One

The rain was starting to subside in the forest where they were sheltering. With the weather taking such a bad turn, Ash, Misty and Brock had decided to hide out in an abandoned cave in a clearing. They were all wet through and Misty was beginning to shiver. Ash noticed, and tried not to make his concern too clear on his face. He reached into his bag which was still dry on the inside, and spoke in a soft voice,

"Here Misty, have this" he tossed her a black t-shirt that he occasionally used in situations like these. She caught it and fumbled with it, trying to work out which side was the front, before pulling it on over her head. She smiled, mouthed a "thank you" and promptly stood up.

"Hey look!" she exclaimed, "The rain has stopped. Come on, let's go!" she danced out of the cave and into the clearing.

"Hold on a minute! Brock and I were going to battle!" Ash shouted towards the red haired girl who was almost at the other side of the clearing. She turned and looked back, releasing what he was saying and skipped back towards them. He had to admit she looked so attractive in his top, but he couldn't think about that now, he had a battle to fight.

Misty sat on a tree stump that was to one side of the clearing and said that she would officiate the match, with Ash closest to her, and Brock on the far side. Not only was that so she could get a better view of the battle, but so she could look at Ash every now and again. Surely he was aware that she was in love with him by now, she couldn't have made it much more obvious, but then again he could be quite dense at times.

"I choose you, Pineco!" the rock trainer on the far side shouted as he threw the capsule into the air. It bounced and the Pokémon was floating in the air, looking ready to battle. But, just then, it began to glow.

"Pineco!" its cry was rather surly and abrupt, and Brock realised quickly. "Pineco! Don't self-destruct! Return now!" He picked up the empty ball and Pineco was gone in a flash of red light. Brock placed his hand on his chin in thought, and then snapped his fingers as the idea formed in his head. He rummaged around in his own bag before pulling out another Pokéball and tossing it up into the air. It opened and a large bat appeared, and immediately began circling above the arena.

"Golbat, huh" Ash pondered this move, before making his own. "Chikorita! I choose you!" He shouted with more determination than usual as the small Pokémon appeared, and quickly dived upon him showing her own unique method of affection, which usually involved diving upon him.

"That's nice Chikorita, but we can do that after the match is over" The Pokémon took the hint and jumped down, ready to battle, focused on the opponent.

"Misty can we start now please?" There was no response so Ash turned and caught the water trainer in a daze. "Misty! Come on!" She snapped out pretty quickly and blushed scarlet.

"Uhh...yeah, sure. This match is between Ash and Brock. Only one Pokémon can be used by each trainer, let the battle begin!" Brock looked at his Pokémon who was resting by standing on the ground and gave the order for its Gust attack. Golbat jumped up into the air and stared straight at Chikorita, flapping its wings quickly and sending a strong wind towards the grass type Pokémon. Chikorita dug her heels in and tried to stand her ground, but ended up getting pushed back by the force of the wind. She jumped up off the ground a little then came back down, ready for the command.

"Chikorita, Razor Leaf attack!" was the cry that came from her master, and she promptly fired leaves at Golbat, eager to impress Ash. He gave a cry of approval and satisfaction as Golbat crashed to the ground, but was up again within seconds.

Meanwhile, just outside the clearing in a large bush, three figures were stooping, watching the battle intently. The woman was the first to speak

"Ok, so the twerp is battling, so how are we going to get Pikachu? It's just sitting there; we could easily swipe it while he's distracted"

"Yes but the girl will catch us, and I've been attacked by Poliwhirl enough recently" The man with the slightly upper class accent spoke next, taking his binoculars away from his face and shifting his position.

"Don't worry guys, I have just the thing! The ZapCannon3200, something I found in a truck that we passed a few miles back, if this doesn't do the job then nothing will!" the third member of the group sounded rather cocky and sure of itself.

"But Meowth, how does that thing actually work, and how will it help us catch Pikachu?" the man spoke again in a low, confused whisper.

"James stop asking questions, if he says it'll work then it will" the woman hissed, as she shifted herself. They had been sitting here for a couple of hours, watching the group inside and now outside of the cave. Her face lit up suddenly and she squealed,

"Oh look! The battle's over and the twerp has won! Quick Meowth, now's your chance to show us this new toy of yours"

Back in the clearing the two opponents were shaking hands and packing up. "Wow Ash, I must say, Chikorita's Vine Whip has definitely improved, and you'll have a good chance at the Ecruteak gym with that"

"Chika!" the grass Pokémon jumped onto her trainer, knocking him clean off his feet, and he just lay there grinning, rubbing his head that he had hit off the floor. Misty was now on her feet and walking towards the two trainers. She had been so mesmerised by Ash and the way he battled she had forgotten to declare the match over, and had needed to be shouted at again. Pikachu had scampered ahead and was now at Ash's side, and the group was reunited as they prepared to move on.

"Aww how cute, the twerp is the centre of attention again" a male voice mocked from the edge of the clearing, accompanied by a tall woman with pink hair and a small cat Pokémon holding a large blue weapon.

"We're not going to bother with our usual entrance because we're rather tired, so we're going to take what we came for and leave. Fire, Meowth!"

"Ok Jimbo!" the Pokémon moved forward, aimed the Cannon at the electric mouse and fired. A bright light shout out of the end and was aimed straight at Pikachu, who was transfixed in horror and confusion.

"Pikachu! Move quickly!" Ash cried in desperation at his friend, but before he could move, there was a flash of green as Chikorita ran in front of Pikachu and took the blow. There was a loud explosion of sound and light and everybody cried and jumped backwards.

The dust that had been kicked up from the explosion cleared and Chikorita was lying there, not moving. Ash whimpered in despair, he was convinced that his friend was dead. Even though Pikachu was safe, and had now hurried back to him, he was worried about the other Pokémon. He was about to get up and go to her, when Chikorita shifted slightly and began to glow white. After glowing for a few seconds she began to change shape, causing the three villains to stare, transfixed and petrified at the same time.

"Meowth...what does that thing actually do?" James asked again, becoming more afraid by the second.

"If I said I didn't know, would you believe me?" Meowth stuttered, scared not only by the sight in front of them, but by the reaction of his companions.

"At this point in time, yes I would believe you" Jessie squeaked, half tempted to run, and half tempted to stay and try and steal whatever it was. There was a loud gasp as the process completed and the white glow faded, revealing the result of the incident that had just occurred. Brock was the first to speak,

"I've never seen that happen before, this can't be possible"

"But...how?" Misty spoke with a confused tone "She jumped in front of Pikachu, but how this could have happened, I can't explain?" Ash was stricken with shock, but somehow he managed to step forward towards what lay before them all. He sat cross legged next to it, and whispered softly, caring and apprehensive at the same time, "Excuse me... are you okay?"