@QST.SetPrerequisite("Scooby Doo™");
New Scene(@Temporal = Early_Afternoon)
Ash and company, walking down the sidewalks of Lavaridge, see the hot springs in the distance.
May: Finally…
Narrator: After such an explosive battle, our allies appear to think they need a break. Well, it’s not like they can travel again this same afternoon.
There is a changing room/restroom on solid rock nearby, and Ash, Max, and Brock enter the room. May reveals that she has her bathing suit (a 2-piece) under her clothes, by simply removing her shirt and revealing her swim top. She then removes her shorts revealing the other piece of her swimsuit.
May: Hey Benjy, aren’t you going in the hot springs?
Benjy shakes his head.
Benjy: I didn’t bring swimwear with me.
May: You should’ve bought some yesterday, silly.
Benjy: I don’t have the right currency though.
May: Huh?
Benjy: Remember back in Slateport? I can show you again though.
Benjy pulls out his wallet and hands May a U.S. quarter. May stares at it in confusion.
May: What is this?
Benjy: It’s called a quarter. It’s worth a quarter of the dollar that Bayleef ate.
At this point, Ash, Max, and Brock come out of the dressing room in their swimwear (Max has a swim-shirt); and May eagerly shows Max Benjy’s quarter, also explaining that Benjy doesn’t have swimwear. Max quickly realizes that Ash and Brock aren’t waiting for them and have gone to the hot springs, and takes off past them handing Benjy his quarter back as he runs by.
New Scene()
Ash and company reach the hot springs, and let their pokémon out: first Ash, then Brock, then May, and finally Benjy does. Treecko, Mudkip, Corphish, and Lotad immediately head for the water, however Bayleef leaps over them, landing with a cannonball in the water, spraying everyone with water, which May’s Torchic and Beautifly don’t seem to like.
May: Hey!
Bayleef pays no attention to May, and starts to swim in the hot springs, doing a dog-paddle of sorts around the spring. Ash chuckles, and suddenly a girl’s scream echoes from across the springs. Benjy turns and gasps.
Benjy: Shroomish!
Benjy agily darts off along the rocks towards where Shroomish has bitten a girl’s foot. Satolite soars along behind Benjy to where a girl of about nine-years-old is trying to kick Shroomish off of her foot. Benjy tries to stop as he approaches, but slides to a stop on the wet ground, falling over and causing the girl to look up. Before checking himself for injuries, Benjy pokes Shroomish, causing her (Shroomish) to let go of the girl’s foot, which is only bleeding slightly. The girl immediately turns her attention to Benjy.
Girl: Are you okay?!
Benjy nods, and holding Shroomish securely gets to his feet.
Benjy: Sorry about Shroomish.
Girl: It’s not your fault, it must be overwhelmed or something.
Benjy: Thanks, but it’s always like that. I didn’t intend to let it out.
Yami Benjy: You are such a moe. (Directed at the girl)
Celebi lands on Benjy’s shoulder, and Benjy glances back towards Ash and the rest of the group in the hot springs.
Benjy: I’ve got to get back to my friends.
Benjy gets up with a short goodbye to the girl, and walks over back to where Ash and company are, save for Brock. Celebi scans the water nervously as Benjy starts walking.
Refresh Scene()
Benjy, holding Shroomish, rejoins the group, going to a rock near Ash and sitting down with his back against said rock and Shroomish on his lap. Ash is polishing his newly won heat badge. Max is playing with the pokémon in the hot spring, but May and Brock are no where to be found.
Benjy: Where did everyone go?
Ash: Well, Brock’s over with the ladies.
QST.camera shifts to where Brock is trying to impress some young ladies in the spring. QST.camera now shifts back after about four seconds (real time) of viewing Brock.
Ash: And May decided to get some training in for her next contest.
Ash gestures to where May is practicing with Beautifly on a small patch of grass nearby the springs, in the other direction of Brock. May becomes visible on QST.camera in the background.
Benjy: I thought she said she wanted to relax.
Ash: You’re asking the wrong person.
At this point, May has Beautifly use silver wind, and Benjy shivers slightly due to the windchill it causes, but Max and the pokémon in the hot spring shiver a bit more. This also captures the attention of the girls Brock is trying to impress, and one remarks that May must be really talented.
Brock: She is.
Brock now tells the young ladies that he taught May how to do what she’s doing, which recaptures the attention of the ladies, and starts to let Brock tell them about his work as a breeder. QST.camera shifts back to May.
May: That’s good, but we need to make it a little bit higher. Have it shoot up into the sky like a firework!
Beautifly immediately shoots off another silver wind, surprising May.
May: Um…
In the hot spring, this display makes Torchic visibly jealous, only to realize that it’s stuck on the top of Benjy’s Bayleef. Bayleef suddenly dives for something, leaving Max to rescue Torchic, and bring her (Torchic) back to solid ground. Torchic shakes itself out, looking all poofy. Torchic glares at May.
Narrator: Um, I would advise the easily offended to skip the next five minutes…
May’s Torchic rushes over to her and starts pecking at her leg.
Torchic: Chik! Chik! Tor! Torchic!
May: Torchic, I’m busy, I…
Beautifly: Beauty!
May: Right, Beautifly–
Torchic: Tor!
Torchic jumps up high enough to peck May on the backside, which results in May telling it off. May then goes back to trying to focus on Beautifly. Torchic jumps up again, and May has to tell it off again, as she’s starting to lose patience with Torchic’s need for attention. Beautifly seems to also be somewhat concerned about Torchic, although May is more or less oblivious to this.
May: Alright, this time’s the charm! Beautifly, silver wind!
As May calls out this attack, Torchic jumps again, and grabs the strings of the back of May’s top in her beak. Refusing to let go, this causes the strings to start to become undone.
⇥ Arc.Maintain(THIS, TV-PG) → QSTManage: {QST.camera, QST.graphic}
⇥ AutoDefines { May is only shown from the back, or her face }
This happens slowly at first, then suddenly, the knot holding May’s top on comes undone and May’s top falls off, causing Torchic to fall down onto the stone by the hot springs, with May’s swimsuit top on top of it.
Following this, Beautifly emits a powerful silver wind attack, blowing throughout the hot springs, causing people to turn to look at her. May is oblivious to the fact that she is now topless. QST.camera shifts to behind May, where Torchic is confused by what to do with May’s swimsuit top.
May seems happy to have everyone’s attention, and waves, thinking it was silver wind that is causing everyone to stare. Note that Benjy isn’t looking up, as he’s reading a book and unaware of what’s going on around him. Benjy doesn’t look up even as some people in the hot springs applaud.
Yami Benjy: Benjy, look up.
Benjy: First let me finish this chapter…
Yami Benjy: You’re missing something important.
Benjy: Sure I am.
Narrator: Luckily, Fenyran laws are don’t distinguish between men and women. Still, there are social conventions…
May starts to have Beautifly use silver wind again, but Beautifly is too tired, so May decides to have it rest a little bit as May looks over the hot spring.
May: We’ll be right back, Beautifly needs to rest a bit.
The round of applause goes again, which causes Ash to look up, towards May.
//Note: Benjy and Ash don’t realize that May’s top is gone
Ash: I don’t understand what they’re all cheering about…
QST.camera now synchronizes with Ash’s vision as Ash looks around the hot springs.
Ash: A lot of bloody noses…
Ash now sees that Brock also has a bloody nose.
Ash: Brock! Your nose is bleeding!
Brock tries to wipe the blood.
Brock: Ash, I’m okay!
Ash: You don’t look okay!
QST.camera desynchronizes with Ash’s vision, as Benjy quickly puts his book down and looks up at Brock. The young ladies have all moved away from Brock, not wanting to be near the blood.
Benjy: This is bad. If Brock faints while in the water…
Benjy: Brock! You’re not okay! We need to get you medical treatment!
Brock starts to respond.
Benjy: Satolite!
Satolite beeps high on the rock that it’s perched on, sensing something wrong due to the urgency in its trainer’s voice.
Benjy: I need to you to bring Brock over here!
Satolite quickly leaps from the rock, Brock starts to protest, but doesn’t get very far before Satolite air-lifts him out of the hot-springs with its tractor beam. Brock is already woozy, and Benjy quickly climbs over the rock that he was previously leaning against and onto the rock around the hot springs. Benjy now stares out over the hot springs, looking at all the men with bloody noses.
Benjy: What the zark is going on?!
Benjy now turns towards Ash and May, who are both looking at Brock nervously.
May: Why are they’re noses all bloody?!
Benjy: Some kind of virus maybe?
Ash: Then how come we aren’t affected?
Benjy now turns to Ash and May as Satolite beeps, looking for a soft place to place Brock.
Benjy: And May, what happened to your swimsuit top?!
May: My… top?
Yami Benjy: The princess finally realizes that she has no clothes.
May stares down at her bare chest, although QST.camera’s view of her chest is blocked by where Benjy is standing. QST.camera synchronizes with May’s vision as she quickly scans the hot springs, finally spotting Torchic with her top. QST.camera now desynchronizes with May’s vision, and May takes off running after Torchic. (QST.camera only shows May from the back during this part)
Ash: May! Don’t run! You’re going to trip and–
May ignores Ash’s words as she runs after Torchic, and as soon as Ash says the word "and", May slips on the wet stone and goes sprawling. May slowly gets to her feet, panting. Torchic glances at May again.
May: Torchic, give that back! (semi-pleading)
Torchic: Torr!
May: Torchic!
Torchic darts off across the springs as May chases it, more carefully now, all the way to a rocky outcrop next to the cliff. As May attempts to retrieve the top, Torchic slips, her top with her, into a hole in the rocks. Torchic remains just out of reach as May rages and pleads for her to return it. During this time, Benjy, Ash, and Max quickly arrive behind her. Max places his head near the hole in the rocks.
Max: Can you please give that back to my sister?
Torchic: Torr! Cheec!
Max: It really means a lot to her.
Pikachu: Pika pika!
Torchic: Tor…chic!
May shivers slightly while Benjy and Ash stare at the rock face, trying to figure out how to get Torchic out of the hole.
Max: That’s odd, they’re noses aren’t bleeding anymore…
Ash and May turn (May only turns her head) to see that the bleeding noses have indeed stopped. May now turns the rest of her body to face the hot springs and suddenly the bloody noses start again, leaving Ash, May, and Benjy confused, while Max is too busy trying to coax Torchic out of the hole in the rock.
Suddenly, one of the young ladies that Brock was with throws May a folded up towel, which she catches, incidentally holding in front of her chest. The young ladies give May dirty looks, and walk away.
Ash: What’s their problem?
Benjy: I don’t know, but as soon as May picked up the towel, the hemorrhaging stopped. Ash, May, Max, you guys go get changed. I’ll see what we can do about Torchic.
Refresh Scene()
Ash and company are now dressed in their normal clothes. Ash and Benjy working together move a boulder revealing a large cave in the rock where Torchic is looking out of through the crevice. Torchic sees this and flees off into the cave, taking May’s swimsuit top with her. Benjy and Ash now roll the boulder to another stable position, and all enter the cave, Brock included, walking on sand, and then wading through the water. Benjy stops to roll up his pants legs, and Brock nearly crashes into him.
Benjy: Sure you’re okay Brock?
Brock: Never been better.
Benjy: Well, if you say so…
Benjy pulls out a flashlight and scans the cave with it.
Max: Where did Torchic go?
Ash: She couldn’t have gone far.
Benjy: We’re not going to find her in the dark.
Benjy calls on Satolite and has it use flash. Satolite lands on Benjy’s head, and Benjy flinches, telling it that it’s not a Pixielite anymore. Satolite ignores this as it situates itself, and acts as a giant beacon, far brighter than Benjy’s flashlight, illuminating the cave. Ash and company wade on, and the water gets slowly deeper as they make their way into the cave, searching everywhere for Torchic.
Ash: This doesn’t make sense, Torchic is a fire type. Don’t fire types avoid water.
Max: Yeah it’s weird alright.
Reaching the other side of the water, Benjy turns off his flashlight and comments that he sees Torchic’s footprints on the sand. With Satolite illuminating, Ash and company follow Torchic’s footprints around a corner. Here the footprints keep leading forwards into the darkness. May gets uneasy, but Ash offers words of encouragement. As they follow the footsteps, they see something large in the darkness.
Benjy, preoccupied with tracing Torchic’s tracks, fails to notice the large creatures in the darkness. Another second later, Benjy crashes into a man and both fall down in the sand. Surprised that it was a man, Ash and company hurry over to meet the man and his giant dog-like pokémon. Benjy looks around blinking.
Man: Please don’t hurt us!
The dog hides behind the man and covers it’s eyes with it’s paws, also trembling.
//Note: This dog looks like a cross between a Stoutland and Scooby Doo.
Benjy: …
Ash: How long have you guys been in here?
Brock: Look sir, it’s going to be alright.
Man: Scoob, we sure have heard that one before, haven’t we. We aren’t falling for that?
The dog pokémon nods.
Max: For the love of…
Max walks over to the man and pries his eyelids open, and QST.camera synchronizes with the man’s field of vision while Max does this. One fourth of a second (real time) after the man’s eyes are fully open, QST.camera desynchronizes with the man’s field of vision. The man now blinks in surprise
Man: Wait, I know you guys!
Benjy: Uh…
Man: You’re Ash Ketchum!
The man points at Brock, and Max corrects him.
"Scoob": Rut rat reans, re’re rin the wrong row!
Man: We’re going to get fired for sure!
Benjy: Wait, what?
"Scoob": Roo’s rat guy? Rin the rokémon row there are ronly four reople.
Man: Wait, so what show is this?
Benjy looks into QST.camera and makes a giant circle with his finger.
Benjy: You guys just put a big hole in the fourth wall…
Max: Ash, what’s that pokémon?
While May scans the cave for Torchic, Ash takes out his pokédex and points it at "scoob."
Ash’s Pokédex: Stoutland, the question mark, question mark, question mark pokémon. No data on this pokémon is available at the moment.
With the exception of May searching for Torchic, and Benjy trying to see deeper into the cave, Ash and company stare at the pokédex, confused.
Brock: What are you guys doing in here?
Man: We’re looking for a way out!
The Stoutland nods in agreement.
Max: Well, lucky for you, we just made a way out for you, if you go around the corner–
Man: A way out! Scoob! Let’s go!
"Scoob": Ruts row!
The man and his Stoutland zip around the corner while Ash and company stare after them.
Refresh Scene()
Ash and company are walking through another part of the cave, following Torchic’s tracks. As they walk through the cave, Jirachi and Celebi let themselves out and light up the cave, so it’s not just Satolite’s beacon.
With the cave lighter, Satolite takes to shifting on Benjy’s head to illuminate certain crevices in the rock. After about fifteen seconds (real time) Benjy bends down to examine more of Torchic’s tracks and Satolite lifts off his head.
May: Are you sure these are Torchic’s tracks?
Brock: Don’t know what else could have made them.
Benjy: They appear to lead in here.
The group turns to where Benjy is pointing, where Torchic’s tracks go into a crevice.
Max: Could it even fit in there?
Benjy: A lot of it’s size is just feathers, so…
Brock: Probably.
Satolite now lands and positions itself to light up the crevice.
New Scene(Overhead)
Team Rocket’s balloon floats above the mountains. In their balloon, they all scan the ground with their mini-telescopes, looking for any sign of Ash and company.
Jessie: Zark it! Where are those twerps?
James shrugs.
Meowth: No luck either, eh?
James: None.
As Team Rocket converses, they wonder what they should do if Ash and company have disappeared entirely, all slowly becoming nervous by the thought of it.
James: I wonder what the boss would say if we came back from our year and a quarter long quest empty handed.
Meowth starts sweating.
Meowth: Don’t think about that!! Just search harder!!
Team Rocket goes back to searching for about ten seconds of episode time, before something catches Meowth’s attention, and QST.camera synchronizes with Meowth’s field of vision: someone in a blue uniform is surveying the mountain below. After Meowth focuses in on this person, QST.camera desynchronizes with his vision.
Meowth: You guys, there’s someone down here!
Jessie and James walk over to where Meowth is looking down, and all attempt to take turns looking through the telescope. Team Rocket’s balloon tips slightly as they all crowd around the one side.
James: By the look of his uniform, I’d say he’s probably a member of Team Aqua.
Jessie: But what would a member of Team Aqua be doing on a mountain?
James: I don’t know… Let me see…
Jessie: I’m still looking!
Meowth: My telescope!
Jessie, James, and Meowth all grab for the telescope, causing the balloon to shake slightly. Somehow, they manage to knock the telescope out of each others’ hands/paws such that it falls out of the balloon, straight for the team aqua grunt. Jessie, James, and Meowth all gasp as the telescope hits the grunt on the head, knocking him unconscious.
Meowth: You twits realize we have three telescopes, right?
James: Had…
Team Rocket then begin arguing amongst themselves about who gets to use the other two telescopes.
Revert Scene()
After fully illuminating the crevice, Ash and company confirm that Torchic isn’t in it, with mixed feelings of relief and disappointment.
Benjy: Must be further on then.
Man_from_earlier: Speaking of further on…
"Scoob": Re rant rind the ray rack!
Ash and company look at each other curiously.
Ash: We can help them once we find Torchic.
Man_from_earlier: Um, question. Why are you looking for Torchic in a cave?
"Scoob": Reah. Ron’t rey rusually rive in vields?
Max: Except we saw it run in here.
The man and the Stoutland look at each other.
Man_from_earlier: Um ,ok.
Benjy starts to walk forwards in the cave, Celebi glowing on his shoulder, when a few seconds later the man and the Stoutland both jump, as if they’ve both been spooked. Satolite turns it’s beam on whatever’s behind them, but it turns out just to be some rock and tiny tide-pools.
Benjy: What did you guys see?
The man shrugs.
Max: Well it’s nothing to be worried about…
Scooby and Shaggy respond with something incomprehensible.
Ash and company now continue tracing Torchic’s footprints in the sand. QST.camera stays focused on the water though, and shortly after they pass something pops out of the water. This something then turns on a flashlight, revealing itself to be a member of Team Aqua. They then pull out a waterproof radio.
Team Aqua Grunt: This is Recruit three-thirteen reporting. Someone suspicious just passed, over.
The grunt hesitates, but there is no reply, causing the grunt to grip the radio tighter, worried.
Scene::DiagonalSplit()
In one triangle of the screen the grunt is trying to get a contact on the radio, the other triangle shows the grunt that Team Rocket saw, unconscious on top of the mountain, lying next to the telescope that knocked him out.
New Scene()
Ash and company continue to follow Torchic’s footprints, being followed in turn by Scooby and Shaggy.
May: This was not my idea of spending time at the hot springs.
Max: Your one to talk May, you’re the one who got us into this mess.
May turns to Max angrily, as Scooby and Shaggy back away.
May: You haven’t been a trainer for two whole days, yet you think you can tell me how to raise my pokémon.
Brock: Lets just pay attention to finding Torchic for now.
Max: *Finding* Torchic won’t do any good now, it’s mad at May for ignoring it.
Yami Benjy: That does seem to be what Torchic said.
Max: And unless May starts using Torchic, this is going to keep happening.
May: You’re acting like it’s my fault that Torchic needs constant attention.
Ash: Uh, May, you haven’t been using Torchic much recently. Maybe it got the wrong…
May: And you’re just so perfect Ash. You don’t make any mistakes, do you? You’re the opposite of me, I’m just one mistake after another aren’t I! (sarcasm, distressed)
Ash and company stare in silence, Benjy wears a deeply analytical expression.
May: I’ll just leave you to your perfection then. (distressed)
May hurries into the darkness of the cave ahead, almost in tears.
Benjy: May, wait!
Brock: Max! Why did you have to do that?
Max: What did I do?
Brock: You’re sister’s confidence is already thin, there was no need to shatter it!
Max: Oh, so you’re an expert on my sister now?! (annoyed)
Benjy: Knock it off, both of you.
Brock now turns to Benjy.
Brock: Benjy, this doesn’t involve you.
Benjy: Even using your logic, this is between May and Torchic. They need to resolve this, and interfering is just making it worse. (resigned tone)
Brock: Excuse me, but what makes you think you can come out of nowhere and tell us what to do. I’m not sure about the planet you’re from, but in this world, you can’t just pop up and start bossing everyone around!
Ash and Max stare at Benjy and Brock, curiously.
Ash: When has Benjy ever bossed anyone around? (whisper)
Max shrugs, and Benjy turns to Ash and Max nervously. Benjy then looks back at Brock warily.
Brock: Get out of here!!
Benjy looks taken aback, and starts to move, but doesn’t, then slowly tries to figure out how to respond, watching Brock carefully.
Brock: Don’t just look at me as if I’m stupid!
Ash: Brock… What are you–
Brock: Ash, knock it off.
Brock: Get–
Benjy: Calm down, Brock.
Brock: You’re telling me to calm down? No one asked for you opinion, or even any of your input, so why are you– (angry)
In the darkness, the Millennium Gameboy Advance shines slightly.
Yami Benjy: Are you asking for a fight? (Candid tone)
Brock: …
Yami Benjy: But back to our original point. If May is going to keep training Torchic, then they’ll have to be able to resolve things on their own.
Brock: You aren’t listening! (angry)
Brock grabs a poké ball.
Brock: Forretress, explosion! (angry)
QST.camera goes into split-screen for the following three lines {
Ash: What?!
Shaggy: Are you freaking insane?!
Scooby: Rou’ll collapse the entire rave!
}
Forretress emerges from it’s poké ball and starts to explode, however can’t quite get the energy together. Meanwhile, Yami Benjy’s eyes are glowing, as if he’s just cast a spell.
Yami Benjy: Celebi, water pulse!
Water pulse strikes Forretress, who is already weakened by the explosion attempt, KOing it. Yami Benjy eyes Brock cautiously. Suddenly Brock grabs another poké ball
Brock: Mudkip, water gun!
Yami Benjy: Flower pulse.
Celebi’s flower pulse easily overpowers water gun, landing a 1-hit-KO on Mudkip. Brock now removes Lotad’s poké ball from his belt, looking angrily at Yami Benjy. Scooby and Shaggy continue to back away nervously. Yami Benjy now walks up to Brock, who is fuming, and places his palm on Brock’s forehead. Brock grabs Yami Benjy by the wrist, but the latter doesn’t seem to be bothered.
Yami Benjy: Mind spark.
In an instant, Brock falls down into a sitting position holding his head.
Ash: Brock?
Brock: Ash… What just–?
Max: Maybe the problem is that Brock has undiagnosed claustrophobia?
Shaggy: That must be it then?
Scooby nods.
Shaggy: We’ll take him back to the hot-springs for you.
Scooby nods again.
Shaggy: Hey, how do we find our way out of here anyway?
Scooby nods again.
Max: Just follow our footprints.
Shaggy: Can’t do that?
Ash: Why not?
Shaggy: Because our footprints seem to be coming out from under this wall!
Ash and company (minus Brock) stare at where there footprints were coming from. A large chunk of rock now blocks their path. Benjy pushes the block and it budges ever-so-slightly, but it then catches on something and everybody’s combined force can no longer move it.
Yami Benjy: I don’t think that fell there, it looks like someone moved it.
Shaggy: What’s that?!
Shaggy points out something behind Benjy, and everyone looks at it. Satolite turns to shine it’s beam on the object, and Ash, Max, Scooby, and Shaggy all panic. A human skeleton is illuminated.
Yami Benjy: That’s not a good sign.
Scooby: Ret’s run.
Scooby attempts to run, but Max holds him by the tail.
Max: You’ll just get lost if you go running off randomly!
Shaggy: Hey, that’s what happened the last time!
Refresh Scene()
Ash and company (w/o May), along with Scooby and Shaggy, make their way slowly through the dark tunnels, the only source of light being Satolite’s beacon, and the glow from Celebi and Jirachi. Brock is in somewhat of a daze, due to Yami Benjy’s mind spark.
Shaggy: You don’t suppose there are anymore of those skeletons, do you?
Max: Well, technically, there are at least five of right here with us.
Shaggy: Aaaah!! (scared)
Shaggy jumps behind Scooby.
Yami Benjy: He means the skeletons inside of our bodies.
Shaggy jumps and yelps. Yami Benjy turns to Shaggy, concerned:
Yami Benjy: Without them, we’d never be able to live on land.
Shaggy ponders this, scratching his head thoughtfully.
Shaggy: I guess I just don’t like it when they move on their own.
Ash and company agree with this comment
New Scene()
Crying, May runs through the tunnels, only to find that she has lost her sense of direction. As she runs through the tunnels, she remembers something one of her friends said to her, and the friend’s voice is heard as it replays in May’s head.
QST.Replay(Friend’s Voice): If you don’t know what to do, then why do anything at all?
May: But I have to do something!
May stops running, but continues to sob into her arm. She then sits down on the cave floor, and puts her head in her hands and cries.
QST.Replay(Friend’s Voice): And don’t let them take away your sense of self-respect. Ultimately the only one you have to justify yourself to is you.
May: Even…
QST.Replay(Friend’s Voice): Even if it means taking on an entire universe.
Tears roll down May’s cheeks, and she doesn’t stop to wipe them away. In the darkness, May slowly closes her eyes.
New Scene(May.getDream())
May finds herself picking her way through a dead forest, filled with dead trees and rotting plant matter wearing an off-white robe. May looks around, but does not question the direction she is going. Eventually, she comes to a clearing, and her hand starts glowing through her glove. In front of her is a bundle covered in a dark robe. May reaches down to remove the robe with her non-glowing hand, and withdraws instantly when she finds a skeleton.
The skeleton’s spine is bleeding, and a scythe lies beside it, on the ground. In May’s glowing hand a dagger appears, the tip dripping with blood. May looks down in sheer terror.
May: Did I just kill the grim reaper?
Suddenly a rumble causes May to start shaking.
Deep Voice: You are far to pure to wield your power correctly.
May looks up to see a demonic gate, (similar to the one from Yuma’s dream in Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal™, but with five star-shaped indents on it instead of a lock); May now steps back nervously and swallows hard.
May: What power?
Gate: Here, you do not have to pretend that you do not know. We have come to a fork in the road. We can activate your power, but doing so will come with great strife.
Darklord Asmodeus: Eh-hem.
May turns to face the duel spirit that just materialized beside her.
Darklord Asmodeus: As your lawyer on these issues, I highly recommend that you do not accept this offer. Lets wait.
May: Um… I’m with Asmodeus here…
Gate: Very well, we shall wait. But the power that you have wrongly acquired cannot be given back.
Revert Scene()
May wakes up where she had fallen asleep. Torchic is sitting at her feet. May looks up nervously.
May: That dream again…
May then sits bolt upright in surprise to see Torchic. She picks it up and they begin to reconcile.
Revert Scene()
Gate: Duel spirit, I am onto your plan.
Darklord Asmodeus: But even you cannot resist her. We will save the world, and with the very power that was made to destroy it.
Darklord Asmodeus teleports away, using a Runescapian teleport animation.
New Scene()
Ash and company, along with Scooby and Shaggy and without May, walk through the tunnels. Satolite keeps a beacon on May’s footprints in the sandy floor. As they walk, a Team Aqua grunt stalks them in the darkness of the cave, taking out his radio again.
Grunt: Shelly, I’m trailing them as you requested, but I’m sure now that they aren’t Team Magma.
Shelly returns her comment via radio, and her voice is crackly:
Shelly: Keep an eye on the man with that dog-thing.
A few seconds after this Pikachu notices footsteps, and Ash and company turn around. Satolite shines the it’s beacon on a wall that has just appeared. While Shaggy and Scooby panic, Benjy braces a punch, and smashes what he thinks is a wall. His punch reveals that the wall was nothing more than a curtain, as he hits a Team Aqua Grunt in the face with full force, almost knocking him down.
The grunt screams with pain, and the disguise is dissolved.
Benjy: Sorry?! (startled)
The uninjured grunt cries "Mayday" into his walkie-talkie (two and a half times), then the Millennium Gameboy Advance shines slightly, and in the blink of an eye, Yami Benjy snatches the device.
Yami Benjy: Who is this?
Shelly: Who’s there?
Yami Benjy: I recognize that voice, it’s Shelly of Team Aqua.
Yami Benjy: Not Team Magma.
Max: Weird response…
Brock: Maybe he has a plan?
Shelly: I don’t recognize you.
Yami Benjy: You don’t have to, what is Team Aqua doing here?
An uninjured grunt that was standing behind the first now tries to grab the walkie-talkie back, but Pikachu stops him with a thunderbolt. The grunts flee into the distance.
Shelly: Who are you?
Benjy chuckles into the walkie-talkie.
Yami Benjy: We’re not Team Magma.
New Scene()
Shelly hands the walkie-talkie to Archie, who demands to know what’s going on.
Archie: This is Team Aqua’s Archie, identify yourself!
Revert Scene()
Yami Benjy: I prefer to remain anonymous.
Archie: Identify yourself!
Yami Benjy: I don’t know who I am, all I know is I not Team Magma. What are you guys up to here?
Archie: I’m tracing your signal. Identify yourself or feel the wrath of Team Aqua!
Yami Benjy: Oh, please trace the signal. I’ve missed you, Archie. I’ll be waiting.
Benjy powers off the walkie-talkie.
Max: I don’t think that was an idle threat…
Yami Benjy: I’m sure it wasn’t.
Ash: So what do you propose we do in the mean time.
Yami Benjy: As Max figured out, I have no plan to meet them, just to make them wander around in the dark for hours on end. I suggest we get a move on and find May before Team Aqua does.
Yami Benjy opens the walkie-talkie and dumps the batteries out.
Ash: But the tracking…
Yami Benjy: I took the batteries out. They won’t be able to track us if this thing has no power.
New Scene()
With Torchic lighting the way, May arrives at an underground river. Worried that she’ll never get out, May begins to cry again, but her pokémon let themselves out and comfort her. She decides to push on.
New Scene()
Picking their way through the cave, Ash and company hear the sound of running water. As they pick their way through the darkness, they exit their tunnel into a larger chamber with an underground river. The riverbank has glowing mushrooms that provide enough light to see by.
Scooby: Rit’s reautiful.
Ash and company walk along the left side of the riverbank and marvel in awe.
New Scene()
At Team Aqua’s base of operations, a woman bangs on the inside of an iron cage holding her and another teenage girl and teenage boy. The cage is sitting on the ground where the prisoners have a full view of whatever Team Aqua is doing. The floor is made of vinyl, and covered in a checkered pattern. Save for the restroom, everyone is in the same room
Daphne: Let me out this instant!!
Shelly: No can do. This is delicate, so we can’t have you kids meddling.
Velma: You’re going to destroy the inside of Mount Chimney!
Shelly: That’s the point. Team Aqua’s goal is to expand the sea. I thought you would have picked that up by now, smart(bleep).
Shelly goes over to where their tech is trying unsuccessfully to relocate the signal. She tells him to keep trying in a frustrated, and he apologizes.
Archie: Are we evacuated yet?
Shelly: We’re still missing a pair of grunts, you want to wait?
Archie: Normally, I wouldn’t, but that signal bothers me for some reason.
A grunt runs up to Shelly to tell her that the grunts have arrived. Shelly goes over to start the machine, when Velma calls to her.
Velma: What does that thing do anyway?
Shelly: Should I?
Archie: It wouldn’t hurt to explain it. Go ahead.
Shelly presses a button, and the machine starts up.
Shelly: For the last few months, we’ve been running pipes throughout Mount Chimney. By pumping water into the volcano, we’ll push all of the lava out and turn this mountain into a beautiful lake.
Shelly smiles as she finishes her explanation. The machine begins to make a whirring noise.
Fred: That’s completely insane!
Revert Scene()
Ash and company walk along the river bank. Max spots someone on the other side of the river, but can’t make out who. Thinking it to be a Team Aqua Grunt, Pikachu sparks. As a double-check, Benjy has Satolite shine a beam on the person.
QST.camera shifts to May’s side of the river.
May is suddenly illuminated by a spotlight.
May: Who’s there?
Brock: Uhh…
QST.camera now shifts back across the river.
May: Brock?
Ash: May?
May proudly presents Torchic in her arms, and Ash and company all look at her, relieved.
Ash: You found Torchic?
May: M-hm.
Suddenly, a large noise can be heard from downstream, and it leaves everyone wondering what it was. A few seconds later, the underground river starts flowing in the opposite direction, spewing water everywhere. May holds Torchic close to herself.
May: What’s going on?!
Yami Benjy: Don’t know. But, we have to get back and do so quickly!
Both May, and Ash and company (minus May, plus Scooby and Shaggy) are now forced away from the river. Brock still seems a bit woozy from Yami Benjy’s attack, so Ash pulls him away from the water.
Ash: I bet this has to do with those Team Aqua guys we saw…
Ash is cut off as suddenly a large waterfall bursts out of the stone, dumping water into the underground river.
Shaggy: We’re all going to drown!
Scooby: I’m roo roung ro rie!
Yami Benjy: Max, have Jirachi teleport us back to Lavaridge!
Max: He fell asleep! (panicked)
May: Well wake him up!
Max: I can’t!
A large wave suddenly shoots up next to May, who screams.
Yami Benjy: Satolite! Please retrieve May!
QST.camera switches to May, who jumps as Satolite zips behind her. Before May has a chance to react, Satolite grabs her and lifts off across the river, and at the same time, a huge wave comes at her. May screams, but the wave is repulsed by Satolite’s mirror force causing a curtain of water. Satolite lands May on the ground.
Max: May!
Yami Benjy: Quickly, let’s go!
Grabbing both the hands of Shaggy and Brock, Yami Benjy darts through the waterfall as Ash, Max, and Scooby follow. Brock is in somewhat of a daze and almost trips several times.
With the water level now at around 4 or 5 inches, everyone rushes towards the way out of the caves. On their way, Celebi uses energy ball to break a falling rock (due to water pressure). The water slowly reaches a foot high as Ash and company rush through corridor after corridor. As soon as the water reaches the height of Ash’s knee, he trips and falls.
Max: Ash!
Ash: I’m alright–
As Ash says this, another rock above him is dislodged by the water pressure and falls towards Ash. Satolite zips in the way and uses mirror force, destroying the rock and breaking it into pieces, while Max quickly helps Ash to his feet.
Max: Uh…
Shaggy is now facing a large rock chunk that appears to have fallen from the water pressure. Now more rocks fall from the ceiling, and Ash and company barely manage to avoid them. The water level has now reached two feet high and is rising rapidly, forcing everyone to start swimming as the ceiling collapses further, opening up space above them. Max screams.
Yami Benjy: Celebi, safeguard!
Safeguard blocks a good portion (about 75%) of the falling debris. Max shields his head with his arm. By now a hole has appeared in the ceiling, large enough for everyone to fit through. As water pours through it, Celebi and Satolite fly through, then begin helping everyone else through with telekinesis and tractor beams.
First to land on this new level, Yami Benjy lands on all fours.
Yami Benjy: When you land, get down!
Max: W-why?
Yami Benjy: To distribute your weight so the floor doesn’t collapse.
Max and Ash now land after Yami Benjy, also landing on all fours. Next comes May and Scooby, and finally Brock and Shaggy are lifted through, all landing on all fours. Brock is really too dazed to say anything. The group crawls for a few meters, then Max forgets about Yami Benjy’s instruction and stands up.
Shaggy: Hey, the floor could–
Max immediately starts to get down on his hands and knees.
Yami Benjy: It’s alright. The rock under us now is sturdy.
With the pokémon with them still emitting light, the group continues walking. After about 15 meters, Ash puts his foot down and hears a large crack. Nervous about the floor, Ash takes a step back, but the floor seems fine. All the while everyone else begins looking around for the source of the noise.
When they finally are sure that the floor is secure, Shaggy lets out a long sigh.
Shaggy: I thought for sure we’d be goners.
May starts to apologize, but Yami Benjy cuts her off telling her that she had nothing to apologize for.
Suddenly, the cracking noise is heard again, as water shoots out of cracks in the walls and ceiling of the tunnel. A large chunk of rock falls from the center of the tunnel, barely missing May and Brock. Yami Benjy takes a step forwards to run, but is cut off by a shaking noise. Out of nowhere, a huge wave shoots down the tunnel and crashes into everyone, knocking them down and pushing them down the corridor.
New Scene()
The water level in the hot springs is slowly starting to rise, and water is slowly beginning to seep out of the rocks surrounding it. Officer Jenny stares at this curiously from inside a terminal overlooking the hot springs. She then picks up the phone for an intercom, but there’s no dial tone, and she looks at it curiously.
Officer Jenny: Did someone cut the wire?
Officer Jenny looks around.
Officer Jenny: What’s going on?
Confused, Officer Jenny opens one of the drawers and pulls out a megaphone, then opens the window of the booth.
New Scene()
Ash and Company, along with Scooby and Shaggy are swept along with the water down a long corridor, and are knocked into a wall in a small room at the end of the tunnel. As they all start to get up, Yami Benjy puts hand on the wall, and something moves slightly.
Yami Benjy: I think we’re almost out. Let’s push through here.
Ash: Are you sure?
Yami Benjy: That’s a stupid question.
Ash takes a step back.
Max: Benjy, you feeling okay?
Yami Benjy: No. Thanks for asking. I’m not sure. I’m never sure of anything, except that the entrance might be submerged, and that I’m not willing to get caught in an underwater labyrinth.
Celebi lands on May’s shoulder.
Yami Benjy: There’s a ninety-five percent chance, that this is the wall of the cave. On my signal please.
Shaggy: And if it’s not?
Yami Benjy: Probably nothing will happen.
Yami Benjy looks around at everyone. No one seems to have objections. Everyone backs away from the wall, despite the rapidly rising water, now at Max’s shoulder level. Yami Benjy snaps his fingers.
Yami Benjy: Now!
Ash: Pikachu, thunder!
Yami Benjy: Celebi! Energy ball!
Brock: Forretress, explosion!
Pikachu and Celebi attack the wall, then Forretress shoots towards the wall and explodes.
Yami Benjy: Mirror force!
Satolite sets up a mirror force, shooting the shrapnel from Forretress’s explosion back into the wall, causing a series of explosions.
Shaggy: No way! It’s still there!
Scooby: Ruh-roh!
May: Beautifly! Silver wind!
May tosses Beautifly’s poké ball and Beautifly emerges, immediately blasting silver wind at the wall. Much to the group’s surprise (especially Shaggy and Scooby) the wall begins to crumble apart, letting in cracks of light from the outside.
Refresh Scene()
Ash and company with Scooby and Shaggy emerge from the caves in a field below the hot springs, which is now flooded. Scooby and Shaggy immediately try to kiss the ground, but realize that it’s all wet.
Shaggy: It’s all wet!
Max: Look over there!
Max points at the hot springs, and everyone turns to see what he’s pointing at. QST.camera shifts as well to where the hot springs are overflowing, dumping water to the field below.
Yami Benjy: But that’s not possible!
May: But it’s happening, isn’t it?
Yami Benjy says nothing, but just continues to stare.
May: It has to be possible, since it’s happening, right?
Yami Benjy: No!
Suddenly a voice butts in.
Team Aqua Grunt1: Hey! This area’s off limits to the public!
Ash: Off limits?
Ash and company, plus Scooby and Shaggy all turn to face a Team Aqua Grunt, approaching them quickly from the direction opposite the hot springs. The Team Aqua grunt starts to say something, but Yami Benjy doesn’t let him.
Yami Benjy: We don’t take instructions from you.
The first Team Aqua grunt takes a step backwards, unsure what to do about Yami Benjy.
Team Aqua Grunt2: Monty! Force them out! We’ve already warned that guy once!
The first grunt (Monty) seems a bit nervous.
Team Aqua Grunt2: This is Team Aqua’s territory! Scram!
Ash: What did you do to the hot springs?!
Team Aqua Grunt2: That’s none of your business! Do I have to spell it out for you guys?!
Team Aqua Grunt1 → Monty: What do you mean that you’ve warned him.
Team Aqua Grunt2: The boss warned that punk in person when we were in Slateport!
Scooby and Shaggy both start to run, but Max tells them to wait, so they do.
Yami Benjy: Either you tell me what you’ve done, or I’m going to beat it out of you.
Monty starts backing up nervously, and a female Team Aqua grunt rushes up to them.
Monty: Sarah!
Female Team Aqua Grunt → Sarah: Great, this guy again! (sarcasm) Mightyena!
Team Aqua Grunt2: You too Mightyena!
Both grunts throw poké balls and Mightyena emerge. Yami Benjy presses the button on Bayleef’s ball, and Bayleef emerges in a flash of light.
Sarah: We’re going to rough you up, punk!
Shaggy: Uh, I think we should probably listen…
Scooby: Ruh-huh…
Sarah smiles.
Sarah: Listen to your friends.
Yami Benjy turns to Scooby and Shaggy.
Yami Benjy: There’s nothing to be gained from running away.
Team Aqua Grunt2: Mightyena, bite attack!
Ash: Pikachu, thunderbolt!
The second Team Aqua Grunt sends his Mightyena to attack Yami Benjy while Yami Benjy’s back is turned, but Pikachu lands a powerful thunderbolt on it, knocking the Mightyena off it’s trajectory and doing massive damage to the Mightyena. It recoils and backs up. Bayleef now growls at both Mightyena.
Ash: Benjy, you really sure this is such a good idea?
Yami Benjy scans the grunts carefully.
Yami Benjy: Maybe not in retrospect, but we need to clean up the mess we made.
May: Uh, what do you mean by that?
Yami Benjy stares the two grunts down.
Yami Benjy: If you start a fight, you finish it.
Both grunts now send their Mightyenas to attack Yami Benjy, whom responds by having Bayleef bombard both with razor leaf, doing heavy damage to both Mightyena and forcing them back.
…///To Be Continued///…
© January 18, 2012 to September 28, 2015 by Benjy Strauss