A/N: And riding the incredible plot bunny high, I'm continuing my chapter writing binge! I really liked how the last chapter was able to come together, and I really hope that the rest of the story falls into place as well.
As always, a big thank you to those of you that reviewed!
DBZFTW: You're welcome, though I have to say my choice for Ash's first new Pokemon was really hard to decide.
AMG22: Don't worry, if Ash hasn't kicked the bucket yet in the real Anime, he's got no chance of doing so anytime soon!
Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Pokemon. If I did, the painstaking task of translating every single word into English from Japanese would be grounds for the complete and utter destruction of the franchise.
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There was nothing but darkness surrounding Ash as he regained consciousness. No lights, no sounds, and no signs of life. Sitting up, he immediately regretted his decision as a sharp pain seared through his head.
"Oh…my head." He moaned, putting a hand to his forehead in an attempt to ease the throbbing pain.
'Oh…my tail."
Ash head shot up.
That last thought…hadn't been his.
"H-hello?" he called, to who he wasn't sure, but he knew someone was here with him, wherever here was. "Is s-someone…who's there?" There was silence for a while, before a tentative voice answered.
"A-are you…are you the one who saved me?"
It was a soft voice, innocent and kind. For some reason, Ash knew without a moment's hesitation who that voice belonged to.
"Yeah, yeah I am. And, you're the Dratini my friend Misty and I saved, aren't you?" he asked, curious.
"Yes. And I'm really grateful for that. Umm, what's your name?" Asked the timid voice, and Ash was sure that it was feminine.
"I'm Ash, Ash Ketchum. I'm a Pokemon trainer, from Pallet Town. What about you? What's your name?"
"I…I don't have one. That man, the one who tried to kill me, he-he said…he said that he took me from my parents…when I was just an egg. He said that he…that he killed them…they never gave…I've never had a name."
There was a deep sadness that was clearly evident in Dratini's voice as she said this, and Ash could feel his heart breaking for the Pokemon who had never known its parents, or their love.
'Kind of like me and…and Pikachu.' Ash thought, his features softening considerably as he recalled his lost friend.
"Who was Pikachu?" asked Dratini.
Ash stiffened. He hadn't said that out loud, so how had she…? "Can you…hear my thoughts?"
"I…don't know. I thought that you had said that out loud. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…please, don't hurt me!" Although Ash couldn't see her, he could picture the Dratini cowering in fear, terror in her eyes and bracing herself for pain.
"Hey, hey…come on Dratini, you don't have to be scared of me. I'm not…I'm not like that man. I would never hurt you. I promise you that. And I wasn't mad that you heard what I…well, I guess what I thought. I was just wondering."
His words seemed to calm the Pokemon, as her voice sounded less tense when she spoke next, "Oh, okay Ash."
An easy, comfortable silence settled over the two. If he listened carefully, he could make out the little Pokemon's thoughts.
'Ash seems really nice. I hope…I hope he likes me. Maybe…maybe I could stay with him! Maybe he would be my friend!!'
"Pikachu was my first Pokemon."
Dratini's thoughts stopped abruptly, her attention now riveted on Ash's thoughts.
She could see everything that he was thinking, everything that he was remembering. How Ash had come to receive his Pikachu, how he had accidentally provoked an entire flock of Spearow into attacking. Everything was laid out before her.
The hardest part was watching as Ash had lost his first friend, and how he had fallen into a deep depression for weeks, until Misty had snapped him out of it.
"Oh Ash…I'm so sorry."
Ash let a half-smile grace his face, "It's alright Dratini, don't worry about it. I'm getting better. Slowly but surely, I'm getting better. But I do have a question for you."
"What is it Ash?" she asked, her curiosity making her forget the fact that she could easily read his thoughts.
"Would you mind if I…if we thought of a name for you? It just…kind of feels weird to call you Dratini all the time, you know? Kind of like it's too…impersonal."
Dratini thought about it for a second, before she consented, "You're right Ash. I can see where you're coming from. It would be like me calling you 'human' all the time." She giggled at that, a light sound that made Ash want to laugh, "But…what should my name be?"
"Good question. Hmm…well, I think you need something fitting for who and what you are. You're barely a baby, but you've already been through so much. You've lost your parents, been through Mew knows what, and yet, you've still managed to come through all of it relatively unscathed." Ash thought out loud.
"Right. And I've made a brand new friend who has been through just as much as I have, in his own way, and he still went out of his way to help me and keep me safe." Dratini chimed in.
"Huh…it's like we're both getting ready to start over, you know? A new beginning," Ash spoke, thinking deeply.
Suddenly, he had it.
"Yes," Dratini thought, "that one is perfect! And it has meaning for both of us."
Ash smiled, "Yeah, you're right. But before I officially christen you with your new name, I have to ask you another question."
"No you don't," Dratini countered. At Ash's confused thoughts, she laughed again, "I can hear your thoughts, remember Ash?"
Ash could feel himself blushing as he chuckled despite his embarrassment, "Heh, oh yeah. But, can I ask you officially anyway?"
Another laugh.
"If you must, though you already know my answer Ash."
"Will you…would you like to be my Pokemon? My friend? My ally?"
"Technically Ash, that was three questions but….yes, yes aaaaaaaand….YES!" Dratini squealed.
Ash could feel his face light up with happiness and suddenly, the darkness that had been engulfing the two vanished, revealing the two connected minds to the other.
"Then welcome to the team, Aurora."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
To say Misty was worried would be putting it lightly.
She was terrified.
Her heart was beating so fast it felt like it would burst out of her chest at any moment. After Officer Jenny had gotten them all to the nearest Poke center, seeing as Dratini's wounds were the more pressing of the two and Nurse Joy was just as adept at working with humans as she was with Pokemon, Misty had been forced into the waiting room. The adrenaline rush was just starting to wear off as Officer Jenny finished up with her questioning.
Now, two hours later, she was just beginning to nod off when Nurse Joy came through the doors from the back of the center.
"Miss Waterflower?"
Startled, Misty shot up, "W-what? What's going on?"
Putting a hand on the girl's shoulder to calm her, Nurse Joy spoke again, "It's alright, I've got some good news. We've managed to get that little Dratini of yours stable, and we've stopped the bleeding from both of their wounds, though Chansey and I were a little puzzled at first when they wouldn't heal outright."
Misty smiled, relieved that both of them were all right, "So…can I see them now?"
Nurse Joy smiled back, nodding, "Yes, only both of them are still unconscious, so you might have to wait for a bit until they wake up. Follow me."
Down the hall and through another set of double doors, Misty was soon at the door with Nurse Joy. "Well," the ever-enthusiastic nurse spoke, "this is their room. I'll be up at the counter, so if you need anything, either come get me or let one of the Chansey know." With a smile, she walked back out to the front of the Poke Center.
Misty quietly opened the door to the room and she couldn't stop the smile that came to her face at the sight that met her eyes.
On the bed lay Ash; eyes shut in a deep slumber, the baby Dratini they had saved wrapped securely in his arms and just as comfortable as the boy holding it. Even unconscious, Ash managed to look as adorable as ever, a thought that sent a small blush rushing across Misty's face.
Shaking her head to clear it, Misty made her way over to the chair that stood in the far corner of the room and brought it to the head of the bed where she sat down, easing her pack off of her shoulders and placing it at her feet.
Sighing, Misty took in her surroundings disinterestedly noting the bright white paint adorning the wall that seemed the stereotype for hospitals worldwide. In fact, the only things in the room that were not white were Ash, Dratini, and herself.
Turning to the two currently in her thoughts, Misty noticed the wounds that Nurse Joy had been talking about. Though they had been cleaned, Misty saw that there were stitches instead of healed skin. Ash she could understand; he was a human after all and the medicines that were normally used to heal Pokemon wounds, even if they were open and bloody, wouldn't work the same on him.
Dratini however was another story.
It too was stitched up, but there was no good explanation that Misty could think of to answer why. Nurse Joy had said that she and her Chansey hadn't known what to make of the wounds. This only caused Misty to worry, her eyebrows knitting together as she bit her lip in frustration.
Then it dawned on her.
It had to have been that man who had been trying to kill Dratini. He and his
Alakazam had attacked Ash just before they had teleported away, and this was the outcome.
She looked closer, and was shocked to discover that the stitched skin seemed to make a picture on Ash and Dratini's skin. Ash's was located on his left shoulder, having turned in the face of the oncoming attack in order to shield Dratini. And the little Pokemon's was in the middle of its two-foot long body, marring the white underbelly.
Sighing again, Misty lifted her hand to Ash's cheek, gently running her fingers across it.
'Dammit,' she cursed, 'why did he have to steal my bike?' She groaned aloud, though her fingers now slowly stroked his raven locks, 'He's cute; I'll give him that. I'm not going to jump to conclusions though. This is just a phase, and what I'm feeling is just result of traveling with him.'
There was a stir beneath her hand, and she snapped back to reality.
Looking down, she saw Ash's eyes open and looking at her, a lopsided grin on his face.
"Hey Mist."
Blushing scarlet, Misty did her best not to draw too much attention to her hand as she slowly lowered it to her side."H-hey. Feeling better Mr. Hero?" And just like that, she had managed to turn the potentially awkward situation into one of their regular conversations.
Ash chuckled lightly, his own cheeks flushing, "Yeah, a lot better actually. And so it-OW!" Pain had transfigured the previously happy expression on his face as he tried to move his left arm to scratch his head. He hissed in pain, his right hand clutching his shoulder reflexively. "What the…?"
"Ash! Be careful! You're still hurt from that Alakazam's psychic attack. Both of you are!" Misty cautioned as she put a placating hand on his uninjured shoulder, "And don't forget, you're holding Dratini!"
Ash's eyes snapped open and shot to the small creature in his lap.
"Aurora."
Misty looked at him oddly, "What?"
"Her name," Ash clarified with a smile, "her name's Aurora."
Misty looked perplexed, "Ash…you've been out of it for hours, when exactly did you and…Aurora…have time to decide on a name?"
"Misty, I could tell you, and you probably wouldn't believe me." Ash laughed, lightly running his hand over Aurora's smooth skin.
"I can tell her if you want me to Ash. She might be more likely to believe you if the story came from the source, right?" Aurora had woken up, and she was looking up at her trainer with happy purple eyes, waiting for his response.
Ash nodded, figuring that it couldn't hurt for Aurora to try. Though he was a little unsure as to how she would be able to communicate with Misty.
As Aurora turned toward the redhead, Misty couldn't help but coo at the tiny Pokemon, her fingers immediately finding a tender spot beneath, "Oh Ash, she's so cute! Hey there Aurora! My name's Misty and I'm friends with your goof ball trainer."
Nuzzling her hand, Aurora lifted her eyes to Misty's, "I know who you are Misty, Ash told me all about you."
Misty froze, staring in shock at the creature before her. "D-did you…talk?" She heard Ash snort and turned to look at him, "Can you hear her too?"
"Yup, and your face was priceless Mist," he laughed, sticking his tongue out at her.
Scowling, Misty turned back to Aurora, wanting a further explanation.
The tiny Pokemon nodded its head and continued, "Both of you can hear me, though I'm not too sure how or why. But I'm willing to bet, as is Ash, that it has something to do with the psychic attack we endured. It kind of seems like it has enhanced whatever latent psychic abilities we may posses."
Misty looked at the tiny Pokemon through wide eyes, "How…how can you even comprehend that kind of stuff Aurora? I mean…you're just a baby!"
There was a light, ethereal giggle that permeated her thoughts, "That's exactly what Ash said. You two are too cute."
Misty's ear burned at this and Ash's eyes widened considerably.
"B-but…I wasn't anywhere near the blast! How…how can I even…I don't have any sort of psychic abilities!!"
"Misty," Ash whispered, "It's…it's nothing to be ashamed of! Just think of it as…well…think of it one hell of an inside joke! We'll always be able to keep things to ourselves through Aurora, it'll be fun!"
Misty sighed, "Ash, it's not that I'm ashamed, it's just…well, I've always been fond of not sharing my thoughts with everyone all the time! It's an invasion of privacy!"
She felt her hand being nudged by Aurora and she looked to the Pokemon, "Don't worry Misty, I would never tell others your thoughts, especially if they were really private. But that's also why we need to go to Saffron City."
"Huh?" Ash questioned, looking at Aurora curiously, "You didn't say anything about that Aurora. Why Saffron?"
Misty too was curious, nodding her agreement at his query.
"Well, the man with the Alakazam had to cut through Saffron to get here, and while we were there I kept hearing rumors about the gym leader. Apparently, she is a powerful telepath herself, and I thought that maybe she could help us. You know, teach us how to control it so we don't invade each other's thoughts without permission."
Misty and Ash both turned to each other at Aurora's explanation.
"It's not a bad idea." Ash said agreeably.
Misty nodded, "It's worth a shot."
Aurora trilled happily, "So? Are we agreed on Saffron as our next destination?"
With a smile, Ash answered pumping his fist in the air, "Yes ma'am we are-OW!!"
Sighing, Misty dropped her head to her hand, "Ash, what are we going to do with you?"
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A/N: End chapter four. Well folks, there you have it! I'm really enjoying writing this story, though much of the plot is coming to me on a whim, so it might not be entirely sound.
At any rate, I'm hoping you guys are loving this story as well. Feel free to drop a critique, comment, or anything related to the story, as I'm always open for suggestions.
I'm still looking for two more Pokemon ladies and gents!! Those suggestions are still welcome and will be considered in depth!
-HakushoRurouni