Chapter8/Final: Sisters From Other Fathers

News reports flooded in about the events in Portugal. "Developing story, authorities around Porto, Portugal continue to investigate the blast that occurred from the coast," one reporter started. "While no bodies have been found, Search & Rescue vehemently believe the blast is man-made, perhaps links to possible terrorism from the Middle East. While none have claimed responsibility, they've also denied any involvement as the death toll remains at zero so far."

"Developing story out of Philadelphia," another reporter opened. "The warehouse in the urban area has been condemned by Philadelphia PD. The warehouse, hosting drug-addled people, some with histories of criminal activity, were forced to work on creating the fragrances for Mac'Sashi products. Police have arrested several individuals in lieu of the operation, thanks to an anonymous source. Another arrest in Pittsburgh in relation to the warehouse, Officer Daniel Deyez of the precinct has been charged with multiple counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance after video surfaced of Deyez distributing packages of numerous drugs, later found within the warehouse. In addition, Deyez has been stripped of his uniform and equipment in lieu of the evidence emerging."

"Developing story in Business," one more reporter spoke. "Mac'Sashi, the new fragrance line that emerged almost two weeks ago, has disappeared from existence. The products have been linked to tens of thousands of customers hospitalized with multiple drug-related illness, some still in hospitals in critical condition. Should the unnamed founder of Mac'Sashi emerged, prosecutors say he's facing the rest of his life in a maximum security prison for this act of dangerous drug distribution."

(WOOHP HQ, Los Angeles, CA, USA; 13:14)

The reports flooded in all over the world about Tim Scam and Jessie's operation falling apart at the seams. Ash, Alex, Jerry and Sam watched each newscast staying focus on the downfall. Sam kept her hands around Ash's chest, her love interest despite the apparent age difference between the two. "Scam-Jess is no more," Alex joked. "And it took one shrimp to take an elephant-size job like rescuing three damsels in-distress." Ash giggled, sporting a new black t-shirt which had an emblem of a cyan shark biting a hockey stick in half. He also sported new navy blue jeans.

"By the way, what did you do before the explosion?" asked Jerry.

"I found and dragged Jessie to an escape pod since someone still wanted her," Ash explained. "After that, I cranked every lever to the top that overloaded every system and took cover in a steel case. Once the explosions stopped, I climbed out, my clothes kept getting caught, and summoned Buizel to leave." While brief, the information still left those of WOOHP in awe.

"What I like to know is where he learned to box?" pointed Sam. "Tim looked so perplexed when he got the Mike Tyson treatment. What would you say, KO in the first round?"

"What I like to know is where he got that line before taking Tim to the floor," Alex remembered. "It was like from a children's movie. Which one?" Before anyone could ponder, an outburst of laughter erupted. On Jerry's computer, Clover and Pikachu enjoyed the video from Ash's loaned sunglasses filming Mandy's worst hair day.

"Oh my gosh!" the laughing blond squealed. "I love it!" Pikachu joined in the chortling. "This is the best video I've seen of her!" She embraced Pikachu in a hug, both laughing without end. Alex came over to see the humor, soon blasting chuckles from her lips.

"That's awesome!" she cackled. "The electric Afro suits her!" Clover started to calm down, the laugh needed after what she and her friends endured.

"My goodness, Ash! Only you could get that close to Mandy and get her at her gnarliest." She stood up and walked over to give Ash another hug. "If only I could have you like a brother!" She broke the hug but grabbed his head and kissed him in the cheek. Sam jumped, startled by the apparent piece of love.

"Clover!" she snapped.

"Come on, Sam! Ash is the picturesque little brother we all wanted! He didn't go in our diaries..."

"When did you have a diary?" questioned Alex. Clover cleared her throat to further explain.

"He didn't mess our makeup… Heck, he even risked his life to save us! In my opinion, I would adopt him and be a big sister. That still means you can still date him, Sam." The remark made the redhead blush. Alex laughed to Sam's reaction.

"Good one, Clover! But you're right about Ash..." She joined Ash as Clover stepped away. "He's great with an older sister… and there are three of us who can take him in." She offered a kiss to Ash's other cheek, Sam reacting with giggles.

"Get in your kisses while you can," Jerry advised. "I've received contact that a rift was spotted in Paris, France. They said they found more Pokémon, meaning Ash may be going back home." The girls moaned, upset that their newly named little brother had to leave.

"Not now!" whined Clover. "We wanna keep him for a little longer!" Jerry shook his head.

"I understand, Clover… Frankly, he'd be an elite member in several years with WOOHP. Still, he and his Pokémon belong back home." The spies looked dejected, not willing to part ways with their new partners. Even Ash felt terrible about breaking from the spies. For Sam, this seemed to be the last time the two would be together.

"At some point, we need to let go," she mulled. "Well, one for the road back to the Pokémon World..." She came to Ash and like on the boat after the rescue, she kissed him on the lips. Clover and Alex hugged Pikachu one last time, with some kisses added. With their love offered, Ash and Pikachu gathered their things.

"Clover, Alex…" he listed. "Sam, too… We had a blast with you so there's no way we'll forget." Pikachu acknowledged their friendship with a few squeaks.

"Hey, we're not forgetting our new little brother anytime soon," Clover joked. Ash and Pikachu shared a laugh before they waived a fond farewell. Soon, he'll be going to France and back through to their land.

(Pokémon Gym, Sunnyshore City, Sinnoh; 10:15)

Weeks passed. Everything seemed back to normal but a line had formed outside a building. Somehow, the spies arrived at the same structure. "According to this map," Alex studied as she looked at a pamphlet. "This seems to be the Sunnyshore Gym where Ash is suppose to be." Clover and Sam looked through the line, no Ash in sight.

"Maybe Ash moved on," Clover assumed. "Let's ask to make sure." They reached the line before speaking up.

"Excuse me," Sam voiced. One young man turned to the trio. "Can you tell us what's going on?"

"Yeah, Volkner reopened his Pokémon Gym to challenge him for his Beacon Badge," one young man explained. "It's been awhile since he accepted challengers."

"Yeah, but he promised his first challenge was that young man with the Pikachu," A young woman added. The extra information stoked the others to believe the young man in question was Ash.

"And he's inside?" asked Alex.

"He is. Are you friends of him?"

"We are. We came after we got word he's here in this city." The two young people nodded to each other with an idea.

"Go on ahead, we'll tell you about your visit!"

"Awesome!" cheered Clover. The guards allowed the spies to enter. After getting in, Sam had an idea.

"Ready for the change?" she suggested. "The bathroom's right there." Alex and Clover nodded before going into the women's bathroom. In another room, three people sat on the bleachers with two Pokémon. One was an Afro redhead man in a yellow button-down t-shirt and black slacks. Another was a tanned, spiky brunette wearing a brown vest over a green t-shirt and beige slacks. His eyes squinted with his arms crossed. There was a blue-haired girl in a pink cheerleader ensemble with pink pom-poms. The same cheerleader ensemble was on a blue penguin chick and a brown bunny with fleece on its ears. The redhead seemed interested about the upcoming battle.

"Didn't you say Ash will be wearing something new for this battle, Brock?" he asked.

"He did, Flint," Brock confirmed. "His whole persona changed after he disappeared for awhile since he allowed Gliscor to train with the Air Battle Master and before he acquired Gible. I'll admit, Gible did like Ash's shirt with 'the shark and the hockey stick' print." Before long, one person and mouse entered from a wing. A blond man in a blue jacket over a black shirt and jeans came out to the sight of those on the bleachers. The light brown mouse had yellow cheeks and a whip-like tail with a lightning bolt at the tip. The robot at the sideline of a marked field in the middle of the room saw the blond enter as the spies also arrived to see the ordeal, behind the others.

"The Sunnyshore Gym Leader, Volkner, has arrived," it computed. Clover started to drool at Volkner's arrival and stance, his wrist connecting to his hip.

"Why does that mouse look like Pikachu?" wondered Alex. Suddenly, Ash and Pikachu emerged from the other side. Ash still wore the cap but he wore a short-sleeve navy blue denim jacket over the shark shirt and new navy blue jeans. He also donned sunglasses. The robot registered Ash's entrance.

"The challenger, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, has arrived." Ash removed his sunglasses before putting the pair in his jacket's pocket.

"Whoa, what a getup!" the blue-haired gasped.

"Tell me about it, Dawn," Flint gulped. "Didn't you say that he had no fashion sense?" Brock fidgeted for an answer. Ash faced Volkner, both in boxes connected to the lined field.

"Sorry for the wait," he apologized. "With your first Gym Battle in so long, I thought a little style should go to it." Volkner huffed a little chuckle, humored to the wardrobe.

"I'll admit, that look suits you," Volkner praised. "Let's see if your battling has the same style." The robot lifted a red and green flag on its limbs.

"This is an official Pokémon Gym Battle between the Sunnyshore Gym Leader, Volkner, and the challenger, Ash of Pallet Town," it informed. "On the line is the Beacon Badge. Trainers will use three Pokémon each, and the battle is over when all of one trainer's Pokémon cannot continue. Furthermore, only the challenger can switch Pokémon while the Gym Leader cannot. There is also no time limit." For Volkner and Ash, their time to shine came.

"It's been awhile since you helped return the Sunnyshore Tower back from Team Rocket. However, can you fight the static of my powerful Electric-Type Pokémon?"

"If I can bring the spark back into Pokémon battles," Ash grinned. "Allow me to steal your thunder, and win your Beacon Badge." Dawn turned to the penguin chick and the bunny.

"Piplup," she called her penguin before turning her head to the bunny. "Buneary, let's cheer Ash hard." Piplup and Buneary agreed with Dawn's encouragement. Someone beat the three to the shout.

"Let's go, Ash!" yelled Sam. Ash jumped at the shout, nearly stumbling out of the box. Everyone turned to the spies, their cheerleader outfits matching the colors of their jumpsuits: Clover in red, Sam in green and Alex in yellow.

"You've got this guy!" cheered Alex. Ash gawked as he recognized the three who just appeared.

"Sam?!" he gulped. "Clover?! Alex, what the heck are you three doing here?!" Clover and Sam waived nicely.

"Duh! You, of course!" Everyone else seemed befuddled with the trio that arrived.

"Ash, you know these three?" asked Volkner.

"In a way, they're… my honorary… big sisters," Ash shyly replied as he itched the back of his head. Nothing still rung the heads of the others.

"Brock, I thought Ash was an only child," Dawn questioned. When she heard no response, she turned… but Brock wasn't in his seat. She turned to see Brock on his ascent. He scaled the benches so fast, he met with the spies, including clasping the hands of Clover.

"The cheering section could use a few more moving serenades for my Pokémon Master wannabe," cooed Brock. "But maybe afterwards, we can find a nice spot where my gourmet will have you cheering for more." Clover blinked at Brock's immediate proposal.

"Wait, what do you-" she tried to talk but…

"As a young man destined to find one in need of love, allow me to show the path that awai-AH!" A sharp sting to Brock's side stopped him. He released his grip and contorted his body when glowing purple fingers jabbed his side. Those fingers belonged to a navy blue frog with orange cheeks. Brock collapsed to the ground where the frog dragged him away. Dawn and the Pokémon covered their faces in humiliation.

"Not… again," Dawn mulled.

"Suddenly, Croagunk is starting to scare me," Volkner murmured. "And he's not one of your Pokémon."

"Tell me about it," Ash agreed, as did Pikachu. Clover shuttered after the moment, realizing the comparison with her and the young man who asked her out.

"I… need to settle down and stick to David," she gulped. Ash and Volkner got to the bleachers, postponing the battle a little longer. WOOHP's agents joined the rest below.

"You see what I meant, Clover?"

"Yeah, but there's no way I could be at his 'Creep Level'."

"At least Croagunk keeps him in check, though I think he'll be down for sometime," Dawn explained. "Looked like he got him flush." The other mouse climbed to see the new cheerleaders.

"Anyway, is that suppose to be Pikachu grown up?" asked Sam.

"More or less," Volkner replied. "It's the evolved form: Raichu. He's not battling today." Sam reached and petted Raichu, the rodent enjoying the strokes.

"Normally, I'd be going gaga for you, Volky-poo," Clover cooed. "But that Croagunk's telling me otherwise."

"That's alright. Croagunk's Poison Jab is pretty potent." That's when she glanced to Dawn, noting her outfit.

"By the way, that's a nice cheerleader outfit you got on." Dawn giggled at the compliment.

"Thanks," she said. "Made it myself, as well as Piplup's and Buneary's." The Pokémon expressed their likeness to wearing their tiny uniforms. "By the way, why did Ash refer you as honorary sisters?"

"Easy," Alex snapped a reply. "We helped him with his problem and he helped us tenfold." Dawn nodded in agreement.

"I see. I thought for a second one of you might have been his girlfriend, if not all three." To one, there was some truth to that.

"At least one of us could make that claim..." Sam's cheeks showed some red, blushing to a fact she didn't want to come clean about.

"Well… No need to worry. It's not a big deal, right now."

"Right," Flint spoke up. "We're here to see Ash and Volkner battle." Ash and Volkner bobbed nods as Croagunk returned, over to Clover's side. Clover stuttered at the frog's presence. The trainers reached their boxes to start the battle. Ash grabbed one of his red/white balls as Dawn's Pokémon began cheering.

"Here we go!" shouted Ash as he threw the ball forward. While he may be engaging a battle with a gym leader, he'll never forget how he dealt with a Scam and tossed his scheme aside. Sam watched his beloved young man compete with refreshed spirit. Still, it's no big WOOHP!

THE END

(Thanks for reading. Next chapter that comes up is the one that started my Fanfiction career: Pokémon & Digimon!)