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Aquatic Passion (PokeShipping)

ChloboShoka

Writer
I was surprised when Cassidy and Butch kidnapped Ash. Bugsy seems to be a bit of a coward letting Misty try and save him by himself. I thought it was a good cliff hanger, but I think it could have been better because it felt rushed because it all seemed to happen so quickly.
 
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CHAPTER 11 - IS IT A BIRD? IS IT A PLANE? NO, IT’S HOPPIP!

Misty was standing there, in the dark, black building. There were some shimmering lights, but nothing more than that. Many people not knowing better would be scared, but the two people who jumped in front of Misty were Jessie and James. As always, they started their motto.

“Prepare for trouble!” Jessie started the famous Team Rocket anthem.

“And make it double!” James continued the motto. Both said a sentence in turns.

“To protect the world for devastation!”

“To unite all peoples within our nation!”

“To denounce the evils of truth and love!”

“To extend our reach to the stars above!”

“Jessie!”

“James”

“Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light”

“Surrender now or prepare to fight!”

Then, a cat Pokemon appeared and stood next to Jessie and James. “Meowth, that’s right!” he said, finishing the motto.

“Hey, why aren’t you scared, twerp?” Jessie asked.

“You aren’t scary, you three suck!” Misty said. “What are you three doing here?”

“We are here because the boss called us, to make sure intruders like you couldn’t get any further than here!” James replied. “Go, Mr. Mime!” he said. Jessie sent out her Seviper.

“Togetic and Hoppip, are you two ready for battle?” Misty asked. The Flying Pokemon both nodded. “Hoppip, use Silver Wind on Mr. Mime!” The beautiful wind hit Mr. Mime, beating the Psychic Pokemon in just one hit. Hoppip hugged his trainer. “No, Mr. Mime!” James screamed, in a scared voice. He returned his Pokemon to his Poke Ball.

“Togetic, use Psychic on Seviper!” Misty commanded. The attack lifted Seviper up, and then slammed the snake on the ground. The Poison Pokemon was defeated.

“Now, Hoppip, Sleep Powder on Team Rocket!” Hoppip scattered powder that made the enemies fall asleep. He, Togetic and Misty progressed further during the hideout. It was dark and cold inside. Misty was shivering. “When we are in Goldenrod City, I’ll definitely go clothe shopping buy a long-sleeve shirt and long jeans!” Misty thought.

Then, she saw Cassidy and Butch standing before a door. On the door was written: “GIOVANNI’S OFFICE”.

“Well well, if it isn’t the twerp with the Togetic!” Cassidy said.

“Where is my boyfriend?” Misty asked. “Tell me, now! Is he here?”

“Yes, he’s behind this door. But you won’t get past us!” Butch added. “You’ll have to beat me first!” He grinned and took a Poke Ball. Out of that Poke Ball, a big bird Pokemon appeared. “Staraptor, I choose you!”

“Marill, I choose you!” Misty said. “Use your Icy Wind!” A chilling breeze made Staraptor feel cold, but the bird wasn’t beaten yet.

“Staraptor, Wing Attack!” Butch commanded. The bird flew at Marill at high speed.

“Marill, jump on his back!” Misty commanded. The Water Pokemon jumped and landed on the birds back. “Now, use Body Slam!” Marill jumped, put in all his strength and made Staraptor crash down on the floor. “Finish it with a Water Gun!” Water hit Staraptor, who was done for.

“No, Staraptor!” Butch screamed. Misty and Marill were happy, and the Water Pokemon was sent back to his Poke Ball.

“Now, let me in here!” Misty commanded.

“No!” Cassidy replied. That was the moment when Misty couldn’t take it anymore. Her eyes became fiery, she raised her fist and hit Cassidy in her face. Then, she kicked Butch in his belly. The Team Rocket members fell down, and Misty opened the door. She entered a big room, with a video phone, a big chair and a cage. In the big chair, a Persian lay next to his trainer, a man with brown hair and a red, classy suit. It was Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket. Both the Pokemon and the Team Rocket boss were sleeping.

Misty looked at the cage. “Misty! Great that you came! I’m so happy to see you here!” she heard a recognizable voice saying. It was Ash!

“Ash, it’s so great to see you again!” Misty said. “What did they do to you?”

“They abducted me to steal my Pokemon! Giovanni commanded me to tell him Professor Oak’s secret number only his dearest friends, including me, know! He wanted to steal the Pokemon at Oak’s lab!” he answered.

“Did you tell him?” she asked.

“Of course not!” he answered.

“Did he torture you?” she asked.

“No, but he said I’ll never leave this cage,” he replied. “ The Pokemon I have with me can’t break the cage gratings, only Bayleef might be able to with her Razor Leaf. But she’s not fully fit for attacking, she doesn’t have the strength she normally has after the battle against Bugsy... She needs more rest.”

“No need to worry, Ash! I’ll free you from this cage!” Misty answered. “Ash, take a few steps to the right!” he did what his girlfriend told him to. “Togetic, use Flamethrower on the cage, and don’t go right with the attack, so you won’t hit Ash.” Togetic made the cage bars weaker and less stable. “Now, use Headbutt to break the bars!” Togetic flew at the bars, charging them with her head. The bars broke.

“Thank you so much, Misty!” Ash said.

“No problem, Ash!” Misty replied. “I love you! I’d do anything for you!”

“Thank you so much, Misty!” he replied. “How can I thank you?”

“Defeat Bugsy in your rematch, that’s all I want!” she responded.

“I’m gonna do that as soon as we get out of here!” he answered in a loud voice. So loud, that it woke Giovanni up! He pressed on a red button on a remote control, which locked up the door, preventing Ash and Misty from escaping.

“Hey, you two twerps! You won’t get away with this all!” Giovanni screamed. “Persian, Rhydon, go!”

“Togetic, I choose you!” Misty commanded.

“Pikachu, you’ll battle too!” Ash added to that.

“Togetic, use Water Pulse on Rhydon!” she commanded. Her Pokemon let a pulse of water hit Rhydon, who collapsed. Giovanni was swearing.

“Pikachu!” Ash said. “Togetic!” Misty added. “Both use Shockwave on Persian!” they commanded. The strong bolt of lightning made Persian fall down.

“Hoppip, Sleep Powder on Giovanni!” Misty commanded. The Grass Pokemon, who still was out of his Poke Ball, did what his Trainer told him to. Then, Ash pressed the remote control and opened the door. Misty thanked Hoppip, retreated her Grass Pokemon and she, Ash, Pikachu and Togetic ran out of the hideout.

Then, Misty immediately ran to the police station, and told Officer Jenny about Team Rocket’s hideout. She also said her Hoppip made all guards sleep. Luckily, one officer refused to strike with her colleagues.

Two hours later, all Team Rocket members were caught. “Except for three,” Officer Jenny explained. “A woman with red hair, a man with purple hair and a talking Meowth escaped us.”

“That’s okay, those three aren’t dangerous. They are annoying, but not more than that,” Ash replied.

“That’s good! And the others will rot in prison here until their case will be up in court!” the officer responded.

Ash and Misty walked out of the police station, and went to Bugsy to arrange a rematch for Ash. Bugsy agreed on battling tomorrow afternoon. It was already late in the evening, so Ash and Misty went to the Pokemon Center for dinner. After dinner, Ash took Misty outside. They went to a hill and sat there. “Misty, look. The sunset here is so romantic! Maybe a romantic moment is a nice way to thank you for saving me?”

“Thank you so much, Ash!” Misty answered.

“And this time, we won’t get interrupted by stalkers like Melody and Gary! Not many people know this hill. Bugsy whispered it in my ear just before our battle, but Bugsy is single now. Now, he allows us to be here as long as we won’t tell others,” Ash responded.

They lied down on the grass. They put their arms around each other’s shoulders and hugged.

Then, the sun went down. They looked and moved their heads closer to each other, put their lips close to each other’s lips, and kissed.

Togetic and Pikachu were looking. They saw their trainers having a romantic interaction. Togetic looked at Pikachu, and blushed. They went back to the Pokemon Center. They went to their two-person bed. Togetic and Pikachu lied in a separate bed, and fell asleep quickly. Then, Ash and Misty prepared for sleeping and went in the two-person bed.

They started kissing and gave each other some hugs.

A while after that, Misty said “Good night, Ash! And tomorrow, you’ll beat Bugsy!”

“Good night, Misty! And thank you!” Ash replied.

Then, they went to sleep, after an exhausting day.
 
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ChloboShoka

Writer
Great job on this chapter, I liked reading about the battles. I felt like I was watching an episode back there. It seems that Misty knows the pokemon types well, but she is a gym leader after all. It was good to know that Giovanni didn't cause Ash that much grief. Team Rocket is blasting off again it seems. I think this chapter tied up with the last chapter very well and I'm looking forward to the next updates. The ideas you mentioned also seemed really interesting and I'm looking forward to how you'll execute them.
 
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CHAPTER 12 - ARGUING

The next morning, Ash and Misty woke up. After having breakfast, they talked about Ash’s upcoming Gym battle against Bugsy. Some hours later, they left the Pokemon Center and went to a restaurant for lunch, which was Misty’s idea.

“Ash, we’ve been waiting for almost 20 minutes now! The waiter is going to customers who came here after us!” Misty said, in a sad voice. Her stomach growled.

“Yes, Misty!” Ash replied. His stomach also growled. “Let’s just go to the Gym now. I can also battle when I’m hungry.”

“No, Ash! I am also hungry and I want to eat first!” she replied. “I want fries and coke now!”

“But I don’t!” he answered. They looked angrily at each other.

“Toge Togetic!” Togetic said, in an attempt to calm down their trainers.

Then, the waiter finally arrived. “What would you two little lovebirds like to order?” he asked.

“Ash, now the waiter is finally here, are you fine with eating here before the battle?” Misty asked.

“Yes, of course! I gotta admit I'm hungry too,” Ash answered.

“I’d like to order two portions of French fries, and two cans of coke,” Misty replied.

While Ash and Misty were waiting, Pikachu pulled Ash’s shirt. “Pikachu, do you want French fries as well?”

“Pika Pika!” Pikachu said. He nodded.

“Okay Pikachu, I’ll share some with you.” Ash responded. Pikachu looked happy.

“Togetic, I’ll share some with you as well!” Misty said to her Pokemon. Togetic was happy. Then, Pikachu and Togetic got to a separate table for two. Misty enjoyed their cuteness.

“Here you are!” the waiter said, arriving with the food and drinks. Ash and Misty gave half of their fries to their Pokemon.

“This tastes good!” Ash said. Misty agreed.

When they finished their food, the waiter came again, with the bill: 10 Poke Dollar.

“Misty, you wanted to go to this place, you wanted to eat so badly, so it would be fair if you would pay,” Ash said.

“Well, you're the man here, show some Arceus damn romance!” Misty replied.

“It wasn’t my idea to go here!” Ash replied. He looked annoyed.

“What’s wrong with you today? We barely argued since we got together, and now we argued twice during one morning,” Misty asked.

“Sorry Misty, I’m just so excited for my Gym battle against Bugsy! I even woke up at 5:00 AM and trained with Bayleef and Pidgeot, while you woke up at 8:00 AM,” Ash replied.

“I understand, Ash. But who will pay now?” Misty asked.

“I’ll pay, but we’ll go to the Gym immediately after that. And next time you’ll pay!” Ash proposed.

“That’s fine with me. And paying in turns is also fair,” Misty replied, while Ash handed over ten Poke Dollars to the waiter.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the Gym. Ash walked in and shouted “Bugsy, I’m here for another battle. I’m ready!”

“So Ash, you’re ready to lose again? Fine!” Bugsy replied. The referee did his usual introduction. Then, Bugsy took a Poke Ball from his belt and released a spider-like Pokemon from his Poke Ball. It was Ariados. Ash sent out his Pidgeot.

“Ash, this is your chance to show you learned from the last battle! You know his tricks now!” Misty shouted. “Good luck. Togetic, Hoppip and I will support you!”

“Thank you, Misty!” Ash replied. "Pidgeot, let’s start with a Whirlwind!" The Bird Pokemon flapped his wings, hurling wind at Ariados, who was blown against the wall, but wasn’t defeated yet.

“Ariados, use your Spider Web!” Bugsy commanded. Sticky goo was hurled at Pidgeot.

“Pidgeot, evade and use Wing Attack!” Ash commanded. Pidgeot did what his Trainer told him to and evaded the attack that defeated him in the first battle against Bugsy. Then, Pidgeot flew at Ariados. Bugsy told the Spider Pokemon to evade, but Pidgeot was faster and hit Ariados. “That was a critical hit!” Ash concluded happily.

“Ariados, no!” Bugsy was shocked. Ariados tried to stand up, but collapsed.

“Ariados is no longer able to battle! Pidgeot is the winner!” the referee said.

“Well done, Pidgeot!” Ash complimented his Pokemon. Pidgeot looked very confident.

“Ariados, you did your best. Have some rest,” Bugsy said. Then, he sent out his Ledian.

“Begin!” the referee shouted.

“Ledian, use your Ice Punch!” Bugsy commanded. Ledian hit Pidgeot with its icy fist. Pidgeot collapsed.

“Ice Punch? I never expected that from a Ledian!” Ash said, looking surprised. “Pidgeot, you did the best you could and did a great job. Have some rest!”

Then, he took a Poke Ball and sent out his Bayleef. “Bayleef, I choose you!”

“Watch out for Ledian’s Supersonic, Ash!” Misty whispered in Ash’s ear.

“Don’t worry, Misty! I taught Bayleef a nice new attack for that,” Ash responded.

“Begin!” the referee shouted.

“Ledian, Supersonic!” Bugsy shouted. Annoying sound waves were shot at Bayleef.

“Bayleef, use Safeguard!” Ash commanded. Bugsy looked surprised. “What the f*ck?” Bayleef shrouded herself in white light, blocking the sound waves.

“Well, then we’ll have to directly attack him!” Bugsy concluded. “Ledian, Ice Punch!” Ledian flew at Bayleef, hitting the Grass Pokemon. But Bayleef stood up.

“Bayleef, use your Razor Leaf!” Ash commanded. But Ledian, who was very fast, evaded the leaves with ease.

“Well done, Ledian! Use Ice Punch again!” Bugsy said. This time, Bayleef was seriously hurt. “Bay Bay!” she murmured, in a sad and soft voice. But she stood up.

“Bayleef, great! Now try Razor Leaf once again!” However, Ledian evaded again. “This has no point... How will we ever win this?” Ash thought.

“Ledian, let’s finish this! Use your Ice Punch one more time!” The ladybug flew at Bayleef again at high speed. Then, Ash got an idea. “Bayleef, use Vine Whip on Ledian’s front arms!” Bayleef did that, just in time to prevent getting hit.

“Now smack down Ledian on the ground and jump! Then use Body Slam!” Ash commanded with a lot of enthusiasm. Ledian was unable to move, being caught in the Vine Whip. Then, Bayleef fell on Ledian from two metre high in the air. The Body Slam attack defeated Ledian!

“Ledian, no!” Bugsy screamed.

“Ledian is defeated, Bayleef is the winner! Victory goes to Ash and Bayleef!” the referee said.

“Ash, you did it!” Misty said happily. She gave Ash a kiss on the cheek. He blushed.

“Ash, you did a great job. You clearly learned from your loss. I like how you used the same Pokemon. You really believe in them, and knew what attacks of my Pokemon to watch out for. You deserve this Hive Badge!” Bugsy said.

“Thank you, Bugsy!” Ash replied. Then, he shouted “I did it! I’ve got... A HIVE BADGE!” Pikachu joined him. “Pi-Pikachu!” “Bay Bay!” Bayleef added to that.

“Bye, Bugsy!” Ash and Misty said. Ash retreated Bayleef in her Poke Ball, Misty retreated Hoppip in his Poke Ball, and they left the Gym. It was early in the afternoon, so they could travel further a bit. Ash went to the Pokemon Center first, but Pidgeot and Bayleef didn’t have to stay there to heal after the battle with Bugsy. They were already fine.

Then, Ash and Misty left Azalea Town and went in the Ilex Forest, which leads to Goldenrod City. When they just entered the forest and passed the place where the Team Rocket Hideout once was, they heard a voice saying “HEY, NICE TO SEE YOU TWO AGAIN AFTER SIX YEARS!” It was Samurai, a guy who battled Ash when Ash just became a Pokemon trainer. “Uh... Fine, let’s battle!” Ash said. “I choose you, Totodile!”

“I choose you, Butterfree!” Samurai replied. “Butterfree, use your Psybeam!” A colourful beam was aimed at Totodile.

“Totodile, evade and use Bite!” Ash commanded. The crocodile evaded and bit Butterfree in its right wing.

“Now use Hydro Pump!” A hard blast of water was shot at Butterfree, who was blown against a tree. The butterfly was defeated.

“Well done, Totodile, we won!” Ash said. Samurai congratulated him. “I guess Butterfree and I still got a lot to learn. Well done, Ashyboy!”

“Well, you are never finished learning.” Misty said.

“Bye Ash, bye Misty!” Samurai said.

“Bye, Samurai!” Ash and Misty said. Then, they walked onwards.

Then, Misty looked scared. “EEEH! IT’S A BUG! IT’S A BUG!” A Yanma was sitting on her backpack. The Yanma was shocked by Misty’s behaviour, causing it to fly away at high speed.

“Well, Misty, you know how to scare the bugs away!” Ash said, giggling.

“That wasn’t funny, Ash! You know I see Bug Pokemon as scary!” Misty replied.

“Sorry...” Ash responded, and he kissed his girlfriend on the cheek.

“No problem, Ash. It’s alright. That Yanma just shocked me so much...”

After having dinner, they travelled onwards. At a given moment, they saw Jessie and James standing in front of them!

“Togetic, use your Metronome!” Misty commanded. Togetic waggled her fingers. The Metronome ended up being a Thunderbolt.

“Team Rocket is blasting off again!” Jessie and James said simultaneously. “Meowth!” added Meowth.

Then, Ash and Misty put down their sleeping bags: one two-person sleeping bag for themselves and one for Pikachu and Togetic, who liked to sleep together.

Ash and Misty first made sure no one was around. Then, they took off their clothes and put on their pyjamas. They lay in their sleeping bags and looked at Togetic and Pikachu, who were already asleep. “They are so cute!” Misty said. She saw her Togetic and Ash’s Pikachu lying next to each other in one sleeping bag. They had their arms around each other.

“Misty, I don’t want to annoy you, but look at what’s on our sleeping bag...” Ash said.

“EEK! IT’S A CATERPIE!” Misty screamed. The Caterpie got shocked and ran away quickly.

“Good night, Ash.” Misty said.

“Good night, Misty.” Ash replied.

Then, our heroes fell asleep, just like their Pokemon.
 
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ChloboShoka

Writer
Ash paying the bill, I would have expected him to try and get out, but in your fic he seems to be wiser while still maintaining his traits. Misty saved Ash in the last chapter, but she still has that fear of bugs. Gives you food for thought. I loved the implied joystickshipping.
 
Ash paying the bill, I would have expected him to try and get out, but in your fic he seems to be wiser while still maintaining his traits.

Well, now you mention it, I think it's a bad thing to have him wiser: him not trying to get out of paying the bill is out of character. However, he and Misty settled their argument about it by paying in turns. And Ash and Misty both seeing that as fair doesn't seem weird to me.

Misty saved Ash in the last chapter, but she still has that fear of bugs. Gives you food for thought. I loved the implied joystickshipping.

Well, Team Rocket doesn't consist of bugs... Misty will never lose her fear of bugs.

Nice that you like JoyShockShipping. And it's JoyShockShipping, not JoyStickShipping.

Did you also like the Gym Battle against Bugsy?
 

Skiyomi

Only Mostly Dead
Here's the critiquing of your latest chapter that I told you I'd give. I'm putting it in a spoiler since it's long.

The next morning, Ash and Misty woke up. After having breakfast, they talked about Ash’s upcoming Gym battle against Bugsy. Some hours later, they left the Pokemon Center and went to a restaurant for lunch, which was Misty’s idea.

This does not read like a story. It reads like a summary of a story. As such, it lacks the concrete details and sense of movement that allow the reader to visualize the scene and set the mood. I'd expect to see something like this in an outline, but for a scene in the actual story it needs a lot more development. This is a recurring problem in this chapter (don't know if it is in others, but I would guess so).

“Ash, we’ve been waiting for almost 20 minutes now! The waiter is going to customers who came here after us!” Misty said, in a sad voice. Her stomach growled.

One thing I noticed as I read through this is that you're VERY heavy-handed with exclamation points. It's definitely something you want to cut down on, because it tends to make everything shouty and desperate-sounding and also comes across as very juvenile. Honesty, I'd cut out the vast majority of the exclamation points in this chapter and let the dialogue speak for itself. Remember that the exclamation point, like any textual mark of emphasis, loses power when you use it too often.

Also, I'm noting that there's absolutely no transition between the Pokemon Center scene and the restaurant one as well as absolutely no hint of the setting they're in now. It makes it very hard to gain a sense of atmosphere this way.

“Yes, Misty!” Ash replied. His stomach also growled. “Let’s just go to the Gym now. I can also battle when I’m hungry.”

The “His stomach also growled” is awfully repetitive from before. Why not change it up for the sake of variety. Something like: “Ash replied, his stomach letting out a guttural moan.” Added to that, the “I can also battle when I’m hungry” line is exceptionally awkward sounding. It’s better to just cut it down to “I can battle when I’m hungry.”

“No, Ash! I am also hungry and I want to eat first!” she replied. “I want fries and coke now!”

Again, “I am also hungry” sounds extremely awkward. Only robots talk like that. How about just “I’m hungry” or “I’m hungry too.” And she doesn’t sound like she’s replying, she sounds like she’s disagreeing or shouting. A more appropriate dialogue tag would definitely help here (this happens a lot throughout this chapter). Also, Misty sounds like a petulant child. I know she can be a little whiny sometimes, but I’ve seen more patient six-year-olds. If you wanted to make this outburst from her more justified, then you should’ve taken your time with it—shown the waiter walking past them over and over again while they keep looking longingly over the menu and get hungrier and hungrier. Without the build-up, her behavior just seems childish.

They looked angrily at each other.

This is an extremely generic sounding sentence. Again, it’s something I’d expect in an outline, not a final draft.

Then, the waiter finally arrived.

Another outline statement. This is very abstract and promotes no visualization. We have no idea what the waiter is like or what mannerisms he uses. Did the waiter plod over to them, tired as one might when working in an understaffed restaurant during a busy time? Did he frantically approach them as one might who had a lot to do and little time to do it in? What does he look like? Did he give them a teasing sort of leer as he called them lovebirds? Did he look fondly at them when he said it as though remembering his own loved one? He needs to be embodied, otherwise he’s just a blank space in the reader’s mind.

“Ash, now the waiter is finally here, are you fine with eating here before the battle?” Misty asked.

“Ash, I am telling you the thing that’s happening right in front of your face.” That first part is really unnecessary. A nod to the waiter and a “So, do you still want to skip lunch and go straight to the gym or do you want to stay?” Would sound more natural and make more sense unless she’s trying to clue in a blind person to what’s happening.

“Yes, of course! I have to admit that I am also hungry.” Ash answered.

This “I am also” thing you keep doing is not only repetitive, but it sounds odd. No one I know speaks that way. “I gotta admit I’m hungry too” would sound more like Ash.

“I’d like to order two portions of French fries, and two cans of coke.” Misty replied.

“portions of French fries” sounds odd to me. It might be a locational thing, but I’d just say “I’d like two orders of fries.” And you don’t need that comma in the middle of the sentence because you’re not following it with another clause or making a list of three or more things. Where you need the comma is where the period is after coke. I’ve already spoken to you about this by VM, but I’d really suggest you go through and edit that error you keep making where you use a period right before a dialogue tag. It’s an obvious sign of a new writer who hasn’t quite come to grips with punctuation conventions and it looks bad. I know when I see that problem I think to myself “if this writer doesn’t know that, then what else don’t they know about punctuation and grammar?” And that might be enough to make me decide not to read a fic. It’s worth fixing and it’s worth implementing in later chapters.

Also, what kind of lunch is an order of fries and a coke? No burgers?

While Ash hand Misty were waiting, Pikachu pulled Ash’s shirt.

Typo alert! “Ash and Misty” you mean.

“Pika Pika!” Pikachu said. He nodded.

Another lifeless collection of sentences. Make me feel Pikachu’s desire for french fries! “Pika pika!” Pikachu exclaimed, eyes shining with hunger and excitement as it bobbed up and down.

Pikachu looked happy.

Abstraction alert! You need to get concrete. What did Pikachu do that made it look happy? Give me something to imagine. Maybe “Pikachu beamed delightedly.”

Togetic was happy. Then, Pikachu and Togetic got to a separate table for two. Misty enjoyed their cuteness.

Again with the abstractions. And use verbs that create a sense of movement. Instead of “Then, Pikachu and Togetic got a separate table for two” how about “With the promise of delicious salty treats dancing in their heads, Pikachu and Togetic bounded over to an empty table to enjoy their food together.” See how much more lively a sentence with “bounded” seems than just saying that they “got a table?” One creates an image, the other does not.

I’d nix the “Misty enjoyed their cuteness” sentence altogether. Not only is it a visual-less abstraction like before, but it sounds really weird to me and tells instead of showing. If you want to communicate that concept then it needs to be done more subtly. Maybe with a “Misty watched fondly over Ash’s shoulder as the two Pokemon chatted animatedly to each other at their own private table.”

“Here you are!” the waiter said, arriving with the food and drinks. Ash and Misty gave half of their fries to their Pokemon.

The exclamation points are really grating on me at this point. I know I already mentioned it, but it seems like every sentence is being shouted.

“This tastes good!” Ash said. Misty agreed.

Another imageless moment. How about: “ ‘This tastes good!’ Ash enthused, tossing a golden brown fry into his mouth while Misty nodded her assent, her mouth too full of french fries to answer him out loud.”

When they finished their food, the waiter came again, with the bill, 10 Poke Dollar.

We need action verbs! We need concretion! “When they finished their food, the waiter sauntered over once more, setting a black plastic receipt holder on the table. The slightly purple type-face of the cheap paper announced that they owed 10 Poke Dollars.”

“Well, it would be romantic if the male of the couple would pay.” Misty replied.

The male of the couple? What, are they animals being observed by National Geographic? How about: “Don’t you think it would be more romantic if you paid? After all, you’re the guy.”

“It wasn’t my idea to go here!” Ash replied. He looked annoyed.

Show me his annoyance instead of telling me he’s annoyed. Perhaps his eyebrows drew together, or he frowned, or he crossed his arms irritably.

“What’s wrong with you today? We didn’t argue after getting together again until today, and now we argued twice in one morning!” Misty asked.

The second sentence sounds rather wordy and like it’s tripping over itself. And it seems very weird that Misty would get hung up over that little disagreement over whether to leave the restaurant or not, because it really did not come off that heated.

“Sorry Misty, I’m just so excited for my Gym battle against Bugsy! I even woke up at 5:00 AM and trained with Bayleef and Pidgeot, while you woke up at 8:00 AM.” Ash replied.

It would be nice if we saw that instead of an argument over french fries. It would’ve been more actiony and less static.

“I’ll pay, but we’ll go to the Gym immediately after that. And next time you’ll pay!” Ash proposed.

Ash is awfully willing to do this, despite the fact that only two seconds ago he was dead set against it and absolutely nothing has changed to make him want to. You’re letting your conflicts be solved too easily.

Ash paid the bill.

Plain. How about “Ash reached into his pocket and fished out a couple of crumpled bills, setting them on top of the receipt.” You have A LOT of sentences like this and I’m not going to point out and present example rewrites for all of them, but these are things you should look at throughout this whole chapter and develop more.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the Gym. Ash walked in and shouted “Bugsy, I’m here for another battle. I’m ready!”

Not a single one of our settings have been described, so I have no feeling that we’ve moved despite the fact that we’ve gone from the Pokemon Center to a restaurant to a lush, bug-filled gym. We need a sense of atmosphere here, to create mood and provide contrast from one scene to another.

“So Ash, you’re ready to lose again? Fine!” Bugsy replied. The referee did his usual introduction. Then, Bugsy took a Poke Ball from his belt and released a spider-like Pokemon from his Poke Ball. It was Ariados. Ash sent out his Pidgeot.

That’s awfully abrupt. Don’t be afraid to tease out the scene instead of making it go straight to battle. It just seems so quick that we’re already in a battle and they’ve only exchanged one line of dialogue with each other. The ambiguity of saying it’s a spider-like Pokemon is pretty worthless since we can figure it out pretty quickly and even if we couldn’t, you follow it up with the devastatingly simple sentence “It was Ariados.” Also, I really don’t like this starting sentences with “Then.” It makes this already summary-like paragraph feel more like it was ripped straight from an outline and it’s not a good transition. The sentence with Ash sending out his Pidgeot needs movement too.

“Good luck, Togetic, Hoppip and I will support you!”

Correction: “Good luck. Togetic, Hoppip and I will support you!”

“Thank you, Misty!” Ash replied. Pidgeot, let’s start with a Whirlwind! The Bird Pokemon flapped his wings, hurling wind at Ariados, who was blown against the wall, but wasn’t defeated yet.

You’re missing quotation marks there. Also, you pretty much announced how this is going to end up to your readers by saying that Ariados wasn’t defeated “yet.” Again, while this paragraph contains a bit more action, it still feels very skeletal and needs more development and detail.

“Pidgeot, evade and use Wing Attack!” Ash commanded. Pidgeot did what his Trainer told him to and evaded the attack that defeated him in the first battle against Bugsy. Then, Pidgeot flew at Ariados. Bugsy told the Spider Pokemon to evade, but Pidgeot was faster and hit Ariados. “That was a critical hit!” Ash concluded happily.

This one-on-one ended comically quickly. The way you write it in this section it felt like it took all of ten seconds, which is beyond ridiculous for a gym battle. You need to take more time with these things and better grasp the flow of time in your story.

Ariados tried to stand up, but collapsed.

Again, details would be nice. “Ariados struggled to stand, but collapsed, its spindly legs too weak to hold its weight.” Also note that I’ve replaced “tried” which is a very weak verb that doesn’t promote any sort of visualization.

Pidgeot looked very confident.

Show, don’t tell. Did it caw triumphantly? Maybe do a victory loop-de-loop in the air? In what way did it look confident?

“Ledian, use your Ice Punch!” Bugsy commanded. Ledian hit Pidgeot with its icy fist. Pidgeot collapsed.

Again, too fast and you need more details to make the scene come alive to your readers.

“Watch out for Ledian’s Supersonic, Ash!” Misty whispered in Ash’s ear.

Wait. She’s that close? Isn’t she supposed to be in the stands? I don’t think she’s allowed to be right by him during an official gym battle.

“Don’t worry, Misty! I thought Bayleef a nice new attack for that.” Ash responded.

Taught, not thought.

“Bayleef, use Safeguard!” Ash commanded. Bugsy looked surprised. “What the f*ck?” Bayleef shoudred himself in white light, blocking the sound waves.

I don’t have a clear idea of who’s saying that second line. Since Bugsy is the one that’s surprised, I would assume it’s him, but if a new speaker was talking then you should’ve put it on a new line. If it is Bugsy, that’s profoundly odd. I can’t imagine him swearing.

Also, you mean “shrouded” not “shoudred.”

But Ledian, who was very fast, evaded the leaves with ease.

You don’t need to tell us that he’s very fast, because we can SEE that he’s very fast by his actions. Telling us that like we can’t figure it out just spoils the effect.

This time, Bayleef was seriously hurt.

I’m sure you want this to have emotional impact but it doesn’t, because you’re telling us what’s happening instead of showing us.

The ladybug flew at Bayleef again, at high speed.

Nix the comma. It’s not needed.

Then, Ash got an idea.

Another abstraction. How about “Ash’s eyes lit up as he saw an opportunity.”

Bayleef did that, just in time to prevent getting hit.

Sentences like “Bayleef did that” sound lazy because you’re refusing to describe the action and just letting the command do all the work.

Ledian was unable to move, being caught in the Vine Whip.

The second part of the sentence need not be repeated unless you wish to be called Captain Obvious. The fact that Ledian is caught in the vines has already been established.

The Body Slam attack defeated Ledian!

I know I’ve already advised you to tone down the exclamations in dialogue, but to go further, I’d advise you to, 99% of the time not use exclamation points outside of dialogue and thought. It sounds absolutely desperate to create an artificial sense of excitement, when you should be using your words to create that feeling.

“Ash, you did it!” Misty said happily. She gave Ash a kiss on the cheek. He blushed.

Simple sentences, needs detail. I’m repeating myself, aren’t I?

“Ash, you did a great job. You clearly learned from your loss. I like how you used the same Pokemon. You really believe in them, and knew what attacks of my Pokemon to watch out for. You deserve this Hive Badge!” Bugsy said.

Bugsy sounds like he swallowed a Hallmark card. I guess I can’t complain too much since the gym leaders in the show are rather corny at times, but you’d think he’d at least rib him with something along the lines of “I nearly had you there with that ice punch” considering how cocky he was before. Nevertheless, even though the gym leaders in the show are corny, I think this goes beyond that. This is basically spelling out Ash’s development for the readers instead of letting them see it and judge it on their own.

“Bye, Bugsy!” Ash and Misty said.

That is another abrupt move that needed a transition. He won and then suddenly their leaving? I know that how they did it in the show, but they cut from one scene to another. Here there’s no indication of any such break in time.

Ash retreated Bayleef in her Poke Ball, Misty retreated Hoppip in his Poke Ball, and they left the Gym.

Retreated is not the proper word here. Perhaps you mean “returned?”

It was early in the afternoon, so they could travel further a bit.

Go for an image. Tell us where the sun was in the sky and have them conclude that they have plenty of hours of sunlight left and that the road ahead is waiting for them and such.

Ash went to the Pokemon Center first, but Pidgeot and Bayleef didn’t have to stay there to heal after the battle with Bugsy. They were already fine.

Umm... why? They were clearly wounded in the battle and all of the sudden they’re magically better? That doesn’t make sense.

Then, Ash and Misty left Azalea Town and went in the Ilex Forest, which leads to Goldenrod City. When they just entered the forest and passed the place where the Team Rocket Hideout once was, they heard a voice saying “HEY, NICE TO SEE YOU TWO AGAIN AFTER SIX YEARS!” It was Samurai, a guy who battled Ash when Ash just became a Pokemon trainer. “Uh... Fine, let’s battle!” Ash said. “I choose you, Totodile!”

Transitions, I’m begging you. Only in the games do people say one line of dialogue and then suddenly a battle starts. Real life takes a little more set-up both for the characters and for me to actually care about the outcome of the battle. Also, since we haven’t seen the Samurai in six years, a description would be nice and perhaps an explanation for why he’s in Johto.

“Totodile, evade and use Bite!” Ash commanded. The crocodile evaded and bit Butterfree in its right wing.

Don’t use the exact same wording as the command. This is where a thesaurus would’ve helped you.

“Well, you are never finished learning.” Misty said.

Contractions would help your sentences sound less robotic. “Well, you’re never done learning,” Misty said.

“Bye Ash, bye Misty!” Samurai said.

...What... was the point of that? It was just a drive-by battle that did absolutely nothing and told us nothing about this character that we haven’t seen in six years. Who sees an old acquaintance, jumps out at them, has a five minute battle with them, and then abruptly exits without even bothering to catch up with what’s happened with them in the six years since he’s seen them or what they’re doing in Johto or anything?

Then, Misty looked scared. “EEEH! IT’S A BUG! IT’S A BUG!” A Yanma was sitting on her backpack. The Yanma was shocked by Misty’s behaviour, causing it to fly away at high speed.

See, this is a recurring problem I’m seeing. You have the ideas of: Ash and Misty go to a restaurant, Ash battles Bugsy, Ash battles Samurai, and Misty is scared by bugs, but you don’t connect them in any way beyond the fact that one happens right after another, so they don’t feel like they belong in the same chapter as each other and are poorly transitioned. Added to that, you could cut out everything except the battle against Bugsy and not lose anything of importance.

“Well, Misty, you know how to scare the bugs away!” Ash said, giggling.

Giggling is a girly word. Schoolgirls and children giggle. It would be better if he laughed or snickered.

“That wasn’t funny, Ash! You know I see Bug Pokemon as scary!” Misty replied.

“That wasn’t funny, Ash! I’m announcing obvious exposition that we’re both aware of!” Misty replied.

As you can guess, I’m not a fan of that second sentence, not only because it’s obvious, but because it doesn’t sound like something a human being would say. How about a “You know I’m scared of bugs!”

“Sorry...” Ash responded, and he kissed his girlfriend on the cheek.

Conflict? What conflict? There’s barely a moment of tension in this before the conflict gets ushered away.

“No problem, Ash. It’s allright. That Yanma just shocked me so much...”

...And she joins the cry to abandon conflict. Also, it should be “alright.”

After having dinner, they travelled onwards. At a given moment, they saw Jessie and James standing in front of them!

This needs to be spooled out more. Describe the scene instead of summarizing it.

“Togetic, use your Metronome!” Misty commanded. Togetic waggled her fingers. The Metronome ended up being a Thunderbolt.

“Team Rocket is blasting off again!” Jessie and James said simultaneously. “Meowth!” added Meowth.

What, they don’t even say anything or do anything before they get blasted off? That’s pointless.

Then, Ash and Misty put down their sleeping bags: one two-person sleeping bag for themselves and one for Pikachu and Togetic, who liked to sleep together.

Nix the “who liked to sleep together” line because it’s telling instead of showing. Also, as far as I’m concerned you’ve already confirmed Pikachu and Togetic as a couple with everything you’ve done. I thought you wanted to be more subtle.

Ash and Misty first made sure no one was around. Then, they took off their clothes and put on their pyjamas. They lied in their sleeping bags and looked at Togetic and Pikachu, who were already asleep. “They are so cute!” Misty said. She saw her Togetic and Ash’s Pikachu lying next to each other in one sleeping bag. They had their arms around each other.

“Lay” not “lied.” And you’ve heard my spiel about concrete description before. This scene would be a heck of a lot more cute if you described it more instead of relying on Misty to tell us it’s cute.

“EEK! IT’S A CATERPIE!” Misty screamed. The Caterpie got shocked and ran away quickly.

Again, image. Show us the Caterpie crawling slowly up the waterproof fabric of the sleeping bag.

So... final thoughts?

I think I've made my criticisms more or less clear by repeating them a bunch of times and giving you examples of what you should try for instead, but... can you see now why your chapters are coming out so short? You're summarizing instead of letting a scene play out, giving very sparse description, not adding in transitions, and shutting down scenes like you're desperate to end them, not to mention killing any sense of tension before it starts. It's not enough to have a collection of ideas for scenes. You need to develop them and make them work together (imagine an actual episode of Pokemon that involved all these scenes without tying them together. That just wouldn't happen) and actually have them lead somewhere since, plot-wise, everything but the battle with Bugsy is completely irrelevant. Only if you can do those things will you have a developed story that reads like a story and not an outline. To put things in perspective, my review of your chapter is twice as long as your chapter. Word count isn't everything, but you need to have enough text to develop a scene and, as it is, you don't.

And I didn't even really get around to mentioning that these scenes (or shells of scenes) don't really have anything original about them. Most of them feel like abridged versions of things that already happened in the anime with more shipping stuffed in. I don't see anything that's especially new. But I think you have more important structural issues to take care of before you can address these conceptual problems.

I'm sorry if any of this is hard for you to hear, but I hope it gives you some idea of the things you need to do to improve.
 

ChloboShoka

Writer
One thing that I forgot to mention last time was that I was wondering why is there a picture of Ash and Misty sitting outside when it says in the end when they're asleep? Is it expressing the restaurant scene? If it is, it might be better if it's in the middle or just after that scene. I think the story has potential, but I think there needs to be more atmosphere and setting. You're good at details, but you could try explaining the scenery in more context.
 
One thing that I forgot to mention last time was that I was wondering why is there a picture of Ash and Misty sitting outside when it says in the end when they're asleep? Is it expressing the restaurant scene? If it is, it might be better if it's in the middle or just after that scene.

The drawing is expressing the restaurant scene. I have all drawings at the end of the chapter, so this one isn't an exception.

I think the story has potential, but I think there needs to be more atmosphere and setting. You're good at details, but you could try explaining the scenery in more context.

Well, I'm good at details? Really? I don't think I am. Do you have an example?

Thank you for this post!
 

ChloboShoka

Writer
The next morning, Ash and Misty woke up. After having breakfast, they talked about Ash’s upcoming Gym battle against Bugsy. Some hours later, they left the Pokemon Center and went to a restaurant for lunch, which was Misty’s idea.
Like this. By this we have a clearly know that they've gotten up and what they've talked about and what they're currently up to. So for the next part to extend it you could say how they woke up and how the morning went? Was it an easy morning, rough morning, or a morning where everything was in a hurry. From the next sentence, I get the feeling that it was a slow and chilled out morning.
 

ChloboShoka

Writer
The next morning, Ash and Misty woke up. After having breakfast, they talked about Ash’s upcoming Gym battle against Bugsy. Some hours later, they left the Pokemon Center and went to a restaurant for lunch, which was Misty’s idea.
Like this. By this we have a clearly know that they've gotten up and what they've talked about and what they're currently up to. So for the next part to extend it you could say how they woke up and how the morning went? Was it an easy morning, rough morning, or a morning where everything was in a hurry. From the next sentence, I get the feeling that it was a slow and chilled out morning. I think you could a lot more to it. Add some more meat to it and make it more interesting.
 
Like this. By this we have a clearly know that they've gotten up and what they've talked about and what they're currently up to. So for the next part to extend it you could say how they woke up and how the morning went? Was it an easy morning, rough morning, or a morning where everything was in a hurry. From the next sentence, I get the feeling that it was a slow and chilled out morning.

Well, I am not good at details. You said "You're good at details..." I don't think your example is detailed, showing they've gotten up and what they've talked about and what they're currently up to is basic. It's not detailed enough.

Thank you for the advice!
 
CHAPTER 13 - MORE THAN BATTLING

While walking through the Ilex Forest, Misty was terrified, because last night, Bug Pokemon came close to her a few times. She continuously looked around in the environment surrounded by trees, to check whether there were Bug Pokemon close to her or not, so she could run away as soon as possible if the scary Pokemon would come close to her.

“Misty, please, just get it... Bug Pokemon aren’t dangerous,” Ash said to her.

“Ash, you know I’m scared of them... I’m just not comfortable with being this forest, I want to leave this forest as soon as possible!” Misty replied.

“But Misty, it’s early in the morning... I’m tired,” Ash responded.

“I don’t care!” Misty replied. “Let’s run, so we’re out of here as soon as possible! And then you’ll also get to the Goldenrod City Gym sooner!”

“Hey, you’re right,” her boyfriend and traveling companion replied. “We’ll get the hell out here as soon as possible.”

While her Trainer started running, Togetic she started flying faster than normally to keep up with Misty. Pikachu quickly ran as well, and was able to keep up with his Trainer too.

“Pikachu, I see you lost some weight, you’re close to your old weight again, just like your weight the last time we were in Johto!” Ash said to his Electric Pokemon. “Pika Pika!” he happily replied. He seemed to be slightly faster than some weeks before.

Half an hour later, they got close to the end of the forest. Then, Ash saw a young, blonde-haired boy wearing jeans and a white t-shirt standing in front of them, together with a Ledyba flying around him.

“Hey, that’s a great Ledyba you’ve got there!” Ash shouted at him.

“Thank you, that’s nice of you! I just started as a Pokemon Trainer, and Ledyba and me are training,” the boy said. “Are you a Trainer too?”

“Yes, I am” Ash responded. “How about a quick battle?” Misty looked afraid after hearing that question, in fear of having to be in the forest longer than necessary.

“Of course!” the boy said. He introduced himself. “Hello, I’m Stan.”

“Oh, sorry for not introducing myself. I’m Ash. Now let’s get started!” Stan’s opponent responded.

“I’ll choose Ledyba!” Stan said. The ladybug flew forward, looking very energetic.

Ash grabbed a Poke Ball from his belt. He hurled it up in the air. “Squirtle, I choose you!”

“Ash, stop it! Let’s leave this forest now!” Misty said, looking scared.

“Misty, not now,” Ash replied. “I wanna battle!”

“It’s not always about your Pokemon battling obsession! There are also other things in life than battling!” Misty yelled, knowing Ash wouldn’t listen to her.

“Well, Misty, Stan and I just agreed to battle, we’ll leave this forest immediately after that,” Ash replied. Stan looked surprised and was shocked. “What’s her problem?” he asked.

“She’s afraid of Bug Pokemon, Stan. That’s why she hates being in this forest,” Ash answered. “Now let’s battle!”

“Ledyba, use your Swift!” Stan commanded. Star-shaped rays flew at Squirtle

“Squirtle, evade and use your Water Gun!” Ash shouted. Squirtle jumped, evading the Swift, and spit water out of his mouth at Ledyba, who got water drops all over its body after the attack.

“Ledyba, use your Thunderpunch, that works well against Water Pokemon!” Stan said. Ledyba tried to let the electricity go to his fist, so the ladybug could hit his opponent. However, a loud, booming sound and some smoke followed. When the smoke was gone, Ledyba was lying on the ground, unable to battle. ”Ledyba, no!” Stan screamed.

“Yay! I won, Misty,” Ash said happily. And to Squirtle: “You were amazing!” Squirtle jumped in Ash’s arms from happiness.

“Ash, you just got lucky,” Misty replied. “ If that kid would’ve been more experienced, he would’ve never let a wet Pokemon use an Electric attack.”

“Who cares?” Ash responded, after calling Squirtle back into his Poke Ball. “I’m the winner!”

“Stan, next time your Ledyba is wet, don’t use Thunderpunch,” Misty said to her boyfriend’s opponent. “Water conducts electricity.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that. Thanks for telling me!” Stan responded.

“Good. Now you should go to a Pokemon centre,” Misty said.

“Okay, I will. Bye, Ash and Misty!” Ash and Misty also said goodbye to Stan.

“Okay, now let’s get out of here, we’re almost at the end of this forest,” Misty suggested. Ash agreed, so they and their Pokemon started running through the forest, and ended up on a grassy road with a river next to it.

“This is much better than that forest, I’m more comfortable here,” Misty said to Ash.

“I know.” Ash replied.

“Ash, we need to talk about something.” Misty said.

“Huh, what’s up?” Ash asked.

“Why couldn’t you just do what we agreed on in the forest and walk out? Why did you ask that kid to battle you?” Misty asked.

“What’s wrong with that?” Ash responded.

“Well, Ash, we agreed to leave the forest as fast as possible and to run out of it, then battling in the forest isn’t right,” she said.

“Sorry Misty, I just felt like battling!” he answered.

“It’s not only now, it’s just about always. Pokemon battles rule your life! Can’t you see there’s more than Pokemon battles in life?” she asked.

“Pokemon battles are my life! Why is that wrong?” he asked.

“Because your life revolves around it,” she said.

“So what?” Ash asked.

“It’s the only thing you spend time on! When we travelled six years ago, I wanted to confess my feelings to you. But you only seemed interested in Pokemon. Sure, you sometimes showed interest in me, but you caring more about Pokemon than about love made me so insecure, and that made me lack the guts to confess. I had six years of insecurity and doubt about whether you’d want a relationship with me or not!” Misty replied, with tears flowing through her face.

“But Misty, now we’re together, why would that still matter?” Ash replied.

“Because of missing you for years! I love you!” Misty replied, with tears in her eyes.

“Misty, you should see it from the other side. The fact that we never lost our feelings for each other in those six years means we must really love each other!” Ash replied.

“Well, I guess you’re right. And there’s nothing we can do about it now anymore anyways,” Misty said, wiping her tears away.

“That’s true,” Ash replied, while he and Misty walked onwards, on their way to Goldenrod City.

“Well, Ash talked himself out of this... He thinks everything’s fine and doesn’t realize he needs to get rid of that obsession... How can I make him realize there’s more than Pokemon battling in life?” Misty thought.

“Misty, look!” Ash said. “It’s Team Rocket’s balloon!”

“Oh no, it’s Team Rocket!” Misty replied. They saw a Meowth-shaped hot air balloon in the sku, with a giant vacuum cleaner attached to the bottom of the basket, in which a Meowth was standing next two to people. One of them, the red-haired woman dressed in a tuxedo shouted “Prepare for trouble!”

Then, the purple-haired man wearing a pink ballet dress said “And make it double!” Team Rocket then continued their anthem, with Jessie and James saying one sentence in turns.

“To protect the world from devastation!”

“To unite all people within our nation!”

“To denounce the evil of truth and love!”

“To extend our reach to the stars above!”

“Jessie!”

“James!”

“Team Rocket, blast off with the speed of light!”

“Surrender now or prepare to fight!”

Then, Meowth said “Meowth, that’s right!”

“Hey, why are you two dressed like that?” Ash shouted.

“We hoped you wouldn’t recognize us!” James responded.

“Well, we’ll always recognize that balloon!” Misty replied.

Then, James pressed the button of a remote control. The vacuum cleaner swallowed Ash’s Pikachu, who ended up being in a cage attached to the vacuum cleaner. “No, Pikachu!” Ash screamed. James turned off the vacuum cleaner, and the balloon flew away.

“I’ll handle this,” Misty said. “Togetic, use your Steel Wing on that balloon!” The Happiness Pokemon, who was faster than the balloon, did what her Trainer told her, cutting through the balloon, making it crash down on the ground.

Misty picked up the cage in which Pikachu was held prisoner. “And now break the cage with a Double-Edge!” The cage broke, enabling Pikachu to escape and jump in Ash’s arms. “Thank you, Togetic!” Ash said. Pikachu also happily thanked Togetic.

“Togetic, now make them blast off with Solarbeam!” Misty commanded. The sun was shining, so Solarbeam didn’t require charging up. A strong beam was shot at the evil enemies, who blasted off and were shot in the sky. Jessie, James and Meowth used their catchphrase simultaneously. “Team Rocket is blasting off again!”

“Well done, Misty!” Ash said.

“Thank you,” she answered. She and her boyfriend travelled onwards. They saw grasslands, the sun was shining and a lake was next to the road. Then, they heard a voice. A blue-haired girl wearing a pink dress shouted “Hey, Ash and Misty!”

“Hey, Ash, look! It’s Marina!” Misty said to Ash. Then, she started talking to Marina. “Hello Marina, how are you?” she asked.

“Fine, and my Pokemon are also doing well. I also caught a new Pokemon recently. How about a battle?” her rival responded.

“Okay, we’ll battle. How about both using one Pokemon?” Misty asked.

“That’s fine,” Marina said. “Go, Piplup!” she shouted. “Misty, that’s my most recently caught Pokemon, Piplup! Do you like it?”

“Yes, it’s cute. But I’ve got even cuter Pokemon, and I’ll be using one of those now. Go, Marill!” Misty responded. She smiled.

“Hey, Misty, a friend of mine who I travelled with has a Piplup!” Ash mentioned.

“Yeah, you mentioned that. You mean Dawn?” Misty responded. Ash confirmed that, and then the battle began.

“Piplup, use your Drill Peck!” Marina commanded. The penguin ran at the mouse Pokemon, who evaded Piplup’s beak, following her Trainer’s command.

“Marill, Water Gun!” Misty shouted. The blue Pokemon spit water from its mouth, hitting Piplup. “And now Iron Tail!” Marill jumped, and tried to hit Piplup with her tail.

“Piplup, evade and then Peck!” Marina commanded. The penguin evaded it’s opponent’s tail and ran at Marill, who failed to avoid the attack.

“Marill, Grass Knot!” Misty commanded. Ropes of grass out of the ground were wrapped along Piplup’s feet, causing the penguin to trip.

“Marill, use your Double-Edge!” Marill ran at Piplup at high speed, charging into the opponent, who just stood up and couldn’t avoid the attack. Then, he fell down on the ground and collapsed.

“Oh no!” Marina shouted. She looked worried.

“Well done, Marill! We won!” Misty celebrated the win with her Marill.

“That was a nice battle, Misty! That Grass Knot and Double-Edge strategy is really nice,” Ash complimented his girlfriend.

“I agree with Ash,” Marina said. “You did well, Misty. And your Marill too! And a Marill using Grass Knot surprised me.”

“Thank you,” Misty responded. She and Marina called respectively Marill and Piplup back in their Poke Balls.

After having dinner together with Marina, Ash and Misty went onwards. “Marina, we’ll be going onwards now, so we can reach the Pokemon Center close to this place before it gets dark, so we can stay the night there. I think we’ll arrive in Goldenrod City in a few days,” Misty explained.

“Okay, I’ll train some more here and then sleep in my sleeping bag and then I’ll go back to Azelea Town to get a Lure Ball from Kurt,” Marina replied. “Bye, Ash and Misty!”

“Bye, Marina!” Ash and Misty said simultaneously. They continued their way to the Pokemon Center.

“Misty, I’ll try your Grass Knot strategy with Bayleef in my next battle, combined with Sweet Scent, making opponents unable to attack and then attacking yourselves is useful” Ash said.

“That’s a nice idea,” Misty responded.

“Yeah, that’s what I was planning to try,” Ash responded. They reached the Pokemon Center.

Then, right in front of the Pokemon Center, Ash and Misty saw a red limousine stopping close to them. Gary was sitting in the limousine with his cheerleaders, who were singing a jolly tune. “"Gary, Gary, he's our man. If he can't do it, no one can!”

Then, Ash’s rival stepped out of his car. “Hey, Ashyboy!”

“What are you doing here? And where is your girlfriend, Jasmine?” Ash asked. His voice sounded annoyed.

“I was just driving here on my way to the Goldenrod City department store, and then I saw you and Misty, so I decided to stop the car,” Gary responded. “And I had a little fight with Jasmine, so I dumped her.”

“Why did you stop the car here?” Ash asked.

“Because I wanna battle you again!” Gary responded. “How about a double battle in which we both use two Pokemon?”

“I accept your challenge,” Ash said. “Bulbasaur and Bayleef, I choose you two!”

“I’ll use two recently acquired Pokemon,” Gary said. “Go, Furret and Beedrill!”

“Good luck, Ash! Pikachu, Togetic and I will be rooting for you,” Misty said.

“Bulbasaur, use your Grass Knot against Beedrill!” Ash commanded. “And Bayleef, use your Grass Knot against Furret!” Ropes of grass came out of the ground, wrapping around Gary’s Pokemon. “Bayleef, use Sweet Scent on both opponents!” By doing that, Bayleef mellowed her opponents down. Furret and Beedrill weren’t concentrated on battling anymore.

“Now, Bulbasaur and Bayleef, use Solarbeam on respectively Beedrill and Furret!” Ash commanded. Gary’s Pokemon were tied up by Grass Knot, and were unable to do anything against their opponents because of Sweet Scent, so Ash’s Pokemon could safely charge up. After charging, they let a strong beam escape their mouth, harshly hitting Gary’s Pokemon. He saw they were defeated and called them back in their Poke Ball.

“Ash, congratulations with your win,” Gary said. His cheerleaders were crying.

“Thank you, Gary. That’s polite of you!” Ash replied.

“Well, it’s nothing to be ashamed of, I never used these Pokemon before in a battle, I just recently caught them. If they’re stronger, they’d survive a Solarbeam,” Gary responded.

“Gary, stop talking yourself out of it. I humiliated you!” Ash said in a teasing way.

Then, Gary quickly hopped in his limousine and drove away. “Bye Ashyboy! Next time I’ll beat you, then you’ll be the loser!” he shouted.

“What a sore loser,” Misty said.

“Yeah,” Ash replied. “I beat him and humiliated him in front of his cheerleaders.”

“And he’s not very faithful, he had just a little fight with his girlfriend and instantly dumped her!” she replied.

“Yeah, and he’s arrogant too!” Ash responded. Misty thought “Ash, you too,” but decided it would be better to not say that out loud.

“Now let’s go to the Pokemon Center,” Misty said. She and Ash walked into the Pokemon Center. “Hello Nurse Joy,” Ash said.

“Hello, cute couple,” she replied.

“Could you please check up my Pokemon?” Ash asked.

“And mine too?” Misty added.

“Of course! You can pick them up in two hours,” the nurse replied.

After two hours, the ‘cute couple’ picked up their Pokemon and went to bed. After undressing, taking a shower and putting their pyjamas on, they went to the two-person bed and started talking.

“Ash, did you think about what I said?” Misty whispered, because Pikachu and Togetic were already asleep.

“What do you mean?” Ash asked.

“What I said about your life revolving around Pokemon too much,” she replied.

“No, I didn’t,” he responded.

“Well, you really should. Do you think you’ll be travelling like this for the rest of your life? Have you thought about the future?” she asked.

“No, I haven’t thought about it. I don’t know yet...” he replied. Then, he fell asleep, making a snoring sound. About an hour later, Misty fell asleep too.
 
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ChloboShoka

Writer
Sorry it took so long. I think this chapter shows some improvement because I thought it was very well paced and you introduced Stan. For some reason I imagined him looking a bit like Trip only paler.

And this part confused me:

“Pikachu, I see you lost some weight, you’re close to your old weight again, just like when we started travelling, in Kanto!” Ash said to his Electric Pokemon. “Pika Pika!” he happily replied. He seemed to be faster than some weeks before.
This stood out for me. I know it's your fic and you can disregard this but I watched the first episode not so long ago and Pikachu was quite round and over the years he's actually lost a lot of weight. So if he was coming close to his old weight, wouldn't it be you've put some weight on. But I can see why you wouldn't put that.

You could say gain muscle because that could fit in quite well with what you mentioned about Pikachu's speed improving.

And I really liked this part:
“Ash, you just got lucky,” Misty replied. “ If that kid would’ve been more experienced, he would’ve never let a wet Pokemon use an Electric attack.”

“Who cares?” Ash responded, after calling Squirtle back into his Poke Ball. “I’m the winner!”

“Stan, next time your Ledyba is wet, don’t use Thunderpunch,” Misty said to her boyfriend’s opponent. “Water conducts electricity.”

I thought this was a nice touch. It made me feel as if Ash had predicted a thundermove on Squirtle and with Misty specializing in water types, this part felt really logical and made a whole lot of sense. And again, I don't think electric needs a capital E.

But other than that nice work.
 
Sorry it took so long.

No problem. This chapter also took too long.

I think this chapter shows some improvement because I thought it was very well paced and you introduced Stan. For some reason I imagined him looking a bit like Trip only paler.

Thank you! The pacing is also why I think this chapter shows some improvement. And I think introducing Stan was good, because of a lack of OC characters of the day so far. Only having old rivals appear is unrealistic, so having OC characters of the day for Ash and Misty to battle is better. I'll be introducing more simple character of the day OC's like that from now on.

And this part confused me:


This stood out for me. I know it's your fic and you can disregard this but I watched the first episode not so long ago and Pikachu was quite round and over the years he's actually lost a lot of weight. So if he was coming close to his old weight, wouldn't it be you've put some weight on. But I can see why you wouldn't put that.

You could say gain muscle because that could fit in quite well with what you mentioned about Pikachu's speed improving.

Well, in the beginning of the fic, Pikachu was overweight (which started as a joke because of me accidentally drawing Pikachu too fat once quite some time ago, many people liked it, Angel too, so I put that in the fic), but later, I decided Pikachu will have the weight and appearance from Kanto (Pikachu being overweight didn't really have a point), so Pikachu needed to lose some weight. Now, people still think Pikachu's weight is funny/cute and I think Pikachu being overweight didn't really have a point, so it's better this way. It would've been more logical to have the Kanto weight from the start, but now this is the best way to fix this. Maybe I'll let Pikachu not be overweight at all when I revise the chapters (I'll revise all chapters when I finished the whole fic).

And I really liked this part:


I thought this was a nice touch. It made me feel as if Ash had predicted a thundermove on Squirtle and with Misty specializing in water types, this part felt really logical and made a whole lot of sense. And again, I don't think electric needs a capital E.

Thank you! Electric does need a capital E, Pokemon types do require capital letters. At least, I used them throughout the whole fic, not doing it now would be pretty inconsistent. And Ash didn't predict anything, he just got lucky: Stan told Ledyba to use Thunderpunch, but he didn't know about water conducting electricity, so that went wrong.

But other than that nice work.

Thank you! I don't think it's a good chapter, I'm not satisfied, but I do see some improvement, because of the better pacing. It at least means there's some significant improvement.

EDIT: I edited out the entire Pikachu weight thing, it's just pointless.
 
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CHAPTER 14 - REVENGE

“We’re finally there! Finally!” Ash shouted, with a big smile and a competitive fire burning in his heart and eyes.

“Goldenrod City,” Misty replied. “It took a while, but we’re here.”

“The first thing we should do is going to the Gym, so I can beat Whitney and get a Plain Badge! The Gym is very close to the entrance of the city!” he responded. He started running, and Misty ran along, knowing she had no choice.

“I knew he’d do that...” Misty thought. “Oh well, then let’s save the clothe shopping for later, even though my current outfit is getting quite chilly now.” The weather wasn’t as warm as it used to be, autumn had started, but Misty was still wearing a revealing summer outfit: she forget to take warmer clothes with her when she left Cerulean City to travel again.

“Hurry Misty, we’re almost there!” Ash shouted, with Pikachu being on his shoulder. Misty ran after him, and Togetic flew after him. “Ash, slow down, please...”

“No, Misty, we’re already there,” he replied, standing before a big building with a glass door. He opened the door and went in, together with Misty, Pikachu and Togetic. “Welcome, Ash! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you,” a pink-haired woman wearing a white, long-sleeved dress said. “Are you here to battle?”

“Of course,” Ash responded. “I want a Plain Badge, and it’s also a nice chance for revenge. Last time, you gave me the Badge while I didn’t win under fair conditions, because you only used one Pokemon while I used three. Now I want a fair win.”

“That’s nice, but you won’t get revenge. I’ll beat you,” the Goldenrod City Gym Leader replied.

“No, you won’t,” Ash said. “Let’s start this instant. No more talking, let’s battle!”

“That’s the way I like it!” Whitney responded. She hurled a Poke Ball and shouted “Go, Clefairy!” A pink Pokemon appeared on the battlefield.

“Go, Bulbasaur!” Ash replied, sending out Bulbasaur. “Where’s the referee?” he asked.

“He quit his job two years ago, but I don’t think we need a referee to battle,” Whitney replied. “Let’s get this battle started!”

“Ash, good luck! Togetic and I will be rooting for you,” Misty said.

“Bulbasaur, let’s start with your Vine Whip!” Ash commanded. Two long vines on the left and right of the bulb and Bulbasaurs back shot out and wrapped around Clefairy.

“Clefairy, use your Metronome,” Whitney decided. Clefairy moved her fingers around, and suddenly popped out of Bulbasaurs vines, and stood on the other side of the battlefield.

“It’s Teleport,” Misty said.

“Now Clefairy’s over here!” Whitney said. “Now, use Metronome again.” This time, Clefairy started splashing around. “Oh no, she can’t get up!” Whitney screamed.

“It’s Splash, Bulbasaur,” Ash said. “Now, this is our chance! Sludge Bomb.” Purple sludge was shot out of Bulbasaurs bulb, harshly hitting the splashing Clefairy.

“Yay, we won!” Ash shouted, padding Bulbasaur.

“Nice lucky win, Ash,” Misty said. “Toge toge tic!” Togetic added to that.

“Ash, you got lucky this time. But now you’ll have to fight for it, lucky time is over!” Whitney shouted. “Go, Castform!” A cute, white Pokemon came out of the Poke Ball.

“Bulbasaur, let’s win this! Use your Solarbeam!” Ash shouted. The Grass Pokemon started charging.

“Castform, use your Flamethrower,” Whitney commanded. Flames came out of Castform’s mouth, hitting Bulbasaur, who was unable to evade because of charging for a Solarbeam.

“Bulbasaur, no!” Ash screamed. His heart was beating fast, because of the tension. “Can you go on?” Bulbasaur stood up, but looked exhausted.

“Bulbasaur, let’s beat him with Razor Leaf,” Ash said. Leaves were hurled at the Weather Pokemon, who barely got hit.

“Castform, now use your Icy Wind,” Whitney commanded. A chilly breeze could be felt in the Gym, and Ash saw how Bulbasaur was too weak to avoid the cold attack. Then, Bulbasaur collapsed!

“Yeah, Castform, we can do it!” Whitney said with a big smile.

“Bulbasaur, you did a very nice job. Come back,” Ash said, returning the beaten Grass Pokemon to his Poke Ball. Then, he took another Poke Ball from his belt, sending out his next Pokemon. “Totodile, go!”

“Castform, let’s get our second win in a row,” Whitney said. “Thunder!” A big shockwave was aimed at Totodile. The crocodile Pokemon was zapped, but stood up, and even started jumping and dancing.

“How can he dance after such a shock?” Whitney asked.

“I’m afraid Ash’s Totodile’s got ADD,” Misty replied.

“We can do it, Totodile!” Ash said energetically. “Use your Ice Beam!” Castform got stuck in the ice, and changed his shape. He turned blue, and looked like a snowy cloud.

“Now, Totodile, use your Focus Punch!” Ash commanded. Because Castform was unable to move in the ice, Totodile had all time to focus and prepare. “Now!” Ash shouted. Totodile raised his right fist, and broke through the ice, hitting Castform harshly. The transformed Pokemon was done for.

“You did a good job, Castform. Have some rest,” Whitney said. She returned Castform to her Poke Ball, and sent out Miltank, her signature Pokemon.

“Totodile, we can do it. Use your Headbutt!” Ash commanded. The crocodile ran at the cow Pokemon, and hit her. However, Miltank didn’t look harmed.

“Now use your Rollout!” Whitney commanded. Miltank lay on her back and started rolling around the battlefield, harshly hitting Totodile, who already had a hard fight against Castform.

“No, Totodile!” Ash shouted. “Can you get up?” The Water Pokemon tried to stand up, and succeeded in that. “Yeah, Totodile!” Ash said. “Now let’s use Dragonbreath!” A green ray came out of Totodile’s mouth, hitting Miltank, who looked damaged by the attack.

“Miltank, let’s do this now. Use your Tackle!” The cow Pokemon ran at Totodile, and hit him. The Water Pokemon fell down on the ground and couldn’t stand up anymore.

“Totodile, you did a great job! Come back and have some rest,” Ash said. “I’ve got only one Pokemon left. Squirtle, go!” A turtle Pokemon came out of Ash’s Poke Ball.

“Squirtle, use your Water Gun!” Ash shouted. Water was aimed at Miltank, who got wet, but didn’t look injured.

“Miltank, use your Body Slam!” Whitney commanded. The cow Pokemon hit the turtle before he had a chance to evade. Squirtle looked hurt and seemed to be exhausted. He tried to stand up.

“Squirtle, you can do it!” Ash shouted.

“Pika Pika!” Ash’s Pikachu added to that.

“Come on, Squirtle, I know you can beat that Miltank!” Misty shouted.

“Toge Togetic,” Togetic said.

Squirtle then stood up, even though it was just barely. The turtle Pokemon knew he had to finish the battle quickly, he couldn’t take much more. Both Ash and Whitney noticed that as well.

“Squirtle, Bubblebeam,” Ash said to Squirtle. Bubbles were spit at Miltank, who got hit quite harshly. The force of the bubbles took their toll on Miltank, who looked exhausted, but wasn’t defeated yet.

“Miltank, let’s finish this once and for all with Rollout!” Whitney shouted. The cow Pokemon rolled at Squirtle at high speed.

“Squirtle, Wirthdraw!” Ash shouted. Squirtle hid his legs, arms, tail and head in his shell. It was just in time: just before Miltank hit the shell, Squirtle was fully wirthdrawn in his crust. Even though he was blown in the air at high speed, he didn’t suffer from the attack. “Now use Hydro Pump!” High-powered rays of water came out of the shell, throwing Miltank at the wall.

“And now finish her off with Skull Bash!” his Trainer commanded. The turtle came out of his shell and hurled himself at Miltank, hitting her with his head at high speed. Miltank was exhausted. She lied on the ground and didn’t move anymore.

“Miltank, you did well. Have some deserved rest,” Whitney said to her Pokemon. Then, she walked to Ash, who was celebrating the win with Squirtle. “Ash, you’ve done a great job, you deserve this Plain Badge!” she said. She gave Ash his reward: a badge.

“Yay, I’ve got... a Plain Badge!” he shouted. “Pi Pikachu,” Pikachu added to that. Ash returned Squirtle to his Poke Ball.

“Ash, that was awesome!” Misty complimented.

Ash and Misty said goodbye to Whitney and left the Gym. When they walked out of the building, Ash felt a blow in his stomach. “What was that?” he asked.

“It’s a Growlithe,” Misty said. The Fire Pokemon lied on the ground after bumping into Ash. Then, it stood up and tried to attack Misty, who padded it because she felt sorry for it after bumping into Ash.

“Pikachu, use your Thunderbolt on that Growlithe,” Ash commanded. As his trainer said, Pikachu zapped Growlithe, who was defeated. “Go, Poke Ball!” Ash shouted, hurling a red and white ball at the dog Pokemon. After waiting a few seconds, Ash saw Growlithe was caught.

However, then the Poke Ball suddenly disappeared. “Misty, let’s go to the Pokemon Center to use a phone there. Then we can get Growlithe here,” Ash proposed.

“Okay, but I also want to shop here before we leave this city,” Misty said. She and Ash started walking to the Pokemon Center, which was very close by the Gym.

“But that’s boring!” Ash replied.

“I don’t care, I really want this, whether you like it or not!” Misty replied, looking annoyed and slightly mad.

“Oh all right...” Ash said. “But only if you won’t ask me for my opinion on every item you try on.”

“That’s okay, you don’t have any sense of how good clothes look anyways,” Misty said with a smile. Ash looked like he was annoyed.

Then, they arrived at the Pokemon Center and dialled Professor Oaks phone number.

“Hello, Ash and Misty,” the Professor said.

“Hello Professor,” Ash and Misty said simultaneously.

“Ash, can I ask you a favour?” Oak asked.

“Of course!” Ash replied.

“There have been fires around Pallet Town recently, and the fire fighting squad could use some help. Could you please send Squirtle to me? Then he can stay at the laboratory like your other Pokemon, and can be called upon when there’s a fire,” Oak explained.

“That’s okay,” Ash replied. “Could you send me my newly caught Growlithe in return?” Ash asked.

“Of course!” Oak responded. Then, Ash and Professor Oak swapped the Pokemon.

“Professor, Squirtle just battled against Whitney, so he’s very tired now. You should let him rest,” Ash said .

“That’s okay,” Oak said. “Congratulations with your badge, by the way!”

“Thanks,” Ash replied.

“Bye Ash, and thank you,” Professor Oak said.

“Bye Professor,” Ash responded.

“Ash, now we’re going to shop,” Misty said. She and Ash walked out of the Pokemon Center and set course to the mall. They walked through the streets of Goldenrod City, and saw buildings like the Radio Tower, and the Goldenrod City Department Store, which sold Pokemon goods and lots of potions and curing items. But Ash and Misty wouldn’t go there, they were heading to the shopping mall.

“This is gonna be boring...” he thought. “Misty, is there anything I can do to not have to do this?” he asked.

“No, there isn’t,” she replied.

Then, Ash saw a billboard with some Bug Pokemon on it, and read the text. “Are you a Pokemon Trainer? If yes, take part in the Bug Catching Contest! 1 September in the National Park!”

“Misty, the Bug Catching Contest is next Saturday! That’s only three days from now. I’m gonna participate.”

“Why?”

“Because I wanna win, I’m already excited,” he replied. But there was no excitement now: he walking to the shopping mall, because Misty wanted to go there...

“Ash, is this really necessary?” Misty asked.

“Yes, it is! And I think it’s fair,” he replied. “You get to go to the shopping mall now, which I hate, so me going to that contest which you hate should be fair.”

“He’s right...” she thought. “It would be unfair to forbid him, but I can’t stand those bugs...” Then, she looked at Ash and said “I don’t like it, but you’re right.”

Then, they arrived at a store. Misty entered the shop and went to the jeans department. She tried on different jeans, and asked Ash which one he liked the most. He didn’t care, and kept saying that. He also didn’t understand how he should judge what looks the best on Misty. “Misty, I’m so bored...” he said.

“Well, I’ll be bored during the Bug Catching Contest, and we won’t stop shopping until I have jeans, a coat for the winter and a cardigan!” she replied.

“Then I hope that won’t take too long...” he responded.

“Ash, I have an idea to make this somewhat less boring for you,” she proposed. “Maybe you need some new clothes too?”

“But that’s even more annoying than waiting for you!” he said.

“Well, maybe you also need a coat for when it’s colder,” Misty said. “Here, try this one on, I think it’ll look good on you.” Ash tried on the green winter jacket. “Hey, it does look good on you!” she said.

“Well, you are right about me needing a coat for the winter, so let’s buy it,” Ash said.

Half an hour later, Misty finally found jeans she liked. She walked at Ash and asked him whether they looked nice on her or not. But Ash didn’t respond: he was sleeping on a chair in the shop.

“Ash, wake up!” Misty shouted in his ear.

“What... I was sleeping... And shopping here is so boring... Misty, was that really necessary?” he asked.

“Yes, it was!” Misty answered. “Now, do you think I look good in these jeans or not?”

“What... Yes...zzzz...” Ash replied with a sleepy face, almost falling asleep again. He didn’t slumber again: Misty prevented that with her iron right fist.

“Okay, sorry! I’ll stay awake now... But Misty, can we go now? Let’s just go to the pay check and leave this stupid shop,” Ash proposed.

“No,” Misty replied.

“Why not?” he asked.

“I also want to buy a cardigan and a coat here. The temperatures are going down lately, and only having the belly top I’m wearing now is too chilly,” Misty said. “I want a cardigan to wear over this top, and also want a coat for when winter starts.”

“Shall I help you looking for clothes? Then we’ll be finished sooner,” Ash proposed.

“Your taste is horrible, but maybe you accidentally find something nice,” Misty said. Ash didn’t feel offended: he knew Misty was right.

“Look, Misty. Maybe this black cardigan is nice?” Ash asked.

“Hey, Ash, I like it! I’ll try it on.” Misty replied. She put on the black garment and looked in a mirror on the wall. “Thanks, Ash! I don’t know how, but you found a nice cardigan for me, in the right size!”

“Well, it means we can get out of this stupid store faster,” he responded.

“Um... Indeed,” she said. Then, she and Ash walked to the coats department. There, Misty saw a long, red winter jacked. She tried it on, and found out it fitted her well. She also thought it looked nice on her, and decided to buy it.

After standing in a long line for the pay check for half an hour (which made Ash even more bored and annoyed than he already was), Misty finally purchased the clothes she wanted. She went to a fitting room to put on her jeans after paying for the clothes, and put her shorts and jacket in her bag. She put on her new cardigan too, but left it open. Ash put his coat in his bad. Then, she and Ash finally left the store, much to Ash’s happiness. Pikachu and Togetic also were glad to leave the store: human’s clothing didn’t interest the two Pokemon, who were quietly following their trainers around while being bored all the time in the store.

“I’m sure glad we’re out of that store,” Ash said.

“I’m glad I found nice clothes in just one store, that went faster than I expected,” Misty replied. “Now let’s move on to National Park.”

“National Park, here we come!” Ash shouted with a lot of enthusiasm. He started running at high speed, with Misty, Pikachu and Togetic trying to keep up with him. Then, Togetic said something to Pikachu: “To Togetic!”
 
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CHAPTER 15 - THE RETURN OF BROCK

It was a nice autumn afternoon when Ash and Misty were walking to National Park, after having lunch. Soon, they would be there where Ash was going to take part in the Bug Catching Contest this afternoon, just like he did six years ago.

“Ash, is there nothing I can do to make you skip this contest?” Misty begged, looking really sad.

“No. I went clothe shopping with you, this is the least you could do in return,” Ash responded.

Then, when they reached the entrance of National Park, Ash saw a phone and quickly decided to call Professor Oak.

“Hey Ash, it’s good to see you,” he said.

“Professor Oak, I quickly want to get my Quilava for the Bug Catching Contest,” Ash said.

“Okay, but I need Quilava back for my research immediately after the contest. What Pokemon will you send to me?”

“I’ll send you Pidgeot.”

And so, the trade happened. Ash and Professor Oak said goodbye to each other.

“That’s smart, Ash! Quilava has a type advantage against Bug Pokemon,” Misty said.

“Indeed, and I also wanted to see Quilava again after such a long amount of time. This journey, I’ll start rotating my Pokemon more often,” Ash replied.

“That’s a good thing, then you can see some of your Pokemon that are with Professor Oak more often,” Misty said.

Then, they heard a familiar voice. “Hey, you guys! It’s great to see you two again!”

“Hey Brock!” Ash said. He gave his old pal a high-five.

“It’s nice to see you again, Brock! How are you doing?” Misty asked. “And what are you doing here?”

“Well,” Brock said, “life isn’t good for me now. After flirting with Officer Jenny at the Pokemon Center when taking her injured Growlithe, my girlfriend Nurse Joy dumped me... She caught me hitting on Officer Jenny.”

“Brock, you did that to yourselves. No woman will accept it if their boyfriend constantly flirts with others,” Misty replied.

“I know, but I just can’t control myself when I see a hot woman...” Brock said.

“And what brings you here to National Park?” Ash asked.

“In Pewter City, I saw a billboard about this contest, so I decided to go here because I thought you two would be here.” his best friend replied.

“Are you going to take part too?” Ash asked.

“You bet! You won’t win this contest, ‘cause Brock’s here!” Brock replied.

“Brock, stop it. You know I’m going to win this contest,” Ash responded.

Misty tried to change the topic. “And how are you doing as a Pokemon Doctor?”

“I quit,” Brock said. Ash and Misty looked surprised?

“Why? You seemed dedicated to that when we parted in Sinnoh...” Ash asked.

“It’s nice to help injured Pokemon, but I miss what I really love doing: being a Pokemon Breeder. A doctor can only take care of injured Pokemon, while I want to learn more about Pokemon and treat and train them well when they’re healthy too. So from now on, I’ll go traveling again and work on becoming a better Pokemon Breeder,” Brock replied.

“That’s just like Gary! He said he missed being a Pokemon trainer and now he’s my rival again, and acts like a total dick to me...” Ash said.

“Does he also drive around in a limousine with his cheerleaders again?” Brock asked.

“Yes, he does,” Misty answered.

“I’d love to see that...” Brock said.

Then, a purple-haired girl came at Ash, Misty and Brock. “Hello! It’s great to see you all again,” she said.

“Hi Casey!” Ash, Misty and Brock said simultaneously.

“Meganium, let’s sing!” Casey ordered. And so it happened: Casey started singing the Electabuzz victory song. “Come on Electabuzz, the greatest team of all...” Ash, Misty and Brock didn’t listen, while Pikachu and Togetic were dancing together with Casey’s Meganium.

Then, they heard a loud voice out of a microphone. “Trainers, the Bug Catching Contest will start in five minutes. All Trainers can get Park Balls upon entering the National Park. When you caught a Pokemon you’re satisfied with, return to the entrance. Each trainer is only allowed to use one Pokemon. After an hour, we’ll take a look at the Pokemon you’ve caught and decide the winner. The winner gets to keep his or her Pokemon and will win a Sun Stone.”

Ash took a Poke Ball from his belt. “Quilava, I choose you!” Ash said. “Hey, Quilava, long time no see!” Quilava looked happy. “Quilava!”

Then, Casey and Brock also chose their Pokemon for the contest. Casey decided to take part with her Electabuzz, while Brock chose his Ludicolo.

Then, when the contest started, Misty went to the stand after wishing Ash, Brock and Casey good luck. She wanted to be as far away from the bugs as possible. Those scary insects scared the hell out of her. Her Togetic accompanied her, while Ash and Casey left Pikachu and Meganium with her as well.

Ash walked through the grass and saw a group of trees. When looking there, he saw a Volbeat. The firefly was sitting on a branch. “Quilava, hit it with your Flamethrower!” Ash commanded. The Fire Pokemon spit some fire at the Bug Pokemon, who fell down the tree. It was knocked out, so Ash threw a Park Ball. Volbeat was caught! “Yay, I’ve got... a Volbeat!” he shouted so loud, that the whole park could hear him. Quilava also danced from happiness like he was Totodile.

From two hundred metres away, Brock saw everything. “Well done, Ash!” he shouted.

“Thanks, Brock! Good luck catching a Pokemon!” Ash replied.

Then, Brock saw a Parasect. “Ludicolo, use your Razor Leaf!” Brock commanded. Ludicolo hurled leaves at the Grass and Bug Pokemon, but the opponent didn’t seem to be affected. Then, the Parasect charged at Ludicolo, who looked hurt.

“That’s a strong Double-Edge... Can you go on, Ludicolo?” Brock asked.

Ludicolo stood up. “Yeah, that’s the spirit!” his trainer said. “Ludicolo, use your Doubleslap!” Ludicolo slapped Parasect multiple times, until it was defeated.

“Great, Ludicolo!” Brock said. “Park Ball, go!” After a few seconds, the Park Ball stopped moving and Parasect was caught.

On the other side of the park, Casey was having more trouble. While Brock and Ash were already at the entrance with their bugs, Casey was still searching with only ten minutes left. She wasn’t even able to find a Weedle or a Caterpie!

However, with only eight minutes left, she saw a big, yellow and black striped Pokemon sleeping. A Vespiquen! Not only a very strong Pokemon, also a Pokemon fitting Casey’s preference for Pokemon with black and yellow stripes. This was a dream come true for the Electabuzz baseball fan. And the bee Pokemon was sleeping, so catching it shouldn’t be too hard. Casey decided to throw a Park Ball without battling, but the Vespiquen came out of the Park Ball, and was awake too!

“Electabuzz, it looks like we gotta battle for this! Use your Thunder!” Then, the bee went down. “Park Ball, go!” Casey shouted. She prayed to Arceus, hoping to catch Vespiquen this time. Arceus granted her wish: she captured the bee!

“Yay, I’ve got.. a Vespiquen!” she shouted. Then, she and her Electabuzz hurried to the entrance. She was just in time: there were two minutes left.

Meanwhile, at the stand, Misty was waiting. She got lucky: in the past hour, no Bug Pokemon crawled on her legs yet. However, she didn’t get that lucky: behind her back, Togetic was having a conversation with a wild Ariados and a wild Ledian. Pikachu tapped her back and pointed at Togetic and the bugs. Then, Misty went crazy. “AAAHHH! BUGS!!! HELP!”

Pikachu was shocked by Misty’s reaction, even though he knew about her bug phobia. Pikachu couldn’t help it: he shocked Misty, Togetic and the wild bugs. Meganium got lucky: she didn’t get affected by the Electric attack. Ledian and Ariados quickly went away at the speed of light, but not as fast as Team Rocket when they’re sent flying.

Then, the event was finally over. Misty and the Pokemon went back to their friends.

“Hey, Misty, you and Togetic look hot-headed and a bit electric...” Ash said. He was laughing.

“What happened to you?” Casey asked.

“Togetic was having a conversation with two wild Bug Pokemon, I got scared and Pikachu got shocked by that, and shocked us...” Misty replied.

“Well, you’re still not over that fear,” Brock mentioned.

“I probably never will,” Misty said.

Then, the announcer announced the results. “Third, with a beautiful Vespiquen, Casey! Give her a big applause!” Casey went on a stage, and looked disappointed: she didn’t get to keep her newly caught bug.

“Second, with a strong Volcarona, Bugsy!” The Azalea Town Gym Leader took part in this contest every year, as a Bug Pokemon lover. He walked up on the stage, and was unable to keep Volcarona. “I was so close...” he thought.

“Even Bugsy didn’t win... Then the winner must’ve caught a really good Pokemon,” Brock said.

“I bet I’m the winner!” Ash replied.

“And the winner is, with a remarkably strong Parasect, Brock!” the announcer stated.

“YAHOO! FIRST PRIZE!” Brock screamed from happiness. “AND FINALLY A PARASECT!” He ran up on the stage and got his prize. But what was more important to him, was that he also was able to keep his Parasect!

Then, the contest ended. Many people left National Park. Ash, Misty and Brock said goodbye to Casey, who went back to Goldenrod City to catch the Magnet Train to Saffron City. She was travelling through Kanto. But before she left, she sang the Electabuzz Victory Song once more, to Ash’s, Misty’s and Brock’s annoyance and Pikachu’s and Togetic’s pleasure.

“Brock, congratulations with your Parasect! Why did you want one so badly?” Ash asked.

“Thanks, Ash! And Parasect can produce all sorts of medicinal powder, which is always great for a Pokemon Breeder,” Brock answered.

“Where will you be going now?” Misty asked.

“Um... I don’t know,” he said.

“Hey, I know! Brock, how about traveling with me and Misty again for the time being, just like before?” Ash suggested.

“That’s a great idea!” Misty added to that.

“Of course,” Brock replied happily. “Thank you! But only for a short while: when Pike Queen Lucy returns from her holiday to Dewford Island, I want to be back in Kanto, so I might have a shot at getting together with her! She really liked me when we visited her years ago, so maybe I can stand a chance.”

“You’re welcome,” Misty said. “And I’ve never met Lucy, but from what Ash told me about her, you and her can be a great couple! When will she return?”

“In three weeks,” Brock said.

“Where will you two be going now?” Brock asked.

“We’re off to Ecruteak City,” Ash said. “Then we’ll head for Olivine City and then we’ll go to the Whirl Islands, where Misty will take part in the Whirl Cup.”

“Okay, that’s cool. Then I’ll travel with you two until Ash won his Badge in Ecruteak City, then I’ll take the plane back to Kanto. I also have a suggestion: I saw a billboard at the airport of Pewter City about the Catch-A-Seaking competition, in which Misty also took part six years ago. Maybe you two could take part again,” Brock suggested.

“Yay!” Misty shouted. “Thank you, Brock! When is it?”

“You’re welcome,” Brock said. “And it’s in two days.”

“Thanks, Brock. I’ll use Dewgong, he hasn’t battled much lately,” Misty said.

Then, Ash, Misty and Brock walked onwards. However, after two minutes, Misty said “Ash, you forget to send Quilava back to Professor Oak!” And so, our heroes went back to the National Park entrance, and gave their friend a phone call.

“Hello, Ash!” Professor Oak said. “How was the contest? Did you win?”

“Unfortunately, no. Brock won,” Ash said.

“Aww, that’s too bad for you and Quilava. Could I have your Quilava back?” the professor responded.

“Sure!” Ash replied.

“Hold on, Ash,” Professor Oak said. “Is it okay if I send you your Noctowl instead of Pidgeot? Noctowl really misses you.”

“That’s okay. And come to think of it, Noctowl will come in handy in my next Gym Battle anyways,” Ash replied.

“That’s good. Noctowl is happy with your decision,” Professor Oak said.

Then, Ash put the Poke Ball on a platform next to the video phone. The Poke Ball got transported and got replaced by another Poke Ball, in which Noctowl was. Ash and Professor Oak said goodbye to each other.

Then, Ash and Misty walked onwards. They saw a big balloon shaped like a Meowth. “Oh no, it’s Team Rocket!” Brock said.

“Noctowl, I choose you! You know what needs to be done!” Ash said. The owl with the odd colours came out of the Poke Ball and popped Team Rocket’s balloon, just like he did in the old days. “Thank you, Noctowl. Return!” Jessie, James and Meowth lay on the ground, and just stood up.

“Why did you do that, twerps?” Jessie asked.

“Yeah, we didn’t do anything yet!” James shouted angrily.

“Well, you two are never up to anything good,” Misty replied.

“I’ll handle this further. Hoppip, I choose you!” Misty shouted. However, instead of the pink Grass Pokemon, Psyduck decided to come out of its Poke Ball.

“Psyduck, that was very naughty!” Misty shouted.

“Psy...” the not so smart duck said, not understanding what was going on.

“Psyduck, hit that balloon with your Psybeam now!” Misty snapped, getting more and more angry at her Pokemon. Psyduck didn’t understand.

Then, it was all too much for Misty. She collected all her power and hit Psyduck on his head with her strong right fist. Then, Psyduck got a headache, triggering its psychic powers. He used Psychic, and Team Rocket went blasting off again! Misty returned Psyduck to its Poke Ball.

“We didn’t do anything wrong... This is unfair!” Jessie said.

“We just have to live with it... Every time we encounter the twerps, we’ll be attacked, whether we did something wrong or not...” James said in a sad voice.

“We didn’t even get to say our anthem,” Meowth said. He started crying.

Then, Jessie’s Wobbuffet popped out of its Poke Ball. “Wobbuffet!”

“Team Rocket is blasting off again!” Jessie and James said simultaneously.

”Meowth!” the talking cat added to that.

“We disposed of them nicely,” Brock said.

“Your Psyduck is strong, even more impressive than how short your temper is,” Ash said to his girlfriend.

“I don’t have a short temper!” Misty snapped at Ash.

“Misty, you obviously have an anger problem,” Brock said. “You can only solve problems if you accept them, and don’t deny them.”

“I don’t have an anger problem!” Misty screamed. Ash and Brock were scared and stopped talking about it.

Later that afternoon, after walking further, our heroes saw a blonde-haired girl wearing skinny jeans and an “I love Gary” T-shirt practicing her dance moves. “Gary, Gary, he’s our man! If he can’t do it, no one can!” she muttered. Next to her was a Fearow dancing along.

“Hello, are you a Gary fan?” Ash asked.

“Yes, I am, I’m practicing my dance moves, hoping to ever become one of his cheerleaders,” the girl replied. Then, she looked into Ash’s eyes, and shouted “But you are even hotter than Gary!” She gave Ash a hug and attempted to kiss him on the cheek.

However, Misty prevented that by pushing the Gary fangirl away. “Sorry, but he already has a girlfriend!” she shouted.

“Thanks, Misty!” Ash whispered.

“Hey, girl, you won’t get Ash, but you can have me! What’s your name? I’m Brock,” the former Pewter City Gym Leader said.

“I’m Anne. And this is my pal Fearow. And I’m not interested in a relationship with you,” the girl said. “I only want Ash or Gary.”

Then, she walked up to Misty. “Don’t be so protective of Ash! Maybe he wants me. It’s up to him to choose!”

“Sorry, but he’s in a relationship with me and he loves me! He thanked me for saving him from your kiss!” Misty snapped.

“Let’s battle about that!” Anne proposed. “One on one”

“Ash’s heart decided he chooses me, but if you want me to humiliate you in a battle, be my guest!” Misty replied. “Go, Hoppip!”

“Oh no, Misty is at a type disadvantage...” the heartbroken Brock said.

“Brock, you don’t know that Hoppip,” Ash said. “That Pokemon is a beast.”

“Brock, will you be the referee?” Misty asked.

“Sure,” Brock answered.

“Fearow, let’s start with your Drill Peck!” Anne commanded. The ferocious bird Pokemon flew at Misty’s tiny Grass Pokemon, who quickly evaded the big bird’s beak.

“Hoppip, use your Razor Leaf!” Misty commanded. The pink Pokemon hurled leaves at Fearow, who fell down on the ground.

“And now Bounce!” Hoppip bumped on Fearow’s back multiple times. Fearow didn’t really feel pain, but felt something tickle. This distracted the bird from battling.

“Hoppip, suck all energy out of the bird with your Leech Seed!” Misty commanded. Fearow still felt the tickle and wasn’t concentrated enough to evade the attack. Vines came out of the seed shot by Hoppip and covered Fearow.

“Hoppip, let’s finish this with Seed Bomb!” the former Cerulean City Gym Leader said. Seeds were hurled at Fearow, who was done for.

“Fearow is defeated. Victory goes to Misty and Hoppip!” Brock the referee stated. Misty gave Hoppip a hug, and Togetic was happy too. The Happiness Pokemon congratulated her friend Hoppip, just before Pikachu gave Togetic a big hug. Then, the Grass Pokemon was recalled to his Poke Ball.

“Anne, I told you you were going down, and my prediction came true,” Misty said.

“You’re right... I’m the laughing stock of the Goldenrod City Gary Fan Club!” Anne replied. She started crying.

“How many members does that lame club have?” Ash asked.

“I’m the only member,” Anne cried. Then, Ash, Misty and Brock walked away, with Togetic flying next to them and Pikachu sitting on Ash’s shoulder.

“Misty, that Hoppip is very impressive!” Brock said, while our heroes were walking through the grasslands.

“Thank you!” Misty said.

Then, our heroes walked onwards. Onwards to the pond on this road, which was still quite some miles away. And onwards to Ecruteak City.
 
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CHAPTER 16 - CATCH-A-SEAKING CONTEST

On a nice, sunny autumn afternoon, our heroes were heading forward to a big lake down the road to Ecruteak City. There, Misty would participate in the Catch-A-Seaking Contest. In that contest, participants are allowed to use one Pokemon and a rod of their choice, and have one hour to catch a Seaking, using Lake Balls. The participant catching the heaviest Seaking is the winner, and will get a trophy and a year’s supply of chocolate. Participants are not allowed to keep the Seaking, and are also not allowed to catch a Seaking if that Seaking has been defeated by another participant.

“We’re almost there, I can already see a flag of the contest,” Brock said after looking on his map. “And we still have one and a half hour before the contest starts.”

“I’m so excited! And the prize is a year’s supply of chocolate,” Misty replied. “And of course the trophy would also be awesome to have!”

“Brock, how about a practice battle? In the meantime, Misty can register for the contest,” Ash proposed.

“Good idea, Ash! But I won’t go easy on you!” Brock replied.

“Totodile, I choose you!” Ash shouted.

“Marshtomp, let’s beat him!” Brock said.

“Totodile, start this battle with Headbutt!” Ash said. Totodile ran at Marshtomp and immediately started the battle with a harsh hit.

However, Marshtomp also was able to hit Totodile harshly. “Marshtomp, use your Double-Edge!” Brock commanded. A harsh tackle damaged Totodile.

“Totodile, use your Iron Tail!” Ash shouted. Totodile jumped, and hit the slow Marshtomp harshly with its tail.

“Marshtomp, use your Water Pulse!” Brock shouted. Some water hit Totodile, who seemed confused after being hit on the head. However, some seconds later, the confusion seemed to be over.

“Totodile, Scary Face!” Ash commanded. Totodile tried to look angry in order to scare Marshtomp, but the Ground Pokemon was laughing instead. In fact, he couldn’t stop! Totodile wasn’t able to scare its opponent, but he was able to distract it: mission accomplished!

“Totodile, now hit him with Hydro Pump before he can stand up!” Ash commanded. Totodile spit water at Marshtomp at high speed, hitting the Ground Pokemon. Marshtomp fell on the ground.

“Marshtomp, can you stand up?” Brock asked. Marshtomp tried, but seemed to be unable to continue this battle.

Ash started celebrating. “Yay, I... WHAT?” Ash interrupted himself and was shocked. Marshtomp started glowing, grew and turned into a Swampert: he evolved!

“Cool, Marshtomp... Er, I mean Swampert, you evolved!” Brock said, looking amazed at his newly evolved Pokemon. “Would you like to continue this battle?” Swampert nodded “yes”, even though he was tired.

“Totodile, let’s end this once and for all! Use your Ice Beam!” Ash commanded.

“Swampert, evade it and use Hyper Beam!” Swampert jumped, started charging, and then, a small explosion followed. When the smoke was gone, Ash and Brock were able to see that both Pokemon were defeated. Totodile was defeated by the strong Hyper Beam, while Swampert was too tired to go on. Using Hyper Beam took a lot of its power.

“Swampert, you battled well. Have some rest,” Brock said gently to his defeated Pokemon. “Ash, you did a fine job,” Brock complimented his friend.

“You did well too,” Ash replied. “And your Marshtomp evolved.” He called Totodile back into his Poke Ball.

Shortly after that, Misty returned from the reception counter. In about half an hour, the contest would start. While Misty walked to the boats she could use for the contest, Ash and Brock walked to the stand to watch the contest, cheer for Misty and take care of her Togetic.

When walking next to the lake, Misty let Dewgong outside of his Poke Ball. “Dewgong, you and me are gonna win the Catch-A-Seaking Contest!”

Dewgong replied with a smile. “Dew gong gong gong!” he said energetically.

Then, Misty saw a familiar face: it was Marina, her rival. “Hey, Marina! It’s good to see you here!” she shouted.

“It’s nice to see you too, Misty,” Marina said. “But Starmie and I’ll beat you.”

“No, you won’t,” Misty responded. “Dewgong and I are going to win.”

Then, Misty walked onwards. She saw another rival of hers, her friend Sakura. “Hey, Sakura! Good luck into this contest!”

“Thanks, Misty!” Sakura replied. “And your Dewgong looks cool!”

“Thank you,” Misty said. Dewgong looked flattered. “With what Pokemon are you participating?”

“I’ll use my Espeon,” Sakura said.

Then, Misty found her boat. She and Dewgong hopped into it. They were ready to start the contest. When she heard the starting signal, Misty went to a spot in the lake where no others were. She took her backpack, took her rod out of it, put a Misty lure on it and hurled it into the water.

After one minute, Misty felt something was on the hook. With a lot of trouble, she reeled in the rod, and a very big Seaking appeared!

“Dewgong, this is our chance to catch a great one! Use your Aurora Beam!” Misty commanded. A beam with beautiful colours hit the wild fish, who wasn’t defeated yet. Instead, the Pokemon swam away from Misty. She tried chasing it with her boat, but was unable to keep up with the speedy fish.

“Well, that was a good show! I’m laughing my ass off!” someone said in a mean voice. Misty turned around and saw Andreas, the man who she battled after catching an equally heavy Seaking six years ago. He was an arrogant person, who ripped on Misty six years ago. And he hasn’t changed a bit.

“Andreas, did you already catch a Seaking?” Misty asked.

“Of course!” he said. “My Mantine is strong enough to beat ‘em in one hit with Wing Attack, unlike your weak Dewgong! We already caught a really fat Seaking, who’ll win us this contest! So now, go away and let Mantine and me relax in the sun!”

Misty drove away. She wanted to get away from that horrible guy as soon as possible. Dewgong had thoughts about hurting Andreas with his horn, but decided to teach Andreas a lesson by beating him instead of being violent.

Meanwhile, Ash and Brock were sitting on the stand. They weren’t paying attention to Misty, they were talking.

“Brock, why are you attracted to almost any girl you see?” Ash asked.

“I don’t know, that’s how the Lord Arceus created me,” Brock replied. “Don’t you sometimes feel attracted to others than Misty?”

“Rarely,” Ash replied. “Six years ago, we met that girl, Giselle. I thought she was totally hot, but I didn’t develop a crush and didn’t fall in love. Aside from that, I never had feelings for others than Misty,” Ash replied.

“What was the moment when you realized and accepted your feelings for Misty?” Brock asked.

“Three years ago, after returning from my second journey through Sinnoh. People often told me I was in love with Misty back when I travelled with her six years ago, but I never believed it. Back then, I felt something, but wasn’t able to define what I felt. Three years ago, that feeling got stronger and stronger, and when my mom said that I probably was in love, I finally realized and accepted all these people were right,” Ash said.

“You are so dense, you should’ve realized this sooner!” Brock snapped.

“When?” Ash asked.

“Back when we travelled, then you could’ve confessed to her before we had to split in Johto,” Brock answered.

“Come on!” Ash snapped. “I was ten years old, ten year olds aren’t romantic!”

“Well, Misty was romantic when she was ten! I talked to her about her feelings for you very often when you were training. She wanted to confess, but was too afraid you’d say no. You only seemed interested in Pokemon, and not in anything else. She gave so many hints, but you just couldn’t understand. I promised her to never tell anybody this until she confessed her feelings herselves,” Brock responded. “And I was also able to feel love at the age of ten!”

“Brock, are you sure you ever really loved a girl?” Ash asked. “You mostly see girls as hot, as eye candy to share the bed with! Have you ever felt real love? I feel real love for Misty!”

“I know you do, Ash,” Brock said. “And yes, I really love Lucy. She’s more special than all those other girls I met...”

“And when you are together with her, you’ll keep flirting with any random hot chick you meet,” Ash said.

“No!” Brock screamed.

“Why should I believe that? You told you and Nurse Joy broke up because you kept flirting with others...” Ash asked.

“Because I just saw Nurse Joy as hot,” Brock replied. “I really love Lucy.”

“Well, good luck. And be romantic!” Ash advised.

“Ash, why are you the one saying that?” Brock asked.

“Why do you ask that?” Ash replied.

“Well, you are the most unromantic person I know! Even when you take Misty on a romantic date to watch the sunset, you screw it up because you want to battle!” Brock shouted.

“But I did come up with the idea all by myself!” Ash defended himself. “I was trying to be romantic!”

“Yeah, but then you ruin the romance yourselves!” Brock shouted.

“Says the one who hasn’t been able to find love in six years, even though he’s been doing his very best to find love!” Ash replied.

“Um... I don’t know what to say now... You’re right...” Brock muttered. Then, Ash and Brock were silent for ten minutes.

“Sorry if I went too far... Are we still friends?” Ash asked after the silence.

“Of course you’re still my best buddy... We’re both not the perfect boyfriend for the ladies, but they’ll have to accept us for who we are! No man is perfect,” Brock said.

“You’re right, even though I don’t think Lucy would appreciate it if you cheat on her,” Ash replied.

“You are totally right, I need to learn to control myself when I see an attractive girl,” Brock replied. “But until I go to Lucy, I’m still free to flirt with whatever girl I want!” he added to that. Ash laughed.

Meanwhile, at the lake, Misty reeled in a Seaking. Then she noticed it: it was the same one she already caught this afternoon, the one that fled! This time Misty and Dewgong had an advantage: it was already weakened by Dewgong’s Aurora Beam.

“Dewgong, defeat it with your Horn Drill!” Misty commanded. After hitting the fish with his horn, the Seaking was defeated.

Then, from out of nothing, a Lake Ball was thrown at Seaking. Then, Misty saw it was captured by a familiar-looking purple-haired woman wearing a pink ballet dress, accompanied by her Roselia, a red-haired man wearing a tuxedo and a cat-like creature with a black moustache, jeans and a black blouse. “Where do I know these guys from?” Misty thought.

“Hey, that’s unfair! I defeated this Seaking!” Misty shouted.

“Yeah, but I threw a Lake Ball first!” the purple-haired woman shouted.

Then, the fake moustache of the cat-like creature fell of. It was Meowth, from Team Rocket! The other two were Jessie and James. They were crossdressing and wore wigs to make them unrecognisable.

“Hey, it’s Team Rocket!” Misty said.

“Yeah, so what? We’re allowed to participate in this contest,” Jessie snapped.

“How did you get that Roselia, James?” Misty asked.

“I caught it in the forest yesterday, it was a wild one,” James replied. “I prefer stealing over catching, but I already love my fairly acquired Roselia.”

“Goodbye!” the three meanies shouted, quickly fleeing from Misty’s raging right fist, which was about to hit James.

Misty knew she had to concentrate on the contest, and that she had to catch a new Seaking. She would never be able to prove she defeated the Seaking James caught: everyone could make such claims. So, Misty hurled her rod in the water, and got lucky: a quite big Seaking was on the hook! Then, Dewgong defeated the Seaking in one hit with his Aurora Beam. Misty threw a Lake Ball, and got lucky: the Seaking was caught! And just in time: after catching Seaking, the contest was over. The participants were asked to come to the reception to weigh their Seaking.

Andreas’s Seaking was only 36 kilograms (the average Seaking is 39 kilograms). Misty was laughing out loud, and Dewgong looked at Andreas in a teasing way. Andreas was very angry: now Misty knew he overestimated the weight of his Seaking, and now Misty was likely to beat him. Then, Sakura was weighing her Seaking: 40 kilograms. James’s fish was a whopping 50 kilograms! How could anyone beat that?

Then, Marina saw her Seaking was only 46 kilograms. Misty was the last one who got to weigh her Seaking: 50 kilograms, a tie!

When there is a tie in the Catch-A-Seaking contest, the people who tied have to do a one-on-one battle on a water field to decide the winner. Misty and James walked to the big stage, where a battlefield was located. There was water, and a few platforms to stand on as well. James’s Roselia and Misty’s Dewgong were ready to battle.

“You’re going down, twerp!” James shouted. He wasn’t wearing a wig anymore, but still wore his pink dress. The audience was laughing because of silly James was looking.

“You’re going down, thief!” Misty snapped. “Dewgong, dive underwater!” Dewgong went underwater. Roselia wasn’t able to see the Sea Lion Pokemon there.

“Dewgong, now use your Hyper Beam!” A strong beam out of Dewgong’s horn defeated Roselia in one hit!

Then, Misty and Dewgong hugged. Ash, Brock, Togetic and Pikachu were happy as well, and immediately came to the stage to congratulate Misty.

However, then Jessie ran up to the stage, and grabbed Misty’s trophy. “That thing will get me a lot of money on the black market!”

“No, it won’t!” Brock said. “Go, Chansey! Use Psychic!” After coming out of her Poke Ball, Chansey waggled her fingers and moved the trophy from Jessie’s hands to Misty with the Psychic attack. Then, Brock also sent out Steelix.

“Steelix, use your Iron Tail and make them blast off again!” Brock commanded. Steelix did what he had to do: he sent Team Rocket flying. Then, our heroes heard a loud “Team Rocket is blasting off again!”

“Misty, can I have some chocolate?” Ash asked.

“Only one bar, I’ll donate the rest to charity,” Misty replied.

“Why?” he asked.

“The poorest part of Cerulean City is the southeast of the city. There, many families can barely survive from their low incomes. The children there never get to eat something special, they can just eat enough to barely survive. Now it’s time for them to get something tasty,” she replied.

“Could I perhaps have two bars?” Ash was begging for chocolate, he was expecting more than one bar and was trying to see if he could get more.

“Okay, then, but two and no more than that!” Misty replied.

“Misty, it’s a very mature decision of yours to do this!” Brock said.

“It’ll be shipped to Cerulean City on our costs. This is very thoughtful of you, young lady!” the referee on the stage said.

Then, it was time to leave the lake, and walk onwards to Ecruteak City. The city wasn’t very far away anymore, it was only two days walking away.

When walking through a grassy area with a river next to it, they noticed a brown-haired girl wearing jeans and a pink top. Ash and Misty knew her: it’s Melody. She was riding her Milotic in the river, which was next to the road and led to Ecruteak City.

“Wow, she’s hot!” Brock shouted. “That Milotic is gorgeous!” Misty added to that. Melody heard that, and looked where the sound came from. Then, she noticed Ash and Misty, who were holding hands and standing next to each other. She stepped on the grass, while Milotic was still in the river.

“Hey, Misty, how are you and your boyfriend doing?” Melody asked in a teasing manner.

“Great, I just won the Catch-A-Seaking Contest,” Misty said.

“You have to admit that I was right six years ago. Ash is so your boyfriend!” Melody said.

“Not really. I did have feelings for him back then, and I still do, but I hadn’t confessed my feelings to him yet back then, and he was too dense to confess!” Misty replied..

“Melody, you are hot. So, will you kiss me?” Brock asked.

“No, I won’t,” Melody said. Brock started crying.

“Hey, that’s a cool Milotic!” Ash said. “How about a little battle?”

“Okay, what Pokemon will you choose?” Melody asked.

“Pikachu, he has a type advantage against your Milotic,” Ash replied.

“Milotic, let’s start off with a Twister!” Melody commanded. A tornado of water caught Pikachu and shaked him around. Pikachu was a bit dizzy, and also hurt, but far from defeated yet.

“Pikachu, use your Volt Tackle!” Ash commanded. Pikachu came at Milotic, who wasn’t fast enough to evade. “Now we’re equal.”

“Milotic, hit him with your Confuse Ray!” Melody commanded. Pikachu got hit by a dark ray that confused Pikachu. He wasn’t able to obey Ash anymore.

“Now, let’s finish this with Hydro Pump!” Melody commanded. Pikachu was hit harshly by the strong attack. He collapsed.

“Oh no, Pikachu!” Ash shouted. Brock, who was acting as a referee, declared Melody to be the winner.

“Congratulations, Melody, well done,” Ash said. Misty and Brock congratulated her as well.

“Thanks, guys,” Melody said. “I have to go now, I have a date in National Park tomorrow, and I want to be on time.”

“Who are you going to date?” Brock asked. His voice and his expression showed jealousy.

“A nice guy who I met on a dating site,” Melody replied.

“Have fun! Bye!” Misty said. “When we meet again, please tell me how your date went!”

Then, our heroes walked onwards. Onwards to Ecruteak City.
 
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