I will not.” He shifted closer to her and began to explain it to her all the while facing the swamp directly as if he were explaining it to the unmoving surface of the dank water.

“You see the problem with this town is that all the citizens have lost the sense of love; what it means, what it feels like…what it should really be.” Underneath the shadow of his hat, his gaze over the placid pond was stony yet rivaled that of a seer’s, peering into what was not perceivable to the human eye: the past and the future.

“They’ve all sold their souls to the loveless demons of modern society and replaced them with new ‘loves’: the love to be materialistic, the love of big business, the love to destroy. They’ve all forgotten the loves of our past: the love of nature and its natural beauty, the love of tranquility, the love to love…and I hate it so much…”

He bowed his head and shame as the fishing pole stiffly remained in his grasp, never as much as bulging an inch throughout his whole monologue, mirroring Misty’s expression as she looked on in awe.

“And yet the only reason why I’m staying in this loveless town is because of love, the love of another…person…Ironic, isn’t it?” he added with heavy sigh as he shook his head, scratching the back of his head as well as shifting the hat upwards.

“Yeah I guess…” Misty interjected sympathetically, but with hopes to raise his mood, she curiously asked him,

“But if the person you love is here, then why aren’t you doing anything about it?” He turned to her and his eyes were finally revealed: a clear yellow tint that resembled that of the moon on a starry night. He glanced around awkwardly, but with a familiar weariness in his eyes.

“This is all I can do little girl; watch time slide across the glassy surface of this swamp until that day comes…” It was then that Misty realized the swamp was completely vacant minus the murky water. There was no fish to be caught or anything else for that matter, only a false pretense to make it seem as if he was spending his time wisely. This touched a nerve in her and she was going to make sure he got a piece of her mind.

“So all you’re going to do is wait then?” she asked with a hint of desperation in her voice. “Why don’t you get up, take action? Instead of wasting your time stupidly fishing in empty waters?!” She stood up from the log and began scolding him as he turned away and looked back at the swamp.

“Sit down and save your breath little girl. Though we may not be far in years from each other, you still have a lot to learn experience wise.” Misty couldn’t believe how he was giving up so easily so she stood standing up with fiery defiance…until his words melted her with cool heat in each of his syllables.

“We are all just fishermen sitting by the water, waiting for that lucky catch just so we can feel happy about it by the end of the day and then return home.” He then turned around abruptly and stared at her with fierce intensity shooting from his eyes.

“But what if we don’t catch anything for the whole day? A whole week? What about a couple of months? What happens to the spirit of the fisherman who’s been waiting by the water diligently for years yet nothing ever comes to him except for a fish that slipped from his hands and never returned?!” Now he was the one standing up, scolding the sitting person as Misty looked up at him, regretting the fact she had ever stepped out of the restaurant.

Yet there was something about this man that seemed familiar to her; she just couldn’t put her finger on it.

The fire blew away from inside his pupils and he was back at his seat, hands firmly on the fishing pole once again as he peered out over the pond.

“The fisherman can do nothing but wait, his whole life directed by what flows around him. If something is amiss, even the tiniest, miniscule object… The fisherman drowns in the irregularity.” He finished his sentence with a foreboding sense of ominousness and then he locked his gaze once more upon the swamp.

Misty quietly observed him: he was a turmoil of emotions inside, hidden underneath that faded red jacket of his and his peaceful guise. She then stood up from her seat once again and began to make her way back to the center once she was convinced her time was done. Before she left though, she turned around and looked at the man.

“The fisherman who waits forever though has all the time for himself, but none for others. If all the fisherman does is wait for misery to flow over him…then what’s the whole point of waiting?” She shrugged and sighed deeply as her question floated about in the air. She stayed to let her words sink in a bit more then she turned around and entered the Center, not knowing if she would ever see that man again or not…
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“Well are you ready to go now, sir?” the waitress snappily stated as she tapped her foot, her face contorted in an icy glare. Back in the restaurant just as Misty left in anger, Ash now had to deal with this new problem; the right way much to his irritation.

Maybe his jail time was rubbing off on him…

“Yeah I guess,” Ash said with a sigh, not really excited to having to spend the next few hours in a kitchen washing dirty dishes. As he stood up though and began to walk away with the waitress, a sultry voice spoke out from behind them, stopping them as if a rope tied around their neck had been pulled on.

“Hold on a second, miss, let me speak to the boy for a brief second.” Ash’s eyes widened and he turned around as well as the waitress to see who had spoken to them.

He could not believe his eyes at the person he was looking at.

It was a scarlet haired woman and the way that she was looking at him instantly set his heartbeat going at a hundred miles per hour. Her emerald green eyes which carried a hint of brown in them stared deeply at him as her long wild hair partially covered the left side of her face. She flicked her head slightly to remove the hair obstructing her view of him only to throw him a wink causing him to gulp nervously. The way her tight brown jacket, which seemed like a miniature trench coat, complimented her bust as well her figure was jaw dropping. She seemed as if she was taken directly off of a magazine and placed in this town that lied in the middle of nowhere.

She was resting her black boot that ran up just below her knee on her thigh, crossing her legs to hide what she was wearing underneath her black leather miniskirt. As her elbows rested on the table, she motioned to Ash to come closer with her fingers as she smiled coyly, making him feel unbelievably nervous yet flattered at the same time. He wasn’t completely sure why he was behaving this way, especially in the middle of a restaurant for crying out loud! But he has felt this way before…it’s just been a long time since he last experienced such powerful yet deceitful emotions.

In two quick leaps, he was already seated directly across from her causing her to giggle slightly. She bit her lip then smiled sideways at him, observing him from the corner of her eye until turning her attention to the waitress. The waitress having seen the woman’s signal immediately responded by snapping to attention.

“Oh! Right away Miss Valentina, I’ll-I’ll be back shortly!” she said stuttering as if she was addressing a drill sergeant after having just caught his subordinate in the middle of something embarrassing.

Once the waitress was gone, the fiery headed woman turned to look at Ash who hadn’t taken his eyes off of her for a second.

“Let me tell you what’s going to happen right now, okay?” she said sweetly, but almost in a demanding manner. He simply nodded willing to listen to anything just to have her attention.

She opened her mouth for a brief second as she looked elsewhere on the table, pausing as if she was still debating about whether or not she should speak her words or not.

“I’m going to pay completely for the bill, including the tip,” she said calmly looking at Ash straight in the eyes with her exotic colored ones.

His eyes widened to point where it hurt and he quickly shut them to ease the pain. He opened his eyes and stared at her in disbelief. From the expression on her face, he could tell she was being quite serious.

He still couldn’t find the words or the expression to tell her what he was feeling: elation, gratefulness, profound relief, and…confusion.

Finally coming up with something to say he opened his mouth to ask her a question when she stopped him,

“There’s no need to thank me, I’m doing this from the generosity of my heart. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that I happen to be the Gym leader of this town,” she said with a wink.

His stomach did a complete backflip in his gut now and his mouth shot open so fast that he felt like he could have dislocated it.

“Y-you’re the Gym leader of this town?!” he said his mind doing thousands of laps trying to suck in all of this information.

“Mmm-hm, and you can expect that I make a fair share of money,” she said with a devilishly seductive smile. Her attention was now deeply centered on Ash and he could feel her aura slowly envelope him, causing his heart to beat rapidly again as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“I do want something in return though…” she said pleadingly moving herself slightly so that she was leaning closer to Ash from across the table.

“What do you mean?” he said shaking where he sat as she moved even closer.

Man, she smells so good…

“I want you to meet me later, at the center of the swamp,” she stated simply. He raised his eyebrow briefly broken from her enchantment to process this thought.

“Wait, what?”

“You heard me, I want you to meet me later on during the night; preferably alone,” she said with heavy emphasis on the last word, leaning over once more at him with a grin on her face. Her eyelids drooped over her eyes and she stared at him hoping to get an answer from him.

He laughed and turned away quickly realizing what she was trying to say. He just couldn’t help, but keep grinning, looking outside for a moment as he smiled, his heart rapidly palpitating in his chest.

The calm surroundings of the outside world seemed promising to him, almost like a sign that seemed to be telling him what to do…

“Alright,” he said still avoiding her gaze. She smiled more widely now and stood up from her chair only to search for something in her cream colored purse. She pulled out a small wallet and searched in it only to pull out a wad of bills and she laid them on the table.

He looked on in awe as she put her wallet back where it belonged. Her eyes were set on him the whole time and she began to walk towards the exit. As she passed by him, she whispered discreetly,

“See you later then…Ash.”

And she was gone through the front doors. Everyone around him, obviously residents of the town, focused their attention on him now, some people turning around in their chairs to look at him and shoot him smiles and congratulatory grins.

He was still completely lost, but for some reason, all his troubles seemed to go away. The bill had been paid, he now had some idea of who the Gym leader was, and the best part of it all, was he didn’t have to do anything at all!

Oh man, I’ve got to tell Misty about this!” He quickly climbed out of his chair and began to head towards the doors where Misty had left through when Ash clutched his stomach as he began to feel something move in the lower regions of his body.

“Oooh, too much food…” His stomach then made a weird squelching sound and he knew that could only mean one thing:

“I’ve gotta use the bathroom!” He sprinted away and flew through the bathroom doors, not aware of the fact that Misty’s figure could be seen from outside, seemingly talking to a man who was seated…
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After having quite an interesting discussion with the unknown man, Misty was definitely ready to get on with the rest of the day, not willing to run this moment repeatedly in her head. She entered through the double doors and quickly looked around for Ash so they could start on “repaying” their bill…But he was nowhere in sight.

Hmm, he’s probably already washing dishes by now. Better go to the kitchen then and join him.

She walked past a couple of onlookers who began to whisper to each other. She glared at them before entering the kitchen door, dodging a waitress as she scurried past her with four freshly made plates.

As the swinging doors flapped behind her, she stood in place looking closely for Ash all the while slowly attracting attention. The busy kitchen suddenly stopped and Misty suddenly felt everyone’s eyes on her making her feel increasingly uncomfortable by the second.

“Umm…where do I go to start washing…dishes?” Everyone gave her strange looks and she felt her cheeks starting to turn red as she began to feel hotter and dumber by the second.

“Misty! There you are, I’ve been looking all over for you!” Misty turned around and sighed in relief at the familiar beaming face.

“Ash what are you…”

“You are not going to believe what just happened to me!” Ash said with shaking enthusiasm. She looked at him in surprise at his excitement and she could tell that he was extremely eager to tell her.

“Well go ahead then Ash, shoot,” she said intrigued by his behavior.

“Alright well first, let’s go somewhere a little more private…” he said glancing around him as all the chefs and kitchen aids continued to stare at them intensively.

“Yeah definitely…” Misty said feeling everyone’s eyes on her back again and she shivered as if an unconscious attempt to shake off their eyes.

As the doors flapped again with their departure, the kitchen returned to normal as chefs began to yell for their orders, waitresses running to retrieve them and the mop boys cleaning up after all the mess the cooks were making.
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They were now outside of the restaurant and standing in front of the double doors by a row of green shrubs. Misty, completely amazed at how they could’ve left the restaurant without being stopped by anyone, looked intently at Ash waiting for him to continue with his story now that they had their privacy.

“Alright Misty, you’re not going to believe it, but I just met the Gym leader of this town!” She raised her eyebrows and looked at him in surprise.

“Oh! Well…that’s great Ash!” she said sounding just a bit disappointed since it didn’t seem to be much of a deal to her.

“But that’s not it; they also paid for the meal entirely, including the tip for the waitress, which was pretty handsome if you ask me.” he said nodding his head then looking her straight in the eyes, subduing a smile as she looked back at him. He was practically bursting with excitement and elation by the way he was acting. Misty was at first shocked (and relieved that she didn’t have to get dish pan hands) at the news, but just by looking at him she could tell there was more to the story.

“That’s not it, is it Ash?” Misty said looking at him curiously, straight in the eyes trying to find the source of all his emotion.

“Nope; first I’ve got to tell you about this Gym leader though before I continue. First of all, it’s a she, no doubt about it! Second of all, she is probably the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in this world!” He smiled widely as he said this. Misty’s stomach instantly sank to the undermost reaches within her body. She felt as if she was going to be sick ten times over again. Her face went completely pale and it was if her heart had stopped beating for a slight second as she couldn’t even seem to process this thought in her mind.

“I-is she then?” Misty said with a heavy lump in her throat.

“Yeah, she is…She has this long red scarlet hair that passes over her shoulders slightly, curling around the front of her chest like fangs. Her hair smelled so nice…like flowers…and it was so full and fluffy. Her face was the most beautiful part of her body though… She had these greenish-brown eyes that were unbelievable…They sucked me in instantly and I could just feel myself wanting to get closer to her.” He smiled warmly and sighed as if exhaling his spent emotions onto Misty since her aching heart was in need of some.

“I-i-it’s th-that bad then, huh? Almost like…l-l-love…” She choked on that last word and she could feel the need to cry coming onto her eyes. Tears began to swell as her heart moaned in her body at the cuttingly sharp blow it was taking.

“I…guess. I’m not sure yet to be honest…” A glimpse of hope seemed to shimmer for Misty as she looked up at him.

“I mean, I’ve never really felt this way before…” Instantly, as if his words were a blow to the stomach, Misty hunched over in pain, gripping her stomach as it churned violently inside of her.

“Misty…are you alright?” Ash asked worriedly, looking at her closely. She raised her thumb, still hunched over as she spoke to him.

“Nope everything’s okay; it was just a s-stomach ache,” she lied with a smile as fake as the ones on a mannequin.

“Oh, okay then. Well I’ve gotta go Misty, I’ve got somewhere to be,” Ash said glancing quickly at the clock on the inside of the restaurant.

“Wh-what? What do you mean you have somewhere to be?” Misty said looking up at him, predicting instantaneously what the news could be.

“Well I’ve got a date with that Gym leader I was telling you about,” Ash said looking down at her with a dumb smile that could only spell one thing to her. She looked away not willing to bear that face anymore.

“Well, I’ve really got to go Misty, she said I had to meet her in ten minutes and I already wasted five talking to you…We might see each other again later on tonight if I have the time… But if not, we can just meet up to tomorrow at the Center, alright?” he said thoughtfully, glancing down at her, making her feel smaller by the second.

He turned around and began to walk away from her when he suddenly remembered something.

“Oh Misty, I almost forgot! I was wondering if you could please pick up Pikachu from the Pokemon Center for me. I’m sure he’d be better off with you for now in the meanwhile…” He smiled widely at her again and turned around, taking a footstep on the bridge. He almost couldn’t feel it though since he felt so light-headed that he thought he was floating across the bridge.

As the sun’s falling rays fell on Ash’s silhouette walking across the bridge, Misty felt as if her world were getting darker by the second. Tears welled in her eyes and she let them loose from their holding place, seeing as how she was safe to show her true emotions now that he had left.

The drops of water slid down both of her cheeks and fell onto the ground as Misty watched them drip onto the ground. Her lips squirmed in place and she let a sob escape loose, her hands clasping over her eyes as she curled up into a ball in broad daylight and in front of everyone.

For once, the real Misty was exposed and pouring her emotions out in front of everyone…and Ash was nowhere in sight to see…




Well that's it! Kind of ended on a downer, but as you can tell there will be a second part to this chapter. Now on with the Author's notes...

Author's Notes:
Well first off, I originally wanted to have this chapter available on this fic's first year anniversary! Yep, AJOS is a year old as of October and I really didn't do anything... Whoops... BUT! I guess I'll take the time now to thank you all that have been reading my story and staying patient with me since I know I'm horrible at updating... So thanks to all my loyal readers who have left me reviews (and those others that prefer to stay in the shadows...) and here's to one more year in Muntein!

So anyway, onto the chapter: I like this separate story arc that's developing here in this town. Granted it'll only last for these two chapters, but from I've got planned, it'll be pretty interesting... >:p

And another note, the whole part with the yen and everything, let me direct you to a page from Bulbapedia: http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pokémon_Dollar. So on that page it states that the official currency of the Pokemon world is the Pokemon Dollar or the PokeDollar. However, interestingly enough, the PokeDollar and its symbol was created only for the US translations of the game and the Japanese version uses yen so I’ve opted to go with that instead of PokeDollar since the latter sounds kinds of cheesy, at least to me. :/

Title Explanation: It comes from the saying "There's plenty of fish in the sea," which basically means that you shouldn't hold yourself back just because of one person. What does that have to do with this chapter? You'll see...

Igriff: (Eh-gRIF) comes from the combination of Ice and griffin. For some odd reason though it reminds me of igloo...

Well that's it for now. Now I've got to work on Chapter 17! :D
 

shadow_shipper

...indeed...
aha ! I knew there was a part missing when I ended reading your first post ! :D
Mostly, there were no author's notes xD

Sadly, this is the part where I slack off, and leave a short, yet full review with my genereal impression, rather than quoting most part I find interessting, good, bad, etc...

The part introducing Dante and Misty's "idea" was very good, I could really see her saying something like that, simply to shut the guy up :D

I'll let you know this, in Zubeon's saga, Perfect Strangers and it's sequels, The main protagonist is also an OC named Dante...and he is as well a cold, machiavelic, calculating man, which reminds me of this Dante ^^' I might get confused sometimes, but yours seems the complete opposite of Ash though...

Well, despite all of Ash's envy to beat the holy crap out of the guy, I think that even if he tried, he would have gotten destroyed :rolleyes:
Though his attempt to seem cool even after he fell was smooth and well orchestrated xD

It's not by a force of nature that his stomach began to grumble, it's by a cruel twist of fate, that destroys any of his credibility :p

The monologue of the lonely man seemed to be mirroring society, and for some reason, I find it fitting that he be telling it to Misty especially.

Oh my God, the description of that scarlet-haired girl with emeerald eyes almost made me drool...cause, ya know, I like to picture description in my mind to an excessive level and...yeah, well, you probably know what I was immagining during the description ^^' just like I can probably immagine how you felt while writing it xD

And besides...you're pretty much a brilliant, yet twisted mind for making her the gym leader :D Especially after the way you made Ash react ^^

And finally....yes...finally (no, the Rock has not come back to serebiiforums :p) but Ash has finally displayed an obvious hormone-driven response !!
You rule Danny ! ^^ Center of the swamp, how romantic :rolleyes:

Yet, as hormonal aas he may occasionnaly be, he is still clueless...poor Misty *hugs her* Damn you Ash, you should be holding her while she's crying, not me !! :D
Though I don't mind...=)

Pretty much a filler chap, besides the battle and Ash's questionning, so I'm really looking forward to the second part of it ;)

And your writing, well, I've missed your description and abundance for so long, I'm glad you're back mi hermano :)
See you soon for the rest I guess ^^
 

legendarypokemonjunkie17

Back in MY day...
I missed reading this story. Your description is amazing!

Anyway, Dante is the scum of the earth and I have a strange feeling about him.

Now, I liked the battle. I want an Igriff, even though it was so viscious towards poor little Pikachu.

And even I don't spend that much on food, and I'm your typical teenage boy who stuffs his face whenever he can.

Amazing for a filler chapter and I can't wait for chapter 17!
 
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Artemis Ignitan

*~*Northwind Gale*~*
I read this chap when it came out, but the forums were lagging so I couldn't post anything then...

Anyways, I think that you had the rift come in between Ash and Misty perfectly, I think that's what I like best about your fic. The new characters come in and make things uneasy between the two, but when they do resolve it, the relationship is stronger than ever.

I especially like the cryptic old fisherman, he's my kind of guy. I particularly like his metaphor of life, and I think it can represent society as a whole.

I like the Igriff, and I like its description. (I would personally want one, XDDD)

As a whole, good new chapter, and well worth the wait! I'll be looking forward to the next one!
 

el_toro

Superfly
Ok well seeing as how I got some free time on my hands, what better way than to expend it then posting a reply? (it's not like I got a new chapter to work or anything riiiiiight? :rolleyes:)

to Aaron Highest: Like I said welcome to this fic, I'm glad you've liked what you read so far! And I've got an idea which fic you might be talking about...;) (though I would never consider my fic to the level of hers!)

to xXPorygonXx: What's up? Great to see you too! I try to find time when I can to write this story though unfortunately (at least for me...) I'm still in high school... Ughh... Well I'll be done within a few months so I won't have to wake up early as hell anymore! >:p

To be honest though, I'm quite confused about the remark about the one shot...

to shadow_shipper: Aah, I can always count on you to be the first to review! ;) You're truly a great friend Mark...

Yeah I better edit that part (at least make some kind of mention that there's a part two lurking underneath that post! XD) And I'm not sure what your idea of slacking off might be, your reviews are still one of the most detailed I've ever read! (even going back to parts in the story I don't even remember! XD)

Thoughts on Dante...I haven't quite read Zubeon's fic to be honest, but from how you described the other Dante, I would say this Dante shares some attributes...

Mostly you haven't seen him completely in action (you'll definitely see more of him seeing as how he is the second of Ash's main rivals), but I will say that he is arrogant, overly confident, and overall a complete jerk in all aspects.

And yes I guess I did let my 17 year old mind wander off too far in the description of the scarlet haired woman! :p

to lpj17: Aww, definitely makes me feel better to hear that you missed this story. :) I'll try to update as much as I can now and I'll definitely put more thought into this fic.

And about Igriff...I'd say he's the best pokemon I've thought up of as of now (or at least the best drawn! :p) I would definitely consider him to be the Charizard of Muntein, the pokemon that everyone's gotta have on their team! XD Though there will definitely be more bad*** pokemon later on...

to Artemis Ignitan: Thanks, I'm glad you've noticed that about this fic! (you're definitely a keen one, that's for damn sure Artemis) Though I'll try to come up with different endings here and there that way it won't seem like I'm landing on the same place everytime I write a chapter.

There's a clarity I'd like to make though:

I didn't really think of this chapter as filler to be honest. I'll give some examples:

Chapter 14-(Ash and Misty with the rebel group in Cerebrall Village) a filler chap

Chapter 12-(Ash and Misty arrive in Conifer Town) not a filler

IMO, the chapters that lead up to the Gym battle (there's always going to be a two chapter arc for all the Gym leaders) shouldn't be fillers since my definition of a filler is a plot that doesn't affect the main one. While it may seem like one at first, this chapter is not a filler, at least in my book. ;)

But to end on a lighter note, glad you felt the chapter was worth the wait! (even if it was 6 months too long! :D)



As promised here's the updated lists and with that I'll end seeing as how this post could be considered a chapter! o_O;;

PM List:
Artemis Ignitan
Esperon
MistyLover
QuixMystique647
qwerqwer
XxM!styxX
Orenji-chan
xXPorygonXx
Demonic Dialga
trickedoutmetagross
silverdragoon X
legendarypokemonjunkie17
Jacob the Lugia Rider
Rubn Alq
Sableye King
Aaron Highest


Character List:
(bolded are pending, unbolded have already appeared)
Aaron Highest
legendarypokemonjunkie17
Artemis Ignitan
Esperon
qwerqwer
Jacob the Lugia Rider

trickedoutmetagross
shadow_shipper
Chaos Emperor
shoujaoi-fangirl
MistyLover


Any requests for appearances in this fic MUST be PM'd to me, no questions asked.
 

trickedoutmetagross

NIXON'S BAAAACK!!!
It's been a long time since I've been here, I liked this chapter alot, but why did you say 17 in the PM you sent me? I liked this chappie in particular because it had some rockin' new pokemon as well as some great battleing. 10/10
 
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el_toro

Superfly
Well it's been a month so far since I last updated so I think it's apropos I give you guys a head's up as to what's going on.

It's been a long time since I've been here, I liked this chapter alot, but why did you say 17 in the PM you sent me? I liked this chappie in particular because it had some rockin' new pokemon as well as some great battleing. 10/10

D'oh! *slaps forehead* Yeah that would've seemed highly improbable seeing as how I haven't even written it yet! :p My bad, just a small faux paus on my part. ;P

Glad you enjoyed the read though trickedout, it's great to see that the reviews have been positive especially after such a long time. Glad you liked Igriff too. ;)


As for the update, work on Ch.17 is incredibly slow. Like, quadroplegic grandma slow. @_@ I'll give you guys what I have so far though since it's pretty good (lots of poetic stuff just in case you want to know why :p)

Chapter 17-Love is a Hazard!

She walked alone, depressed and rejected, to the Pokemon Center where she would comply with the order Ash had left her…before he left her.

The sky above seemed so far away, white clouds hiding underneath the blue radiance of the cheery day, its deep color reflecting Misty’s eyes as she wiped away stray teardrops. Never more would there be such a pitiful and sorrowful sight as Misty as she walked, dragging her tattered heart behind her by the chain of hope.

She felt…deceived, angered, heartbroken…but, most of all, stupid! She thought she could trust him…especially after all they’ve been through, but apparently that wasn’t the case with him. Her eyes traced the ground below her as she shuffled her feet against it, leaning towards it as if she was going to fall forward.

Tears continued to escape from the side of her eyes and she feverishly wiped them away, knowing Pikachu would be suspicious if he saw her in this state. And she’d rather avoid explaining how she was ditched for some lady who footed their bill…

Her arms were wrapped around herself as she continued to walk, trying to escape the chill of Solitude as it stared back at her in the face. She rubbed her arms as she neared the Center, trying to get a hold of all of her chaotic emotions as they buzzed around inside her body.

She gazed up at the Pokemon Center before her; red roof mixed with white against the blue sky mixed with white. She clutched her Mystic Water necklace and took a deep breath. Her eyes stung and were sore and puffy, all evidence that she had been crying tears of envy of the red haired woman. She grabbed the brooch from her hair and let it fall down in a mess of unkempt hair. She shook it until it covered her face and she checked herself in the glassy surface of the Center door one more time before walking in.

Walking past the others around her as quickly as she could, she reached the desk undetected by any onlookers. The Nurse Joy at the front desk had her back facing Misty, probably fussing over paperwork and medicine distribution that she had to sort out. In a small squeak of a voice she called her, hoping with all of her might that she would’ve heard her. Nurse Joy looked puzzled as she pulled away from her work and looked behind her, wondering if she heard a voice. Sure enough there was someone waiting there for her, a pair of turquoise eyes looking up at her shyly underneath a mess of wild orange red hair.

“Hi, how are you doing? Can I help you with anything today?” Nurse Joy said with a wide grin that radiated from her face. Misty smirked and flipped her hair behind her ears so Nurse Joy could get a better look at her face.

“Um, I’d like to pick up the Pokemon a friend of mine left over here a couple of hours ago,” she said quietly as Nurse Joy attempted to recollect this memory.

“Ah, now I remember! You came in with a young man in a red cap, right?” Nurse Joy asked, her beaming grin never leaving her face. Misty smiled widely and nodded,

“Yep that’s the one! He dropped off a Pikachu that was in a pretty bad condition when we came in,” Misty explained as the Nurse Joy began to fumble around with the papers again.

“Oh okay, I know which one you mean. Uh, Chansey do you think you can get the Pikachu in Room…7, please?” She inspected the paper she was holding in her hand closely, looking over the details of Pikachu’s treatment and any medications he’d need to take. When she saw everything was fine, she presented Misty with the wordy paper and a pen and pointed to a blank line at the bottom of the paper.

“Ok, I just need you sign down here as well as printing your name out, holding you liable if anyone else comes in looking for that Pikachu.” Misty gave her a strange look as she took the pen in her hand.

“It’s happened before, especially with the new tourists coming in from the outside. Pokenappings, they’re called,” the Nurse Joy said with a tired look. Misty shrugged though she was still puzzled as to why she hadn’t been asked to sign papers in any of the other Centers.

She gave Nurse Joy the paper, who thanked her for it and went off to file the paperwork. Meanwhile, Chansey came out with Pikachu in her short stubby arms. Upon seeing Misty, he smiled widely and leapt in to her arms and greeted her warmly.

“Well I can see someone’s feeling a lot better!” Misty smiled as she rubbed Pikachu’s head gently. She turned around, thanked the Nurse and walked out of the Center, Pikachu in her arms as the sunlight began to grow dimmer. The white clouds she had seen before walking into the Center had disappeared in an instant, seemingly running away from the dark grey clouds that had come in from over the horizon.
______________________________________________

And yeah that's it. Hopefully though some of you will enjoy this next section of news. :D

I have started work on another fic! And before you throw out your monitor/laptop/PDA out the window let me explain why this should matter: Next week is a BIG week for Pokeshipping. Next week is the eleventh anniversary of Pokeshipping, April 1st! Yay! So, like last year, I've gone into development for a fic specifically tailored to be released for that purpose, most likely a one-shot, AT MOST, a two shot.

ALSO, on March 30, is the one year anniversary of the PSA Club! Whoo! And no, it's not the Public Service Annoucement Club (wouldn't make any sense unless if you're crazy for that kind of stuff...or just plain crazy), it's the Pokeshipping Author's Club, a club I personally erected from the grounds of my mind. >:p Though I did have help from the other members, don't want to take all the credit here... 0:)

SO, if you're interested at all in this new fic, then look no further! I have the first four pages done already and you should pretty much get a whole grasp of the story from this intro (though I did leave something out purposefully, mwahahaha)

Also WARNING*-This scene takes place in a bar if you're not cool with that kind of stuff.

Ending On a Sour Note

Dark and dim
From this room within
I take my soul and give it to you

Hopefully
You can set me free
From my own… insanity!


Crunching out the final notes from the fast paced song, he strums the last chord powerfully, ending the song as he lifts up his left arm, pick in hand. The small crowd cheers from their small round tables, raising their drinks as a way to thank for the great performance the band had put.

The blonde-with-streaks-of-red-hair man at the front of the stage grins in a sneering way and he looks behind at his band, as the band members begin to pack up their stuff. He sighs as he runs his hand through the sole strip of hair on his head, throwing off sweat and loose hairs at the same time. He grins back at the crowd as they continue to cheer on for them, then he begins to search the crowd for a specific face, one that he’s grown to love over the past few weeks. A smiling blue-green eyed girl with long wavy red hair looked back at him with a smile on her face, throwing him a kiss once she caught him looking at her. His smile spread sharply across his face and he jumped off the stage, guitar in hand as he approached her.

“Didya like the performance babe?” he said with the same mischievous grin looking down at the girl dressed loosely in a yellow white shirt that came down to her chest.

“Let me guess, you wrote that song about me?” she said raising her eyebrow. He laughed and replied,

“You’re so smart Mist, I don’t how you ended up with a lowlife like me!” She looked away seemingly hurt by something he said and he looked at her quizzically. He was about to ask her what he had said when she cut him off,

“Come on Scott you know not to call me that…” Her eyes, not looking directly at him the whole time, seemed to be looking at another time in her 22 years of history…

“Oh yeah, sorry about that babe…I forgot about him there for a second…” He said this looking up as if to expect to see someone up there. Once he had looked all across the whole wooden ceiling though, he turned away and looked down at her, apparently still reflecting sorrowfully on that time…

“Aw come on Misty, don’t get that way here! Come onnn, let’s have a drink!” He hooked his arm around hers, snapping her out of her trance as he yanked her out of her chair.

“Wait Scott, I don’t want to-”

“And how many times do I have to tell you, it’s not Scott, it’s Brad” he said, dragging her through the whole bar until finally arriving at the counter where the bartender was wiping away at a glass.

“Ah, Mr. Bradley! Great performance out there, you get everyone buzzing about you guys!” The portly old man looked back at him with a wide grin as he finished cleaning the glass.

“So, what can I get you two then?” he said placing his thick stubby hands upon the table.

“Aw come on, doc, you should better than that! I’ll have the usual, tonight’s a Happy Night!” He laughed raucously as he slammed his fist against the counter, Misty smiling uneasily at him as his arm moved back and forth from his powerful laughter.

“And I’m presuming you’ll have the cranberry juice, then Miss Waterflower?” Doc said raising his thick white eyebrows as he looked in her direction. She nodded as the bar began to get louder as the next band came on to play their set.

The band members from Brad’s band joined the two of them as Brad and Misty waited for their drinks. As the trio of troublemakers began to talk about their next gig as well as joking around, Misty began to occupy herself with her cell phone. Bars were definitely not the types of places she enjoyed to be in, so she usually would just fumble around with her phone as Brad would have his fun. This was just basically a normal night for the two of them. Or so she thought… For as soon as she opened her cell phone…

A NEW MESSAGE HAS BEEN RECEIVED

In big black letters, her cell phone had received a text message that she had not been aware of.
Probably during the performance” she thought as she opened the message.

Her cell phone came crashing onto the ground with a loud clatter, the message opened with it’s contents displayed on the LCD screen.

“HEY MIST, LONG TIME NO SEE…

P.S. LOOK TO YOUR RIGHT”

Her hands were clasped around her mouth, as she stood up in pure shock, staring at the person sitting right next to her.

Brad turned around once he saw the band giving Misty weird looks and he was about to ask her what was wrong when his eyes caught onto what she was gaping at. A young man with long black hair running to his shoulders was looking straight at Misty with a nonchalant expression, a glass of sparkling water wrapped underneath his wide hand.
___________________________________

Things only get more interesting from there. ;) More will come though, please post your comments though (partly because I want to hear your opinions and partly because I want to keep you guys updated :D)

Hmm, guess that can count like a whole chapter right?

*runs away from naysayers*
 

shadow_shipper

...indeed...
Hey Danny, how've you been ? :)
Hope you're doing well, besides the loads of work you're doing, writing or otherwise !

Concerning the AJOS part, I have the feeling that Misty's took Pikachu just to cuddle him and talk to him, let her emotions run, and he'd be there with a small pat on the arm and squeal to comfort her...

The rest...
Wow...one year already since last time we celebrated...seems like only yesterday you posted "No one Knows but you" well, I'll be waiting for that one for sure :D

But yeah...no doubt the guy's Ash :) But lol @ sparkling water in a bar :rolleyes:
Comemnts ? I like the whole idea of reunion between them, and I like the fact that he seems laid-back ;)
And I'll wait to see the rest !

See you later ^^
 

Artemis Ignitan

*~*Northwind Gale*~*
Heheehee, I read that post a while back, but didn't respond since the forums were lagging, then I was too lazy to respond back. Not to mention that Medical Careers is going into full swing right now, and AP tests, and SATs, and...yeah, all that. Sorry. :3

AJOS: Hmm. Do I sense a Pikachu snuggling moment? I wonder if Pika will take the initiative to bring those two back together...other than that, like the description, you bring out the melancholy mood well.

EOASN: Cute. Typical long time reunion story, but I like the way you've written it, nonetheless. I'll keep an eye out for it.

PS: Nobody seems to be helping me brainstorm on the PSA lately...*sniffle* Just letting you know.

Anyways, good luck with things, and see you around (hopefully)!
 

el_toro

Superfly
Wow...well to start things off I'm very surprised at the outcome of this year's Shipping Oscars:





Very big thank you to those that voted as well as to those who didn't. You help me sometimes when I feel in doubt with this fic. ;)

And onto that subject, I have like half of it done, but as I mentioned, I have had a lot of doubts whether I should continue or not. But upon seeing these awards, I guess there's really no other excuse there is there? I will give you the first half of Chapter 17 then.

Chapter 17-Love is a Hazard!​

She walked alone, depressed and rejected, to the Pokemon Center where she would comply with the order Ash had left her…before he left her.

The sky above seemed so far away, white clouds hiding underneath the blue radiance of the cheery day, its deep color reflecting Misty’s eyes as she wiped away stray teardrops. Never more would there be such a pitiful and sorrowful sight as Misty as she walked, dragging her tattered heart behind her by the chain of hope.

She felt…deceived, angered, heartbroken…but, most of all, stupid! She thought she could trust him…especially after all they’ve been through, but apparently that wasn’t the case with him. Her eyes traced the ground below her as she shuffled her feet against it, leaning towards it as if she was going to fall forward.

Tears continued to escape from the side of her eyes and she feverishly wiped them away, knowing Pikachu would be suspicious if he saw her in this state. And she’d rather avoid explaining how she was ditched for some lady who footed their bill…

Her arms were wrapped around herself as she continued to walk, trying to escape the chill of Solitude as it stared back at her in the face. She rubbed her arms as she neared the Center, trying to get a hold of all of her chaotic emotions as they buzzed around inside her body.

She gazed up at the Pokemon Center before her; red roof mixed with white against the blue sky mixed with white. She clutched her Mystic Water necklace and took a deep breath. Her eyes stung and were sore and puffy, all evidence that she had been crying tears of envy of the red haired woman. She grabbed the brooch from her hair and let it fall down in a mess of unkempt hair. She shook it until it covered her face and she checked herself in the glassy surface of the Center door one more time before walking in.

Walking past the others around her as quickly as she could, she reached the desk undetected by any onlookers. The Nurse Joy at the front desk had her back facing Misty, probably fussing over paperwork and medicine distribution that she had to sort out. In a small squeak of a voice she called her, hoping with all of her might that she would’ve heard her. Nurse Joy looked puzzled as she pulled away from her work and looked behind her, wondering if she heard a voice. Sure enough there was someone waiting there for her, a pair of turquoise eyes looking up at her shyly underneath a mess of wild orange red hair.

“Hi, how are you doing? Can I help you with anything today?” Nurse Joy said with a wide grin that radiated from her face. Misty smirked and flipped her hair behind her ears so Nurse Joy could get a better look at her face.

“Um, I’d like to pick up the Pokemon a friend of mine left over here a couple of hours ago,” she said quietly as Nurse Joy attempted to recollect this memory.

“Ah, now I remember! You came in with a young man in a red cap, right?” Nurse Joy asked, her beaming grin never leaving her face. Misty smiled widely and nodded,

“Yep that’s the one! He dropped off a Pikachu that was in a pretty bad condition when we came in,” Misty explained as the Nurse Joy began to fumble around with the papers again.

“Oh okay, I know which one you mean. Uh, Chansey do you think you can get the Pikachu in Room…7, please?” She inspected the paper she was holding in her hand closely, looking over the details of Pikachu’s treatment and any medications he’d need to take. When she saw everything was fine, she presented Misty with a wordy paper and a pen and pointed to a blank line at the bottom of the paper.

“Ok, I just need you sign down here as well as printing your name out, holding you liable if anyone else comes in looking for that Pikachu.” Misty gave her a strange look as she took the pen in her hand.

“It’s happened before, especially with the new tourists coming in from the outside. Pokenappings, they’re called,” the Nurse Joy said with a tired look. Misty shrugged though she was still puzzled as to why she hadn’t been asked to sign papers in any of the other Centers.

She gave Nurse Joy the paper, who thanked her for it and went off to file the paperwork. Meanwhile, Chansey came out with Pikachu in her short stubby arms. Upon seeing Misty, he smiled widely and leapt in to her arms and greeted her warmly.

“Well I can see someone’s feeling a lot better!” Misty smiled as she rubbed Pikachu’s head gently. She turned around, thanked the Nurse and walked out of the Center, Pikachu in her arms as the sunlight began to grow dimmer. The white clouds she had seen before walking into the Center had disappeared in an instant, seemingly running away from the dark grey clouds that had come in from over the horizon.

She sighed upon seeing the clouds and looked down at Pikachu. He smiled at her warmly and she smiled back too, and then pressed him closer against her chest.

“Looks like it’s just going to be you and me today Pikachu,” she said with a hint of sadness. Looking up quizzically at her, the yellow rodent soon realized that Ash hadn’t appeared yet. He looked at her frightfully, but she calmed him down.

“Don’t worry he hasn’t left us, Pikachu. He’s just…busy at the moment, that’s all.” She frowned and gripped his body harder, feeling pain and humiliation burn at the same time. She shook the feeling off though and looked at the pokemon resting within her arms.

“That doesn’t mean we still can’t have fun, though does it? C’mon, I’m sure we can find a good salon around here, I’ve been dying for a makeover!” She smiled warmly as Pikachu yelled in agreement and she walked off towards the swamp, hoping the day would pass by quickly seeing as how the sun was coming down quickly.
<- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ->
“Hello there Ash, good to see you again so soon!” Her red hair blazed in the orange sky as her green eyes were emblazoned upon the young man before her.

He laughed nervously as he became flustered, searching somewhere in the back of his head for a worthy response to this statement:

“…Yeah.” He laughed uneasily again and felt his insides squirming. She merely smiled knowingly, almost maliciously, at the way that Ash was acting towards her.

“Well are you ready? C’mon, let me show you around.” She beckoned with her head and held her hand out, waiting for him to receive it. He quickly jumped to the occasion and grasped her hand, albeit a bit hesitantly.

Setting foot onto the wooden boards of the bridge connecting between the tiny islands scattered all across the Swamp, she begin to point out various projects of construction, some happening presently, some happening in the future.

“By there is going to be 12-store mall, all linked together along with a food court and a vista from where you can overlook the swamp.” She paused for a moment gazing at the cranes lifting up heavy metal beams and the construction men shouting towards each other.

“It’s going to be the town’s biggest project,” she said, almost with a sense of awe. “There have even been several attempts to stop the project from ever starting in the first place.” She turned to look at Ash and their eyes met. She smiled devilishly,

“But I made sure their opinions changed afterwards.” She continued grinning with a sinister smile, the kind that had sent the hearts of men fluttering towards her like the florescent light of the electric lamp trap. His heart successively beat in heavy thumps, drumming against his chest in a barbaric rhythm as her eyes continued to pierce through him, rendering him to a jelly.

“Let’s continue, shall we?” Demanding his obedience, he loyally trailed by her side as they passed the site of the future mall, “THE TOXIN,” and its laboring workers.

They crossed intersecting bridges, brushing over the people that were traveling beneath them in rowboats. The city lights pulsed now in the cool darkness of the night as they arrived at the “developed” part of town, neglecting the parks that surrounded the swamp, soon to be demolished in the upcoming weeks.

Passing by the center of town now, people brushed by them, some curiously arching their neck to look at who the newest contender for the Gym leader was this week. Ash looked left and right in total surprise and shock; the center was lively and active, even in the middle of the day. Short stubby stone white marble buildings were layered around the whole place, visitors and local residents alike buzzing around to find the next best offer on the next best product. Buyers scurried to and fro, not mindful of the people around them, Ash occasionally bumping into a couple of these so-called shoppers. Narcissa gently pulled Ash to one side and before he was even aware of it, they had arrived at the Gym.

She smirked and glanced over at him, awaiting to see his reaction. Sure enough, just as she had planned out in her head, his mind was rolling into full gear as to what they would be doing here. He grew nervous and insecure, darting from the Gym to Narcissa to the surroundings around him. The back of his mind suspected foul play and he looked at her pleading for an explanation with his vivid eyes.

She looked at him with her now cold eyes and she slowly slipped her hand away from his as she walked towards a small cabin next to the large marble building, her hips swaying from side to side, throwing an occasional glance over at him.

His breaths came in quick short gasps for air, his heart beating furiously that it made his head spin. His body sweated and he felt light yet held down by gravity at the same time. She left the door open. Surely if he had left right now, it would be bad manners on his part right? He was just going to go in and remind her to shut her door then leave. Yeah, that’s what he would do…

Unconvincingly, he set foot through the door, the heaviness of his soul closing it behind him.
<- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ->
Setting foot outside of the Pokemon Center for the second time, this time sporting a new look and a new mood, Misty sighed wearily. She just got off of the phone with her sister just to tell her how she was doing and she called Mike to tell him about the wallet too. Her hair salon visit was also over with, she was pretty content with the way her hair turned out, leaving it down instead of up and keeping her bangs out of her eyes by holding it with a light blue hairpin. But now that she had finished all of her errands, she had nothing left to do. And the sun was still faintly up, peeking over the border of green trees. And still no Ash…

I wonder what he could be doing?” she thought enviously of both him and the scarlet haired lady. She let out a loud exasperated sigh and look down at Pikachu, now walking besides her. She smiled and picked him up again, and began to play with his nose.

“Well at least I still have you!” she giggled as Pikachu laughed along, squirming in her arms. She stopped and looked the rodent in his eyes.

“But what are we going to do? We still have a lot of time before it gets really dark, and I have a feeling Ash isn’t going to be back for a while…” She looked around, hoping to find something magically appear before her.

Then suddenly a thought flashed across her mind like a spark of electricity.

“I wonder if that man is still there from the restaurant?” She turned around and looked towards the direction of the restaurant then smiled.

“Man I must be desperate…” she muttered aloud as she walked down the dirt road in solitude.

In less than five minutes, she had already arrived at the restaurant, passing through the diners as they ate busily, ignoring her rude intrusion. Bursting through the plastic doors with a heavy slam of her arms she gazed at the balcony, hoping to see him there.

By where she had found him, there was no man; only a fishing pole that quivered slightly as a fish caught on the other side of the line struggled to be set free…
---

Keep in mind that as I'm still working on this chapter it is still subject to change.

Also, since I'm feeling generous and grateful, another PS fic I have been working on:


Memories of Old

A serene day in Pallet Town, all was quiet and not a sound was made. The stars faintly twinkled beneath the blanket of orange and red and purple and blue and the trees launched leaves into the blowing wind from the east. A young man, green book bag flung over his shoulder carelessly as he walked down the road, looked at the sky with faint yearning. At a time in his life where he had wished he could’ve become a Pokemon Trainer instead of a Researcher, he seemed to experience this moment time and time again. He was trapped, forever locked in a vicious cycle that pounded the inside of his heart into oblivion, crushing his hopes and leaving despair.

He wanted company, a companion to say the very least; mere test tubes and blinking computers weren’t going to give him the type of company a man at 19 years of age desired for. He sighed as hopeless dreams danced around his mind mockingly, beating the drums in his head. He grasped his head as it throbbed in pain.

Not another one…” he muttered in pain, fingers pressed sharply against his forehead. He doubled over and his knee fell onto the road as he groaned and winced in severe pain. Through the fierce imaginary stabbings and bludgeoning, footsteps rushed towards him. His hand gathered up dust from the road and he held it within his palm, waiting for the person running up to him as his head continued to protest his overbearing need to over analyze everything.

Just a bit closer now…That’s it…” He screamed and in one motion, stood up, turned around, and threw the handful of dust behind him, landing in his pursuer’s eyes. The figure yelled in surprise and agony all the same and his eyes played tricks on him, disguising this person’s identity as he wobbled around like a drunken idiot. He tripped on his own foot and fell backwards with a heavy thump. He blinked stupidly for a brief moment, the world was crystal clear, and the figure continued to wipe furiously at their eyes. From what he was now seeing from his reclined perspective, it was a woman.

Ash Ketchum, 19 year old Pokemon Researcher, fell into sleep, deep, deep sleep which would distort his reality and supplant it with the imaginary.
~/~/~>
“Come on, wake up now…Come on…that’s it…” the female whispered uneasily as two clamp-like hands pinched his face in. He spluttered and crunched up, nearly knocking over the red-haired woman. He recollected his bearings together as his hair shook before him, though something felt awkwardly vacant inside of him…something vital. He turned to the girl seated beside him looking expectant and concerned. Nothing came to mind. Nothing was said.

He stood up and she gazed up at him almost in disbelief. He sniffled and wiped the dirt off the back of his dark black jeans, hoping not to sully his hands in the process. With a grunt as gratitude, he turned and faced the road, only to recall that he could not recall where the road led. He turned and faced the other way, perhaps this way…no. Empty silence within his head plagued him and he grew desperate as his heart beat rapidly. He turned to face the woman who was now standing, curious as to who she was.

“Are you OK Ash?” Ash..that name must belong to him and then his mind leapt up from its momentary nap.

Ah yes, this is my name…” And then it fell silent.

“…hello?” She had grown impatient and was peering underneath his overshadowing hair. He took backwards a step and gave her a strange look defining of his inward emotions.

“Can I help you, Miss…?”

“-ty,” she replied with a smile. He replied with a look of perplexion. Miss T? What an odd name…

She frowned and furrowed her brow.

“Ash don’t you remember me?”

“No I can’t seem to recall meeting you Miss T.”

“Stop joking with me Ash…” She saw that he wasn’t.

“I’ve never met you before in my life, Miss T-”

“Yes we did, I’ve known you ever since you left Pallet Town-” At once memories came flooding in so quickly that he missed the second part of what she had said.

Ash Ketchum, 19 years of age, Pokemon Researcher at Oak Laboratory, son of Delia Ketchum and an unknown man that has yet to be revealed to him, Delia Ketchum , single mother…” Like a computer, his memories were once again stored back into the cabinets of his brain. Yet he still could not bring himself to remember this Miss T…

“Well I’m sorry Miss T-”

“And it’s not Miss T, like there was a space there, it’s just Misty,” she said with annoyance, getting frustrated with this man.

Oh! Well that makes more sense…though it’s still an odd name.

“Well okay then Misty, but I have to be somewhere, even though I don’t know…where I am…” He looked up at the sky, revolving around in his head as if he were spinning in spot.

“I thought you were heading to Pallet Town?” Again, flashes went off in his mind and it was as if someone had presented him a map, he had recovered his location as well as his reasoning of being out here.

I was out collecting samples from the local plant life…” The flashes stopped, like a blanket over a bright hot lamp.

“Yeah of course, I knew that... I’ve gotta be there right now, my mother should be coming back anytime soon.” He checked his watch and found the time deceivingly late for the sky’s appearance.

“I’ve gotta go now Misty, I have to go make some kind of food out of these plants.” He held up the green book bag. “And then feed it to…some-one…?” He fought again with his mind, the routine already proven twice futile.

“Well I hope you mean Pikachu, Ash because I’m sure not having any of that!”

Pikachu, the little yellow rodent deemed dangerous to any trainer, but essential to any researcher, particularly him. How could he forget Pikachu? Feelings of nostalgia and strangely, frustration returned to him.

“Well in any case Misty, I hope you find that person you were talking about before.” He raised an emotionless hand from his side and glanced at her sideways, coming to another revelation.

The reason for his frustrations with his long time friend Pikachu…he was a Pokemon, at that a male. Glancing at Misty in her exquisite entirety, he could see where his desires fell:

Right in between a well curved waist and a beautiful face. Even if she was remarkably attractive though, he was sensible enough not to invite strangers into his home…

“Wait you’re just going to leave me here, Ash Ketchum?! I know you’re more of a gentleman than that!” Her accusations fell upon a pair of cold shoulders that walked away, down the road and into the creeping darkness. She pouted and harrumphed! and felt close to throwing a fit, as well as a pair of small rocks lying next to her foot inconspicuously. But she shivered amidst all these burning emotions and felt herself more susceptible to unknown dangers that lay lurking inside the dank forest.

She grabbed her arms and her dignity and followed secretly behind Professor-in-Training Ash Ketchum, beside the trees and the bushes her closest allies.
~/~/~>
Ah, finally! Pallet Town at last! The joining of civilization and wild stood before him and he admired it with great respect. From this town came many great names: Professor Oak, founder of many Pokemon related theories; Gary Oak, hotshot trainer at the age of fifteen, destined to become the future league champion; Lucas Riley, traveled alongside Gary as his rival and also one of the strongest trainers in the region. He had hoped to add his name to that growing roster someday.

The yearnings propelled him forward, one slow step at a time when an odd rustling noise rang out through the air like an alarm.

“Who’s there?!” His voice was loud and sharp, nails to the bubble that was Misty’s spirit. Her heart leapt out of her body and she almost followed suit, had her white fear not anchored her down.

He stood quiet and still, listening gently if perhaps the wind could reveal his pursuer’s location. It fell silent. He turned around and his bobbed down the hill from her perspective. Peeking over the bushes green head, she found the coast clear and marched quietly behind him.

The house had revealed itself through the constant flashes of memory in his head. Locations and street names, shops and shop owners, landmarks and local parks, they flooded back in after being kicked out abruptly until finally he reached a quaint canary yellow house with a read rooftop and a white picket fence.

Finally!” she thought in her head, hiding in the neighbor’s bushes silently and covertly.

“Misty, what the hell are still following me for?” Well maybe not covertly…

“I’m going to prove to you that we’ve met before! It’s impossible that you could forget!” Her words shot like bullets from her pointed finger and hit Ash dully in the chest.

“Look, I told you before I’ve never-”

“You’re wrong!”

“Would you let me finish?!”

“Well why won’t you listen to me?! Don’t you remember when we met by the-”

“Ash? What are you doing back so early?” Like the dropping of a leaf, his mother appeared from the sky unnoticed.

“I was done early so I came back so I could make the medicine…” His voice trailed off when he saw the wide smile of his mother, looking at Misty warmly.

“Hello! My name is Delia, are you Ash’s girlfriend by chance?” Her face shone red and her head shook quickly back and forth like a wet dog.

“I know who you are, Mrs. Ketchum, but…don’t you recognize me?”


Ahh...and we'll leave it off there since there is nothing else to continue from. :p

Any comments and questions will be much appreciated!
 

Water Spirit

~*Animus Aquae*~
I'm very interested in reading this fic. ^^ Can I ask a teeny-weeny favour? Can you put links to your chapters in the first post so I can get to them easily? Please and thank you! Actually, el_toro, was it you who asked me how to do it? I'm getting deja vu or I'm just really tired and am thinking of someone else. XD

Congrats on the awards! I can't wait to read this! I'll respond soon to let you know how far I've got and what I think. ^^

Take care!

WS
XxX
 

el_toro

Superfly
I'm very interested in reading this fic. ^^ Can I ask a teeny-weeny favour? Can you put links to your chapters in the first post so I can get to them easily? Please and thank you! Actually, el_toro, was it you who asked me how to do it? I'm getting deja vu or I'm just really tired and am thinking of someone else. XD

Congrats on the awards! I can't wait to read this! I'll respond soon to let you know how far I've got and what I think. ^^

Take care!

WS
XxX

For you Water Spirit, of course. ;) I'll start working on getting all of them up soon. I'm still new to the links to the actual post thing though, so I might mess around with it just a little?

Oh and it was me that PMed you for the advice. Don't worry, you're still running on all tanks :p

Man, now I definitely have to start updating more if Water Spirit's going to start reading! :p
 

shadow_shipper

...indeed...
Sorry I couldn't drop by sooner Danny, revision for exams, hope you'll understand :/

She sighed upon seeing the clouds and looked down at Pikachu. He smiled at her warmly and she smiled back too, and then pressed him closer against her chest.

“Looks like it’s just going to be you and me today Pikachu,” she said with a hint of sadness. Looking up quizzically at her, the yellow rodent soon realized that Ash hadn’t appeared yet. He looked at her frightfully, but she calmed him down.

“Don’t worry he hasn’t left us, Pikachu. He’s just…busy at the moment, that’s all.” She frowned and gripped his body harder, feeling pain and humiliation burn at the same time. She shook the feeling off though and looked at the pokemon resting within her arms.

Pikachu will always be there to comfort you xD

“But I made sure their opinions changed afterwards.” She continued grinning with a sinister smile, the kind that had sent the hearts of men fluttering towards her like the florescent light of the electric lamp trap.

She's a rather...persuasive character here, isn't she ? :rolleyes:

She left the door open. Surely if he had left right now, it would be bad manners on his part right? He was just going to go in and remind her to shut her door then leave. Yeah, that’s what he would do…

Unconvincingly, he set foot through the door, the heaviness of his soul closing it behind him.

Two words : plausible deniability :D
"Ooops, one thing led to another..." ^^'


Very nice so far, I like how it's coming along, and I'm hoping that I'll be able to read the finished chapter sonner than later ;)


And concerning Memories of Old, it's a bit confusing for now, but it semms as though memories of Misty have been wiped out from the face of the earth...strange and sad :(

Can't wait for you to finish either one of your updates, especially "ending on a sour note" ;)
 

el_toro

Superfly
I guess I better explain some things before I continue my writing. ;)

And concerning Memories of Old, it's a bit confusing for now, but it semms as though memories of Misty have been wiped out from the face of the earth...strange and sad :(
Essentially Memories of Old (or MOO as I like to abbreviate all my fics! :p) is a "what if" fic. Basically I'm taking events that happened during the Pokemon anime and taking the separate path. So, what if Ash never became a trainer? He never would've met Misty, Brock, May, Dawn, etc. etc. Obviously I'm going to have more "other" situations like these later on in the fic (but I want to keep those a secret ;)). Also Ash temporarily lost his memory (which I'm sure you got by now) so it's interesting to see how Misty knows Ash considering he never became a Trainer...

That's basically the premise of MOO, it's gonna be like at least 7 chapters long and the chapters will be a lot shorter since I'm deciding to go with a different style of writing. I'm going for a less-descriptive-but-more-poetic kind of feel so chapters are definitely going to be fast reads (compared to AJOS at least! XD) Expect the first chapter some time after I finish Chapter 17 if anyone's interested.

Can't wait for you to finish either one of your updates, especially "ending on a sour note" ;)
Damn I knew you'd bring that up again! XD Don't worry, once I get this new chapter up, that'll be the first thing I finish. ;)

Awesome chapter, I love that new pokemon Igriffin, Oooh, Ice Beam Steel Wing combo...A.W.E.S.O.M.E.!.!. lol. It scares me why they're going into a cabin...Alone...With a boy..And a girl...o_o Methinks thar be mallets on the horizon...Lol, can't wait to see the next chapter and see what happens, I hope I get to see me in it :D
KUTGW
Sean.
Yeah I know, it's going to be a heyday in this next chapter! XD And I got your information in the PM so I'll respond with when I think I might project your appearance. ;) Thanks for the review! :D

So Chapter 17 is still trudging along, but at least I'm still working on it (even if it's a sentence a day! XD) But this month might not be a very productive one. I'm graduating high school in a couple of days (FINALLY!) and I might be purchasing a car sometime soon. So as always, things are gonna be busy, but I'll see when I can squeeze in some time for you guys. ;)
 
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