Hey, peoples! It's good to be back to this story, as much as I enjoyed writing For the Mission.

Chapter 7: The Village Guardian

Continuing on their way to Vermillion City, after a stop at a Pokémon Center to heal Starmie, Ash and his companions decided to try cutting through the forest beside the main road to shorten their journey. Ash took the lead, relying on his instincts and the sun's position to ensure they kept going straight.

"Don't worry. I'm positive this way'll take us back to the path," Ash reassured them while Pikachu rode on his backpack to not get lost in the tall grass.

Brock raised an eyebrow, "'Positive', huh?"

"That's what you said an hour ago!" Misty complained. "I'm tired! I told you to stick to the main road, but you had to take a shortcut!"

Ash turned around, "I took a shortcut? It was you who said to go this way!"

"Ha! If I was leading, we wouldn't have gotten lost like this!" Misty retorted.

Ash leaned forward, scowling, "Who says we're lost?!"

"Listen, genius, if you don't know where you are or where you're going, that means you're lost!" Misty shouted.

Brock held his hands up, "Chill, chill!"

Misty backed away slightly with her arms crossed, "Alright. But remind me to yell at you some more if we ever get to Vermillion City."

After traveling through more of the forest, they reached a glade with some large boulders. Ash let out a breath of relief, tired from traveling. Each of the trio and Pikachu took a seat as the Pallet Trainer said, "Time for a break."

They relaxed for a moment until Ash heard a soft, lapping sound. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a small blue Pokémon with five leafy fronds for hair taking a drink. The Grass Pokémon stood shorter than even Pikachu, factoring out the height of their leaves, with a small round body. They also possessed no arms, just two short legs for mobility.

Ash turned around, immediately getting psyched again as he took out his Pokédex and whispered, "A Pokémon!" Dexter pinged and spoke up, presenting a picture from the front that revealed the Pokémon's tiny red eyes.

"Oddish, the Weed Pokémon. This Pokémon is typically found roaming the forest, scattering pollen as it walks around."

"A Grass-type!" Ash whispered excitedly as he took out Pidgeotto's Poké Ball. "I'll catch 'em!"

Misty ran in front of him and held out a hand, "Hold it!"

"What for?" Ash asked as he blinked.

Misty turned around, "Because I'm gonna catch that Pokémon."

"Aw, no way, Misty! I saw 'em first!" Ash defended, dropping his whisper.

"Well we found it around the water, and water's my specialty," Misty reasoned as if that justified her side of the argument.

"Oddish! Oddish! Oddish!"

The two Trainers turned and saw the tiny Pokémon had heard their argument. He ran towards the bushes to escape. Misty acted before Ash had the chance.

She took out a Poké Ball and threw it, "Go, Starmie!"

The Mysterious Pokémon appeared, her gem whole and unmarred again, and barred Oddish's way. The Grass-type froze for a moment before running off in a different direction.

"Water Gun, now!" Misty ordered.

Starmie shot a stream of water and knocked Oddish into the air. Misty cheered, "That's the way to spray! Tackle it, Starmie!"

The Water-type span through the air and intercepted the falling Weed Pokémon, knocking him to the ground. Oddish lay on his side in front of the bushes, dazed from the attacks.

"That weakened it!" Misty said as she took out an empty Poké Ball. "Gotta catch it now! Poké Ball, go!"

Misty threw the sphere, but a larger quadruped figure dashed out of the bushes and jumped, bashing the Poké Ball away. After landing protectively in front of Oddish, the new Pokémon growled at Misty and Starmie.

Misty's eyes widened as the ball landed at her feet, "Uh-oh…"

The new arrival had a frog-like head on a beast's body with blue-green skin and teal patches made for camouflaging against greenery. A green plant bulb grew on their back and red eyes contrasted against the rest of his body. The Grass-type also had short claws on each of their feet.

Ash recognized the larger Pokémon from Professor Oak's documentary on the starters. His eyes sparkled, "Wow! I can't believe it! A Bulbasaur!"

Bulbasaur charged Starmie and knocked her away with a Tackle attack. Misty caught her Pokémon as the points went limp on the Water-type's body. The Mysterious Pokémon still couldn't battle for long due to her recent ordeal.

"Oh, Starmie!"

Ash stepped forward with a Poké Ball, his hat turned around already, "Now it's my turn! Pidgeotto, I choose you!" He knew Grass-types had a weakness to Flying-type moves, like Gust and Wing Attack, and Pidgeotto wouldn't go down as easily as Butterfree, even if the Bug-type knew Gust as well.

Bulbasaur growled again as Pidgeotto soared skyward from his thrown ball.

"Pidgeotto, Gust attack!" Ash ordered. Pidgeotto beat his wings with a trilling cry, sending an arcing wind towards the Seed Pokémon.

Bulbasaur dug his claws into the ground and grabbed hold of Oddish with two Vine Whips. His cheeks puffed up as he took in a deep breath and blew a fierce gale to counter Pidgeotto's own. The two winds mixed together and started forming a massive tornado that pulled in dust along with foliage from the surrounding trees and Pidgeotto from the air.

Ash held onto his hat and tried to resist the pull as he called out, "Pidgeotto, stop!"

Without enough momentum to make the vortex self-sustaining, the tentative tornado stopped spinning, dropping all of the leaves and dust in a massive cloud. By the time it cleared, Bulbasaur and Oddish had long since escaped.

"Oh, the Bulbasaur…" Ash whined. "It's not fair! I wanted to catch 'em!"

He returned Pidgeotto and the trio followed the direction that Oddish had tried running to earlier. Eventually, they came to two cliffs connected by a wood and rope bridge with a raging river down below. While they traveled, Ash pulled up Bulbasaur's Pokédex entry to make sure he had the right Pokémon in mind. The situation had been so high-tension before that he'd forgotten.

"Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokémon. It bears the seed of a plant from birth. The seed slowly develops. Researchers are unsure whether to classify Bulbasaur as a plant or animal. Bulbasaur are extremely rare and very difficult to capture in the wild."

Ash closed Dexter with a smile and pocketed the device as he confidently crossed the bridge, saying, "I bet there are Bulbasaur all over this place!"

"But, where is this place?" Misty asked as she crossed more carefully, holding onto the rope rail.

Brock held up a map that showed the main roads of the region they were in, "I can't find this bridge on my map…"

Suddenly, the wind picked up, rocking the bridge, and one of the rope rails snapped, making the bridge tilt on its side. Ash managed to act quick enough to grab one of the ropes forming the railing on the opposite side with one hand, and Misty grabbed onto Ash's leg while Pikachu held onto his Trainer's backpack, but Brock only managed to grip onto the surface of the planks. The smooth wood didn't offer enough purchase and the Pewter Gym Leader slid off the bridge before falling screaming into the river below.

"Brock!" Ash called as he could only watch helplessly. Brock splashed into the water and got washed down the rapids.

Ash closed his eyes, unable to watch as Misty yelled, "Ash, you have to pull us back up, it's our only chance!"

"Pika pi!"

"I… can't…!" Ash replied as he strained just to hold their weight in place with his one arm.

"Yes you will! Just pull as hard as you can!"

Reaching down, Ash grabbed a Poké Ball and called out Pidgeotto.

Ash held out his free hand after hooking the ball back to his belt, "Pidgeotto, grab hold and help me pull us up!"

"Pidgeo!"

The young Trainer winced as his Bird Pokémon's talons tightened around his gloved hand, even with Pidgeotto being careful not to claw into the flesh. Regardless, Ash pulled the rope as hard as he could to get up while Pidgeotto flew up, vigorously flapping his wings with Ash's hand in his grip.

After some work, Ash managed to get his other hand onto the ropes and pull with both arms to get Misty up high enough to let go of his leg and grab the ropes herself. The two carefully crossed what remained of the bridge while Pidgeotto kept a close eye on both of them. Once they reached the other cliff, Ash thanked Pidgeotto and returned him before he and Misty promptly fell to their knees on the ground, panting from the close call. Even Pikachu got off of Ash, relieved at the touch of solid ground again.

"Phew…" Ash sighed. "I'm totally wiped out…"

Misty recovered enough to say, "We can't rest now, we've gotta find Brock!"

Ash took a deep breath and stood up along with her and Pikachu, "Right!" They ran down to get to the riverbank further downstream. "Hurry up!" When he heard Misty yell out, he and Pikachu turned around to see Misty in the bottom of a pitfall trap.

"How'd you get down there?" Ash asked.

Misty rubbed her sore bottom, "I fell in, how else?! What's a trap doing here?!"

"It seems pretty strange…" Ash mused.

"Just help me out, quick!" Misty shouted, reaching up.

Ash and Pikachu sighed, the Trainer commenting, "This is just not our day…"

"Pikachu…"

After helping Misty out, the two of them continued down the bank. Ash called out Brock's name repeatedly while Misty looked at the water worriedly.

"Think he washed this far downstream?" Misty asked.

They continued walking towards some trees that lined the bank and their world suddenly tipped over as a net trap snatched all of them up, including Pikachu.

Ash squirmed around, "What the-?! Another trap!"

"Do something!" Misty ordered.

"What can I do?"

"Try wiggling! See if the net will open!" Misty suggested. The two shook the net back and forth for a moment before Ash commented "Oh, this is dumb!"

"If you've got any better ideas, let's hear 'em!" Misty fumed.

A figurative light bulb went off in Ash's head, "I do!" He took a Poké Ball from his belt and expanded it. Misty raised an eyebrow, "You're really going to try releasing a Pokémon when it's already so cramped?"

"A small one," Ash commented before pointing the Poké Ball at himself. "Rattata, come on out!" He popped open the ball and Rattata materialized on Ash's head, clinging to his hat. Misty stifled a laugh at the ridiculous image.

Ash ignored her and said, "Rattata, squeeze through the net and see if you can gnaw through the rope holding it up here!"

"Ra!" his Pokémon nodded.

Ash took off his hat and stretched his arm as high as he could up the net to lift Rattata towards the branch the net hung from. Rattata gripped the netting with her tiny paws and squirmed through before biting into and grabbing onto the branch overhead. Once she got out, her teeth glowed with the energy of Hyper Fang and she cut through the rope with one powerful chomp.

The two Trainers and Pikachu screamed as they plummeted down the drop from the branch to the floor. Rattata looked down concernedly as they rubbed the points of impact. Ash still had his hat in his hand and rubbed his head before shaking it clear.

Misty slapped him before complaining, "Great idea, Einstein! That hurt!"

"We're down from the tree, aren't we?" Ash retorted as he put his hat back on and stood up, popping his back. He held out his hand with a smile and caught Rattata when she jumped down from the branch, "Thanks, Rattata!" He held up her Poké Ball, "Return."

After he put her ball back on his belt, he said to Misty, "Come on, the sooner we find Brock the better."

Unseen by the departing Trainers, a Pokémon watched them get out of the trap and growled. He went down a different path to get ahead of them and try to re-route them.

As they continued into the trees, Ash falling into another pitfall trap dug into the forest path, they still called out Brock's name. They kept looking around and Ash said, "You don't think that Brock got washed all the way down to the ocean, do you?"

"Don't say things like that!" Misty chastised.

"Maybe he got saved and recruited by pirates," Ash mused, "and one of those pirates has a wooden leg."

Misty raised an eyebrow, "You have a crazy imagination!"

Ash just smiled, continuing his story, "Then came the storm…"

"Ahoy!" a familiar voice called. The duo snapped their attention forward again and moved faster. Soon, they saw Brock approaching to meet them from up ahead, waving with a smile.

"Brock!" Ash called. "Thank goodness you're alright!"

Misty added, "We've been looking all over for you!"

"We saw you fall into the river. Then what happened?" Ash asked.

Brock put a hand on the back of his head, "Well, I was being washed away in the rapids when somebody grabbed my hand and pulled me onto the bank. The girl who saved my life was incredibly beautiful…"

Ash nodded, "A beautiful girl, huh? That's even better than pirates. Unless, of course, she was really a pirate in disguise."

"Maybe it's time to get a reality check," Misty commented. Ash laughed lightly in response.

With his story told, Brock offered to introduce them to the person that saved him.

While Ash and Misty followed Brock, a mass of cloudy vapor floated far behind them, over all the traps of the forest. If one looked closely, they would swear the cloud moved to follow the Trainers.

Inside the heart of the obscuring veil, Team Rocket floated in their hot air balloon, a smaller fog machine they'd engineered from some stolen parts of Pokémon Tech's own versions sitting in the middle of the basket and providing camouflage.

Fearow also perched on the edge of the basket with her eyes trained on the trio below and ahead, since the agents wouldn't be able to ordinarily. She let Meowth know when and how to change course, or stop and start moving, and Meowth relayed the information to James.

Giovanni had been very pleased with the rare Pokémon for auction and the strong Pokémon for the grunts' use from Pokémon Tech. In addition, he had told them to be at Vermillion in two weeks' time for a big operation. He would explain the details via video call when they arrived. The fact that he wanted them there for the operation made the trio feel honored and appreciated.

For now, though, they went back to their default of tracking Ash and aiming to steal his Pikachu.

They had been forced to search nearly blindly since the young Trainer had left the road and their binoculars wouldn't be able to work too well with all of the fog in the way, though the stealth factor made up for it. Perhaps a thermograph upgrade was due for them. They could run it by Giovanni later.

Even though Fearow could look straight through the cover, her gaze was piercing, not telescopic. Luckily a massive tornado beginning to form in the middle of the forest gave them the general direction, and then Fearow spotted them only a moment afterward.

"Say, Jessie," James started, "isn't this supposed to be the forest where that rumored village of Pokémon is supposed to be?"

Jessie glanced back at James through the fog, "Go figure the twerp would find it with his ridiculous luck. He'll probably stop there for a bit to look around, and that's when we'll land the balloon and make our move."

"Now dat we're in da Boss's good graces wit' dat haul o' Pokémon, we can afford ta go after Pikachu today!" Meowth laughed.

James smirked, "Our new invention will certainly ensure its capture. Too bad the upgrades on our balloon aren't done yet, or we could just snatch Pikachu from here and go. But what of the so-called hidden village? Should we raid that too?"

"It's just a place for sick Pokémon to go to," Jessie dismissed. "Only garden-varieties found around this area. If we really wanted one of those Pokémon, we could just as easily catch our own."

"Oh?" James asked as he turned his eyes to Jessie's silhouette. "Should we try making a stop to catch one then? If not for the Boss, we do only have six Pokémon between the three of us. By my count, the twerps have… ten, I believe."

Jessie chuckled as she patted Fearow on the head, "With Fearow, any resistance the twerps can offer is pointless once Pikachu is ours. Her ferocious winds augment my Archer Formation even further! Nothing escapes her keen eyes, and her Mirror Move can return any assault to another Pokémon!"

The Beak Pokémon preened under Jessie's praise and affection while she kept an eye on their targets through the fog.

"[Bank slightly to the left,]" Fearow reported.

Meowth repeated Fearow's instructions, and then said, "We're doin' fine fa now. If we run inta trouble we can always run away an' catch Pokémon later. Ya got those other gadgets, James?"

"Yes and the Twerp Trio will be quite surprised," James answered. "The blueprints went to the Boss. He said it could do with an upgrade, but the concept counted enough, so we can expect to receive a package with the 2.0 in due time."

The three of them grinned as they looked for the village where the Trainers no doubt currently resided.

"Pikachu…" Jessie sung.

"We'll get you!" James rhymed.

The Rocket trio laughed as they flew through the air.

Brock led them further down the path, weaving around certain parts of it, and he led them to a glade by a pond where a log cabin stood. In the clearing, a blue-haired girl in a pink shirt and red overalls tended to some Pokémon, including the Oddish from earlier. Her hair was tied back with a light green bow into a plait that reached to the small of her back. Once she noticed the Trainers she smiled and stood up to greet them.

"Melanie, this is Ash and Misty," Brock said.

Ash said hello, and Melanie smiled, "So you're Brock's friends; he told me all about you."

Misty nodded and then noticed all of the Pokémon eating food from bowls, "Do all of those Pokémon belong to you?"

"Oh, no," Melanie answered. Brock explained, "This is a place where Pokémon are able to rest and relax."

"Like summer camp?" Ash asked.

Brock replied, "Well, sort of, but all year long. You see when Pokémon get abandoned or injured, they can come here. Melanie takes care of them until they feel better. Then they leave."

Misty tilted her head, "So this is a Pokémon Center, and Melanie is a Pokémon doctor."

"Oh, no," Melanie said, shaking her head. "I'm not qualified to be a Pokémon doctor."

"This is more like a Pokémon health spa," Brock explained.

When Ash and Misty still looked confused, Melanie elaborated. "Here, the Pokémon don't battle with one another. They relax and try to enjoy themselves until they recover."

"Cool!" Misty commented.

Brock walked over to them and said, "Melanie collects plants to use for medicine. She knows all about which plants can help a Pokémon feel better or grow stronger when it's too weak."

"So you and Melanie both love to take care of Pokémon," Ash commented.

Brock smiled fondly while he watched Melanie go back to tending the Pokemon, "We do."

Misty raised an eyebrow before smiling deviously, "Well, it looks to me like there's something else Brock might love…"

Brock's entire face turned red in embarrassment and he rushed over to Misty before clamping a hand over her mouth.

"Be quiet…!" he whispered. "She might hear you…!"

While the three Trainers stayed at Melanie's cabin, she apologized for the traps they fell for, saying that she had to capture Pokémon Trainers before they reached all of the weak Pokémon she looked after.

Brock took them aside after that discussion and said, "I promised Melanie we wouldn't capture any Pokémon here."

Misty grinned cheekily, "And did you seal the promise with a kiss? Ow!" Brock bashed her over the head while blushing. Misty frowned, but then grinned again, "So that must mean you really do love her- ow!"

While Misty rubbed the top of her head, Ash sighed and said, "Well, I guess I'll have to keep your promise."

"Only bad guys try to capture sick Pokémon," Misty said after recovering.

"Bad guys…" Ash mused. "You think we should stick around to guard Melanie and her Pokémon from you-know-who?"

Brock replied, "Why do you think I brought you here instead of leading you around the village like Bulbasaur wanted me to?"

Ash's eyes widened, "Bulbasaur is here?"

Having confirmed their location and seen the traps that Ash and Misty stumbled into, Team Rocket landed their balloon, turning off the fog machine and heading over to the village on foot. James led the way with a thick branch, cut down courtesy of Beedrill. He swept it over the ground that the trio traversed, pressing down with it the entire time.

With the stick, he managed to poke holes in three pitfalls, giving away their locations and cause a net trap to pull up nothing but air.

"Told you all we needed was a strong stick," James gloated as he looked up at the empty net hanging from the branch.

Jessie rolled her eyes, "It's hardly an entrance if we walk into the village."

"If a low-key entrance saves our balloon, then I'm all fer it," Meowth commented as he tested out their invention's aim and curving. "Poifect. All we need is ta sneak within ten yards, an' Pikachu's ours!"

Before Ash could look around for the Seed Pokémon, Brock explained Bulbasaur's earlier actions. He said that Bulbasaur acted as the village's guardian and was protecting Oddish from Misty's attack earlier, which is why he fled with Oddish instead of staying and battling Ash. Bulbasaur had directed Brock to where Ash and Misty were in the hopes that they'd leave once they reunited.

The Pewter Gym Leader also mentioned that Bulbasaur didn't like Pokémon Trainers, and he wanted all three of them to leave.

Ash's eyes widened, "Bulbasaur cares so much about the Pokémon that he'd be the village guardian. Now that's what I call bravery! It'd be great to have a Pokémon like that."

Before anybody could comment, an explosion sounded near Melanie's cabin. All three Trainers turned around in shock and immediately ran back to the village.

"How precious," Jessie cooed.

James chuckled, "The itty-bitty Bulbasaur thinks he can stand up to us."

Bulbasaur growled as Ekans, Koffing and Fearow looked down at him. He lashed out with his vines, but Fearow and Koffing flew up while Ekans burrowed underground. The Seed Pokémon tried to catch Fearow with his vines, but he immediately forgot that when he heard the ground burst behind him and the other Pokemons' scared cries.

He turned around to stop Ekans as she loomed over the Pokémon, Melanie barring the way fearfully, and got hit in the back by Fearow's dive bomb attack. He hit the ground and rolled, but he kept trying to get up anyway.

"Rattata, Quick Fang!"

Ekans turned, but acted too late. She got cut down the side of her neck with the Mouse Pokémon's speedy assault and then turned to engage the new opponent. Bulbasaur sighed with relief that his charges were okay. Then his expression turned befuddled when he saw Ash and the others running back to the village.

Jessie gave the trio a casual glance and said, "Oh, the twerps. Whatever shall we do now, Fearow?"

"They must've heard our preemptive strike on the grounds, but they missed our motto!" James pouted.

"You're not getting any of these Poké-"

The instant they stepped into the glade, a mechanical hand shot out from one of the trees nearby, a camera lens attached to the palm. It homed in on Pikachu and grabbed the Electric-type. Ash gasped and Pikachu tried squirming out of the grip.

Meowth dropped down from the tree along with Mankey. Pikachu charged up and zapped the hand with a Thunder Shock, but all of the electricity traveled down the flexible metal arm to the control that Meowth held. The feline Pokémon only spared them a glance before he ran towards Jessie and James.

Misty threw out a Poké Ball, "Staryu, Tackle on Meowth!" The Star-Shaped Pokémon emerged from the container spinning towards Meowth, but Mankey turned around and caught Staryu before throwing him back at Misty. The Water-type Trainer barely ducked before Staryu became embedded in the tree trunk behind her.

Ash ran forward, taking out another Poké Ball as Meowth got back to his partners.

"You're not getting away!"

James smirked, "Oh, I think we are." The male agent took out a bomb and lit it before glancing at the village Pokémon and Melanie. Everyone's eyes besides Team Rocket's widened in fear when James tossed it at the gathered Pokémon. Bulbasaur tried extending his vines but couldn't so he ran in front of the explosive as Ekans got called back and James ordered, "Koffing, Smokescreen."

The Poison Gas Pokémon released a cloud of obscuring gas around Team Rocket as they made their escape, Pikachu crying out. Bulbasaur got ready to tackle away the bomb as it drew closer. But before he could begin his charge, another figure obstructed him.

Ash had changed course the instant that he saw the other Pokémon in danger, dropping the Poké Ball and accidentally releasing Butterfree. Once the bomb was in his reach, Ash took off his hat and scooped the projectile up with it. In the same motion, he spun around once and swung the explosive high into the air.

"Everybody duck and cover!"

The bomb exploded while everybody who could cover their ears did so. Butterfree landed in order to get away from the blast. Once the din wore off, Ash stood up first, immediately saying, "Butterfree, Rattata, Bulbasaur's hurt. Stay here and help him guard the village in case Team Rocket comes back."

Misty spoke up as she pointed her Poké Ball at Staryu still stuck in the tree, "We have to go after Team Rocket before they get away with Pikachu! Staryu, return!"

"We don't know this forest as well as they know the path back to their balloon," Brock commented. "If we send a flier after them, it might get taken down before we get there, and Onix doesn't stand a chance against that Mankey, as much as I hate to admit it. Let's run after them!"

While the trio left, Ash's two Pokémon left behind to stand guard, Bulbasaur watched them go. He glanced at Melanie while she made sure everybody was okay. It was standard practice; Bulbasaur would only allow himself to be checked after he saw that nobody got hurt.

"Weepinbell, Caterpie, Staryu…? Okay. Bulba-" Melanie froze when she saw that Bulbasaur had vanished.

Team Rocket ran through the brush, having called back their Pokémon so as to more stealthily move, jumping over the pits they'd exposed earlier. Pikachu still struggled against and zapped the mechanical hand in an effort to get out of its vice grip.

Meowth laughed, "Squirm all ya want, Pikachu! We built dis thing ta hold as tight as a straitjacket!"

"CHUUUUU!" Pikachu zapped the hand again with a Thunderbolt. The electricity traveled down the arm again and Meowth eyed the gauge as it crawled slowly but surely to the latter half of the capacity. Unseen by Pikachu, he worried his bottom lip. The Zap Sapper ordinarily functioned by absorbing electricity and firing it back. It could easily take one of Pikachu's Thunderbolts, and they enlarged the capacity for this invention, but what about several? And with no launching it back out…

Meowth kept his voice smug as he said, "All ya'll do is tire yaself out!"

Pikachu didn't listen and zapped the hand twice more. The needle on the control started trembling as it ventured into the red zone. Meowth started panicking, "I said stop!"

At that point Jessie and James turned around at Meowth's tone and their eyes widened when they saw Pikachu still pouring out electricity and the control starting to spark before Meowth tossed it away and the trio hid among the trees as the controller cracked.

Only a brief flash warned the surrounding forest before a deafening thunderclap sounded and an explosion of electricity surged outward. Once the explosion faded, Pikachu stood panting on the charred ground with the nearby trees scorched black and all of their leaves burned away.

'This is bad…' Pikachu thought. 'I used all of my power to get out of that…'

As darkness fell over the electric mouse's vision, he could only utter in his own tongue, "[Ash… help…]"

Pikachu fell unconscious and the Rocket trio peeked out from their hiding places. They eyed the damage Pikachu had done and Meowth said, "Dang, gonna hafta upgrade da capacitors if Pikachu's packin' dis kinda heat."

James took out a pair of rubber gloves, "Regardless, if it's unconscious, standard insulation will be enough."

As they made their way across the charred ground, they heard rustling. Their instincts flared and they tried to make a running grab for Pikachu. But a pair of vines snatched the Electric Pokémon away, causing all three to face-plant on the ground.

They immediately got to their feet and saw Bulbasaur running away with Pikachu, trying to lose them by using the foliage as camouflage. Unfortunately for him, Pikachu's yellow fur stuck out to the criminals.

"Oh, no you don't!" Jessie growled as she threw a Poké Ball. "Beedrill, Swords Dance! Don't let that Bulbasaur get away with our Pikachu!"

The Poison Bee Pokémon appeared and his stingers sharpened into blades. He cut down all of the foliage in a clear path to wherever Bulbasaur ran, even one or two trees, allowing his Trainer and her group to follow.

Bulbasaur glanced back with a frustrated growl. On one hand Pikachu needed help; on the other, if he led these criminals back to the village, he'd be right back where he started with the situation.

Turning around and digging into the ground with his claws, he took a deep breath and blew out a gale wind to push Beedrill away.

"Drill Stinger!" Jessie ordered.

Bulbasaur's eyes widened as Beedrill flew up higher and pointed his stingers forward before spinning straight through the roaring winds.

"Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!"

A brown and pink blur dove into the Seed Pokémon's view. Surrounded by rings of fire-like energy, Pidgeotto crashed into Beedrill beak-first, breaking his momentum and driving him into the ground. Bulbasaur stopped his wind attack in surprise. The Bird Pokémon flew back up and glared at Team Rocket.

"Bulbasaur? Pikachu!" Ash shouted as he and his friends ran in through the trees.

Jessie cursed under her breath and held out her Poké Ball, "Beedrill, return! So, you want to battle for your Pikachu, twer-"

Only the sound of multiple Pokémons' release answered her. Team Rocket suddenly found themselves staring at seven Pokémon, all focused on them. Ash especially looked angry, and would likely forgo any "rules" and have Pidgeotto attack them directly if push came to shove.

The agents begrudgingly took a step back.

"Know this," Jessie warned. "We will steal your Pikachu one day."

"We won't let you get away!" Ash retorted as he stepped forward.

James stepped forward with a Poké Ball, "You won't have a choice. Go, Koffing!"

All of the Pokémon and Trainers focused on the thrown ball, getting ready to attack as soon as Koffing materialized.

James smirked with a metal ring fixed to his middle finger. Pulling his hand back, a cord barely showed in the sunlight. Inside the sphere, a spark ignited and Team Rocket shut their eyes as the disguised flash grenade went off.

While everybody got blinded, Meowth opened his eyes and shot a bunch of Swift stars at Zubat to knock him down and prevent the Pokémon's echolocation from tracking them. (1)

With that done, Team Rocket ran away and headed back towards their balloon nearby. The fact that they'd been so close, but failed anyway stung more than anything else. But they decided not to dwell on it. What mattered most now was to get away to try another day.

By the time Ash's eyes cleared he looked up and saw the Rocket trio in their balloon, he pointed up, "Pidgeotto, pop that balloon!"

"Not this time! Fearow, Whirlwind!" Jessie yelled as she released her own Flying-type. Fearow let out a keening cry as Pidgeotto ascended to attack. Ash got a smile as an idea came to him when Fearow started beating her wings.

"Brock, have Onix anchor us," he whispered before shouting, "Pidgeotto, perch on Onix and use Gust!"

"Onix, form a wind shield with your body!" Brock ordered in turn.

Pidgeotto took his place on Onix's head spike and the Rock Snake Pokémon wrapped his body around the group and their Pokémon. Pidgeotto stirred up his own winds as Fearow tried to overpower them. Soon, a tornado started forming and became self-sustaining from the stronger winds of the two birds.

"Oh…" Jessie muttered.

James' jaw dropped, "No…"

"Looks like we're driftin' wit'out an anchor…" Meowth commented fearfully as the hot air balloon got sucked towards the vortex. The three agents and Fearow screamed as the tornado enveloped their aircraft and barely held onto the basket (and their lunch) as they got spun around inside towards the top.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they shouted while the tornado traveled further away.

Ash and his friends returned to the village after Team Rocket was dealt with. Seeing Bulbasaur all right relieved Melanie greatly. And a quick herbal remedy had Pikachu back on his feet, even if she recommended that he not battle for a day or two.

Ash smiled at the Grass-type, "This village is well-protected with Bulbasaur here. Thanks for saving Pikachu." Bulbasaur smiled back.

Melanie smiled and said, "Ash, don't you agree that Bulbasaur would be an excellent addition to your team?"

"He sure would," Ash agreed. "But I understand."

"I think Bulbasaur should go with you," Melanie suggested. Ash looked at her in surprise, "What? But what about people like Team Rocket?"

"I doubt they'll be back here just for the Pokémon in this village," Melanie replied. "Bulbasaur stayed here to protect the weaker Pokémon, but this village is too small for him to grow properly. He needs to travel the world, and I know you'll take good care of him. Please do me this favor; take Bulbasaur with you on your journey."

Ash looked surprised and Misty asked, "But what will happen to the village without Bulbasaur?"

"Yeah, who's going to protect you?" Brock added.

Melanie shook her head, "It's true that Bulbasaur has done a great job—maybe too great a job. You see, these Pokémon shouldn't stay here forever. After they recover, the Pokémon are supposed to leave. But it's too safe here, so none of them want to. They don't want to return to the outside world. But I think it's important that all of them return to the wild. That's where Pokémon belong. And hopefully, someday they'll find good Trainers like you. Of course taking care of sick Pokémon will always be my mission, but I know my job isn't finished until they return where they came from. So it's the day a Pokémon leaves that is most rewarding to me."

Brock tentatively spoke up, "Melanie, I…"

"See, it's time for Bulbasaur to leave here," Melanie finished. "Please take him with you. He won't be a burden; I promise. Bulbasaur still has a lot of growing to do. I want him to be in a place where I'm sure he can grow strong and happy. I'm sure that place is with you, Ash."

Ash seemed hesitant, but smiled, "Well, if you really want me to, and Bulbasaur's okay with it…"

He glanced at the Seed Pokémon, who turned and said something to Melanie. The caretaker giggled and Ash asked, "What'd he say?"

"Bulbasaur will join you on one condition," Melanie explained. "He wants to battle you in a Pokémon match. Right, Bulbasaur?"

"Bulba, saur," he answered with a nod.

Ash grinned, "Alright! If you want a match, you'll get it!"

Misty turned to Ash, "Oh, please let me battle Bulbasaur? Please! Pretty please!"

"No way!" Ash replied.

Bulbasaur stood at one end of the yard in front of the cabin while Ash's Butterfree fluttered in the air on the other side. Pikachu was on bed rest, so he watched while Misty held him, today's battles and the bridge incident made Pidgeotto too tired to battle and Rattata was simply a poor match to Bulbasaur, his vines surely able to snatch her.

The Pokémon of the village, along with Pikachu and the three humans watched with anticipation to see who would make the first move.

Ash knew that a simple Sleep Powder or Stun Spore would be redirected by Bulbasaur's pseudo-Whirlwind, so he ordered, "Butterfree, Stunning Cyclone!"

Combining Gust with Stun Spore, Butterfree sent a small tornado with streams of yellow powder swirling around in the vortex, but Bulbasaur dodged to the side. While he couldn't get an angle to return the stunning agent to Butterfree without getting whisked away by the tornado himself, he still successfully dodged the attack.

Bulbasaur charged forward with a Tackle attack, but Butterfree fluttered higher, dodging the attack while Bulbasaur skid on the ground to turn around. Two vines sprouted from the bulb on his back and he directed them at Butterfree.

"Reverse Supersonic!"

Butterfree's antennae pointed backwards and released the high-frequency waves. Bulbasaur tried to keep his aim straight but the vines went wide of Butterfree's wings and he wound up hitting himself in his effort to retract them.

Ash smiled, "Now, String Shot!"

"Free!" Silk thread flew from between the tiny fangs in his mouth and Bulbasaur got wrapped up along with his vines. Bulbasaur concentrated and some leaves started shooting out towards the ground, cutting the strings in the process.

"Quick, before he gets free, do a Tackle!" Ash urged.

The Bug-type flitted forward and rammed into Bulbasaur's bound form. As the Seed Pokémon tumbled along the ground, more of the strings came loose, allowing Bulbasaur to move again.

Ash held out his hand, "Butterfree, try another String Shot!"

Butterfree did so and Bulbasaur responded by cutting the silk away with Razor Leaf. The sharp projectiles went on to approach Butterfree, but a beat of his wings made them flutter away.

"Sleeping Gale!"

Ash's Pokémon beat his wings while releasing Sleep Powder and Bulbasaur retaliated with his own wind. The two winds met in the middle, the blue powder scattering towards the cabin and water as each one fought for dominance. But, unlike Butterfree, Bulbasaur's attack relied on his breath, so he tired out and Butterfree's combined attack washed over him.

While the sedative had no effect, Butterfree's wind gradually pushed him back until he rolled and hit a tree with his face. (2)

Ash smiled, "Great job, Butterfree!" He took an empty Poké Ball from his belt, "Now, Poké Ball, go!"

The sphere flew at the toppled Pokémon and opened up after impact, converting Bulbasaur into red energy and encapsulating him. Everybody watched silently as the Poké Ball rocked back and forth slightly. But soon, the button stopped glowing and Ash smiled again.

"All right! We caught Bulbasaur!"

Butterfree perched on Ash's hat with a "Free!" and Ash laughed while looking up at the butterfly.

Once Ash and his friends were ready to go, Ash let Bulbasaur out to say his goodbyes, promising Melanie that he'd take good care of him. Once on the road, Brock was slightly depressed that Melanie apparently didn't see him the way he saw her.

Bulbasaur looked back at the village while they left, worried about the Pokémon.

"Don't worry, Bulbasaur," Ash reassured. "You'll see your friends again. Once they're better they'll leave and find Trainers and we'll be sure to meet them on our travels."

Bulbasaur smiled softly, "Saur…"

Misty fell into step next to Brock, speaking up abruptly, "So, what did Melanie say when you told her you loved her? Did you kiss her goodbye?"

Brock covered Misty's mouth with a blush, "That's enough stupid questions! Alright, I get it, she's cute, but will you please stop embarrassing me?!"

"Uh… Did I miss something?" the young boy asked his friends.

Team Rocket landed their balloon, only having been freed from the tornado mere moments ago. Jessie grumbled darkly as she took a brush to her long hair, the single curl split into many that stuck out in wild directions.

"We…! Were…! So…! CLOSE!" Jessie shouted, punctuating each word with an aggressive sweep through her locks that made James wince from how many knots sounded like they strained against her ministrations. "That…! Stupid…! Bulbasaur…!"

James knew better than to tell her to calm down, so instead he said, "We'll just have to adjust our plans. Get Pikachu away from the twerps again, but use something different. Something that doesn't absorb its power, but negates it…" He hit his fist into his palm with inspiration, "Rubber!"

"How is dat supposed ta work?" Meowth asked.

James wagged his finger, "All great inventions start from inspiration. Instead of using something that we have, let's make something especially for catching Pikachu! Something with rubber that'll render it helpless."

"And protect us, don't forget!" Meowth added.

James nodded, "Right, on that note, I think we should use some of that R&D funding to make some fireproof uniforms. You never know when you might need some."

"Da twoip don't got a Fire-type," Meowth retorted. "Why would we need somethin' like dat?"

"You never really know," James countered.

Jessie suddenly stood next to them, "Let's go back to the plan to catch Pikachu. Rubber, you said?"

The other two agents checked her to make sure she wouldn't spit fire at them. Hair, check. Make-up, check. They both nodded and the trio brainstormed into the night.

It's good to be back! Also, oh my gosh! I remember early in the story I could fit one-and-a-half to two episodes in a chapter. Now a single episode takes up an entire chapter!

Notes:

1. In my mind, the reason Meowth has a history of taking down superior opponents with just Scratch, Bite and Fury Swipes is because he has the ability Technician. Swift fits into the category of moves powered up by said ability, and that's without factoring STAB.

2. Edit: Bulbasaur is a Grass-type, and thus is not affected by powder moves. I had forgotten to include that here, even though I wound up incorporating it later.

See you when I see you.

-AJ203