Hello readers, I first want to thank those who took the time to leave a review. I legitimately can't believe how popular this has been so far. I hope you'll enjoy this and please leave any comments you have whether it be praise, criticism or ideas, I would love to hear from you.
I've been thinking that since Ash will have a lot of Pokémon it could be difficult for you guys to keep up with who he has so should I put a list of the Pokémon Ash had at the bottom of my story or on my profile?
Sorry for the long wait, I wasn't quite sure how I wanted to do this chapter but I'm happy with it now. I hope you will be too.
Also, should I do poll and if so what should it be on?
'– This will be Pokémon Speaking (People cannot understand it unless I say otherwise. Ash can get the gist of it due to his close bond with his Pokémon.
Italics – This will be telepathy
"– Is of course regular speech.
Let the chapter begin!
To say Ash's first cooking attempt was a disaster would be a massive understatement, he'd made a complete mess of the kitchen and set the apron he'd been wearing on fire. Ash had nigh on ripped the apron off and thrown on the floor, luckily Mimey had a fire extinguisher on hand and quickly put out the flames. Once the panic was over and the kitchen was cleaned Delia turned to her son and saw that Ash looked despondent which considering what had happened wasn't that surprising.
"Cheer up honey, I didn't expect you to become a master chef in a day, it takes hard work just like becoming a great trainer and I know that you'll pick cooking up soon. Now I guess I'll get dinner started."
"Can I help?" Ash asked hopefully.
"Sure, can you prepare the vegetables for me?"
Ash nodded, glad that he was being allowed to help. He'd honestly been expecting to be told to just set the table and stay as far away from the kitchen as possible considering what had happened during his first lesson. He picked up a knife and started chopping the veg, humming a tune he remembered his mum used to do to get him to sleep. A smile crept on Delia's face as she heard the familiar tune and quickly joined in with Ash. She cast a glance over at Ash and her smile brightened as she thought about the time they'd spent together today. Despite his rather poor first cooking attempt Delia had enjoyed spending the afternoon with Ash, since he'd become a trainer it had felt like he'd drifted away from her but today it felt just like it had before he left on his first adventure.
"Hey mum you okay?" Ash inquired pulling Delia out of her reverie.
"Yes, it's just I'm glad you're home."
"So am I."
The pair fell into a comfortable silence after that, the only sounds being the preparation of dinner and the occasional conversation. Once dinner was ready they sat down with Pikachu and Mimey to eat, tonight Pikachu was a bit more carfeul with the ketchup and didn't end up feeling sick.
It didn't take long for dinner to vanish as Ash once again scoffed the food down. Ash then helped his mother wash the dishes when they were done and after spending a couple of hours discussing what Delia had planned for the next few months Ash decided to get an early night. Ash struggled to get any rest, the excitement and anticipation for the start of his training making it hard for him to sleep however he eventually fell to sleep.
The next morning Ash woke up early and after scoffing his breakfast in no time at all he headed to Professor Oak's lab, he knew that there was a chance some of his Pokémon were still asleep but he wanted to start training as early as possible. When he got to the lab he knocked on the door and was greeted by Professor Oak who was once again holding the device he'd been working on yesterday.
"Good morning Ash, I wasn't expecting to see you so early."
"Yeah well I kind of want to get training as early as possible so I have plenty of time to train and get home to learn what I'll need to travel alone from mum."
"Ah so you've asked your mother for help in preparing you for your next adventure, I'm impressed."
A rush of pride surged through Ash at the Professor's words, he'd heard Professor Oak say how impressed he was with him before when he had come home from every adventure. This time was different though as he could tell that it had been even more heartfelt than usual. He then followed the Professor as he started walking through his lab.
"Thanks Professor, now I'm going to get started with my training."
"Wait Ash before you go I have good news, I spoke with the owners of the Kanto Safari Zone and they are willing to trade six of your Tauros and give you a Scyther in return. They'd offer more but they're only trading Pokémon that are not settled in the Safari Zone."
Ash couldn't stop the massive grin that appeared on his face, he had secretly been hoping for a Scyther for the Safari Zone but hadn't wanted to set himself up for disappointment. He had admired the power of Scyther ever since he'd fought against one in the Indigo League and seen its power on display. Watching Tracey's had only furthered his admiration and then the battle against Bugsy in Johto had cemented a desire for that Pokémon. The problem was he'd never visited an area where they lived, he internally cursed himself for not trying to trade his Tauros sooner.
"That's great, call them and get it done as soon as possible."
"Okay Ash, I'll come get you when the trade is done."
"Thanks Professor, could you also look around for anyone interested in a Tauros? I want to trade as many of them as possible and I think that the Safari Zone won't want many more."
"I'll send out the word, I'm sure I have a few contacts who'd be interested in a Tauros or two."
Ash thanked the Professor again for all his help, he then walked through his lab and into the corral. Once he was in the corral Ash looked around and wasn't surprised to see that most of his Pokémon were resting, in fact apart from Charizard who was training everyone appeared to still be sleeping.
Ash walked towards Charizard since he was the only one awake, while he walked towards the fire type he couldn't help but wonder why the dragon was back here. The last he knew Charizard was happy in the valley with Charla so seeing him here again was strange. He wasn't about to complain though, he had missed Charizard a lot and he felt a bit guilty that he hadn't at least called Liza to make Charizard was okay.
Once Charizard saw Ash coming his way he stopped training and approached his trainer, as soon as he was close enough Ash hugged Charizard tightly. The action startled the dragon who wasn't used to physical contact like this but he quickly got over his shock and returned Ash's embrace.
"I'm glad you're back Charizard."
The dragon rumbled in response and since everyone else was asleep he rubbed his head affectionately against Ash's face. This time it was Ash's turn to be surprised, he hadn't really acted this way since he was a Charmander mostly due to his pride. Ash tightened his hold on Charizard briefly and then the pair broke apart, there was a silent agreement between the two saying not to mention this to anyone. Charizard had a reputation to uphold after all.
"So, I guess I'm a bit early aren't I? How much longer are they usually asleep?"
A quick glance up at the sun's position gave Charizard the answer he needed and he raised a single claw up to Ash.
"An hour, I don't think I can sit and wait that long. Can you go and wake everyone up for me?"
The dragon nodded and then smirked at Ash, a sense of dread filled Ash as he could tell what Charizard was about to do and before he could do anything Charizard roared louder than Ash had ever heard before. This unsurprisingly woke up every Pokémon in the corral not just the ones belonging to him. Ash looked away sheepishly as many of the Pokémon glared at him and Charizard who didn't look sorry at all for his actions.
"That wasn't quite what I had in mind." Ash muttered
Charizard merely shrugged in response and formed up with the rest of Ash's Pokémon who had quickly surrounded him, many grumbling probably about being woken up so early however they were all fully focussed on their trainer Especially Bayleef who to everyone's shock didn't jump on Ash and instead settled for simply nuzzling him. Ash didn't mind the affection and was glad that the grass type had chosen not to Body Slam him again as he seriously doubted if he could keep getting Body Slammed by her every day.
"Okay guys I want to apologise for the way you were woken up, that wasn't quite how I was hoping Charizard would do that but you need to know that I intend for us to begin our training early in the day. We'll be training until lunch and then I'll head home to learn what I need from mum, sometimes I'll come back in the evenings for a little more training but in general after lunch you're free to do whatever you want for the rest of the days."
It was a relief for Ash to see all his Pokémon seemingly agreeing with the idea, although he did notice that a few had paled at the prospect of waking up early. He knew that it probably wasn't the most ideal schedule but to begin with he had to put as much time as he could into learning skills from his mother. It would be no good having a strong team if he couldn't travel to Unova alone.
"So, for our first session I want everyone who can't fly to do ten laps around the corral and before you complain I know that running laps sounds boring but I really I want to improve your stamina and it'll be a good warmup."
Even though several of the Pokémon groaned they all quickly started their first training exercise. Ash was glad to see that not only were they all participating but they were also sticking together which didn't surprise him as by now they had become one big family. There was one Pokémon who hadn't started the exercise though as he was still sat on Ash's shoulder. A quick glance at the mouse was all it took for Pikachu to jump off Ash's shoulder and chase after the rest of his teammates. Ash turned his attention from the runners to his flying types who were all looking at their friend wondering what he had in store for them.
"Alright I want you guys to…."
Ash stopped when he saw something flying towards them erratically, he then had to quickly dodge out of the way as a Pidgeot crashed into the ground where he'd been standing. It only took a single glance to know that this was the Pidgeot he had left with the flock. The flying type was quickly pulled out of the mini crater she had made with her crash landing by Charizard who placed her gently on the ground.
"Pidgeot? What the hell happened to you?! Did Fearow come back and do this?"
A small nod was all Ash got before Pidgeot passed out, Ash looked at one of his most loyal Pokémon and felt his anger building. He'd not been this angry for a long time and now only wanted Fearow to pay for what he had done to Pidgeot.
"That does it, I am sick of that damn Fearow. We are going to put an end to his reign of terror. Heracross take Pidgeot to Professor Oak and then tell everyone else what happened."
Heracross nodded, he then picked up Pidgeot and flew towards Professor Oak's lab. Ash then jumped on Charizard's back who launched himself into the air followed closely by Noctowl, Swellow, Staraptor and Gliscor all of whom looked furious. The group headed straight towards where Pidgeot and the flock lived, intent on making Fearow suffer for harming a member of their family.
It only took a couple of minutes for the group to reach what had become a warzone, the ground was covered in unconscious Pidgey, Pidgeotto and Spearow while countless more fought in the sky. While the remaining Pidgey and Pidgeotto fought bravely it was obvious that they were outnumbered and on the verge of being overwhelmed.
"Swellow, Noctowl and Staraptor I need you to lead the Pidgey and Pidgeotto against the Spearow while Charizard, Gliscor and me deal with Fearow."
The trio of birds nodded and immediately flew towards the beleaguered Pidgey and Pidgeotto, deciding to attack the aggressive Spearow from behind. The flank attack confused the Spearow who were fighting a war on two fronts now, several broke off from the attack on their original targets and focussed their efforts on Swellow, Noctowl and Staraptor. This evened the fight for the Pidgey and Pidgeotto who gradually pushed the Spearow flock back.
From a distance Fearow watched on with a look of disdain, after ambushing that Pidgeot he was certain that they would crush the flock and take over their territory. However due to interference from that wretched boy and his Pokémon his plans had been ruined again. With the battle clearly lost he started his tactical retreat but was quickly stopped by the boy and his Charizard appearing in front of him. A red mist came over Fearow and he instantly forgot about his plans to retreat and aimed a Drill Peck at the boy which was easily dodged by the Charizard's quick movement.
Ash knew that this fight was down to Charizard, there was no way he'd be able to call out commands quick enough in what was quickly becoming a battle of life or death. He watched as Fearow once again charged at them and held onto Charizard tightly expecting him to dodge again but the dragon didn't move. When Fearow was less than a metre away Charizard made his move, and grabbed Fearow by his beak and held tightly stopping him from continuing his attack, the flying type glared and flailed in the dragon's grip but couldn't escape.
"Now Gliscor use Giga Impact!" Ash yelled.
Fearow had been so focussed on fighting Ash and Charizard that he hadn't noticed Gliscor fly above him waiting for his moment to strike. The trapped flying type look up and saw Gliscor shooting towards him covered in a purple aura and yellow-orange streaks. Moments before Gliscor would hit Fearow the hold on his beak was released but before he could relish his freedom Gliscor slammed down on his back and drove him straight to the ground leaving the battered flying type in a small crater. Fearow let out an enraged cry and tried to retaliate but despite his best efforts he couldn't get back up. Charizard landed next to the crumple form of Fearow just in case he tried to escape, Ash then leapt off the dragons back and looked at the flying type who was glaring at him with the most hateful look he had ever seen.
"I'm guessing you don't like me very much, well guess what pal the feelings mutual. You're a complete menace to anyone and trust me if I had any other choice you would be nowhere near any of my family but I have no choice."
Ash quickly typed a message to Professor Oak telling him that he was about to capture a Fearow and to not let it out until he got there. It was blantantly obvious that Fearow was dangerous and would likely hurt the old man. Ash then threw a Pokéball at Fearow who had started to recover from the Giga Impact and was in the process of pushing himself up. The ball thudded against Fearow's body and in a flash of red light sucked him inside, everyone watched with baited breath as the Pokéball wobbled until finally a ding indicated that Fearow had been captured. The ball then vanished into thin air as it was transported back to Professor Oak's Lab.
Ash looked around at what had become a warzone and saw that several of the Spearow had either fled or were in the process of helping the injured ones. It was clear that without their leader they were in disarray but Ash couldn't bring himself to care about them right now. The Pidgey and Pidgeotto were his priority since they were the innocent party here and after doing everything they could to help the Pidgey and Pidgeotto that had been injured Ash and his Pokémon made their way back to Professor Oak's Lab to check on Pidgeot.
Authors Notes
Well there's chapter 3, I hope you enjoyed it. Please tell me what you liked/disliked and how I can improve future chapters.
Thank you all for reading and I hope you continue to stick with this story.
