Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon and am in no way affiliated with Nintendo or Gamefreak, or other companies that write or produce pokemon. Now that that legal stuff is out of the way, on to the story!
Pokemon Legends: Kanto Saga
Chapter Four
Clefairy Rescue
"I...can't...take...another...step..." Rina said quietly while gasping for breath. She was lying on the ground outside Mount Moon, pinned underneath her own backpack with Bulbasaur, Ashley, and Pippi looking down at her.
"-Rina! You...you're not going to die, r-right?-" Pippi asked her tearfully.
"Wha! Of course not!" Rina bolted upright for a moment, but then collapsed under the weight of her backpack. Pippi let out a frightened cry and started pulling on Rina's arm to get her up.
"I told you you were carrying too much..." Ashley sighed. "We still have to get through Mount Moon, so how about we switch?"
"-Of course, now that she's hindering you, you'll carry her stuff.-" Bulbasaur remarked, rolling his eyes. "-Typical...-"
"I...I guess that would be ok..." Rina mumbled into the dirt. Ashley placed her travel bag on the ground and kneeled down next to Rina to help her remove her backpack. Rina got up and stretched once the weight was removed from her back. Ashley lifted the backpack experimentally.
"This thing weighs a ton! Rina, what did you pack exactly?" Ashley asked before opening it and taking a peek for herself. The items immediately visible to Ashley inside the backpack included a cooking pot and a sleeping bag. "Umm...whats the pot for?"
"Cooking of course!" Rina replied, smiling widely. "We need to eat afterall, right?"
"Err...right...but we could have survived without cooked food I think..." After Rina gathered herself up, the group continued on into Mount Moon.
The inside of Mount Moon, for the most part, didn't seem to be anything special. It was a rather ordinary cave in appearance, but rare evolution stones known as Moonstones were found within. Along with the Moonstones were a species of pokemon called Clefairy, which seemed somewhat mystical in nature and only found in Mount Moon.
The inside of the mountain was luminated well enough by a series of lights that the group could see where they were going. The path was commonly used by trainers and was lighted because of that, but blue lightning was used to avoid disturbing the pokemon living there. The result was that there was enough light for people to see, but it still looked dark.
"I hope we run into a Clefairy, I want to get a picture of one!" Ashley exclaimed while looking around through her camera.
"I think Clefairy are pretty rare though aren't they?" Rina commented thoughtfully.
"Well I won't leave until I get a picture of one!" Ashley declared, letting go of her camera and raising her fist to punctuate her statement. Her camera was strapped around her neck as usual.
"-With that attitude, you'll probably scare them off...-" Bulbasaur commented dryly, rolling his eyes.
"-Bulbasaur, why are you always so mean to your trainer?-" Pippi asked him with a child-like curiosity.
"-I don't really like her much.-" Bulbasaur replied, raising one of its front legs in a sort of a shrug. "-She doesn't really have her priorities straight if you ask me...-"
"Let me guess, I'm better off not knowing?" Ashley asked Rina, noticing Bulbasaur and Pippi talking.
"Its not important!" Rina replied, smiling nervously. Though Rina was capable of translating for Ashley, she often choose not to. She knew the two would just get into a fight.
"-HELP!-" Everyone looked ahead down the darkened path as they heard a pokemon crying out in a distressed voice, which all but Ashley immediately recognized as a cry for help.
"Someone's in trouble!" Rina called out before taking off in the direction of the voice. Ashley, Bulbasaur, and Pippi followed behind her. They came around a bend in the cave and stumbled upon an older man and women standing with their backs to them. In front of the two was a cage full of Clefairy. There was also an evolved Charmeleon next to the man and a Wartortle next to the woman. Both pokemon had slave collars around their necks.
"We're done here. Thats all the Clefairy we need." The man informed his partner.
"Yes, and the gas seems to have worked as well. They won't give us any trouble during transport." The woman agreed.
"HEY! Just what do you think you're doing with those Clefair!" Rina demanded. The two older trainers snickered to themselves and grinned.
"Like an exploding wildfire...I strike..." "Like an unstoppable tide...I crush..." The two of them turned around dramatically to face Rina and Ashley.
"You now face the invincible duo of the Grand Hunters...Yang and Yin!" The two trainers declared as they pointed at Rina and Ashley.
Both trainers looked to be in their early twenties, and both had jet black hair. They wore matching outfits that looked like white jumpsuits with a black belt tied around their waist and black bands around their wrists and ankles. Yang was the male of the two, and Yin the female. Both had the Grand Hunters emblem on their left shoulders.
"Wait...you're the Grand Hunters?" Rina asked in disbelief.
"No way! They're too lame to be serious criminals..." Ashley said to her. "Lets just kick their butts and free those Clefairy!"
"How dare you mock us! Charmeleon, attack! Ember!" The collared Charmeleon quickly jumped out in front of Yang and opened its mouth to attack, but a pair of vines wrapped around its snout and held it shut. A puff of smoke erupted from the side of Charmeleon's mouth as the attack fizzled.
"Wartortle, Tackle attack!" Wartortle joined Charmeleon in the battle and tackled into Bulbasaur while it was still holding Charmeleon's mouth. Bulbasaur lost its gripped and was knocked back, rolling to Ashley's feet.
"-Hey, lady! I'm a bit outnumbered and outgunned here!-" Bulbasaur growled, looking up at Ashley. "-How about a little help?!-" Ashley looked to Rina for an explanation.
"Ashley, send out another pokemon!" Ashley nodded and took a pokeball from her belt.
"Pidgey, go! Help Bulbasaur!" Pidgey emerged from its pokeball and flew straight into the fray, putting itself between Bulbasaur and Wartortle. "Pidgey, hold them back with Gust! Bulbasaur, Sleep Powder!"
Pidgey stopped in midair and began flapping its wings, sending out strong gusts of wind at Charmeleon and Wartortle. Neither of the evolved pokemon seemed to be particularly affected by it. Bulbasaur followed up, sending a blast of powder from the bulb on its back into the gusts. The wind ended up blowing most of the Sleep Powder past its intended targets and the two pokemon remained awake because of it.
"Charmeleon, attack Bulbasaur with Ember!"
"Wartortle, use Water Gun on Pidgey!"
Charmeleon and Wartortle quickly retaliated with ranged attacks, Charmeleon aiming a fireball at Bulbasaur while Wartortle fired a short burst of water at Pidgey. Both attacks were almost completely unaffected by Pidgey's Gust and struck their targets without error, albeit slightly weakened. Pidgey and Bulbasaur grunted in pain as the attacks hit them, forcing Pidgey to stop its attack.
"-Rina! Let me help too!-" Pippi jumped out in front of Rina, ready to fight. Rina quickly picked her up and held her tightly.
"Pippi, I don't think you can..." Rina replied, shaking her head. "Their pokemon are tough, and you're still just a baby pokemon...we should just let Ashley handle this." Pippi frowned disappointedly and kicked at the ground.
"Yang, you see that?" Ying whispered to her partner, pointing at Rina. "Seems like this girl can understand pokemon..."
"Yes, I see it too Ying." Yang replied not so quietly. "I bet she would fetch a good price. Cute too..."
"HEY! You can't talk about Rina that way!" Ashley snapped angrily. "You people are sick! Bulbasaur, Leech Seed! Pidgey, Air Cutter! Concentrate your attacks on Charmeleon!" Bulbasaur positioned itself to fire a seed at Charmeleon on Ashley's command
"Wartortle, block Leech Seed with Water Gun!" Wartortle fired a short blast of water into the oncoming Leech Seed. The sudden blast of water knocked the seed away, protecting Charmeleon from the attack.
"Charmeleon, counter attack with Ember!" Charmeleon opened its mouth and shot out a small fireball. The fireball connected with Pidgey's Air Cutter and the flames scattered on impact, dispersing into the air. Charmeleon's attack was still successful in stopping Pidgey's, however, as the Air Cutter also dispersed from the impact.
"Now, take them both out! Bite attack!" Yang called out to both pokemon. Charmeleon and Wartortle charged towards Pidgey and Bulbasaur respectively. Pidgey let out a shriek of terror as Charmeleon's jaws clamped down around it and tackled it to the ground. Bulbasaur tried to hold Wartortle back with its vines, but Wartortle won out in the end and pushed past the vines to bite Bulbasaur on the back of its neck.
"Not good! I need to shake them off somehow!" Ashley thought desparately. "Bulbasaur, use Bullet Seed on Charmeleon!" Bulbasaur looked over at Charmeleon, barely able to pivot its head to get a good shot. Bulbasaur let loose with several seeds, hitting Charmeleon in the head and forcing it to let go of Pidgey. Pidgey looked like it was in pretty bad shape by then, just barely able to get back on its feet.
"Pidgey, now! Get Wartortle with a Quick Attack!" Pidgey flapped its wings slowly and started moving towards Wartortle. It took it a moment to get up enough strength to launch its attack. When it finally did, Pidgey shot forward and struck Wartortle in the side of the head in a flash of movement. Wartortle let go of Bulbasaur in shock and staggered off to the side. Bulbasaur looked to be as weak as Pidgey when Wartortle was finally knocked off.
"-Guess that makes us even then...-" Bulbasaur commented to Pidgey weakly.
"-Its not over yet...-" Pidgey replied, motioning with its wing towards Charmeleon. Charmeleon and Wartortle recovered quickly from the pokemon's attacks and were already waiting for their next orders.
"Wartortle, weaken them with another Water Gun attack!" Wartortle opened its mouth and fired off a short blast of water, managing to hit both Bulbasaur and Pidgey with one attack due to their proximity. Bulbasaur took the brunt of the attack, but was able to shake it off. Pidgey was able to shake off what little had reached it as well.
"Lets finish them off now! Charmeleon, use Metal Claw!" Charmeleon raised its hand back and its claws took on a metallic appearance. Charmeleon then jumped towards Pidgey and Bulbasaur, striking them from above and sending them rolling to opposite sides. Charmeleon's attack was more than the two pokemon could take. They were both knocked out by the Metal Claw attack, but Ashley wasn't going to get the chance to recall them.
"Charmeleon, don't let that girl send out anymore pokemon." Yang commanded. Charmeleon raised its claws towards Ashley, threatening to strike if she went for a pokeball. Ashley froze in fear.
"What do I do now?!" Ashley thought in a panic. "It can't end like this, can it?!"
"-Thats it!-" Pippi let out a quick jolt, startling Rina into dropping her onto the ground. "-I have to protect my new friends!-" Pippi's cheeks sparked again, preparing herself for her first battle.
"Heh, how cute." Ying commented, snickering to herself. "The runt wants to fight now. This shouldn't take long. Wartortle, take it down with Water Gun!"
Wartortle manuevered around Charmeleon so it could get in a shot against Pippi. Pippi was getting ready to attack as well and distanced herself from Rina while building up electricity for her attack.
"-YAAAAAAAAAA!!-" Pippi cried out in a rage and charged towards Wartortle with electricity crackling around its body. Wartortle finally opened its mouth to attack as well, but it was too slow. Pippi plowed into Wartortle and sent out a blast of electricity upon impact. Both pokemon recoiled from the attack and were knocked to the ground, but only Pippi got back up again.
"What the?! That was a Volt Tackle!" Ying cried out in shock.
"Damn it! Charmeleon, forget the girl and take care of that pesky Pichu! Metal Claw!" Charmeleon turned away from Ashley and quickly charged Pippi. Before she could even react, Charmeleon sideswiped her with its metallic claws. Pippi cried out as she hit the rocky wall of the cave. She slowly tried to get back to her feet, already in pretty bad shape.
"Pippi! No!" Rina cried out and ran to her pokemon, but Ashley put out a hand to stop her. Rina looked up at her with a mixed expression of confusion and anger until Ashley showed her the pokeball in her hand.
"Charmeleon, finish it off! Ember!" Charmeleon opened its mouth and was about to fire its attack, but suddenly it was struck by an impossibly fast technique. Ashley's Beedrill flew by it in the blink of an eye, using an Aerial Ace technique to slash Charmeleon with one of its claws. In the commotion Pippi caused, Ashley was able to get Beedrill's pokeball and quietly released it and ordered it to attack. Charmeleon recoiled from Beedrill's attack, but was still standing and looked pretty angry now.
"...Retreat for now." Yang grumbled, realizing their odds were starting to look dim. He could see Ashley still had one pokeball on her belt in addition to the Beedrill and Pichu. Ying looked at her partner and hesitated for a moment, but nodded her agreement. They each dropped a small ball onto the floor that exploded to fill the area with smoke, and when the smoke cleared the two Grand Hunters and their enslaved pokemon were gone.
"Pippi! Are you ok?!" Rina asked in a concerned tone, quickly scooping the Pichu into her arms and craddling her gently.
"-I'm...fine...-" Pippi muttered in response, smiling up at Rina. "-I can fight...its what pokemon do...-"
"Pippi..." Rina held Pippi tightly, fighting back tears.
"That Volt Tackle is a pretty powerful technique you know..." Ashley commented after recalling her pokemon. "One of the strongest electric attacks, but learned only by Pichu. Of course, Pichu's evolved forms can use it too if they learned it as a Pichu..."
"I know...I didn't know Pippi knew that technique though..." Rina replied. She smiled softly to herself. "I guess I need to learn these things huh? Just incase..." Pippi looked up at Rina and nodded in agreement.
"-HEY! Let us out!-" One of the Clefairy cried out from within the cage. "-Its cramped in here!-"
"I guess we should let those Clefairy out now that those hunters are gone..." Ashley commented. She and Rina then set to opening the cage to free the Clefairy, which didn't take long as the cage had a simple latch holding it shut instead of a lock. Once the door was open, the Clefairy piled in front of Rina and Ashley and allowed for Ashley to take a picture before they ran off into the cave.
"Well that settles that..." Ashley said as the Clefairy ran off. A few of the Clefairy stopped though and began whispering to each other. Ashley looked to Rina, expecting an explanation.
"I can't hear them." Rina said quickly. All but one of the Clefairy whispering to each other soon took off as well, with the only remaining Clefairy bounding back to the two trainers.
"-Thank you for rescuing us!-" The male Clefairy bowed his head in thanks then turned to face Rina.. "-I overheard that you could understand us and, as thanks for your help, I would like to accompany you!-"
"Well it wouldn't have been right if we ignored your cries for help." Rina replied, smiling slightly. She then informed Ashley of the Clefairy's request.
"So why don't you catch it then?" Ashley suggested. Rina looked surprised and was about to protest, but Ashley cut her off. "I already have four pokemon, but you only have Pippi. It was Pippi that really saved the Clefairy anyway, so its only fair..."
"If you say so...Bulbasaur won't be too happy about this though..." Rina held Pippi against her with one hand and reached back to take a pokeball out of her backpack. She was confused for a moment when she didn't find one. Remembering she switched backups with Ashley she blushed in her embarassment. Ashley turned around so Rina could get at her own backpack. Rina took a pokeball from a small pocket on the side then turned to Clefairy. She hesitated and looked down at him thoughtfully.
"Well I can't just catch you without giving you a name though. How about...Clefs?"
"-What now?-" The Clefairy blinked in surprise and quickly shook his head. "-No way! That just sounds odd...-"
"Then what about...Clyde?" Rina suggested next. The Clefairy thought about it for a moment then nodded. "Ok then, Clyde it is! Welcome to the team, Clyde!" Rina pressed the button on the front of the pokeball and tossed it down to Clyde. The pokeball opened up and fired out a red beam that dragged the Clefairy into the pokeball. The pokeball closed and locked tight without any fight from the pokemon.
Rina picked up the pokeball once Clyde the Clefairy was inside and held it up for Pippi to see. "Look, Pippi! We made a new friend!" Pippi smiled weakly, still recovering from the previous battle. Rina realized this and frowned, but then remembered the items she packed.
Rina reached into her backpack again while Ashley watched curiously. She took out a small purple and gray spray bottle from her backpack and sprayed Pippi with it. Pippi closed her eyes and winced, at first feeling a stinging sensation. She opened her eyes again in disbelief as she felt her strength quickly returning.
"Feeling better now Pippi?" Rina asked her. Pippi stretched her arms and wiggled her tail to see for herself then nodded in response.
"-I feel a lot better! Thanks Rina!-" Pippi hopped down to the ground from Rina's arms. She still felt like she could use a rest, but she was definitely feeling better overall.
"I guess with all this stuff you have in here I shouldn't be surprised you brought potions..." Ashley commented idly.
"Of course! Always have to be prepared!" Rina replied. "Now! Lets get introduced properly!" Rina held out Clyde's pokeball and pressed the button, releasing her recently caught pokemon. The beam shot out and materialized into a Clefairy standing next to Pippi. Clyde blinked in confusion and took a quick survey of his surroundings.
"-Whats going on?-" Clyde asked.
"I thought we should get to know each other." Rina smiled and said to Clyde. "My name's Rina, and these are my friends Ashley and Pippi..." Rina gestured towards Ashley and Pippi in order. Ashley waved to Clyde when Rina introduced her.
"-We're going to be great friends!-" Pippi said excitedly, grabbing Clyde's hand in both of her's and shaking. As usual, Pippi lost control of her electricity in her excitement and a spark from her cheeks knocked both pokemon to the ground in surprise.
"-Wh-what was that all about?-" Clyde stuttered in shock, he was starting to have second thoughts about Rina and Pippi.
"-Sorry...I can't really control my electricity yet...-" Pippi admitted, rubbing her cheeks in her embarassment.
"I bet you two will get along just fine once you get to know each other." Rina said to the two. "Hey, Clyde, you know the way around this place right?" Clyde thought for a moment and nodded. "Think you could show us the way to Cerulean? We'd get there much faster with a guide."
"-Oh, sure.-" Clyde hopped back up on his feet. "-Just follow me and uh...-" Clyde cast a nervous glance towards Pippi. "-Keep your distance please?-" Pippi's ears drooped sadly at the request, but she understood why Clyde was asking her that and nodded. Clyde started off into the cave, and everyone followed behind him.
"That was a good idea Rina, having Clyde lead us out." Ashley said to Rina.
"Thanks, Ashley." Rina replied, smiling at the praise. "I figured it would be quicker this way
"-I don't think Clyde likes me much...-" Pippi whimpered sadly, walking alongside Rina. Rina picked up Pippi to speak privately with her.
"I don't think thats it at all." Rina whispered reassuringly. "He's just afraid he'll get shocked, thats all. So you need to learn how to control your power!" Pippi seemed to be convinced by this explanation and nodded. Pippi decided to move onto Rina's shoulder instead of walking at that point.
The two trainers followed Clyde, but they didn't get very far before Clyde stopped and ducked behind a small rock. "-Someone's coming...-" Rina stopped as well and motioned for Ashley to stop. Ahead of them, around a bend in the cave, they could hear heavy footsteps approaching them. Ashley instinctively reached for Beedrill's pokeball, ready to fight if she had to.
The footsteps grew louder and louder, drawing closer to the group. Everyone tensed as a large man rounded the bend, but relaxed when they saw the hiking gear he was wearing and realized he was just a hiker passing through Mount Moon. Clyde was still suspicious of him, though, and remained hidden.
"Whoa, now! You two are awfully edgy for youngsters!" The hiker said in a gruff voice when he saw Ashley and Rina looking ready for a battle.
"S-sorry sir..." Rina said apologetically and bowed to the man. "We just dealt with a pair of criminals..."
"Team Rocket still hanging around, eh?" The hiker replied, rubbing his chin. "Coulda sworn that other trainer scared 'em all off..."
"You mean Team Rocket was here too?" Ashley asked him. She heard of Team Rocket before, everyone in Kanto has. Team Rocket was a notorius criminal organization that even the police has trouble dealing with due to their numbers.
"Yeah, they were here alright." The hiker replied bitterly. "They were trying to steal pokemon fossils! My Onix and I were about to teach them all a lesson but this kid in a red hat beat 'em all with his Charmeleon. I even challenged him myself afterwards, but even after beating up dozens of rockets he still had enough steam to take it down..."
"Charmeleon? A red hat? It couldn't be Red, could it?" Ashley wondered. She shook her head lightly. "No way! Red couldn't have gotten that strong..."
"So who was it you girls ran into if not Team Rocket?" The hiker asked, stroking his chin curiously.
"We beat two Grand Hunters!" Rina responded enthusiastically. "They were trying to capture Clefairy with gas and cages, but we stopped them!"
"Haha! You don't say!" The hiker replied with a hearty laugh. "You two must be quite something to take on those guys."
"We just got lucky, really..." Ashley muttered quietly. She knew well enough that if Pippi hadn't known Volt Tackle, they would have been in trouble. In fact, both times Ashley had run into the Hunters she had gotten lucky. Against Shock, a timely appearance from Lance saved her.
"With all these criminals about, its just not safe for trainers if you ask me. Anyway, I need to get to the pokecenter and get my Onix fixed up. You girls be careful, you hear?"
"We will, bye mister!" Rina waved to the hiker as he passed by, muttering about the old days. "He seemed like a nice guy..." Rina commented when he was out of earshot.
"He has a point though, we need to be careful." Ashley said to Rina. "We're definitely not strong enough to deal with the Grand Hunters. We just got lucky and caught those two off guard, and they seemed pretty weak compared to that Shock guy I ran into..."
"Don't worry, we'll get stronger!" Rina said enthusiastically then turned to Pippi and Clyde. "Right guys?"
"-Of course! Just you wait, I'll get them all with my Volt Tackle!-" Pippi exclaimed with just as much enthusiasm.
"-I, too, wouldn't mind taking a shot at these...hunters.-" Clyde responded with a determined nod. "-I owe them that much anyway...-"
"See, Ashley? As long as we keep trying, we'll get strong enough to beat them!" Rina said to Ashley, speaking for the two pokemon. "So don't worry about it! Next time, we'll be ready!"
"Well, I guess you're determined if nothing else." Ashley replied, offering a slight smile. "Maybe she's right though? If I keep challenging gym leaders and training my pokemon to become stronger, I'll be ready to take on the hunters..."
The group continued on their way through Mount Moon again, with Clyde still leading the way.
The girls followed Clyde all the way through the mountain, eventually reaching the exit on the Cerulean side. By that time, however, it was starting to get dark. Rather than camping in the open or trying to make it to the city, the girls decided it would be best to set up camp just inside the mountain.
Unfortunately for Ashley, only Rina thought to bring a sleeping bag. Rina's sleeping bag was too small for both of them, so sharing was out of the question. That left Ashley to sleep on the ground.
"My first night sleeping outside! I can't wait!" Rina exclaimed while pulling various items from her backpack. She got out her pots and some wood she gathered and soon had a small fire going and a pot of soup cooking over it.
Once she had the soup cooking, Rina looked up at Ashley and saw her lying out exhausted on the floor. Carrying Rina's backpack around had taken a toll on her as well. "Are you ok Ashley?"
"Fine..." Ashley mumbled in response. She slowly sat up and looked at the pot. "So what kind?"
"Tomato!" Rina replied with what seemed like too much enthusiasm to Ashley. "By the way, Bulbasaur should be back up by now..."
Ashley blinked a few times and quickly thought it over. She thought Rina might be right and took Bulbasaur's pokeball from her belt. She released Bulbasaur and, sure enough, Bulbasaur was conscious again. Bulbasaur raised his head groggily and looked around.
"Guess you were right, Rina." Ashley said, smiling lightly. "Well, welcome back Bulbasaur."
"-Damn it...how long was I out for? And why aren't we in a pokecenter?-" Bulbasaur's gaze eventually fell upon Clyde, who was still out of his pokeball. "-Don't tell me Ashley actually caught one of the Clefairy? That isn't like her at all, to purposely catch a pokemon without me prodding her to!-"
"-Actually, no, Rina is my new trainer.-" Clyde replied. "-My name is Clyde and, on behalf of the Clefairy, I would like to thank you for saving us.-"
"-Yeah, no problem...-" Bulbasaur grumbled in response. "-So how'd we get out of that bind anyway after I went down?-"
"Well Pippi took down Wartortle with a Volt Tackle, and that distracted them long enough for Ashley to get Beedrill out against them." Rina explained to Bulbasaur while stirring the soup.
"-Yeah! You should have seen me!-" Pippi's body began to spark with electricity. "-They totally weren't expecting it! I came out of nowhere and smashed that Wartortle good!-" Bulbasaur grinned slightly.
"-Heh...well good on ya, kid.-" Pippi smiled at the praise and the sparks went away as she calmed down.
"You know, its funny how Bulbasaur can put up such a fight against Brock yet get beat up the moment we're in trouble." Bulbasaur twitched and turned to Ashley, glaring angrily.
"-So this is supposed to be MY FAULT?-" Bulbasaur growled in frustration. "-If I wasn't taking orders from you I'd have won easily!-" Ashley looked to Rina for a translation.
"I'm not getting involved in your silly arguments." Rina replied in a disinterested tone. Without Ashley knowing what Bulbasaur was saying, their argument became pointless in a hurry. Clyde slowly approached Pippi while watching the two.
"-Whats with those two anyway?-" He asked her.
"-I don't really understand it either, but they don't get along very well...-" Pippi replied, rubbing the back of her head with her paw. "-Its funny to watch though!-"
"-I...see...-" Clyde replied hesitantly. "These trainers certainly are acting much differently now than they were in battle earlier. Interesting..."
"Ashley, you don't have a sleeping bag do you?" Rina asked Ashley out of the blue. "You can use mine if you want and I'll just sleep on the ground..."
"What? No way!" Ashley shot back, shaking her head defiantly. "I'm the teenager here, so its only fair that I make the sacrifices."
"If you say so..." Rina blinked in disbelief at Ashley's response, not really sure what else to say.
After only a few more minutes, Rina declared the soup to be ready. Ashley and Rina had a bowl of soup each and fed their pokemon the usual pokemon food. Rina also poured a bit of the leftover soup over the pokemon food as well, adding a bit of flavor.
After eating, all the pokemon but Bulbasaur and Pippi were returned to their pokeballs. Rina set up her sleeping bag and slept in it with Pippi while Bulbasaur and Ashley slept on the ground.
"-Anyone snores, they get vine whipped...-" Bulbasaur grumbled before finally drifting off to sleep.
Author's Notes: Two more hunters revealed, and Pippi's Volt Tackle revealed as well. Red got some mention in this chapter too. Red will basically be taking care of most of the Team Rocket based plots, though thats not to say Ashley and Rina aren't going to run into them as well.