Misty Goes To America Four St. Louis Station... Misty, Scott and Brock emerged from the platform exit, and looked around for any signs of Ash. So far, there was none. Brock tried Vulpix to locate Ash, but no luck. Then, suddenly, Misty realized that Ash was allergic to Vileplume's Poison Powder. Misty tried to coax Scott to launching the attack, but then, she realized that he, too, was allergic to it. Then, suddenly, she realized that they had Ash's Pikachu, and no matter what, Pikachu WILL find its way to Ash. Pikachu jumped out of Scott's backpack (Pikachu only sleeps inside the Ball, and stays out the rest of the time. Pikachu can also go in and out of the Ball as it pleases.), and walked around the station. After a few minutes, it returned, and shook its head. Misty started to cry, and Brock and Scott went over to try and comfort her, but she just pushed them both away. Pikachu jumped onto her lap, and gave her a kiss. Brock made a few calls, and everything was all set. Brock looked at the bus map, and traced a feasible route. The four went outside, and waited at the stop. The bus pulled up, and the group went on. Except Misty. "Misty, aren't you coming with us?" Scott asked. "No." Misty mumbled. "Misty, Ash isn't here. Come on, we'll take you out to that all- you-can-eat place that Mark told me about when I met him back in Los Angeles!" Brock added. "All-you-can-eat?" Misty asked. "Yep." Scott replied. "Well, let's go!" Misty shouted, instantly forgetting Ash. Scott and Brock smiled. Misty was back to her old self. They knew she loved Ash, but when it came down to food, it always does the trick. And maybe they'll find Ash there too, so they could be together again... Later... Misty settled into her room, flopped onto the king-sized bed, and sighed. All-you-can-eat, she thought to herself. Ooh, I can't wait...and if I see Ash there, it'll be a night I'll NEVER forget in a long time! Pikachu brought out a Pokemon TCG deck (which he had taken from Ash's backpack, and hid in his little backpack before he jumped the train and ran), and Misty decided to play a few games with him. Misty's cards were mostly Water Pokemon, and Pikachu's were of a mix of types. Although Pikachu had the upper hand, he didn't have a clear understanding of the game, so Misty won most of the games in the beginning. But just as Pikachu was about to win the 7th game, there was a knock at the door. Misty got up, and ended the game. Pikachu sighed, and moaned, "Pi pika pi pika chu...(So close, so close...)" At the door, was Brock. "Ready to go, Misty?" Brock asked. "Yeah. Let's go! Pikachu..." Misty replied. Pikachu rushed out into the hall, and rushed onto Scott's backpack. The trio made their way downstairs, and walked to the all- you-can-eat place. On the way, they passed by the Gym, which Misty rushed into. Scott followed her, and when they got inside, they saw a small crowd of trainers waiting to get the badge from the local leader. Scott motioned for Misty to follow Brock as he talked with the receptionist, but to no avail. The receptionist led the two into the arena, and when they entered, they saw the local gym leader inside the batting cage. "Hey, Scott, whatcha doing here in St. Louis, buddy?" The gym leader asked. "Oh, hey, Mark. I'm on vacation. My brother Cory's running the place while I'm gone." Scott replied. "Hey, you're Mark McGwire!" Misty asked. "Can I please have your autograph?" "Sure. What's your name, little lady?" Mark asked. "Misty. Misty Katsumi Waterflower, Cerulean City Gym Leader." Misty replied. "Cerulean City? Hey, you were at that Challenge at Dodger Stadium last week, weren't you?" Mark asked. "Yeah. You were great with your Electric Pokemon, Mark." Misty commented. "That Electrode of yours sure was good." "Thanks, Misty. Your Pokemon did a good job against Scott's Pokemon, by the way." Mark added. "So, Mark, have you battled a kid named Ash Ketchum for your Thunder Badge yet?" Scott asked. "Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, the kid who said he was the PL champ?" Mark replied. "YES!" Misty shouted, breaking the eardrums of anyone within 100 feet. "Sure. I clobbered his Pokemon. He had no chance. PL champ, hah!" Mark commented. "DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT ASH THAT WAY!" Misty screamed. "Okay, okay! He had a few good Pokemon..." Mark replied. "What did he use, Mark?" "Well, I used Magneton, and he used Ivysaur. When Magneton fried it, he used Pidgeot, and I fried it with my own Pikachu. Then, he called out to a Pikachu, which didn't appear." Mark explained. "Ash's Pikachu? It's right here...He must have jumped the train!" Scott shouted. "Then, he used his Charizard, which burned both Magneton and Pikachu. I pulled out Raichu, and the same thing happened. Now, all of them are at the Pokemon Centre, which leaves me time to practice hitting home runs!" Mark said, finishing the story. "Charizard actually listened to Ash?" Misty asked. "Yeah. Very obedient. Did the Fire Spin when his trainer asked him to." Mark commented. "Where is he now?" Scott asked. "Ash? After he left, some guys named Megan and Shawn from Team Rocket tried to steal my Pokemon, so he helped me defeat them. I gave him my Thunder Badge, and then, he disappeared." Mark replied. "What happened to Team Rocket?" Misty asked. "Team Rocket? See that hole up on the roof there? That's where they were blasted out." Mark replied. Then, suddenly, an evil cackle boomed over the PA system, and two very familiar voice came on it. "Prepare for trouble..." A female voice shouted. "Make it double!" A male voice shouted. Then, suddenly, a smoke bomb detonated, and two shadowy figures appeared in the smoke. The smoke soon disappeared, revealing Jesse and James, the co-presidents and CEOs of Team Rocket International. "To protect the world from devastation..." Jesse shouted, jumping off the ledge, and making a perfect 10-point landing. "To unite all peoples within our nation..." James added, following Jesse. "To denounce the evils of truth and love..." "To extend our reach to the stars above..." "Jesse..." "James..." "Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light..." "Surrender now, or prepare to FIGHT!" Then, Meowth jumped out from behind them. "Meeeeeeeeowth! That's right!" "Now, hand over the Pikachu!" James shouted. "Just give it to us, and we'll leave quietly." Jesse added. "Team Rocket! I never knew you'd ever follow us all the way to North America!" Misty shouted. "How did you know we had Pikachu?" "That little twerp didn't have it, so we knew he must have given it to you losers before he ran away!" Jesse replied. "Well, you're not going to get it, right, guys?" Misty shouted. "Right!" Mark and Scott replied. "Let's go, guys!" Scott added. Pikachu jumped off of Scott's backpack, and the trio sent out their Pokemon. "Go, Arbok!" Jesse shouted, tossing her Poke Ball into the ring. When Jesse had tossed her Poke Ball into the ring, James followed suit. "Go, Weezing!" The good guys weren't about to bend in, so they, too, decided to fight fire with fire. Mark was first, and tossed his first Poke Ball into the ring. "Electrode, go!" "Let's go, Vileplume!" Scott shouted, following Mark. "Misty chooses Starmie!" Misty added, tossing her hat into the ring. Then, Brock came in the door, and decided to join in on the fun. "Go, Golem!" Brock chimed in, tossing his Poke Ball. All the Poke Balls opened, and the Pokemon appeared. Pikachu jumped off of Scott's backpack, and joined in the battle. "Vileplume, Poison Powder attack!" Scott shouted. "Scott, don't! You're allergic to it!" Brock shouted. Too late. Vileplume had already filled the room with its Poison Powder, which made other Pokemon itch. While all the Pokemon were scratching, Scott and James fell onto the floor, unconscious. Brock panicked, and Misty rushed over to the fan switch, and turned it on. The Poison Powder was blown away, and Jesse was dragging an unconscious James and a Meowth scratching itself to death out the door. "Team Rocket's scratching off again!" Jesse shouted. Brock pulled out a First-Aid kit, and found a bottle of an anti- Vileplume Poison Powder serum. He grabbed a needle, and poured a bit in. He stabbed it into Scott's leg, and pressed the piston. Soon, the paramedics arrived, and took Scott away. (The story will now be switched to a diary mode, with the entries written by either Misty, Scott or Brock. PLEASE tell me what you think!) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------*** Tuesday *** *** Tuesday *** Dear Diary, Here we are, still in St. Louis. Yesterday, Scott forgot his own allergies, and ordered his Vileplume to launch Poison Powder. If Brock didn't have that serum, and I didn't call 911 as fast as I could, he would be dead. So far, still no signs of Ash. Brock and I had checked the station multiple times, but no sign. So Ash was still in St. Louis. But where would he go, now that he's got the Thunder Badge from Mark, other than to Miami, where the next gym was? We've checked the Gateway Arch, Busch Stadium, and all the cafes, motels, hostels and hotels in St. Louis, but still no sign. There was a guy in the Intensive Care ward that looked a bit like Ash, but the nurses say he doesn't even know his own name. I'm still waiting for Ash to come back to me. Ash, where are you? I love you, and I need you. Can anyone tell me where Ash Ketchum has gone? Diary, I just can't go on too much longer without him. Signing off, Misty ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- *** Wednesday *** Dear Diary, Still laid up in bed. I can't believe I could have forgotten something as simple. How could I ever THINK of telling Vileplume to launch Poison Powder without remembering that I'm allergic to that stuff? Today, Misty's been blabbing on over and over about some guy who they recovered from the Mississippi River. Apparently, he looks a lot like Ash, and it seems he has no idea who he is, or where he's from. Brock's called ahead to the Miami gym, and it seems like he hasn't been there. But, in a few days, we'll find out, when I get out of here, and make our way to Miami, where Ash is probably waiting for us. Ash, I'm sorry. It's not my fault, honest. Ash, please, Misty loves you, even more than me. Please, where ever you are, Ash, show yourself. Signing off, Scott ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- *** Thursday *** Dear Diary, We've found Ash, all right. Where, you ask? Remember that guy that can't remember his own name in the Intensive Care ward? Well, that's him. He's regained most of his memory now, and he knows who we are... Pikachu jumped onto his lap, and they hugged each other as Pikachu gave Ash a little kiss. Those two are inseparable. There's some sort of bond between those two, I know it. But what? Never mind about that now. Then, suddenly, he grabbed me, and hugged me. It was just like in my daydream on the train from Denver. I grabbed him, hugged him, and didn't let go. And I never, ever intend to ever again. Well, tomorrow, we leave St. Louis, and head for Miami. A new gym awaits Ash, and what kind of things are in store for us? I guess I'll find out soon enough. Boy, it's been a long day. Time to hit the hay...AND I LOVE ASH KETCHUM! Love, Misty ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- *** Friday *** Dear Diary, Well, we've finally arrived in Miami. First things first, the beach. Yeah, I guess I WAS ogling some of the ladies...they're really pretty, especially in their bikinis...But, then, SOMEONE decided to pull out the alarm clock.... But anyways, we let out our Pokemon, let them play (Not mine, they're hydrophobic) in the water, while we all caught some rays. It felt good, but...I forgot to put on sunscreen, so now I look like a giant lobster. Ash seems pretty content on getting the Soul Badge from Leanne, the local gym leader (Koga told me she was going out with the Seattle gym leader.), and Scott and Ash are going there tomorrow with him. While they do that, I'll be at Biscayne Boulevard, checking out the latest in breeding stuff. Heard there was some new place called the Salon Rocket opening up there. Better take ol' Graveler there and check it out... Signing off, Brock ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- To be continued...