This is going to be a short chapter, but it is necessary since the event will affect Ashley.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon characters! I only own my OCs!

Chapter 16: Bye Bye Butterfree

After a lovely vacation on the Sevii Islands, we made it back to Vermilion City with Mom, Professor Oak, Gary and his cheerleading squad. Ash and I hugged Mom before we decided to head to Lavender Town. Professor Oak said he has an old friend there who had some problems and he really wanted to go, but he couldn't leave the lab any longer, so he asked us to check up on his friend, Mr. Fuji.

I read Lavender Town was mostly famous for the Pokémon Tower where deceased Pokémon were resting. Therefore, there were rumors of many ghost-type Pokémon living in that town; my worst enemy.

But I could also see this as a potential lesson to overcome my fear for ghosts. Or, at least, see how much I could stand them before I would break down like I did by Maiden's Peak.

We traveled through Route 12 on the mountains, close to the ocean, when we noticed several Trainers heading toward a certain direction and more than twelve dozen Butterfrees flying after them.

"Where is everyone going?" Misty wondered.

"Is there an event going on?" I added.

"Hmm… It looks to me the Butterfrees are heading to a place to find a mate", Brock stated.

Ash walked to a boy who was a few years older than us. "Excuse me, where are you all going?"

"Don't you know? This is the time of year the wild Butterfrees head to the mountain to find a mate before flying across the sea to start their families", the boy replied. "Trainers with their own Butterfrees head over there to release their Pokémon and let them find a mate."

"So… It's the Butterfrees' mating season…?" I asked shyly behind Ash.

"Chu?" Pikachu tilted his head to the side.

"Yep! My Butterfree's been itching to find a mate, so I hope he will find one", the Trainer responded.

The mating season for Butterfrees… I couldn't help but wonder if Honey wanted to find a mate and start a family too. But then again, if I released her, I might never see her again.

"Shall we check it out?" Misty asked. "Perhaps Honey wants to start a family."

"I… I don't know…", I hesitated as I looked down at my feet. "Honey may have been one of the first Pokémon I caught, so I have a strong bond with her…"

"Let's go and see if Honey finds a good mate or not", Brock suggested. "If not, then Honey will stay with you."

"It's better than nothing and we will see how Butterfrees court each other", Ash added.

I grabbed Honey's Poké Ball and looked at it for a moment before making a decision. "Okay. Let's go and see if Honey is ready for a mate or not."

XXXXXXXXXX

The area at the mountain was packed with Trainers in all ages and lots of hot-air balloons. Apparently, a volunteer organization arranged the balloons to let the Trainers fly among the Butterfree horde and watch their Butterfrees find a mate. We rented one hot-air balloon and got some basic instructions of how to handle it before we were flying in the air.

I have never ridden on a flying Pokémon, so I was a little nervous at first before the beautiful view of the sea and Butterfrees captivated me.

"The view is beautiful!" Misty said joyfully.

"Look at all those hot-air balloons!" Ash pointed at the other balloons. "The Trainers are calling out their Butterfrees!"

One Trainer after another called out their Pokémon and watched them head into the horde, searching for a good mate.

I hesitated for a second before I picked up Honey's Poké Ball. "Honey, come out."

"Free eee!" Honey shrieked after she came out of the device and flew in front of us.

"Honey, I just heard it's your species mating season now…", I began slowly before swallowing the saliva that had gathered in my throat. "If you want to…find a mate and start a family… Go ahead and look for your partner."

"Reee…?" Honey tilted her head to the side, seeing I was a little down.

I gave her a tiny sad smile. "Go… And if you find a mate, please introduce him to us."

"Eee…", Honey nodded slowly before flying to the horde.

It was both exciting and sad to watch Honey fly among the horde while searching for a mate. I didn't know whether I was ready or not to release Honey. It felt similar to the situation with Dad. I was scared Ash and I would never see him again.

"Don't worry, Ashley", my brother told me before he placed a hand on my shoulder. "I know it must be sad for you, but Honey might find her mate and she will be happy."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu nodded.

"Ash's right", Misty nodded. "You do want your Pokémon to be happy, right?"

They did have a good point. I wanted my Pokémon to be happy… Was I being selfish for wanting to keep Honey with me? I guess so.

"Guys, guys! Look at that Butterfree!" Brock suddenly exclaimed.

He was pointing at one Butterfree that stood out among the other Butterfrees. It didn't have its usual colors; it was dark purple with pink-colored nose, feet and legs, and a pair of green eyes. Even the wings had a very light pastel pink tone.

"Wow! I've never seen a Butterfree like that one before!" Ash said in awe.

"That's the shiny version of Butterfree!" I exclaimed in realization. "Shiny Pokémon are so rare, so it's amazing there is one here!"

"And it's a male too!" Brock stated.

"How do you know it's a male, Brock?" Ash asked.

"The female Butterfrees, like Honey, has a black spot on the bottom of their wings while the males don't have them", Brock explained. "There are several Pokémon that has an appearance that's different from the opposite gender, like Gyarados; the males' whiskers are yellow while the females' are white, like Wanda's."

"Whoa… I've never paid close attention on the Pokémon's appearance like that", Ash said.

"I have", I spoke up. "I've seen pictures of the different gender appearance in Professor Oak's books."

"Yeah, that's not new to me", Ash chuckled sarcastically.

"It's one of the most important steps to learn about gender difference to become a great Pokémon Breeder", Brock replied.

"Look at all those Butterfrees surrounding it!" Misty called.

The shiny Butterfree was surrounded by several Butterfrees that tried to catch its attention by doing their mating dance, but some fought to claim dominance and started attacking the rivals.

"What are the female Butterfrees doing? It's like they're fighting for the shiny Butterfree's attention", Misty said.

"It's usually the male Butterfrees who fight each other for one female Butterfree's attention, but I guess there's something about the shiny Butterfree that attracts the females", Brock said. "I think it has to do with its unusual coloring."

The shiny Butterfree just watched silently as the female Butterfrees fought each other to be the last one standing. It then appeared to notice another female Butterfree and flew over to her, leaving the fighting squad alone.

The shiny Butterfree flew in front of the female Butterfree who moved back a bit in surprise by the male's attention. I had a feeling they were talking for a while before they started dancing together.

"The shiny Butterfree found a mate!" Misty exclaimed in joy.

"That's so cool! And they look great together", Ash smiled.

I tried finding Honey among the crowd, but I sighed in defeat. She didn't stand out, like the shiny Butterfree. I should have tied a ribbon on her or something.

"Hey… Why are they heading to us?" Ash said confusedly.

I looked up and saw the female Butterfree and the shiny one flew to our hot-air balloon. I blinked my eyes when I realized the female Butterfree was Honey!

"Honey! Did you find a mate?" I asked.

"Reee eee!" Honey nodded before turning to the shiny Butterfree. "Freee eee ee ree."

"Free eee", the shiny Butterfree nodded his head to us in greeting.

"Hi, nice to meet you!" Ash greeted in return. "I'm Ash and this is my partner, Pikachu."

"Pikachu!"

"I'm Misty."

"And I'm Brock."

"I'm Honey's Trainer, Ashley. Are you interested in her?"

"Reeee!" the shiny Butterfree nodded.

"If I remember correctly, the mates are together for the rest of the day before sunset; that's when they will leave and fly across the sea to find a home and lay the eggs", Brock said.

"Oh…", I nodded. "Honey, would you like to be with your mate before it's time to leave?"

"Free!" Honey nodded.

I nodded in return with a tiny smile. "Okay… But, please, come see me so I can send you off properly."

"Reee", Honey nodded before she and her mate flew off to be together and get to know each other.

XXXXXXXXXX

The sun was going down and several Butterfree couples had already departed to find a home for their future families. Ash, Pikachu, Misty, Brock, and I had returned the rented hot-air balloon and waited for Honey and her mate to come back before they could leave. I had prepared a small gift for Honey and I didn't want her to go without it.

I was trying not to get emotional by the thoughts of a precious family member leaving, but I had to accept it. Honey had found her happiness and I didn't want to hold her back.

Honey and the shiny Butterfree flew to us, both of them looking happier than before. It warmed my heart to see the male Butterfree was treating Honey well. I had called out my Pokémon so they could also say goodbye to Honey. She and her mate landed on the ground, so I kneeled down to be on their eye level.

"Honey… I'm glad I got to meet you", I began my prepared speech without trying to choke up. "You became such an amazing member of our family. I'm glad…I was able to see you evolve…into such a beautiful Butterfree…"

I was already choking up as tears accumulated in my eyes. I bit my lower lip to stop the sobs in my throat. I knew Honey would feel guilty if she saw me being sad, but I wanted to give her a proper goodbye so she would never regret her decision to leave with her mate.

I wiped my tears before taking a deep breath to calm down. I exhaled loudly before giving Honey a genuine smile. "Promise me you will take good care of yourself, your mate, and your babies, okay?"

"Freee…", Honey nodded as her eyes got wet by tears as well.

I pulled out a blue ribbon from my pocket and tied it around Honey's neck. "If we ever see each other again, this ribbon will tell me it's really you, so treasure it, okay?"

"Reeee…", Honey nodded slowly.

"Butterfree, promise me to protect Honey no matter what happens, okay?" I told her mate.

"Free ee ee", the shiny Butterfree nodded determinedly.

I called back Honey into her Poké Ball before straightening up. My brother and friends stood silent in the background as I mentally prepared myself to let go of Honey. I closed my eyes for a moment and held her Poké Ball in my hands while whispering a soft prayer.

I opened my glassy eyes and threw the Poké Ball up in the air. "Release!"

The energy light from the Poké Ball was light blue, which meant Honey was now free to go without having anymore ties to me. The shiny Butterfree flew after Honey as they followed the other Butterfrees.

"Goodbye, Honey!" I yelled as I waved my arms.

"Chaaar!"

"Mankii!"

"Clefairy!"

"Shaarbook!"

"Ghyaaa!"

"Stay safe!" Misty added.

"Look after each other!" Ash shouted.

"Pika pika!"

"Farewell and best wishes!" Brock shouted.

"I love you, Honey! Be happy for the rest of your life!" I shouted as tears ran down my cheeks.

"Freeee!" Honey's cry echoed as she disappeared with her shiny mate among the other Butterfrees.

Now that she was gone, I felt like a piece of me had vanished with her. I was both happy and very sad at the same time. She had been one of my first Pokémon to catch, so I had precious memories of her. I was going treasure them and always remember her, and maybe… We would meet someday again in a whole new region.

The sobs in my throat were finally coming out and I didn't try to stop them. I had to let all my sadness out before I could move on.

"You did great, Ashley", Ash spoke up as he walked around and embraced me. "You were so brave to release Honey."

I clung onto my brother as I cried on his chest. "I… I know… But it still hurts."

"It hurt me too to see one of our friends leave us, but I know Honey will be safe and happy with her mate", Ash replied. "You trained her, so you know she will be fine."

Our Pokémon made a noise that sounded like they agreed with Ash.

"Mm…", I nodded slowly.

"Goodbyes are hard, so that's why you should say 'hello' with a smile to Honey next time you see her", Misty added.

"Yeah, and who knows; maybe you'll get to see her babies", Brock added.

I couldn't help but chuckle with a teary smile by the thought of seeing Honey's babies in the future. "Maybe…"

XXXXXXXXXX

We set up camp after walking for a few hours, leaving the mating ground. I was extra tired after crying, so I was a bit absentminded. I vaguely remembered eating the food Brock made before we went to bed. I was still awake and watched the campfire while remembering all the moments I had with Honey.

I sighed softly when I heard some bushes ruffling. I looked up and saw an Oddish jumped out and looked around before making eye contact with me. I stayed silent, assuming it would move on.

The Oddish walked to me and got onto my lap before falling asleep. I was surprised by its behavior. Did it sense I was sad and it wanted to comfort me? Pokémon were such mysterious creatures and yet they were similar to humans in many ways.

I grabbed my Pokédex from my jacket to check Oddish's data.

Oddish, the weed Pokémon. Grass and poison-type. Its scientific name is "Oddium Wanderus". During the day, it keeps its face buried in the ground. At night, it is said to walk nearly 1,000 feet on its two roots.

The Pokédex added this Oddish was a male. So, if the Oddish wanted to stay with me, after waking up, I was going to name him Oliver. It felt weird to have a new Pokémon shortly after I released one of my own, but I appreciated the comfort. I picked up Oddish and cradled with him before falling asleep with one last tear running down my cheek for the day.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ashley's party:

Firered the Charmeleon (male)

Bruce the Mankey (male)

Luna the Clefairy (female)

Kobra the Arbok (male)

Wanda the Gyarados (female)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ash's party:

Bulbasaur (male)

Pikachu (male)

Pidgeotto (male)

Beedrill (male)

Charmander (male)

Squirtle (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ash's Pokémon at the Lab:

Squirtle x4 (males)

Krabby (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Misty's party:

Goldeen (female)

Staryu (genderless)

Starmie (genderless)

Horsea (female)

XXXXXXXXXX

Brock's party:

Geodude (male)

Onix (male)

Zubat (male)