A/N: This chapter came out early but for a reason. There is an important author's note at the bottom of this chapter so please read it.
I took another one of my...risks...as you guys like to call it in this chapter. However, in the world of Pokemon, I have to explore all its aspects for this story to truly stand out...sort of like I did with Mareep's illness.
Enjoy the chapter
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.
Chapter Twenty Six: Release and Reunion
The group was in high spirits. Just two nights prior, they had the best night of their lives in quite a while. It was filled with good times for them all. It was times like that they wished could stay with them a lot longer but life calls, and thus they must move on. That being said, it was a night a lot of them would remember for a long time.
Brock had been ecstatic when they said goodbye to Suzy the next morning. She had actually given Brock her Pokegear number so he could call her whenever he wished. The tanned Pokemon breeder responded by almost fainting once again, but Ash was there to catch him this time to prevent him from doing so.
The rest of them weren't quite sure what to make of Brock and Suzy now. They thought Suzy just liked Brock as a friend, but they didn't know what to think after they learned Suzy kissed him. Ash and Serena heard about it when Misty told them that morning. They were just as surprised as she was.
XXX
"Man, Brock. You sure look happy today. Was watching the Pokemon breeding competition with Suzy that great?" Ash questioned.
"Mnnnn," Brock mumbled.
Brock had his elbows propped up on the table while holding his head in his hands. He was just staring at seemingly nothing and grinning ear to ear. Ash was looking at him in concern while Serena wasn't paying too much attention. She was slowly stirring her cereal around in a circle with her spoon but not eating it. She was still thinking about the incredible night she had with Ash.
While the raven-haired boy enjoyed it just as much as Serena, it had more impact on Serena. She was in pure bliss last night. Even though it was late, the moments made it worth the wait. Ash sure was romantic when he needed to be.
"Well, did you and Suzy do anything else?" Ash pried as he took a sip of orange juice.
"Suzy kissed him," Misty said finally once she realized Brock wouldn't talk.
Ash almost spit out his orange juice once Misty said that and coughed violently for a little bit. Pikachu's ears perked up as it stared in surprise at Brock. Even Serena had snapped out of her dreamlike state to look at Brock. Well, that was something new! A girl actually kissed him and not just to make a bruise feel better like Whitney had!
"Brock, Suzy actually kissed you!?" Ash exclaimed.
"Heheheheheheheheh," Brock chuckled instead without looking at Ash. It was clear he wasn't going to get out of this state for quite a while.
XXX
Still, with as great a time as Brock had, it was Ash and Serena who had the best night of all of them. The balloon ride had been absolutely great. The temperature and clear night were perfect for the evening to take place. Besides the conductor of the hot air balloon, who respected their privacy and was turned away the entire time, it was just them up there.
Not to mention, their first real, meaningful kiss since the end of the Kanto League happened that night, too. If anything, it only reaffirmed how much Ash and Serena cared for each other. Afterwards, Ash had brought Serena to her room, and they shared one last kiss before retreating for the night. It had been truly wonderful.
Now, as the group was walking, it was time to move on. They were leaving Goldenrod City behind them and were now heading to Ecruteak City. Brock was looking at the guidebook and appeared interested in something. He then looked up from it and called out the rest of the group.
"Hey guys. We're approaching something that I think might be interesting," Brock said.
"What is it?" Ash wondered.
"A bug catching contest. According to the guidebook, there should be one today. The winner wins a Sun Stone and can keep the bug Pokemon they caught," Brock smiled.
"B-b-bug?" Misty stuttered.
"Awesome! Count me in!" Ash stated without even thinking twice about it.
"H-hold on. Do we really have to do that? I mean…don't you already have a nice bug Pokemon in Heracross?" Misty asked hopefully. "Not to mention, Serena has Scyther, and Brock has Pineco."
"No way! If I want to be a Pokemon Master, I can't just settle on one bug-type! I bet there are several cool ones in there that we haven't seen yet!" Ash rebutted.
"You don't have to participate with us, Misty," Serena told her.
"I know…it's just…I'll be around them and…," Misty started but soon realized her arguments weren't good enough. She finally relented with a sigh. "Fine."
"Great! Which way, Brock!?" Ash asked in excitement.
"It's held in the Johto National Park," Brock answered. "If we keep on this path, we should run right into it."
"Awesome! Let's go!" Ash decided as he took off.
Serena and Brock weren't too far behind him as they ran, too. Misty, however, hung back for just a moment. She took a quick glance to her right and her left before she went after them. If there was a bug catching contest in the vicinity, a bug Pokemon could jump out and murder her at a moment's notice. There was no way she was going to stay back behind them by herself.
It only took the group about ten minutes to reach the park from where they were at. As they approached, they could see a large archway which must've been the entrance. Already, they could see a group of kids and teenagers lined up to participate.
As they went under the archway, they could see a notice beside it. Apparently, the bug catching contest didn't begin for another hour. That was okay, though. That gave them plenty of time to register and relax in the rest house a little bit before they began. They actually made really good time. With that, they got in line and awaited their turn to register.
Ash leaned to the side so he could get a good look at how many people were ahead of him. It would also give him a good idea about the number of contestants here. Clearly, there were a lot, but it was definitely reasonable. The bug catching contest was held several times year. If it was only an annual event, this place would probably be as packed as Goldenrod City was.
As Ash looked ahead, he spotted a very familiar hat on top of one of the people not too far ahead of him. Ash's eyes widened as he looked at the person next the boy in the cap and saw light blue hair in pigtails. Now convinced of who it was, Ash raised one of his hands in a wave and called out the boy and girl a few people ahead of him.
"Heeeeeey!" Ash called.
The shout out got the attention of Serena, Misty, and Brock. They looked so they could see who Ash was yelling at, too. Once they saw who it was, they gave a wide smile, too. The boy, meanwhile, appeared to have been the only one who heard Ash. He turned around, and his eyes lit up once he saw Ash. It was none other than Jimmy, the boy whom the group, especially Ash, befriended at the start of their Johto adventure and whose dad trained under his dad. Beside him was Marina, the bubbly girl whom Serena had talked with nonstop about Pokemon Performances.
Jimmy immediately got out of his place in line and hurried over to the group. Marina turned around and saw Jimmy running off and got somewhat annoyed look on her face.
"Where are you going, Jimmy? We'll lose our place in line!" Marina called after him.
"It's Ash and the others, Marina!" Jimmy yelled back.
Upon hearing that, Marina looked and indeed saw Jimmy running to the group. Marina gave a big smile herself and also left her place in line to go after Jimmy. The black-haired boy soon reached the group, and Jimmy outstretched his hand and gave them all a thumbs up.
"What's up, guys? Man, it's been a while!" Jimmy smiled.
"It sure has!" Ash agreed as he returned the gesture.
Marina came up soon afterward, and she and Serena gave each other a hug. Marina then proceeded to give Ash a hug, followed by Misty and then Brock. Jimmy chuckled that Marina had to give a hug to every friend she saw on their travels. He always just settled for high fives or thumbs up which wasn't too different from Ash.
"Oh, my gosh! How are all of you!?" Marina cried once she finished hugging everyone and also looked at Pikachu and Togepi. "And how about you cuties!"
"Pika!" Pikachu answered in the affirmative.
"Toge!" Togepi laughed.
"We've been doing great! What about you two?" Serena questioned.
"See for yourself!" Jimmy replied as he pulled his badge case out and showed the group two badges. "I've already collected two badges! I trained hard and beat Falkner my first try. We then went to Ecruteak City, and I faced the gym leader there. He was really tough, but I still managed to beat him!"
"That's awesome, Jimmy! Wait to go!" Ash approved with a nod.
"How many badges have you gotten, Ash?" Jimmy wondered.
"I just got my third from Goldenrod City," Ash answered as he opened the inside of his jacket to show Jimmy and Marina. "We just left there and are heading to Ecruteak City."
"Man. I've only been to Goldenrod City once, but I hear that place is crazy. We were on our way there, and Marina's been really anxious to see it," Jimmy noted.
"Speaking of which, I won my first performance in Goldenrod City, Marina!" Serena grinned.
"How super cool! I'm so happy for you, darling!" Marina cooed as she gave Serena another hug. "I've been practicing really hard so I can win, too!"
"I know she'll be awesome," Jimmy stated.
Marina blushed lightly at Jimmy's comment which didn't go unnoticed by the group. Apparently, the relationship had been growing in the time they've spent together. There was just something about traveling together which seemed to bloom romance. It happened with Ash and Serena, after all. If they weren't mistaken, there was probably something going on with Gary and Leaf, too, but they would never admit to it.
"So I take it you guys are here to enter the bug catching contest, too?" Jimmy guessed as he switched topics.
"I'm so in!" Ash decided.
"Me, too!" Serena nodded.
"Eheheheh. Count me out," Misty said.
"I'll be happy just watching. Besides, I can stay and keep Misty some company," Brock replied before he added as a joke, "Who knows if there are any scary bug-types to get her while she's there."
"Brock!" Misty cried, but she didn't deny what he said.
"Well, I guess that means the four of us will be competing. Just look out because I'm gonna win this one!" Jimmy claimed.
"Ha! That won't happen because I'll win!" Ash replied.
"In your dreams, Ash! You may be the better trainer, but I'm taking my Cyndaquil with me into this contest, and it'll catch me some awesome bug-types!" Jimmy argued.
"I'm bringing Pikachu with me, and it's not going to let me down!" Ash rebutted.
"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.
The rest of the group watched two competitive boys, and Marina let out a light giggle. As long as Ash was around, Jimmy would always try his best. Jimmy and Marina didn't know it, but this situation wasn't too different from Ash and Gary. Marina then turned to Serena and held out her hand.
"Well, may the best bug catcher win," she said. "I'm just here to hopefully catch a Pinsir. I could use a tough Pokemon on my team since none of them are evolved yet."
"Right!" Serena agreed and shook Marina's hand.
"Now why can't you and Jimmy be like that, Ash?" Misty asked.
"Because we're going to win!" they both answered at the same time.
The two boys then looked at each other and gave a hearty laugh. They weren't totally serious about wanting to beat each other that badly. Jimmy was grateful to Ash for showing him the ropes, and they had a friendly rivalry with each other. This would be their first actual competition against each other so it would be a good way for them to know their status as a trainer when compared to each other.
Ash, Jimmy, Serena, and Marina were lined up outside the park limits with about thirty other kids or teenagers who would be competing in the contest. Brock and Misty were in the rest house and would be watching the contest from a large projector, and Togepi was with them. The group all had the Pokemon they would be using out. Ash was using Pikachu. Jimmy was using Cyndaquil. Marina was using Totodile, and to Ash's surprise, Serena was using Teddiursa.
As Ash saw the little bear Pokemon standing by Serena's side, he couldn't help but question her choice a little. Teddiursa had given more than its fair share of trouble, and Serena even considered releasing it on one occasion. It was ten times worse than Poliwhirl. While Poliwhirl was a prankster and a troll, Teddiursa was just…well…an unkind word.
"Uhh…Serena? Are you sure it's a good idea to use Teddiursa?" Ash wondered as he gave a suspicious look to the little bear Pokemon who was whistling innocently by Serena.
"I'm sure. I think Teddiursa and I could really use a trust exercise like this," Serena said before she turned to Teddiursa, "And you better behave yourself, too. We're here to win this contest and not cause trouble."
"I think this Teddiursa is adorable!" Marina cried as she crouched down and hugged the little bear Pokemon.
"Urrr," Teddiursa said as it looked at it looked up at Marina with its charming eyes which caused her to squeal in delight.
"Don't be fooled, Marina. Teddiursa isn't as innocent as it appears to be," Serena muttered as she glared at Teddiursa for trying to charm Marina.
"Ur," Teddiursa growled at Serena for telling on it and walked back to her side where it crossed its arms.
"If you're going to have a bad attitude, I'll simply use another Pokemon for this contest," Serena told it.
Teddiursa immediately lost its cross expression and smiled really wide before it used its charming eyes on Serena. This was the first time since it was caught that Serena was using it for something. If it screwed up, it wouldn't be out of that dang pokeball for a long time. The honey-blonde haired girl wasn't fooled by its act, but at least it wasn't acting like a brat anymore. She rolled her eyes and turned away from it. Once she turned away, Teddiursa narrowed its eyes. It'll show her for embarrassing it. As long as it wasn't caught in the act that is.
"Whatever," Serena mumbled.
Ash and Pikachu worriedly glanced back from Serena to Teddiursa. Just to be on the safe side, maybe they better stay with Serena at all times. While they were sure the girl would be fine on her own, they wouldn't put it past Teddiursa to sabotage the other trainers which would get her disqualified. It was just more trouble than it was worth. Serena noticed their expressions and gave them a reassuring look.
"I'll be fine. I'd sooner quit the contest before I let Teddiursa do anything," Serena said.
"That's what I'm afraid of," Ash replied.
"Is Teddiursa really that much trouble?" Jimmy asked as he watched the seemingly innocent Pokemon.
"You have no idea," Serena said.
Teddiursa glared as it watched Ash and Serena badmouth it. Okay. Well, everything they said was true, but that still didn't mean Teddiursa had to like it. If it wasn't Serena's Pokemon, it would show them just what a troublemaker it could be right now. However, Serena had proven that she was stronger than it was, and she would really let Teddiursa have it if it messed up. The best thing it could do was just go along with this contest. It could help her win the contest through its own means. Teddiursa didn't like Serena, and she didn't seem to like it either, but she kept it fed. Free meals were the reason Teddiursa followed them in the first place. It wasn't like she would ever do anything unexpected to it, after all.
Ash then decided to take his mind away from Serena's Teddiursa and instead looked at Jimmy's Cyndaquil. In contrast to his own, this one already had the flame on its back lit and was ready to compete. Ash suddenly had a mental image of his own Cyndaquil not having its back lit and taking nap complete with a snot bubble before the contest began. Maybe he should introduce his Cyndaquil to Jimmy's if they had time after the contest.
"Okay, everyone! If I can have your attention, I will now explain the rules of the bug catching contest!" the host said as he got on a small stage in front of everyone. "Trainers are only allowed to use one Pokemon each, and to catch a bug Pokemon for this contest, you must use a one of these special park balls."
Everyone looked at the special pokeball as the man held it up. It was the same size as a regular pokeball and was green on top and had what looked like bug wings coming from the button. The group wasn't quite sure how these park balls were different from regular pokeballs, but they would roll with it. It's not like it was a big deal.
"Also, trainers can only have one park ball each and can only catch one bug Pokemon at a time. Keep trying until you think you have a winner! Our judging committee will decide who wins when the time is up!" the man continued.
At that time, another man came by with a box and began handing out the park balls to all the participants. The fact that they could only have one made it slightly difficult. There wasn't unlimited catching so they would have to release a previous capture in order to try for a new one. Once everyone got their own park ball, the host then raised his hands.
"Is everyone ready?" he asked and received a nod from the participants. "In that case, the bug catching contest begins now! Go!"
With that, all of the participants dispersed in varying directions. Ash and Jimmy were ahead of everyone else as they wanted to be the first to try to find any Pokemon they came across. In contrast, Serena and Marina were casually walking behind most of the group. They believed that if they waited and were the last ones in the area and patient, something good would jump out at them.
Meanwhile, Brock and Misty were inside the rest house, and they had seen everyone take off. Brock was looking on in interest while Misty was looking slightly nervous. She was trying to distract herself by playing with Togepi which didn't go unnoticed by Brock. He turned and sighed at the redhead.
"You know there aren't going to be any bug Pokemon in here, right?" he asked.
"Of course I know that, but that doesn't mean they won't be on the projector" Misty muttered as she looked up. Right on cue, a close up of a Weedle a trainer had run into appeared on the screen. "Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!"
"Relax, Misty. It can't get us from there," Brock reassured.
"Yeah, but it's in high definition so it's just as bad as seeing a bug Pokemon in person," Misty grimaced.
Brock frowned and went back to watching the bug catching contest. Well, everyone could at least count on him to watch them.
Serena and Teddiursa were walking side by side as they explored the park. So far, they hadn't come across anything remarkable. They had seen only a single Caterpie but didn't bother to get it as they knew it wouldn't win them the contest. Though the two hadn't spoken a word to each other since they started the contest, Serena knew she would have to break the silence sooner or later. It was the only way she could bond with Teddiursa.
"Sooooooo…," Serena started as she tried to start a conversation. What would she say to this little jerk anyway? She had to think about it as the automatic words would be pretty negative.
"Nice weather, huh?" Serena started lamely.
Serena didn't really get to start a conversation as Teddiursa snorted and turned away from Serena to show it had no intention of talking to her. Serena glared and stopped which made Teddiursa stop, too. Serena placed her hands on her hips and stared down at the little bear Pokemon.
"What is with you and that attitude? I'm actually trying to talk to you, and have to act like a jerk! Do you have any redeemable feature about you?!" Serena cried.
"Urrrr," Teddiursa said as it gave Serena its charming eyes just to mock her.
"Fine. You're cute on the outside, but you're inside is completely rotten!" Serena shouted.
She should've traded Teddiursa away while she had the chance at the trading festival. The therapy session did very little for it. Though it and Poliwhirl were on slightly better terms, the same couldn't be said for Serena and the rest of the Pokemon. The truth was all of the Pokemon disliked it, even Pikachu and Totodile who tried to befriend everyone. Teddiursa didn't like them, either. Serena just had to face the fact that Teddiursa didn't fit with their team. It was too much of a…whatever. If Teddiursa couldn't get any better, Serena would only have one choice which she didn't like.
"You're impossible," Serena cried as she turned away from Teddiursa but soon spotted something in front of her.
A Pinsir was in a patch of tall grass with its back to them. It appeared to be foraging around for some food. Serena smiled that it seemed to be distracted so it would be easier to catch. A Pinsir was sure to earn her some great points. However, that would mean she would have to work together with Teddiursa which was something she wasn't looking forward to doing.
"Alright, Teddiursa, let's…what are you doing?!" Serena cried.
Teddiursa had picked up a rather large rock in its paws and took aim at the Pinsir. Serena's eyes widened in horror as she saw the little bear Pokemon chuck the rock at Pinsir as hard as it could. The stone flew through the air and struck Pinsir right in the back of the head. Serena gasped as she put her hand over her mouth as she knew this wouldn't end well.
Sure enough, Pinsir turned around and appeared to have a glint in its eye as it saw Serena and Teddiursa. So it was these two that had disturbed it and pulled a sneak attack? Serena was about to apologize until she noticed that Pinsir was especially staring angrily at her. Serena understand until she turned to the side and saw that Teddiursa was pointing its paw at her to indicate she was the one who threw the rock. That little turd!
Serena turned back to the angry Pinsir and waved her hands in front of her face frantically. "No! No! It wasn't me! Honest!"
Pinsir narrowed its eyes at Serena suspiciously, but it seemed to decide to let the matter go as it turned back around to forage for food. Serena sighed in relief that the Pinsir was understanding...at least more than Teddiursa. She turned and was about to give Teddiursa a piece of her mind but stopped when she saw Teddiursa already had another stone in its hand to throw at Pinsir.
"Don't do it!" Serena screeched.
Teddiursa didn't listen, though. If Serena wanted to win this bug catching contest, only it had to remain healthy. If it was too weak to battle, Serena wouldn't be able to catch anything. By throwing these stones, it could cause enough damage for its trainer to catch them. So what if it blamed her? She wasn't the one who had the guts to throw stones in the first place.
The stone flew through the air once more, and Teddiursa smirked when it struck Pinsir again. Like last time, the bug Pokemon turned around angrily to see who did it. Teddiursa prepared to point at Serena again, but this time it cried out in surprise when it saw Serena was already pointing her finger at it! Teddiursa got a panicked look on its face as the Pinsir sprung out of the grass and clicked its pincers angrily at it.
Teddiursa knew it was in deep trouble if it didn't split. It turned around and ran away as fast as it could. Pinser's instincts took over, and it chased after Teddiursa with the intent to teach it a lesson for throwing rocks at it. Though Teddiursa had shown the girl was to blame the first time, Pinser had a sneaking suspicion it was lying.
Serena watched as Pinsir completely bypassed her without a glance. Its sights were to only catch Teddiursa and leave her alone. Though Serena knew Teddiursa deserved this, she decided to follow after them to see what would happen. Teddiursa was still her Pokemon. With that, Serena took after them but suddenly had weird thought that entered her mind if she and the rest of them would be better off without Teddiursa.
Teddiursa continued running fleeing the trail as the Pinsir gave chase. Though Teddiursa was fast, Pinsir was faster, and it was gaining on it. The little bear Pokemon soon cried out once it hit a dead end of trees in front of it. They were too dense for it to fit through! It had nowhere to go! Teddiursa spun around and gulped when the Pinsir leaped into the clearing and blocked all forms of exit.
Teddiursa took a few steps back out reflex as the Pinsir crept closer. Teddiursa shot a Swift attack at Pinsir to protect itself and keep it back. The star shapes struck Pinsir, and it grimaced in annoyance before it once again resumed its hunt for blood. If anything, Teddiursa only made it angrier than it was. It was toast if something wasn't done!
Teddiursa then saw Serena come in behind Pinsir into the clearing, and it actually smiled in relief. Teddiursa immediately cried out for help, but it was surprised when Serena didn't do anything! She was just watching with an unreadable expression on her face as if wondering what she should do. Teddiursa once again cried out for Serena to help it as Pinsir got closer. This was the perfect time for her to throw the park ball and capture Pinsir while it was distracted, after all!
"Teddiursa!" it wailed to Serena as the Pinsir was almost upon it now. It looked pleadingly at Serena for help. Surely she didn't think it deserved to be mauled by this Pinsir. It was a snot for sure, but this?!
Serena watched the scene in front of her. One side of her was telling her that Teddiursa deserved this. It was nothing but trouble since she caught it. Teddiursa was always rude and hateful and was such a fake to get what it wants. It was the equivalent of a rotten, spoiled, hateful brat. Maybe she should just turn away and let Pinsir deal with it. Teddiursa shouldn't be her problem anymore.
Still, the nicer side which usually won out was telling her to help Teddiursa. It was bad and had no redeemable qualities, but it was still her Pokemon, and she was its trainer. She had a responsibility to love and care for all of her Pokemon, and she did. However, Teddiursa was just an extremely difficult Pokemon to love.
While she could recall at least a couple of happy instances with her Pokemon, even Poliwhirl, the same couldn't be said for Teddiursa. The fact that it was her newest Pokemon was no excuse. When Serena originally decided to capture Teddiursa, she thought she could teach it some discipline, and coupled with the psychology lesson would help it change its ways. However, that didn't work. Serena even wanted to use it in this contest so they could try to work together to win so they could be closer, but all Teddiursa did was cause trouble and be a jerk the whole time.
Was Teddiursa just a hindrance to her and the rest of the group? Would they be sad if she released it? The answer of course was no, and neither would she. Teddiursa wouldn't miss them, either. It's made it quite clear it loathed being with them on multiple occasions, and she's only had it for a couple of weeks! The truth was Teddiursa just wasn't right for her or anyone else in their group. Things don't always sometimes work out the way you want them, too, but it's for the best. Serena's clutched the park ball in her hand as she made her decision.
Teddiursa screamed in panic as the Pinsir lunged forward. The little bear Pokemon threw its hands over its head to protect it as best as it could, but soon saw it didn't have to. A park ball struck the Pinsir from behind and opened up. Pinsir halted its advance and turned inquisitively just before the park ball sucked it inside. It then fell to the ground and shook back and forth as Pinsir struggled to break free. After a moment, it dinged to show the capture had been made.
Teddiursa watched nervously as Serena walked over and picked up her capture. She stared at the park ball for a moment before she sighed and shifted her attention to Teddiursa. The little bear Pokemon grimaced as it was probably in for it now. Still, whatever she had in store for it, Teddiursa would take. She did just save it, after all.
"Are you alright?" Serena asked she knelt down and was eye level with Teddiursa.
Teddiursa's eyes widened. She was actually concerned about its well-being after it purposely provoked a Pinsir and tried to blame her?! It could've been her who was being chased, and Teddiursa knew it would've probably laughed at the scene. Then when they were both worn out, Teddiursa would go in for the capture, but instead the roles were reversed and it was chased.
Guilt started to well up inside Teddiursa as it analyzed Serena's character. She actually really was a nice person, and it was an absolute scum bag. It was a liar, a cheater, lewd, crude, and just about every unlikable quality something could have. She didn't owe it anything, but she still saved it, and it wasn't just to capture Pinsir. Serena captured the Pinsir to save it. Teddiursa began to think maybe it had it pretty nice with Serena afterward.
They never got along, but she still fed it and gave it shelter. These were things Teddiursa never had when it was a wild Pokemon. It always had to mooch off of others…just like it had with Serena and the rest of her group when it first met them. It was then captured by them which it absolutely hated. It was too focused on what it had lost rather than what it gained and was determined to let the group know it. All that, and Serena was still concerned for its well-being.
Teddiursa felt conflicted as it actually felt itself growing to like Serena. Maybe it could handle being her Pokemon after all. No. It would handle it. Teddiursa had gained a lot since it was captured by Serena…especially a home. Teddiursa knew it wouldn't kill it to be nice to Serena from now on and show her its gratitude. It could turn over a new leaf, or at least not act like a snot all the time and listen to Serena whenever she tells it something. Their relationship could go from there.
Teddiursa then noticed that Serena was still watching it and awaiting an answer. Not wanting to make her wait anymore, Teddiursa nodded its head.
"Ursa," it replied shyly.
"That's good," Serena replied and took out Teddiursa's pokeball. She had her eyes closed and appeared to not want to see what she was doing.
Teddiursa hung its head. Okay. It was ready to work with Serena for the rest of the bug catching contest and help her win for real, but it was being sent back to its pokeball. It lost its chance and had misbehaved again, but Teddiursa would accept it. The little bear Pokemon figured it would just have to prove its loyalty to Serena the next opportunity she gave it. Teddiursa would prove that it could change.
That's when it gave a cry of surprise when Serena hurled Teddiursa's pokeball to the ground with all her might, and it shattered on impact.
Teddiursa felt like it had been punched in the stomach several times when Serena did that. It couldn't believe what had just happened. Serena just shattered its pokeball! Didn't that mean that she was…releasing it?! Teddiursa looked up and saw Serena exhale deeply that she had done what she did.
"This is the best for both of us, Teddiursa," Serena said. "When I first captured you, I thought you could change, and that we could work as a team. I realize now it was just arrogant of me to think that. Not even the therapy session helped."
Teddiursa's eyes shot up in alarm. It struggled to say something to Serena. It wanted to let her know that it could change. Sure, it was a jerk the entire time she'd had it, and not once did it show any gratefulness for what she'd done for it. She even gave it a chance to use it in a contest, and it could've been her who was almost hurt because of its nature. Teddiursa regretted that now! It wanted to stay with Serena and prove its loyalty now!
"It was unfair to you, too," Serena continued as her voice shook a little bit. "You never wanted to be my Pokemon, and you caused trouble for me each day. The fact that you purposely tried to put me in danger proved it. You caused trouble for all the other Pokemon, too. You never even attempted to be anybody's friend."
Fine! That was true, but that was in the past now! Teddiursa wanted to shout at Serena that it didn't feel that way anymore! It only just now realized it liked being with Serena! However, Teddiursa kept choking on its own words because it was in such shock from what Serena had done. Serena took Teddiursa's silence as cue to keep going.
"I'm sorry. I never should've tried to capture you and force you to be my Pokemon when you didn't want to be. Now you don't have to be. You're free to go. I'm releasing you. At least here you'll be in a Pokemon reserve park," Serena finished as she stood up. "Goodbye. I hope one day you'll find a trainer who's good enough for you."
"Teddiursa!" Teddiursa finally cried out.
She was good enough for it! Teddiursa wanted to be with her! Teddiursa ran up to Serena and clung to her leg. It then looked up and gave its charming eyes to Serena. However, that had the opposite effect on Serena that Teddiursa had intended. Serena's tired expression morphed into a glare.
"Please just stop it. No one buys your fake cutesy poo act anymore," Serena told it, and with that, she shook Teddiursa off her leg and hurried away.
As Serena left, she began to think of the times she and Teddiursa had shared. She struggled to find at least one good time that would cause her to change her mind and turn back around to retrieve Teddiursa. She couldn't find anything, though. They were all bad. It just didn't fit on their team or wanted to be her Pokemon. It was for the best. It was that thought that kept Serena going, and she never once looked back to Teddiursa.
Teddiursa fell on its behind as it watched Serena leave. It couldn't believe this had just happened. Serena had actually released it, but that couldn't be true. Teddiursa waited for about a minute seeing if…hoping if Serena would return and say she was just kidding.
The little bear Pokemon realized how ridiculous that would be. Serena wasn't cruel enough to play a joke like that…like it was. Teddiursa looked down at the ground, still trying to process it and not wanting to believe it was actually left alone now. It wanted to run after Serena and tell her it wanted to be her Pokemon and not be wild anymore, but it didn't move.
It had been a terrible Pokemon to Serena. It wanted to change now, but it was too late. Teddiursa had reaped what it sowed. The first real tears in a very long time started to fall from Teddiursa's face as it realized it would never get another chance to prove itself. It had screwed up terribly. Now what was it supposed do? Serena…please come back to it.
"Ursa," it whimpered.
"Okay, Pikachu. We'll just get a little closer," Ash whispered to the yellow rodent.
"Chuuu," Pikachu responded quietly.
They had just stumbled upon a Scyther. If they could capture this one, it would be a winner for sure. It looked pretty tough, but that wasn't to undermine all the other Scyther that Ash had seen in his travels, especially Serena's and Tracey's. All Scyther just looked tough to begin with.
Ash was as quiet as he could as he crept closer with Pikachu right at his side. When the timing was right, Ash would order a Thunderbolt, and he would throw the park ball. Hopefully, Scyther would be theirs and wouldn't break out. If it did, run like heck because it would be ticked.
Pikachu was charging up, and Ash was just about to order Pikachu to attack when great misfortune struck. The Scyther happened to turn around, and Ash froze as did Pikachu. Did this Scyther have some sort of sixth sense? How did it know they were behind it? Not only that, but Scyther seemed to have a pretty good idea of what they were going to do. It glanced back and forth from the park ball in Ash's hands to the Pikachu next to him who was frozen in attack animation. The Scyther then got an angry expression on its face and hacked the tall grass beside it to bits.
"Scyther!" it cried angrily.
"Uhh…let's get out of here, Pikachu!" Ash yelled.
"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.
With that, they turned around and began running away as fast as they could while the angry Scyther gave chase. They passed by a couple of trainers who looked inquisitively only to leap out of the way just before Scyther mowed them down. Ash glanced behind him to see several trainers giving him confused glances before he flashed an apologetic look and kept running.
"Why do Scyther hate me!?" Ash yelled.
With the exception of Tracey's, Ash always seemed to have a bad experience when it came to a Scyther. It was as if fate was telling him he wasn't allowed to get one. It was so cruel.
Wait. What was he doing running away?! He was Ash Ketchum and a future Pokemon Master. He wasn't going to let a ticked off Scyther stop him. He was just going to beat it. Ash turned around stood right in Scyther's way as it got closer. Pikachu stopped, too, and stood by Ash's side. He was just about to order Pikachu to attack when another surprise happened.
A flutter of wings came up from behind Ash and flew past him before spraying out a pollen. It must have been Stun Spore as Scyther screeched to a halt once it entered the powder. It got a strained expression on its face before it turned around and flew away. Chasing this human and his Pikachu weren't worth if it was going to get a face full of Stun Spore.
Ash watched the Scyther leave and looked up at the flutter of wings in front of him that had jumped in to save him. Ash smiled broadly when he saw it was a Butterfree which would be another winner. He may not get Scyther, but he would get this Butterfree! It had to be friendly, too, if it tried to save him. Ash held up his park ball to the throw at the Butterfree but stopped when the Butterfree turned around.
As soon as it did, the Butterfree flew straight at Ash and tackled him. Ash and Pikachu both cried out as they thought Butterfree was attacking him. Pikachu charged up a Thunderbolt, but it stopped when it saw the Butterfree wasn't harming Ash. It was hugging him! Ash shook his head of the dizziness from being knocked over and wondered what on Earth this Butterfree was doing. He then noticed something around its neck, and his eyes lit up in remembrance.
It was a yellow ribbon.
XXX
Ash then stood up and looked down so the brim of his hat was covering his eyes.
"Good bye, Butterfree," he muttered. He didn't realize it, but a few tears were beginning to come to his eyes.
"I'm sure your babies will be beautiful," Serena said while smiling to Butterfree.
"Best of luck to both of you," Brock added.
"You two will have such a happy life together," Misty finished.
The pink Butterfree then left the cliff and flew into the air to wait for Ash's Butterfree.
"Freee?" Butterfree asked as it looked up sadly at Ash.
"Don't worry. I'll just tell the other Pokemon that you went on a trip, and maybe you will come back some day," Ash replied.
Pikachu then went up to Butterfree and shook its hand. Pikachu then went on to tell Buttefree that it knew Butterfree would be able to achieve its dream, which caused Butterfree to smile.
"Well, you don't want to keep your mate waiting, do you?" Ash told it, attempting a smile.
Butterfree nodded as it flew into the air with the pink Butterfree. They then turned around and began to fly into the sunset with the other Butterfree. Ash's Butterfree was taking several looks back.
"Bye bye, Butterfree!" Misty, Brock, and Serena called.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu waved.
As Ash watched Butterfree leave, he began recalling all that he and Butterfree had been through together. He remembered how he first captured it as a Caterpie after it freaked out Misty. He remembered how as a Metapod, it won a fight against Samurai's Metapod and protected him from a Beedrill. He remembered its great battles in the Pewter and Cerulean gyms. He really would miss Butterfree, but he also knew that this is what Butterfree really wanted: to start a family of its own, and that was enough for Ash.
"Butterfree…," Ash trailed as tears began fall from his eyes.
"Hey, Ash. Butterfree is almost out of sight," Serena told him.
Upon hearing this, Ash snapped out of his thoughts and ran towards the edge of the cliff.
"Take care, Butterfree! Good luck, buddy!" he called.
Butterfree heard its trainer's voice and looked backwards again to see Ash waving at it.
"I'll always remember you! Thank you for everything! Good bye, Butterfree!" Ash yelled.
Ash's Butterfree began to have tears streaming down its eyes, too. It had many great memories with Ash. It could never have become the Butterfree it had today without Ash. It could not have asked for a better trainer. Hopefully, it would see Ash again someday. With a final nod and wave to Ash, Butterfree turned around and fought the urge to look back again.
The last distinguishable feature from his Butterfree among the others was the yellow ribbon that was around its neck.
XXX
Ash was looking at that same yellow ribbon.
"B-Butterfree?" Ash stuttered as he looked in shock at the Butterfree in front of him. "It-it's really you."
"Freeeeeeeeee!" the Butterfree cried and nodded its head eagerly to confirm Ash's question. Ash looked slightly older than when Butterfree saw him last, but there was no mistaking it once Butterfree caught sight of him. It had spotted Ash through the trees and couldn't resist seeing him again.
"Butterfree! How've you been, buddy!?" Ash shouted joyfully as he sat up and embraced his old Pokemon in a huge hug. Pikachu wasn't far behind and leaped up to hug Butterfree, too.
Butterfree continued to smother Ash with an affectionate hug. It was so happy to be reunited with its old trainer once more. It soon got off of Ash and nodded its head several times as if to ask Ash what all he had done since it was released.
Ash smile broadly as he showed Butterfree his three badges from Johto. "Check it out. I've already gotten three badges from the Johto region! I'm here to compete in the Silver Conference!"
"Freeee!" Butterfree approved.
"And would you believe that I actually I placed in the Top Four at the Indigo Plateau and won the Orange League?" Ash asked rhetorically.
"Freeeeeee!" Butterfree nodded happily.
Ash couldn't believe it. After all this time, he just believed Butterfree would be nothing more than a great memory, but here it was. Butterfree had always held a special place in Ash's heart. It was the first Pokemon he captured…as well as the first Pokemon he released. It had flown over the ocean to start a family and…that's right.
"That's right, Butterfree. You have a family, don't you? Where are they?" Ash wondered.
Butterfree seemed to smile as it flew a few feet off the ground and beckoned for Ash to follow it before it took off. Ash completely forgot, nor did he care, about the bug catching contest as he anxiously followed Butterfree off the main pathway. Ash was so excited to see all of what Butterfree had been up to since it left, and Ash bet that Butterfree couldn't wait to see how Ash had been doing.
After a few minutes, Butterfree flew under some thick brush and into a small clearing. Ash could barely fit inside the small alcove and had to crouch down and crawl underneath it. Once he emerged, he stood up and smiled at what he saw.
He saw Butterfree slowly fly over to the other side of the clearing before it rested. Next to Butterfree now was none of other than the pink Butterfree whom it had chosen to be its mate. The pink Butterfree seemed to recognize Ash and showed surprise before its gaze relaxed and it nodded in welcome to the raven-haired boy and Pikachu.
"Hello. I take it Butterfree's been really good to you, huh?" Ash asked it.
"Freeeeee," the pink Butterfree nodded in confirmation.
"That's great. It's quite a Pokemon, isn't it?" Ash smiled which earned a blush from the two Pokemon.
Ash then noticed movement behind the pink Butterfree and stared in curiosity. The pink Butterfree seemed to know what Ash was looking at and looked towards Ash's old Butterfree to see if it was okay. Butterfree nodded as it totally trusted Ash, and the pink Butterfree scooted slightly to the side to show what was behind it, and Ash's eyes widened significantly.
Behind the pink Butterfree were about five or six tiny Caterpie. They slowly crawled out from behind the pink Butterfree and stared curiously at Ash. They had never seen a human before. Butterfree had always been careful to shield them and keep any human eyes away from them in this park. They weren't ready to go off on their own yet. Ash, of course, was an exception.
Ash felt a little silly once he felt tears come to his eyes. His old buddy, Butterfree, had become a dad. He wiped his eyes and gave a slight chuckle to Butterfree. It was a heartwarming sight to see the little Pokemon watch Ash.
"Wow, Butterfree. I got you when you were just a Caterpie. Now look how far you've come. I'm proud of you," Ash told it.
Butterfree blushed in embarrassment which caused Ash to laugh. Ash then noticed that one of the baby Caterpie had crawled up to Ash, and the raven-haired boy knelt down and outstretched his arm. The Caterpie looked on curiously for a moment before it began to crawl up Ash's arm. Ash smiled at the familiar tickling sensation as the Caterpie worked its way up. He then turned back to Butterfree.
"This takes me back to when you were a Caterpie and you would crawl up my arm," he said.
"Freeeeeee," Butterfree replied as it recalled the memory, too.
"Pika Pi," Pikachu said as it walked over to the baby Caterpie and waved its arms to greet them. The baby Caterpie gave slight cooing sounds before they surrounded Pikachu and began to slowly smother it with affection. Pikachu struggled slightly to try and stand back up, but the baby Caterpie were relentless.
Ash couldn't help but laugh at Pikachu's predicament. He was sure that Butterfree or its mate would have no qualms about the Caterpie referring to Pikachu as their uncle.
Ash then felt a buzz from his Pokegear, and when he checked it, he was interested to see that it was Serena. It was rather strange that she was calling him during the bug-catching contest. Was she in trouble? Ash answered the Pokegear and spoke quietly so as not to alert the baby Caterpie.
"Hello?" he greeted.
"Hi, Ash. Where are you at?" Serena wondered. For some reason, she sounded rather down.
"Serena? I'm far in the east section of the park. What about you?" Ash wondered.
"That's good. I'm in that area, too? Can I come see you? I have something to tell you," Serena said.
"Oh. Sure. I'll be right there," Ash confirmed before he hung up his Pokegear and turned to Butterfree.
"Hey. I'm going to go get Serena. Is it okay if I bring her back here?" Ash requested.
"Freeeee," Butterfree nodded as it trusted Serena, too.
"I'll be right back," Ash said as it turned and slowly made his way around the brush. As he was going through, he couldn't help but wonder what it was Serena wanted to tell him.
Serena had been walking by herself ever since she released Teddiursa. She hadn't attempted to go back to the safe house or even look for Marina. She just simply walked along the path. She had seen a couple of bug Pokemon, but they didn't look as good as a Pinsir. Even with a captured Pinsir, which was a strong Pokemon, Serena couldn't get herself to be excited about it. She didn't want a Pinsir that badly, especially since it meant giving up Teddiursa.
Still, the little bear Pokemon had brought it on itself. The troublemaker made it quite clear it didn't wish to be a trained Pokemon. It was despicable and preferred a life of lies and deceit to get what it wants. Serena couldn't have a Pokemon that would make her and the rest of the group miserable for the rest of their lives. It was a little disheartening as Serena had made a promise to herself before she started her journey to never release one of her Pokemon because she couldn't handle it. Yet, here she was.
Serena heard a rustle of bushes and looked up. She expected another bug Pokemon to come out, but she raised her eyebrows when she saw Ash emerge. What was he doing in the bushes? Did he think the better bug Pokemon were off the main path?
Ash smiled once her saw her, but it morphed into a frown when he saw her down expression. He hurried up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders.
"What's wrong, Serena?" Ash asked seriously.
Serena figured there was no point in beating around the bush. "I released Teddiursa," she stated.
Ash's eyes widened as his initial response. His eyes then softened before he pulled Serena into a gentle embrace. Serena accepted the hug before she hugged Ash back. The truth was Ash wasn't too surprised at this bit of information. He just didn't expect it to be so soon. Teddiursa just wasn't a good fit for their team.
"I-I think you did the right thing, Serena," Ash tried to comfort. "I think it was for the best. Both us and Teddiursa would be happier if it was in the wild."
"I know. It's just I really thought I could help it to change," Serena said. "It just refused every time I tried to reach out to it. I even tried to use it in this bug catching contest to form trust between us, but it tried to have me mauled by a Pinsir."
"It did what?" Ash asked as he released Serena from her hug and looked her in the eyes.
"It's just as I said. Its plan backfired, though, and it was the one who almost got it from Pinsir instead. I stepped in and caught the Pinsir, and then I left Teddirusa," Serena explained.
Ash almost felt his fists clench. What kind of twisted Pokemon would willingly put its own trainer in danger like that? A truly despicable one! Ash didn't think he would ever think this, but Teddiursa deserved what it got. Teddiursa didn't deserve the love and training Serena would give it.
"It's okay, Serena. It isn't your fault, and you left Teddiursa in a good spot where it would have a ready supply of food. You released it knowing it would be safe so don't feel bad," Ash encouraged.
"I know," Serena muttered.
"Hey. I have something to tell you that might cheer you up," Ash stated which drew Serena's attention back to him. "You'll never guess who I saw here."
"Who?" Serena wondered.
"Come on. I'll show you," Ash said as he gently grabbed Serena's hand and led her back off the main pathway in the bushes.
A few minutes later, Serena and Ash entered the clearing. At first, Serena was confused and Ash was amused as all of the baby Caterpie were now crawling all over Pikachu's body, and the yellow rodent was laughing at how much it tickled. It seemed they had taken a liking to Pikachu quite fast.
Serena didn't know what this was about until her eyes settled on Butterfree and its mate. She recognized those two, especially because of the yellow ribbon that Butterfree was still wearing. Serena instantly felt her negative feelings evaporate at seeing Ash's Butterfree again. She knelt down and gave them a big smile.
"Butterfree! It's so good to see you again!" she said.
"Freeeeeee!" Butterfree agreed.
"These must be your babies. I'm so happy for you!" Serena stated as she looked around at the baby Caterpie covering Pikachu.
So Butterfree found happiness with its mate. It started a family and was living happily with its children. Serena blushed as she suddenly had a thought about her and Ash being married. They would have a whole bunch of children around smothering Uncle Brock and Aunt Misty just like the Caterpie were with Pikachu. Still, it was heartwarming to see how happy Butterfree truly was.
"Hey, Serena. I think this will help you with Teddiursa, too," Ash said.
"What do you mean?" Serena asked as she turned back to Ash.
"If I never released Butterfree, it wouldn't have found true happiness. It would still be with me, and while we would still be great friends and Butterfree would love staying with me, its true happiness was found because I released it to be with its mate," Ash said.
"I don't think these situations are entirely the same, Ash," Serena sighed.
"I mean…you did what was best for both you and Teddiursa. Because it was for the best, I don't regret releasing Butterfree so you shouldn't regret releasing Teddiursa," Ash tried.
Serena let out a small smile. "Alright, Ash. I'll try not to."
There was then a loud voice that sounded over the intercom from the rest house. "Attention, participators of the bug catching contest, there is only five minutes remaining. Please wrap up any battle you may be in with a Pokemon and make your way back to the rest house for judging."
Ash turned back to Butterfree. The bug catching contest was ending already, and he knew he had to leave. He wasn't even worried that he didn't catch a single bug Pokemon. It was all worth it just because he got to see Butterfree again.
"Well, Butterfree, I guess it's time for us to say goodbye again," Ash said, which received a nod from it. "I miss you every day, but I feel a lot better now knowing where you're at and how you're doing. I'll know from now on that you're safe here so I don't have to worry about you."
"Freeeeee," Butterfree nodded
Ash reached over and rubbed its head. "Take care of yourself and your family. You're doing a great job so far. I'm really proud of you, Butterfree" Ash told it.
"Me, too," Serena added.
"Piiiiika," Pikachu said to Butterfree as it recalled the conversation it had with Butterfree when it was still a Caterpie. It had told it that it would soar the skies one day as a Butterfree and reach its dreams, and now it here it was.
Serena watched the scene and smiled to herself. Seeing how great Butterfree was doing here eased her tension about releasing Teddiursa back out into the wild. She shouldn't feel bitter anymore about doing what she did. She would still remember the…okay…there were no good memories she's had with Teddiursa. She could still wish for its happiness, though.
"And the winner of the bug-catching contest is Serena Gabena who caught a Pinsir!" the host announced to everyone.
The participants were all lined up side by side while the spectators stood a little farther back. Serena walked up to the host and accepted the Sun Stone that was given to her. It was an orange rock in the shape of a sun. Serena knew that this could be used to evolve certain Pokemon. The honey-haired girl smiled to herself that she had a certain Pokemon that would benefit greatly from this Sun Stone…particularly if it wanted to participate in her performances which it probably did.
"Congratulations. You may also keep the Pinsir," the host told her.
"Thank you," Serena nodded as she turned back to the audience as everyone clapped for her.
"Man. I was so close to winning with my Scyther," Jimmy muttered as he clapped along with the others.
"At least you caught something good. I didn't even catch anything," Marina sighed. "They kept breaking out of the park balls I threw at them."
"Heh. Don't feel bad, Marina. I didn't catch anything, either," Ash smiled.
Ash knew his situation was a little bit different, though. Once he ran into Butterfree, he didn't care about winning the contest anymore. He just wanted to spend the rest of his time catching up with his old buddy. Now that Ash knew where Butterfree was, he had no worries about it. He could come and visit anytime he wanted.
As Serena came back down from the stage, she was soon joined by all of her friends. They all knew what she had done with Teddiursa now, but they chose not to mention it. Ash had already spoken to her, and she had done a lot of thinking by herself. She may hear Brock's thoughts of the situation, however, should she choose to. He would be happy to help.
"Congratulations, darling!" Marina cheered as she gave Serena a hug first.
"Thanks! I'm really glad I got this Sun Stone. I know exactly who I'm going to use this on when the time is right!" Serena smiled.
"Your Gloom?" Misty figured.
"That's right, but before I do that, we'll have to train really hard!" Serena stated.
"I know you'll do fabulous!" Marina encouraged.
"Oh! That's right," Serena remembered as she held out Pinsir's pokeball to Marina. "Why don't you take this Pinsir? You didn't catch any Pokemon, and I'm happy enough by winning a Sun Stone. I remember you saying you wanted to capture one before we started the contest."
"Wow. Really?" Marina gasped as she stared with wide eyes at Serena. "What would I do with a Pinsir?"
"I'm sure you could find some pretty interesting things with it in a performance," Serena winked.
"You're really giving it to me?" Marina asked as she took the pokeball and teared up. "Thank you so much! I promise I'll take good care of it!"
"Heh. That Pinsir fits her snappy personality," Jimmy chuckled.
"What was that, mister?!" Marina cried as she turned to glare at Jimmy.
"Heh. Relax, Marina. I was just kidding," Jimmy said before he turned to Ash. "So what are your plans, now?"
"We're heading up to Ecruteak City!" Ash declared.
"I think you'll like it there," Jimmy grinned. "There's a lot of history there about the legendary Pokemon Ho-oh and Lugia."
"Really?" Ash asked, interested.
"Yep! Based on what we learned there, we think they're still around in this region somewhere. How cool would it be if we ever saw Ho-oh like you guys did," Jimmy said and whispered the last part so they wouldn't be overheard.
Ash and Serena nodded in response. They still could never forget the first day of their journey when they saw Ho-oh. It had been a truly amazing and rare sight, and only their family and friends knew of their discovery. With what Jimmy just told them, Ash and Serena may learn why Ho-oh chose to appear before them among all people.
"We're going to head down to Goldenrod City so Jimmy can work on getting his third badge, and I'm going to compete in my first performance!" Marina told them.
"I wish you the best of luck. You have to win for sure," Serena said.
"After you've motivated me by giving me a generous gift like this Pinsir, how could I say no?" Marina questioned rhetorically.
"Best of luck, man. You rock and you rule," Jimmy stated as he and Ash clapped hands.
"You, too. Now that we both have badges, we'll have to meet again in the Pokemon League," Ash said.
"You bet. I'm not ready yet, but if we see each other again before the league, I'd really love to have a Pokemon battle with you, Ash. My dad has been asking me every time I talk to him to see if I've done so," Jimmy smiled.
"You've got yourself a deal, Jimmy! I'd love to!" Ash replied.
"Great!" Jimmy nodded. "Just watch out because I'm training hard just like my dad did when he studied under yours!"
It was time to say goodbye to Jimmy and Marina again. The group would've liked to spend more time with them, but they met during a contest, and they had to move on as quickly as possible…mostly for the sake of Serena's Mareep. They would really have to catch up with the two the next time they met which they hoped would be soon. Ash had a promised battle with Jimmy now, after all.
As Ash remembered his Butterfree, it reminded him of his own journey. Butterfree had found its calling in life, and Ash still had to do his…to become a Pokemon Master. He still had a long way to go, but just maybe he's on the right track now. He just had to take all of the battles he was in seriously and follow the advice his dad, Red, gave him.
Serena looked back once more to the open expanse of the park. This was where she would be leaving her Teddiursa to live from now on. She half-expected it to be behind her, but it wasn't there. Serena sighed and turned back around. Teddiursa would be just fine here.
It was nighttime, and Teddiursa was wandering through the woods. After it had gotten out of its stupor that Serena had actually released it, it had been searching for her or the other members of her group the whole time. It managed to make its way out of the safety of the park and had been looking for the past couple of hours. It knew that the group was heading in the direction of Ecruteak City so it might as well go there. If it kept on this path, it may run into Serena again.
Teddiursa really hated itself right now and couldn't believe the situation it was in. However, it knew it had nobody to blame but itself. It had been such a jerk the entire time it was with Serena, and only now did it see what kind of person Serena was. Even after it put her in danger, she still saved it. Teddiursa knew then that Serena was the type who would keep it happy for the rest of its life, but that time had passed now. Teddiursa had to make amends with her!
The little bear Pokemon's stomach rumbled, and it grimaced as it held its stomach to try to curve the hunger pains away. It could really use some honey or some of that good Pokemon food the squinty-eyed boy made. Though Teddiursa never admitted it, that guy was one heck of a cook. Teddiursa truly didn't know it when it had a good thing going by being with the group. Teddiursa then began to think if Serena would even take it back. Hopefully so.
As the hungry Pokemon continued along, it heard voices, and its face lit up. It hurried along towards where it heard the voices. In the best case scenario, it would be Serena and her group. In the worst case, it would be random trainers whom Teddiursa could still mooch food from by using its charms. At least some way it would get food! As Teddiursa got closer, it could start to make out what the people were saying.
"Ugh! I can't believe we had to go all the way out here to catch our helicopter to Mahogany Town. This walk is killing me," one person muttered.
"Shut up. We had to park it out here. Don't you think a helicopter in the middle of a big city with huge "R" on it would alert too many people?" another person answered.
"Sorry, Sir Proton," the other person muttered.
"Ariana will be waiting for you guys in the helicopter to take you there. Your new assignments are to be with her to help with the Evolution scheme," the one known as Proton said.
Teddiursa got a confused expression at the conversation that took place. These people didn't sound like the friendliest bunch. Teddiursa would normally just walk away by now, but the mention of an evolution scheme piqued its interest. It found a nice bush to hide in so it could listen in a little more.
"Oh right. With us being at the Radio Tower and experimenting with Radio waves, we've learned we could use that on the Lake of Rage!" a new person realized.
"Right. Magikarp are worthless, but Gyarados could rake us in a lot cash needed to finish our plan at the Radio Tower," Proton confirmed.
"Will this experiment even work? There's a chance these Magikarp could die instead due to the exposure of radiation," another voice said.
"Who cares? They're just Magikarp. Besides, we have a few Pokemon lined up to test out the radiation before we blast the whole lake. Hundreds of dead Magikarp would draw too much attention to us," Proton replied.
Teddiursa grimaced at that. It sounded like it heard some information that wasn't to be repeated. Whatever these people were up to was no good. It had to get away from them and fast! It had to find and tell somebody what these people were up to. Teddiursa had very few morals itself, but it wasn't actually evil like these people appeared to be. What should it do, though? It's not like it had a trainer to tell anymore.
"Hold on," the voice belonging to Proton said before Teddiursa heard the release of a Pokemon from a pokeball. "Houndoom, Flamethrower."
Teddiursa was wondering what this Proton guy would be ordering Flamethrower for. It soon got its answer and cried in pain when the flames shot through the bush that Teddiursa had been. The little bear Pokemon was engulfed by the flames and pushed out of the shrubbery where it landed on the ground. It had been gotten good with that sneak attack and was covered in burn marks as it struggled to get up.
Teddiursa was soon picked up by its throat and lifted off the ground. It was face to face with a man with teal hair and slanted eyes with a snarl etched on his face. He had a huge red R in the center of his uniform and had a terrifying Pokemon that looked like a cross between a dog and a demon next to him. There were at least six other people with the same type of uniform he had. Teddiursa figured the one holding it had to be their leader and Proton.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here? It looks like a spy!" Proton accused. "Did you think we wouldn't notice you were there!?"
Teddiursa wanted to fire a Swift attack in Proton's face, but the way he was choking it and the amount of pain Teddiursa was in made it unable to do so.
"The question is now…what do we do with you," Proton uttered as his eyes narrowed.
"Oh, well. It's just a Teddiursa, Sir Proton. What can it do?" a Rocket grunt said.
Teddiursa nodded its head eagerly. That's right. It was just a cute little Teddiursa who was passing by innocently! It didn't hear a thing. For emphasis, Teddiursa used its charming eyes on Proton in hopes its cuteness would get him to let it go.
Proton openly laughed that. "Hahahahaha! You actually think that crap will work on me? I don't give a Raticate's hat about you or anything else cute!"
Teddiursa's heart sank at that. It was really losing its edge with its charm. Maybe they could still let it go? Please?
"You know what? You actually came at a good time," Proton said before he added. "I'm sure you know this since you overheard us, but we're going to do a little experiment in Mohogany Town."
"Oh yeah. I remember we were looking for another suitable Pokemon," one grunt said.
"That's right. You get to be one of our test subjects," Proton uttered as he gave Teddiursa a sinister smile.
Teddiursa was terrified beyond belief at the look Proton was giving it. The little bear Pokemon had no idea what it had gotten itself into. It was in deep trouble. Teddiursa wildly glanced around for any sign of Serena…hoping she would jump in and save it, but she never came. Teddiursa knew that Serena was gone for good, and it would never see her again. It had a very cruel life ahead of it…if it survived that is.
Teddiursa hasn't made its last appearance...well...sort of. The good news is this isn't Butterfree's last appearance, either! It will be seen again some time in Johto. Jimmy and Marina won't appear until after Ash's 6th badge, and Ash and Jimmy will have their battle. Serena will use her Sun Stone on Gloom in due time to evolve it into Bellossom for her performances.
Okay. As for the important announcement, there is going to be on a hiatus on this fic. My computer has broken in more ways than one. I can no longer type properly or surf the internet properly or even post chapters properly. It was quite an arduous task to get this one posted. As a result, until I get a new computer or fix this one...this fic won't be seeing too much progress, and I won't be able to reply to PMs, either. I have to do a lot file transfers and recover lost writing, too. There certainly won't another chapter this month...and probably not one in January, either.
I'm very sorry, and I promise I'll get this story rolling again as soon as I can. Until next time, have a good one. I may even have two chapters waiting for you guys on my next update to make up for lost time.
Sincerly,
Jason, a.k.a Fanaticlaguy06
...And for the love of all that is good...please just use the review box to actually review the chapter and not just to comment on my situation. That's what the PM box is for. I won't see them until I come back, but you get the idea.