#trovita island

[mypokemonscreencaps]

[azumaqua]

— Transmission Start!!

“This is Juno Royston-Palm, my pronouns are they/them, and I’m coming in live from Trovita Island, Orange Archipelago. The weather is overcast and there is a cool breeze coming in from the East.

I have started this ham radio aside from my studies to share what I’ve learned with (hopefully) YOU! I am studying to become a Pokémon Professor and science librarian at the University of South Mandarin.

I come to you with my cohost and Pokemon partner, Azumarill (you can call her Soda)! She’s been my partner for as long as I can remember”

Zu-azu!!

“Well said, Soda Pop! Be prepared for further transmissions and keep your radios tuned to this familiar frequency to listen in!”

— Transmission End

With a manual shut off of the admittedly outdated and mostly second hand equipment filling the Secret Base, Juno glanced around before gesturing for Soda to join them in collecting anything not wired into the radio array and heading home.

Pocketing their RotomPhone, Juno heads out. Balmy air and a worn dirt path leading back towards the gym. Hopefully some people heard the transmission. Or else they had just broadcasted to the void of saltwater between Kanto and Johto.

// Hi, my name is Mun Kyl and this is a Pokemon irl blog where I will be posting creative writing and posts as if Pokemon are real! Blanket unreality warning. Follows from @lagokyl

// Do note that I will try to keep things light hearted here and will generally steer clear of intense plotlines

[tobiasdrake]

Orange League, Episode 23 - Trovita Gym! Type Battle! 3v3!!

Ash catches the ferry from Big City/Trovitopolis to Yuzu/Trovita Island. This time for sure, he's going to challenge that third Gym.

For the second time in three Gyms, the Gym Leader immediately hits on Misty. Having watched Misty rescue his little sister from a whirlpool, Leader Ziggy/Rudy falls instantly in love with this ten-year-old child and serenades her as soon as she hits the shore.

But it's at least less creepy than last time it happened because Rudy seems pretty young himself. Dan, meanwhile, was clearly a grown-ass man that just thought Misty was hot. Go to prison, Dan.

For the first stage of the Gym challenge, Ash has to perform target-shooting from a moving speedboat. Pikachu excels, but Ash gets frustrated when he sees Rudy flirting with Misty instead of paying attention to him, so he releases Charizard.

This is a terrible mistake. Charizard is only interested in worthy shonen rivals, which target shooting does not constitute. So he winds up getting Misty Flamethrowered before returning his Pokemon. Honestly, I'm not sure why this doesn't immediately end his Gym challenge. Seems like a solid F to me.

Once Rudy's had a chance to assess Ash's Pokemon, he offers the official Gym match: A battle in which he'll match the Types Ash used in his target-shooting assessment. Pikachu vs. an Electric Type, Bulbasaur vs. a Grass Type, and Squirtle vs. a Water Type. That's a pretty clever way to stage a battle.

Elephant in the room Charizard, however, goes completely ignored. Probably for the best. In any case, it's time to fight the South Star of the Southern Cross.

Round 1: Pikachu vs. Electabuzz

This is going to be a tough fight for Pikachu. Electabuzz sweeps every category, and their resistance to Electric is going to force Pikachu to rely on their weaker set of Normal moves.

Not only that, but Electabuzz has better coverage, with some powerful Psychic TM moves it could introduce to the fight. But they don't even need to. Their Attack to opposing Defense ratio is 83/30, where Pikachu's is 55/57. A Mega Punch or Take Down from Electabuzz hits an awful lot harder than one from Pikachu.

Ash's only hope here comes from the fact that Pikachu's his ace, and has XP for days.

The fight begins and Ash is at a loss. After trying and failing a Thunderbolt, he realizes he's going to have to stick to Pikachu's Normal moveset. However, as discussed, Electabuzz dominates that category. However, Electabuzz puts Pikachu down with an inexplicable Thunder Punch rather than a Normal move, failing to follow up on what was just established.

Round 2: Bulbasaur vs. Exeggutor

This is super bad for Bulbasaur. Way worse than Pikachu vs. Exeggutor. Not only does Exeggutor, #4 most powerful Non-Legend, totally dominate in stats, but their Typing is incredible for this sort of match. Exeggutor's Psychic moves capitalize on the Poison subtype that most G1 Grass Pokemon have, including Bulbasaur.

Exeggutor should be one Psychic away from ending Ash's Gym challenge. Fortunately, Rudy doesn't seem to know how to use this Pokemon well and goes for the Normal-Type Egg Bomb, while Ash flails about trying to use Razor Leaf, having failed to learn the lesson from round 1.

Rudy's unbelievable overconfidence leads to Ash slipping in a Sleep Powder. This was Rudy's fight to lose, and lose he did. Impressively.

Round 3: Squirtle vs. Starmie

Not only does Starmie have the same huge stat advantage as the other two matches, but they have Thunderbolt in their TM learnset. It would be completely asinine for Rudy not to have taught this move to Starmie, given the particular nature of his battles.

As we just saw in round 2, Rudy is not a very good Trainer. But he gets this, at least. It should rightly be over for Ash, but some last-second encouragement from Misty gets his head in the game and he pulls off the win with Hydro Pump and Skull Bash - Neither of which are even half as potent in this fight as Starmie's Thunderbolt.

Starmie jobs.

Ash Wins!

This was basically nonsense. Easily one of Ash's weakest Gym challenges. But it's over with. Onward to the fourth and final Gym!

[zdbztumble]

DAY 3: IF MISTY HAD CHOSEN TO STAY WITH RUDY

Oh, this day...

Last year, when one of the prompts was “If Tracey Hadn’t Joined,” some people took ill to that option, on the grounds that, without Tracey, Ash and Misty wouldn’t have survived. My response to that was always, “of course they would have. The writers would have given them another way out of trouble.” I don’t know if that’s film school training or just a lifetime of being a behind-the-scenes junkie, but with a few exceptions, that’s my usual line of thought on “what-ifs” like that.

Similarly, had Misty stayed with Rudy and not been around for M02, of course Ash would’ve survived; they’d write him another way out of the ocean. So why did I go with this approach? Simple: I was going to take my free day on this prompt, but I could not for the life of me come up with anything for Day 5. I don’t love this as a concept or as a finished piece (excepting the last panel drawing of Misty), but there you are.

[pokeshipper08]

best pokeshipping quotes? i remember there were some great heartfelt quotes misty said to ash but i can't recall exactly

Hi, this is the first question I receive since I'm here on tumblr with this account... and it did me so happy! So thank you.

Anyway... there are so many great quotes our beloved Misty said to Ash! And probably these quotes came out more from the Kanto and Orange Island episodes, less from Johto arc. I mean the ship was stronger during that period and storyboarders built a bit side story between them, also if with more hints by Misty's side.

From the Kanto arc, in the 3rd episode, after Ash caught a Caterpie, turned into a Metapod, Misty said:

"I've never known anyone like him. He really does love Pokémon"

And in the 4th episode, she shouted "Ash" as if she worried, when the Samurai is searching for him...

Then, in other episodes there are many blushes and they looking in a particular way each other, or Misty shouting "I want my bike back" or "I won't leave you (Ash) until my bike doesn't come back or you (Ash) pay the bike you destroyed" or something like that but this line is in some way cute, since episode after episode she forgot the reason why she decided to follow Ash in his journey.

Orange Island arc is really full of quotes, with also the 2nd film I added at the end.

In "Navel Maneuvers" Danny, the Navel Island Gym Leader, quickly picks up on the nature of Ash and Misty's relationship during one of their arguments and he says, "I can see the two of you are pretty close." After Misty asks what he meant by that, he replied, "What's that saying? 'You always hurt the one you love...'" Also, Ash feels jealous when Misty cares about Danny.

Yeah, these ones are not properly quotes from Misty, but it's so cute yet.

In "Wherefore Art Thou, Pokémon" the idea of kissing embarrasses Misty (since there were two Nidoran -a male and a female- kissing each other with their trainers kinda in love) and Misty provokes Ash to ask the question:

"Do people change when they get kissed?"

And then, since Ash didn't say anything:

"Guess we'll have to find out ourselves..."

In "Misty meets her match", probably the most famous episode about Pokéshipping and Misty's hints... Rudy, the Trovita Island Gym Leader, has a case of "love at first sight" with Misty after she saves his sister, Mahri. After several advances from Rudy, Misty agrees to what is essentially an impromptu date with Rudy, leaving Ash and Tracey to themselves and later declines Rudy's invitation to stay and help him in the Gym. The most significant evidence in this episode is when Rudy asks Misty if she wants to stay forever with him at the Gym, she stops dancing and blushes whilst looking away and saying " I don't know". Then, during the battle between Ash and Rudy, she chooses Ash, rooting for him in the end as Squirtle is hit by a Thunderbolt from Rudy's Starmie.

She shouts to Ash something like "Only you know the potential of your squirtle, you can beat him (=Rudy)"

And I think this quote is really cute, also If it's not really a love quote, Misty is cheering for Ash like never she did before, maybe because this not only a battle, but something, at least for Rudy, to conquer Misty's heart.

In fact Rudy, in shock, mutters "She wants him."

Rudy, maybe because he's bigger than them, understood everything, that she wants him, because maybe she's in love with him.

But we have some famous quotes also in the Johto arc:

In "The Heartbreak of Brock" Temacu expresses her thoughts about marriage to Brock.

Misty says to Ash:

"You and I will be married someday too."

Ash shouts "Whoaa?"

She could have meant that they would be married someday to different people, not necessarily to each other obviously, it could be interpreteted in different ways I think.

(However, In the original, Misty said, "Looks like she fell for Takeshi in first sight", not "You and I will married someday" so it was the 4kids to add a different dialogue here, like in other episodes)

In the same episode, talking with Brock, Misty says to him:

"Take it from me, it's a lot easier to like someone who likes you than to like someone who doesn't."

Brock then asks her, "How do you know?", after which Misty gasps, blushes, then replies:

"Well that's... what I've heard..."

Which highly suggests that Misty has feelings for Ash.

In "Gotta Catch Ya Later!" the last episode of the Original Series, Misty says to Ash:

"Are you sure you'll be OK without me, Ash?"

And then:

"Well, Ash Ketchum, finally, I know how you feel about me" (one of the heartfelt quotes for me, I cry yet thinking to that episode)

BUT... some of the best quotes came out from the 2nd film, Pokémon - The Power of One:

After Ash goes in the middle of the storm with Pikachu, Misty said to Melody:

"I want to find Ash! And before you say I do it because I like him deep down, don't say it, because it's not true"

Then, after Melody's reply, Misty said, again:

"He's not my boyfriend! He's a friend, he's close to my heart, but he's not my heart's friend!"

Almost at the end of the film, Misty said to Melody Ash is "her burden" saying that:

"Ash will never really be alone cause he's got... me" (this is really heartfelt <3)

I mean, probably the best quotes really came out from here, but there are so many episode of blushes, or when they touch each other, that sometimes these look more important than the dialogues (in "The Ghost of Maide's Peak for example", or in "The Tower of The Terror", both from Kanto arc, and there are many others)

I hope this can be helpful, also If I didn't add all the Pokéshipping quotes, but the most important/beautiful ones.

Always alive Pokéshipping! <3

[reallifewriterwrites]

Day 03: Brock gives Ash dating advice.

Today was their first date. Ash was nervous as hell.

The 16 year old had never been on a date before. He already had difficulty asking his crush, Misty, out, and now they were on a date!

But Ash had a secret weapon. He had asked Brock for dating tips and the older boy gladly told him. Now Ash was prepared for the date and ready to make Misty fall in love with him!

Or so he thought...

_______________________________________________________________________

Ash and Misty went to an amusement park for their date. Pikachu was at Delia's for the day.

"So, it's pretty packed."

Ash was wearing a black jacket with a white t-shirt and simple pants. Misty on the other hand wore a red top with a yellow skirt.

"It's packed." Misty pointed at the waiting line of one of the rollercoaster as she repeated herself. "Maybe we should come back for the coaster later."

"Y-yeah...let's find another attraction..." Ash stuttered nervously.

Misty nodded and the two walked through the park.

'Girls like it when you compliment something about their appearance. Make sure to exaggerate it.'

Ash cringed a little as he remembered Brock's advice. It wasn't something that he would do, but he had to let Misty fall for him...otherwise she might go back to Rudy. Ash had heard that she and the gymleader of Trovita island were friends again. And if he remembered, Tracey told him that Rudy might charm Misty and that she would go back to him.

"S-say, Mist?" Ash said.

"Hm?" Misty cocked her head at him.

"I think that...you have a nice stomach. Even when you eat a lot and look like you're about to explode, then I don't mind it."

Misty's smile melted away and she looked a bit hurt. "Are you saying I'm fat?"

"What? No, it was a compliment!" Ash said.

"Sure..." Misty whispered.

The two teens walked further in silence. Ash was wondering if it had been the right thing to say. But Brock always had so much succes with the ladies. Maybe his timing wasn't right. He should try again later.

_______________________________________________________________________

The two of them went on a log flume ride.

Ash tried to think of a compliment while he sat in front, so he was very quiet. Misty found it a bit strange and spoke up.

"Nervous?" Misty asked.

"H-huh?" Ash looked over his shoulder at her as their little boat rode up. "No, but..uhm...uhm...you have nice strong legs. They are so strong, they must be able to squeeze a watermelon!"

"Excuse me?" Misty said.

Ash heard how hurt she was again. He gulped and quickly said; "I think it's cool, don't worry, I..."

Their log went down before he could say more. They both yelped a little as their boat splashed down a couple of meters down. There was another slope coming, this one being the steepest one. However, their boat suddenly stopped at a rounder section.

"Wait, is it broken?" Misty asked.

Ash looked around. "I don't think so...but, as I was saying..."

All of a sudden their log turned around.

"What's happening?" Misty found herself at the front with her back turned towards the next slope.

"I-I don't know..." Ash got a little bit nervous. "But I don't think this is supposed to happen!"

"I think it is!" Misty yelled.

"No way, not like this!" Ash yelled. "We need to switch, I can't!"

Misty laughed at his panicked state. Their log went down the slope and Ash screamed in fear while Misty screamed in joy. It felt like a hundred meters, but before they knew it they came down with a loud splash.

_______________________________________________________________________

"You okay?"

Misty patted Ash's back as the poor boy caught his breath.

"Y-yeah, I'm..."

'Show them no fear whatsoever!'

Ash quickly straightened his back as he remembered Brock's advice. He coughed and said in a lower voice; "I'm fine! Let's go on another ride like this!"

"You sure? Because I saw that the line at the scrambler getting shorter."

"Great, let's go!" Ash said.

_______________________________________________________________________

'Girls like it when you give them a lot of gifts. Especially expensive ones.'

After surviving a couple of rides Ash and Misty were in one of the shops. Misty was eyeing the sweets while Ash was staring at some of the more expensive things.

Misty walked over to him with a smile. "Hey, Ash, how about we split a candy-apple...wait, what are you doing?"

Ash pointed at a big bear which costed at least a couple hundred bucks.

"Do you want that one?"

"No, not really...it's really too much to buy. And why do you want to give me a present?"

"Because...girls like expensive gifts, right? Have I told you that your eyes remind me of..."

"Yeah, yeah." Misty cut him off. "Stop it with the weird compliments...and I'm not someone who likes expensive stuff!"

"But, girls..."

"Not all women are the same! And what is with you today?! All you've been doing is giving me these weird compliments or dozing off!"

"I..."

"Forget it. I'm going home."

Misty turned around and stormed out of the shop. Everyone was staring at Ash.

He felt like a huge jerk. He looked at the big bear and sighed.

Ash knew what to do.

_______________________________________________________________________

Misty was sitting on a bench with her head between her arms.

She had no idea their date would be such a disaster. When Ash nervously asked her out, she couldn't be happier. She even got some styling tips from her sister and put on make up for this day...only for all of it to suck. Maybe they were better as friends.

"Misty?"

Misty looked up to see Ash standing in front of her. He was holding two candy-apples in his hands.

"What do you want?" Misty asked annoyed.

Ash sat down next to her. "Forgiveness. I'm sorry I acted like an idiot all day."

"You were."

"I shouldn't have taken advice from Brock..."

"Wait. Brock?"

"Yeah...but I was nervous! I really wanted you to like me!"

Misty blushed. She smiled and took one of the candy-apples from his hands.

"I already do." Misty said.

"Huh?" Ash's eyes widened and looked at her in confusion.

"If I didn't then I wouldn't have agreed to this date."

"But, Rudy..."

"He is just a friend. He already has a girlfriend!"

"He does?" Ash chuckled. "That rude jerk managed to get one before me...so..." He looked at Misty again. "You like me?"

"Yes."

"Then..." Ash gulped with a blush. "Do you...want to do things like this more?"

Misty fluttered with her eyes. "W-what kind of things?"

"Well...things like hanging out...and having fun together. Without the others."

Misty tapped with her finger against her chin. "Hmmm...I'll think about it."

"What?"

"Just kidding!" Misty jumped up. She grabbed Ash's arm and pulled him up too. "Come on, let's find another ride which will make you squirm, Ketchum!"

"Ha!" Ash grinned. "It will be the other way around, Waterflower!

And so they had a great day. At the end of the day they even scheduled another date between the two of them.

And without Brock's tips they were actually a lot better off.

[ochazukeland]

Pocket Monsters EP 105: Yuzu Gym! Type Battle - 3 vs 3!

First of all, pardon for the wonky subs, this is the first time I am trying to do this.  Merry Christmas, everyone!

I have the Amazon Prime JP account so I made my translation of Trovita Gym challenge’s episode based on that content. It includes the episode with both OP and EP, as well the “Who’s that pokemon?” segment and the next episode preview.

Download link, translation notes and comments about this particular episode below the cut:

So... I'm not really allowed to tell you where to get that specific Japanese video without having access to Amazon Japan, but if you google… idk, something like [RAW] Pokemon 7 TV series, on a website that sounds like a cat meowing… who knows what you might find there?

DOWNLOAD LINK (.ass format): https://www.dropbox.com/s/r0tsc7k504c1hol/%5BRAW%5D%20Pokemon%20-%20105%20%5B480p%5D.ass?dl=0

How to watch this: download the zip, save both the video and the .ass subtitle file in the same folder, keeping the same name in both files (for instance, ep2015.mkv and ep2015.ass), open VLC and have fun.

——————————

Translation Notes:

Kept the original names in this sub - Satoshi/Ash, Kasumi/Misty, Kenji/Tracey, Ookido/Oak, Musashi/Jessie, Kojir��/James, Nyarth/Meowth.

Rudy is named Ziggy - his sister Mahri is called Marie in the Japanese version. His home island Trovita is called Yuzu and his Shell Spike Badge is known as Triumphant Star Turban (Rinbō) Badge in Japanese.

Pikachu is Pikachu, Togepi is Togepi… Starmie is also Starmie in Japanese.

Meowth is Nyarth, Bulbasaur/Fushigidane, Squirtle/Zenigame, Charizard/Lizardon, Seel/Pawou, Staryu/Hitodeman, Electabuzz/Eleboo, Exeggcutor/Nassy. I kept the official romanization when possible.

Move game-wise, I tried to keep the ENG names, except for dengeki which can be translated as “electric shock” and apparently adapted in English as “Thunder Jolt” (it’s different from “Thunder shock”, denki shock, Pikachu’s signature move).

I don’t like translating oniichan/oneechan to “big bro/sis” but it’s kinda important aspect of Marie’s part in the episode (how much she wanted a sister, what a nice family the three of them could be together, Marie, Kasumi-oneechan and oniichan), so… yeah, I know many of you are not familiar with common Japanese/anime terms so I kept as that. At least these sound better than “older brother”/“older sister”…

Oh, Rudy’s famous lines to Ash at the end of the episode: サトシ、カスミさんを大事にしろよ。Please don’t complain about shipping goggles because “Satoshi, take good care of Kasumi-san” is the most neutral route - daiji ni suru could go either for “take care” to “treasure/cherish/regard Kasumi as someone very important”, alright.

————–

Other random notes:

Ash is such a mega brat in this episode, I love the current merry nice kid from SM/PM seasons but I miss this damn loud-mouthed version lol.

Rudy is overall much nicer than the dub version. Okay, besides the fact he pretty much called Ash an “uncultured swine” lol, he was quite polite. Compared to my impression of years ago, rewatching this episode made me feel quite bad for him and his sister? (I like the conclusion from Dengeki Pikachu manga, Rudy literally becomes an older sister for Mahri…)

Random trivia, Rudy calls himself “The South Star of Southern Cross (constellation)”. It’s only mentioned once by the end of the episode, but lol oh well.

You may say that Ash was completely oblivious to the whole proposal dilemma during the episode (he was lol) but this is one of the episodes that makes Pokeshipping canon at least by Misty’s side. 

[warlordess]

as I love all your insight on pokeshipping,I wanted to know your opinion on misty's thoughts in the episode "misty meets her match",when rudy offered her to stay with him,we could see our fav girl in a lot of dilemma before she decided to stay with her fav dense pokemon trainer n m so glad for that xD.but what all according to you was she contemplating before that or in between rudy's offer and her decision?

You know, I really like that whole predicament from MMHM tbh. Rudy offers to have her stay at the gym - presumably as his girlfriend, but also says that she’ll be given the opportunity to teach his associates the ropes regarding water-type Pokemon. Both of these are things Misty has canonically expressed much interest in.

She’s a romantic. A doting boyfriend would be perfect for her.

She never had much place to show off her skills (or grow them) at the Cerulean Gym. But at Trovita’s gym, she could actually have a partnership, a position of power, while living in a tropical paradise.

Of course she has to think hard about it, and I respect the anime for showing so clearly that she’s struggling to make a choice. That’s realistic for her.

As far as staying on Trovita or leaving with Ash, I won’t even necessarily speculate that she’s thinking of ~her feelings~ for Ash at this time. I headcanon that Misty isn’t fully conscious of her romantic interest in him until around Pokeshipping: The Movie Pokemon 2000, when Melody (and the rather high-pressure situation they’re in) pushes her to admit it aloud. But even so, leaving someone you’ve grown to become friends with and put a lot of trust in would be hard for anyone. She’d be starting over in every important aspect of her life; making new friends, running a new gym, with a new boyfriend, in a new place.

The only other thought I’ve had is it’s interesting that Rudy let Misty off the hook after his match against Ash. She’s still struggling with her decision and, instinctively, ends up motivating Ash in her… uh… unique way. Lol. This gives Ash the push he needs to strategize a victory and impresses upon Rudy the importance of Ash in Misty’s life. If your prospective girlfriend chooses to cheer for your adversary over you, what else can it mean?

I like to think/headcanon Misty doesn’t even realize right away that cheering for Ash over Rudy means she’s made a choice. I know in the final scene of the episode she looks perfectly calm when Rudy up and says goodbye (and tells Ash how lucky he is, lol), meaning she must have known by that time… but maybe they had another emotionally intimate moment off-screen in between the battle and their separation where Rudy confronts her (but in, like, his canonical charming way) and helps her see that, whether she meant it or not, she’d subconsciously figured out what to do already.

Ah, MMHM, one of the multitude of reasons why I adore the Orange Islands saga. Filler though it may be, it really did give premium focus to the character relationships in the series compared to other arcs and I’m quite grateful for it.

(Btw, I have no idea if this is what you meant me to write but… here it is anyway.)

[letswritefanfiction]

Pokémon Alphabet Challenge: U is for Unexpected

A/N: Can also be read on ffnet here

Each paragraph is a different scene. They start off being weeks or months apart, growing to be years apart. Inspired by I Wasn't Expecting That by Jamie Lawson (from which the last line is taken).

The biggest surprise was the first.

He was ten years old and certainly not thinking about death. Well, maybe Pikachu's but not his own. But later it occurred to him that he very well could have died—he and Pikachu both could have. Had it not been for Misty and her stray fishing line.

It was a surprise that she'd stayed. He wasn't bothered about it particularly, happy or sad. He'd definitely been confused—and the whole bike thing had definitely been annoying—but she…well, she was decent company. And Ash had always liked that.

*

Maybe he didn't really see her until the Gym Battle. Meeting Brock as a Gym Leader and then becoming friends was such a switch to finding out that she was a Gym Leader after the fact. He had been surprised and amazed that she was in such a position, but then, when he battled her, it added up. She was good. And at the time, he'd had too much pride to say it, or even consider it, but she was far better than him.

*

Ash had always loved his birthday, but his mom had warned him that on the road, there would be very little that she could do for him. If he wasn't staying at a Pokémon Center that day, then they might not even be able to talk until a few days after. And there would be little she'd be able to do for him in terms of a cake. When he woke up to the smell of sugar and Brock and Misty standing in front of him with a strange, flame-baked cake, he couldn't believe it. He knew Brock was behind the cake. But he'd told Misty his birthday one of their first days traveling together. And she'd remembered.

*

The first time he had seen Pokémon as a threat was when those Spearow had come after him. That had been a moment of realization for him. But at the same time, it didn't change anything. He still loved all Pokémon and continued to think the best of him. So it was a surprise all over again to encounter the destructive and threatening Squirtle Squad. And it filled Ash with a new and unfamiliar fear when they'd threatened Misty out of nowhere. Long after the panic of making it back in time to save her had faded, he thought that maybe that was the moment he realized they had become friends.

*

In hindsight, his life had already been put at risk once or twice by this point, but waking up in a sunken boat was the first time that he thought: Wow, we really might not make it out of this. But it was her; she saved them all almost singlehandedly. He'd had no idea that she was capable of that. And despite occasional jokes and jabs, truly, he never questioned her capability again.

*

There was a good moment. There was the nonsense with the Gastly and, frankly, the utter nonsense with Brock, but the maiden festival was a good time. Ash had always worn traditional garb for events at his mother's behest, and he'd never complained because he never wanted to upset his mom. But he didn't like wearing them. But when he saw Misty wearing one, it was different than when he'd seen his mom dressed up. She looked…special. That was all. And then they danced.

*

Then there was the first time he died. He didn't see it like that at the time, but later, when he thought about it—and when she yelled it at him—he realized, yeah, his soul had been outside of his body; he had died. And, strangely, it wasn't the last. Or even the second to last. It took him a long time to realize all that. But she'd known right away. Or feared for it, at least. She and Brock both. He, Pikachu, and the Ghost Pokémon had just been having fun. But when he saw the fear in their eyes, he hoped never to do it again. He did, of course. But he was always so, so sorry for it. Maybe more than anything else.

*

She could have been anything. He'd never been that bright or had any ambitions in athletics. He'd never thought about anything else but being a Pokémon Master. But seeing her play the part of the Misty Mermaid after only a day's rehearsal it struck him that she really was amazing. She was an actor, a water dancer like her sisters, she could have been a swimmer for sure, but she just loved Pokémon. Like him. He'd always loved that about her.

*

The League was something else. He'd never had feelings as big as the ones he'd felt during his first Pokémon League. There was excitement, fear, confidence, nerves, achievement, ambition, all rolled into a nearly twelve-year-old body. And he needed a tether to keep that all on Earth, to keep it all bound. His mom was that. Professor Oak was that. Brock was that. She was that. Time and time again, she was that.

*

And she'd been there when he'd needed her most, which was after. Even when he didn't want her there, she was there. And he was grateful.

*

He honestly hadn't been prepared for Brock leaving. Not in a way where he was distraught or lost, but where he didn't know what to feel at all. He'd never considered any element of a journey's end before; as far as he was concerned, he'd be traveling forever. But he wasn't alone in his feelings. Every experience was easier when you knew you weren't alone. And right beside him was someone going through the exact same confusion and loss. So he was okay. Because he had her.

*

When one door closes, another opens. Before they were even able to settle into a routine without Brock, in walked Tracey. Tracey, who was a great, welcome addition to their group. But he was different. Different from having Brock. And different from having Misty. Not even in a good or bad way, but enough to notice. That was all. He just noticed.

*

Starting a new journey hadn't been the plan. Well, of course it had been the plan, but not here, not now. But when he decided to stay in the Orange Islands for a while longer, he knew that she was staying as well. She was there for him—there supporting him. Whether he had a plan or not, whether they were staying or not; she was there. The life of a traveler held no certainty. But he had that.

*

He'd seen her smile a million times. Really, he knew it by heart. Usually, her mouth was closed, but her eyes would squint, so he would know that she meant it. That it was a real smile. But sometimes her mouth would go wide, almost trapezoidal in shape, uneven and uncontrolled. That was when she thought something was really funny, or maybe something really wonderful had happened. He didn't even remember what had triggered it, but one day, she gave that rare second smile, and his chest felt warm. And he couldn't help but smile too.

*

He was being a jerk. Maybe he wasn't the most self-aware kid on the planet, but he liked people enough to know when—on the rarity that it occurred—he didn't get along with someone. And he did not like this Danny guy. And Misty was kinda pissing him off. But that was a separate thing.

*

She wouldn't talk about it. He wasn't exactly sure what had happened on Trovita, but she was acting differently. Even days later. Tracey wouldn't talk about it either, and it seemed like he knew more than Ash did. Even though they'd been together the whole time while Misty had been out. He was confused and he didn't like being confused, but he also wasn't the type to dwell on stuff. And if everyone said that he'd understand later, then he would just have to trust that he would.

*

She'd saved him. Not for the first time and not for the last time, but just like the day they'd met, she pulled him out of the water and saved him from drowning. But it was different this time. This time it wasn't a rogue hook from an anonymous fishing pole. This time, it was his friend, his best friend, risking her life in the cold, dangerous waters as she swam for him. She could have sent out one of her many Water Pokémon. But she didn't. It was his life in hers. And he was safe.

*

She'd been there when he lost. His worst moment into the days where he'd been at his worst. And now she was here when he won. He was proud of his Pokémon. He was proud of himself. But when he saw her smiling so big, so proud of him, his chest swelled. His heart felt bigger than it ever had. And it was only the start.

*

It was like Brock had never left. But at the same time, the group dynamic was different. Brock didn't seem to have so many fights to break up. They were just getting along. It was smooth, it was easy, they were happy. Well, they'd always been happy, but now they were good. Really good.

*

It was a weird thought, Chikorita having a crush on him. He'd never really considered anything like that before—certainly not coming from a Pokémon. But somehow, it got him to thinking. It was never good when that happened.

*

He was usually the one to fall headlong into the water, but this time it was her. Ash watched in shock as she, with Pikachu and Marill in hand, fell into the stream and was dragged away from him. And in that instant, he wondered how she handled watching him fall so many times. They'd both witnessed Brock fall off that bridge back in Kanto, but this was different. With a frightening urgency, Ash leapt to his feet and ran towards the stream, with promises of saving her flying from his lips.

*

There was nothing spectacular about the first kiss. There was no proclamation of love or affection, and there wouldn't be for a long time. Maybe it wasn't even supposed to happen, but on an insignificant night, filled with insignificant talk, she leaned over and gave him a little kiss. And they blushed and they did not talk about it. It was the first and even then, he suspected it wouldn't be the last.

*

It wasn't romance, or even a relationship. They didn't go on dates. They didn't hold hands. The things they said weren't any different—they still fought as they always did, though it was less than in the old days. It wasn't about any of that, though. It was the shy smiles, the warm blushes, the secret thoughts that made it exciting and new. They shared something now, something neither of them had ever had before. And, for now, it was just for them.

*

He hadn't thought about crushes since Chikorita had made hers obvious, but this girl Macy suddenly put the topic on his mind again. And, abruptly, he realized that Misty probably had a crush on him. And, though there was no way to tell, nothing to compare to, really, he probably had one on her. He didn't know what to do with that, but, if anything he smiled more often when he looked at her.

*

Another loss. But, for some reason, this one didn't sting as much as the first. Maybe it was because he was older, maybe it was because he'd experienced it before, maybe it was he'd made it further this time. Or maybe it's because he knew how good the after was. He'd lost, but now he had a whole new journey to look forward to. He didn't know where they'd go next, but he was certain that, somewhere, there was another round of badges to collect, and another League for him to try his luck at. And that made the losing not so bad.

*

The hardest thing he'd probably ever done at that point was leaving Charizard at the Charicific Valley. For some reason, that goodbye, even though it hadn't been permanent, had been the heaviest weight to bear. Perhaps it's because they'd been through so much, perhaps it was because he'd struggled for so long to get Charizard back on their side, and it felt like they'd only just become friends again. But the idea of leaving Misty was so much harder. She'd been there since before Charmander, before Brock, before everyone but Pikachu. And she'd been by his side the whole time. And just like with Charizard, he didn't want her to leave, but he couldn't hold her back. So le let her go. But before that, he kissed her, and kissed her, and kissed her.

*

It was a hard decision to start over again. New region. Just Pikachu. No Misty. No Brock. Just his experience and penchant for good luck. Gary was an influence, of course, but it was more than that. He'd relied on Misty and Brock so much in the past, but now he didn't have them. Not in the same way at least. It was time to trust himself, and know that they would still be there inside him.

*

Most people begin relationships when they're together; theirs began apart. They couldn't talk often, because it was typically many days between towns and access to a phone or mail service. Plus, she was busy and they were, after all, in different time zones. But the effort that was there was different. She had seen more than three years go by where he rarely phoned his mom, Professor Oak, or Brock while he'd been away. They didn't usually have much new to talk about, but that wasn't the point. The talk was nice, but the contact was better.

*

He was glad that she wasn't jealous of May. At this point, he knew that Misty was not immune to jealousy by any means, but something about being in an actual relationship must have calmed her. Or maybe the distance just meant that she had no choice but to trust him. He certainly trusted her.

*

The Gym's reputation was soaring, and he was so proud. Now that he'd challenged just about two dozen Gyms, he really had perspective on what had been only his second Gym Battle. And, with all due respect, the Cerulean Gym had been a mess. And he was willing to bet it hadn't gotten much better in the past few years. But after only a few months of her being in charge, it was rising in the ranks in Kanto, past Forrest, Aya, who'd taken over for Koga, and A.J. the new Viridian Gym Leader. That was according to the articles Brock had helped him find, at least.

*

Since being with her, he had gotten better at keeping in contact with everyone in his life. His mom, Professor Oak, and his other friends—when he could. Sometimes letters were the only way, since traveling friends weren't always at Pokémon Centers at the same time. But he did his best—or at least, much better than before. Something else to thank her for, he figured.

*

He'd been worried about how to act when she came to visit in person. What were the expectations now that they were 'together?' But the worry ended up being for nothing. As soon as she came, it was as natural as it had ever been. Not to say that it was the same as it had been when they'd first started traveling again—no not at all. They held hands, they kissed, and now when people made jokes about them…well, he still blushed, but it felt very different. But it wasn't just that lovey-dovey stuff. They were too distracted by the Mirage Kingdom for the most part anyhow. It was good to know, though, that they were still them.

*

The L word came so naturally he almost missed it. She said it first, and he had to do a mental rewind to check that he'd heard correctly. But of course he had and of course she'd said it, because the truth was that he loved her too. And she definitely didn't miss it when he said it back.

*

There was one thing that struck him on his journey through Hoenn that he couldn't help but get stuck on. May had only just started off as a Coordinator, but she was already well on her way to the Grand Festival. She was following her dream parallel to Ash challenging the Hoenn League. But Brock and Misty—who had had dreams long before Ash had come along—hadn't done the same. They'd been his support, following him where he'd gone, always done what he wanted. And that quickly concerned him. But when he spoke with Misty, she told him one thing. That a person could have multiple dreams, and somewhere along the way, traveling with him had become her dream as well.

*

He'd kinda thought that when the year was up and her sisters returned, she would come back to him. But, at the same time, he wasn't surprised when she didn't. She'd found her place in the world and, slowly but surely, she was on her way to becoming a Master. So he kept traveling. And she stayed there. But they were nevertheless together.

*

Their first date was a year in, when he was in Kanto for the Battle Frontier. The truth was that he didn't care what they did, where they went, or that they even went on an 'official' date, save for one thing; he knew that she wanted it. She was a romantic, and that was that—he was going to ask her out. They went to a fancy restaurant that his mom recommended, and it cost what a week's worth of meals on the road would have. But to see her face…it was worth it and more.

*

When he entered the Battle Frontier Hall of Fame, he was hit with a dilemma. If he became a Brain, he'd be able to stay in Kanto, fighting really strong Trainers and meeting new Pokémon. And he'd be close to Misty. But he wanted to keep traveling. And he wondered if that was selfish.

*

He went off to Sinnoh with Brock, and she, again, stayed behind. It was routine, and they were happy, but for the first time, he wondered something. How was this going to be sustainable? He asked her and, for once, she admitted that she didn't know. As he went through the Gyms, one thing was clear: he'd made the right decision to continue traveling. He loved meeting new Pokémon, and Dawn reminded him how much he liked meeting new friends. If he was going to have to stop one day, it wasn't just yet.

*

Maybe journeys became stale for some, but for him, this one felt very different, primarily for one reason: Paul. Gary had been a good rival in Kanto, but after a while, they weren't challenging each other anymore. Their paths hardly crossed, and they'd become quite different from one another. And now he was a researcher, of all things. Paul was first real rival in a long time, and maybe even more of a challenge than Gary. With Gary, it had been petty childishness that had pushed him. Now, it was something greater. Of course, he could really test himself against, Paul, but there was also a point to be proven. And he wasn't going to settle.

*

Though he hadn't realized it at the time, he knew he'd experienced jealousy in the past. He thought he knew the extent of it in terms of his relationship. But he hadn't realized that it could manifest in other ways, one of those being jealousy of others' relationships. Sure, they were only in the budding stages, but May and Drew were able to have that at each others' side, traveling together. And even though he wanted it all the time, that just made him want Misty to be there more than ever.

*

Lorelei stepped down from the Elite Four, and Misty's name was on the short list of replacements. He'd never been immersed in League politics before dating her, but now he followed every move of the Kanto League. Usually Gym Leaders were first choice to fill the slots, then Frontier Brains, then Trainers with other accolades, like League victors or even Top Coordinators, though that was uncommon. Regardless, in the current moment, he hardly cared about his career as all eyes were on hers.

*

She got it. And that only meant one thing. For most of the year, she could travel again. With him.

*

As soon as he got her back, Brock left. It turned out that in all his time riding along with Ash's dream, he had been working on his own. And he'd discovered that that wasn't the dream he wanted anymore. He was going to be a Pokémon doctor. And for that, he needed school. So on the happiest of notes, ones again, they went their separate ways.

*

This time, things really were different. Even though her dream was well in the works, now they made sure to make time for the both of them. They spent more time by the ocean. More time catching new Water Pokémon and training together. He developed a real patience for fishing. Their relationship was tested for the first time and they found out that yes, indeed, they could be together always, and still love one another.

*

The first time they made love it was awkward, as it tends to be. It was messy and, at times, uncomfortable, but it was also lovely and amazing. He'd been a little surprised to find himself ready for such a thing but, with her, it was the easiest choice he could have made.

*

They went through the Leagues, Unova and Kalos, and they waited as the Alola League became up and running. He was always better, and always closer. Always closer, but never there. But maybe it was better that way because, as he often joked with her, he'd have no idea what was next if he ever made it.

*

They were married young, both nineteen and blissful beyond all belief. Brock was the best man and Pikachu was the ring bearer. It was small, but perfect. It was early, but long, long awaited.

*

Then there was talk of children. They both wanted them, but then he wouldn't be able to travel anymore. That was less an issue for her, because she was an Elite either way, but without traveling, what did he have? Then Blaine retired, leaving the Cinnabar Island Gym conveniently open.

*

He became the first traveling Gym Leader. Sometimes you would find him at the Gym, and sometimes you had to find him elsewhere, not always close. The child in him loved the game of it all, and he wondered how Misty had ever complained about being a Gym Leader. She argued that she hadn't complained often. But she didn't argue long, because she loved being able to come back to an island home.

*

They had three, which was at the same time way too many and hardly enough. Part of him wanted to have enough kids to have a family baseball team. But she drew the line at three, and he was just fine with that. Of course, they were all Trainers, and one by one, they left the house on journeys of their own, just as their parents had done so long ago.

*

When the kids were gone there was one choice to make: stay settled—as settled as they'd ever been—or begin travel again?

*

Was it even a choice?

*

The most fun they had was when they would not-so-accidentally stumble across one of their kids journeying. They would cry out that eye contact had been made and assume a no holds Battle. It wasn't exactly fair, but no one objected. That wasn't the Ketchum way.

*

They grew old together. And when she got sick, the journey had to stop. But it was the perfect time to recall how easy it would have been to have missed all of this. They might have spent their whole life as friends or not even that, had it not been for a few surprises along the way. They were sad, but they laughed.

*

Then you closed your eyes, you took my heart by surprise. I wasn't expecting that.

[pokemonislanderprincess]

“Last night, after I had dinner with Rudy, he asked me to stay here on Trovita Island with him and Mahri,” Misty explained, deciding it was best to not drag it out too long. “I just told him that I’ve decided to do just that.”

The boys both went wide eyed.

“What?” Tracey breathed.

“You mean you’re not going to be traveling with us anymore?” Ash murmured, sounding like he’d just been electrocuted by Pikachu.

[personsayinstuff-blog]

Day 3: If Misty had chosen to stay with Rudy

When I was a kid, I hated Rudy because he got in the way of Ash and Misty. I was already shipping the Pokeship even before I knew what shipping was. I don’t hate him anymore. He’s just…ya know…Rudy.

Ash and Tracey were on Lapras’s back as they left Trovita Island. It wasn’t just them leaving the island. They also had left a friend.

Tracey wasn’t really that affected since he understood what Misty felt. If you meet someone you felt attached to, it’s gonna be hard to let go.

However, Ash wasn’t exactly all cheers. Tracey was confused. The Ash he knew would always cheer every time he won a match. But somehow, he looked like as if he lost a battle.

“Ash?” Tracey spoke out. “You miss Misty don’t you?”

Ash blushed. “I don’t! Sure, she’s my friend, but she’s much happier with her boyfriend, Rudy. Sheesh.”

Ash crossed his arms, hopefully telling Tracey the message that he didn’t want to talk about Misty.

Eventually, they reached the next island.

Tracey decided to set up camp while Ash was at a nearby pond doing some fishing. Some say fishing helps you clear your mind, but then...

Ash suddenly felt a bite on his hook. He reeled in to bring the Pokemon out. It was a Remoraid, a Pokemon he had never seen before (we’re still in Orange Islands times here, okay?)

Ash felt excited. “Misty! Misty! Check this…oh…right.”

He sighed and just released the Remoraid. He knew that she wasn’t there. Why was he calling her when he knew no one named Misty was there? Maybe he should have called on Tracey.

I need to get over this, but…how? Hmm…maybe I should try to be as cool as Rudy? Oh wait…no way. Ash, why do you need to be like Rudy? You beat him in a Pokémon battle!

Ash eventually tried to move on.

He and Tracey soon found themselves on Shamouti Island. Turns out that Ash was some ‘Chosen One’.

He finds himself in the middle of the battle between the legendary bird Pokemon. He tried to catch his breath, but then everything else went black.

Tracey wanted to save him, but he wasn’t able to swim that deep.

Suddenly, a familiar figure steps in and brings Ash back to shore.

Ash eventually regains consciousness and sees a familiar redhead. “M-Misty? Oh…I’m dreaming, aren’t I?”

Misty smiled at him. “Ash, you’re awake and definitely not dreaming. I’m really here.”

Ash stood straight. “Why are you here? I thought you were with Rudy?”

“Things moved a bit too quickly with Rudy. I thought I liked him, but it was really just a crush. Nothing more. I realized that being in an adventure with you and Tracey is much more fun than being some girl who just tags along a cute guy.”

“Isn’t that what you do anyway? Even when you’re with Tracey and I?” Ash teased.

“Haha, you think you’re sooo handsome.” Misty sarcastically replied.

“Hey, the handsome guy could’ve been Tracey.”

“Ha. But really, though. I get to learn more when I’m with you and Tracey. I’m just stuck on that island with Rudy. I do like him and his sister, but I felt like I wasn’t gonna do much there. It’s like I’m meant for something more. I feel like I’d be able to achieve to get that ‘something more’ if I continued traveling. So Ash, please. Allow me travel with you again.”

“Mist, of course. You’ll always be my best friend. Besides, you think I’m more handsome than Rudy anyway.”

“OH SHUT UP, KETCHUM! One more comment like that then I’m going back to Rudy!”

“Okay, okay. Glad to have you back, Misty.”

[mypokemonscreencaps]

[xsilversprings]

Pokeshipping Week - Day Three.

If Misty had chosen to stay with Rudy.

Tracey was surprised.

Although he was a newcomer among traveling with Ash and Misty, he was really beginning to value their friendship. He liked being able to travel with them and see everything just as they were seeing it. It made him feel included and apart of something, instead of being on his own and questioning all that he came across. And they were unlike any two people that he's ever met. But that wasn't saying much. He never quite established a solid friendship with anyone until they came along. That's what made it special when Ash and Misty seemed to really accept him. And the two of them together was something else entirely; Tracey couldn't recall ever being so amused and confused by the way they treated eachother sometimes. It was almost like watching a movie that he always tried to keep up with.

Except for today when Misty decided to leave.

It came across like a slap in the face. He was shocked, lost for much else besides a speechless gaze. But it was Ash’s reaction that really caught his attention; He was surprised, of course. But he was quiet. Alot more quiet than Tracey might've guessed he would be. Out of what little he knew of his friend, Ash always seemed passionate about everything he was involved with. And this was something he fully expected that he would respond to. 

His thoughts were clear while they sailed across the ocean waters. Lapras carried them with ease, drifting farther and farther away from what was known as Trovita Island. The same place where they ultimately left Misty behind. It was strange to think how they arrived as three people, and left as two. And Tracey felt some sense of loss, he supposed. He didn't have the chance to really get to know her well enough to feel anything past that. Even though it was still a shame. But what worried him was that Ash wasn't saying much on the subject, either.

He wasn't really saying anything... at all.

Tracey twiddled his thumbs and whistled under his breath. "So, Ash..."

Nothing. Ash only sat with his back to him, still as stone.

"You.. you wanna play a game or somethin', Ash?"

Nothing again.

Tracey looked around. "We don't have to play a game. I could.. I could show you some of my sketches if you'd like. I made some new ones. Wanna see?"

Nothing for a third time. He only watched as the gentle motions of the water moved Lapras as she glided over them. That was enough for him to know that games or anything else was the last thing on his mind.

"Hey, Ash..." Tracey dropped his voice, scratching the back of his neck. "Look.. about what happened back there, I know you didn't want Misty to-"

"Stop." Ash interrupted suddenly.

He said this without turning around, leaving a very sad image in Tracey's mind of what his face must look like.

"Ash, it's okay. I didn't want her to go either. She was cool, I liked her." he shrugged once, while the other male briefly closed his eyes without it being seen.

"And I understand that this is even harder for you. I mean, you've known her longer than I have. And it still really surprises me that that she chose to stay back th-" he reached out to rest a friendly hand on his shoulder, but Ash instantly jerked away from him.

"Tracey, I said to stop." this time he turned around. And every bit of emotion that Tracey suspected him of was there. The sunlight that was fading behind them amplified it tenfold; it wasn't hard to miss the confliction and subdued sense of anger in his eyes. They were flashing beneath a slanted set of furrowed eyebrows. His mouth was pinned together in a tight line, and his cheeks flared to set the example for everything else.

He froze.

"I don't want you to talk about her. I don't want to talk about her. It's fine. If she wants to stay with him, then let her. Whatever. I don't care."

"You can't mean that."

Ash glanced away. He might as well have been on another planet. Everything that was right in front of him almost wasn't even really there. Not when the activity in his mind seemed to cancel it out.

"C'mon... I know you better than that. I can say that much, at least."

Ash stressfully ran a hand through his hair. "Just drop it, Tracey, okay? I'm not going to sit here and listen to this."

"Where ya gonna go?" he attempted for a stab at humor to lighten things up as he grinned. But the look he received from Ash told him that he might actually be stabbed if he didn't put a lid on it. Without saying anything else, he turned his back to Tracey once again.

A long silence followed. Pikachu wasn't deaf to anything being said, and watched them inbetween the blink of his own sad eyes.

Then he sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"S'okay, Ash. It's alright if you don't want to talk about it."

"It's fine. It’s just that I don't know what to say." he paused, glancing toward the direction from which they came. "I thought things were different."

"What do you mean?"

Ash went quiet for a minute. It was hard to imagine himself having this conversation. He still couldn't believe she was really back there now, and that what happened really happened. Part of him was angrier than he could ever remember feeling. He felt betrayed, even. Ash thought that whatever they had between them was something that meant as much to her as it did to him. Even though he never paid much attention to it. But he was too tired to fight the anger. And he was too tired to fight everything that came with that anger. He was hurting in a place that he couldn't identify, and it was more over that than anything else. Especially since he was regretting that he didn't ask her to stay. It was something he wished he didn't let his pride stop him from doing. Because now everything was different. But he couldn't say it. And he couldn't put into words of how much, and how easily it crushed him. He also wouldn't admit that watching her disappear with the gym leader into the distance was the last thing he ever expected.

Or wanted.

It felt like whatever happened back there forced his feelings to complete a puzzle that he didn't even know was there. And as upset as Ash was with Misty, he couldn't help but put some of the blame on himself. There were things he could've and should've done that might’ve changed it. But at the same time, he couldn't simply leave it alone and be glad that she was happy. Part of the problem for Ash was exactly that. He couldn't find it in himself to feel that way, to feel happy that she had to abandon being apart of his journey for someone else. Definitely not yet, at least. And it wasn't anything Tracey would understand. Ash was still in the process of sorting through it, and coming to the obvious conclusion of why any of this was in his mind in the first place.

"Nothing."

[tobiasdrake]

Orange League, Episode 22 - A Monster in the Sewers!?

After a long journey across Great Prairie, Ash comes at last upon Big City/Trovitopolis, the largest city on Mandarin Island. Or he would, but Team Rocket's experimental new pitfall mines work a little too well, blasting everyone (including the Rockets) into the sewer network.

They're rescued shortly after, but not before Bulbasaur is abducted by a mysterious monster living in the sewer. The mayor swears everyone to silence in order to protect the impending vote for his re-relection, and reveals his plans to send down a squad after it. He calls it an extermination squad but they're only armed with birdlime so it's ambiguous what their job is here.

Ash decides to head into the sewers and find Bulbasaur and the monster before the mayor's forces can. To that end, he transfers Muk onto his team. Muk tracks the mystery creature to its lair, revealing it to be another Bulbasaur - One cruelly abandoned by the mayor many years ago out of spite for not evolving fast enough.

So Ash goes full Antifa, teams up with the "sewer monster", and beats the shit out of the mayor and his extermination squad. Thunderbolts and Vine Whips for everyone. While also airing the mayor's dirty laundry for the public in hopes that he won't be re-elected.

Okay! Given that this show is so pro-cop that it even has a recurring Officer Justice hero lady character, I wasn't expecting the final statement on the mayor to be "He's an absolute monster and we should kick him in the genitals." Really goes to show the difference in how media views democratic politicians versus police. They even gave him his own special squad so Ash could fire off Fuck The Police Thunderbolts without tarnishing Officer Jenny in the process.

Once that's settled, Jenny and Joy give Ash directions to the Gym. Yeah, it's not actually in Trovitopolis. Lorelei gave him bad directions. What a jerk. He needs to go to Yuzu/Trovita Gym on Yuzu/Trovita Island nearby. Trovitopolis does have a ferry to get there, though!

I see what the dub did with the "Trovitopolis" and "Trovita Island" thing, to try and make them seem more connected. But no. Ash's Gym is on another island.

[ultimatebman]

Pokeshipping Week Day 3: If Misty Had Chosen to Stay With Rudy

Hope everyone is ready for my day 3! Sorry this one was so late. Anyway, as always i’d love any feedback, like ANY at all. Thank you and have a good Pokeshipping Week Day 3!

Brock gently finished wrapping the bandage around the Tauros’ leg, he cleared his throat, “I don’t want you on this leg for a week alright? I’ll be watching you until then so don’t try anything.” The Tauros nodded, still trying to hide it’s bruised ego. Brock looked at the Tauros herd stampeding across the other side of Professor Oak’s ranch. Ash really needs to train them already Brock thought as he reflected on how rowdy the herd could get. By some strange coincidence Brock turned to return to the laboratory and spotted Ash walking alongside the fence also leading to the laboratory. Brock called out to his longtime friend, but Ash must have been too far away to hear Brock’s greetings as he continued walking without raising his head.When Brock made it to the laboratory Ash had already left, Professor Oak said that Ash had only stopped in to say hello. But that was the only thing Ash did, he had left immediately after to head back home. A worried look flashed across Tracey’s face for only a second, he only had one thing to say to Brock: “Be careful.” A frown shot across Brock’s face, this didn’t sound like Ash, and why did he have to be careful? Brock quickly finished up for the day and headed to the Ketchum house.

When Brock arrived Delia told him that Ash needed to be alone, and that when Ash was ready to come out of his room it would surely help him to see Brock. Delia and Brock went to sit in the living room at found Pikachu sitting on the sofa by himself, Pikachu jumped into Brocks’s arms obviously happy to see him. The three of them waited and shared some small talk as the smell of Mr.Mime cooking dinner filled the house. Brock tried to ask about Ash but Delia just said that Ash would tell Brock about what happend when Ash was ready. Questions swirled in Brock’s head, Something happened? Did I miss something?. Brock then realized that Ash had never called after arriving on Trovita island, in fact Ash was back very soon, maybe too soon. Brock sat there nervously for ten minutes before Ash finally came out of his room.

“Hello Ash.” Brock said, a genuinely shocked expression was all he got from Ash for a few seconds.

“H-hey Brock, it’s great to see you.” Ash sat down on the sofa next to his mother and had Pikachu jump on his lap. Ash couldn’t see it but Delia had a worried look on her face.

“So Ash, I saw you on the way to the Professor oak’s lab. I tried to say hello but you didn’t respond.”

“Oh sorry, I didn’t hear you.”

“That’s alright, I’m here now so it all worked out.” was all brock had to say before there was silence once again. Ash finally spoke again after a minute.

“Hey Mom, would you mind if me and Brock could talk for a minute.”

“If that’s what you want honey, I’d better go check on Mimey anyway.” Delia got up and left for the kitchen leaving only Ash and Brock. Pikachu looked up to Ash

“Chu?”

‘Sorry buddy, would you mind?” Pikachu nuzzled him for a second then went off to join Delia.

“Would you mind if we went to my room, Brock?”

“Sure.” The two got up and transitioned to Ash’s room. Ash sat down on his bed and Brock pulled up a chair to sit across from him. Brock could feel what was coming next. Ash was slow to start at first but he soon organized his words and spoke.

“It’s.. nice that you came.”

“I just wanted to know how you were doing.”

“Did Tracey tell you what happened?”

“No, should he have?”

“I told him that I wanted to do it myself.” Ash then went quiet again as if waiting for something.

“I want you to know that I never got the Spike Shell Badge. I… couldn’t beat the gym leader.” There was a touch of anger in his final two words. “Since I couldn’t challenge the champion I came back home.” Brock couldn't believe what he was hearing, Ash was never one to just give up like that.

“What about Tracey, why did he come back before you?”

“I uh, told him to. Tracey was already planning the trip back when… I… wanted to challenge that gym leader again. So he left without me.”

“How did the battle go?” Brock’s voice was comforting to him, but the question weighed heavily on Ash. Ash’s eyes became glassy as the words lingered on him.

“I… couldn’t change anything,” Ash showed Brock the inside of his jacket. Brock frankly didn’t know what the Spike Shell Badge looked like, but there were indeed only two badges from the Orange Islands. Brock noticed something else though, there was one badge missing, one that Ash would never have just simply lost. Misty’s Cascade Badge was gone. All the pieces came together in Brock’s mind. Ash must have seen Brock’s shocked expression because he quickly closed his jacket and crossed his arms.

“Ash, I’ll be here as long as you need me, I promise. When you feel ready I’ll be here.”

“Sorry…It’s just, It’s my fault. It’s my fault she left.” Ash tried to hide his sniffles but it was no use. Brock moved to sit alongside him on the bed, he wrapped his arm around Ash’s shoulders.

“Whatever happend, I know that she could never stay mad at you, and that you can’t stay mad at her. She would never want to lose her friendship with you, ever. And it’s the same with you isn’t it?” Ash looked deep in thought, after a minute he just let out a sigh.

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”

“It doesn't have to be now, but I want you to talk to her. Try to understand each other ok?”

“I’ll try,” Ash paused for few seconds. “Thanks Brock,” Ash gave him a tight hug, and Brock returned it.

Brock suddenly noticed something shiney between Ash’s feet and poorly hidden under the bed. He tried not to let Ash know he spotted it, as he looked harder he saw that it was a few small shards of glass and bits of wood. Ash suddenly jumped as Delia opened the door.

“Sorry honey, I just wanted to let you know dinner is ready. There is plenty for you too Brock if you’d like to stay for awhile.”

“Sure thing, thanks Ms.K.” Brock said as Ash got up from his bed. Brock didn’t move at first, Ash looked back at him.

“You coming?”

“Yeah, I just need to use the bathroom. Don’t eat all the food without me alright?”Brock said, and Ash let out a chuckle. Though there was still some sadness in his eyes.

“I don’t think I could.” Ash turned back and headed for the dining room.

While what Brock said was true and he really did have to go to the bathroom, he had to know what Ash was hiding. Brock had reservations about barging into Ash’s private stuff, but he had to help his friend even if it meant breaking a few boundaries. Brock carefully lifted the covers from the side of the bed as to not disturb whatever it was, to his surprise it was a picture frame. The the frame was broken and the glass was in several large pieces, but the picture inside was undamaged. Brock remembered the photo, it was a picture of him, Ash, and Misty after Ash had lost in the Kanto league. But none of them had been brought down by his loss, Ash had been happy just being with his friends.

After Brock relieved himself he joined the Ketchum family for dinner. It was a quiet dinner at first, but as the night rolled by laughs returned to the house. Ash was still more somber than usual but he seemed to have cheered up after their talk, or at least he was acting like he was, but Brock knew he was a terrible actor. After dinner Ash asked his mother a question Brock was happy to hear.

“Hey Mom, do you have any empty picture frames?”

“I think so, but I’ll have to check”

“If you could find one tonight that would be great.”

“Alright sweetie.”

Ash suddenly turned to Brock with a determined look in his eyes.

“Brock, I don’t want start anything just yet, but would you mind traveling with me again?”

“I’d love to,” Brock said with a smile

“It would be with Tracey, is that alright?”

“I guess this will be my chance to get to know him,” Brock let out a laugh, but quickly stopped as he looked back to Ash who had that slightly sad look again.

“Thanks Brock.”

“No problem.”  

[wishmaker1028]

Pokeshipping Week 2017 - Day 3 If Misty stayed with Rudy

Ash still couldn't believe his ears. Misty was staying...on Trovita Island...with Rudy. His heart broke in two as he lowered his head, his hat covering his eyes.

Tracey saw this as he frowned. Though Ash had beaten Rudy, he looked like he lost a battle. Misty saw this as she stood with Rudy and Marie. Both were happy but for different reasons.

Misty faked a smile at Rudy, feeling badly. Had she made the right choice? Seeing how Ash was right now made Misty almost throw up.

Ash exchanged his farewells (though it pained him to do it) and ran off. Pikachu followed him, looking just as sad. Tracey followed him, after saying his goodbyes, and left.

Misty didn't know why she felt her heart going with Ash.

...

It was a long time before Misty found out the truth about Rudy. Rudy was not only a player but he was also quite the creep. Misty felt betrayed and heartbroken. Misty thought, 'Why was he like this? He was so nice to me when I first arrived.'

Misty was 17 now. She had grown into a beautiful teen. She was just as pretty as her sisters. She had long red hair tied into a high ponytail, she was wearing a yellow short sleeved shirt with blue beads sown into the sleeves, blue jean shorts with yellow zig zags at the bottom, and white sneakers.

She walked out to the patio, to look at her Pokemon. Ever since she decided to stay, she managed to have her Pokemon from the gym come to Rudy's gym.

She had Staryu, Kingdra (Horsea had evolved fully recently), Corsola (she caught it while she was out with Marie), Gyarados (from her sisters), Remoraid (she caught that fishing), and Tenacruel (Rudy gave her that to her on their first anniversary).

Misty sighed sadly. She wished that she never agreed to stay. While she loved Marie, Rudy was falling out of love with love.

Misty turned on the television. She had done everything on the island, more than once. She wanted...more. She wanted...

Speak of the Girantina. Ash was on TV. He was the same age as Misty, wearing his Sinnoh outfit. Misty's heart rate increased. She missed Ash. She wanted Ash. But after all of this time?

Ash was currently in a battle. He was battling a person named Conway. And he was amazing. More so than usual. Had it been six years since they parted ways? What did she give up?

But her heart broke when she saw the battle was over. Ash hugged Brock (when did he get back), a younger girl, a blonde guy, and a brown haired teen their age. He kissed the brown haired girl, making a victory pose.

"I'll make it to the top, Mom! I'll make Dad proud!" Ash declared to the tv. "With the help of my friends and girlfriend!" He added.

"Although you are going down if we battle." The girl promised, a smile on his face.

"Bring it on, Ranee. Bring it on." Ash stated, proudly.

Misty turned off the tv. What just happened? She instantly felt defeated. Of course he would have moved on. It had been 6 years, after all. What she didn't know was Rudy had saw the whole thing.

Rudy smirked, walking away from the door. He walked into his office, closing the door behind him. He took a box out of the bottom of the desk. He opened it and there were a lot of letters in it. All from Ash. Rudy stuffed another letter into it, closing the lid, and putting away.

It was almost time.

...

Sorry for the delay on this one. Also sorry I didn't have a happy ending but I thought this was an interesting ending. See you all tomorrow!