And here with another chapter. Sorry took a bit longer. Been busy and writing these hasn't been as easy as before due to a mix of life and other things. So just a warning ahead of time, may not be able to always keep up the once a month update schedule I've been using so far. Either way, I hope you enjoy the chapters whenever they come.
XXXX
"It's nice to be back on the road again," Ash sighed, stretching a little. It had been a couple of days after he was properly discharged from the Pokemon Center. With the group ready to continue on the road, his parents thus prepared to return to Pallet. Of course not before telling them to be careful along the way, and of course taking the time to make sure they had proper directions on their map so they SHOULDN'T get lost again. Hopefully.
"Let's just hope whichever town or Pokemon Center we find next, we'll be able to get through without any issues," Misty said.
"That would be a nice change of pace yeah," Brock chuckled as Pikachu and Charmander were walking behind them.
"No arguments here. I'd rather keep my stays in the Pokemon Center's medical ward to a minimum," Ash agreed.
"Speaking of which...where are we anyway?" Misty asked, to which Brock pulled out a map.
"Good news is we're not lost for once," Brock chuckled. "We're actually not TOO far away from Vermillion City, relatively speaking. There's a town not too far from here according to the map, and after that it should be a few days walk to Vermillion," he said.
"Glad to know we're on the right track for once," Ash chuckled.
"And with a town we can probably restock on any supplies we're running short on," Misty agreed.
With that said the group continued forward, enjoying the day more or less with Ash in the lead. Things seemed to be going smoothly at first...until Ash took a step...and felt the ground shift unnaturally. "Stop!" he shouted, causing everyone to stop short.
"What's-?!" Brock started, but Ash immediately kicked off the ground...just in time for the ground to give way revealing a pitfall, Ash just BARELY avoiding falling in as he grabbed the edge of the pitfall, his jump a second too late to fully escape.
Gasping in alarm, Misty and Brock were quick to help pull him up and away from the pitfall. "That was close," Ash sighed. "Thanks for pulling me out."
"Thanks for warning us," Brock said in return before frowning. "More importantly though, who'd leave a pitfall in the middle of the road?"
"Either someone who's trying to cause an accident, or someone with a twisted sense of humor," Misty frowned. As if to confirm her thoughts, they heard the sound of laughing, and turned to see…
"There's something you don't see every day!" Ash said wide eyed as standing by the side of the road were five Squirtles, all of them wearing sunglasses, though one in the middle had a pair of notably sharp sunglasses in contrast to the other four which all wore round sunglasses. Seeing the bunch, Ash couldn't help but scan them with his Pokedex.
"Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokemon. Squirtle is a Water-type Pokemon Native to the Kanto Region and is one of the three Regional Starters. Despite its small size, this Pokemon is capable of launching powerful blasts of water. Additionally, the shell on its back is both a hard defense and helps this Pokemon swim at high speeds."
"Whether they dug that pitfall or not, this is still a chance I can't easily pass up," Ash smirked a bit. "You ready, Pikachu?" he asked, to which the mouse stepped forward with a determined look...though at the same time they made sure they were in front of Charmander. Wouldn't want a stray Water Move to hit him.
The Squirtles unsurprisingly looked a little unnerved at seeing their opponent was an Electric-type. However, before they could actually fight…
"Squirtle!" a new voice cut in, as another Squirtle entered the scene, standing between them in a way that made it clear it was shielding the others. Another thing to note was that this one wa wearing what looked like a pair of tinted goggles.
"Where'd that other one come from?" Brock blinked in surprise. The shock was enough to stop the battle before it began, and realizing that, the Squirtle turned to the other Squirtles, and started, from the tone of voice, pleading with them. However, the response it got...was less than positive, as the one they assumed was the lead Squirtle was angrily chewing out the new Squirtle, but the new Squirtle didn't give up and kept trying to push forward...earning a back hand from the lead Squirtle...which the new Squirtle didn't take lying down and before long the two of them were in a fist fight and rolling on the ground, the other Squirtles trying to stop them, while Ash and Co. were just watching in confusion.
"What's even happening here?" Misty blinked.
"It...looks like they're having one heck of an argument…" Ash blinked as well. Fortunately the fight was soon stopped...but not in a way any of them expected.
"Squirtle, stop that!" a voice rang out...inside everyone's head, causing the Squirtle with the tinted goggles to stop short...and allow the Squirtle with the sharp sunglasses to knock it back, allowing them to get up and dust themselves, looking none too pleased.
"Where'd that voice come from?!" Misty gasped.
"That was definitely a Psychic talking, but where are they?" Brock asked, looking around.
"That voice...isn't that…?" Ash blinked, recognizing the mental voice.
"Pi?" Pikachu asked curiously since it seemed his trainer recognized the voice.
As if to answer all that, a new figure suddenly appeared, having no doubt teleported into the scene. They were an Abra Pokemorph with spiky black hair...and an outfit that...well…it looked like a copy of Ash's outfit, with the only difference being the jacket was red in color. Heck, save a few differences outside of the obvious species difference, they could well have been siblings. The Abra in question was male with a rather average build, like that of someone who stayed in shape but only really brought forth the minimum to stay in shape rather than go through rigorous training. Either way they were fully focused on the Squirtles before them. "That's quite enough, all of you. Can't you see that Squirtle is trying to help?" the Abra said, though the voice was again a mental voice.
The Squirtle with the sharp sunglasses growled his name out a few times, before blowing a raspberry as he and the other Squirtles with sunglasses turned tail and ran away, leaving the Squirtle with tinted goggles to relax...before sighing sadly, the Abra soon going to his side and patting his shoulder.
"It's okay, I'm sure you'll get through to them eventually," he reassured.
"I had a feeling it was you," Ash said as the group got closer, the Riolu having a somewhat quizzical look. "So you DID decide to go on your Journey too, huh?"
"Ash, do you know him?" Misty asked, Pikachu and Charmander also looking curious about that.
The Abra chuckled a bit. "Awww, we haven't seen each other in months and that's how you greet me?" he said good naturedly. "You wound me, cousin."
"Wait, he's your cousin?!" Brock asked in surprise...before stopping a bit. "Then again...the resemblance IS there."
"Yeah, we DO look alike don't we?" Ash sweat dropped. "Everyone, this is my cousin, Red," he introduced before turning to Red. "Red, these are my friends, Misty and Brock. And these are...well...okay, Pikachu is my Pokemon. Charmander is just following us for now," he introduced the last two a bit awkwardly, but Pikachu greeted Red cheerfully all the same...and Charmander hid behind Ash's leg.
"Nice to meet ya," Red said with a friendly grin...right before one of the Pokeballs at his belt popped open by itself, releasing a Charmeleon. "Well you're eager today. Guess you got interested cause of Charmander, huh?" Red chuckled.
"Whoa, so I'm guessing you're the one who got the Charmander from Professor Oak?" Ash said in surprise, taking out his Pokedex and scanning.
"Charmeleon, the Flame Pokemon. Charmeleon is a Fire-type Pokemon native to the Kanto Region and is the Evolved form of Charmander. Charmeleon's flames are greatly strengthened from its Evolution enough so that it is able to adjust the temperature around it as needed. Of all the Starter Pokemon offered around the world, Charmeleon are among the ones known to become temperamental after evolving, gaining a more aggressive personality compared to Charmander."
Everyone looked at the Pokedex, before looking at Charmeleon… who was talking calmly with Charmander, Squirtle and Pikachu...before looking at Red questioningly. "Yeah, I guess I lucked out on this one. Charmeleon may like getting into fights more, but he's still more or less the same Pokemon I started with," he grinned.
"Yeah...that sounds about right with you," Ash sweat dropped, remembering how lucky Red could get at times. The Abra just chuckled at that one. "So...not that I'm complaining, but what are you doing out here? And what's with those Squirtle?"
"Ah...yeah, about them...how about we go into town first? It's gonna be easier to explain there," Red sighed.
"I guess something like this WOULD be better discussed in town but...where is it?" Misty asked...right before Red recalled his Pokemon, and soon placed a hand on Ash's shoulder.
"...you SURE you can carry all of us?" Ash double checked.
"Give me some credit, Ash. I've been practicing," Red snorted.
"Okay, if you're sure," Ash said, still a little uncertain, but looked to the others all the same. "Everyone grab on, looks like we're teleporting to town."
"Well...if he's sure he can do it I guess…" Brock said, sounding a little uncertain, and with good reason. It was a well known fact that when it came down to it in terms of power, a Pokemorph usually wasn't on par with a Pokemon. Not to say Pokemorphs couldn't do things that Pokemon could do...but some of them like Teleportation was one of the things that was approached with caution.
"Don't worry, I've been practicing. I guarantee I'll get everyone into town...and with clothing fully intact too," Red said cheerfully.
"Do we want to know?" Misty asked dryly.
"If we stop by Pallet Town, I'll dig up the old scrapbook," Ash said in amusement, causing Red to groan and blush a little.
Misty sighed before she, Brock, Pikachu, and Charmander grabbed hold, before Red closed his eyes and they soon vanished from the spot.
XXXX
The nearby town was having a more or less peaceful day, seeing as the local trouble makers hadn't caused any havoc...yet anyway. Even so, the people and Pokemon in the area were QUITE surprised when one of the open water towers suddenly had a huge splash come out of it. The source?
"...you've been practicing, huh?" Ash said, rather unamused, as they were all standing chest deep in the water, completely soaked. The only exception is Charmander, who, having apparently noticed they'd reappeared over water, scrambled up and was now clinging to Ash's head.
"Well...I DID get us to town. I guess I must have messed up the coordinates. Sorry about that…" Red sweat dropped.
"Well...seeing as worse things could have happened, I guess that makes sense," Brock sweat dropped.
"Let's just go somewhere to get dried off," Misty sighed.
"Pi…" Pikachu sighed as he was stuck swimming to stay afloat.
A short while later, the group was in the local Pokemon Center...while their clothes were out to dry, the group having their spares on. "Good thing our backpacks are waterproof," Brock mused as their previous clothes were being put up to dry.
"Yeah, the stuff those things can do is pretty incredible, huh?" Red chuckled. "Okay, so about those Squirtles," he started, getting their attention. "They're something of a local nuisance called the Squirtle Squad. They're all Squirtles that were abandoned by their Trainers…" he frowned.
"That's terrible…" Misty said sadly.
"Honestly, people like that shouldn't be allowed to be Trainers," Ash growled, the memory of Cross coming to mind.
"Amen to that," Red nodded. "At any rate, because of that they're basically running wild, doing what they like. It's honestly really sad when you think about it…" he sighed, right before his Squirtle popped out of his Pokeball, and let out a sad 'Squir…' of agreement.
"I've been meaning to ask. What's with your Squirtle? Those goggles make it look a lot like the Squirtles from the Squirtle Squad," Brock said.
"That's because this Squirtle WAS part of the Squad until he joined my team," Red said.
"You caught one of them?" Ash blinked in surprise.
"Caught...isn't the right word for it. More like I found him by accident when a prank gone a little awry had him stuck on his back and helped him get back up. After that, it was kind of a few small incidents that earned me his trust," Red said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. Though Squirtle seemed happy to remember those incidents, and rubbed against him, to which he petted the Pokemon with a smile. "It's also why I'm staying here for now. Squirtle wants to help his Squad get out of their current lives. The only problem is...they're not really the trusting type and him choosing to trust me enough for me to be his Trainer…"
"I'm guessing they didn't take to that too well…" Ash frowned, while Pikachu's ears dropped a bit at hearing that. Charmander though didn't say anything, since he could understand where the Squirtle Squad was coming from. Squirtle seemed to notice and while the Trainers were busy talking about his Squad, he went over to Charmander.
"What's got you down in the dumps?" Squirtle asked.
"Nothing...I...I guess I just know how you feel…" Charmander sighed.
"...you too, huh?" Squirtle asked sympathetically.
"It was really recent so he doesn't like talking about it," Pikachu chimed in, earning a nod of understanding from Red's Squirtle.
"Yeah...it hurts. A LOT," Squirtle nodded. "But it's not the end of the world. I'd say you've got it better than we did at first," he chuckled a bit.
"What do you mean?" Charmander blinked.
"You got several nice people being there as your friends and they respect your decision enough to NOT try and catch you," Squirtle said simply before grinning. "So chin up. It'll get better in time."
Charmander didn't say anything, but smiled a little and nodded in thanks.
Back with the Trainers though, the conversation had gotten a bit more serious…
"Though...there's another reason I'm seriously helping Squirtle with this…" Red sighed.
"I...don't like the sound of that…" Misty gulped a bit. That sounded a bit ominous.
Red nodded at that. "It is. See, while the Squirtle Squad IS mostly harmless, they are still considered a public nuisance. As a result, not everyone is content with just leaving them be as troublemakers…"
"Are you saying they want to get rid of them?!" Brock gasped in alarm.
"That's exactly what I'm saying, yes. There have been some wealthy people who are not happy with the Squirtle Squad causing trouble and they want that to stop. They're offering a reward for anyone who can do that, and the thing is...they're not picky on HOW the Squirtle Squad is 'dealt with'," Red frowned. "Personally I don't care about the reward. I'm just trying to make sure that 'dealt with' means something actually positive for the Squirtle Squad. They deserve that at the very least…"
A heavy silence fell on the group at that, as Ash, Misty and Brock looked at each other before nodding and turning back to Red. "How can we help?" Ash asked, causing Red to blink in surprise.
"The Squirtle Squad have been through enough. The last thing we'll stand for is someone deciding that 'dealing with them' means killing them or getting rid of them," Misty added, her tone serious.
"If there's anything we can do to help, we can't just sit here and do nothing," Brock agreed.
"So yeah, you've got some help whether you like it or not," Ash grinned a bit.
Red blinked...before smiling. "Thanks everyone. It means a lot," he smiled.
"...though while we're on topic and just out of curiosity, how much ARE they offering?" Misty asked after a moment, honestly curious.
"Well it's not going to make someone filthy rich, but considering it's dealing with some Squirtles, I'd say it's a pretty good sum," Red shrugged as he used his powers to make a Reward poster float towards them so they could see.
"...wow, two thousand Pokedollars. I can see why people would be interested," Ash sweat dropped. Squirtle were hardly considered dangerous Pokemon, so this was practically easy money to most.
What they didn't notice though was the trio who were nearby, what appeared to be a duo of travelers dressed in average travelling clothes and a Meowth that was with them, scratching itself, had heard them...and were looking at one of the Reward posters themselves. "Well well, so this town is offering a decent sum for dealing with a bunch of Squirtles?" the female of the group, a Pyroar with long black hair and wearing glasses mused.
"I think that sounds like easy money," the male of the group, a Roserade with blonde hair and a baseball cap said. "So shall we do it?"
"Meowth meow!" the Meowth said cheerfully, causing the two to grin.
XXXX
"...you get the feeling this might be harder than we imagined?" Brock asked with a sweat drop, earning several slow nods of agreement.
The reason for that? It was the next day after they'd agreed to help stop the Squirtle Squad before anything more drastic happened...and during the time it seemed several people had tried to stop the Squad...only to fail...pretty badly if the Morphs and Pokemon caught in various traps from nets to pitfalls to...huh, where'd the Squirtle find giant fly paper?
"Well...at least this means they're not gonna go down without a fight I guess…" Ash sweat dropped.
"Good for them, not so good for us…" Misty sweat dropped as well.
"Well it's not like we weren't expecting any hurdles…" Brock said.
"Though I will admit I wasn't expecting this either…" Red chuckled awkwardly.
The group continued to look on awkwardly at the scene before Ash broke it. "...so, any ideas on how to avoid ending up like that?"
"Start by not doing anything that would come across as hostile then watch our backs?" Red offered.
"...about as good as any I guess," Misty sighed while Red called out his Squirtle.
"Okay Squirtle, do you have any idea where your friends would be about now?" Red asked. Squirtle seemed to think about it...before nodding and walking off, the group soon following after him.
XXXX
Meanwhile, the Squirtle Squad were once again walking around the area, doing as they pleased like always. However, this time around their walk was interrupted when one of them heard something. Immediately alerting their leader, they went to see what it was, and came upon a sight that made them….pissed off.
"How's that? If you're so hungry go eat a tasty dirt sandwich!" a female Pyroar Pokemorph laughed as she kicked dirt into the face of a Meowth who was whining pitifully.
"Maybe next time you'll think twice about trying to steal our lunch!" the male Roserade Pokemorph agreed as he was holding down the Meowth, and from the sounds the Meowth was making, it was quite painful.
Needless to say the Squirtle Squad wouldn't stand idly by at what they were seeing, and made their displeasure known...using 5 full powered Water Guns which hit the Pokemorphs dead on, knocking them right off their feet, and leaving them sputtering on the ground while the Squirtles went over to the Meowth and helped him up, the Meowth thanking them as they soon got away. However once they were gone, the Pyroar and Roserade got up, looked at each other and smirked. "Phase 1, complete," they chuckled.
XXXX
"Hey, thanks for the help," Meowth said with a smile.
"No problem. Us Pokemon gotta stick together when it comes to Pokemorphs. Especially jerks like that," one of the Squirtles said.
"You got that right, all I wanted was a snack, and they went and did way more than that," Meowth huffed.
"Jerks like those are the worst," the lead Squirtle agreed. "Don't worry though, stick with us and you'll be just fine," he said with a grin.
"Thanks. Youz guys are great," Meowth nodded as he soon followed them. Though if any of them had looked back at their new companion they might have noticed the smirk he had.
"You think this is great, you ain't seen nothing yet," the lead Squirtle chuckled. "Come on, let's go see what's fun to do today."
XXXX
"Hm...doesn't look like they're around here…" Brock frowned. The group had been looking for the Squirtle Squad for a good few hours and so far nothing, Red's Squirtle shrugging helplessly. He couldn't exactly control WHERE his friends hung out.
"Maybe we should take a short break," Misty sighed, earning a few nods of agreement as they sat down by the water's edge.
"If they're this hard to find, I'm starting to wonder if we actually CAN find them unless they want to be found," Ash mused.
"That's honestly a hopeful yet terrifying thought all at the same time," Red said dryly.
"Yeah, if that's true then the only way we'll find them is if they come to...us?" Brock suddenly blinked as he looked to the water...and saw a Squirtle with sunglasses in there.
"Well...that happened," Ash blinked, while Pikachu and Charmander cocked their heads to the side in mild confusion. The Squirtle grinned a bit...before spraying them all with a Water Gun.
"...you know, somehow I think we should have seen THAT one coming," Misty said dryly.
"All things considered? Yeah, we probably should have," Brock sighed in agreement as the Squirtle was laughing, followed by a few more sounds, revealing the Squirtle Squad were there, and they clearly found this hilarious.
"Very funny," Ash deadpanned, before glaring a bit. "What do you want?"
The Squirtles just continued laughing at that, causing him to get annoyed. "Fine, if it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you'll get!" he said, Pikachu stepping forward, cheeks sparking as he was looking to fry some turtle for that one and prepared to let loose a Thundershock at the annoying Water-types. However, right as he was about to do so, the Squirtles let loose Water Guns...which were aimed upward, and drenching the group again...which caused the Thundershock to go to the closer conductor, namely his own friends.
"YEAAAAARRGH!" most of them shouted, though even Brock was feeling a bit tingly from the water supported electricity.
Pikachu quickly stopped his attack, sweat dropping at what he accidentally did. The stop in the attack was an opening that the Squirtles were quick to take advantage of, as one of the Squirtles pulled into their shell and launched forward in a Tackle attack, knocking Pikachu back and into the water.
"Pikachu!" Ash gasped, the water bubbling...before it suddenly splashed upward as Pikachu JUMPED out of the water with a painful 'CHA!' while holding his butt. The reason? Seems a Goldeen living in the water took offense at his impromptu dip and proceeded to make its displeasure known with its horn, leaving Pikachu to land on the shore, holding his butt in pain.
While that little disaster train was happening, the Squirtle Squad had produced rope from...somewhere...and proceeded to lasso Red, as well as his Squirtle, neither of them in any shape to actually fight back thanks to the electrocution, before a Meowth jumped through the air and blindfolded Red. "Gotcha!" the Meowth said, before quickly covering his mouth, though too late as Ash, Misty, and Brock were able to focus enough to realize who this Meowth was...but even that wasn't enough as the Squirtle Squad had already used the ropes they had to basically tie up Red and his Squirtle before they proceeded to lift up the Abra and his Pokemon...and proceed to run away.
"H-hey wait!" Misty gasped, but too late. The Squirtle Squad had gotten away with Red and his Squirtle, Meowth even using Red as a seat to take a comfy ride.
XXXX
A short while later…
"That...didn't go so well…" Ash groaned as the group was currently in the nearby town, going over what had just happened, as to the side, Pikachu was sitting...on a sizable block of ice. He'd probably not be able to sit normally for a while after being on the business end of a Goldeen's horn.
"But why did they kidnap Red?" Misty wondered.
"If I were to guess, because of Red's Squirtle. He WAS part of the Squad so, they might have figured he'd be most likely to find them," Brock mused.
"That makes sense I guess. The problem is, how are we going to find them?" Misty asked.
Ash was in thought as they discussed. "Hm...we all heard that Meowth talk, right?" he asked.
"It did, so odds are that's the same Meowth in Team Rocket," Brock frowned.
"Though why he's with the Squirtle Squad is strange too," Misty mused, before a thought crossed her mind. "Do you think Team Rocket might be after the Squirtle Squad too?" she gasped.
"That...that makes a lot of sense," Ash said slowly. "The Squad don't trust Pokemorphs...but they might trust a Pokemon…"
"Wouldn't be hard for Meowth to pretend he's a wild Pokemon and sneak into their group," Brock agreed. "And with him in there, it's only a matter of time before Jessie and James find them."
"They must be after the reward too. They can catch the Squirtle Squad AND get the money. It's a perfect deal for them," Misty frowned.
"We can't let them get away with that then," Ash said with determination, earning nods from Misty and Brock.
"But...this could work to our advantage," Brock mused. "After all, they'll be going for the Squad eventually and with Meowth there, they'd be able to lead us right to them."
"Assuming we can find them, but fair enough," Misty nodded in agreement.
"That's the next issue. How are we going to find them? The best we can probably do is look around town and hopefully they're here. That or hope they're using their balloon and we can see them from the ground," Ash said, rubbing his chin in thought.
"Guess that's our best move for now then," Brock frowned. "We'd better not waste time."
"Right," Ash and Misty nodded as they all got up...with Ash grabbing a blanket to help him carry Pikachu's block of ice.
XXXX
Meanwhile…
Red sighed. All things considered...this wasn't too bad...minus the part of being tied up, blindfolded, and gagged. "You DO realize gagging me does absolutely nothing, right?" he couldn't help but ask.
The Squirtle Squad (and Meowth) looked at each other and shrugged.
"...that's what I thought," Red mentally deadpanned.
XXXX
"Going around without much of an aim...is a lot harder than you'd think," Ash groaned, while Charmander sweat dropped as he watched the three Pokemorphs walk around looking for...something they weren't even sure was there.
"Murphy is alive and well it seems," Brock sighed. "The one time we want to see them, they're nowhere to be found."
Misty didn't say anything as they continued to look...until they noticed something going on in a nearby shop which upon closer look seemed to be one that sold...explosives?
"There's something you don't see everyday," Ash blinked.
"Well, it could be that they use these for mining and the like, there are quite a few places those would be useful near here," Brock mused.
"Think we should take a closer look?" Misty suggested, to which they thought about it and nodded in agreement. However, before they could get closer, the front door was literally blown open, everyone nearby was forced to shield their eyes from the dust that the explosion kicked up, but when it cleared enough for them to look again…
"...wow...we actually found them," Brock said in surprise as true enough, Jessie and James were there in full uniform, having used the smoke screen the explosion caused to get onto the roof of the building they'd just robbed from the looks of it, and somehow call their balloon which soon picked them up and allowed them to take to the air.
"They're getting away!" Ash gasped as they soon gave chase, but quickly maintained moving among the trees that soon came, hoping that doing so would give them more cover to avoid being seen…
XXXX
Fortunately it seemed Jessie and James were more focused on whatever task they were going for next, the group hoping that it would lead them to wherever Red was. Managing to follow them unnoticed, they reached what appeared to be a cave on the side of a hill.
"Is this where the Squirtle Squad was hiding?" Ash wondered as they watched from behind the trees. If Team Rocket saw them now they might lose their only chance.
"It must be, but let's wait a bit to find out," Brock frowned.
The three of them had to be careful and kept their distance, waiting for a while which was...easier said than done, as they had to be careful not to make any sounds, and generally stay out of the line of sight. Eventually though, they got something when the Squirtle Squad came out and left the cave, no doubt going to cause some trouble again. A short time after that, Meowth exited the cave, and quickly met up with Jessie and James. The three seemed to be planning something, to which Jessie and James soon got into the balloon and positioned it well above the cave in a way that would ensure the Squirtle Squad wouldn't see it unless they specifically looked up and knew what to look for...perfect for an ambush. The problem was…
"How do we get Red out of there?" Ash frowned. "We can't just walk in or Team Rocket might aim for us instead."
"Assuming they don't decide the Squirtle Squad are more important than us," Brock frowned. "But even then, if they see us, then they'll already know we're here…"
"At this rate our only chance is to help the Squirtle Squad AND Red at the same time," Misty frowned.
"Hm...there might be a way," Ash mused. "I just hope Red is in range now…"
"We're pretty far, you sure Red can still hear thoughts directed at him?" Brock asked, seeing as it was known that Psychics who kept their minds open the way Red did tended to be able to hear thoughts directed at them. The only thing was, that range varied from individual to individual.
"One way to find out," Ash said, before he thought about Red and focused on him, calling his name, hoping he'd still be able to hear. At first nothing, but after a few moments…
"Ash? That you, cousin?" Red's mental voice echoed in Ash's mind.
"Good to know we're in range. We're outside the cave that the Squirtle Squad are using as a hideout, but there's a slight problem…" Ash mentally said to Red, before explaining the situation to him regarding Team Rocket.
"Well THAT really sucks for me," Red groaned mentally. "But I agree, you guys can't let those thieves know you're there. Don't mind me, I'll tough out being like this for a while longer. Until then, you make sure they don't get the Squirtle Squad. I'll be okay."
"Right. Hang in there for a bit longer. We'll get you out as soon as we can," Ash mentally said, earning a mental nod from Red before the connection cut. Once that was done he turned to Misty and Brock. "He's understandably not happy, but he agrees we should focus on making sure Team Rocket doesn't get the Squirtle Squad," Ash explained.
"Alright, if he's alright with waiting longer we'll do this then," Misty nodded.
Fortunately for Red, that turned out to not be as long as it could have been, as a short while later, the Squirtle Squad came back...with a haul of stuff they probably stole from a store or something. Either way, they were coming back, with Meowth waving at them from the hill their hideout was situated under, which they waved back and were soon going for the entrance of the cave...which was exactly what Meowth was waiting for.
"Oh no you don't! Pidgeotto, blow the bombs off course!" Ash shouted as he released Pidgeotto, right as Jessie and James dropped the first volley of bombs. Normally they would have attacked the balloon, but Jessie and James were far up in the air, making attacking the balloon not as feasible. Not to mention the danger of what happens if the explosives they were carrying all hit the ground at the same time.
Either way, Pidgeotto was able to mess up the trajectory of the bombs enough that the Squirtle Squad avoided a direct hit much to their shock and alarm at seeing the bombs falling and the balloon where the bombs came from.
"Get out of here! They'll drop another wave soon!" Brock shouted as the three of the group revealed themselves, Pikachu and Charmander trying to help as well with the warnings.
The Squirtle were confused, but they weren't about to stand around doing nothing like idiots. The lead Squirtle immediately ordered them to get into the cave. However…
"Like its gonna be dat easy!" Meowth laughed as he started throwing some explosives at them, the lead Squirtle gasping and pushing one of his squadmates out of the way and was hit by the explosion, knocking him over.
His squadmates shouted in alarm, helping him up, before angrily demanding what Meowth thought he was doing. "Oh this? Nothing personal. You guys were swell, but its just business," Meowth laughed as he was about to throw another bomb...only for it to misfire when Charmander had enough and ran forward, firing a Flamethrower at him, causing the bomb to explode, sending him flying into the air...and conveniently landing in the ballon.
"Honestly, can't you twerps not bother us?!" Jessie growled in annoyance.
"Sure, we'll stop once you three stop causing trouble for people and Pokemon!" Ash shot back as the group had exited their cover and were now ready to fight. .
"In that case, take this!" James said as they started dropping more bombs on them.
"I don't think so!" Misty frowned as she sent a Swift attack flying towards the bombs, managing to detonate some of them, but more were coming, on top of that Jessie and James were adding their own Moves into the mix, making for a bombardment.
"This is bad, they've got the advantage like this! Everyone get to cover. We can form a counter attack when we don't have bombs literally falling on us!" Brock said, to which they soon made way for the caves, but in the midst of the chaos, one of the explosions knocked the lead Squirtle onto his back, causing the group to leave him by accident and by the time he was able to call for help, they'd just about reached the cave.
"Oh no! I'll help him, you get everyone inside and free Red!" Ash gasped, giving Misty Pikachu and running towards the lead Squirtle. However, as he ran Jessie and James dropped more bombs, and realizing he wouldn't be able to get Squirtle out of there in time he did the only other thing he could do. He threw himself on top of the Squirtle right as the bombs hit, shielding him with his body.
"Ash!" Misty and Brock gasped in alarm, while Pikachu did the same as well as Charmander, though the latter blinked in slight surprise at his own reaction. Either way, the smoke quickly cleared, finding Ash covering the lead Squirtle, his clothes scuffed up and covered in soot before the Riolu collapsed on top of Squirtle who was in shock at what had just happened.
"Y-you okay?" Ash groaned, his whole body in pain from the explosions. Even if he could take it, having something explode on you was VERY painful. Even so he was more worried about the Squirtle under him. "Come on, we gotta go," he said, straining himself to try and get up.
The lead Squirtle finally finished processing what just happened, and what came were...tears. Tears of gratitude, a feeling he never thought he'd feel for a Pokemorph again. And what else could he do but reciprocate?
"Okay...this is going down in my weird day list," Ash couldn't help but say, as the lead Squirtle had gotten up...and actually lifted him over his head as the Squirtle was currently running full tilt while carrying him into the cave.
"...there's something you don't see everyday," the Rocket Trio couldn't help but say as they also blinked in surprise at what just happened.
Once they reached the cave, the lead Squirtle put Ash on the ground. "You okay, Ash?" Red asked, having just been untied and unblindfolded.
"I'll probably be sore tomorrow, but I should be okay," Ash groaned. "More importantly, we have to stop Team Rocket," he said, getting up, before wincing in pain.
"Slow down there," Red said. "After all this excitement, I think you earned a break. Leave those trouble makers to me," he said with a thumbs up.
Outside, the explosions had covered the area in dust while a few trees were catching fire. "Drat, they got away!" Jessie growled.
"Its fine, there's no way out of that cave. We seal the entrance and we'll get them eventually! Either way that reward is ours!" Meowth said with a grin. However, before they could even start to try that plan…
"The only reward you three are getting is your just desserts," came Red's voice in their minds, as the Abra appeared on the top of the cave, Pokeballs at the ready. "Let's do this, partner!" he called out as he threw the Pokeball, releasing Charmeleon who stood at the ready. "Let's show them what happens when you play with fire! Charmeleon, Fire Spin!" he ordered, to which Charmeleon obeyed, letting loose a powerful blast of flames that at first only encircled the balloon, but quickly became a full on blast which caused them to be enveloped in the flames...and ignited whatever bombs they still had left with them for...logical effect.
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" the three of them shouted as the bombs exploded, sending them flying so fast they were soon a twinkle in the sky.
Down below, the rest of the group had exited the cave to see the fires that were starting. "We've gotta stop the fire before it spreads!" Misty gasped, as she released her Pokemon that could use Water Gun.
"Help them out too Wooper!" Ash added from where he was leaning on Brock's shoulder for support, Wooper joining in to help with putting out the water, while the leader of the Squirtle squad also rallied his group, and joined in. With their joint efforts, the fire was put out before it could fully spread while Team Rocket was now out of the picture.
XXXX
"In recognition of your actions today in preventing what could have been a major disaster, we gratefully award this certificate to the Squirtle Squad," Officer Jenny said. Earlier she had heard the explosions and came to investigate, arriving just in time to see the group and the Squirtle Squad putting out the fires. Shortly after that incident, Red brought up a suggestion, which she had to say was pretty good, and when they ran it with the Squirtle Squad, they seemed pretty pleased too. "Furthermore, in light of your skill and bravery, we proudly appoint you the town firefighters," she said as the Squirtle Squad was awarded their certificate and uniforms. It had taken a bit of convincing, but the town had accepted the suggestion, and even the ones who'd posted the reward were willing to bury the hatchet since at least this way the Squirtles wouldn't be a regular nuisance.
"All's well, ends well I guess," Ash chuckled as they watched the Squirtle Squad pose for a photo.
XXXX
A short while later, the group was at the edge of town, Red aiming for a different path than them. "You sure you don't want to come with us?" Ash asked his cousin.
"Yeah, as much fun as it was, I need to get back on my own journey. But I'm sure we'll meet again, our end goal is the same after all," Red said with a grin, holding out his fist, to which Ash did a small fist bump with him.
"Take care of yourself okay," Brock said.
"And hopefully next time we meet it'll be with better circumstances," Misty chuckled.
"Definitely would prefer better circumstances next time, yeah," Red laughed a bit, before he waved goodbye and they were soon on their way using different paths.
A short while later as they were walking down the road, Pikachu and Charmander stopped when they happened to glance around and called out to the Pokemorphs of the group, catching their attention. "What is it you guys?" Ash asked, to which the two Pokemon pointed behind them, revealing someone was following them. That someone being the leader of the Squirtle Squad. "Squirtle? What are you doing here?" he asked in surprise.
Squirtle trilled his name a bit, which Pikachu happily relayed. "You want to come with us?" Ash blinked, earning a happy nod from Squirtle. At that Ash smiled a bit. "Well, if you're sure, then welcome on the team," he said with a friendly grin, and let out a slight whoop when he had to quickly catch Squirtle who'd leaped right at him in joy, while everyone watched with a smile as well, even Charmander.
XXXX
And done. Bet nobody was expecting that right? Yeahp, Red exists in this world, and as for why he looks like Ash, they're cousins. On who's side? I'll leave that up in the air a bit. Lol
And now Squirtle has joined Ash's party, and they're well on their way to Vermillion City, but first, another detour from their chronically bad sense of direction. Lol
File No. 6: Transportation
Due to the development of the world, there are a variety of transportation methods available to the people in various regions. A common method of transportation for young Trainers/Fighters on a journey is to walk from location to location, as doing so is considered the best way to encounter new Pokemon, take in the sights, as well as train for coming challenges. However, for those who don't have the time to get around the old fashioned way there are a variety of other options. As of recently the Flying Taxi service of Galar has started to spread in popularity, leading to the service being provided in other Regions as well, albeit with varying degrees of popularity. Additionally, Trainers are of course allowed to use their own Pokemon for transportation, or if they're in Alola, use a Ride Pokemon.
As for those who want a more high tech approach, vehicles like cars, trains (in big cities), and various other vehicles for land, sea, or air, are available for use. In this world there are simply no end to the options for anyone looking to get around.