Adventures Series, Episode 7 (Version 1.1), “A Sly Butterfree” Cassie Banks, the character who debuted last episode, makes her first regular appearance here as she joins up with Ash and TJ on their way to the Indigo Plateau. Disclaimer: Cassie and TJ are my property, but all other characters are property of Nintendo, Kids’ WB!, and 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. ************************************************************************ Narrator: In our last episode, Ash and Pikachu were on their way to the Indigo Plateau to participate in the Pokémon League Novice Tournament. A stop over in Viridian City was interrupted when Team Rocket showed up and stole a young boy’s badges. Jessie tried to run away with the goods, but Ash tracked her down, and with the boy’s help, defeated Team Rocket. The boy, TJ, joined Ash and Pikachu on their journey. The trio is walking down a path when Ash spots a sign on the side of the road. Ash reads it out aloud. Ash: Fork ahead! To the right, Ronde Town. To the left, Route 23 and the Indigo Plateau. TJ: Wow! I wonder how much longer it’ll take to get there. Pikachu: Pika. Ash: Well, why don’t we stop here for the night? We can get some decent food and sleep in a bed for at least one night. TJ: Good idea, comrade. Let’s get going! Ash: We’re off to Ronde Town! Pikachu: Pikachu! ************************************************************************ Adventures Series, Episode 7 “Pokémon League Bound,” Chapter Two: “A Sly Butterfree” Story Written by Freedom Fighter ************************************************************************ The trio enters the town, in search of a place to stay the night. Luckily for them, it’s a small town out in the country, so rooms are not only plentiful, but cheap as well. Ash: You mean you’ll let us stay a night for twenty-five dollars? Hotel Employee: Yes. We don’t charge much because we don’t get too many travelers out here. Even with the Pokémon League Tournaments at Indigo Plateau, we rarely have all of the rooms taken. TJ: Wow! I can’t believe our good fortune! Hotel Employee: (handing Ash the key) Okay, here’s the key to your room. Number four. Suddenly, Ash stomach rumbles...very loudly. TJ’s does the same. Pikachu begins to feel lightheaded. TJ: Ow. Maybe we should eat something first. Ash: Yeah, all that traveling worked up an appetite. Pikachu: Pika. Hotel Employee: I guess you’ll be wanting to go to the restaurant. (points to a corridor) Around that corner, the entrance is where the double glass doors are at. Ash: Thanks! Pikachu climbs up on Ash’s shoulder to rest. Ash and TJ head straight for the restaurant, which is named The Lucky Goose. Within minutes, all three are scarfing down on all sorts of food, including rice balls, chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, and apple turnovers. The only other customers in the restaurant, a young couple in their twenties, look on in awe as the trio gobbles down everything, up to the last scrap. Not to mention three glasses of soda each to wash it down (only one for Pikachu). After paying the bill, which was surprisingly cheaper than they thought, they went to their room and instantly fell asleep on the two twin beds. Eleven o’ clock the next morning. A girl with a very full backpack walks into town. It happens to be Cassie, arriving in town to search for Ash and help him on his quest. But at the moment, she had other thoughts on her mind... Cassie: (deep in thought) Now let’s see. If central control’s transmission was right, then he should be in that hotel. Cassie was pointing at the exact hotel that Ash and his friends were staying in. At that exact moment in the hotel room, TJ and Pikachu were packing their stuff and preparing to leave. Ash was still fast asleep in bed. TJ: Ash! Wake up! We were supposed to be checked out by now. If we don’t hurry, they’ll charge us for an extra night. Ash: (half asleep) Just give me five more minutes, mom. TJ: Ash! (turns to Pikachu) Pikachu, how about giving your trainer a jump start, if you know what I mean. Pikachu: Pika! Pikachu climbs on to the bed, and begins to charge up. The resulting electric shock not only wakes up Ash, but ends in a curdling scream that can be heard outside. Ash opens the window, trying to get some air after his rude awakening. Cassie manages to catch a glimpse of Ash before he puts his head back inside. He takes out a picture of Ash that her “organization” had given her. Cassie: That’s Ash Ketchum? (sighs) This is the guy that’s going to become a master? Back inside the room, Ash has recovered. He runs into the bathroom to wash up. TJ: Ash, I’m going to the front desk to check out. Hurry up, before the cleaning lady comes in. Ash: (yelling from the bathroom) Okay! TJ: Pikachu, make sure no one comes in here until I get back. Pikachu: (salutes TJ) Pikachu! Pikachu begins to march back and forth across the room. TJ: At least I know no one will dare come in while I’m gone. TJ leaves and heads for the front desk. Cassie, hiding behind a nearby bush, waits for TJ to pass, then runs for the room. Cassie: (turns the doorknob) Good, it’s unlocked. (she enters) Hello, is Ash here? Pikachu: (runs up and shocks Cassie) Pikachu! Cassie: Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh! Ash, hearing the scream, runs out of the bathroom in a towel. He sees Cassie sitting on the floor, with her hair all out of place and black soot in several places on her dress. Ash: Who are you? Cassie: (coughs) Are you Ash Ketchum? Ash: Hey, I asked you a question first. Cassie: Well, you’re in no condition to ask questions. Ash: What do you mean by that? Cassie: What do I mean? You come out here in nothing but a towel, and ask me what do I mean? Ash: (blushing with embarrassment) Well, you’re the one who barged in here. Cassie: I’ll tell you why I’m here if you put some clothes on! Ash runs back into the bathroom. Pikachu walks over towards Cassie. Pikachu: Pika? Cassie: (scared) Please don’t hurt me! I didn’t really mean to intrude. It’s just that I need your master for a very important mission. Pikachu: Pika? Pikachu, Pika! Cassie: You mean you won’t hurt me? Pikachu: Cha! Pikachu. Ash comes out, in his regular clothes. The towel is now on his head, due to the fact that his hair is still wet. He sits down on the bed. Ash: Would you like to sit down? Cassie: No thanks. What I have to say won’t take long. Ash: (trying to dry his hair while talking) So why are you here? Cassie: My name’s Cassie. I’m here to assist you on your Pokémon journey. Ash: Look, I don’t need any help. I’m already heading for the Pokémon League. Cassie: That’s what you think. Ash, there are trainers that are much better than you there. Without my guidance, you don’t stand a chance. Ash: Who are you to tell me what to do? And how do you know my name? Cassie: Look, it’s imperative that I travel with you. The fate of the world depends on it. Ash: The fate of the world? Cassie: (to herself) Cassie, the fate of the world? You couldn’t think of anything else? TJ walks in, unnoticed. Believing that Cassie is here to hurt Ash, he dives for Cassie’s legs, knocking them both down to the ground. TJ: Alright girl, just what were you planning to do to Ash? Cassie: (getting up) I didn’t mean any harm. I just needed to talk to him. TJ: (also getting up) Yeah, right. I’m sure there’s something in that bag of yours. TJ points to Cassie’s backpack, which both Ash and Pikachu have noticed for the first time. Ash: Cassidy... Cassie: It’s Cassie. Ash: Whatever. Empty that bag right now! It’s probably full of stolen Pokémon! TJ: Yeah. You were probably after Ash’s Pokémon! Mine too! Pikachu: (preparing to electrocute Cassie again) Pika! Cassie: Please, I’m not here to steal your Pokémon. These are all my Pokémon. I’ll show you. She empties the bag and all thirty five of her Pokéballs roll onto TJ’s bed. The guys look over the Pokéballs for what seems like hours. Finally... TJ: All of these Pokémon are hers. She’s not a thief. Cassie: See. I told you I only wanted to talk. Ash: But why me? Why did you choose me? Surely there could have been other trainers. Cassie: I’ve seen lots of trainers. Trust me, although some trainers have lots of experience, you’ve got potential. You could become the best. But you’ve got to believe what I say if you want to succeed. Ash: So, what exactly do you want with me? Cassie: Well, I can’t do anything until you make it into the League. Ash: But why? Cassie: It’s hard for someone to get recognition if they’re not a part of the League. Participating in the Pokémon League Novice Tournament and doing well in it will get you noticed. TJ: So how do I play along in this? Cassie: Moral support. TJ: But I’m competing too! Cassie: But do you have the heart to battle well? TJ: (gritting his teeth) I don’t need you to tell me what to do. I’ll qualify for the League, right alongside Ash here! Cassie: (gathering her Pokéballs) We’ll see. (she walks out the door, then turns around) Well, are you three coming? I’d like to get to the tournament while there’s still some good seats. She starts walking out. Ash packs his stuff quickly, and locks the door, Pikachu and TJ by his side. They return the key and head out towards Route 23. Cassie is walking slightly ahead of the trio. TJ seems stressed out over something. TJ: Ash, are you sure we can trust this girl? Ash: Well, what do you think? TJ: Ash, she just comes out of nowhere, asks to join us on our journey, then leads the way without one word from us. Something’s going on here, and I’m sure she has something to do with it. Pikachu: Pika! Ash: You guys worry too much. Whatever she has to hide will eventually show itself. And if she tries to double cross us, Pikachu knows what to do, right? Pikachu: Pikachu! TJ: I hope you know what you’re doing. Cassie: Guys, quick, look at this! Ash, TJ, and Pikachu run up to Cassie, and see her point to a Butterfree that’s flying around. TJ: A Butterfree! I’ve always wanted one of those. I’m going to capture it. Cassie: No way! I saw it first! That Butterfree should be mine! TJ: You’ve already got thirty-five Pokémon. I only have twelve! Cassie: It’s not my fault that you’re a lousy trainer. TJ: Lousy? Ash only has six and you’re calling me lousy? Ash: Now wait just a minute! Cassie and TJ: (simultaneously) Ash, stay out of this! Cassie: That Butterfree should be mine. I don’t have any flying Pokémon. TJ: I don’t either, but you don’t see me complaining. Anyway, I can knock that Butterfree down before you even pull out a Pokéball to capture it. Cassie: That’s what you think. TJ: Oh yeah? Cassie: Yeah! Ash: Guys, can’t we settle this another way? Cassie and TJ: (simultaneously) No! Cassie: All right, who ever weakens it the most gets to keep Butterfree, deal? TJ: Deal. They each grab a Pokéball and prepare to release their Pokémon. Cassie: (throwing a Pokéball) Come out Eevee! Eevee: Vee! TJ: Exeggcute, go! Exeggcute: Exeggcute! Cassie: Eevee, sand attack! Eevee: Vee! Butterfree avoids the attack and responds with his whirlwind attack, knocking Eevee of its feet. Cassie: Eevee! TJ: Now I’ll show you who’s the true Pokémon trainer here. Exeggcute, stun spore! Exeggcute: Exeggcute, exeggcute! Butterfree uses the whirlwind attack once again. This time, the attack blows the stun spore back towards Exeggcute. It faints immediately. TJ: Exeggcute! (pulling out its Pokéball) Return Exeggcute! Cassie: Eevee, focus energy attack! Eevee, who has recovered from the last attack, sends a large ball of energy at Butterfree. It connects, but Butterfree doesn’t seem to be affected by the blast. TJ: Either your Eevee is a weakling... Ash: Or that Butterfree is stronger than it looks. Cassie: Eevee, take down attack! Eevee leaps at Butterfee, but misses. Butterfree uses sleep powder to put Eevee away. Cassie: (pulling out Eevee’s Pokéball) Eevee, return! TJ: (throwing another Pokéball) Sandshrew, go! Cassie: (laughs) Sandshrew? Give me a break. TJ: (scowls) I’ll show you! (to Sandshrew) Sandshrew, give it a slash attack from underneath! Sandshrew swipes at Butterfree, and gets a piece of its wing. Butterfree begins to show some signs of weakness. TJ: Yes! (pulling out an empty Pokéball) Butterfree, you’re mine! Cassie beats TJ to the punch and throws an empty Pokéball of her own. Cassie: Looks like I’ve got this one. TJ: Hey! A red ray of light gathers around Butterfree. It is sucked into the Pokéball. The Pokéball falls to the ground and shakes violently. They watch as it continuously shakes and rattles. It then rolls to a stop. Cassie: Yes! I caught Butterfree! TJ: It was my Butterfree that you caught! Ash: Will you two stop fighting already! Cassie and TJ: (simultaneously) Ash, shut up! Pikachu: (tugging at Ash’s pant leg) Pika, pika. Ash: What’s wrong, Pikachu? The Pokéball begins shaking again. They watch to see what happens. Suddenly, Butterfree escapes from its prison and flies to a tree. Ash and the gang follow it, only to be surprised by what happens next. Ash: What’s happening? TJ: I don’t know! Cassie: Something tells me that Butterfree didn’t go into that tree to hide. Sure enough, the Butterfree comes out... with about a hundred others! The gang begins to run for cover as the massive clan winds up and begins to form a gigantic whirlwind! ************************************************************************ The Butterfrees flap their wings in unison, as Ash, TJ, Cassie, Pikachu, and Sandshrew take shelter behind some big trees. Cassie: We’ve got to stop those Butterfree before they blow away the whole forest! TJ: And how do you suppose we do that? We don’t have any flying Pokémon to battle with. Ash: I do. Ash turns his cap around, winds up, and throws a Pokéball into the windy fray. Ash: Pidgeotto, I choose you! Pidgeotto: Pidgeooooooooo! Ash: Pidgeotto, try to stop those Butterfree! Pidgeotto flies straight at one of the Butterfree, but the force of the wind is too much to bear. Pidgeotto is blown straight into a tree trunk, and is knocked out. Ash: Pidgeotto, return! Pidgeotto returns to its Pokéball, as Ash brings out another. Ash: Don’t fail me now. Charizard, I choose you! TJ: Not the Charizard again! Cassie: What’s wrong with a Charizard? TJ: Well, this one doesn’t obey it’s trainer. Ash: Doesn’t obey it’s trainer? I’ll show you! Charizard, flame thrower! True to TJ’s word, Charizard doesn’t obey. Instead, he decides to take a nap. TJ, Cassie, Pikachu, and Sandshrew facefault to the ground. Ash: Come on Charizard! Why can’t you listen to me for once? Charizard: Char. The Butterfree continue to flap their wings hard. But they manage to grab Charizard’s attention when the wind diminishes his flame. Charizard: (angry) Char! Charizard performs the ember attack, which knocks a few Butterfrees out. The Butterfree begin to charge at Charizard, but the fire Pokémon continued to take them down with no problem. Cassie: Wow! That’s one deadly Charizard! Pikachu: Pikachu, pi-pika! Sandshrew: Shrew? TJ: Come on Charizard, keep taking those Butterfree down. Ash: Charizard, let’s try the flame thrower again! Charizard just continued to bat down the Butterfrees, completely ignoring its trainer. TJ: Ash, how can you expect to win in the tournament if you can’t even control a Charizard! Ash: Well, he’s bound to listen to me sometime. Cassie: (to herself) Yeah, when I get shocked by a Pikachu again. Ash: At least Charizard’s weakening the Butterfree! Sure enough, almost all of the Butterfrees had been weakened tremendously. Only a scant few, including the one that TJ and Cassie had tried to catch just a few minutes ago, were still in the air. Ash: Charizard, return! Ash pulled out Charizard’s Pokéball, as he pulled the flying fire dragon from the battle. TJ and Cassie give him surprised looks. TJ: Ash, why did you pull Charizard? Cassie: Yeah, he was about to win! Ash: Well, Charizard tends to be unpredictable sometimes. I didn’t want to take a chance of seriously hurting those Pokémon. TJ: I understand, but we’re fighting for our lives here! This isn’t some silly Pokémon battle! Cassie: (pulls out her recorder and begins to talk into it) October 24th, afternoon update. It seems that the trainer known as Ash Ketchum has compassion for his opponents. A good quality that he might use to his advantage at the tournament. Ash: Look, TJ, we’re here to stop the Butterfrees, not hurt them. TJ: But they’re the ones who attacked us! Ash: TJ! We’re just stopping them, okay? TJ nods in agreement, but at the same time he’s disappointed that he lost the argument. Ash: Now that that’s settled, it’s time to finish the job. (to Pikachu) Pikachu, go! Pikachu: (ears perk up at the sound of its name) Pika? Ash: Pikachu, thunder shock the remaining Butterfrees! Pikachu: (jumping into the air ) Pikaaaaaaaa-chu! Cassie: (still talking into the recorder) Amazing! Ash’s Pikachu seems to be pretty strong. He must have trained it well in order for its attacks to get so good. The remaining Butterfrees faint to the ground. Pikachu lands on his two feet, and flashes a victory sign. Ash runs up and celebrates with Pikachu. Cassie: (into the recorder) It seems that Ash and Pikachu are the best of friends. That would explain the close bond that they have. But if it’s so strong, why doesn’t Ash evolve Pikachu into a Raichu? TJ walks up and snatches the recorder from Cassie. She turns around, steaming mad. TJ: What’s this? Your personal diary? Cassie: (angry) Yes, and I’d like it back now! TJ: What’s on it? Your favorite desert? Your confession of a secret crush? Or maybe something even more sinister? Cassie: Give that back, you little twerp! TJ: (pulling his eyelid down and stick his tongue out at the same time) Gotta catch me first! Cassie: Why you little... Cassie begins to chase TJ all over the place, peaking the attention of Ash and Pikachu, still celebrating from their victory. Ash: Hey, what’s going on here? Cassie continues to chase TJ, and whenever it seemed like Cassie was about to catch TJ, he avoided her. Ash became very dizzy watching them run around, and Pikachu, tired of watching, shocks them both. They fall to the ground, singed, but now calm. Cassie grabs the recorder from TJ, and begins to ug it like crazy. Ash: Um, Cassie, is there something between you and that recorder that we should know about? TJ: (getting up) It’s her personal diary! Cassie: (already up and dusting herself off) Yes, it’s my diary, and TJ, I’ll kill you if you ever touch it again! TJ: (cowering in fear) Okay, I’ll won’t touch it all. Cassie looks at her recorder and then screams for some unknown reason. Ash: Cassie, what’s wrong? Cassie: The record button was on the whole time! Everything that just happened is on the tape! Ash, TJ, and Pikachu sweatdrop at hearing this. Ash: So, it’s just your diary. No one else is gonna listen to it. Cassie: (ignoring Ash) My superiors are gonna kill me when they hear this! TJ: Superiors? Ash: Who are you talking about? Cassie: (realizing her mistake) What superiors? I didn’t hear anything about superiors. Ash: Well, even if not, that tape will have to be thrown away now after the shock that Pikachu gave it. Cassie: I can’t throw this away! I’ve got two whole months of data stored on that tape! TJ: (giving a perplexing look to Cassie) Huh? Cassie: You! You’re the one who ruined my data recorder! Cassie lunges at TJ, and if not for Ash and Pikachu holding her back, he would probably be face down in the ground. As luck would have it, Sandshrew runs up to TJ and points at the pile of fallen Butterfrees. One was still standing, er, flying. The one that he’d try to catch since they got here. TJ pulls out another empty Pokéball and throws it at Butterfree. Cassie, now calm again, watches with Ash and Pikachu as the Butterfree is captured and begins to rattle in the Pokéball. TJ: (watching closely) Come on, come on! Finally, the Pokéball stops shaking, and the light goes out. TJ slowly walks up to the Pokéball, picks it up, and makes sure that it has stopped. He then begins to dance around. TJ: I finally caught a Butterfree! After being on my journey for a year and unable to catch any bug Pokémon, I finally catch a Butterfree! Yippee! Sandshrew runs up to celebrate with his master. Ash, Cassie, and Pikachu can only sweatdrop in embarrassment at watching this site. Ash: I can’t believe that he’d act that dumb! Cassie: I hope nobody saw that. I’d be the laughing stock of my hometown! Pikachu: Pika. Narrator: The rest of the journey went smoothly. Cassie was able to save all the data from her now destroyed recorder. TJ woke up each morning to let Butterfree out to spread its wings. Sandshrew always stood by his side. And Ash and Pikachu seemed to get closer to each other with each passing day. It’s now the morning of November 1st. Pikachu, Butterfree, Cassie’s Bulbasaur, and Sandshrew are in front of the trainers, talking. The trainers themselves were engaged in their own conversation...about Pokémon. TJ: I’m telling you, my Kangaskhan can beat your Bulbasaur any day, Cassie. Cassie: Oh yeah, well my Abra can easily defeat Ash’s Krabby any day. Ash: Well, Pikachu can beat any Pokémon that you two have! TJ: Pikachu? We’ll see at the tournament. Ash: Yeah, and I’ll beat you. How about you, Cassie? Are you competing in the tournament? Cassie ignores Ash and walks up to her Bulbasaur. Cassie: Hi, Bulbasaur! How are you feeling today? Bulbasaur: (happily) Bulbasaur! TJ: Hey guys, look! He points down the road, as Ash and Cassie look and see their target in the distance. Ash: All right! We’ve arrived at the Indigo Plateau! Cassie: Finally! TJ: Let’s go! The trio takes off sprinting down the hill towards the stadium, with their Pokémon in hot pursuit. Before entering, though, they all recall their Pokémon, with the exception of Pikachu. Inside, they looked in amazement as there were about a hundred people running around, getting the stadium ready for the Opening Ceremonies that night. Banners and streamers were up, the place where the flame would be lit was decorated nicely, and a few performers were allowed on the field to practice their routines. Suddenly, an Officer Jenny walks up to them. Jenny: Alright, move along! Ash: Officer Jenny, we were just watching them prepare the stadium. Jenny: Well, you’re not allowed to be in here unless you’re performing in the Opening Ceremonies or helping to set them up. TJ: We just want to know where we check in for the tournament. Jenny: The check-in stop is in the village. They’ll give you everything you need to know about all the sites around here. Cassie: Thanks a lot! Ash, TJ, Cassie, and Pikachu head over to nearby Indigo Village, where lots of trainers had already checked in. The village was as busy as ever, restaurants were full for lunch, the Pokémon Center was as hectic as could be, and the hotels were already showing signs of overcrowding. Cassie, attracted by a clothing sale, runs off without anyone else knowing about it. The trio arrives at the check-in station, actually, a long line leading up to the station. TJ: Look at how long this line is! Ash: At this rate, the tournament will be over before we even get to the desk! Pikachu: (tugging at Ash’s leg again) Pika... Ash: What’s wrong, Pikachu? Hey, where’s Cassie? TJ: I wouldn’t worry about that girl too much. Knowing her, she’s probably shopping. Enjoying herself because she’s not competing in the tournament. Ash: You’re probably right. Back at the entrance to the village, three figures dressed as gunmen from the west have arrived. Luckily for them, the diverse range of trainers there allowed them to blend in without any problems. They step into an alley near a restaurant, and spot the long line at the check-in station. They take off their costumes, and begin their introduction, with music playing in the background. Cassidy and Butch: Prepare for trouble and make it double! Cassidy: To infect the world with devastation! Butch: To enlighten all people within our nation! Cassidy: To denounce the goodness of truth and love! Butch: To extend our wrath to the stars above! Cassidy: Cassidy! Butch: Butch! Cassidy: We’re Team Rocket circling Earth all day and night! Butch: Surrender to us now or you will surely lose the fight! Cassidy: That’s right! Raticate: Raticate! Cassidy: Quick, get the boss on the phone. Butch: (pulling out a cell phone) Right. Giovanni’s face appears in the small videoscreen on the cell phone. Giovanni: What is it? Cassidy: Cassidy and Butch reporting live from Indigo Village! Butch: What’s next in your master plan, boss? Giovanni: Well, you two have to decide who will enter the tournament. Cassidy: But which one of us will enter? Butch: Plus, we only have four Pokémon among us. Scene switches to Saffron City. The Pokémon gym, to be exact. Inside, Sabrina is reading a magazine entitled “The Psychic Pokémon Connection.” Haunter is nowhere to be found. Suddenly, a strange man bursts in the door, and throws a Pokéball to the ground without saying a word. It’s a Dragonite. Sabrina, if surprised by the challenger’s choice, doesn’t show it. Haunter comes out of the wall with a Pokéball, which Sabrina takes and throws into the arena. Kadabra comes out, ready to fight. With the two trainers only staring at each other, their Pokémon charge at each other...well Dragonite anyway, as Kadabra just began to sharpen its psychic mind. Back in the alley in Indigo Village... Giovanni: It’s settled then. The men are hacking into the computer as we speak. Then you should check in in about twenty minutes. Cassidy: We won’t let you down, boss. Butch: That’s a promise! At the check-in station, TJ was already busy registering as Ash and Pikachu stepped up to the desk. Registration Lady: Name, and hometown, please. Ash: I’m Ash Ketchum of Pallet. Registration Lady: (typing on the computer) Okay, and the names of the six Pokémon that you will be using are Pikachu, Charizard, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Krabby, and Muk. Is that right? Ash: Yes, those are the Pokémon that I’m using. Registration Lady: Okay, may I see your Pokédex. Ash takes it out and gives it to her. She puts it under some sort of identification scanner, which beeps once. She then gives it back to Ash, who pockets it. Registration Lady: I’ve placed a personal identification number on your Pokédex. You’ll need it at all times in order to get into secured buildings after nine o’ clock every night. This also serves as your league identification. You must present it at the security checkpoint everytime you enter the stadium for a match. She then hands Ash a small stack of books and a key. Registration Lady: (pointing to the key) This is the key to your room. It’s room 220 in Pidgeot Hall. Your roommate has already checked in, and has his own key to the room. Ash: 220 Pidgeot, got it. Registration Lady: And these books are important for your stay here. This one is a map of the town, this one is a list of events going on in town, including the tournament itself, this one is the latest updated copy of the League competition rules, and this last one is a free rememberance book which contains information on all the trainers competing in this tournament. Ash: (struggling to stand upright) Is that all? (Author’s Note: Ash must be very weak, because the combined weight of the four books is about as heavy as one high school math book.) Registration Lady: You need to be at the stadium at five o’clock to prepare for the Opening Ceremonies. Good luck, Mr. Ketchum. Ash: Thanks. He walks off, still struggling to carry the books that he just got. Pikachu walks alongside, enjoying all the wonderful sites and sounds of the town that is only this lively for the Pokémon League Tournaments. Ash heads towards the part of town where the trainers are staying. There he found four buildings, each three stories tall. They were named after Pokémon, Ash’s hall Pidgeot, plus Hitmonlee Hall, Squirtle Hall, and Mew Hall. Ash and Pikachu walked towards their building, and took the elevator to the second floor. Ash manages to find his room, and pushes the unlocked door, to find an old friend waiting for him. Ash: AJ? You’re my roommate! Pikachu: Pika! AJ: Hey, Ash, long time no see! Sandshrew: Shrew! Narrator: So as Ash and AJ catch up on the time since they were last together, we leave the hustle and bustle of the village to take a little rest. But don’t worry, we’ll be back in time for the Opening Ceremonies! The End of “Pokémon League Bound” mini-series. Next up: “The Pokémon League Novice Tournament” ************************************************************************ Please e-mail me with your comments, questions, and suggestions for future stories! ************************************************************************ Copyright Date: 11/20/99, Revised: 7/17/01 Revisions from the Original Release Include: - Even more past to present tense changes, among numerous grammar corrections. In the next episode... Arius treats Misty to a surprise cruise to the island resort of Porta Vista! Once there though, Misty does anything but relax. Instead, she decides to tour the island. That’s when she comes across some very rare Pokémon, including one in an unhatched egg! “Misty’s Great Catch” comes your way in Episode 7, next time!