ZeldaFan20
Coral Eye Trainer
Well, even after all the great comments on it last time, it appears that The Bittersweet Reunion has been taken off the sight. Fear not, though; starting today, my first story is making an encore appearance! I know my old readers will be very happy---and those who didn't see it will have another chance to enjoy my work. So, without further ado, here we go again!
It is early morning, somewhere around 7:30 am. A gentle rain falls on a small path surrounded on both sides by trees. Along this path, a figure is seen running. It is a small child, in bare feet and pajamas, panting. In his face there is much sadness, and an evident feeling of abandonment. The tears his eyes shed mingle with the raindrops. Finally, he stops.
There is a cliff, one that overlooks another, much wider road. This road runs through a green meadow, towards a large forest. The child looks down and sees a figure walking along it. There’s a man, carrying a large backpack. The boy knows the man, who is starting out on a long journey. He then calls out to him.
“DAAAADDYYYY!...................DAAAADDYYYY!”
The man listens, and turns his head. Seeing the boy on the cliff above, he smiles a cheerful, yet sorrowful, smile, and waves. Then he turns back around, and continues towards the woods.
The boy sheds more tears as his father vanishes from sight. He promptly sits on the cold, wet ground, buries his face in his hands, and cries.
“Daddy, why do you have to go away? Daddy..........”
“Huh?................Oh, that dream again.”
Ash sat up in his sleeping bag, a cold sweat forming on his brow.
Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Misty were on their way back to Pallet Town after Ash’s victorious triumph at the Johto League. Unlike his battles in the Kanto League at Indigo Plateau, Ash had made it to the final competition. He had gone up against his rival and neighbor, Gary Oak, and the battle was still fresh in his mind.
He remembered Nidoking and Arcanine’s crushing defeat against his Croconaw, Nidoqueen falling easily to his Quilava, and Alakazam (a real tough hitter) and Gyarados both taking a beating from Pikachu. And then there was Umbreon. Ash had first sent Pikachu to battle Umbreon, but it got knocked out after a couple of strong Quick Attacks. Croconaw and Meganium didn’t fare well for very long either. However, Ash got the upper hand when he sent out his Snorlax. It actually took all that Umbreon threw at it, and then delivered the final blow with a Body Slam, giving Ash the win.
After that battle they all spent the rest of the evening celebrating. Finally, after the awards ceremony, they headed for home. Ash was anxious to see his mom and Professor Oak again.
He looked around the glen where the whole party had camped out for the night, and noticed that the sun was just beginning to rise. Although most of the sky above was still dark, a little pink could be seen along the horizon. He then turned to observe the campsite.
Brock was all nice and snug in his navy-blue sleeping bag, which was directly opposite Ash’s. Misty was lying comfortably on her left side right next to the fire, with her Togepi closely folded in her arms. Ash then glanced at Pikachu, who was lying near his left hip. Pikachu had woken up about two minutes after he did, and looked worriedly at its young master.
“Pika pi?” it asked.
“Shhhh,” Ash whispered, not wanting to wake anyone else up, “I’m okay Pikachu. I just had a weird dream, that’s all. Let’s go back to sleep.”
“Pi pika chu,” Pikachu responded sleepily.
The two friends then lay back down, closed their eyes, and fell fast asleep once again.
“*Yawn*, what a great morning. Time to start breakfast.”
Brock climbed out of his sleeping bag, stretched his arms and legs, and began starting a fresh fire. It had been three hours since Ash had his dream, and Brock was eager to get the day started.
Misty got up next and took a pail down to the river to get some fresh water. Pikachu and Togepi were playing around in her sleeping bag; mostly crawling around inside it like a couple of moles.
Ash sat up, gave a big yawn, and watched them play. “Hey, are you two pretending to be a couple of Diglett?” he said. He tried to force a cheerful giggle, but, ever since he had that strange dream, he began to feel kind of bummed.
“It’s about time you got up,” Misty snapped as she walked back to the campsite with the water, “How about getting the blanket and dishes ready so we can eat!”
A few minutes later everyone was sitting on the blanket, eating the omelets Brock had cooked up. Pikachu, Togepi, and all the other Pokémon enjoyed their chow on the grass. Brock and Misty finished their meal in just two minutes.
“Hey, Ash,” Misty said suddenly, “what’s wrong?”
Misty noticed that Ash hadn’t finished his omelet. In fact, he had only eaten two bites before he began to pick at it with his fork. She also noticed the look on his face: he seemed listless, almost...unhappy.
Brock stepped in, “Yeah, you’re not your same old ‘look out world, here I come’ self this morning.”
Ash didn’t answer, nor did he acknowledge what they said. All he could think about was the subject in his dream.
“I wonder where he is?” he thought, “Why didn’t he come back yet? Did something...?”
“PIKA!”
“YOW!”
SPLAT!
Pikachu noticed that Ash wasn’t even listening to his friends, and shouted in his ear to “wake him up” as it were. Ash jumped, and spilled the rest of his breakfast right in his lap. Misty and Brock tried to repress themselves, but they burst out laughing. I guess they probably expected Ash to laugh too, because they were very surprised by the angry look on his face.
He stood up, grabbed his backpack and shouted, “I’m going to the river to wash up! I don’t want anyone bothering me!” before stomping off downhill. Everyone just sat there, staring.
“Gosh,” Misty said, “I never expected him to react like that.”
“Me neither,” Brock replied.
“I think I’ll go down and see if he’s alright.” Misty stood and was about to leave, when Brock stopped her.
“No, we’d better not. Let him blow off a little steam first, then we’ll check on him.”
“Okay…still, I wish I knew what was wrong.” She sat back down and began to clear off the blanket.
“He’s probably just excited to be going back home. I bet that, the minute he walks in the door and sees his Mom, he’ll be laughing again in no time.” Brock tried to sound reassuring, but he was just as worried about Ash as Misty was.
“I hope you’re right,” she said.
“Pika chu…” Pikachu nodded sadly.
Meanwhile…
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!”
After a long walk and nothing to eat, Jessie, James, and Meowth finally made it to the new Team Rocket Headquarters Building. The large white marble mansion towered over the threesome as if it didn’t welcome visitors. Aside from that, what they mostly feared was their boss. After their humiliating defeat at the Johto League by Ash, Giovanni had sent them a letter, by Spearow, to go to the new Headquarters immediately.
Just as they pressed the button on the front door’s intercom to announce their arrival, a trap door opened up, causing the group to drop at least 10 feet before hitting the ground. After landing, four Grunts grabbed them and led them into a large room at the end of a long hallway.
“Shut the door on your way out,” said a voice.
The four guards left the room and shut the door, leaving their fellow members alone with whoever was inside. They looked nervously around the room, trying (and hoping not) to find the speaker. Suddenly, Meowth gasped.
“What’s the matter with you, Meowth?” Jessie whispered.
Meowth then pointed a shaky claw at a window straight ahead. Jessie and James looked up, and froze.
Standing at the window, back turned towards them, was a man, wearing a bright-orange business suit, who was possibly between 35 and 40 years of age. He had a slightly muscular build, short black hair, a clean-shaven face, and piercing brown eyes. Standing beside him, growling and glaring at the frightened bunch, was a Persian. The entire room was silent for what seemed like hours, but when he finally spoke, the three behind him nearly jumped out of their skins.
“You idiots have disappointed me too many times. I have given you such simple assignments that even a rookie would easily pull off, and yet all you have managed to steal was a weak little Togepi. If it weren’t for the magnificent efforts of all your fellow Rockets, we would’ve been a laughing stock long ago.”
“We understand your disappointment, Boss,” James stepped in, “You see, we would have given you a palace full of Pokémon three years ago, including that Pikachu, but ever since we crossed paths with those meddlesome...”
“SILENCE!” Giovanni shouted angrily, “And that’s another thing: I have had it with your pathetic excuses AND with your pointless crusade. I am giving you fools one last chance to prove yourselves - and this time, I want you to concentrate on fetching me a variety of Pokémon, not just on one useless Pikachu.”
“But, Boss,” Meowth said, “you don’t understand; this Pikachu ain’t nothin’ like all de other Pikachus you’ve see before.”
“What are you talking about, you fleabag?” he asked.
Meowth continued, “It’s like dis: Pikachu is not only faster and stronger than the average Pikachu, but it’s also capable of learning some attacks much faster too. It’s quite a remarkable Pokémon, Boss.”
Giovanni slowly turned his head and looked at Meowth. “Hmm...intriguing. Anything else I need to know about this ‘rare’ Pokémon, Meowth?”
It was then that Jessie stepped in, “Well, sir, only that it has been traveling with a group of brats for the past three years. One used to be the Pewter Gym Leader; the other is one of the Cerulean Gym Leader Sisters. The last one, the one who trains the Pikachu, is just a twerp from Pallet Town.”
Suddenly, Giovanni swung completely around and looked in their direction, wearing a very surprised look on his face. “Where did you say this child was from?”
The three of them started at his face, but Jessie continued, “P-Pallet...T-Town,” she stammered.
“What gender?” he demanded. Jessie, James, and Meowth just looked at each other in confusion. “BOY OR GIRL, YOU DOLTS?”
“B-B-Boy,” they all said together.
“I believe he is called Ash, sir,” James added.
“Ash...” Giovanni turned to look out the window again. He placed his palms on the windowsill, laid his forehead against the glass, and sighed.
He was silent again for a long while, until Meowth asked, “Hey, Boss, is somethin’ botherin’ ya?”
Giovanni chuckled, and then turned to face them again.
“Ash, is it? Hm-hm-hm-hm...I would like to meet this boy.”
“Leave it to us, Boss,” Jessie chimed in, “we shall fetch this troublemaker for you.”
“No, I will handle this myself.”
The three of them were very shocked to hear this. “Your’e going yourself?!” they exclaimed. Instead of answering, he pressed a red button on the wall behind him. Almost immediately, a guard walked in.
“Yes, sir?”
“Have my private helicopter ready for departure. I will be leaving for Pallet Town first thing tomorrow morning.” The guard saluted, and left.
The Bittersweet Reunion
Chapter One
Chapter One
It is early morning, somewhere around 7:30 am. A gentle rain falls on a small path surrounded on both sides by trees. Along this path, a figure is seen running. It is a small child, in bare feet and pajamas, panting. In his face there is much sadness, and an evident feeling of abandonment. The tears his eyes shed mingle with the raindrops. Finally, he stops.
There is a cliff, one that overlooks another, much wider road. This road runs through a green meadow, towards a large forest. The child looks down and sees a figure walking along it. There’s a man, carrying a large backpack. The boy knows the man, who is starting out on a long journey. He then calls out to him.
“DAAAADDYYYY!...................DAAAADDYYYY!”
The man listens, and turns his head. Seeing the boy on the cliff above, he smiles a cheerful, yet sorrowful, smile, and waves. Then he turns back around, and continues towards the woods.
The boy sheds more tears as his father vanishes from sight. He promptly sits on the cold, wet ground, buries his face in his hands, and cries.
“Daddy, why do you have to go away? Daddy..........”
“Huh?................Oh, that dream again.”
Ash sat up in his sleeping bag, a cold sweat forming on his brow.
Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Misty were on their way back to Pallet Town after Ash’s victorious triumph at the Johto League. Unlike his battles in the Kanto League at Indigo Plateau, Ash had made it to the final competition. He had gone up against his rival and neighbor, Gary Oak, and the battle was still fresh in his mind.
He remembered Nidoking and Arcanine’s crushing defeat against his Croconaw, Nidoqueen falling easily to his Quilava, and Alakazam (a real tough hitter) and Gyarados both taking a beating from Pikachu. And then there was Umbreon. Ash had first sent Pikachu to battle Umbreon, but it got knocked out after a couple of strong Quick Attacks. Croconaw and Meganium didn’t fare well for very long either. However, Ash got the upper hand when he sent out his Snorlax. It actually took all that Umbreon threw at it, and then delivered the final blow with a Body Slam, giving Ash the win.
After that battle they all spent the rest of the evening celebrating. Finally, after the awards ceremony, they headed for home. Ash was anxious to see his mom and Professor Oak again.
He looked around the glen where the whole party had camped out for the night, and noticed that the sun was just beginning to rise. Although most of the sky above was still dark, a little pink could be seen along the horizon. He then turned to observe the campsite.
Brock was all nice and snug in his navy-blue sleeping bag, which was directly opposite Ash’s. Misty was lying comfortably on her left side right next to the fire, with her Togepi closely folded in her arms. Ash then glanced at Pikachu, who was lying near his left hip. Pikachu had woken up about two minutes after he did, and looked worriedly at its young master.
“Pika pi?” it asked.
“Shhhh,” Ash whispered, not wanting to wake anyone else up, “I’m okay Pikachu. I just had a weird dream, that’s all. Let’s go back to sleep.”
“Pi pika chu,” Pikachu responded sleepily.
The two friends then lay back down, closed their eyes, and fell fast asleep once again.
“*Yawn*, what a great morning. Time to start breakfast.”
Brock climbed out of his sleeping bag, stretched his arms and legs, and began starting a fresh fire. It had been three hours since Ash had his dream, and Brock was eager to get the day started.
Misty got up next and took a pail down to the river to get some fresh water. Pikachu and Togepi were playing around in her sleeping bag; mostly crawling around inside it like a couple of moles.
Ash sat up, gave a big yawn, and watched them play. “Hey, are you two pretending to be a couple of Diglett?” he said. He tried to force a cheerful giggle, but, ever since he had that strange dream, he began to feel kind of bummed.
“It’s about time you got up,” Misty snapped as she walked back to the campsite with the water, “How about getting the blanket and dishes ready so we can eat!”
A few minutes later everyone was sitting on the blanket, eating the omelets Brock had cooked up. Pikachu, Togepi, and all the other Pokémon enjoyed their chow on the grass. Brock and Misty finished their meal in just two minutes.
“Hey, Ash,” Misty said suddenly, “what’s wrong?”
Misty noticed that Ash hadn’t finished his omelet. In fact, he had only eaten two bites before he began to pick at it with his fork. She also noticed the look on his face: he seemed listless, almost...unhappy.
Brock stepped in, “Yeah, you’re not your same old ‘look out world, here I come’ self this morning.”
Ash didn’t answer, nor did he acknowledge what they said. All he could think about was the subject in his dream.
“I wonder where he is?” he thought, “Why didn’t he come back yet? Did something...?”
“PIKA!”
“YOW!”
SPLAT!
Pikachu noticed that Ash wasn’t even listening to his friends, and shouted in his ear to “wake him up” as it were. Ash jumped, and spilled the rest of his breakfast right in his lap. Misty and Brock tried to repress themselves, but they burst out laughing. I guess they probably expected Ash to laugh too, because they were very surprised by the angry look on his face.
He stood up, grabbed his backpack and shouted, “I’m going to the river to wash up! I don’t want anyone bothering me!” before stomping off downhill. Everyone just sat there, staring.
“Gosh,” Misty said, “I never expected him to react like that.”
“Me neither,” Brock replied.
“I think I’ll go down and see if he’s alright.” Misty stood and was about to leave, when Brock stopped her.
“No, we’d better not. Let him blow off a little steam first, then we’ll check on him.”
“Okay…still, I wish I knew what was wrong.” She sat back down and began to clear off the blanket.
“He’s probably just excited to be going back home. I bet that, the minute he walks in the door and sees his Mom, he’ll be laughing again in no time.” Brock tried to sound reassuring, but he was just as worried about Ash as Misty was.
“I hope you’re right,” she said.
“Pika chu…” Pikachu nodded sadly.
Meanwhile…
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!”
After a long walk and nothing to eat, Jessie, James, and Meowth finally made it to the new Team Rocket Headquarters Building. The large white marble mansion towered over the threesome as if it didn’t welcome visitors. Aside from that, what they mostly feared was their boss. After their humiliating defeat at the Johto League by Ash, Giovanni had sent them a letter, by Spearow, to go to the new Headquarters immediately.
Just as they pressed the button on the front door’s intercom to announce their arrival, a trap door opened up, causing the group to drop at least 10 feet before hitting the ground. After landing, four Grunts grabbed them and led them into a large room at the end of a long hallway.
“Shut the door on your way out,” said a voice.
The four guards left the room and shut the door, leaving their fellow members alone with whoever was inside. They looked nervously around the room, trying (and hoping not) to find the speaker. Suddenly, Meowth gasped.
“What’s the matter with you, Meowth?” Jessie whispered.
Meowth then pointed a shaky claw at a window straight ahead. Jessie and James looked up, and froze.
Standing at the window, back turned towards them, was a man, wearing a bright-orange business suit, who was possibly between 35 and 40 years of age. He had a slightly muscular build, short black hair, a clean-shaven face, and piercing brown eyes. Standing beside him, growling and glaring at the frightened bunch, was a Persian. The entire room was silent for what seemed like hours, but when he finally spoke, the three behind him nearly jumped out of their skins.
“You idiots have disappointed me too many times. I have given you such simple assignments that even a rookie would easily pull off, and yet all you have managed to steal was a weak little Togepi. If it weren’t for the magnificent efforts of all your fellow Rockets, we would’ve been a laughing stock long ago.”
“We understand your disappointment, Boss,” James stepped in, “You see, we would have given you a palace full of Pokémon three years ago, including that Pikachu, but ever since we crossed paths with those meddlesome...”
“SILENCE!” Giovanni shouted angrily, “And that’s another thing: I have had it with your pathetic excuses AND with your pointless crusade. I am giving you fools one last chance to prove yourselves - and this time, I want you to concentrate on fetching me a variety of Pokémon, not just on one useless Pikachu.”
“But, Boss,” Meowth said, “you don’t understand; this Pikachu ain’t nothin’ like all de other Pikachus you’ve see before.”
“What are you talking about, you fleabag?” he asked.
Meowth continued, “It’s like dis: Pikachu is not only faster and stronger than the average Pikachu, but it’s also capable of learning some attacks much faster too. It’s quite a remarkable Pokémon, Boss.”
Giovanni slowly turned his head and looked at Meowth. “Hmm...intriguing. Anything else I need to know about this ‘rare’ Pokémon, Meowth?”
It was then that Jessie stepped in, “Well, sir, only that it has been traveling with a group of brats for the past three years. One used to be the Pewter Gym Leader; the other is one of the Cerulean Gym Leader Sisters. The last one, the one who trains the Pikachu, is just a twerp from Pallet Town.”
Suddenly, Giovanni swung completely around and looked in their direction, wearing a very surprised look on his face. “Where did you say this child was from?”
The three of them started at his face, but Jessie continued, “P-Pallet...T-Town,” she stammered.
“What gender?” he demanded. Jessie, James, and Meowth just looked at each other in confusion. “BOY OR GIRL, YOU DOLTS?”
“B-B-Boy,” they all said together.
“I believe he is called Ash, sir,” James added.
“Ash...” Giovanni turned to look out the window again. He placed his palms on the windowsill, laid his forehead against the glass, and sighed.
He was silent again for a long while, until Meowth asked, “Hey, Boss, is somethin’ botherin’ ya?”
Giovanni chuckled, and then turned to face them again.
“Ash, is it? Hm-hm-hm-hm...I would like to meet this boy.”
“Leave it to us, Boss,” Jessie chimed in, “we shall fetch this troublemaker for you.”
“No, I will handle this myself.”
The three of them were very shocked to hear this. “Your’e going yourself?!” they exclaimed. Instead of answering, he pressed a red button on the wall behind him. Almost immediately, a guard walked in.
“Yes, sir?”
“Have my private helicopter ready for departure. I will be leaving for Pallet Town first thing tomorrow morning.” The guard saluted, and left.
Last edited: