Ash's Return: A Pokémon Story

Chapter Six: Terror

Ash made quick work of his next three opponents in the qualifying rounds. He beat a genius-level middle-eastern man named Arun, a relaxed westerner named Johnny who just seemed happy to be taking part, and finally someone from Kanto: Lorelei, a former member of the Elite Four at the local Pokémon League. With all the experience he and his Pokémon had acquired, there was no scenario Ash could not handle. He reached the final eight and felt more confident than ever. He was, however surprised to neither see nor hear anything of Gary during the competition. Where could Gary be if not at the biggest Pokémon tournament of all time? He even contacted a few old acquaintances and one remarked that the last place they had seen Gary was in Viridian City, around six months ago. This was the last time Gary's family had heard from him, so something odd had definitely happened in the area. Ash did not have time to delve further into this mystery, however; the quarter finals would begin two days after Ash's previous battle, so he barely had enough time to rest and for his Pokémon to recover before it began all over again.

He had spent barely any time with Misty or Brock in the last few days, and part of him was keen to be alone with Misty again. The night before his next battle, Ash went out to dinner with his two friends and his mother, who had arrived in town earlier that day and would be watching the rest of the tournament using Ash's free ticket. The three of them expressed their pride at him reaching this far, but he was disappointed that he went through the whole meal without catching Misty's eye once. She was intentionally avoiding capturing his attention and he understood why: she did not want to distract him at this crucial time. But he was already distracted; he could not stop thinking about her. He just wanted to get one moment alone with her before he entered the finals.

Ash, his mother and his friends were all staying in a hotel for the duration of the competition. As they each went off to their separate rooms, Ash gently took Misty's hand.

"Misty, can I have a word?" he asked. Misty looked into his eyes and nodded. They stood alone in the corridor.

"Erm," Ash began. He was suddenly lost for words. Misty slowly stepped in until they were almost touching. Ash could feel her soft breath on his face.

"We'll talk after you win, Ash. We'll have all the time in the world after that." She kissed him gently, then took both of his hands in hers. After staring at him for a few seconds longer she released his hands, turned and disappeared into her room. The intimate moment was over in a flash.

Jessie, James and Persian stood on a hilltop overlooking Viridian City. They surveyed the scene and each of them had an identically-menacing smile on their face. A man in a black Team Rocket uniform approached and bowed.

"Everything is prepared, Madam. The troops and equipment are in place," he said, not meeting Jessie's eye.

"Good. Execute Phase One," Jessie replied. The man scurried off and she nodded slowly, excited about what was to come.

The stadium was full to the brim with citizens from every country and politicians from several major governments; the world had come to watch this spectacle. Ash was loitering underneath the stands, listening to the commentary on one of the other battles, nervously awaiting his turn. There was no more preparation needed; he had faced so many trainers, tested himself countless times. All that was left was to show up and light the competition on fire with his and his Pokémon's skills. Pikachu sat next to him, humming softly. Suddenly, the Pokémon's ears pricked up and his nose twitched. He stood and ran outside, up through the open tunnel and into the stadium. Ash was confused. He took off after Pikachu.

Pikachu stood at the arena's edge and sniffed the air. Something was wrong. "Pikach..." the Pokémon began saying, then he was knocked to the ground and all went dark.