The spiked attack nearly missed as Ninetails dodged the attack by a forward leap, the elegant Pokemon nimble on its toes.
"Flamethrower," smirked its trainer, as the fire-type unleashed a torrent of flames on its opponent. The Forrestress was no match for the critical, super-effective hit. Ninetails returned to its owner's side, receiving gentle strokes across its mane and along its nuzzle.
"Wow, you're good," the other trainer commented, returning his fainted Pokemon to its pokeball. "Nice battle- I bet you won't have to worry about traveling around with skills like that."
"Ah...we'll see," the scarlet-haired trainer smiled. He tossed a vial to the other trainer. "Use that to heal Forrestress- that was a pretty hard blow my Ninetails dealt." The bug-catcher caught it.
"I..will- thank you." he grinned, although his smile faltered. His eyes mischievously narrowed. "I'll beat you next time if our paths cross again."
"It was a good battle." They shared a knowing look before the other trainer waved and left the vicinity. Sam sunk to his knees in relief, his hands trembling.
"Why can't people be Pokemon," he reached out to feel Ninetails' fur, seeking its comfort. "They...take so much energy to be around." Ninetails looked at him knowingly, causing him to roll his eyes. "Well, it's different." he justified. "I share a connection with you, with-" Ninetails perked its ears and lifted its muzzle, sniffing the air. It rose to all fours and motioned Sam to follow it.
"What is it?" he asked as he complied with its wishes, moving deeper into the forest. After walking a few yards, Sam could detect the faintest smell of stew.
"No," he said, immediately turning in his tracks. "I don't care how good it smells. Those are other travelers, Ninetails. We made a promise to only- hey!" Ninetails continued walking in its desired direction, closer to the appetizing temptation. Sam grumbled as he followed, trusting the Pokemon's instincts. He could make out a small clearing up ahead, through the thick density of the forest, but froze in his tracks once he heard voices.
"Hey, that's my spoon, Max." a female voice rang out.
"What did you do, put your name on it? A spoon's a spoon." a sarcastic, younger voice replied.
"I put it next to my bowl, dimwit. Why don't you use yours?"
"Why don't you use this one?" Sam heard the shuffling of ceramics as he came to his senses and hid behind a tree. "Hey, you nearly knocked that over, you clumsy oaf."
"That's because you moved the spoon as I was going to grab it."
"You were going for my spoon."
"Which was mine in the first place!"
"Max, give May back her spoon." An older male voice ordered.
"Yeah, I'm sorry sis," Max bit back sarcastically.
"Hey, what's that?" Sam peeked over from his hiding place to notice that there were four people gathered within the clearing. The girl with the green bandana and the kid with the glasses were unquestionably siblings- he gathered that their names were May and Max. There also was- without a doubt- another trainer along with their slightly older companion, who'd chastised the pair earlier. Ninetails sat directly in front of them, swishing its tail curiously.
"It's a Ninetails," commented Max. "That's very unusual. I didn't think they lived in this area."
May reached into her pocket and pulled out her Pokedex. "Ninetales, the Fox Pokémon. The evolved form of Vulpix. Its nine beautiful tails are filled with a wondrous energy that could keep it alive for 1,000 years.' it spouted.
"Incredible," she breathed. Ninetails tilted its head before running back to Sam, grabbing on to his sleeve.
"Woah, wait buddy." he protested to no avail as the Ninetails dragged him into their visible sight and into the clearing.
"Hey, is this Ninetails yours?" asked the eldest of the group. Sam turned to them, flushed with anxiety. He wasn't prepared to deal with this many people at once.
"Uh, yeah, sure…" he mumbled with no conviction. Ninetails sharply yanked on his sleeve, causing him to stand upright. "Ninetails is with me." Ninetails started to wander to the open pot of stew, which made Sam's mouth water in anticipation once he laid sight on it. "Hey, that's not ours, Ninetails," he said, despite his grumbling stomach as he leaped for the slender Pokemon.
"It's alright if you have some of our food, we have plenty."
"The more the merrier, that's for sure. I'm Ash, by the way." The trainer introduced himself, then gestured to his Pokemon, a Pikachu that rested on his shoulder. "This is Pikachu."
Pika-pikachu.
"My name is Brock."
"I'm May and this is my little brother Max."
Sam held up his hands. "You're being too generous, I'm not even…"
A long, mighty grumble erupted from his belly before he had a chance to complete his lie. Sam's face flushed to the same color as his hair as the group around him laughed in unison.
"Are you travelling?" Asked May, as she took another bite of the stew.
"In a way, I guess." Sam replied, resting his spoon on the bowl. "I'm looking for my sister. She lives by the Battle Tower."
"The Battle Tower?" Piped up Max, who looked up from his meal. Ash grinned.
"We're heading to the Battle Tower to challenge its Frontier Brain."
"You could travel with us and we can help you find your sister," offered Brock. Ninetails twitched its ears and looked expectantly at Sam. What? Sam sighed, exasperating. He wasn't about to win this argument. Ninetails closed its eyes and nuzzled against his outstretched hand.
"Alright," Sam agreed, nodding his head. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it," Ash replied. Sam caught May staring at Ninetails, who sheepishly smiled once she realized she'd been caught.
"Sorry," she said as she scratched the back of her neck. "It's an amazing Pokemon- that Ninetails seems to really like you. You must be very good with Pokemon."
"Umm..." Sam blushed. It wasn't the first time he'd heard it, but the compliment from May took him back a bit. "Thanks. They-They're like my family in a way. They mean a lot to me."
"Does your sister know that you're visiting her?" Brock asked, altering the subject. Sam shrugged.
"My uncle may or may not have told her. He said that he heard that she wound up somewhere in the Kanto region, told me at first she was in Viridian City." Sam paused, finishing up his meal. His hands began to shake nervously, before he buried them into Ninetails' mane. "Then I found out she had a house near the Battle Tower after all the effort it took to get to Viridian City."
"Wow. Your uncle seems like such the troublemaker." May commented while the rest nodded. "Where did you come from to get to Kanto?"
"Hmm..." Sam glanced at Ninetails, trying to remember. "I was at my uncle's house- he lives in Lavaridge Town from the Hoenn region."
"Me and sis are from Petalburg City," supplied Max. Sam blinked in registration. They both gave off that Hoenn vibe.
"So, Sam," started Ash, "Are you up for a battle?" Sam felt Ninetails nudge his side in anticipation. Do you want to battle? Sam mentally asked, but the glint in his Pokemon' s eyes confirmed its desire for battle.
"Uh...sure." He answered, a bit confused. Ninetails seemed to be telling him something he didn't understand. It wanted to prove something to him.
"I'll stand as referee for this fight." Brock declared as the two trainers faced each other in the clearing. May and Max stood behind him, spectators to the fight. Ninetails swished three of its tails impatiently.
"You ready, Pikachu?" Ash asked his shoulder companion, who chirped in eager response as it jumped to face Ninetails. Ninetails lowered itself to the ground, preparing for battle as the electric mouse Pokemon did the same.
"This is a one-on-one Pokemon battle with no substitutions. Begin."
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack." Ash ordered as the Pokemon dashed towards Ninetails.
"Use Agility to avoid, Ninetails." Sam clenched his teeth as he started to plan. As Pikachu was about to attack, Ninetails dodged with blurring speed. "Now, Will-O-Wisp." The Fire-type stopped just behind Pikachu, and blue lantern-like lights swarmed towards Pikachu. The small Pokemon tried to evade on Ash' s word but to no avail. Pikachu winced from the inflicted pain.
"Pikachu! Are you okay?." Ash called out. Pikachu replied in response, though Sam could sense its energy weakening. "Alright, use Thunderbolt!"
"Flamethrower, Ninetails." Ninetails unleashed a torrent of flames as Pikachu fired a powerful Thunderbolt toward the opposing Pokemon. The two attacks collided and competed for dominance.
BOOM.
The two moves çaused a large explosion which created so much smoke that Sam had to cover her eyes. The smoke dissipated a few seconds later. Sam glanced to the sidelines to see that May and Max were still coughing from the smoke.
"Ahh...Sorry, is everyone okay?" She said after seeing that Ninetails and Pikachu were okay.
"Yeah, just fine." Max replied, wiping smog off his glasses.
"There must've been a breeze that blew it all in our direction," said May as she recovered.
"Pikachu, you okay there?" Ash asked his partner. Pika-pika, the Pokemon answered happily. Sam frowned- was this what Ninetails was trying to tell him? He didn't have much time to think about it, since from out of nowhere a net fell onto the two Pokemon!
"What the..." Ash exclaimed as Sam looked up in shock to see a hot air balloon pull up the net of the captured Pokemon. Three figures stood prominently in sight- a red haired woman, a blue haired man, and a Meowth. In fact, the balloon was a Meowth itself. "Team Rocket!"
"Prepare for Trouble," they began, but Sam was too furious to hear the rest they had to say as Ninetails and Pikachu helplessly entangled in the net as it rose higher and higher.
"Salamance, I need some help!" He exclaimed as he grabbed a Pokeball from his bag, throwing it up into the air. Up into the sky, white light shot out from the open Pokeball, materializing as the blue and red Dragon Pokemon. It roared as the duo cried out,
"Hey, don't interrupt our motto!"
"Yeah, that's just rude!" Sam widened his eyes as the Meowth talked.
"Salamance," Sam said, electing to ignore them. A talking Pokemon wasn't the strangest thing he'd encountered. "Aerial Ace and catch Ninetails and Pikachu." The Pokemon instantly flew, cut the string of the net with the attack, and swooped down just to catch the two Pokemon.
"Not so fast," Sam glanced up to see the woman unleash a Seviper towards Salamance. The man had summoned a Cacnea, which immediately latched onto him in a hug.
"Now Pikachu, use Thunderbolt." Ash said as the Electric Pokemon jumped from Salamance' s back and shocked not only the Seviper, but the people in the balloon as well. An explosion occurred, and Sam could swear she could hear the trio in the distance:
"Team Rocket' s blasting away again!"
"Wobbafett!"
"Thank you for saving Pikachu." Ash said to him as Salamance flew back down. Sam nodded.
"Who were those guys?" he asked.
"Team Rocket. They go around and steal other people's Pokemon." Ash stopped his explanation as Salamance landed. "Pikachu!" He said as he ran towards the Pokemon. Pikachu jumped and landed in his embrace as he hugged his Pokemon with relief. Sam could feel Ninetails' all-knowing look on her. Yeah, yeah, I get it. He sighed, hands clasped behind her shoulders as she walked towards the pair. Brock, May, and Max made their way over to them.
"Wow, it's an Salamance." Max said.
"Your Salamance must be pretty strong..." Ash began. May held up a hand.
"Do you only think of food and Pokemon battles?" She taunted. Sam laughed along with the rest of the group.
"I think we'll rest here. There's still another day ahead of us before we're anywhere near the Battle Tower." Brock said as the sun was setting. It was a quiet clearing, not too far from the path and big enough for the five of them. Sam helped set up camp, ate dinner, and soon found herself around a campfire with the others, already in pajamas.
"I can't wait to challenge the Frontier Brain!" Ash remarked as they all watched the flames.
"I can't wait for the next contest." May added. Sam glanced at her.
"You're a Coordinator?" He asked, surprised. It was fitting, he assumed.
"Yep." She answered cheerfully. "I want to become a Top Coordinator someday. Do you have a dream?"
"I...I never thought too much about it before," Sam admitted, sheepishly grinning while slightly stumbling over his words. "I've beaten a f-few gym leaders in this region when I arrived in...Kanto, but before it was just me and Salamance. I g-guess I did beat Flannery once back in Lavaridge, but she was the one who suggested that I start earning badges and enter the Pokemon League."
"You're a powerful trainer," agreed Ash. "What gyms have you been to?" Sam lightly snapped his fingers and crawled to his bag. He took out a case and crawled back, opening it to show everyone.
"Woah...you've been to most gyms in the Kanto region." Max said in wonder.
"You haven't visited the Pewter Gym yet," commented Brock.
"Or the gym in Cerulean City." Ash added. He pointed at one. "You went to Cinnabar Island?" Sam nodded.
"I decided to start earning badges in Vermillion City when I arrived there from Hoenn," he explained. "I made it to Viridian when I found out where my sister was."
The fire crackled as Max fell backwards onto his back with a deep yawn.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to sleep now." The young boy took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, squirming into his sleeping bag.
"Max is right," Brock said.
"It's pretty late," agreed May. After a few pleasantries, Brock put out the campfire as everyone lied in their own sleeping bags. Sam waited, not able to sleep. His mind wandered off to his sister- how would she react after so long? It was years since they last spoke, never mind being face-to-face with another. It was mainly his fault; he never returned back to Kanto. He was still envious of her, but over the years he realized that he held an irrational grudge against her. It wasn't her fault that Dad took off with him to Hoenn one day. Or that he disappeared a few years afterwards and left him with his uncle.
Sam silently rose from his sleeping bag and looked around. He needed some alone time.
He sat near the stream, poking a nearby stick he found in the water. It was soothing and distracting- exactly what he needed. The sound of rustling grass from behind startled him, and he turned around to see May.
"Hey," the Coordinator weakly smiled. "Can't sleep?"
"I guess I'm not the only one." Sam remained immobile as May sat down next to him. "I'm just a bit nervous about seeing my sister."
"Nervous?"
"Yeah. I...haven't spoken to her in a while. My Dad...disappeared, I lived with my uncle, and somewhere along the line, letters stopped being written and calls were never made." Sam confided, spilling out details faster than he could stop them. May gave him a reassuring look and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"We'll find her," promised May. "Don't worry about it. She's your sister."
Sam copied May' s previous smile, but his eyes avoided her gaze."I'll try."