Chapter 1

"Yeeeee-hawwww!"

Ashley Ketchum screamed in delight, as she and her younger brother Micah each of them bounced excitedly on the saddle of a pair of playful baby Tauros. Beaming with pride under the mid-afternoon sky were their parents, Misty and Ash Ketchum. As seasoned Pokemon trainers, they knew that while battling might be the default preference of most Pokemon trainers, having healthy relationships with Pokemon was the most important aspect of all in order to maintain trust and understanding.

From the porch of his grandfather's old lab, Professor Gary Oak stood with his trademark grin, watching the scene unfold. He turned and tapped a smiling Pikachu, who looked up in response.

"Well, Pikachu," Gary began. Pikachu tilted his head slightly, as he listened. "Piiika?" Gary continued, "If those two are anything like their parents, Ashley will probably ask her dad if she can chase her Tauros to "catch" it, and Micah will probably ask Misty if he can keep it. What do you think?" "Pikaaaah!" grinned Pikachu, cooing in agreement. From behind him, on the opposite end of the table, Gary's lab partner, renowned Pokemon watcher, and local Pallet Town artist, Tracey Sketchit, was sketching a pose done by Ashley's starter Pokemon, Mousea, Misty's Marill, and Tracey's fully evolved Azumarill. "Okay, guys," Tracey nodded in approval, "You're all done. I'll make sure you all see it once I've finished editing it." The three blue water mice cheered in delight, before scampering off to play with each other in a nearby pond. "Say, Gary? You know how Phione is the result of breeding a Ditto and a Manaphy?" he asked. "Yeah," Gary replied, "Why do you ask?" "Well," Tracey, "I know it might sound a little farfetched, but I have a theory that Mousea are the result of a Marill mating with a ditto! It may not have an Marill's tail, but both have a bouncy nature, have a similar appearance, and are blue mice of the water variety." "Actually, it doesn't sound too farfetched, Tracey. Maybe we should call

Brock, and ask him what he thinks," he suggested.

And as the two scientists conversed on their newfound theory, Pikachu stood up, hopped down from the table, and scurried over to the pond to be with his fellow Pokemon. After playing with them for a few minutes, Pikachu beckoned Marill and Mousea to follow him over to the nearby couple, and so the three of them bid Azumarill a friendly farewell.

Seeing the three Pokemon approach them, the couple gently picked each of them up, with Ash placing Pikachu on his shoulder, a long-standing customary perch for the striped yellow mouse, while Misty held Marill in her arms, and put Mousea on her shoulder.

Turning towards her husband, she said, "You know, I never really gave you credit for it, back when we were kids, but even today I always admire how you've never kept Pikachu in a Pokeball; the two of you really are the best of friends.

Turning towards his wife, Ash caught what appeared to be a wistful look in her eyes. "You miss Togetic, don't you?" "Yes," she admitted, "but that was a little different. I was more of a surrogate mother while she was still a baby Togepi. I enjoyed taking care of her, but when she finally grew up and, literally spread her wings, it just seemed time for her to leave like a baby bird/pidgey leaving the nest. You're right, though, I do miss her. I wish there was a way we could see each other again." "Don't give up too easily," encouraged Ash. "Pi-pika-chu!" Pikachu agreed in support. "I bet that if you wanted to, we could find a way to visit both her and those other Togepi in that safe-haven above the mirage kingdom. Queen Sarah would help us, you know that." Misty smiled. "Well, let's worry about that later. I think it's about time we head on over to Delia's house, before it gets too late," she said, as she looked toward the gradually-setting sun. "Yeah; you know how much of a fuss Mimey makes during our visits whenever the supper he made for the kids gets cold. I'll go get 'em," he said, walking over to the gate where all the Tauros were fenced in.

Closing the latch behind him, Ash was pleased that the Tauros greeting him were just some of the original 30 he'd gained from the Safari Zone, as opposed to many of the new Ditto-bred bulls who had the kind of "friendly" temperaments their predecessors would show in their prime. Instead of a huge stampede, Ash was greeted with gentle nudges, licks, and a relaxed chorus of mooing. "Hey everyone. Good to see you, too." Ash enjoyed caring for all his Pokemon. Back when he was still a boy, and even somewhat as a teenager, he didn't get as much time as he would have liked to spend interacting with all the Pokemon he didn't travel with; still, with the advent of being an adult, he could now share more of his time, along with that of his children's time with them, and in so doing, assure the contentment of his Pokemon, as well as his children's relationships with their own.

As he made his way past the older Tauros, Ash finally caught sight of his children riding two of the younger bulls. Smiling, Ash cupped his hands in an 'o' to enhance his voice, yelling, "Ashley! Micah! Time to go home!" Following suit, Pikachu also shouted, "Pika, piikaaachuuuu!"

Hearing their father call to them, they reluctantly, but co-operatively, steered each bull back toward the entrance, eventually slowing to a stop at a large group of water troughs for the Tauros to drink from.

As the children swung out of the stirrups and down to the ground, Ash approached, the ends of his bright red jacket flapping gently in the wind. It made Ash think about how honored he was that Ashley got to wear his first blue jacket and Hoenn cap, and Micah, his Pokemon Expo cap.

Taking his head out of the clouds, he saw that Ashley, having removed the riding gear from the Tauros' back, was gently scratching it under the chin, prompting the young bull to spin its three tails in approval. Micah, having temporarily tied his Tauros to a fence post, had filled up a bucket of cold water from a spigot on the outside of the fence, and had filled up a trough for the tired Pokemon. Taking a big gulp, the Tauros gave a small moo in content, and began to lick Micah on the cheek, prompting the boy to laugh in amusement. Giggling tearfully with his new playmate, he pleaded with it, "Okay, I like you too. That tickles! Cut it out!"

Micah then felt a hand take off his hat, only to realize it was the strong caring hand of the original owner of the hat, his good-natured father. "I think this Tauros really likes you, Micah." "Pika-Pikachu!" agreed Pikachu, smiling at his best friend's son.

"Thanks, daddy," Micah said. "I just wish I had a Pokeball to really bond with it." "Micah, if you think you think have a bond with this Tauros, I don't think you need a Pokeball to bond over it." Micah, curious at such a possibility, looked over at Pikachu for confirmation, since the only opinion possibly worth more than even a seasoned Pokemon trainer would actually be the opinion of a Pokemon. "Pika-pi," Pikachu smiled, nodding in agreement. Micah looked back to the little Tauros which had been quietly grazing quietly during the conversation to chew some cud, but after noticing the lull in conversation, it began nuzzling Micah's right shoulder, making him smile. "Still," Ash continued handing Micah back the hat, "When you're a little older, like your sister, we'll come back to Pallet and you can ask this Tauros for a battle to be it's trainer." "But how will I be able to tell him apart from the herd?" "You might not recognize him Micah. But something makes me certain that he'll recognize you." The young bull smiled and brayed lightly in agreement.

"Thanks dad," Micah said. "Well, good-bye Tauros. It was nice to meet you, and thank-you for the ride. I can't wait till we meet again." The young bull gave a slight nod of it's head in reply, before returning to the rest of the herd.

"Alright, kiddo," Ash said, as his son looked up at him. "I'm gonna go get you're sister. Go wait over by your mother, Professor Oak, and Tracey, and I'll be right back." With a cheerful smile on his face, Micah slowly walked back toward the gate.

As Ash approached his daughter, he turned towards Pikachu. "You know, Pikachu, I may be his dad, but I think that a lot of his love for Pokemon came from all the years you spent playing Micah when he was a toddler. Thank you." Flattered at Ash's statement, Pikachu smiled, giving a thumbs-up to his best friend. "Pika-pika."

Ashley sat cross-legged next to the Tauros she'd been riding, now laying down on its side in slight fatigue. She was gently stroking its furry head, to which the Tauros gently nuzzled its head against her forearm in thanks. As she kept petting it on the head, she heard the soft treading of sneakers on the dusty grass. "Well, I guess your little brother isn't the only one who made a new friend today, was he?" Ashley grinned as her father sat down next to her. "Sure did," she said as she looked up at him. Pikachu hopped off of Ash's shoulder and scampered over to Ashley's right side. "Pi-pika?" He held his paw out to Ashley, who high-five'd it in return. Giggling, Ashley looked up to see an orange sunset.

As she leaned into his shoulder, she listened to the steady rhythmic breathing of the Tauros, now fast asleep. "I really like Pallet, dad. I know you spent a lot of your early years on the road with mom, Dr. Brock, and the others, but I'm glad you grew up here. Grandma [Delia] always tells me that after each journey, you were always happy to be back." "Well, don't get me wrong, I'm glad your mother and I settled in the Akirema Region, but I'll admit that Grandma [Delia] is right: sometimes there's no place like home, even when you grow up." "Pikaaaah," Pikachu agreed. "Pikachu, don't forget, this is where you and I met," said Ash, reaching across to rub Pikachu's head. "Pika-pi!" said Pikachu, grinning.

"Well, enough reminiscing, we gotta go before both of our mothers kill me for keeping you out past dinner time." As they stood up, Ashley gave the Tauros one last pet and said, "Thanks, Tauros. Have a good nap." Lazily opening one eye, the Tauros gave Ashley what seemed like a wink, before flopping over to the other side. "Okay dad," she said, "Let's go."