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Chapter 10

Misty's POV

I woke up from a totally peaceful sleep, and saw that Ash still had his arm around me. He felt so warm and cozy, like being surrounded by love. Of course my being a romantic would lead me to think that. But nevertheless, I didn't want to leave his side. But unfortunately the day had to get started. I attempted to wake up Ash with a gentle kiss on his cheek.

He stirred and a smile appeared on his face, but Ash stayed asleep. I giggled at that. As usual, Ash never surrendered sleep without a fight. At least some things would still be the same. I freed myself from his embrace, and that caused him to wake up. "Morning Mist." Ash said with a smile. "Good morning Ash." I replied.

"Pika pika!" (Morning guys!) "Good morning Pikachu!" I exclaimed, inviting the electric mouse in for a hug. Pikachu jumped into my arms and gave a squeal of glee as I hugged him tightly. I was about to say something, when I heard Dawn knocking on the door. "Hey guys, you up yet?" Dawn called out from behind the door.

I got a brilliant idea, something to get Dawn back for intentionally putting me and Ash in an uncomfortable position. Ash was about to reply when I placed my hand over his mouth. I whispered my plan into his ear, and a wide grin appeared on his face. "This is gonna rock!" Ash exclaimed quietly.

"Pikachu, go open the door when I tell you to." I whispered. Pikachu looked confused, but he acknowledged, and hopped onto the doorknob. Ash and I leaped back under the covers, went into a close embrace and pretended to be asleep. From underneath the covers, I snapped my fingers and signaled Pikachu to open the door.

Normal POV

"Hey Pikachu, are…Ash and Misty awake yet?" Dawn said, stifling laughter. "Pika pika pi chu." (I'm not sure.) Pikachu replied, still confused as to why Ash and Misty decided to fake being asleep. Dawn walked in quietly, and saw Ash and Misty cuddled up comfortably. "Ooooh! That's so sweet!" Dawn gushed quietly.

Ash and Misty had to try their very hardest in order to keep from cracking up, but the prank's success depended on them keeping a straight and natural face. Dawn stood in front of the foot of the bed, and made a square shape with her hands, trying to make a small picture-frame with her fingers. "Perfect, I have to get a picture of this!" Dawn said mischievously. "Pika?" (What?) Pikachu panicked.

Dawn pulled out her Pokedex, and activated the new camera setting that she had recently downloaded into it. Just before she snapped the photo, Ash and Misty jumped up suddenly and screamed, scaring Dawn to the point of falling down. And if that wasn't enough, Pikachu gave Dawn a Thundershock for being mean to his master and his girlfriend.

"My hair!" Dawn screamed angrily, feeling her now totally ruined hair. Ash and Misty laughed, and Pikachu joined in after a while. "Sorry Dawn, we just wanted to get you back for your little prank yesterday, the Thundershock wasn't supposed to be part of the equation." Misty apologized. "Pika pika." (Sorry Dawn.) Pikachu apologized.

Dawn started laughing as well. "Well, I guess I got my just-desserts." The trio laughed a while longer, and then Ash and Misty went to go change out of their pajamas. Afterwards, they walked down into the Pokémon Center lobby to get some breakfast, and found Brock already eating.

"Hey guys!" Brock greeted. "Hey Brock, glad to see you're feeling better." Ash said. "Actually, I feel horrible." Brock said glumly. "If you feel so bad, why did Nurse Joy say you were ok?" Dawn asked. "My body is fine…it's my heart that's in pain! Now that I'm out of there, I won't be able to see Nurse Joy anymore!" Brock cried out. The group did a face-fault at their friend's pathetic reaction to being well again.

"Same old Brock. Will you ever change?" Misty asked jokingly. "Not until I find the one girl out there who will finally like me back!" Brock said dramatically. "Good luck with that." Ash said. Suddenly, Brock spotted Nurse Joy and ran to the desk where she was standing.

"Oh Nurse Joy! I can't thank you enough for making me feel better…!" Brock began. "Ugh, good thing I came along when I did. Time to get back to work." Misty said, getting up to drag Brock away from Nurse Joy. Ash grabbed her by the hand before she went to go get Brock, which caused her to turn around. "Don't worry about it Mist, this problem will take care of itself in a minute." Ash said.

Misty sat back down with a confused expression, and suddenly saw a white light emerge from Brock's backpack. She turned to Ash who was quietly counting backwards on his fingers. "Three…two…one…" Ash whispered. Misty looked at Brock, who was now cringing in pain from Croagunk's Poison Jab, and being dragged away by the wrist.

"Well, it looks like my kind of Pokémon!" Misty said, laughing. "That's Brock's Croagunk. He caught it during a battle with Team Rocket, and it seems to have taken the role of 'Brock Pacifier' since Max left with May." Ash explained. "You'd think after all of those painful experiences, Brock would just chill out." Dawn said.

"He's been doing that for years, and it looks like he'll be doing it for years to come." Misty said with a sweat-drop. Brock had now recovered from the Poison Jab, and sat back down into his seat. "So, what's on the agenda for today?" Brock asked. "I have to get back to training! Last night, I thought of a way to make Aipom's 'Swift' work the way I want it to!" Dawn exclaimed. "Hey, that's great! Maybe you can show us after breakfast." Ash suggested. "Sounds good to me, I'll be ready for that contest and I intend to win!" Dawn cheered.

"That's the spirit! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna get something to eat!" Ash exclaimed. "Pika pika chu!" (Me too!) Pikachu said. "He still follows his stomach." Misty said. "Yeah, food has been a life-long friend of his, and I don't think that'll ever change." Brock said. "Although they did stop speaking to each other a few days ago." Dawn said with a grin. Misty made a puzzled face, and Brock elbowed Dawn, knowing what she was insinuating. "Ow!" Dawn exclaimed. "Alright, what's going on Brock?" Misty asked. "(Sigh) Before you got here, Ash was losing focus on everything he did. He even stopped eating." Brock said. "Wow. I can't believe he stopped eating because of me…" Misty said, feeling both guilty and flattered.

"You obviously mean a lot to him Misty. No other person would be able to have such an effect on him as to make him reject food." Brock said. Misty blushed at that. Ash had now returned to with a huge pile of food, and Pikachu with a bottle of ketchup. "Gee, hungry much?" Misty asked with a smirk. "You have no idea!" Ash replied, viciously scarfing down his food.

"Hey girls, you better get your breakfast before Ash goes for seconds." Brock joked. Ash gave him a quick glare, and then kept eating. "Good idea Brock." Dawn said. Dawn got up from the table with Misty following close by.

Ash's POV

"That's just what I need…I just know that Brock is going to interrogate me." I thought. "So…Ash…tell me…how did you mange to break Misty from the bonds of being a gym leader?" Brock asked curiously. "It's a long story." I replied without looking up. "I have time." Brock said. It seemed that Brock wasn't going to drop the subject; I had to think of something!

"It's too long to tell before they get back." I said. "Ok, you can tell me later." Brock said. I escaped for now, but when Brock wants to know something, he finds a way to persuade me. At least it's not as bad as what Dawn did when a secret was kept; she just annoyed you to death! I finally finished my breakfast just as Misty and Dawn showed up with theirs.

"Ready for seconds Pikachu?" I asked. "Pika pika pika chu!" (I'm still eating!) Pikachu exclaimed. Misty giggled. "You probably eat more than a Snorlax!" Misty teased. "At least I eat 'till I'm full…scrawny." I teased back. Misty smirked and whacked me on the back of the head, which I knew was coming anyway. "Ow." I said playfully. "Alright you two, you can flirt all you want after we digest." Brock said sarcastically.

I blushed and looked at Misty, who was also blushing. "I'm gonna go outside and do a little training. C'mon Pikachu." I said. "Pika pika!" (Sure thing!) Pikachu hopped onto my shoulder and we ran outside to the back of the Pokémon Center. I pulled out two balls, and tossed them onto the field.

On one of the field, Chimchar appeared. And on the other end, my powerful dragon and old friend: Charizard. "Alright guys, I want to see some good effort go into this battle. Got it?" I asked with excitement. "Chim char!" (Alright!) Chimchar exclaimed. "Charizard, can you battle for yourself?" I asked. Charizard grunted with a nod.

"Alright, Chimchar, start it off with a 'Flamethrower'!" I ordered. Chimchar fired its attack towards Charizard, who looked ready to counter. Charizard fired his 'Flamethrower' to counter Chimchar, and a huge explosion covered the field.

Just then, Charizard came flying towards Chimchar with a 'Steel Wing' attack. "Use 'Dig' to avoid it Chimchar!" I exclaimed. Chimchar dug a hole and just barely dodged the giant dragon's attack. "Now use 'Scratch!'" I exclaimed. Chimchar leaped out of the hole and scratched Charizard's face.

"Way to go Chimchar!" I cheered. Chimchar started jumping up and down in celebration, and I stopped the short spar. "Thanks Charizard, take a break now."

Charizard growled in acknowledgement, and I recalled him to his Pokeball. "Hey, nice job Chimchar! You're getting really strong!" I said, petting Chimchar's head. "Chim chim char!" (Hey, thanks!) Chimchar replied happily. I returned him to his Pokeball, just before Misty, Dawn, and Brock walked over. Misty and Dawn were talking about something, but I couldn't understand what.

Misty's POV

Dawn had asked me what my favorite Pokémon was, and the answer was obvious of course. "I just love Tentacool and Tentacruel!" I exclaimed with stars in my eyes. "They're your favorite Pokémon?" Dawn asked in disbelief. "Is there a problem with that?" I asked with my eyes narrowed at her. "N-No! But, they just don't seem like the kind of Pokémon a girl like you would want." Dawn replied.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I've always wanted a Vaporeon. They're just so beautiful!" I gushed. Dawn smiled and then ran towards the battlefield, holding a Pokeball.

Normal POV

"Hey guys!" Ash exclaimed. "Hey Ash." Dawn said, "Ready to see what I came up with everyone?"

"Sure thing, go ahead." Brock said. "Alright! But…if you could just move to the center of the field, it would be very much appreciated." Dawn said. "Uh, sure Dawn." Misty said hesitantly. The trio obliged, and moved to the center of the battlefield.

"Aipom! Spooootlight!" Dawn exclaimed. With a twirl, Dawn threw out Aipom's Pokeball, who stood on its tail after emerging. "Aipom! 'Swift', go!" Dawn exclaimed. Aipom swung its tail back and forth, causing a circle of stars to surround the trio of Ash, Misty, and Brock. "What's she doing?" Misty asked. "Dunno, guess we'll see in a minute." Brock replied.

Without warning, Aipom punched one of the leftover stars towards the spinning circle, and it bounced around like a pinball before causing the stars to shatter into a shiny dust. The trio gasped in awe at the marvelous sight. "It's like being sprinkled with mist!" Misty exclaimed. Aipom landed on the ground, and gave a bow along with its new master: Dawn.

"Great Aipom! You and Dawn are totally in sync!" Ash exclaimed. Aipom chattered in thanks. "And I'm very impressed on that variation of 'Swift' you used." Brock added. "I've never seen 'Swift' used like that; my sisters would've fallen head-over-heels if they saw it." Misty added. "Thanks guys! It looks a lot prettier than before, and we did a lot of changes on 'Focus Punch' as well." Dawn replied.

"How about showing us then?" Misty asked politely. "Sure thing! Piplup, can you be our opponent?" Dawn asked her faithful penguin. "Pi plup!" (Of course!) Piplup chirped. "Use 'Bubblebeam'!" Dawn exclaimed. Piplup leaped into the air and fired a stream of bubbles into the air.

"Aipom! 'Focus Punch'!" Dawn ordered. Aipom leaped into the air to meet the bubbles, and started launching rapid punches towards the now popping bubbles, which sprinkled more mist on the trio. "What's that?" Ash asked. "That seems too fast to be a 'Focus Punch'." Misty added.

"Yeah Mist, you're right! It actually looks like Aipom has two tails! That's awesome!" Ash replied. Pikachu squealed in agreement. "I wanted it to look like Aipom was attacking in two places at once with one 'Focus Punch'." Dawn explained. "But that doesn't look like 'Focus Punch' to me." Misty said. "Huh, what do you mean?" Dawn asked.

"Well, just look. No 'Focus Punch' can move that fast, and since I was a gym leader I know what a 'Focus Punch' looks like." Misty explained. "Hey, Misty's right! Do you two realize that what Aipom is using is a brand new move?" Brock asked. "A new move?" Dawn asked. Dawn held out her Pokedex to examine exactly what Aipom was doing.

The Pokedex made a few beeping noises, signaling the completion of its analysis. "'Double Hit', a single attack that causes damage twice." the Pokedex chirped. Dawn's eyes started shining in excitement. "'Double Hit'…wow! I've got me a new move!" Dawn said excitedly. Aipom finished its attack, and did some mid-air somersaults before landing on Dawn's head gracefully.

"I would think that Aipom is close to evolving after learning to use that move." Brock said. "Only Brock would be able to tell that just by looking at it." Misty said sarcastically. "Well, if I'm going to be a Pokémon Breeder, I need to be able to tell things like that." Brock replied. "So, you're gonna evolve soon, eh Aipom? Let's see what that'll be." Ash said, pulling out his red Pokedex.

"Ambipom." A voice said. "Huh?" the group asked in unison. They turned their heads and saw Dawn's old friend Kenny standing there with his Prinplup. "The evolved form of Aipom is Ambipom." Kenny repeated. "Kenny!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu and Piplup greeted Prinplup, who reciprocated.

"What do you know? If it isn't Dawn's old friend." Brock said. "Who's that Ash?" Misty asked. "Kenny is an old friend of Dawn's. They're both coordinators, so you could consider them friendly rivals." Ash explained. "Long time no see. I am kind of surprised you didn't even know the name of what the evolved form of Aipom is…'Dee Dee'." Kenny teased Dawn with a malicious grin. Dawn growled and then yelled at Kenny to never call her that again.

"Huh? Why did you call her…" Misty was cut off by a panicking Dawn, who was now shaking her by the shoulders violently. "Misty, please don't go there!" Dawn begged. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry!" Misty exclaimed. Dawn released Misty who was now on the floor with spirals in her eyes. Ash knelt down next to her and lifted up her by the shoulder. "You ok Mist?" Ash asked. "Yeah, just a little dizzy." Misty replied woozily.

"Guess everybody's got secrets hidden in their closet." Brock chuckled. "Yeah, let's ask Ash and his 'secret' friend." Dawn said. Ash and Misty blushed. "So are you gonna introduce me to your friend here or what?" Kenny asked referring to Misty. "Oh yeah, Kenny, this is Misty." Ash said. "Nice to meet you." Misty said. "Are you a coordinator like Dee Dee?" Kenny asked with a smirk. Dawn was now ready to kill Kenny, but was held back by Brock.

"Uh, no. I was actually the gym leader at Cerulean City in Kanto before I came back to travel with Ash." Misty explained. "Sounds cool, so Dawn, you'll be in the contest, right?" Kenny asked, turning his attention back to Dawn. "Of course!" Dawn replied. "Awesome! Oh, hey, it was too bad what happened at Hearthome City." Kenny said sympathetically.

"What happened at Hearthome City?" Misty asked. "Dawn lost in the first round." Ash said sullenly. "Oh, sorry Dawn." Misty apologized sadly. "It's no problem Misty! This time there's no need to worry because I'm ready!" Dawn exclaimed, making a 'V' for victory sign with her fingers. Aipom chattered in agreement as it made the same sign with its tail.

"I didn't know you had an Aipom." Kenny said. "Oh yeah, Ash used to be Aipom's trainer." Dawn said. "I feel sorry for Aipom." Misty teased. "Oh yeah, what about your Psyduck, Misty?" Ash countered. "Ugh. Don't go there Ash." Misty said with a glare. "Don't you remember Aipom from the Jubilife Contest?" Dawn asked.

"That's right! So did you make a trade?" Kenny asked. "Yeah, for Dawn's Buizel." Ash explained. "So that's where you got that Buizel, I should've known that you wouldn't have been able to catch such a powerful water-type." Misty teased. "What's that supposed to mean?" Ash yelled angrily. "I'm saying that you can't catch decent water-types without someone else intervening somehow!" Misty yelled back.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"OH YEAH?"

"YEAH!"

"Do they do this often?" Kenny asked with a sweat-drop. "You get used to it after a few years." Brock stated. "I don't think I can handle waiting that long!" Dawn exclaimed. Piplup was getting really annoyed, so it fired a 'Bubblebeam' at the quarreling couple. As the water-attack hit their faces, their argument was put to a stop.

"Hey!" they said in unison. "Is that the way a boyfriend and girlfriend should treat each other?" Dawn asked angrily. Ash and Misty leaped onto Dawn and started shooting off comments at her. "No one else needs to know Dawn!" Misty yelled. "Yeah, just keep quiet!" Ash agreed. Aipom looked on in confusion, wondering why her former master was torturing her current one.

Ash and Misty, satisfied with their job, got off of Dawn who now had spirals in her eyes like Misty did. "Sorry about that Ash, you really are doing a good job with that Buizel." Misty apologized. "No prob Mist, I know you don't really mean what you say when you do that." Ash reassured. Dawn had now gotten up and dusted herself off.

"You two go from enemies to friends faster than an 'Extreme Speed' attack." Dawn said. "True that." Brock agreed. Ash and Misty glared at their friends. Meanwhile, Kenny was watching in utter confusion. "You sure know how to pick your pals Dawn." Kenny finally said. "No kidding, I chose you for one didn't I?" Dawn said. Kenny did a face-fault, and then recovered.

"Anyways, so you will be in the contest?" Kenny asked. "No doubt! This time I'm gonna use Aipom for both round one and two and win for sure!" Dawn said determinedly. Aipom chattered in agreement. Kenny's face turned smug. "Yeah, we'll see. We're gonna enter too after all, and we're feeling strong." Kenny said confidently. "Prin plup!" (That's right!) Prinplup agreed.

"You have two badges right Kenny?" Ash asked. "Yeah, how many badges do you have?" Kenny asked. Ash pulled out his badge case, revealing two Sinnoh League badges. "I've got two of 'em. Six more to go!" Ash exclaimed. "Only two Ash? Guess I didn't miss much." Misty said. "I'm just glad you'll be here for the rest of my battles." Ash said.

"Believe me, there's no place I'd rather be." Misty said with a wink. Ash blushed, but quickly regained his composure when an idea popped in his head. "Speaking of battling, how about you and me finish our battle Kenny?" Ash asked. "Uh, maybe later. I actually had plans to go and see Dialga and Palkia right now." Kenny explained. "Huh?" Ash asked. "See Dialga and Palkia?" Dawn asked in disbelief.

"Yeah…see them." Kenny repeated. The group gasped in awe. "Hey, hey! I don't mean the real ones! It's just a monument." Kenny said, trying to calm down his friends. "A monument huh? C'mon Ash, I wanna go see it!" Misty exclaimed, grabbing Ash's hand and running off. "Looks like we'll be going with you Kenny." Brock said with a sweat-drop. "It sure seems that way." Kenny said. The team ran off to catch up to the couple that already headed towards…somewhere. "Misty, we need Kenny to tell us where we're going!" Ash exclaimed. Misty stopped in her tracks, making Ash run into her and fall on top of her.

"Oh yeah. Well, as long as they're not here yet…" Misty said, right before giving Ash a peck on the cheek. "What was that for?" Ash asked with a goofy smile. "No reason, I just wanted to." Misty replied. Ash blushed and chuckled. "Chaaa!" (Cuuute!) Pikachu squealed. Now Misty joined Ash in the blush-fest.

AT THE SHRINE

Men and women in silver suits and multi-colored hair were standing dutifully in front of the shrine. Meanwhile, Meowth was busy picking berries. "Dis must be my lucky day! Grabbin' grub for free!" Meowth said to himself. Meowth's eyes wandered over to the shrine, where he saw the trio of people in front of the shrine. "I know dose fashion freaks! Hey, check dis out!" Meowth exclaimed, calling over his two 'Team Rocket' partners.

Jessie and James crawled over and saw what Meowth was pointing at. "Team Galactic, wonder what they're up to." Jessie whispered. "No good as always I'm sure." James replied. Their grudge against Team Galactic had now been rekindled, as they thought about how they had been tricked into stealing the 'Adament Orb' for them.

Jessie, James, and Meowth snuck over to behind a pillar, trying to follow them unnoticed. "What's dis joint?" Meowth asked referring to the shrine. Unnoticed by Team Rocket, the Team Galactic leader had seen them hiding, but he decided not to do anything about it. The leader threw out a Pokeball. "Bronzor, 'Flash'." he said. A Bronzor appeared from the Pokeball, and its face lit up in a flashlight-like fashion. Team Galactic proceeded through the long tunnel, followed closely by Team Rocket, who had decided to believe it was a treasure-house.

By this time, Ash, Misty, Dawn, Brock, and Kenny had reached the shrine themselves. "It's true! Dialga and Palkia!" Ash exclaimed. "These are the Solaceon Ruins, the ruins that people once paid tribute to Dialga and Palkia, and there are lots of places like this throughout Sinnoh." Kenny explained. "Wow!" Ash gasped in awe. "Hey, look at this!" Dawn exclaimed, looking at the writing on one of the statue bases.

"When one light meets another light, something will be born." Dawn read. "That's so true!" Kenny exclaimed. "No kidding, we have two living examples standing over there." Dawn said, pointing over to where Ash and Misty were admiring the other statue. "You know Dawn, I think I've heard that saying somewhere before." Brock said. "Oh yeah! Cynthia the elite champion told us that saying!" Dawn replied.

"Wow that's so cool that you got to meet the champion!" Kenny exclaimed, obviously impressed. "I guess you could say that I have a much more exciting life than you." Dawn said with a satisfied smile. "No duh, from what I've seen from Ash and that Misty girl, you'll never be bored again." Kenny said with a grin. Dawn sweat-dropped. Brock walked over to Ash and Misty's statue, and noticed that it read the same.

"It says the same thing over here." Brock said. "Says what Brock?" Misty asked. "When one light meets another light, something will be born." Brock repeated. "That sounds so mysterious!" Misty exclaimed. "I wonder if it has anything to do with Dialga and Palkia." Ash said. "Probably, considering that it says it on their statues." Misty replied. "Hey, I've got a good idea!" Kenny exclaimed suddenly. "Yeah? What is it?" Ash asked.

"Let's battle now!" Kenny exclaimed. "What? How could you possibly battle around these beautiful statues?" Misty yelled, concerned for the well-being of the art. "Yeah, Misty's right!" Ash exclaimed. "Why thank you Ash." Misty replied in a satisfied tone. "Yeah, I mean, how can anyone battle with Dialga and Palkia staring at you?" Ash asked. Misty did a face-fault as she realized that Ash had completely missed her point. "Ash, you're denseness isn't exactly something I'll miss when you lose it." Misty thought.

"Oh come on! It'll be fun!" Kenny exclaimed. "Well…alright then!" Ash exclaimed. How could he ever refuse a battle? "Alright, so who gets to attack first?" Kenny asked. "Uh, that's a good question." Ash said with his arms crossed. "In case you haven't noticed, in situations like this, I have just the thing!" Dawn exclaimed, holding up her coin-toss wristband. "Whoa! A coin-toss application?" Kenny asked in a bewildered tone. "Don't have one huh?" Dawn teased with a grin. Kenny groaned and bent over. "I hate this." Kenny mumbled.

After choosing the first attacker (which would be Ash), the two called out the rules. "One-on-one sound good?" Kenny asked. "Awesome! Let's do it!" Ash exclaimed.

Ash's POV

"You can do it Ash!" Misty called out from the sidelines. I blushed and gave her a smile, taking comfort in the fact that I wasn't hallucinating anymore, she was really there, and she always would be. Although I was wondering why she was cheering since she was against the battle in the first place.

Misty's POV

"Well, there's no way I can convince him otherwise, so I guess I'll just cheer him on." I thought.

Ash's POV

I figured that Kenny would use Prinplup again, like he did in Floraroma Town. So I decided on my grass-type. "Turtwig, I choose you!" I threw out the Pokeball and Turtwig emerged, ready for battle. Suddenly, Kenny threw out a Pokeball himself, which meant my judgment was wrong, and Kenny wasn't using Prinplup.

"Alright, go Breloom!" Kenny exclaimed. I saw Dawn pulling out her Pokedex. "Hey Dawn, turn up the volume on your Pokedex so I can hear!" I yelled. Dawn gave a thumbs-up and obliged. I listened intently to the explanation.

"Breloom, the mushroom Pokémon. Its short arms stretch when it throws punches, and its technique is like that of a professional boxer's." "Hmm, I wonder if it's a fighting-type too." I wondered. "Oh well, grass vs. grass won't do much, so I'll just roll with it!" I thought.

"'Kay! Turtwig, 'Tackle'!" I exclaimed. Turtwig ran across the field to tackle the mushroom Pokémon. Kenny told Breloom to dodge the attack, but my Turtwig was just too fast for it, and it took the full force of the attack. "Now, 'Razor Leaf'! Go!" I called out another attack, and Turtwig got ready to launch razor sharp leaves at its opponent, but there was no way I would be ready for what came next.

"Use 'Mach Punch'!" Kenny exclaimed.I gasped, there was no way that Turtwig could dodge the attack now, and all I could do was watch Turtwig take the impact. "You gotta admit, my Breloom is really good." Kenny said. "Yeah, hey Turtwig, you alright?" I asked. Turtwig nodded, and the battle continued. "Use 'Bite'!"

Turtwig ran towards Breloom, but once again was stopped. This time by an attack I never saw before. "Use 'Energy Ball'!" Kenny countered. A growing ball of energy appeared in front of Breloom's mouth, and it launched the attack at Turtwig, who took the full brunt of the attack, as it detonated. "Wow, that move looks awesome!" I heard Dawn say. And I couldn't help but agree, I wanted Turtwig to know that move! So I asked if Kenny could teach Turtwig how.

"You're really going to just stop the battle?" Misty asked. "Hey, when you get the opportunity to learn an awesome move, you take it!" I replied. "Hmmm, I never said I gave you an opportunity…what should I do?" Kenny asked himself mockingly. "You should teach Turtwig that move of course!" Dawn answered for him.

"Ok, here's the deal. You beat me, and I'll teach Turtwig 'Energy Ball'." Kenny offered. "Oh come on!" Dawn yelled. "Looks like the battle's back on Mist, go enjoy the show!" I said. Misty smiled and walked back over to where Dawn was sitting.

Normal POV

Meanwhile, Team Galactic had reached their destination inside the shrine, where Team Rocket had been "sneaking" around. They placed three strange plates into three slots on the floor, and a strange light began to glow. As a strange cube rose from the floor, the Unown engraved in the walls came to life, trying to protect the cube from Team Galactic.

"Bronzor, 'Confuse Ray'!" the leader exclaimed. Bronzor sent out a ghostly light all over the room, causing the Unown to become dangerously confused. When everything cleared, Team Galactic had vanished without a trace, leaving a bewildered Team Rocket surrounded by a bunch of enraged Unowns.

A giant red light flashed from the shrine, and the spot that Misty, Dawn, Piplup, and Aipom were sitting on suddenly folded into itself.

Ash's POV

I heard screaming from the shrine, and I saw Misty, Dawn, and her Pokémon suddenly getting pulled away by the shrine itself. "Misty! Dawn!" I cried out. I grabbed my Pokeball and sent out Charizard, who gave out a roar and I leaped onto its back. "Follow them Charizard!" I yelled with urgency. I knew Charizard had felt my concern, he took off at an incredible speed, chasing down the wall.

"No! Misty!" My fear grew worse as I saw Misty slip into the red light of the shrine along with Piplup and Aipom. And if I didn't have enough to worry about, Dawn had leaped in going after her Pokémon. "Gun it Charizard!" Charizard flew even faster, but it made no difference, since I had plenty of time to get in. It was Brock and Kenny who had the close call. The shrine closed up completely, just after we managed to get in.

I didn't bother to wait for Brock and Kenny, I was now on a mission as I flew on the back of my dragon. I had to find Misty!

Misty's POV

"Oh great, just one day back with Ash and I'm already thrown into a creepy adventure!" I exclaimed. Dawn had ignored my outburst, as she was checking on Piplup and Aipom. I looked around and noticed that the walls were starting to move! I gave out a scream as angry Unowns started coming out of the walls. Now I really wished Ash was here, 'cause this was just scary!

"What are those?" Dawn asked in a scared tone. Her Pokedex said: "Unown, the symbol Pokémon. Unown use telepathy to communicate with each other. Many different shapes of Unown have been discovered."

"Yeah they've been discovered! Just now!" I screamed. Red beams were fired at us, and out of instinct, Dawn's Piplup and Aipom defended us with a "Bubblebeam" and "Swift" respectively. But they didn't quit yet, they wanted more, so I was ready to oblige. I was ready to send out Staryu, when Psyduck popped out of his Pokeball.

"Psyduck! Not now!" I yelled. "Psy?" (Huh?) it asked dopily. Another beam from the Unown caused Psyduck to totally freak out, and I recalled it before me and Dawn ran off screaming. "Ash! Come and find us!"

Ash's POV

I heard screaming coming from a flight of never-ending stairs and I saw Misty and Dawn being attacked by what looked like a mob of Unown, with Piplup and Aipom doing their best to defend. "Misty!" I called out. "Ash, help!" Misty called out. "C'mon Charizard! Get over there and use 'Dragon Breath'!" Charizard roared and flew over to the Unown, firing a fiery breath at them. The Unown cried out in pain, and attacked again. Charizard landed in front of the group, ready to take them all on. "Charizard, use 'Flamethrower'! I ordered. As Charizard fought off the Unown, I jumped off to tend to Misty.

Misty's POV

I was beyond relieved when Ash showed up with Charizard, he knelt down next to me and hugged me tightly, which I gladly reciprocated. "Misty, thank goodness you're alright!" Ash exclaimed, concern in his voice. "Ash, I'm so glad you're here." I replied, starting to feel safe in his arms. "I'm fine too, thanks for asking!" Dawn yelled angrily. Ash looked like he was about to apologize, when I noticed Charizard.

"Ash, Charizard looks like he's gonna pass out!" I yelled as I watched the panting dragon take another hit from the Unown's attacks. I grabbed a Pokeball, and hoped that Psyduck wouldn't make another appearance. "Misty calls Politoed!" I called out my frog, who launched a 'Water Gun' attack before I even had the chance to say anything. The water hit the Unown dead-on, and they suddenly seemed to lose their rage.

With an ominous moan, the Unown disappeared, and we were now inside a corridor of sorts. "We're back!" Dawn exclaimed. Ash released me, and walked over to the now exhausted Charizard. "Thanks Charizard. Take a nice, long rest." Ash said. "I don't think we're out of trouble yet guys." Dawn said.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked. "It still looks really weird up ahead." Dawn said, staring at the weird, red glow. "Well, all we can do is push on ahead." Ash said. "I'm a little scared Ash." I whispered. Normally I'm supposed to be the strong one, but around Ash, I knew I could take down the "tough" mask. "We'll be ok Mist, I promise." Ash replied. I gripped onto Ash's arm, and we all walked ahead cautiously.

Brock's POV

Me and Kenny were searching for Ash, Misty, and Dawn for what seemed like at least half-an-hour, and we ran into quite a few Unown along the way, but Prinplup, Breloom, and Croagunk managed to keep them off of us for the time being.

"Why are they attacking us Brock?" Kenny asked. "Something must have happened to make them so confused." I replied. "Prin plup!" (Heads up!) Prinplup exclaimed, in battle-ready stance. I looked up and saw even more angry Unown hovering over us. "Here we go again!" Kenny exclaimed. "Croagunk, 'Poison Sting'!" I yelled. "Prinplup, use 'Bubblebeam'! And Breloom, use 'Energy Ball'!" Kenny exclaimed.

The attacks were launched, and the Unown suddenly became serene and disappeared with an ominous moan. And just like that, we were in a hallway. "This is just too weird." Kenny said. "Let's keep going, the gang just has to be around here somewhere." I said. And we pressed on.

Normal POV

Ash, Misty, and Dawn were now running up another flight of endless-stairs, where more angry Unown were waiting to zap them. "Alright Piplup, use 'Whirlpool'!" Dawn exclaimed. Piplup launched a giant whirlpool at the Unown, which caused them to lose their rage once again. "Looks like water is the cure!" Misty exclaimed.

The scenery went back to a regular corridor, where Team Rocket suddenly tumbled from. "Team Rocket?" Dawn yelled. "It's the twerps!" Team Rocket exclaimed. "I should've known you guys were behind the Unown being so upset!" Ash yelled angrily. "It wasn't us this time!" Team Rocket said fearfully. They looked to their left, and saw yet another group of Unown headed towards them.

Like the cowards they were, Team Rocket cowered behind Ash, Misty, and Dawn. Begging them to save them. "You guys are pathetic, you know that?" Misty yelled angrily.

"Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'!"

"Politoed, use 'Water Gun'!"

"Piplup, use 'Bubblebeam'!"

The attacks were launched, but this time the Unown remained angry. Now even more enraged, they charged towards the trio. "They're not stopping!" James yelled from behind Ash. They screamed in fear, but Aipom leaped in front of them, giving the Unown a taste of its new move: "Double Hit". They weren't ready to back down yet, so they zapped again, and this time, it headed right towards Misty.

Ash's POV

"They're aiming for Misty!" I thought fearfully. I did the first thing that popped into my head, and pushed Misty out of the way. "Ash, no!" I heard her scream. "Pikapi!" (Ash!)

The laser hit me dead-on, and boy did it sting. "Ash, are you alright?" Misty asked concerned. I forced a smile out of myself, but I'd be feeling that hit for a long time.

"Nobody hurts my friends! Aipom, use 'Double Hit' again!" Dawn exclaimed with fury. I watched Aipom attack the Unown again, who once again, didn't back down. They zapped towards Aipom, who did a back-flip to dodge, and suddenly began glowing white. "She's finally evolving!" I thought. The light grew in size, grew a second tail, and finally emerged as Ambipom.

"Aipom has evolved into Ambipom!" Dawn said with shining eyes. "Way to go Dawn!" I exclaimed, before cringing in pain again. Misty tried to comfort me as best she could, which I appreciated greatly, but there was no way she could battle if she was with me, and I couldn't battle, so that left…

Dawn's POV

"Stand back you guys, me and Ambipom will take care of these bozos once and for all!" I yelled determinedly. The Unown had been stunned by Ambipom's evolution, but were now charging forward again. "Ambipom, use 'Swift'!"

Ambipom leaped into the air, and fired her now more powerful 'Swift' attack at the Unown. "Wow, I need to get me an Ambipom!" Jessie exclaimed from behind me. "Dream on!" I replied.

The Unown finally gave in, and disappeared with an ominous moan. And just as they vanished, I looked up and saw Brock and Kenny…on the ceiling?

Normal POV

"Look, it's them!" Kenny exclaimed. "And they're with Team Rocket!" Brock exclaimed. "What are you guys doing on the ceiling?" Kenny asked. "You two are the ones on the ceiling!" Dawn replied. "This has to be those creepy Unown's doing!" Misty yelled, still kneeling over Ash. As if on cue, more Unown appeared for a battle.

"Come on, enough already!" Team Rocket exclaimed fearfully. Without being told, Piplup fired a 'Bubblebeam' towards the incoming Unown. They snapped out of confusion again, but before they vanished, Piplup started speaking to them. "(Groan) What's Piplup saying?" Ash asked, holding his stomach.

"Just relax Ash, save your strength." Misty said soothingly. "Piplup's tryin' to get on their good side!" Meowth translated. Piplup finished chirping, and the Unown went away peacefully. "Well, whatever Piplup said seems to have worked." Dawn said, relieved. Ash, Misty, Dawn, and all their Pokémon suddenly felt a strange feeling, like they were upside-down.

"Oh, no…we were upside-down!" Misty exclaimed. As they fell down, the below team leaped into action. "Happiny, Croagunk, catch them!" Brock exclaimed. Brock's super-strong Happiny popped out of its ball, and caught as many people as it could. When the dust settled, Happiny was carrying Ash, Misty, and Pikachu. While Croagunk had caught the rest of the smaller Pokémon. Brock managed to catch Dawn, and Ambipom merely landed gracefully on its two tails, leaving poor Team Rocket to land painfully. "So who catches us?" Team Rocket asked exasperatedly.

Ash groaned in pain, which caught Brock's attention. "Ash, what's wrong?" Brock asked with concern. "Ash took a hit from the Unown when he saved me." Misty said with guilt in her voice. "We've gotta get Ash to a Pokémon Center!" Brock exclaimed.

As if on cue, the door to the shrine opened up right before their eyes, finally allowing the group to leave their torture chamber. Supported by Brock and Kenny, Ash limped outside, and then called out Charizard once more. "Charizard, I know you're tired, but can you get Ash to a Pokémon Center?" Misty begged. Charizard sensed the fear coming from Misty's voice. She was obviously concerned for his master, and so he obliged.

"Hey Kenny, what about what happened to our battle?" Ash asked weakly with a smirk. "Yeah, don't worry, as soon as you get back to 100%, I'll teach Turtwig 'Energy Ball'." Kenny said. "Thanks." Ash replied. "I'm coming too Ash!" Misty exclaimed, refusing to leave Ash alone. "Can you do it Charizard?" Ash asked weakly. Charizard gave a thumbs-up, waited for Misty to leap onto his back, and then flew off towards the Pokémon Center.

"Hey, has anyone seen Team Rocket?" Dawn asked. The team looked around, and found no trace of them. "Oh well, everyone's still here, so we should just get to the center ourselves." Brock decided. Dawn, Kenny, and Brock (who now had Pikachu on his shoulder) recalled their Pokémon, and started the walk back to the center.

AT THE CENTER

Misty's POV

I awaited Nurse Joy's diagnosis of Ash's injury with a mixture of concern and guilt. Why would Ash pull such a bone-head move like that? I was almost reduced to tears, when Ash walked out with Nurse Joy behind him. I ran up to him eagerly, and asked if he was ok. "He has a few deep bruises, but nothing that won't heal over time." Nurse Joy said cheerfully.

"Oh, thank goodness." I said with relief. "I'm just glad you're ok Misty, I was really worried about you when that shrine sucked you in." Ash said. I blushed, and gave him a soft hug so as not to hurt him more. "I suggest you get some sleep young man, your body needs rest after all those bruises." Nurse Joy said sternly.

"Alright. Hey, let's go to our room Mist." Ash said. I let him lean on me for support, and we walked to the elevator, since I didn't want to chance Ash pushing himself more than necessary.

We reached the room and Ash took off his shirt, revealing a bandage that was bracing his ribs. I gasped at the sight, feeling even worse for what happened. "Ash, I'm so sorry." I apologized. "For what Misty?" Ash asked, putting on a black T-shirt. "You got hurt because of me! I should've moved out of the way myself!" I started crying. I felt a pair of arms give me a hug from behind, and pull me down to sit on the bed next to the owner of the arms.

"Hey, like I said, I'm just glad you're ok. If you're alright, that's all that matters to me." Ash said soothingly. I hugged him again, and cried over his shoulder. I felt him tighten the hug, as he tried to calm me down. It worked for the most part. I felt his warmth and his love surrounding me, and I slowly began to feel better.

"Just so you know, I'm sure this won't be the last time that we run into a situation like this." Ash said playfully. "Ash Ketchum, how do you manage to attract so much trouble?" I teased, wiping away my leftover tears. "Just lucky I guess." Ash replied. I giggled and gave him a kiss on his cheek, blushing. Ash smiled and lied down in the bed, exhausted and obviously sore from the whole ordeal.

He looked at me expectantly, which confused me. "What is it?" I finally asked. He opened his arms as if to invite me in, and I blushed harder at his offer. I crawled into the bed and gently snuggled close to him. "I can't help but wonder though…" I said. "Wonder what?" Ash asked. "What could've been so important to make those Unown freak out like that?" I asked. "I dunno, but I do know that whatever it is, we'll handle it the same way we handled everything else!" Ash said determinedly.

Having that put to rest in my mind, I relaxed and nuzzled my head into Ash's chest, and fell asleep in his embrace, listening to the sound of his heartbeat. "Goodnight Misty." Ash said softly. I lost all consciousness quickly, but not before I felt Ash give me a "goodnight" kiss on my forehead, which I responded to with a content sigh.

Ash's POV

I hugged Misty tightly, and she nuzzled her head into my chest before falling asleep. It may have only been 8:30 P.M., but we were both exhausted. I'd see my friends in the morning, including Pikachu, and we'd be able to watch Dawn's contest in peace. I looked down at Misty, her fiery, and now longer, red hair was in the down position I loved so much, it gave her a relaxed look.

On impulse, I gave her a kiss on her forehead, which she seemed to respond to happily. I smiled and finally drifted off to sleep, taking comfort in the fact that Misty was there for me, and I was glad to be there for her.
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In my opinion, this is the best one yet! has outdone herself this time! Come on gang! Head to her page and cheer her on! Tell her we wanna see the next one! ^^ Go Mel go!

Description
Chapter 10

Misty's POV

I woke up from a totally peaceful sleep, and saw that Ash still had his arm around me. He felt so warm and cozy, like being surrounded by love. Of course my being a romantic would lead me to think that. But nevertheless, I didn't want to leave his side. But unfortunately the day had to get started. I attempted to wake up Ash with a gentle kiss on his cheek.

He stirred and a smile appeared on his face, but Ash stayed asleep. I giggled at that. As usual, Ash never surrendered sleep without a fight. At least some things would still be the same. I freed myself from his embrace, and that caused him to wake up. "Morning Mist." Ash said with a smile. "Good morning Ash." I replied.

"Pika pika!" (Morning guys!) "Good morning Pikachu!" I exclaimed, inviting the electric mouse in for a hug. Pikachu jumped into my arms and gave a squeal of glee as I hugged him tightly. I was about to say something, when I heard Dawn knocking on the door. "Hey guys, you up yet?" Dawn called out from behind the door.

I got a brilliant idea, something to get Dawn back for intentionally putting me and Ash in an uncomfortable position. Ash was about to reply when I placed my hand over his mouth. I whispered my plan into his ear, and a wide grin appeared on his face. "This is gonna rock!" Ash exclaimed quietly.

"Pikachu, go open the door when I tell you to." I whispered. Pikachu looked confused, but he acknowledged, and hopped onto the doorknob. Ash and I leaped back under the covers, went into a close embrace and pretended to be asleep. From underneath the covers, I snapped my fingers and signaled Pikachu to open the door.

Normal POV

"Hey Pikachu, are…Ash and Misty awake yet?" Dawn said, stifling laughter. "Pika pika pi chu." (I'm not sure.) Pikachu replied, still confused as to why Ash and Misty decided to fake being asleep. Dawn walked in quietly, and saw Ash and Misty cuddled up comfortably. "Ooooh! That's so sweet!" Dawn gushed quietly.

Ash and Misty had to try their very hardest in order to keep from cracking up, but the prank's success depended on them keeping a straight and natural face. Dawn stood in front of the foot of the bed, and made a square shape with her hands, trying to make a small picture-frame with her fingers. "Perfect, I have to get a picture of this!" Dawn said mischievously. "Pika?" (What?) Pikachu panicked.

Dawn pulled out her Pokedex, and activated the new camera setting that she had recently downloaded into it. Just before she snapped the photo, Ash and Misty jumped up suddenly and screamed, scaring Dawn to the point of falling down. And if that wasn't enough, Pikachu gave Dawn a Thundershock for being mean to his master and his girlfriend.

"My hair!" Dawn screamed angrily, feeling her now totally ruined hair. Ash and Misty laughed, and Pikachu joined in after a while. "Sorry Dawn, we just wanted to get you back for your little prank yesterday, the Thundershock wasn't supposed to be part of the equation." Misty apologized. "Pika pika." (Sorry Dawn.) Pikachu apologized.

Dawn started laughing as well. "Well, I guess I got my just-desserts." The trio laughed a while longer, and then Ash and Misty went to go change out of their pajamas. Afterwards, they walked down into the Pokémon Center lobby to get some breakfast, and found Brock already eating.

"Hey guys!" Brock greeted. "Hey Brock, glad to see you're feeling better." Ash said. "Actually, I feel horrible." Brock said glumly. "If you feel so bad, why did Nurse Joy say you were ok?" Dawn asked. "My body is fine…it's my heart that's in pain! Now that I'm out of there, I won't be able to see Nurse Joy anymore!" Brock cried out. The group did a face-fault at their friend's pathetic reaction to being well again.

"Same old Brock. Will you ever change?" Misty asked jokingly. "Not until I find the one girl out there who will finally like me back!" Brock said dramatically. "Good luck with that." Ash said. Suddenly, Brock spotted Nurse Joy and ran to the desk where she was standing.

"Oh Nurse Joy! I can't thank you enough for making me feel better…!" Brock began. "Ugh, good thing I came along when I did. Time to get back to work." Misty said, getting up to drag Brock away from Nurse Joy. Ash grabbed her by the hand before she went to go get Brock, which caused her to turn around. "Don't worry about it Mist, this problem will take care of itself in a minute." Ash said.

Misty sat back down with a confused expression, and suddenly saw a white light emerge from Brock's backpack. She turned to Ash who was quietly counting backwards on his fingers. "Three…two…one…" Ash whispered. Misty looked at Brock, who was now cringing in pain from Croagunk's Poison Jab, and being dragged away by the wrist.

"Well, it looks like my kind of Pokémon!" Misty said, laughing. "That's Brock's Croagunk. He caught it during a battle with Team Rocket, and it seems to have taken the role of 'Brock Pacifier' since Max left with May." Ash explained. "You'd think after all of those painful experiences, Brock would just chill out." Dawn said.

"He's been doing that for years, and it looks like he'll be doing it for years to come." Misty said with a sweat-drop. Brock had now recovered from the Poison Jab, and sat back down into his seat. "So, what's on the agenda for today?" Brock asked. "I have to get back to training! Last night, I thought of a way to make Aipom's 'Swift' work the way I want it to!" Dawn exclaimed. "Hey, that's great! Maybe you can show us after breakfast." Ash suggested. "Sounds good to me, I'll be ready for that contest and I intend to win!" Dawn cheered.

"That's the spirit! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna get something to eat!" Ash exclaimed. "Pika pika chu!" (Me too!) Pikachu said. "He still follows his stomach." Misty said. "Yeah, food has been a life-long friend of his, and I don't think that'll ever change." Brock said. "Although they did stop speaking to each other a few days ago." Dawn said with a grin. Misty made a puzzled face, and Brock elbowed Dawn, knowing what she was insinuating. "Ow!" Dawn exclaimed. "Alright, what's going on Brock?" Misty asked. "(Sigh) Before you got here, Ash was losing focus on everything he did. He even stopped eating." Brock said. "Wow. I can't believe he stopped eating because of me…" Misty said, feeling both guilty and flattered.

"You obviously mean a lot to him Misty. No other person would be able to have such an effect on him as to make him reject food." Brock said. Misty blushed at that. Ash had now returned to with a huge pile of food, and Pikachu with a bottle of ketchup. "Gee, hungry much?" Misty asked with a smirk. "You have no idea!" Ash replied, viciously scarfing down his food.

"Hey girls, you better get your breakfast before Ash goes for seconds." Brock joked. Ash gave him a quick glare, and then kept eating. "Good idea Brock." Dawn said. Dawn got up from the table with Misty following close by.

Ash's POV

"That's just what I need…I just know that Brock is going to interrogate me." I thought. "So…Ash…tell me…how did you mange to break Misty from the bonds of being a gym leader?" Brock asked curiously. "It's a long story." I replied without looking up. "I have time." Brock said. It seemed that Brock wasn't going to drop the subject; I had to think of something!

"It's too long to tell before they get back." I said. "Ok, you can tell me later." Brock said. I escaped for now, but when Brock wants to know something, he finds a way to persuade me. At least it's not as bad as what Dawn did when a secret was kept; she just annoyed you to death! I finally finished my breakfast just as Misty and Dawn showed up with theirs.

"Ready for seconds Pikachu?" I asked. "Pika pika pika chu!" (I'm still eating!) Pikachu exclaimed. Misty giggled. "You probably eat more than a Snorlax!" Misty teased. "At least I eat 'till I'm full…scrawny." I teased back. Misty smirked and whacked me on the back of the head, which I knew was coming anyway. "Ow." I said playfully. "Alright you two, you can flirt all you want after we digest." Brock said sarcastically.

I blushed and looked at Misty, who was also blushing. "I'm gonna go outside and do a little training. C'mon Pikachu." I said. "Pika pika!" (Sure thing!) Pikachu hopped onto my shoulder and we ran outside to the back of the Pokémon Center. I pulled out two balls, and tossed them onto the field.

On one of the field, Chimchar appeared. And on the other end, my powerful dragon and old friend: Charizard. "Alright guys, I want to see some good effort go into this battle. Got it?" I asked with excitement. "Chim char!" (Alright!) Chimchar exclaimed. "Charizard, can you battle for yourself?" I asked. Charizard grunted with a nod.

"Alright, Chimchar, start it off with a 'Flamethrower'!" I ordered. Chimchar fired its attack towards Charizard, who looked ready to counter. Charizard fired his 'Flamethrower' to counter Chimchar, and a huge explosion covered the field.

Just then, Charizard came flying towards Chimchar with a 'Steel Wing' attack. "Use 'Dig' to avoid it Chimchar!" I exclaimed. Chimchar dug a hole and just barely dodged the giant dragon's attack. "Now use 'Scratch!'" I exclaimed. Chimchar leaped out of the hole and scratched Charizard's face.

"Way to go Chimchar!" I cheered. Chimchar started jumping up and down in celebration, and I stopped the short spar. "Thanks Charizard, take a break now."

Charizard growled in acknowledgement, and I recalled him to his Pokeball. "Hey, nice job Chimchar! You're getting really strong!" I said, petting Chimchar's head. "Chim chim char!" (Hey, thanks!) Chimchar replied happily. I returned him to his Pokeball, just before Misty, Dawn, and Brock walked over. Misty and Dawn were talking about something, but I couldn't understand what.

Misty's POV

Dawn had asked me what my favorite Pokémon was, and the answer was obvious of course. "I just love Tentacool and Tentacruel!" I exclaimed with stars in my eyes. "They're your favorite Pokémon?" Dawn asked in disbelief. "Is there a problem with that?" I asked with my eyes narrowed at her. "N-No! But, they just don't seem like the kind of Pokémon a girl like you would want." Dawn replied.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I've always wanted a Vaporeon. They're just so beautiful!" I gushed. Dawn smiled and then ran towards the battlefield, holding a Pokeball.

Normal POV

"Hey guys!" Ash exclaimed. "Hey Ash." Dawn said, "Ready to see what I came up with everyone?"

"Sure thing, go ahead." Brock said. "Alright! But…if you could just move to the center of the field, it would be very much appreciated." Dawn said. "Uh, sure Dawn." Misty said hesitantly. The trio obliged, and moved to the center of the battlefield.

"Aipom! Spooootlight!" Dawn exclaimed. With a twirl, Dawn threw out Aipom's Pokeball, who stood on its tail after emerging. "Aipom! 'Swift', go!" Dawn exclaimed. Aipom swung its tail back and forth, causing a circle of stars to surround the trio of Ash, Misty, and Brock. "What's she doing?" Misty asked. "Dunno, guess we'll see in a minute." Brock replied.

Without warning, Aipom punched one of the leftover stars towards the spinning circle, and it bounced around like a pinball before causing the stars to shatter into a shiny dust. The trio gasped in awe at the marvelous sight. "It's like being sprinkled with mist!" Misty exclaimed. Aipom landed on the ground, and gave a bow along with its new master: Dawn.

"Great Aipom! You and Dawn are totally in sync!" Ash exclaimed. Aipom chattered in thanks. "And I'm very impressed on that variation of 'Swift' you used." Brock added. "I've never seen 'Swift' used like that; my sisters would've fallen head-over-heels if they saw it." Misty added. "Thanks guys! It looks a lot prettier than before, and we did a lot of changes on 'Focus Punch' as well." Dawn replied.

"How about showing us then?" Misty asked politely. "Sure thing! Piplup, can you be our opponent?" Dawn asked her faithful penguin. "Pi plup!" (Of course!) Piplup chirped. "Use 'Bubblebeam'!" Dawn exclaimed. Piplup leaped into the air and fired a stream of bubbles into the air.

"Aipom! 'Focus Punch'!" Dawn ordered. Aipom leaped into the air to meet the bubbles, and started launching rapid punches towards the now popping bubbles, which sprinkled more mist on the trio. "What's that?" Ash asked. "That seems too fast to be a 'Focus Punch'." Misty added.

"Yeah Mist, you're right! It actually looks like Aipom has two tails! That's awesome!" Ash replied. Pikachu squealed in agreement. "I wanted it to look like Aipom was attacking in two places at once with one 'Focus Punch'." Dawn explained. "But that doesn't look like 'Focus Punch' to me." Misty said. "Huh, what do you mean?" Dawn asked.

"Well, just look. No 'Focus Punch' can move that fast, and since I was a gym leader I know what a 'Focus Punch' looks like." Misty explained. "Hey, Misty's right! Do you two realize that what Aipom is using is a brand new move?" Brock asked. "A new move?" Dawn asked. Dawn held out her Pokedex to examine exactly what Aipom was doing.

The Pokedex made a few beeping noises, signaling the completion of its analysis. "'Double Hit', a single attack that causes damage twice." the Pokedex chirped. Dawn's eyes started shining in excitement. "'Double Hit'…wow! I've got me a new move!" Dawn said excitedly. Aipom finished its attack, and did some mid-air somersaults before landing on Dawn's head gracefully.

"I would think that Aipom is close to evolving after learning to use that move." Brock said. "Only Brock would be able to tell that just by looking at it." Misty said sarcastically. "Well, if I'm going to be a Pokémon Breeder, I need to be able to tell things like that." Brock replied. "So, you're gonna evolve soon, eh Aipom? Let's see what that'll be." Ash said, pulling out his red Pokedex.

"Ambipom." A voice said. "Huh?" the group asked in unison. They turned their heads and saw Dawn's old friend Kenny standing there with his Prinplup. "The evolved form of Aipom is Ambipom." Kenny repeated. "Kenny!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu and Piplup greeted Prinplup, who reciprocated.

"What do you know? If it isn't Dawn's old friend." Brock said. "Who's that Ash?" Misty asked. "Kenny is an old friend of Dawn's. They're both coordinators, so you could consider them friendly rivals." Ash explained. "Long time no see. I am kind of surprised you didn't even know the name of what the evolved form of Aipom is…'Dee Dee'." Kenny teased Dawn with a malicious grin. Dawn growled and then yelled at Kenny to never call her that again.

"Huh? Why did you call her…" Misty was cut off by a panicking Dawn, who was now shaking her by the shoulders violently. "Misty, please don't go there!" Dawn begged. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry!" Misty exclaimed. Dawn released Misty who was now on the floor with spirals in her eyes. Ash knelt down next to her and lifted up her by the shoulder. "You ok Mist?" Ash asked. "Yeah, just a little dizzy." Misty replied woozily.

"Guess everybody's got secrets hidden in their closet." Brock chuckled. "Yeah, let's ask Ash and his 'secret' friend." Dawn said. Ash and Misty blushed. "So are you gonna introduce me to your friend here or what?" Kenny asked referring to Misty. "Oh yeah, Kenny, this is Misty." Ash said. "Nice to meet you." Misty said. "Are you a coordinator like Dee Dee?" Kenny asked with a smirk. Dawn was now ready to kill Kenny, but was held back by Brock.

"Uh, no. I was actually the gym leader at Cerulean City in Kanto before I came back to travel with Ash." Misty explained. "Sounds cool, so Dawn, you'll be in the contest, right?" Kenny asked, turning his attention back to Dawn. "Of course!" Dawn replied. "Awesome! Oh, hey, it was too bad what happened at Hearthome City." Kenny said sympathetically.

"What happened at Hearthome City?" Misty asked. "Dawn lost in the first round." Ash said sullenly. "Oh, sorry Dawn." Misty apologized sadly. "It's no problem Misty! This time there's no need to worry because I'm ready!" Dawn exclaimed, making a 'V' for victory sign with her fingers. Aipom chattered in agreement as it made the same sign with its tail.

"I didn't know you had an Aipom." Kenny said. "Oh yeah, Ash used to be Aipom's trainer." Dawn said. "I feel sorry for Aipom." Misty teased. "Oh yeah, what about your Psyduck, Misty?" Ash countered. "Ugh. Don't go there Ash." Misty said with a glare. "Don't you remember Aipom from the Jubilife Contest?" Dawn asked.

"That's right! So did you make a trade?" Kenny asked. "Yeah, for Dawn's Buizel." Ash explained. "So that's where you got that Buizel, I should've known that you wouldn't have been able to catch such a powerful water-type." Misty teased. "What's that supposed to mean?" Ash yelled angrily. "I'm saying that you can't catch decent water-types without someone else intervening somehow!" Misty yelled back.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"OH YEAH?"

"YEAH!"

"Do they do this often?" Kenny asked with a sweat-drop. "You get used to it after a few years." Brock stated. "I don't think I can handle waiting that long!" Dawn exclaimed. Piplup was getting really annoyed, so it fired a 'Bubblebeam' at the quarreling couple. As the water-attack hit their faces, their argument was put to a stop.

"Hey!" they said in unison. "Is that the way a boyfriend and girlfriend should treat each other?" Dawn asked angrily. Ash and Misty leaped onto Dawn and started shooting off comments at her. "No one else needs to know Dawn!" Misty yelled. "Yeah, just keep quiet!" Ash agreed. Aipom looked on in confusion, wondering why her former master was torturing her current one.

Ash and Misty, satisfied with their job, got off of Dawn who now had spirals in her eyes like Misty did. "Sorry about that Ash, you really are doing a good job with that Buizel." Misty apologized. "No prob Mist, I know you don't really mean what you say when you do that." Ash reassured. Dawn had now gotten up and dusted herself off.

"You two go from enemies to friends faster than an 'Extreme Speed' attack." Dawn said. "True that." Brock agreed. Ash and Misty glared at their friends. Meanwhile, Kenny was watching in utter confusion. "You sure know how to pick your pals Dawn." Kenny finally said. "No kidding, I chose you for one didn't I?" Dawn said. Kenny did a face-fault, and then recovered.

"Anyways, so you will be in the contest?" Kenny asked. "No doubt! This time I'm gonna use Aipom for both round one and two and win for sure!" Dawn said determinedly. Aipom chattered in agreement. Kenny's face turned smug. "Yeah, we'll see. We're gonna enter too after all, and we're feeling strong." Kenny said confidently. "Prin plup!" (That's right!) Prinplup agreed.

"You have two badges right Kenny?" Ash asked. "Yeah, how many badges do you have?" Kenny asked. Ash pulled out his badge case, revealing two Sinnoh League badges. "I've got two of 'em. Six more to go!" Ash exclaimed. "Only two Ash? Guess I didn't miss much." Misty said. "I'm just glad you'll be here for the rest of my battles." Ash said.

"Believe me, there's no place I'd rather be." Misty said with a wink. Ash blushed, but quickly regained his composure when an idea popped in his head. "Speaking of battling, how about you and me finish our battle Kenny?" Ash asked. "Uh, maybe later. I actually had plans to go and see Dialga and Palkia right now." Kenny explained. "Huh?" Ash asked. "See Dialga and Palkia?" Dawn asked in disbelief.

"Yeah…see them." Kenny repeated. The group gasped in awe. "Hey, hey! I don't mean the real ones! It's just a monument." Kenny said, trying to calm down his friends. "A monument huh? C'mon Ash, I wanna go see it!" Misty exclaimed, grabbing Ash's hand and running off. "Looks like we'll be going with you Kenny." Brock said with a sweat-drop. "It sure seems that way." Kenny said. The team ran off to catch up to the couple that already headed towards…somewhere. "Misty, we need Kenny to tell us where we're going!" Ash exclaimed. Misty stopped in her tracks, making Ash run into her and fall on top of her.

"Oh yeah. Well, as long as they're not here yet…" Misty said, right before giving Ash a peck on the cheek. "What was that for?" Ash asked with a goofy smile. "No reason, I just wanted to." Misty replied. Ash blushed and chuckled. "Chaaa!" (Cuuute!) Pikachu squealed. Now Misty joined Ash in the blush-fest.

AT THE SHRINE

Men and women in silver suits and multi-colored hair were standing dutifully in front of the shrine. Meanwhile, Meowth was busy picking berries. "Dis must be my lucky day! Grabbin' grub for free!" Meowth said to himself. Meowth's eyes wandered over to the shrine, where he saw the trio of people in front of the shrine. "I know dose fashion freaks! Hey, check dis out!" Meowth exclaimed, calling over his two 'Team Rocket' partners.

Jessie and James crawled over and saw what Meowth was pointing at. "Team Galactic, wonder what they're up to." Jessie whispered. "No good as always I'm sure." James replied. Their grudge against Team Galactic had now been rekindled, as they thought about how they had been tricked into stealing the 'Adament Orb' for them.

Jessie, James, and Meowth snuck over to behind a pillar, trying to follow them unnoticed. "What's dis joint?" Meowth asked referring to the shrine. Unnoticed by Team Rocket, the Team Galactic leader had seen them hiding, but he decided not to do anything about it. The leader threw out a Pokeball. "Bronzor, 'Flash'." he said. A Bronzor appeared from the Pokeball, and its face lit up in a flashlight-like fashion. Team Galactic proceeded through the long tunnel, followed closely by Team Rocket, who had decided to believe it was a treasure-house.

By this time, Ash, Misty, Dawn, Brock, and Kenny had reached the shrine themselves. "It's true! Dialga and Palkia!" Ash exclaimed. "These are the Solaceon Ruins, the ruins that people once paid tribute to Dialga and Palkia, and there are lots of places like this throughout Sinnoh." Kenny explained. "Wow!" Ash gasped in awe. "Hey, look at this!" Dawn exclaimed, looking at the writing on one of the statue bases.

"When one light meets another light, something will be born." Dawn read. "That's so true!" Kenny exclaimed. "No kidding, we have two living examples standing over there." Dawn said, pointing over to where Ash and Misty were admiring the other statue. "You know Dawn, I think I've heard that saying somewhere before." Brock said. "Oh yeah! Cynthia the elite champion told us that saying!" Dawn replied.

"Wow that's so cool that you got to meet the champion!" Kenny exclaimed, obviously impressed. "I guess you could say that I have a much more exciting life than you." Dawn said with a satisfied smile. "No duh, from what I've seen from Ash and that Misty girl, you'll never be bored again." Kenny said with a grin. Dawn sweat-dropped. Brock walked over to Ash and Misty's statue, and noticed that it read the same.

"It says the same thing over here." Brock said. "Says what Brock?" Misty asked. "When one light meets another light, something will be born." Brock repeated. "That sounds so mysterious!" Misty exclaimed. "I wonder if it has anything to do with Dialga and Palkia." Ash said. "Probably, considering that it says it on their statues." Misty replied. "Hey, I've got a good idea!" Kenny exclaimed suddenly. "Yeah? What is it?" Ash asked.

"Let's battle now!" Kenny exclaimed. "What? How could you possibly battle around these beautiful statues?" Misty yelled, concerned for the well-being of the art. "Yeah, Misty's right!" Ash exclaimed. "Why thank you Ash." Misty replied in a satisfied tone. "Yeah, I mean, how can anyone battle with Dialga and Palkia staring at you?" Ash asked. Misty did a face-fault as she realized that Ash had completely missed her point. "Ash, you're denseness isn't exactly something I'll miss when you lose it." Misty thought.

"Oh come on! It'll be fun!" Kenny exclaimed. "Well…alright then!" Ash exclaimed. How could he ever refuse a battle? "Alright, so who gets to attack first?" Kenny asked. "Uh, that's a good question." Ash said with his arms crossed. "In case you haven't noticed, in situations like this, I have just the thing!" Dawn exclaimed, holding up her coin-toss wristband. "Whoa! A coin-toss application?" Kenny asked in a bewildered tone. "Don't have one huh?" Dawn teased with a grin. Kenny groaned and bent over. "I hate this." Kenny mumbled.

After choosing the first attacker (which would be Ash), the two called out the rules. "One-on-one sound good?" Kenny asked. "Awesome! Let's do it!" Ash exclaimed.

Ash's POV

"You can do it Ash!" Misty called out from the sidelines. I blushed and gave her a smile, taking comfort in the fact that I wasn't hallucinating anymore, she was really there, and she always would be. Although I was wondering why she was cheering since she was against the battle in the first place.

Misty's POV

"Well, there's no way I can convince him otherwise, so I guess I'll just cheer him on." I thought.

Ash's POV

I figured that Kenny would use Prinplup again, like he did in Floraroma Town. So I decided on my grass-type. "Turtwig, I choose you!" I threw out the Pokeball and Turtwig emerged, ready for battle. Suddenly, Kenny threw out a Pokeball himself, which meant my judgment was wrong, and Kenny wasn't using Prinplup.

"Alright, go Breloom!" Kenny exclaimed. I saw Dawn pulling out her Pokedex. "Hey Dawn, turn up the volume on your Pokedex so I can hear!" I yelled. Dawn gave a thumbs-up and obliged. I listened intently to the explanation.

"Breloom, the mushroom Pokémon. Its short arms stretch when it throws punches, and its technique is like that of a professional boxer's." "Hmm, I wonder if it's a fighting-type too." I wondered. "Oh well, grass vs. grass won't do much, so I'll just roll with it!" I thought.

"'Kay! Turtwig, 'Tackle'!" I exclaimed. Turtwig ran across the field to tackle the mushroom Pokémon. Kenny told Breloom to dodge the attack, but my Turtwig was just too fast for it, and it took the full force of the attack. "Now, 'Razor Leaf'! Go!" I called out another attack, and Turtwig got ready to launch razor sharp leaves at its opponent, but there was no way I would be ready for what came next.

"Use 'Mach Punch'!" Kenny exclaimed.I gasped, there was no way that Turtwig could dodge the attack now, and all I could do was watch Turtwig take the impact. "You gotta admit, my Breloom is really good." Kenny said. "Yeah, hey Turtwig, you alright?" I asked. Turtwig nodded, and the battle continued. "Use 'Bite'!"

Turtwig ran towards Breloom, but once again was stopped. This time by an attack I never saw before. "Use 'Energy Ball'!" Kenny countered. A growing ball of energy appeared in front of Breloom's mouth, and it launched the attack at Turtwig, who took the full brunt of the attack, as it detonated. "Wow, that move looks awesome!" I heard Dawn say. And I couldn't help but agree, I wanted Turtwig to know that move! So I asked if Kenny could teach Turtwig how.

"You're really going to just stop the battle?" Misty asked. "Hey, when you get the opportunity to learn an awesome move, you take it!" I replied. "Hmmm, I never said I gave you an opportunity…what should I do?" Kenny asked himself mockingly. "You should teach Turtwig that move of course!" Dawn answered for him.

"Ok, here's the deal. You beat me, and I'll teach Turtwig 'Energy Ball'." Kenny offered. "Oh come on!" Dawn yelled. "Looks like the battle's back on Mist, go enjoy the show!" I said. Misty smiled and walked back over to where Dawn was sitting.

Normal POV

Meanwhile, Team Galactic had reached their destination inside the shrine, where Team Rocket had been "sneaking" around. They placed three strange plates into three slots on the floor, and a strange light began to glow. As a strange cube rose from the floor, the Unown engraved in the walls came to life, trying to protect the cube from Team Galactic.

"Bronzor, 'Confuse Ray'!" the leader exclaimed. Bronzor sent out a ghostly light all over the room, causing the Unown to become dangerously confused. When everything cleared, Team Galactic had vanished without a trace, leaving a bewildered Team Rocket surrounded by a bunch of enraged Unowns.

A giant red light flashed from the shrine, and the spot that Misty, Dawn, Piplup, and Aipom were sitting on suddenly folded into itself.

Ash's POV

I heard screaming from the shrine, and I saw Misty, Dawn, and her Pokémon suddenly getting pulled away by the shrine itself. "Misty! Dawn!" I cried out. I grabbed my Pokeball and sent out Charizard, who gave out a roar and I leaped onto its back. "Follow them Charizard!" I yelled with urgency. I knew Charizard had felt my concern, he took off at an incredible speed, chasing down the wall.

"No! Misty!" My fear grew worse as I saw Misty slip into the red light of the shrine along with Piplup and Aipom. And if I didn't have enough to worry about, Dawn had leaped in going after her Pokémon. "Gun it Charizard!" Charizard flew even faster, but it made no difference, since I had plenty of time to get in. It was Brock and Kenny who had the close call. The shrine closed up completely, just after we managed to get in.

I didn't bother to wait for Brock and Kenny, I was now on a mission as I flew on the back of my dragon. I had to find Misty!

Misty's POV

"Oh great, just one day back with Ash and I'm already thrown into a creepy adventure!" I exclaimed. Dawn had ignored my outburst, as she was checking on Piplup and Aipom. I looked around and noticed that the walls were starting to move! I gave out a scream as angry Unowns started coming out of the walls. Now I really wished Ash was here, 'cause this was just scary!

"What are those?" Dawn asked in a scared tone. Her Pokedex said: "Unown, the symbol Pokémon. Unown use telepathy to communicate with each other. Many different shapes of Unown have been discovered."

"Yeah they've been discovered! Just now!" I screamed. Red beams were fired at us, and out of instinct, Dawn's Piplup and Aipom defended us with a "Bubblebeam" and "Swift" respectively. But they didn't quit yet, they wanted more, so I was ready to oblige. I was ready to send out Staryu, when Psyduck popped out of his Pokeball.

"Psyduck! Not now!" I yelled. "Psy?" (Huh?) it asked dopily. Another beam from the Unown caused Psyduck to totally freak out, and I recalled it before me and Dawn ran off screaming. "Ash! Come and find us!"

Ash's POV

I heard screaming coming from a flight of never-ending stairs and I saw Misty and Dawn being attacked by what looked like a mob of Unown, with Piplup and Aipom doing their best to defend. "Misty!" I called out. "Ash, help!" Misty called out. "C'mon Charizard! Get over there and use 'Dragon Breath'!" Charizard roared and flew over to the Unown, firing a fiery breath at them. The Unown cried out in pain, and attacked again. Charizard landed in front of the group, ready to take them all on. "Charizard, use 'Flamethrower'! I ordered. As Charizard fought off the Unown, I jumped off to tend to Misty.

Misty's POV

I was beyond relieved when Ash showed up with Charizard, he knelt down next to me and hugged me tightly, which I gladly reciprocated. "Misty, thank goodness you're alright!" Ash exclaimed, concern in his voice. "Ash, I'm so glad you're here." I replied, starting to feel safe in his arms. "I'm fine too, thanks for asking!" Dawn yelled angrily. Ash looked like he was about to apologize, when I noticed Charizard.

"Ash, Charizard looks like he's gonna pass out!" I yelled as I watched the panting dragon take another hit from the Unown's attacks. I grabbed a Pokeball, and hoped that Psyduck wouldn't make another appearance. "Misty calls Politoed!" I called out my frog, who launched a 'Water Gun' attack before I even had the chance to say anything. The water hit the Unown dead-on, and they suddenly seemed to lose their rage.

With an ominous moan, the Unown disappeared, and we were now inside a corridor of sorts. "We're back!" Dawn exclaimed. Ash released me, and walked over to the now exhausted Charizard. "Thanks Charizard. Take a nice, long rest." Ash said. "I don't think we're out of trouble yet guys." Dawn said.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked. "It still looks really weird up ahead." Dawn said, staring at the weird, red glow. "Well, all we can do is push on ahead." Ash said. "I'm a little scared Ash." I whispered. Normally I'm supposed to be the strong one, but around Ash, I knew I could take down the "tough" mask. "We'll be ok Mist, I promise." Ash replied. I gripped onto Ash's arm, and we all walked ahead cautiously.

Brock's POV

Me and Kenny were searching for Ash, Misty, and Dawn for what seemed like at least half-an-hour, and we ran into quite a few Unown along the way, but Prinplup, Breloom, and Croagunk managed to keep them off of us for the time being.

"Why are they attacking us Brock?" Kenny asked. "Something must have happened to make them so confused." I replied. "Prin plup!" (Heads up!) Prinplup exclaimed, in battle-ready stance. I looked up and saw even more angry Unown hovering over us. "Here we go again!" Kenny exclaimed. "Croagunk, 'Poison Sting'!" I yelled. "Prinplup, use 'Bubblebeam'! And Breloom, use 'Energy Ball'!" Kenny exclaimed.

The attacks were launched, and the Unown suddenly became serene and disappeared with an ominous moan. And just like that, we were in a hallway. "This is just too weird." Kenny said. "Let's keep going, the gang just has to be around here somewhere." I said. And we pressed on.

Normal POV

Ash, Misty, and Dawn were now running up another flight of endless-stairs, where more angry Unown were waiting to zap them. "Alright Piplup, use 'Whirlpool'!" Dawn exclaimed. Piplup launched a giant whirlpool at the Unown, which caused them to lose their rage once again. "Looks like water is the cure!" Misty exclaimed.

The scenery went back to a regular corridor, where Team Rocket suddenly tumbled from. "Team Rocket?" Dawn yelled. "It's the twerps!" Team Rocket exclaimed. "I should've known you guys were behind the Unown being so upset!" Ash yelled angrily. "It wasn't us this time!" Team Rocket said fearfully. They looked to their left, and saw yet another group of Unown headed towards them.

Like the cowards they were, Team Rocket cowered behind Ash, Misty, and Dawn. Begging them to save them. "You guys are pathetic, you know that?" Misty yelled angrily.

"Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'!"

"Politoed, use 'Water Gun'!"

"Piplup, use 'Bubblebeam'!"

The attacks were launched, but this time the Unown remained angry. Now even more enraged, they charged towards the trio. "They're not stopping!" James yelled from behind Ash. They screamed in fear, but Aipom leaped in front of them, giving the Unown a taste of its new move: "Double Hit". They weren't ready to back down yet, so they zapped again, and this time, it headed right towards Misty.

Ash's POV

"They're aiming for Misty!" I thought fearfully. I did the first thing that popped into my head, and pushed Misty out of the way. "Ash, no!" I heard her scream. "Pikapi!" (Ash!)

The laser hit me dead-on, and boy did it sting. "Ash, are you alright?" Misty asked concerned. I forced a smile out of myself, but I'd be feeling that hit for a long time.

"Nobody hurts my friends! Aipom, use 'Double Hit' again!" Dawn exclaimed with fury. I watched Aipom attack the Unown again, who once again, didn't back down. They zapped towards Aipom, who did a back-flip to dodge, and suddenly began glowing white. "She's finally evolving!" I thought. The light grew in size, grew a second tail, and finally emerged as Ambipom.

"Aipom has evolved into Ambipom!" Dawn said with shining eyes. "Way to go Dawn!" I exclaimed, before cringing in pain again. Misty tried to comfort me as best she could, which I appreciated greatly, but there was no way she could battle if she was with me, and I couldn't battle, so that left…

Dawn's POV

"Stand back you guys, me and Ambipom will take care of these bozos once and for all!" I yelled determinedly. The Unown had been stunned by Ambipom's evolution, but were now charging forward again. "Ambipom, use 'Swift'!"

Ambipom leaped into the air, and fired her now more powerful 'Swift' attack at the Unown. "Wow, I need to get me an Ambipom!" Jessie exclaimed from behind me. "Dream on!" I replied.

The Unown finally gave in, and disappeared with an ominous moan. And just as they vanished, I looked up and saw Brock and Kenny…on the ceiling?

Normal POV

"Look, it's them!" Kenny exclaimed. "And they're with Team Rocket!" Brock exclaimed. "What are you guys doing on the ceiling?" Kenny asked. "You two are the ones on the ceiling!" Dawn replied. "This has to be those creepy Unown's doing!" Misty yelled, still kneeling over Ash. As if on cue, more Unown appeared for a battle.

"Come on, enough already!" Team Rocket exclaimed fearfully. Without being told, Piplup fired a 'Bubblebeam' towards the incoming Unown. They snapped out of confusion again, but before they vanished, Piplup started speaking to them. "(Groan) What's Piplup saying?" Ash asked, holding his stomach.

"Just relax Ash, save your strength." Misty said soothingly. "Piplup's tryin' to get on their good side!" Meowth translated. Piplup finished chirping, and the Unown went away peacefully. "Well, whatever Piplup said seems to have worked." Dawn said, relieved. Ash, Misty, Dawn, and all their Pokémon suddenly felt a strange feeling, like they were upside-down.

"Oh, no…we were upside-down!" Misty exclaimed. As they fell down, the below team leaped into action. "Happiny, Croagunk, catch them!" Brock exclaimed. Brock's super-strong Happiny popped out of its ball, and caught as many people as it could. When the dust settled, Happiny was carrying Ash, Misty, and Pikachu. While Croagunk had caught the rest of the smaller Pokémon. Brock managed to catch Dawn, and Ambipom merely landed gracefully on its two tails, leaving poor Team Rocket to land painfully. "So who catches us?" Team Rocket asked exasperatedly.

Ash groaned in pain, which caught Brock's attention. "Ash, what's wrong?" Brock asked with concern. "Ash took a hit from the Unown when he saved me." Misty said with guilt in her voice. "We've gotta get Ash to a Pokémon Center!" Brock exclaimed.

As if on cue, the door to the shrine opened up right before their eyes, finally allowing the group to leave their torture chamber. Supported by Brock and Kenny, Ash limped outside, and then called out Charizard once more. "Charizard, I know you're tired, but can you get Ash to a Pokémon Center?" Misty begged. Charizard sensed the fear coming from Misty's voice. She was obviously concerned for his master, and so he obliged.

"Hey Kenny, what about what happened to our battle?" Ash asked weakly with a smirk. "Yeah, don't worry, as soon as you get back to 100%, I'll teach Turtwig 'Energy Ball'." Kenny said. "Thanks." Ash replied. "I'm coming too Ash!" Misty exclaimed, refusing to leave Ash alone. "Can you do it Charizard?" Ash asked weakly. Charizard gave a thumbs-up, waited for Misty to leap onto his back, and then flew off towards the Pokémon Center.

"Hey, has anyone seen Team Rocket?" Dawn asked. The team looked around, and found no trace of them. "Oh well, everyone's still here, so we should just get to the center ourselves." Brock decided. Dawn, Kenny, and Brock (who now had Pikachu on his shoulder) recalled their Pokémon, and started the walk back to the center.

AT THE CENTER

Misty's POV

I awaited Nurse Joy's diagnosis of Ash's injury with a mixture of concern and guilt. Why would Ash pull such a bone-head move like that? I was almost reduced to tears, when Ash walked out with Nurse Joy behind him. I ran up to him eagerly, and asked if he was ok. "He has a few deep bruises, but nothing that won't heal over time." Nurse Joy said cheerfully.

"Oh, thank goodness." I said with relief. "I'm just glad you're ok Misty, I was really worried about you when that shrine sucked you in." Ash said. I blushed, and gave him a soft hug so as not to hurt him more. "I suggest you get some sleep young man, your body needs rest after all those bruises." Nurse Joy said sternly.

"Alright. Hey, let's go to our room Mist." Ash said. I let him lean on me for support, and we walked to the elevator, since I didn't want to chance Ash pushing himself more than necessary.

We reached the room and Ash took off his shirt, revealing a bandage that was bracing his ribs. I gasped at the sight, feeling even worse for what happened. "Ash, I'm so sorry." I apologized. "For what Misty?" Ash asked, putting on a black T-shirt. "You got hurt because of me! I should've moved out of the way myself!" I started crying. I felt a pair of arms give me a hug from behind, and pull me down to sit on the bed next to the owner of the arms.

"Hey, like I said, I'm just glad you're ok. If you're alright, that's all that matters to me." Ash said soothingly. I hugged him again, and cried over his shoulder. I felt him tighten the hug, as he tried to calm me down. It worked for the most part. I felt his warmth and his love surrounding me, and I slowly began to feel better.

"Just so you know, I'm sure this won't be the last time that we run into a situation like this." Ash said playfully. "Ash Ketchum, how do you manage to attract so much trouble?" I teased, wiping away my leftover tears. "Just lucky I guess." Ash replied. I giggled and gave him a kiss on his cheek, blushing. Ash smiled and lied down in the bed, exhausted and obviously sore from the whole ordeal.

He looked at me expectantly, which confused me. "What is it?" I finally asked. He opened his arms as if to invite me in, and I blushed harder at his offer. I crawled into the bed and gently snuggled close to him. "I can't help but wonder though…" I said. "Wonder what?" Ash asked. "What could've been so important to make those Unown freak out like that?" I asked. "I dunno, but I do know that whatever it is, we'll handle it the same way we handled everything else!" Ash said determinedly.

Having that put to rest in my mind, I relaxed and nuzzled my head into Ash's chest, and fell asleep in his embrace, listening to the sound of his heartbeat. "Goodnight Misty." Ash said softly. I lost all consciousness quickly, but not before I felt Ash give me a "goodnight" kiss on my forehead, which I responded to with a content sigh.

Ash's POV

I hugged Misty tightly, and she nuzzled her head into my chest before falling asleep. It may have only been 8:30 P.M., but we were both exhausted. I'd see my friends in the morning, including Pikachu, and we'd be able to watch Dawn's contest in peace. I looked down at Misty, her fiery, and now longer, red hair was in the down position I loved so much, it gave her a relaxed look.

On impulse, I gave her a kiss on her forehead, which she seemed to respond to happily. I smiled and finally drifted off to sleep, taking comfort in the fact that Misty was there for me, and I was glad to be there for her.
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In my opinion, this is the best one yet! has outdone herself this time! Come on gang! Head to her page and cheer her on! Tell her we wanna see the next one! ^^ Go Mel go!