By the time the small group stopped for lunch, the sun was already at its highest point in the sky. Opal lay in the grass with her arms behind her head, looking up at the giant mass of blue overhead. Shinx lay on his back next to her, paws suspended in midair, looking up as well.
"So is this your first time in the Sinnoh Region?" Opal asked as she saw Ash approaching.
"Yeah, actually." He replied, placing two bowls of Pokémon food on the ground. "I came here to challenge the Sinnoh League."
Pikachu, having followed his master over, plopped himself down next to one of the bowls and started eating happily. Shinx rolled over and walked over to the other bowl, sniffing it curiously. Pikachu ceased his nibbling and looked up at him.
"Pika Pikachu."
"Shinx?" Shinx looked at Pikachu then looked back at his food, sniffing it once more. Deciding it was worth a try, he picked up one of the pieces in his teeth and chewed it slowly.
"SHIIIINX!" he cried in delight, digging further into the bowl.
"The Sinnoh League, huh?" Opal contemplated. She looked over at Shinx, seeing he was once again eating too fast. "SHINX!"
Shinx looked up at her with a full mouth.
"Small bites. Slow eating." She said firmly.
Shinx nodded, gulping down his mouthful of food and resumed eating, more politely this time. Opal looked back at Ash.
"So that sounds pretty awesome. You think you'll beat them?"
"You bet!" Ash replied excitedly, "I'm aiming to become the World's Greatest Pokémon Master! And with Pikachu by my side, it should be a snap!"
"Pi-Pikachu!" Pikachu chimed in.
"Wow." said Opal, impressed, "I like your attitude." She smiled. "It's real upbeat. It makes ME feel more hopeful about MY dream." Shinx looked up from his bowl.
"Shinx shinx SHINX!"
"What IS your dream?" Ash asked curiously.
"Oh." Opal said, suddenly unsure of herself. "Well, umm..."
Before she could utter another word, Brock suddenly popped up between the two of them.
"Lunch is ready, my dear!"
Ash yelped and stumbled backward in surprise, nearly falling over. Opal looked up at Brock, who was holding out a hand to her.
"Allow me to escort you to your seat." He said smoothly.
Opal blinked, looking at him then at his hand. Blushing, she almost took his hand, but refrained and pushed herself up off the ground.
"Oh uh, thank you, but uh, I can do it myself." She said, brushing herself off. She hurriedly walked past him and over to the table that Brock had set up earlier. Brock shrugged off the rejection and immediately followed after her.
Opal sat down in the closest seat and looked down, seeing a plate already set out in front of her. Brock appeared at her side.
"Is there anything else I can get you?" he asked innocently. Ash sat down on the other side of the table, eyeing Brock as he did so. Opal looked up.
"Uh, no thank you. I'm fine." She replied, quickly turning her gaze back to her food.
"Are you sure?" Brock asked. "Nothing's too good for you, my precious gemstone."
Ash dropped his head into his hands and groaned. Opal, now unimpressed, placed a finger on Brock's chest and pushed him away.
"Yes." She said curtly. "I'm sure."
"If you say so." Said Brock obliviously, sitting down in his own seat.
Ash dropped his arms down to the table and eyed Brock with a rather annoyed expression. Opal watched Brock out of the corner of her eye. Only when he was safely seated did she look back down at her food. She let out a sigh and bowed her head, folding her hands together. She was about to start her prayer when she looked up at Ash and Brock, who were watching her curiously.
"Um...you guys don't mind if I pray, do you?" She asked.
"Uh...No. Not at all." Brock answered.
"Okay, thanks." She said, smiling. She bowed her head again and muttered the same prayer from the previous morning. "Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen."
When she finished, she looked up and began eating. She didn't notice that Ash and Brock had watched her throughout her entire prayer as they had looked down at their own food awkwardly and begun to eat as well.
* * *
Later that day, the sun was low in the sky and had plunged everything into shadows or a bright orange light. The trio had continued on their way since lunch time and had stopped to set up camp. Shinx had just finished digging a fire pit in the ground with a bit of Opal's help.
"Very nice job, Shinx." Said Opal.
"Shinx shinx!" Shinx replied. Opal stood up and turned to Ash and Brock.
"We're gonna go look for some firewood, okay?"
"You don't have to do that! Ash can do it! " Brock insisted. Ash and Pikachu looked at him like he had just about lost his mind.
"Nah, it's no trouble." Opal replied, "Not to brag or anything, but Shinx and I are great firewood finders." She added with a wink.
"Well it's a good thing we have you around then." Brock said with a chuckle. Opal smiled proudly and turned to the forest.
"We'll be right back." She called as she and her furry companion ran off into the woods.
"Shinx!"
"Hurry back!" Brock called after her.
Ash watched the two disappear into the trees then turned to Brock. Brock looked back at him, noticing his look of exasperation.
"What?" He asked.
"Pikachu." Pikachu muttered with drooped ears. Brock was hopeless.
* * *
Opal walked through the forest on her own, having sent Shinx in a different direction. Her arms were laden with dead branches and twigs. She bent down to pick up another stick when something caught her eye—a brown furry swirl sticking out from one of the bushes.
"Huh?" She muttered to herself. Abandoning the stick entirely, she walked over to investigate further, pulling the branches of the bush away to get a better look.
Lying unconscious in the bush was a small cream-colored cat. It was flat on its back with its limbs sprawled out in four directions. Opal dropped her load and scooped up the poor helpless creature. She hurriedly but carefully checked the feline over.
"It's alive!" She exclaimed. Without giving it another thought, she bolted back to the campsite.
She burst into the clearing just a few minutes later.
"GUYS!" She shouted, catching the attention of her new friends. "Do you guys have any medicine or something?" She said when she reached them. "I found this poor little guy out cold."
Brock took the creature from her and examined it.
"Hold on, I have some Potions in my bag." He said, hurrying off to his backpack. He rummaged through it and pulled out a small spray bottle. He looked down at the creature in his arms and sprayed a bit of the Potion on its wounds. "That should do it." He said with a satisfied smile.
"Where did you find it?" Ash asked Opal. Pikachu kept his eyes glued on Brock and the meowth. He crept closer and sniffed the air.
"Piiika..." He muttered suspiciously.
"It was just lying on the ground behind a bush." Opal answered, "I almost thought it was dead when I spotted it."
"Hey guys, it's waking up!" Brock called to them.
Opal looked at him and hurried over, Ash right behind her.
The cream-colored cat slowly opened its eyes, looking up at Brock. Its eyes shot open and it let out a scream, startling everyone. It jumped out of Brock's arms and landing on its hind legs.
"WHAT ARE YOU TWOIPS DOIN HERE!?" It shouted. "WHERE ARE MY PALS JESSIE AND JAMES!?" It looked around frantically for its two friends.
"WHOA!" Opal exclaimed. "It TALKS!" Meowth whipped his gaze to her.
"AND WHO ARE YOU!?" He cried. Opal stepped toward him, crouching down.
"My name's Opal!" She said excitedly. "What's yours, little guy?"
Now she had done it.
"I AIN'T NO LITTLE GUY!" Meowth exploded. "MY NAME IS MEOWTH!" He looked back at the others. "How did I get here anyway!?"
"Sorry." Opal said sincerely, though her giggling didn't help. "I found you unconscious in the forest, so I brought you here to get you some help." She explained, pointing at Brock. "He's the one who healed you."
Meowth looked at Brock, who didn't seem to be too proud of this fact. He looked at the other two. Ash looked annoyed and angry. Pikachu just looked downright angry.
"You were in pretty bad shape before." Opal continued, oblivious to her companion's reactions. "I'm so glad you're feeling better now." Meowth looked back at her, horribly confused.
"Meowth, was it?" Opal went on. "I've never seen a Pokémon like you around here before. What were you doing in the forest that caused you to get hurt?"
"Uhh..." Meowth stuttered. "Last ting I remember, I wasn't IN da forest."
"Huh?" Opal replied. "Well what DO you remember?" Meowth turned to Pikachu and glared at him.
"Bein blasted into da sky by dis rat's Tunderbolt."
"PIKAAAA..." Said Pikachu angrily, cheeks sparking.
"HUH!?" Opal cried, looking at Pikachu then up at Ash and Brock.
"Opal. This Meowth is a member of Team Rocket." Ash explained.
"Team Rocket?" Opal repeated, looking back at Meowth. "You mean that Pokémon-stealing organization?"
"That's the one." Brock answered, crossing his arms.
"This little cutie is a part of Team Rocket?" Opal asked, still staring at Meowth.
"You tink I'm cute?" Meowth asked.
Ash and Brock looked at Opal like she had just sprouted a second head.
"PikAAAA!?" Pikachu cried.
"Are you kidding? I ADORE cat-Pokémon!" Opal said with a smile.
Meowth stared at her. He couldn't believe it. She just gave him a compliment. He felt tears well up in his eyes and his furry lips trembled.
"No one's ever said dat about me before..."
"Really?" Opal asked. "I'm surprised. You're really cute-looking for a Pokémon. Everything about you just SCREAMS cute!"
Meowth's lips trembled even more and the tears started to spill over.
"What's wrong?" Opal asked.
"NO ONE'S EVER BEEN SO NICE TO ME BEFORE!" Meowth shouted, bawling uncontrollably.
Ash and Brock looked at him, caught off-guard by his sudden display of emotion. Pikachu on the other hand, thought Meowth was being a big baby and didn't bother to hide this fact from anyone.
"Awww..." Opal cooed. "Come here, it's okay." She gently picked him up and cradled him in his arms, not helping Pikachu's perception of the matter one bit. "I think you're wonderful, Meowth."
"Opal, you're not seriously falling for this act, are you?" Ash blurted out. Opal looked up at him, startled.
"So what if he works for Team Rocket? He's still a Pokémon. It's not like he's EVIL." She insisted, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Actually, he IS." Ash replied. "He doesn't even BELONG to anyone! So it's not like he's being ordered around by a trainer!"
"What?" Said Opal, trying to wrap her head around what he just said.
"The two people he travels around with aren't his trainers. It was his own choice to join them."
"Is that true?" Opal asked, looking down at Meowth, who had been watching them nervously.
"Uhhh..." Said Meowth, seating nervously. "...No!" he insisted, trying to keep his cool. "Of course not!"
Ash looked at him in disbelief and frowned. Pikachu's jaw dropped, quickly resorting back to anger. Brock however, just sighed.
"I see sweat." said Opal.
"Huh?" Meowth asked nervously.
"Are you lying to me?"
"No." Meowth said, trying to be convincing. "It's just warm, that's all." Ash and Brock exchanged glances.
"Whatever." Opal sighed, deciding to drop it. She stood up. "Whether you're lying or not, I'm going to take care of you until we find your friends again."
"We don't have to find them. They'll find us." Ash grumbled, rolling his eyes. Opal glanced at him then turned her attention back to Meowth.
"Now don't think I'll be taking my eyes off of you, little dude." She said smugly. "I'm going to be watching your every move for a while, juuust in case you're not telling me the truth."
Meowth tried to smile.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to give you Chinese torture or anything like that." She said teasingly "I'll just be caring for you like you were my own Pokémon. Okay?"
"Okay..." said Meowth. He wasn't expecting that.
Shinx suddenly came zooming into the clearing, making a beeline for the fire pit. He dropped the sticks he had been carrying in his mouth and promptly stuck his tongue out and shook his head in disgust. Opal looked over at him.
"Great job, Shinx!" she called out to him.
"Shinx." Shinx replied.
"I know." Opal said with a smirk. "Wood tastes terrible, huh?"
"Shinx." he agreed, nodding. He then caught sight of Meowth.
"Shinx, this is Meowth." Opal explained. "He's going to be staying with us for a while until we get him back home."
"Shinx shinx!" Shinx replied with a smile.
"But I need your help keeping an eye on him, especially at night, since I'll be sleeping and you usually like to stay awake at night."
"Shiiiinx?"
Meowth looked nervously back and forth between the two of them. Opal looked down at him.
"Meowth, that's my Pokémon, Shinx."
"Yeah, I got that." Meowth replied.
Shinx's eyes widened.
"SHINX SHINX!" he cried out in shock. Opal looked at him, startled.
"Uh, yeah, he talks." she said sheepishly.
Shinx's shock quickly turned to joy.
"SHIIIIINX!" he exclaimed. Meowth smirked smugly.
"It is pretty cool, huh?" Opal replied, looking down at Meowth and grinning.
Meowth looked up at her and smiled proudly.
"Anyway," said Opal. "we should get dinner going. I'm starving!" She started walking over to the fire pit.
"Shinx shinx shinx!" agreed the little lion cub, darting around in circles excitedly.
"Way ahead of you." said Brock, already digging supplies out of his bag.