The Misdreavus Menace

Chapter Two — A Dinner and a Winner

A few weeks later, on another warm evening, Professor Oak, a well-known Pokémon researcher, had invited some friends for dinner. Professor Oak was tall with white hair, getting close to retirement but still healthy and strong. He owned a large estate in Pallet Town, where he had many of the varied and interesting creatures known as Pokémon living in conditions that simulated much of their natural habitat. That evening he had invited his seventeen-year old grandson Gary Oak, a boy of Gary's age called Ash Ketchum, Ash's mother Delia, an eighteen-year old girl called Misty, and a younger boy, Tim, who was a relative newcomer to Pallet Town.

All the younger guests were Pokémon trainers. They caught Pokémon, usually in the wild, and raised them and trained them to compete in matches. In theses matches, Pokémon would battle using their variety of amazing powers and techniques. Misty was the leader of a Pokémon Gym at Cerulean City. At such gyms, trainers would come and compete against the gym leader. If they won, they would receive a badge as a token of their victory. Trainers who received enough badges by defeating various gym leaders would qualify for competing in annual Pokémon League competitions.

In case you are unfamiliar with this evening's cast of characters... well, not much chance of that if you're reading this, but, for the record...

Gary was tall, of medium frame, with brown hair and handsome face. He had his grandfather's perceptive brown eyes and a matching intelligence. Unfortunately he did not share his grandfather's friendly and charitable disposition. Not that he was unkind or mean-spirited—not at all. He just conveyed an air of superiority. Most people did not mind that, except for one, whom Gary went to extra effort to demean, one Ash Ketchum.

Ash, the likely hero of our story, was a bit shorter than Gary, though a little better built, with medium-length messy black hair and broad face. As of old, he still wore jeans, a black tee-shirt and green, fingerless gloves, although he did not wear his official Pokémon League hat as often. Ash's cheerful expression with big enthusiastic eyes and broad grin did not convey a sense of intellect. Not that he was dumb—he just had to learn things the hard way, unlike Gary, who planned ahead and thought things through before undertaking anything. Ash, on the other hand, followed his feelings, which he felt deeply. He tended to infuse enthusiasm and encouragement in younger people that were like him, such as Tim.

Tim was a trifle short for his age, with straight black hair and a round face. He was starting to lose his childish plumpness, no doubt due to the copious walking and training demanded by his Pokémon journey. Tim looked up to Ash as a model Pokémon trainer, something not recommended to the reader, but since Tim is a character in a story, the author has seen fit to inflict him with this malady. Tim recently won a Cascade Badge from the Cerulean Gym leader, Misty, giving him eight badges in all, so he was looking forward to the coming annual Pokémon League competition.

Misty's turn: she was tallish, slender, with a modest figure. Her medium-length red hair was worn out for the evening, although she usually found it more practical as a Pokémon trainer, especially as a water trainer, to tie it in a ponytail. Ash admired her, not only for her pleasant, pretty face with delicate, feminine features and large, cerulean eyes, but her personable manner and perceptive mind. Hidden behing her exterior red-haired beauty was not only a beautiful heart but a red-hot temper. Misty forwent her usual jeans and tee-shirt attire for a flowing evening dress decorated with cute Poliwag spirals and pictures of Staryu jewels. Misty's interest in Ash was itself an interest for Mrs Ketchum, who was keen to look out for her son's future, especially as Ash had little forethought when it came to Pokémon and hardly any whatsoever when it came to anything else.

Mrs Ketchum had the most cheerful disposition of all those present, with a tall, homely face and neat brown hair worn in a ponytail. She too wore an evening gown, but a plain red one.

Among Professor Oak's guests were also present three Pokémon, at least three that were not stored in their Poké balls. (For the uninitiated, these were small, spherical devices which trainers used to catch and store their Pokémon.) Tim had a Persian, a large, white, cat-like creature with a jewel on its forehead. The two were an inseperable pair and an excellent team. Ash was followed around by two Pikachu, one male and a long-time companion of his, and the other its female mate. To distinguish them, Ash nicknamed the female Sparkle. When Pikachu met Sparkle, Ash and Pikachu made a difficult decision to part. However, the separation was short-lived. After several months, the domesticated electric mouse convinced his forest-dwelling mate to forego the rough country life for the comfort of a human home, and they returned, together, to live with Ash and his mother.

That evening, Professor Oak served his guests a wonderful dinner in hounour of an occassion that shall be explained forthwith as we listen in on the group's conversation towards the end of their meal.

"How have you been, Professor?" asked Delia with her usual cheerful smile. "I haven't seen you in the neighbourhood lately."

"I've been very well, thank you," the Professor replied. "I spent a pleasant week with Bill. It was supposed to be a holiday, but I found I couldn't get away from work."

"Oh, what happened?" inquired Misty.

"Professor Fern came to visit Bill and the three of us spent most of the week discussing his latest studies."

"What were they talking about?" Ash asked curiously, always eager to learn about Pokémon.

"Well," continued Professor Oak, "Professor Fern has a theory. He noticed how the same species of Pokémon can appear different in different parts of the world. For example, Jigglypuff that live in mountain foothills generally have larger paws and tougher skin than those that live in plain areas. He's also noticed similarities between species. Jigglypuff and Clefairy, for instance, have a similar set of attacks, they both evolve in the same way, and they have a similar shape."

Everyone listened with interest.

"So?" questioned Gary, his eyes narrowing.

"So, goes Professor Fern's theory, the differences between the two species is not much more than the differences between members of the same species. Maybe, he says, Jigglypuff and Clefairy came from a common ancestor."

Everyone looked amazed, except for Gary who seemed skeptical.

"In fact, he suggests that maybe all Pokémon ultimately came from a common ancestor, and just changed in different ways over a very long time."

"Grandpa," said Gary, "maybe Jigglypuff and Clefairy looked similar, but how does he explain the differences between Onix and Gastly, or Shellder and Ponyta?"

"You have a good point," replied Professor Oak. "The theory is still in its infancy, and isn't widely accepted. But...who knows?"

"When I was a kid," said Ash, "there was a theory going round that Pokémon came from another planet."

"I wouldn't exactly called that a theory," responded Gary. "There were just stupid stories going round."

"Who cares what you call it," replied Ash defensively. "I didn't believe it."

"Take it easy, you two," said Misty.

"Hey!" interrupted Tim, who up to now had been quietly eating his third helping. "The other day some kids I know were talking about spaceships with Pokémon on them."

"I suppose they saw Pokémon coming out of a spaceship in the middle of the night when no-one else was around," commented Gary sarcastically, but not with the unpleasantness he used when addressing Ash.

"I don't know what time it was supposed to be," replied Tim. "One guy said that he heard about someone seeing Pokémon go into a spaceship, but another guy heard about Pokémon coming out of a spaceship."

"Kids your age have a good imagination, Tim," remarked Mrs Ketchum. "I wouldn't believe everything you hear."

"Yes. These stories pass on from one generation to the next," added Professor Oak, "and they're often altered or embellished."

After a brief pause, Professor Oak announced, "Well, thank you all for being here. I invited us all in honour of Ash, who will soon be Pallet Town's first Pokémon Gym leader."

"I'm so proud of him," said Ash's mother. "After working so hard, my boy's going to make something of himself."

"It's only for a few years, Mom," explained Ash. "I'm not giving up my dream of becoming a Pokémon master."

"Well he wouldn't've been able to get that far without your help, grandpa," injected Gary.

"That's true, Gary," replied Professor Oak, "but I dare say Ash deserves considerable credit. He's been training very hard for very long."

"I heard that the mayor of Pallet Town is helping in some way," said Misty.

"Yes," the Professor answered, "there's vacant land in and ideal spot, so the mayor's donating it for the gym."

"What about a Pokémon Centre?" asked Tim.

"I'm modifying a room in my laboratory. That will do as a treatment centre for the time being. If the gym is successful and eventually certified, the Pokémon League will be happy to establish a Pokémon Centre with more facilities closer to the gym.

Tim looked Ash in the face. "Will I be able to train with you there?" he asked.

"'Course you can, Tim," repled Ash happily. "It's gonna be great!" he proclaimed with a confident grin and a hand gesture to match.

"Yeah, yeah! We'll wait and see," said Gary.

"I've been doing fine at Cerulean!" replied Ash, getting angry at Gary's incessant remarks. (Ash had been assisting Misty as a part-time Gym Leader.)

"Doing fine defeating every beginner you're faced with," Gary responded.

Ash's blood was beginning to boil. "I'd like to see you try to be a gym leader," he yelled.

Misty wanted to diffuse the situation. "Hey Ash, it's a warm evening. Why don't we go for a pleasant walk?"

Ash decided that a walk with Misty might indeed be pleasant, regardless of the weather. Although he had been spending two days a week at Cerulean City for a few months now, they were both kept busy and he hadn't spent as much time as he would have liked with her on a personal level.

"Sure Misty," Ash replied. "Thanks for the dinner, Professor. You don't mind if we walk around outside, do you?" he asked politely.

"That's fine, Ash. You and Misty go ahead," answered the Professor. "You both know the grounds as well as I do."

When they were outside the mansion, they took each other's hand and surveyed the dimly lit undulating grounds before them.

"Do you want to go down to the pond?" Ash asked.

"Yes, that'd be nice," Misty answered.

As they walked along a cobbled pathway through the grass, Ash found himself feeling glad to be with her. A longing came over him to somehow draw closer to her, but he had no idea what the right way was to break the ice. Did she feel the same way? How could he know? Misty could have a vicious temper, so he didn't want to do anything to offend her and maybe spoil their relationship.

"How long is it before the gym is ready?" she asked.

"I think it'll be two more weeks."

"I guess we won't be seeing as much of each other then."

Ash turned and looked at her. She looked back with a half-smile. Was she happy to be rid of him? Or was she putting on a brave appearance in the face of coming disappointment?

"Don't worry, Misty," he said reassuringly. "We'll think of something." He spent a moment admiring her flowing red hair, which was not in its customary ponytail, and then they continued on.

As they approached the pond, Ash couldn't help noticing how beautiful it seemed. The water was dark but serene. The reflection of the clear, starry sky was vivid and appealing. How strange that he had never noticed that sort of beauty before.

The pair came to the bank. Ash courteously helped Misty sit down, then sat down next to her. His longing to do something was welling up inside him. Should I try and say something, he thought. Can I put my arm around here? He decided that even if he could succeed in expressing his feelings, he could not be sure of whether her response would be positive.

Finally, he ventured to say, "I like the reflection of the stars in the water."

"They're pretty," agreed Misty.

Not half as pretty as you, thought Ash. Even though he would have liked to say something like that out loud, he was unsure whether it was the right way to go about it. Further away along the bank Ash saw a Rattata approach the water. It eyed Ash suspiciously, but after a few moments decided it was safe to ignore him and dipped its muzzle into the water. As it began to lap the water up, Ash reverted his attention back to Misty, but then a subtle movement caught his eye again. Another Rattata came up to the first. The two small creatures sniffed each other, the second licked the water of the first one's face, and the two nestled down comfortably next to each other.

Seeing them only made Ash more aware of the nagging emptiness inside him that quietly asked to be filled. There was only one way to find out what would happen with Misty, he decided, and that was to try something. Pretending to shift his position, he moved his left arm behind Misty and leaned back on it for a few moments, and sighed. He then shifted forwards again while gently placing his arm around her waist.

Ash could feel his heart pump. He was half-waiting to be scolded. Instead, he felt Misty rest her head against his shoulder and lean her legs against his. Ash wouldn't've been able to put his feelings into words even if he tried. All his adolescence he had been chasing Pokémon rather than girls. Now both had come together in a way he had never dreamed possible.

He was surprised how warm and soft Misty felt against him. While they had come into physical contact numerous times in their travels and adventures, Ash couldn't help but sense a new meaning in holding her. Feeling pleased with the new experience, they sat together, enjoying the starry pond and each other for quite a while.

Author's note: Tim appeared as Timmy in The Purr-Fect Hero. His Persian evolved from the Meowth in that episode. Bill, as you most probably know, appeared in Mystery at the Lighthouse and is based on a character in the game.