A Girl’s Best Friend
(Part three)

Chapter 6: Twerps here the news

Corny narrator: "Today, we find our young heroes on their way to the next Johto League Gym, where Ash hopes to win another badge…(strangles narrator.)

Me: "For the hundredth time! It’s the TWERPS and they are NOT the heroes!" (Narrator cowers in fear. I give him a new beginning on a piece of paper. Narrator stands back up and clears his throat, reading what I just gave him.)

Narrator: "Today, we find the twerps…(drum roll)…LOST, yet again, in the forest. On their way to the next gym, Ash is bound to give away yet another pokèmon, win to a gym leader by the skin of his teeth or by some strange miracle by Togepi, basically not any of his pokèmon doing anything, at least the ones he has left anyway...

Me: "(ahem) Okay, that’ll due, now, back to the story.…"

@~>~>~~

Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu trampled on through the forest, making their way to the next gym. And as usual, Ash is doing the moaning.

"Ohhhhhh, can’t we sit down and rest for while guys, we’ve been walking for hours."

"And who’s fault might that be huh?" said Misty, cradling Togepi in her arms.

"It’s not my fault!" screamed Ash, spinning around to face her.

"Well you’ve got the map!" Misty screamed back.

Ash grabbed the map from his pocket and showed Misty the route they were following.

"See! We ARE on the right track, we just have to…"

Ash was cut short as Misty took the map from his hands, turned it the other way around, and put it back in his hands.

"I think reading from a map when it’s THE RIGHT WAY UP MIGHT HELP!"

Ash put his hand behind his head and blushed.

"Opps."

"Hey guys!"

Misty and Ash turned to where Brock was, looking over a ridge. They ran up behind him and gasped.

"Ohh finally!" sighed Misty

"We made it!…umm, where are we Brock?"

Misty fell over anime style while Brock just shock his head. He grabbed the map from Ash and looked down at it.

"Well, somehow, even with Ash reading the map upside down, we’ve made it to…Charachi City."

"Charachi City huh? Does it have a gym?"

"Yep, I think this gym specialises in water type pokèmon."

"Oooo, my favourite!" said Misty, going all starry eyed.

"Yeah we know." Sighed Ash.

"We’ll, you better check your pokèmon into the pokèmon centre first Ash, give them a rest before the battle."

"Good idea Brock! Let’s go!"

"Pika!"

@~>~>~~

"I can’t see the pokèmon centre anywhere." Said Ash, looking around trying to find the familiar Pokèball sign.

"Me neither Ash."

"Well it must have one here somewhere, it has a gym after all." Said Brock

"Excuse me. Are you three looking for a pokèmon centre?"

The Twerps turned around to see yet another Officer Jenny, saluting them.

"Hubba hubba hubba." Mumbled Brock, as at the speed of light he was by her side.

"We we’re indeed looking for a pokèmon centre Officer Jenny, but I think now you’ve come along, I’ve found what I’ve looking for. Oww, oww, oww."

Brock stumbled backwards as Misty took her usual ‘grabbing of ear’ technique to calm him down.

"Yes, we are Officer Jenny." Said Ash, "But all we can see are the shops and that new building being built over there."

Ash pointed behind him to the skeleton of a new building being put up.

"That’s no new building young man, that was the pokèmon centre."

Ash was surprised, "Really? How did it get like that?"

"Oh haven’t you heard?"

"No."

"Two members of Team Rocket blew it up about 6 six days ago."

"Huh!" the Twerps chorused.

"Hmm, I wonder who it could be." Brock thought allowed.

"Well, I was one of the Officers who arrested them, their names were Jessie and James."

"HUH?!? THOSE TWO!" they chorused.

"I thought it was strange we hadn’t seen them for a while." Said Misty.

"Where are they now?"

"In prison."

"Wow, so they finally got caught." Said Misty, a slight hint of sadness sin her voice.

"Well, we have a temporary pokèmon centre at the station if you want to drop of your pokèmon there." Officer Jenny suggested.

"Great! Thanks!"

@~>~>~~

The twerps made it to the station and Ash dropped off his pokèmon, minus Pikachu, to the nurse Joy there. They wandered outside and sat down on a bench by a few shops.

"Well, we better find out where this gym is then hadn’t we?" suggested Brock.

"Guess so…but…couldn’t we eat first?"

"Ohh, Ash that’s all you ever think…"

Misty was interrupted as their attention was drawn to an electrical store with a TV in the front window on showing the news.

"A new species of pokèmon was discovered earlier today in Charachi City in Johto. Found by a local salesman, the small pokèmon, who scientist have named ‘Pikapuff’, believe that it has been genetically created by the scientists working for Team Rocket."

"However, as this pokèmon had never been seen by the public before, we were unsure of it’s powers, and it had managed to escape. Therefore, the pokèmon scientist’s are asking the public around Charachi City to look out for this pokèmon, and if seen, approached with caution."

"In other news today, the Safari Zone has been…"

Ash suddenly jumped up from his seat and leaped into the air.

"Yahoo!! I’m gonna catch a Pikapuff!"

Misty, Brock, and even Pikachu sighed, as they watched their friend dance around in public.

Chapter 7: Pika’s and Puff’s.

Back in Charachi prison, it was lunchtime. In the women part of the prison, Jessie and her cell mates where being escorted down to the cafeteria. Jessie didn’t even want to think what kind of sloop they served here as a poor excuse for food.

After getting her ‘meal’ and sitting down with the other prison, Jessie noticed a small TV in the guard’s office. On it was the news, talking about something in the Safari Zone.

She ate her ‘food’, grimaced at the taste, and sat there trying to get a better look at the TV. The guard in the Office got up from his chair and walked out the room. This gave Jessie a chance. She was dying to here the latest gossip, even if she did have to resort to watching the news to find it out. She peered through the window and listened carefully. Her eyes widened as she listened to the news about a new pokèmon being created at Team Rocket headquarters, which escaped and is now on the run. She stared at the picture of the small pokèmon on the screen, and wished she had it herself.

"Alright ladies, back to ya cells!" screamed and angry Officer Jenny.

Jessie turned back around, sighed, and followed her cells mates back to her cell.

At the same time, down in the depths of the prison, a battered up James half listened to the news as he scrubbed away at the floor. The guard in his office also listened, keeping half an eye on the prisoners. At the mention of a new pokèmon, James tilted his aching head to get a better look at the pokèmon. He smiled slightly, but seeing the looks his new ‘friends’ gave him, he quickly wiped the smile of his face and carried on scrubbing.

@~>~>~~

At the end of the day, James was dragged back upstairs and thrown back into his cell, which is of course, after a little visit to the infirmary. After having his head bandaged, his arm bandaged, various cuts tended to, and bruises had cream put on them, James staggered back and sat on his bed. Stuart, Josh and Dean hadn’t come back from their work. Well, Stuart and Dean hadn’t anyway. James had seen Josh still in the infirmary. When he saw James, he narrowed his eyes and could see they were filled with hate. James wasn’t looking forward for Josh coming back.

As he sat there quietly, thankful for the peace and quiet for once, James noticed something yellow dash away into the shadows. He looked around to see that the bars on the windows were broken!?

He looked down to where he saw thing strange thing move and looked closer. He could make out the outline of something small and round, and it was moving. The strange creature jumped out of the shadows and stood in front of James. James couldn’t believe what he was staring at. It was the size and shape of a Jigglypuff, but was yellow. It had a long jagged tail and three brown stripes on its back, just like a Pikachu. It also had electric cheek sacks. It was a Pikapuff! The new pokèmon they had discovered that he had heard on the news earlier on.

"Pika Puff!" it squealed with delight, and jumped into James’s arms. It sat there, looking up at James with its big black eyes and grinned.

"Pika…puff?" James questioned.

"Pika Pika Puff Puff." It said.

James smiled at it.

"Oooo aren’t you cute?!"

Pikapuff jumped out of James’s arms and did a little dance in front. James smiled at it again, but then it stared to say its name louder. James stared to worry that the guard would here outside the door, so he quickly put his hand over Pikapuff’s mouth to stop it. Pikapuff looked at him quizzically.

"Listen, you can’t stay here, you’re in danger if you do. Get out of here."

Pikapuff made big wobble eyes at him, and instead of running away, jumped back into his arms and snuggled up.

"Pikapuff." James whined.

Pikapuff ignored his pleads and ‘puffed’ contently. Although James knew Pikapuff would be in danger here, he had to admit he didn’t want to see it go. Pikapuff obviously wanted to stay with him, so he gave in.

"Alright, you can stay. But if you’re gonna hang around with me you’re gonna have to keep quiet understand?"

Pikapuff ‘pika’ed in response and wondered around the bunk bed. James sat there and watched Pikapuff as it waddled around the bed jumping up and down. He looked up at the broken bars on the window and had an idea. If this pokèmon was half Jigglypuff and half Pikachu, then that would be the perfect combination to help him and Jessie get out of here. He leaned forward and spoke to Pikapuff.

"I presume you got in here by breaking those bars on the window right?"

"Pika."

"Pikapuff, could you help me and a friend get out of here?"

"Pika!" it replied

"Good, okay, listen up. You can use normal and electric attacks right? Well, I need you to use a spurt of electricity to break to lock on the door, then use your sing technique to make everyone fall asleep ok? Can you do that for me?"

"Pikapuff, Pika pi, puff puff!" It smiled.

"I’ll take that as a yes."

James got up and walked to the cell door. Pikapuff followed and stood in front of James facing the door. It stared to glow slightly and sparks of electricity emitted from its body.

"Piiiikkkaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" it screamed, "Puuuuuuuuuuuufffff!"

A line of electrical energy spouted from the small Pokemon straight into the keyhole. A sort of ‘crack’ was heard and James prayed that the door would open.

It did.

Pikapuff happily ‘puffed’ in delight and followed James out.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" an angry voice was heard down the corridor.

James turned to see four guards coming down the corridor.

"Alright Pikapuff, use Sing."

Pikapuff was about to Sing when James suddenly put his hand over its mouth.

"Wait, won’t I fall asleep too?"

Pikapuff shook it’s head and pulled James’s hand off. It took a deep breath and sang towards the guards. One by the one the guards fell to the floor fast asleep. But James was baffled. How come he wasn’t falling asleep, and more importantly, he couldn’t even here it? Pikapuff looked up at James triumphantly and James knelt down beside it.

"How come I couldn’t hear it but the guards obviously could?"

Pikapuff smiled and built up its electricity again. It made one line of electricity hit a spot on the wall. It looked up at James to see if he understood. James knelt there for a moment wondering, then got the drift.

"Oh I get it. You can channel your sing waves to a direct point just like you can with the electricity."

Pikapuff nodded and waddled down the corridor. James jumped up from the floor and ran after it, jumping over the sleeping guards.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

To be continued…