Chapter 11: New Friends Part 1
At night, Ash is preparing his tent as he knows that they aren't going to make it to the next city. As for Alice, she doesn't know what she should do as she is just standing there watching Ash doing his work. Ash asks, "Alice? Where is your tent?"
Alice feels a little nervous and she says, "Um...Ash. I forgot to bring my tent..."
Ash flinches as he hasn't thought of this situation, but then he takes a deep breath and shows her a smile, "Don't worry, we can share the same tent together. After all, we already slept together yesterday."
Alice smiles back at him and she hugs him. "Thank you, Ash." Ash is blushing at her sudden action, Alice is doing the same thing, so they quickly break the hug as they make their tent without saying anything.
Once they set up the tent and it is bedtime, they change their clothes into their pajamas and they fall asleep in each other's arms.
A new day rises as Ash and Alice wake up in the same tent, Pikachu tries to tease them again, but Ash does his usual threat with ketchup and he stops. They then have breakfast together and they decide to find their way out of the forest.
But after walking awhile, Alice decides to stop as she is looking at the map from her Poke Gear, but Ash is now breathing seriously, causing Alice to notice that his face is a little pale. "Ash, are you okay?" Alice asks with concern.
"I don't know what happened to me, I think that I am a little dizzy..." Ash says as he is wobbling around, almost falling down.
Alice looks around and then she notices his feet, and he is stepping on a Pokemon. Alice says, "Ash, you are stepping on a Stotox, I guess it is the reason you are dizzy."
Ash quickly takes his foot out away from the Pokemon and sits on a real rock, Ash asks, "Alice, can you help me scan this Pokemon?"
"Sure." Alice says as Ash hands her the Pokedex.
Stotox: The Toxic Stone Pokemon: Rock and Poison Type. Hikers and tourists sometimes come back after a mountainous walk feeling dizzy and faint. This is due to them stepping on a Stotox's poisonous spike.
"No wonder." Ash says as he feels a little better. "If that's the case, Salatad can do the trick."
Just then, the Pokemon pops out of the Pokeball and says, "Did you call me?"
"You are here just in time, I am going to capture this Stotox, can you help me?"
"Sure." Salatad says as he goes to battle the Pokemon. Salatad uses Water Gun, which deals some damage to the Pokemon, and Stotox uses Smack Down, causing Salatad to have a bulge. Salatad then keeps using Bubble Beam until the Pokemon faints.
"Go! Pokeball!" Ash throws the Pokeball and then the Pokemon is captured.
"You have a new friend, that is amazing, Ash." Alice says.
"I know." Ash says as he can now stand up for a while. "And I am glad that it isn't some serious damage to me, since I really don't want to pass out in the middle of the forest."
After finding their way out of the Dullfern Forest, they are now at the entrance of Route 2, and they spot Keira, who is standing by the Apricorn trees with a basket on her hand.
"Hey Keira." Alice greets her, causing her to turn around and notice the two of them.
"Ash, Alice. You know what? I won my first badge too." Keira says as she shows them the badge, the same badge that she won after beating Donna.
"That is great news." Alice says as Ash also nods.
"Yeah, Donna was strong, but I managed to defeat her. Now I am going to take on the Crestlight City Gym Leader! Let's do our best!" Keira says while showing her determination.
"You bet." Ash says with the same determination.
"By the way, can you see those trees on your left side?" Keira says as the two look at the left, then Ash recognizes those trees having some kind of fruit with different colors on them.
"Hey, they are Apricorn Trees! It sure has been a while when I saw them. I remembered that the last time I found them is actually at the Johto Region." Ash says as he rushes towards the trees to check it out.
"Apricorn trees?" Alice asks. "Do you mean those berries from the trees? I see that they come in different colors, but what are they for?"
"Oh, I forgot that you lived in Snowpoint City, which is a snowy area in the Rikoto Region, you see, the berries on it are called Apricorns. They come in all these different colors. And what's so special about these berries, you ask?" Keira says.
Ash beats her to it, "You aren't going to eat them, trust me. These Apricorns can be turned into special kinds of Pokeballs so that we can use."
Alice says, "Wow...So that is how our Pokeballs are made?"
"You can say so." Ash says, and Keira turns to him, "So you know about it, then do you know there is a man in Orshore Town that can turn these Apricorns into special Pokeballs?"
"Well, I only knew that Kurt in the Azelea Town from Johto can make them. I remembered that I got some Lure Balls from the blue ones. But if you say that Orshore Town has a person who can do that as well, then we will make sure to pay a visit there." Ash says.
"I know, right? It is so cool! These Pokeballs are special because he makes them by hand. And there are a lot of trees in this region that we can pick as well." Keira says.
As they decide to get some berries, but a strong breeze knocks all the Apricorns to the ground, much to their confusion.
"How are these on the ground? Who did this?" Ash is confused. "I mean, I am not mad at them, but I just feel...strange about it, that's all."
Keira says, "If I want to guess, it should be them." They look up and see a bunch of cloud like Pokemon floating by. Ash also scans the Pokemon.
Flowby: The Cloud Pokemon: Flying Type. Although small and light, Flowby can use its control over wind to create strong breezes that are capable of lifting an adult off their feet.
"Wow, it sure is not normal to see a pure Flying Type Pokemon." Ash says.
"I know, since a lot of birds are actually Normal and Flying Type." Alice says, "But I know that Flowby is one of a kind."
A Flowby flies down to them as Pikachu greets him, but what he did is that he makes Pikachu fly into the air and then lands on his head.
"Hey, what is that for?" Pikachu yells as he tries to use Thunderbolt, but the Flowby just dodges by using the strong winds to float around. Pikachu is getting frustrated after the Pokemon keeps dodging.
"Wow, it is quite speedy." Alice says. "And it sure goes well in the air."
"I am going to catch it." Ash says as he tosses a Pokeball, but the Flowby dodges. But when Flowby stops and tries to laugh, the second ball from Ash hits and then it is captured.
"He shouldn't think that I only have one Pokeball, as careless might be the reason it fails." But Pikachu isn't happy at Ash as he groans, "Why did you capture that prankster!"
"Hey, it is still a Pokemon as well. Try getting along with him, and I am sure that you will get used to him." Ash says as Pikachu sighs in defeat.
Once they pick some Apricorns, Alice asks, "So Keira, how did you manage to get out of the forest faster than us?"
"Well, I had help from my Pixwee after all," Keira says. "You know, this Pokemon knows how to get out of the forest.
"If only we also have the same Pokemon, we wouldn't be stuck inside..." Alice mutters, just then, they hear a strange music and Alice recognizes it as a guitar. "Who is making the music?"
"I don't know," As the two girls turn around, they see Ash playing the guitar with Pikachu and a Pixwee swinging in the tune. But the Pixwee looks a little different than the one Keira owned. The wings are orange colored and the skin is also orange instead of green.
"Whenever I'm weary
From the battles that rage in my head
You make sense of madness
When my sanity hangs by a thread
I lose my way but still you seem to understand
Now and forever
I will be your man
Sometimes I just hold you
Too caught up in me to see
I'm holding a fortune
That heaven has given to me
I'll try to show you each and every way I can
Now and forever
I will be your man
Now I can rest my worries and always be sure
That I won't be alone anymore
If I'd only known you were there all the time
All this time
Until the day the ocean doesn't touch the sand
Now and forever
I will be your man
Now and forever
I will be your man"
As Ash finishes the tune, Pikachu and Pixwee clap for him, but they didn't realize that Alice and Keira are also clapping, this causes Ash to be embarrassed.
"Wow, Ash, I never knew that you are a good singer." Keira says.
"Well, I manage to pick up some songs when I was little." Ash says while rubbing his head. "Music is the best way to soothe a heart."
"True." Alice says with a smile. "And I never knew that you have a Shiny Pixwee as well when do you catch it and why didn't you tell me about it?"
Pixwee then lands on Ash's shoulder, he says, "Well, I caught this Pokemon back at the Serpentine City, since it is shiny, so I decide to ask her if she wants to come. And she agrees, which is why I had her."
"When?" Alice is confused. "Why didn't you show me when you captured this Pokemon at the same day? We could have got out of the forest faster."
"Sorry, you were sleeping and I found her resting on the window." Ash says.
"So it is my fault, huh?" Alice pouts, and Ash feels like he wants to pinch her cheeks as he finds it cute, "Alice, if you pout again, I am going to pinch your cheeks."
"No! I don't wanna!" Alice says as she turns into a smile, "Fine, you are forgiven."
Pixwee: The Forest Fairy Pokemon: Bug and Fairy Type. It's said that seeing Pixwee while lost in the woods grants you luck to find your way out. This myth persists as Pixwee continues to make their home near human settlements.
"No wonder it was by the window." Keira says. "You really are lucky, but it is also true that there are a lot of shinnies in the Rikoto Region. So I mean...it is not really hard to find if you just look closely..."
"Yeah." Ash says with a smile, then Keira says, "Well, I'd better go! Good luck, Ash, Alice, I will see you around." Then they bid farewell as Keira leaves.
Here is another chapter, and in my stories, if Ash is paired with Alice, I will include some chapters with music. And this time it is Richard Marx's Now and Forever. I hope you like it and Ash will have four more Pokemon to capture in the next chapter before heading towards Crestlight City.
New Pokemon: Stotox, Flowby, Pixwee
