Ash's Adventure: Girls' Hunter Edition!

by SedaCassie

After thoroughly humiliating himself by oversleeping and missing out on his chance to get a starter Pokemon, Ash runs away from his town to be alone in his shame and misery. However, through a series in mishaps, misunderstanding, errors, tragedies, coincidences, and pure dumb luck, he ends up thrust into his adventure regardless, just...not in the manner he had anticipated.

10. The Tangly, Tentacled Terror of Tangela!

The Tangly, Tentacled Terror of Tangela!

Ash wasn't sure how long he had been knocked senseless, but it couldn't have been more than a few seconds. However, when he came to, he was lying flat on his back, staring at the sky, every bit of his body either aching or stinging, with Nidoran anxiously nudging his side.

"Ugh," he said as he gingerly sat up. "Wha…"

Then he remembered.

"Oh no, Misty!" he cried, bounding to his feet. Panicked, he looked around wildly, but there was no sign of Misty or the Tangela. It had gotten away clean.

"Hey! You, naked kid!"

Ash turned to see, to his dismay, the redheaded trainer from before, the same he and May had accidentally electrocuted the day before and he and Misty had spied on having sex just a few minutes ago, still only wearing swimming trunks, though admittedly that was more than Ash had going for him at the moment.

The trainer looked to be in a state of complete disarray. His skin was still singed, though now it had several white stripes across his chest, face, and neck, as if he had been struck by something long and fast and then also strangled.

"Did you see a crazy Tangela come this way?" the trainer demanded.

Ash stared. "See one? It attacked me and kidnapped my friend!"

"Aw, no!" The trainer seized his own head in anguish. "Me too! And it took my PokeGirl!"

"Wait, you too?" This was bad. The Tangela wasn't only insane, it was on a rampage! "Well, it went after me not long ago, so it couldn't have gone far. So let's team up and-"

"Whoa, wait, are you insane?!" The trainer gawked. "Go after that lunatic? No way!"

Ash stared. "But it took your PokeGirl! Don't you want to at least rescue her?"

But the redheaded trainer was already running the other way. "Plenty more where she came from, and I'm not getting anywhere near that thing again! Also, put some pants on, jeez!"

"Wait!" Ash called after him. "You can't-"

But he was gone.

Ash stared after him in disbelief. Did that guy seriously just abandon his own PokeGirl, just to save his hide? What an absolute coward! PokeGirl, Pokemon, or anyone, you just didn't abandon your friends like that! He didn't even deserve to have a trainer's license!

Then he looked down to Nidoran, who was also staring after the lousy, weak-willed excuse for a trainer. "Nido?"

"I know, right? I can't believe it either!"

Nidoran turned its head and spat contemptuously into the grass. "Nidoran!" it hissed.

"Exactly!" Then Ash pounded his fist into his palm. "Well, we're not quitters like him! Come on, Nidoran! Let's go save Misty!"

Nidoran bobbed its head in enthusiastic agreement. "Nidoran!"

But then Ash turned to where his stuff had been piled, and his heart dropped.

It was all gone.

"Uh, Nidoran?" he said. "Where are my clothes?"

In answer, Nidoran faced the direction the Tangela and gone and pointed with its horn. "Doran!"

Ash's face fell. "Seriously? The Tangela kidnapped Misty and stole my clothes? What is with that thing?"

Nidoran shrugged.

Ash searched the area to find anything that the Tangela had left behind, but found very little. Not only had it taken his stuff, but Misty's as well. "Stupid, crazy shrubbery," he muttered as he kicked the grass around. "What did I ever do to-"

Then his eyes fell upon something lying not far away.

Ash snatched it up. It was his hat, probably knocked aside in the Tangela's haste. However, it was the only piece of his belongings that had been left behind.

Then Ash scowled. Well, fine! If he and Nidoran had to do this with nothing but their skins, then that was the way it was going to be.

"Come on!" he said, and the two of them set off, running after the Tangela.

Fortunately, the Tangela's trail wasn't hard to pick up, as it had done nothing to cover its tracks. Not only were its footprints still visible in the grass, but it was apparently leaking some kind of yellow slime, leaving droplets smeared all over the place.

Ash and Nidoran followed the path to where it led into Viridian forest. Once inside, the going became more difficult, as patches of grass became less frequent, and the trees more thickly clustered together.

Still, the two of them soldiered on. The splatters of yellow slime never stopped, and neither did they. As they pressed forward, Ash tried to put together a plan in his head.

Okay, so Tangelas are pure grass-type. That makes them vulnerable to poison attacks. So if Nidoran can land just one poison sting, then it's sure to cripple it, or at least really slow it down. The only problem are those vines and how to get past-

"Ash!"

Ash froze. Oh, no. Not her, not now, not with him like this.

He hastily looked around for something to cover him but, upon finding nothing, grabbed his hat off his head and used it to cover his crotch.

"Ash, over here!"

"Okay, but don't look! I'm-"

The words died in Ash's throat.

Yellow was completely naked, her skinny little body bare from head to toe. The last time Ash had seen her like that they had been three, and their moms had been giving them a bath together! The closest he had come since was seeing her in a bathing suit, and that had been a fairly modest one-piece!

And yet here she was, all in the nude, and seemingly unconcerned about it at all, the only coverage she had being Chuey, who was held in her arms and thus technically covered up her smooth chest.

"Uh, what in the world…?" Ash wondered out loud.

Oblivious to his bewilderment, Yellow ran up to him and immediately began talking. "We gotta go! This crazy Pokemon attacked us and took May, and now…why are you naked?"

Ash blinked. "Why am I naked? Why are you naked?"

"Because May was teaching me how to masturbate, and you can't do that with your clothes on, silly!" Sure enough, moisture was gleaming around her vagina.

A lot of moisture.

Ash's jaw dropped. What was it with him and all the girls in his life suddenly having absolutely no shame whatsoever?

And why was it that Yellow got that kind of action literally within minutes of meeting May, when all he got was teased?

Something inside him went a little crazy then. Though he would never in a million years admit what he and Misty had been doing right up until she had gotten kidnapped, Yellow's frank description of her and May's activities filled him with the need to respond in kind. "Uh, well, I'm naked because me and Misty went skinny-dipping, and then she gave me a handjob!"

"Oooooh, okay!" Yellow said, nodding. "That makes sense!"

Ash's life had gotten just so bizarre, and he had no idea how to react anymore.

Then something Yellow had said suddenly grabbed his focus. "Wait, did you say a Pokemon attacked you and took May?"

"Uh-huh! It was this big, viney thing with yellow eyes. It looked like a bush that someone peed on!"

"The Tangela!" Ash exclaimed. "It attacked us too, and took Misty!"

"Oh no, her too?"

"Yeah, and it took my clothes! That's why I'm still naked!"

"Me too! It put her to sleep and knocked me and Chuey aside, and when I got up, it was gone with May and my clothes!"

Ash was really starting to get hot, and for reasons nothing to do with his singed skin or the plethora of naked girls he had been exposed to recently. Rather, he was getting mad. The Tangela had attacked him, kidnapped his friends, and took all of his stuff! Misty and May were now in grave danger.

However, though he had been left with very little, he was not going to turn tail like that cowardly trainer! He was not going to abandon his girls, no matter what! If that Tangela wanted to take his friends, then it was going to have to kill him first.

"Well, I'm going after it!" he declared. "I don't care if I'm naked, I don't care if it's just me and Nidoran, we're going to find it, and we're going to make it regret ever kidnapping my friends!"

"Hooray!" Yellow cheered, pumping an arm into the air. "A rescue operation! Let's go!"

Ash blinked. "Hey, wait a minute! Who says you're coming?"

At this, Chuey bristled. "Pika!" it snapped.

"Nido!" Nidoran growled back.

"Huh?" In contrast to the two irked Pokemon, Yellow just looked confused. "Of course I'm coming! You're going to need all the help you can get!"

Ash was about to snap that no, he did not need help, especially not her help, and after what she had pulled, she was lucky that he didn't just tell her to get lost.

But he didn't. Because as much as he hated to admit it, she was right. He did need help. And for all her faults, Yellow was a talented trainer.

"All right," he reluctantly said. "We'll work together."

Nidoran's head snapped around to stare at him. "Nidoran!" it cried in indignation.

"Oh, knock that off! That thing has Misty and May! You can put up with working with them long enough to save our friends!"

Nidoran cast a spiteful glower at Chuey, but then it sighed in resignation.

"Great!" Yellow said. "So, let's go!"

She and Chuey immediately took off running, following the splatters of slime.

Ash sighed.

Then he glanced down at Nidoran, who was eyeing him reproachfully, as if to say, "This was your idea, remember?"

"Oh, what are you looking at?" Ash muttered as he moved to follow. "It's not like we have much of a choice."

The pair went after Yellow and Chuey. Hopefully they would find the Tangela quickly, before it had the chance to hurt their friends or anyone else.

…

In another part of the forest, a small campsite had been torn to pieces, the campers left lying hurt and broken on the ground.

A young man named Marty lay quivering on his back, clutching at his side. His rib felt broken. The whole area was flaring with pain, and it felt wrong to his fingers. He tried to move, but fell back gasping.

Raticate and Dodrio both lay senseless to either side of him, just as beaten down as he was. The fight had been quick, thorough, and brutal. None of them had stood a chance.

From nearby came the plodding of heavy footsteps, along with the swishing of several long and thin objects being dragged through the grass. "…Tangelaaaa…."

Craning his neck, Marty tried to see what their assailant was doing. One of its vines had cracked across his forehead like a whip, splitting the skin. Blood was trickling into his right eye, forcing him to squint, but he could still see out of his left.

The diseased Tangela that had attacked him was making its way across his camp's remains, several of its mottled yellow vines dragging limply behind it. He had delved heart of Viridian Forest, hoping for a powerful bug Pokemon like a Butterfree or a Venomoth, and had set up camp in a clearing that bordered the road. It was airy, well-lit, and full of wildflowers. He had thought it would be safe enough, even this deep into the notorious forest.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

"Wh-Why?" he stuttered. It was pointless, as of course the Tangela couldn't respond, but he couldn't help but say it. "Why?"

The Tangela paused its trek. Then it turned just enough to glower at him with bloodshot eyes.

"Tan…" it gurgled, and continued on.

Right toward Rochelle.

Fear seized at Marty's heart. "No!" he gasped, reaching out toward the Tangela. "Stay away from her!"

Rochelle had been the first thing the Tangela had taken out. She and Marty had been sitting at camp, idly preparing lunch while discussing what kind of bugs they were likely to find. Then, as Marty had turned away to tend to the hotdogs, she had let out a small gasp. He had thought that she had accidentally pricked herself on a thorn or something.

But when he had turned back toward her, he saw her suspended in the air, two sickly vines wrapped around her arms, another around her waist, while a fourth had her by the neck, choking her unconscious. Then blue powder had exploded all around her, putting her down cold.

Which she still was.

"Don't!" Marty begged. "Please, don't hurt her!"

The Tangela ignored him. Its vines slithered down, wrapping around and around Rochelle's lifeless body, binding her tight. Then it lifted her up.

"No! Take me! Take me, and let her go!"

Holding Rochelle aloft over its head, the Tangela turned back to the trees and marched off, its trailing vines dribbling sticky slime as it went.

"Rochelle! No, let her go! Don't take her! Rochelle, wake up! Please, wake up!"

…

Ash and Yellow plunged deep into Viridian Forest, hoping to find what they were looking for quickly. Unfortunately, even with the slime splatters, keeping onto the Tangela's trail proved to be a lot harder than Ash would have liked.

Viridian Forest was just so big and so thick, with the gnarled trees growing closely together, and the canopy overhead cutting all but slim slivers of sunlight. Sure, there were well-worn paths for travelers to use, but they were far from those. Soon Ash and Nidoran were gingerly making their way through a knotted cluster of tree roots, stepping around piles of dead and rotting leaves for fear of what might be hiding inside, and ducking grasping branches.

"Come on, come on," Ash muttered as he squeezed his way through the gap between two closely growing tree trunks. "Where's the slime, where's the stupid slime?"

That was another problem. Out in the open field, the Tangela's slime had been bright and easy to spot, but in the shadows of the forest, it was a lot harder to pick out. Plus, there was a lot of other kinds of slime to throw him off.

This was gross. And terrifying. And Ash still hurt all over from the shock he had taken. And having to climb around all those rough-barked trees while naked was not helping!

But most of all, he was worried sick for Misty and May, as well as any other innocent PokeGirl the Tangela might have taken. Heck, he was even worried about Yellow! He had lost sight of her pretty quickly, and if the Tangela ambushed her now, she was going to be helpless.

Ash still didn't like her, but not even she deserved that.

Finally he stopped and sighed. He had completely lost track of the trail. "What about you?" he said to Nidoran. "Any luck?"

Despite its small size, Nidoran was having an easier time navigating the rough and uneven forest floor, as its small, burrowing claws were ideal for scampering over the roots. It paused, and lifted its head to sniff the musty air.

"Ni!" it said, and pointed its horn in a particular direction.

Ash squinted. The direction Nidoran had indicated didn't seem all that different from any other direction. "Are you sure?"

"Ni! Nido!"

"Well, if you say so."

The two of them set off, Ash's eyes roving for any sign of the slime, any sign of the trail, any sign of Yellow, any sign of anything!

They got a few meters in when Nidoran suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Ash said.

Nidoran looked around, as if confused. Then it sniffed the air again and pointed its horn in another direction, this time with less certainty.

"Uh, are you sure?"

Nidoran shrugged. That was less than what Ash was hoping for.

They headed off again, with Nidoran pausing every few steps to take another sniff of the air.

"You do know where you're going, right?" Ash said.

Nidoran looked around. Then it let out a small whine.

"Really?" Ash felt his heart sink in his chest. "So, we're lost? Completely?"

Nidoran's ears lowered in shame.

This wasn't good. Ash had only narrowly avoided being torn apart by angry wild Pokemon just a few days ago, and those had been run-of-the-mill Spearows, the sort that could be found easily around boring old Pallet Town. Viridian Forest was home to monsters that were far more vicious, far more dangerous, far more…

Ash took a step and it squished. Looking down, he saw to his dismay that he had stepped in something slimy. Not the yellow slime he had been looking for, but some kind of grey goop. Gagging, he yanked his foot out and scraped it on a nearby rock.

…disgusting. Far more disgusting.

Then he paused. He had heard something shuffling, up ahead.

"Hey," he said, crouching down. "You see that?"

Nidoran tilted its head. Then its eyes narrowed.

There was something moving through the shadows up ahead, something that looked kind of hunched forward. Creeping forward, Ash tried to get a good look at it.

"Yellow?" he said in a low tone. "Is that you?"

The shuffling stopped. But now that he was closer, he saw that no, it wasn't Yellow. It wasn't the Tangela either.

The thing turned, and Ash saw two large, curving horns protruding from the top of its head, both of them studded with spikes.

Then the thing snarled.

Moments later, Ash was frantically charging back the way he came, Nidoran clutched in his arms, both of them absolutely terrified, as a large and very angry bug chased after them.

"PiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinSIR!"

"A Pinsir!" Ash wailed. "Why did it have to be a Pinsir?"

"Dori!" Nidoran yelped in agreement.

He continued to flee blindly through the forest, as the Pinsir huffed and growled behind him. He could hear it tearing its way through the roots and branches with its pincers, ripping everything in its way to shreds.

Which, soon enough, would include him.

Then, just when he could practically feel those hard pincers closing around his neck, several things happened in quick succession.

First, he saw several bright flashes of light, coming from the trees up ahead.

Second, he heard a shrill, feminine shriek, high and sustained.

The third is he also heard what very much sounded like the buzzing of a giant insect's wings, coming right at him.

The fourth is that right after he had registered all of that, he crashed headlong right into Yellow, who was running in the opposite direction.

The two young, naked trainers smacked their skulls right into each other and tumbled to the ground, where they lay groaning and rubbing their heads. Ash was already having difficulty seeing in the darkness of the forest, but now everything was all swimmy and disjointed.

Then he shook his head to clear away the stars and tried to focus on the equally dazed Yellow, who was lying in an untidy heap over several gnarled tree roots with all of her skinny limbs sprawled in every direction, her irritating Pikachu lying draped over a bush.

"…uh…" Ash struggled to pick himself up. "Yellow? What-"

"PIIIIIIIIIIIIINSSSSSIIIIIIIIIIR!"

Ash froze! Oh no, now the Pinsir was going to get him and rip them both apart!

He heard it leap and instinctively ducked, his hands covering his head. He knew that it was useless, but what else could he do?

The Pinsir sailed right at him…and kept going, clearing him completely, to slam into something large and coming in fast the other way.

The two crashed into the underbrush, and soon Ash heard the sounds of enraged hissing and what genuinely sounded like metal blades clashing. He craned his neck to see the Pinsir locked in mortal combat with something as tall as he was, with a sharp-edged triangular head and two massive blades affixed to the ends of its forearms.

"Scyther!" shrieked the Pinsir's combatant as struck at the Pinsir's horns again and again. "Scyther!"

A Scyther?! They were being attacked by both a Pinsir and a Scyther?! How was that fair?

Well, at least they were now going after each other instead of the soft and vulnerable humans. Ash locked eyes with Yellow and, by silent agreement, the two rolled onto their hands and knees and hastily scampered away, their own Pokemon following close behind.

When the sounds of the two bug Pokemon's titanic battle had faded enough that they felt safe, they paused for a moment to catch their breath.

"Ash," Yellow panted, leaning with one hand against a tree for support. "What happened? You just…You just disappeared!"

"Couldn't…keep up," Ash gasped. He was leaning forward his hands on his knees as he struggled to inhale. "Lost sight of you. Got lost."

Yellow's face fell. "Us too. I was following the Tangela, but then I couldn't find any more slime, and then you were gone, and the next thing I knew that Scyther was chasing us!"

"Ooooh," Ash moaned as he sat back on another thick cluster of roots. "So we're both lost? How are we supposed to find my friends now-"

Then he paused. "I…just sat in something gross."

"Ew."

He stood up. Sure enough, the roots were covered with a slick layer of glistening goop.

Which was now all over his butt.

"Aw, man!" He grabbed a nearby stick and tried to scrape it off, a process that was both disgusting and painful, given the state of his skin. "Yuck! Yuck! Yuck-"

Then he paused. It was hard to tell in the dim light, but the slime that now smeared the stick looked pale yellow.

Noticing this, he and Yellow locked eyes. Then Yellow knelt down and picked up her Pikachu.

"Chuey," she said in a low voice. "Use flash."

She then held the Pikachu out with both hands and turned her eye and closed her eyes. Chuey took a deep breath, and then it began to glow brightly.

The light illuminated several slime splatters all over the trees, and forming a clear path.

"We found it," Ash said.

Yellow set Chuey back down, and the four of them picked their way through the underbrush. The going was actually easier than it had been before. Though it didn't look it at a glance, there was actually clear trail that wound its way through the trees, probably made by the Tangela itself.

"This place is sooooo cool," Yellow whispered as they walked.

Ash shot her a sidelong look. "Really?" he said. "It's a creepy, slimy, gross forest filled with deadly bugs!"

"I know! Isn't it great?"

Ash sighed and kept going.

"I mean, can you imagine how many secrets must be hidden here? I kind of want to stay and just explore, see what I can-"

"Okay," Ash said in a terse tone. "I get it."

"Well, don't you? I mean, just think of what you can-"

"I said I get it, Yellow!"

Yellow thankfully shut up then. Finally.

They kept on for a bit, navigating their way forward. All the while Ash kept running strategies through his head. They were at a terrible disadvantage. They only had two Pokemon, and one was at a type disadvantage. What was more, the Tangela had already shown that it knew how to ground out electrical attacks entirely. Sure, Nidoran's poison sting ought to be effective, but that was assuming it got close enough to hit. What was more, they were going to be fighting it on its home turf.

We might die here.

The thought sent chills down Ash's bare back. He had faced death far too many times for comfort over the last few days. Whether it be the Spearows to Team Rocket to getting friend while making out with Misty to a deranged Tangela, it did seem like the world was keeping him in a constant state of terror. Which, okay, one basically signed up for just by becoming a trainer, but this was way too much too fast.

Still, that wasn't going to stop him. His friends were in danger. That was more important than anything.

"Hey, Ash?" Yellow said in a small voice.

Ash sighed. "What?"

"Do you hate me because of what happened at Pokemon Trainer Camp?"

Ash stopped dead in his tracks.

Then he turned to look at her.

Yellow was looking right at him, her big, golden eyes scared and vulnerable.

It was weird, but when he had first seen her naked a few minutes earlier, she didn't seem nearly as exposed as she was now.

Sighing, Ash said, "Is this really the best time?"

"Well…"

"No. I don't hate you. I never did. But…" Ash made a face. "I…just don't really like you as much anymore."

Yellow swallowed noisily at that. This was probably the most hurt Ash had ever seen her. It almost sent a twang of guilt running through him.

Almost.

"I didn't think you would be that mad," she said in a low voice.

Something inside Ash exploded right about then.

"Well, I am!" he snapped. "Dang it, Yellow! What did you think would happen? That I would just be okay with you backstabbing me? We were partners! I had your back! Why couldn't you have mine?"

"PIKA!" Chuey snapped, indignant on behalf of its trainer.

"Oh, don't you start!" Ash snapped back as he turned from both of them. "This has nothing to do with you."

They continued on, and Yellow stayed quiet this time.

Ash, however, was silently fuming. Now? Yellow wanted to talk about what happened now? She had two years to deal with what happened, and she waited until now to feel bad?

And she probably still won't say that she's sorry, Ash bitterly thought to himself.

Then he sighed and shook his head. No, he couldn't afford to get distracted now. Misty and May were in danger. That had to take precedence.

The slime trail took them to an upward slope. Ash pushed away a curtain of hanging moss, and suddenly they were out in the open.

Well, not really, but they had come to a small clearing, a break in the trees that surrounded a small, grassy hill. Ash, Yellow, Nidoran, and Chuey crept up the hill and crouched between a small thicket of bushes at the top.

Ash peeked out from behind the branches, and when he saw what was on the other side, his chest seized up.

On the other side of the hill was a steep drop, and at the bottom a wall of dirt and stone rose up. A large alcove had been carved out of the wall, and inside was what had to be the Tangela's nest.

Except it was unlike any Pokemon nest Ash had ever seen or read about. It was…odd. Irrational. And kind of disturbing.

It had accumulated all sorts of strange odds and ends, from piles of trash carefully and meticulously gathered together to pieces of scrap metal and glass. There were piles of bones, which was troubling, as Tangelas weren't predators. However, these weren't strewn about like the remains of prey animals would be, but also gathered together in piles and categorized by type, from a stack of tiny femurs to two piles of skulls, which seemed to be of Rattata and Pidgey.

Ash really hoped that it had just come across those bones.

Then he saw something that made him think that it probably hadn't. There was a collection of Kakuna and Metapod husks. Well, there were probably plenty of those to be found in the forest, but next to them was a stack of what looked like Butterfree wings, torn free. And next to them were several yellow spikes, their bottoms trailing stringy guts.

Beedrill stingers. The Tangela must be the terror of the forest.

But was even weirder were all the broken machines, most of them just common appliances, with things like air-conditioners, washing machines, and lawn mowers, all taken apart put together to form a…something! It honestly looked like a bunch of kids had grabbed a bunch of smashed appliances from a scrapyard and used them to build the bridge of an imaginary spaceship. If one squinted, one could see what looked like a massive computer panel, even if it was just the controls of a couple of washing machines and a few calculators, with smashed televisions and the front of a microwave forming the monitors.

Actually, the thing it reminded Ash of the most was Professor Oak's laboratory. Of course, the lab wasn't a cave filled with trash, but something about the lay of the garbage, as well as how carefully the oddments were collected, had a laboratory look about it.

And lying in neat rows in the center of the cave were the PokeGirls.

Misty and May were both there, as was the redheaded trainer's abandoned electric-type girl. There were two others as well, one of them a tall and beautiful blonde woman with the curves and the expertly done hair of a professional model, and a petite and thin teenaged girl. All five were, like Ash and Yellow, completely nude, though whether they had been that way when the Tangela found them or it had stripped them itself could go either way. Regardless, they were also unconscious, courtesy of the Tangela's sleep powder.

The Tangela was nowhere to be seen.

Grimacing, Ash and Yellow ducked back into the shelter of the bush. "Where is it?" Yellow whispered. "Where's that crazy Pokemon?"

"No idea," Ash said. "But I don't like that it's gone."

"Why? We can just go in and save them!"

"Because I'd rather know where it is! If it just shows up before we can get them out, then-"

Suddenly Yellow's eyes went wide, and she clapped a hand over Ash's mouth. "Shhh!"

Ash fell silent and looked where Yellow was pointing.

The Tangela had come home, and it wasn't alone.

A sixth PokeGirl was held over its head, her body lying limp, this one a dark-skinned girl with short and shiny black hair. Muttering gibberish to itself, the Tangela went over to the rest of its collection and, with a gentleness and care that frankly surprised Ash, laid her in line with the others.

That done, the Tangela then scurried over to the network of strange carvings on the wall and, still blabbering nonsense, snatched up several sharp pieces of metal, and began cutting even more strange signs.

"What's it doing?" Yellow whispered.

"I have no idea," Ash admitted.

"Because that looks like a trainer's registration card. You know, the one that lists their team, badges, and everything? Only, you know, totally coocoo."

Ash frowned. Come to think of it, Yellow did have a point. Granted, it followed no known format of any actual registration card, but if you squinted and tilted your head, familiar patterns did began to emerge. They just weren't connected in any known (or sane) manner.

"Maybe it wants to battle in this year's League Tournament," Yellow said. "And it's just gathering a team."

While he was still sort of cross with her, Ash couldn't help but snort a little at the joke.

"What? What'd I say that's funny?"

Oh, right. This was Yellow. She probably wasn't joking.

"Um, nothing. Never mind."

The Tangela continued carving into the wall, all the while gibbering the syllables of its name to itself. It seemed…really angry, but also utterly focused on its task. Squinting, Ash leaned forward a bit to try to get a better look at what it was carving.

Then his knee bumped a small stone, pushing it closer to the edge.

Then gravity took hold, and the stone slipped.

The stone slipped and fell into the crevice between the hill and the Tangela's lair, bouncing and the clacking the whole way down.

Ash slowly grimaced. Oh crap.

He looked to the side. Yellow, Nidoran, and Chuey were all staring silently at him. Then, in unison, they all sighed. They didn't say anything, but then, they didn't need to.

Then there came a loud, metallic clattering.

The Tangela had frozen in place, its vines still extended. But the various bits of metal it had been using to write on the wall had dropped from its grasp.

Oh no.

The Tangela just stood there, though, completely unmoving, completely silent. Wait, had it heard them? Or was it just being weird again.

Then there came a gross squishing noise.

Both of its feet started rotating outward in opposite directions from one another, turning a full one-hundred and eighty degrees until they were facing away from the cave wall. Then the vines protruding from its back started vibrating like nest of angry Ekans.

The squishing noise grew louder, and the Tangela's back opened up, pulling aside from a black hole. Then, as if they were being pushed through jello, its veiny yellow eyes emerged from the black, both of them narrowed with fury.

"TANGELA!" it roared.

And then it leapt.

"Jump!" Ash cried, and he and Yellow only just managed to leap out of the way as the Tangela crashed right into the bush they had been hiding behind.

The Tangela thrashed and whipped, tearing the bush apart. It looked around wildly until its eyes centered on Ash, who had landed flat on his back.

"Uh…wait!" Ash cried as he tried to back away. "Don't-"

"TANGELA!" The Tangela leapt at him again, more than a dozen of its sickly vines rearing back to strike.

And then a bolt of lightning hit it.

It wasn't enough to hurt it badly, but it did surprise the Tangela, and it did knock it off course so that it ended up crashing in a heap a couple meters away from Ash, who quickly scrambled to his feet and got away.

"Great going, Chuey!" Yellow jumped up and down in celebration. "Now, thunder wave."

The little electric rodent was already charging up, sparks flying from its cheeks. "Pika…CHU!"

The Tangela was already righting itself, using its vines to push itself up onto its feet. "Tange…"

Then the surge of electricity smacked right into its back. The Tangela fell over again and started twitching.

"Got it!"

Ash grinned. With the Tangela now paralyzed, the next part ought to be a sinch! "All right, Nidoran. Poison sting!"

Nidoran had already righted itself from needing to dive out of the way, and was now ready to go. It lowered its horn, pawed the earth with one foreleg, and charged.

But then the Tangela suddenly swept one of its vines around, smacking Nidoran right in the ear and sending it tumbling.

"What?" Ash's jaw dropped. "No way! It's supposed to be paralyzed!"

"It is!" Yellow pointed. "Look!"

Sure enough, the Tangela was still shaking and shaking hard. Every movement seemed to be a battle, and just standing up again was causing it pain.

But it was still moving, still fighting through the paralysis through sheer force of will. Ash swallowed. He had never heard of any Pokemon capable of doing anything like that!

"Uh…Chuey! Use thunder-"

But as Yellow was shouting out commands, the Tangela's eyes suddenly focused on the Pikachu, and it swiped out with two vines, their tips wrapped around each other to form a club. They hit Chuey right in its stomach and sent it flying.

"PIIIIIIIKAAAAAAAA!-"

"Chuey!" Yellow cried, reaching out after him. "No-"

Then the vines clubbed her in the stomach. She gasped and fell to her knees, hands wrapped around her middle.

"Hey!" Ash shouted as he ran toward the shivering plant monster. "Stay away from her, you-"

This proved a poor strategy, as the Tangela merely whipped its vines at him instead.

The next thing Ash knew, he was tumbling through the air, arms and legs flailing, sailing right for…

Oh.

He slammed right into Yellow, and the two of them went down hard, landing in a tangle of limbs.

"Ugh…" Ash shook his head to try to clear the stars away. His raw skin was now throbbing like crazy, and now he had a monster headache on top of it.

Then his vision cleared, and he saw that his face was centimeters away from Yellow's vagina.

"Erk!"

"Ash, your penis is shoving into my nose," Yellow said.

"Then get off of me!" Ash hastily pushed the skinny girl off of him.

Yellow irritably rubbed her nose. "Why are you getting turned on? Do you like getting beat up or something?"

"No, I am not getting turned on, it's just-"

Then the two of them fell silent.

The Tangela, though still twitching from the paralysis, was now on its feet and advancing, forcing one shaking foot in front of the other, its eyes gleaming with madness and malice.

Yellow whimpered. Ash agreed.

"…Taaaannnnngeeeeeelaaaaa…" the Tangela growled, the threat in its tone evident.

Now quite heedless of their nudity and troubled past, Ash and Yellow reached for each other and held tight as the monster Tangela came closer and closer.

The Tangela then raised its vines up over its head. "TANGE-"

Then a blast of electricity struck it in the side, making it wince.

"-la?"

A second later a purple blur swept by, hitting one of its feet before running off again, causing the Tangela to go to one knee.

Nidoran and Chuey were back, now standing side-by-side and determined to do damage. Chuey's little paws were bunched into fists, and arcs of electricity were shooting up around its head, while Nidoran had its head lowered, poison dripping from its horn, once again pawing at the ground.

"Hey, all right!" Ash said, perking up.

"Way to go, guys!" Yellow cheered.

Then the two looked at each other, and they both nodded.

"All right, Chuey! Keep it moving with agility!" Yellow called.

At the same time, Ash yelled out, "Nidoran, get ready!"

The Tangela was again turning to face its new opponents in that strange, disturbing manner as before, with its feet rotating around and its face melting back into its vines to push out on the other end.

However, just as the eyes sounded like they were emerging, Ash shouted, "Now, leer!"

Nidoran's eyes glowed bright yellow. "Nidi!"

Hit with the full blast, the Tangela stumbled backward. "TAH!" Then it shook it off, and launched four vines out. However, its aim was off, and Nidoran had no trouble dodging.

Meanwhile, Chuey had been following its trainer's instructions and was running in a wide circle around the stunned Tangela. "Keep running, Chuey!" Yellow called. "And…thundershock!"

An electric blast shot out from the Pikachu and struck the Tangela, nearly sending it sprawling.

"Again!"

Another blast.

"Again!"

But this time the Tangela saw it coming, and just like it had with Misty, thrust four vines into the earth to ground out the electrical attacks.

But that was when Nidoran made its move.

"Double kick!" Ash shouted, but he probably didn't need to, as Nidoran already had the same idea. It darted between the four grounded vines and thrust one powerful hindleg at the Tangela's foot, rolled around, and did the same to the other before scampering off again.

The Tangela fell right onto its face.

"It's working!" Yellow said.

"Yeah, we got this!" Ash agreed. "So let's finish it off!"

"All right!" With one hand on her bony hip, Yellow thrust the other one out and declared, "Chuey! Now use-"

Suddenly, the Tangela's face emerged from the top of its head, and it thrust another vine out, not at Chuey, but in front of it.

Already in full charge, the Pikachu was unable to stop in time and slammed right into it face-first. It was flipped off its feet and was sent sprawling.

"Chuey, no!" Yellow cried, aghast.

The Tangela was again forcing itself to its feet, its enraged yellow eyes now turning a shade of purple. It zeroed in on the fallen Pikachu, puffed up like it was inhaling, and then thrust itself forward a step, a noxious purple cloud shooting out of its body right at Chuey.

Chuey looked up just in time to see the attack coming. It froze, and then closed its eyes shut.

The cloud stopped a little more than halfway there.

"Huh?" both Ash and Yellow said.

Then the cloud began to clear, and they saw Nidoran standing in its midst, having taken the full hit and looking completely unharmed.

"Uh…" Then a lightbulb went off in Ash's head. "Oh, right! Poison type!" He clenched a fist. "All right, let's try this again, Nidoran! Get ready to charge! Poison-"

Then the Tangela swatted Nidoran aside with contemptuous ease. A second later Chuey was also knocked sprawling.

Oh no.

"This isn't working!" Yellow said. "Every time they get a break, it just knocks them down!"

"Yeah, it's those tentacles," Ash said. "There's just too many! We've gotten lucky before, but we won't be able to…"

Suddenly Ash's mind flashed back to the first fight with the Tangela, when Nidoran had been able to run right up one of the vine's length to attack, and when the Tangela had used its vines to divert Misty's electricity into the ground. And then he got an idea.

Nidoran might not be agile enough to get through those many vines for a third time, but maybe it wouldn't have to.

"Yellow, have Chuey keep the Tangela distracted," Ash said.

"Got it!" Raising her voice, Yellow called, "Chuey! Keep your distance but keep blasting!"

The Pikachu shook off the aftereffects of getting knocked around and nodded in acknowledgement. It then blasted the Tangela again and immediately ran off.

As for Ash, he quickly ran to Nidoran's side. "Okay, we're going to try poison sting again," he said in a low voice. "Only this time, don't go for the main body, go for the vines!"

Nidoran shot him a sidelong look.

"Look, it's all connected, right? So if you manage to poison just one part of it, the whole thing will be affected!"

At this, Nidoran's eyes went wide. Then they narrowed in a very humanlike smirk, and it refocused on the Tangela.

As for the Tangela, it was now very much enraged and trying to smash Chuey into a pulp, who in turn was keeping its distance and zapping its opponent at every available opportunity. It wasn't doing much damage, but it was annoying it.

"All right, Nidoran!" Ash called. "Now's your chance! Use-"

Then Chuey slipped.

It might've been a root. It might've been a rock. Heck, it might've been nothing at all; it didn't matter.

What mattered is that the sprinting Pikachu lost its footing, and in that split second of stalling, the Tangela attacked.

It snatched Chuey up in its vines and squeezed. The little electric Pokemon struggled and writhed in pain, and when that failed to free it, its whole body light up with lightning, surging down into the Tangela's body.

But just like it had with Misty, the Tangela responded by thrusting more vines through the grass and into the dirt, grounding out the electricity. Chuey didn't give up though, and just continued on shocking.

Then, as the Tangela stood their covered with surging sparks and arching electricity, its mad eyes narrowed. It turned to glower at Ash.

Ash froze up.

"TAN! GEH! LAAAAAAAAA!" With a primal scream of hate, the Tangela drew back and threw Chuey right at him, its body still covered with lightning.

And Ash was so petrified by fear that he could do nothing but stare at the incoming yellow missile.

"Ash, LOOK OUT!"

Something slammed into Ash, knocking him down.

And then he heard the sound of a scream.

Ash looked up. Yellow was standing over him, her back arched, arms and legs held stiffly out, her unbound hair sticking straight up. Chuey had hit her in the chest and the electric shock that had been intended for Ash was now surging through her body.

"Yellow!" Ash quickly swept his leg around, knocking Yellow's feet out from under her. That did the trick of dislodging the dazed Pikachu and disconnecting the circuit, and the two tumbled to the ground where they both lay still.

"Yellow, no!" Ash scrambled to her side, praying that it wasn't happening again, that someone else hadn't been nearly shocked to death for his sake.

"Ugh," Yellow groaned. Her eyes were spinning, but she didn't look almost dead like Misty had been. "Chuey, stop playing. It's time for nappies!"

Ash sighed in relief. Okay, she didn't seem to have taken much more of a shock than he had earlier.

"Tan?"

Ash turned. The Tangela was standing and staring them, its eyes now more confused than anything, as if it couldn't comprehend why one creature would endanger itself for another's sake.

But more importantly, he saw Nidoran crouching down behind the Tangela's back, ready to charge.

Ash gritted his teeth. It was time.

"Go, now!" Ash shouted, making sure the Tangela could hear his voice. "POISON STING!"

Nidoran hunkered down and was off. "NIDORAN!"

The Tangela turned and, seeing Nidoran charging, shrieked in anger, and lashed out with more vines to stop it.

"Nidoran! Do it now!"

Nidoran leapt, but this time not to dodge the incoming vines, but instead threw itself right at them. The foremost vine hit…right on the tip of Nidoran's horn, which plunged right in.

The Tangela immediately stiffened. "TAAAAAAAA-" it shrieked in pain, and started whipping its vine back and forth, trying to dislodge the creature that had impaled it. But Nidoran was stuck good, and had managed to somehow grab on with all four of its legs and hold on while its horn injected pure poison into the vine.

Finally the Tangela reared its vine back and brought it crashing down to the earth, slamming Nidoran's body hard against the ground, finally knocking it free.

"Nidoran!" Ash hurried to his fallen Pokemon's side. Nidoran was struggling to right itself, but was clearly in pain.

And then a shadow fell over the two of them.

The Tangela was advancing, more than two dozen vines arrayed out around it, ready to tear the two of them limb-from-limb.

Ash gulped. This was it.

"Tange…"

And then the Tangela froze. The sickly yellow of its vines flushed into a very sickly purple, and its eyes lost focus. It took a wobbling step, pitched to the side, and fell into an untidy heap.

Ash blinked. It had worked. It had actually worked!

And then, a miracle.

"Ash!"

Ash looked up to see the most beautiful sight he had seen all day, and he had already seen Misty naked. It was the PokeGirls! Misty, May, and the others, all of them awake, and now pulling themselves up onto the ledge.

Misty had something in her hands. "Catch!"

She threw it at him, and he reached up and caught it. It was his belt, with all of his empty pokeballs still attached.

Ash understood immediately. He popped one off, expanded it, and hurled it at the fallen Tangela.

The Tangela's diseased body disintegrated into red light, which was then swallowed up by the pokeball.

Ash slumped with relief, as did the others. Finally it was over. They were safe.

The pokeball fell to the ground. It shook once, and then twice-

And then it exploded, pieces of plastic, metal, and rubber shooting off in all directions! Ash yelped as the shrapnel pelted his still-burned skin.

But what he saw was far worse.

The Tangela was again on its feet, still poisoned, still paralyzed, but on its feet nevertheless and standing over him, having mustered enough willpower to rip apart its nemesis before finally succumbing to its injuries.

"Tangela…" it hissed, and it began to extended its shaking vines at the dumbstruck boy. "Tange-"

And then a fireball shot in out of nowhere and fully enveloped the whole thing. The Tangela screamed as it burned. Ash cried and covered himself with his arms as the heat washed over him.

Then the fire cleared, and the Tangela was now a crispy mess, one that blinked once before toppling over again.

Over at the ledge, May blew the smoke rising from her fingertip.

Second time was the charm! Ash grabbed another pokeball, expanded it, and threw. The pokeball swallowed up the Tangela and dropped to the ground, much like its failed comrade had. There, it quivered once, twice, and then sat still, the light of its lock winking out.

Ash and Nidoran both inhaled in sync and exhaled at the same time. Wow, that had been something.

"Ugh," Yellow mumbled as she sat up. She still looked pretty dazed, but thankfully she would be okay. "What happened…"

Then she noticed the inert pokeball.

"YOU DID IT!" Yellow suddenly threw herself at Ash, squeezing him tightly. "YOU DID IT, YOU DID IT!"

Oh, it hurt like anything, but at that moment Ash was feeling too happy to care. "No!" he said, dislodging her arms and holding onto her hands. "WE did it!"

The two friends grinned at one another, and then they grabbed each other in a mutually painful embrace.

As they did, Ash felt something ease off of him, a weight he had been carrying around for a long time, one full of resentment and bitterness that he hadn't even known he had been carrying. Not completely, of course. There was still a lot unsettled with his former friends. But this much had been resolved at least.

"Pika!" Chuey cheered as it happily bounded onto Yellow's shoulder.

"Nido!" Nidoran scampered onto Ash's leg and wormed its way into his arms.

"And here's the real heroes!" Ash said as he held Nidoran up.

"Oh, you guys were wonderful!" Yellow added as Chuey happily nuzzled her cheek.

"Yeah, they were great," Ash said. Then he looked up and saw what was currently incoming. "Oh, brace yourself."

Seconds later they were bowled over by a very happy May.

"My heroes!" she cried, throwing her arms around the both of them, following by kissing them both on the forehead. "Mwah! Mwah!"

Ash and Yellow both grinned, and for pretty much the same reason. After all, May had already gotten handsy with them both, so the extra attention was appreciated. As was the close contact.

And then Ash went stiff, in more ways than one. A soft weight settled on both of his shoulders as naked feminine flesh pressed against his back.

"So, these are our brave heroes," said the blonde lady as she draped her arms over Ash's chest, her breasts settling on either side of his neck and her chin resting on the top of his head. "You kids are something else, you know that?"

"They're adorable is what they are!" exclaimed the curvy, teal-haired woman. She swept Yellow up in her arms and crushed her into her bosom. Yellow both grimaced and grinned in pain and gratitude.

The teenaged brunette knelt down in front of Ash. "Uh, thank you," she said with a shy blush. "I don't know what would have happened to us if you weren't there." She leaned in and planted a kiss on his cheek, leaving his face burning and his head feeling light.

"Aw, just the cheek?" the blonde said. "Come on, Sally! Boy Wonder here deserves more than that!"

"Hmmm, nuh-uh!" May said, placing an arm between Sally and Ash. "Sorry, but someone's already got first dibs on that."

"Oh, really now?" The blonde leaned her head in over Ash's shoulder. Lighting touching his cheek with one perfectly manicured nail, she tilted his blushing face toward hers. "And just how many fair maidens are on this ladykiller's list, and how does one reserve a spot?"

In that moment, Ash was suddenly very glad that he seemed incapable of making a mess during orgasm, because otherwise he would now be in danger of making a mess over everyone.

"Er, hey, so I don't, like, have a clue what's going on?" said the dark-haired PokeGirl as she walked up to all of them. "Who are all you people? Why are we all naked? What's with the kids?"

"You got kidnapped by a Tangela!" Yellow said cheerfully, still happily held in the electric PokeGirl's arms. "We saved you!"

The dark-haired PokeGirl stared. "Uh, okay? So…why are you naked?"

"Because I was masturbating right before-"

"Okay, okay!" The PokeGirl hastily turned around and walked off, her hands held in the air. "Don't need to hear about no kids diddling themselves, thank you very much!"

Ash sighed. "Uh, yeah. We should really get our clothes back."

"But that does raise a question," said the blonde PokeGirl, who still had Ash's head nestled between her breasts. "Did my eyes deceive me, or did you shoot an ember out of your finger there, little girl?"

May stiffened. "Who, me?" She let out a very fake laugh and flicked her wrist in an exaggerated manner. "No! You, uh, must've been seeing things! It was probably that other PokeGirl over there. She looks like a fire-type, doesn't she?"

"No I'm not! I'm a ground-type!"

May was now sweating openly. "Uh, well, then it probably was-"

"Michelle!"

"Huh?" the teal-haired PokeGirl still holding onto Yellow looked up in surprise. "Bobby?"

"Oh, thanks heavens," May breathed as everyone turned their attention from her.

It was Michelle's still slightly-roasted trainer, the one who had ran out on her earlier. He was now fully dressed and joined by a mousy-looking young woman wearing thick glasses and a shapeless black sweater and a young, gawky-looking man in a green tee-shirt and glasses, one who was painfully limping and holding onto his side with one hand.

"Michelle, oh, blessings to Jirachi!" Bobby panted. "I-"

"VIOLET!" The teenaged PokeGirl sprinted forward, knocking Bobby aside to throw herself as the mousy young woman, who gladly opened her arms to receive her.

Bobby groaned and struggled to sit up, only to get knocked over by the young man in glasses.

"Rochelle! Ohmigoodness, you're okay!" he breathed as he and the dark-haired PokeGirl happily threw their arms around each other.

"Marty, you came back for me!" she cried into his shoulder.

"Well, this is where we part!" the blonde PokeGirl said. "Thanks again, kid! Owe yah one!"

"Huh?" Ash said. "I-"

Then she was gone, jogging over to join Sally and Violet.

"Oh."

Then May looped an arm around his shoulders. "Don't sweat it, champ," she said. "You still got one cute naked girl sticking with you. Appreciate the nudity, by the way. It's a good look for you!"

"Uh…thanks?"

Then the two of them noticed that there was still one kidnapped PokeGirl that had not run joyfully to reunite with her trainer.

Michelle had set Yellow down, much to her disappointment, and was now glowering at Bobby, who was again struggling to right himself. "So," she said. "You finally showed up. After the kids had to come save the day."

"Finally?" he gawked. "I ran to get help immediately!" He turned to Ash. "Right, kid? You saw me, back me up!"

Ash quirked an eyebrow. He said nothing.

"Uh, what?" Violet said. "I had to basically browbeat you into coming when I ran into you. You were all set to run all the way back to Viridian City!"

"Dude, seriously?" Marty said. "You were just gonna run out on your PokeGirl like that? I cracked a rib and I still came!"

"I knew it!" Michelle then stomped over to him, grabbed him by the ear, and began dragging him away.

"Ow! Baby, wait! Stop! My skin's still tender!"

"Tender? Tender? Oh, it'll be more then tender when I get done with you! Seriously, leaving me in the clutches of that monster, and letting a couple of little kids do all the work? Did you even try to follow?"

"Please, I'm sorry, I'll never do it again!"

Everyone watched them go. When they had finally gone out of earshot, May breathed out.

"Whew," she said. "Who is training who, exactly? Hey, were those the same guys we accidentally walked in on yesterday?"

"Yup," Ash said. "Those were them."

May grinned. "Well, it's probably going to be him in the gimp suit from now on."

Looking totally confused, the young woman identified as Violet cleared her throat and approached the pair, followed by her PokeGirls. "So, I don't have any idea what happened, I just know that you saved some people who are very special to me," she said to Ash and Yellow.

"The same!" Marty said, his arm around Rochelle's waist. "We owe you one, guys!"

"Uh…it's fine! It's fine!" Ash said hastily. "We were just trying to save our own friends! But…happy we could help!"

"You sure?" Violet said, pulling out a wallet. "You still deserve some kind of reward though. Um, here!" She thrust a handful of bills into Ash's hands.

"Great idea! Here's some from me!" Marty handed another wad of money to Yellow.

Ash blinked. It was…a lot. Much more than he had ever owned, much less held. "Wait, you don't have to-"

Then May laid a hand over Ash's. "Keep it," she said. "You're going to need whatever you can get for your journey."

"Well, I'm definitely keeping this!" Yellow chortled as she thumbed her own wad of cash.

"You're welcome to it!" Marty said. "And if there's anything else we-"

"Uh, thanks," May said. "But…maybe you can give us some privacy so we can find our clothes and get out of here?"

It was then that Marty and Violet seemed to realize that they were the only two actually wearing clothing. They exchanged glances and their faces reddened.

"Er, good point," Violet said. "But we can't just leave you here! This forest is dangerous!"

"It's fine, it's fine!" May said, waving them off. "We have our own Pokemon. You all go off and celebrate. We'll head out ourselves in bit."

"If you say so," Violet said dubiously.

"Good luck!" Sally chimed in.

"Yeah, seriously," intoned the blonde woman, whose name Ash hadn't caught.

The older trainers and PokeGirls all turned to leave, but right as they did, the blonde woman glanced over her shoulder at Ash, then at May. She smirked, and winked at the pair.

"Huh," Ash said as they left. "What do you think she meant by that."

May sighed. "That she figured out that I'm a PokeGirl," she said. "But I don't think she's going to tell anyone."

"Wait, you're a PokeGirl?!" Yellow gawked. "Ash!"

Ash buried his face in his palm. "It wasn't me!"

"Chill, chill, it was Misty," May said hastily. "And I asked her to do it, it's fine!"

"Yeah, but-"

May glowered, her eyes flashing red.

Yellow shut up.

Wincing, Ash set Nidoran down and stood up. Now that things had settled down, his body, already aching from his electric shock earlier, now was hurting even more from all those lacerations. "Ow," he muttered.

Sighing, Yellow sat down. "Same."

"You guys okay?" May said.

"We got beat up a lot and electrocuted," Yellow said.

"Like…badly?" May said, sounding concerned. "I noticed you're both kinda, um, toasty."

Chuey bashfully bowed its head.

"Oh, it's not your fault," Yellow said, scratching its ear.

"Wow, it got you both?" May said.

Ash winced. "No, I got zapped, well, I got zapped by Misty. It was an accident though!"

May snorted. "Oof. Yeah, accidental discharge. I had a problem with that when I got my fire powers.

"Wait, Misty's PokeGirl too?" Yellow said.

May waved her off. "It's a long story, just leave it. But, um, we'd all appreciate it if you…"

"Wait, Misty!" Fear gripped Ash's heart when he realized that when all those PokeGirls had rushed up to greet them, Misty had not been among them. He wildly looked around, praying that she was okay. "Where is she? Misty, can you hear me? Where are-"

"Here."

Ash blinked. Then he headed back up the hill and looked over.

Misty was back in the Tangela's lair, over by the pile of pilfered belongings. She had pulled her clothes back on and was kneeling down to tie her shoes.

"I'm fine," she said as she rose.

May walked over to stand next to Ash. "Are you sure?" she said in concern. "That Tangela didn't-"

Snatching her backpack off the ground, Misty walked off without a word.

Ash stared after her. What was wrong with her? Why was she giving them the cold shoulder? Was she really okay? Had the Tangela done something to her?

He was about to follow her, but then May laid a hand on his shoulder. "Just leave her alone."

"But-"

"It's like I said last night. If Misty wants to be alone, it's best to just let her. Going after her will just make things worse."

…

Once she was out of sight and earshot of everyone, Misty sat down with her back against a tree. She hugged her knees to her chest and stared out at the forest without actually focusing on anything.

She had a lot of thinking to do.

As she sat there in thought, she heard the sound of rustling. Misty stiffened. Was it another crazy Pokemon? Had that Tangela escaped? Was it (oh, please no!) a deadly bug Pokemon? That would just be the icing on this big cake of suck.

But then something small and yellow hopped out of the underbrush and stood up straight to stare at her. "Pi-Pi?" Chuey said, tilting its head.

Misty sighed and relaxed. "Oh, it's just you," she said. "Hi."

Chuey hopped over and placed a paw on her thigh, looking up at her in evident concern.

Reaching over to ruffle the little Pikachu's ears, Misty said, "You know, you got it pretty good. You don't have to worry about who or what you're supposed to be. You were born what you are, and you're probably perfectly happy that way. I kinda envy you."

Then she looked back to the dark forest. "Me? I'm all twisted up here. I mean, sure, me and May might've been making fun of Ash for his bad luck, but it's not like I have it much better. It feels like no matter what I do, it just goes wrong."

"Chu?"

"And it's not fair! Like, what the heck?! I try to be a responsible Gym Leader, and everyone treats me like dirt! I try to do take some time for myself, and I get chased by a jerk! I try to save some idiot, and I get hit by lightning! I try to do the whole PokeGirl thing, and…just look at today! What's it take, huh? Ugh!" She slammed her fist back against the tree she had been leaning again.

Chuey's ears drooped. "Chu…"

"Yeah, I know," Misty sighed. "Enough whining. It's time to make a decision."

…

As it turned out, the Tangela had kept as meticulous care of everyone's stolen property as it had everything else in its bizarre lair. Ash, May, and Yellow were able to find their clothes and belongings as easily as Misty had, and quickly suited up.

Once he was again fully clothed, Ash turned his attention to the lair itself. There was something so weird about how the Tangela had arranged all of its salvaged pieces of junk, a deliberate design that was escaping him. He had no idea what its intentions had been, but just looking around he could tell that while it had definitely been crazy, its madness had definite purpose.

But what? What was it trying to accomplish?

As he studied the carvings in the wall, he heard footsteps coming up from behind. Turning, he saw Yellow there, her face downcast and partially hidden by her big straw hat. Standing right behind her with her hand on Yellow's shoulder was May.

"Uh, yeah?" Ash said.

May tapped Yellow's shoulder. "Now, go on," she said. "You promised."

Wincing, Yellow looked up, and Ash could see that her face was now a faint shade of embarrassed pink.

"Ash? Can I…talk to you?"

"Er…sure?" Ash scratched the back of his neck in confusion, only to immediately regret it when the burning flashes reminded him of how raw his skin still was. May had helpfully lathered more of that anti-burn cream onto both of them before they had dressed (which they had both greatly enjoyed) and it had helped, but it would be a while before they were at a hundred percent again.

The two went over to sit down on an upturned refrigerator. Strangely enough, Yellow actually seemed nervous, which she rarely ever was. She was jiggling her right leg while thrumming her fingers onto the refrigerator's side, which she always did during the rare cases in which she was agitated.

"Ash, I…I just…" She closed her eyes. "Okay. Now, I'm not really good at this, but I'm going to try. So…just hear me out, okay?"

Ash blinked. Then he nodded.

"Okay. So…" Yellow breathed out. "I'm sorry about what I did back at Pokemon Trainer Camp. I know how much winning meant to you. I know how much Gary picked on you for losing. And I know that you trusted me, and that I betrayed that trust."

Her eyes were starting to water, so she wiped them with her arm before continuing. "I didn't mean for things to get as messed up as they did. I just wanted Leaf to be proud of me, but I just made things worse, and I really didn't mean to embarrass you like that, and I'm sorry I didn't say sorry earlier, but…" She bowed her head again, her feet shuffling in the dirt. "Um, well, sorry. For everything."

Ash blinked. He had not been expecting that, and quite frankly wasn't sure how to respond. "Oh, uh, well, I…"

"I know, I should've said this a long time ago. But I really thought that if I acted like everything was normal, then you'd let it go!" Yellow sighed. "But May explained to me how much I had hurt your feelings, and that I really screwed things up. So…I guess I owe you a lot of sorries. So I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"

"Yellow, it's fine!" Ash hastily cut in. If he let her, she would be chanting apologies for the rest of the day.

Yellow perked up. "It is?" she said hopefully.

Ash sighed. "Okay. Look. Yes, I was mad at you. And…okay, I'm still kind of ticked. But, well, I guess…"

"The lady apologized, Ash," May called from just outside the Tangela's lair. "Be a gentleman and accept."

Ash shot her a dirty look. "Well, okay. It…wasn't really all your doing. Gary would've been rotten to me anyway. I mean I was still mad, but…well, thanks. And…thanks for saving my bacon back there. And for helping me save Misty and May. And, well…"

Realizing that he should probably be clear, Ash said, "All right. Thank you for apologizing. And…I forgive you."

"You…You do?"

"Yeah."

Yellow hesitated, and then lifted her head just enough to peek shyly out from beneath the brim of her hat.

She really was cute, Ash realized. Maybe not as beautiful or alluring as Misty or May, but definitely cute. How had he never noticed before?

He cleared his throat. "So, um, you know we did make a pretty good team back there."

"Yeah," Yellow said, lifting her head a little more. "We did."

"Well…hey, why don't you come with us? I mean, we're both on the same journey, and training together would make it easier for both of us. It could be, you know, fun. Like old times."

Yellow seemed very tempted by his offer, but in the end she shook her head. "Thanks, but I think I'm going to hang out here for a while longer," she said. "Badges were never really my thing, and I just want to get to know my Pokemon better before I move on. Besides, there's lots of secrets in Viridian Forest that no one's uncovered. Maybe I can be the one to find them!"

"Uh, really? Are you sure? Viridian Forest is pretty weird, from what I hear."

"Then I'll fit right in!" Yellow giggled. "But I'll go with you guys as far as Pewter City. That's your next stop, right?"

Ash nodded.

"Then it's settled!"

Then, before Ash could react, Yellow pounced, tackling him with an enthusiastic embrace just like the one she had given him that morning. At first Ash instinctively drew back, but then he stopped himself and wrapped his arms around her in return.

"I'm glad we're friends again," Yellow said, her face pressed into his chest.

"Yeah," Ash said. "Me too."

Smiling, Yellow rose up on her toes and pressed her lips against Ash's.

Ash's eyes went wide.

"Oh, oops! Wrong kind of kiss!" Yellow hastily moved over to plant a kiss on Ash's cheek. "There. Better?"

Ash rubbed his cheek. "Well, less…awkward, anyway."

"Sorry, still learning about this stuff. Didn't mean to make it weird!" Then, just as abruptly as she had jumped onto him, Yellow pulled away. "Anyway, I'd better go feed Chuey! All this battling really gives him an appetite!"

With that, she spun on her heels and ran off, leaving Ash and May staring mystified after her.

"Huh, she is a strange one," May said, walking up to take Yellow's place sitting next to Ash.

Ash sighed. "You have no idea."

"Still, it's great that you guys made up. And hey! You got a new Pokemon out of it too!" She glanced down at his belt, where the Tangela's minimized pokeball was hanging. "Granted, it's a deranged lunatic that you really probably shouldn't start training without having it looked at by a professional first."

"You would know, huh?"

May burst out laughing. "Exactly! Nothing like a lunatic to spot a lunatic!"

Ash touched the raw spot on his chest where the vines had lashed him and winced. "It seemed pretty obvious to me."

"Oh, yeah. Hey, what do you think that Tangela's deal was, anyway?"

"Not a clue," Ash admitted. "I mean, it was pretty obviously targeting PokeGirls, but it didn't seem to want to, you know, violate any of you, it just wanted to collect you."

"That's no fun."

Ash sighed. "Yeah, you would think that." He glanced back down at the inert pokeball. "I just hope we can find someone that can help it. The poor guy's had to have been through a lot."

"That's for sure."

The two stood together, looking at the strange lair of a strange Pokemon. Then Ash said. "By the way, did you really have to have sex with my ex-girlfriend?"

May burst out laughing with that.

"I'm serious!" Ash protested.

"Oh yeah? Didn't make a special point about how she most definitely was never your real girlfriend?"

Ash indignantly folded his arms. "That was before we made up! Besides, after all that talk of first dibs and everything…"

May rolled her eyes. "I'm not your PokeGirl, Ash. I'm Misty's! And me and Misty have a very special understanding."

"What, one where you can basically just have sex with whoever you want?"

"Within reason," May said casually. "So long as I remember who my number one girl is. Besides, Yellow needed a teacher and was eager to learn, and you two obviously weren't going to help her. So why shouldn't I try a little golden honey?" She looked him up and down. "She is quite the charmer though. Did she just steal your first kiss and make it off like it was an accident?"

Ash coughed. "Well, um, that…actually wasn't my first."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, um, well, Misty actually kissed me earlier today." Ash felt his cheeks flush at the memory. Getting shocked unconscious and nearly drowning had been kind of awful, sure, but man had everything leading up to it been something else!

"She did?" May grinned. "Oh, good for her! Must've been real nice, huh?"

Ash could still taste Misty's tongue. "Yeah."

Then May's eyes widened. "Hey, wait! Is that the reason why you were naked?"

"…kind of."

"Oh, ho, ho, ho!" May clasped her hands together in delight. "You guys did it, didn't you? You sealed the deal?"

Ash sighed. "Er, no."

"What?!"

"Well, we were about to, but that's when she shocked me by accident!" Ash said, feeling just a little defensive. "Then when we tried again, that's when the Tangela showed up."

May shook her head and clicked her tongue. "Good grief. Ash, I cannot decide if you're the most lucky unlucky guy I know, or the unluckiest lucky guy."

"Yeah," Ash sighed. "I know what you mean."

Then May shrugged. "Well, at least you got to second base. And hey, since no one has first dibs on this part anymore…"

Before Ash knew what was happening, May stepped forward and seized Ash's cheeks in her hands, pulling him into a deep kiss.

Just like he had with Misty, Ash froze in shock. But this time at least he was able to shake off the paralysis and remind himself to respond. He forced his body to relax, untightening his muscles and responding the best he could. He gingerly put his hands on May's waist, and when she didn't shake him off, slid them around to her back.

Misty had been a really good kisser (or so Ash assumed; he didn't exactly have much to judge her by), but May was on a while other level: forceful, but not intimidating; hungry, but also tender. And so very warm, like hot chocolate on a cold winter's night. And all Ash could do was hang on the best he could and try not to melt entirely.

In this, he was less than successful.

Finally she parted, a look of satisfaction on her face as she licked her lips. "So, congratulations," she said. "You're the first boy I've kissed, while I was your third girl. How was it?"

Ash would have responded coherently, but the truth was his brain was so muddled in a happy haze that all he could do was make noise. "Hoooooooo," Ash breathed out. Oh, he was warm.

"Thought so." May released his face, and Ash took a couple of stumbling steps to keep from losing his balance. "Still the queen."

Then she whispered, "Uh-oh."

Ash blinked his eyes several times. He shook his head, trying to clear away the pleasurable fog so he could see what May had been worried by.

A moment later Ash saw it. Misty was walking up to the two of them, and she did not seem to be in a good place. She was clutching one arm with the other, her head bowed and eyes downcast, a far cry from the firecracker Ash had been getting to know.

Ash and May both stood at attention as Misty approached them. "Ash," she said without raising her head. "I have something to say."

Ash's stomach clenched up. Oh, this couldn't be good. "Okay," he said, bracing himself. "G-Go ahead."

"I'm from Cerulean City."

At this, Ash blinked. Uh, okay? That was an odd bit of information to just announce, especially after that buildup. Ash had gathered that she was native to Kanto like he was, and Cerulean City was as good a place to be from as any. So why make a big deal about it?

"And Cerulean City is where you'll be heading next after you're doing in Pewter, right?"

"I g-guess so. I mean, it's the only place to go afterward."

Misty tilted her chin in a small nod. "Okay. And on the way there, I'll teach you everything that I can. I'll help you prepare for your battle with the Pewter City Gym Leader, I'll lead you through Mt. Moon, and I'll make sure you know everything you need to know for the rest of your journey."

Ash's hackles raised. Oh, no. She couldn't be saying what it sounded like she was saying. "Misty, I-"

"And when we get home, when I get home, I would like for you to release me," Misty said in a flat tone.

May clapped her hands over her mouth. "Misty, no!"

"Yes," Misty said.

"But…But that wasn't how this was supposed to go! We were going to go on an adventure together, the three of us! You and I were going to be the best PokeGirls in the world! You promised us! You promised Ash, and you promised me!"

"I…" Misty's voice wavered, and she closed her eyes for a few seconds before continuing. "I can't do this. I'm sorry, but everything about this is wrong."

"Wrong?" Ash felt like he had been punched in the gut. "What do you mean, wrong?"

"I mean everything! Me getting caught! I'm not supposed to be caught, I'm not supposed to be a PokeGirl!"

"Ash saved your life!" May cried.

Misty didn't seem to have heard her. "I mean, I have a job! I have responsibilities! I can't…go traipsing off on someone else's journey!"

Ash's brow furrowed. "Misty, what are you saying?"

"I…" Misty sighed, and then rummaged around in her back pocket. She pulled out what looked like a small, thin, blue notebook and opened it up.

The notebook had two pages. On one was a trainer ID badge, one with Misty's face and proof of certification, but it was unlike any ID badge Ash had ever seen, one that was much more official and impressive looking, superimposed with the image of a drop of water.

And pinned to the other page was a gym badge of the same design: a single drop of blue water.

Ash's jaw dropped open.

"My full name is Misty Waterflower," Misty said. "And I am a Gym Leader. I'm the Cerulean City Gym Leader, and I was on a trip to catch more Pokemon for the gym when you found me."

"You…You're a…" Ash's legs started to tremble, and he stumbled back half-a-step. "Oh, Giranta's blackest nightmare, you're a Gym Leader?"

Misty solemnly nodded. "Yes. I am Kanto's water-type Gym Leader, as certified by Indigo League." She closed up her badge case and slipped it back into her pocket.

"But…How…What…Why didn't you tell me?"

Misty let out a long, slow breath. "Ash. Being a Gym Leader…well, it isn't fun. I thought it would be, but it isn't, especially for me. Nobody respects you, nobody appreciates the hard work you do, all the trainers that come to challenge you make fun of you for being a kid, and when you win, they throw a tantrum and accuse you of cheating, and when they win, they make fun of you some more! And you're lucky if they just leave without any sexual harassment! Plus your sisters never respect you either, even though it's literally your gym that they're living in, and you're letting them use the pool for their stupid water show out of the goodness of your heart, and they still keep acting like you're the runt of the family and disrespecting you and having sex in your office, on top of your desk! And that's not even getting into the constant attempts by Team Rocket to try to scare you into giving up your gym to them! It's every day with this! Nobody ever treats me like I deserve this job. They just try to push me around, when they're not trying to get something from me."

Ash just kept on staring. "Okay, but why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't want to be that anymore, okay?" Misty snapped, the sudden rancor in her voice taking Ash back. "If you knew I was a Gym Leader, then that's all I would be to you! I just wanted to be Misty and not worry about any of that!"

"But…But I wouldn't…"

"You would! Everyone does!"

"I don't," May said in a small voice.

"You…You're different." Misty shook her head. "But I figured, well, sure it's bad that I got caught, but hey, at least I can finally get away from all those headaches! And at least I'll be a water-type and have a closer connection to my water Pokemon. I run the Water Gym for a reason, Ash. I love the water! It's my element! I could swim before I could walk, and I've always felt at home in the water." Tears were now budding up in Misty's eyes. "But I didn't even get that! I ended up as the exact opposite of a water-type, all because of a stupid lightning bolt! And when I was being carried away by that Tangela and none of my attacks were doing anything, I realized just how much I hated this, hated being an electric-type."

"Y-Yeah, but a w-water-type wouldn't have d-d-done much better!" Ash stammered.

Misty glowered at him. "You don't know that."

Given the ferocity of Misty's glare, Ash judged it to be in his best interests to drop the subject.

"But we can work past that!" May cried. She sounded like she was on the verge of tears herself. "I'm sure that once you get used to it-"

"Staryu and Starmie rejected me," Misty said.

May jerked back like she had been slapped.

"They couldn't even look at me! My signature Pokemon, my oldest friends, and they just turned their backs on me, all because I got turned into something they hate, something I taught them to hate." She then focused solely on Ash, who was now standing silently as she unloaded on him. "Ash, I'm sorry, I know I promised what I promised, but I can't do this. So please, when we get to Cerulean, I need you to release me."

Ash didn't know what to say. Sure, he had been the one to offer to release her right off the bat, but that had been before he had gotten to know her, before he had become friends with her. He didn't want to lose her!

But how could he say no? If what she had become was causing her own Pokemon to reject her, how could he possibly force her to stay with him? Sure, he technically could, but that would just be cruel, and she would only hate him for it.

And he'd rather lose her than have her hate him.

"Okay," he said softly. "C-Cerulean then."

Misty slowly nodded. Then, without another word, she turned and walked away.

Ash and May watched her leave. Then, when she was gone, May abruptly got up and ran off after her.

Ash let her go. He knew how she felt. Heck, he probably felt worse. At least May would still be with Misty. Ash was going to be left alone. And sure, maybe that had been the original plan, but that had been before he had made friends, friends that he had been looking forward to traveling with, to getting to know better, to having on the whole of his adventure.

There was a saying that Ash had heard before in a movie, one that he hadn't thought much of but now couldn't get out of his head.

It is better to love and lost that love, it had went, than to never have loved at all.

To which Ash now found himself replying, Try it sometimes. See how it feels.

…

"Misty! Hey, wait up!"

Misty sighed but she didn't stop walking. Though she had expected this to happen, this wasn't a conversation she was interested in having.

"Dang it, Misty! Stop walking away and talk to me!"

Misty stopped, but she didn't turn around. "What is there to say, May?" she called over her shoulder. "I already gave my reasons, you heard them, so that's final!"

May caught up to her and ran around her so that they were face-to-face. Her eyes, normally bright with joy and mischief, were now flashing with fury. "No, it not!" she snapped. "Don't forget, you're my trainer, just like Ash is yours! So, where you go, I go, so I get a say in this too!"

Misty looked away.

"Oh, no you don't." May said, moving her face in sync with Misty's. "You don't get to shut me out."

Rolling her eyes, Misty looked back to her. "What do you want me to say?" Misty said to her. "I know I promised Ash that I'd go with him, but I can't do this!"

"Can't do what?" May demanded.

"This!" Misty threw her hands into the air. "This PokeGirl thing! It's making me absolutely miserable! My Pokemon won't talk to me, I couldn't fight the Tangela, I'm just mind-numbingly horny all the time, and I can't even be with anybody without hurting them! Ash'll be lucky if he doesn't get a skin infection!"

"So you had a bad day!" May countered. "It takes some getting used to, I know! Remember my dad's garage? Remember how we couldn't even kiss for a few days without putting blisters on your lips? But I can show you how to control all of that, and once you get the hang of it, you don't even think about it anymore!"

Groaning, Misty buried her face in her palm. "You're not getting it!"

"Then explain it to me! Please, I'll listen!"

"It's…It's about control, okay? I haven't had any of it, not for a long time! I didn't get to choose whether to be caught or not, I didn't get to choose what type I wanted, I didn't choose to have my stinking libido shoot through the ceiling, I can't even burn some of that off by having sex with…anyone without hurting them, and the one time that having Pokemon powers would've come in handy, they're useless!" Her lip curled in disgust. "Plus, that…thing only went after me because I'm a PokeGirl, and now Ash is just going to…keep it around? Make it part of his team? No! I'm not going to be around that monster. And I'm tired of everything going wrong, so I'm taking back control of my life!"

May scowled. "By going back to the place that made you miserable? Back to getting pushed around by your stupid family, bullied by every trainer that walks into your gym, back to getting threatened by Team Rocket? Where's the control in that?"

"Well, at least it was mine!"

"Then why were you thinking of quitting, huh? Remember when you told me that you weren't sure that you even wanted to be a Gym Leader anymore, that it wasn't fun and you wanted to leave?"

Misty had said that, and had recently told Ash that same thing. "Yeah, and when I tried to take an out, look what happened!" She sighed and tried to calm herself down. It wasn't easy though. It seemed that on top of getting aroused twice as easily, PokeGirls also felt emotions more strongly as well. "Look, I kn-know you had this daydream of the three of us going on this grand adventure together, filled with laughs and thrills and threesomes, and I did too for a bit! And I'm sorry for taking that away, but I'm serious here. I can't do this, and that's final!"

May looked like she was going to cry. Steam was rising from her eyes where her tears were evaporating. "You promised both of us, Ash and me! Ash practically killed himself to save us, and you're just going to leave him?"

Misty slowly breathed out. "Look, if you want to sleep with him, go for it."

"WHAT?!"

"The only reason you haven't is because you think I should have first dibs, right? Well, I'm relinquishing that claim! He's all yours!"

May inhaled sharply through her nose. Her right eyelid was twitching. "Misty…"

"In fact…you know what? You should go with him! I mean, what were you going to do when we got back? Just hide under my bed? Sit around watching TV while I'm at work? You'll drive yourself crazy in a week! So…you should definitely go with him."

A distinct trembling had started to developed around May's fingers, and the air around her was growing hazy with heat. "Misty…"

"I'm serious!" Misty could feel her voice choking up with emotion. "I'm not trying to be mean here, okay? I'm not trying to get rid of your or him, but if you think about it, that's the best path for everyone-"

"Oh, quit that!" May snapped. "I'm not going to let you make that kind of decision when you're like this!"

Misty's eyes narrowed. "Like what, May? Like what?"

"This! All…angry and bitter! I'm not going to let you do something that you'll probably regret later, I'm not abandoning you to be miserable, and no, I'm not touching Ash like that, because you and me both know that it'll hurt you once you've calmed down. Besides, he's our friend, not someone to be just passed around!"

"Oh yeah? Well, if you respect him so much, why do you keep teasing him?"

"Because I already asked him if he wants me to stop, and he said no! But I'm not going to sleep with him to prove some kind of point! He deserves better than that, and so do you!"

"Well…fine then! You come up with a better idea!"

May sighed, releasing a fair bit of smoke when she did so. "Okay, here's one: if you don't like being a PokeGirl and want to be released, then that's fine! It's not for everyone, and you shouldn't be forced to stay like this."

"Well, glad you agree then!"

"But after Ash releases you and you got back to normal, go with him anyway!"

Misty blinked. "Huh?"

"Keep your promise. Stay with Ash and help him train, just not as his PokeGirl. Trainers travel together all the time, don't they? So why not do that?"

Misty…had not thought of that. Still…

"And just abandon my gym?" she said. "Just hand it off to Team Rocket and bail?"

"You were all set to do that anyway, weren't you? Or would you rather they take it anyway and you wind up on the Black Market? Because you know they'll get it sooner or later."

That…hurt to hear, but Misty had to admit that May had a point. It was something that she had thought about often, though she hated to admit it. "Okay, but what about my sisters? Sure, they're annoying-"

"And selfish."

"Sure, but-"

"And unappreciative."

"Okay, but even so-"

"And mean. And petty. And stuck-up."

Misty folded her arms. "All right, but they're…" Her voice trailed off when she remembered that the "But they're family" was exactly the wrong sort of argument to make to May.

Sure enough, May rolled her eyes. "Okay, and you know what? They're grown-ups! You're ten! They're not your responsibility! If they have to rely on the kid sister just to keep the lights on and never show her any kind of appreciation, then screw 'em! Worry about your own life, girl! Stop making yourself miserable for them! They can learn to get real jobs."

Misty frowned, but said nothing.

"Look, just…don't decide. Not yet," May said. "But promise me that you'll think about it, okay? Don't rush a decision just because you're upset. Take some time and really think about what you want to do." She reached over to poke Misty in the heart.

Misty sighed. "All right. I'll…think about it."

"I knew you would."

Scowling, Misty said, "It's weird when you start being them mature one."

"Hey, I'm two years older than both you and Ash. Of course I am!"

"Yeah. No, you're not."

"Well, I can be when I need to be." Then May leaned in and seized Misty in a tight embrace. "Love yah, Red."

Sighing, Misty returned the hug. "Yeah. I love you too."

"Of course you do, dummy."

…

Ah, sweet, sweet angst. Fanfiction's ambrosia.

Anyway, I gotta clear a few points up. Firstly, there's been a few people pointing out some similarities between this story and a popular, long-running Pokemon fic called Traveler, which is also a rewrite of the anime and has Ash starting off with a male Nidoran, and he catches a Tangela at some point. So just so we're clear, this story is not in any way, shape, or form a rip-off, inspired by, or even influenced by Traveler. I have never read or even heard of Traveler until other people brought it up, and any similarities are purely coincidental. I chose Nidoran because it's a Gen 1 with a three-stage evolutionary line that isn't a grass, fire, water, or electric type. And I went with Tangela because I feel that it's kind of underrated, and I can only imagine that the author of Traveler was thinking down the same lines.

Also, after some thought and discussion, I decided to go back and retcon the whole thing from the last chapter about Pokemon and PokeGirl power being non-lethal. I was trying to explain why Misty would nearly be killed by getting electrified while Ash would be relatively okay, but in hindsight, that explanation is dumb and would just cause endless problems. So the new explanation is that Misty's accidental discharge just didn't pack that much voltage.

Anyway, that's enough camping. Next chapter (which should come out much quicker) will kickstart Pewter City.

But of course you don't care about that, seeing how things here ended on a bitter note. So…how about a bonus, post-comments scene?

…

Things back at camp were awkward. None of the humans were talking to each other. So, to get some space from all that uncomfortableness, Nidoran and Chuey had elected to go off and investigate the Tangela's lair. After all, it had been crazy, sure, but there had been a definite method to its madness. And maybe a Pokemon would catch something that a human might miss.

Unfortunately, while their investigations turned up plenty of weirdness, exactly none of it made any sense to them.

Chuey poked at the rusting remains of a washing machine, its internal guts pulled out and replaced with the plastic dome of a water cooler and a lot of pipe cleaners for some reason. "Pika," it said. "Pikachu! Chu, Pika-Pikachu!"

(translation: "I don't get it. What's all this for? What was it even trying to do?")

Nidoran nudged its horn again a row of cracked and bent grocery store produce scales. "Nidori. Nidoran!"

(translation: "Beats me. I always thought humans were the weirdoes, but this is a whole new level of weird.")

Grunting, Chuey pushed aside a line of rusty tin cans, their labels yanked off, with holes punched in their sides and threaded with Christmas lights. "Chu. Pikachu, Pika! Pika…"

(translation: "Oh, you know humans are to blame for this somehow! Yellow's the only tolerable human I've ever met, and even she's ten degrees of weird. The whole species is…")

Noticing that Chuey's voice had trailed off, Nidoran turned. "Nidoran?"

(translation: "Hey, what's up?")

Chuey was staring at the wall behind the tin cans. "Pikachu," it said, pointing. "Chu-chu, Pika!"

(translation: "Look at this! More weird writing.")

Nidoran bounded over and looked. Sure enough, more strange carvings were in the wall, similar to the big mural in the center.

Tilting its head to one side, Chuey scratched its ear. "Pi? Pikachu?"

(translation: "Can you make out any of this?")

Nidoran frowned. Then it shrugged. "Nidino. Doran."

(translation: "Beats me. You've lived with humans longer than I have. Can't you read it?"

"Chu."

(translation: "Nah. Never could figure it out."

Snuffling, Nidoran turned away. "Nido. Nidoran."

(translation: "Ah well. Let's go back to camp. Hopefully they've stopped fighting and have some food out.")

Chuey studied the carvings a little longer. Then with a shrug of its own, it turned and followed.

To be fair, even a human would have a hard time discerning exactly what the Tangela had carved onto the wall. After all, it barely comprehended human writing either and was merely transcribing from memory. However, there were two symbols in particular that were at least legible.

One was clearly a logo of some kind, done in the shape of a stylized R.

And the other merely read, "M2."