Chapter 17
"Taper's Decision"
We went into the Pokémon Center and found Misty, Brock and Richie pretty quickly…I guess no one thought it was strange that I hadn't been staying with them in the first place…
I knocked on their door.
"I'll get it," I heard Brock say.
He opened the door, and I think his eyes widened a little when he saw us. I'm not sure though. It was hard to tell.
"A-Ash! You…You got Pikachu back!" he said in surprise.
"That's right…So…are you gonna let us in, or what?"
"O-oh! Sure! Come on in!"
He let us in. They looked like they had just gotten up recently.
They don't have an annoying alarm clock by the name of Billie, I thought to myself.
"Ash! Pikachu! You guys are okay!" Misty exclaimed.
"Yeah," I said.
This is getting old…
"What's wrong you guys? No one wants to say hi to me?" Billie asked.
"Hi, Billie," Brock said.
"Hey, all," Richie said.
"So, Ash…Now that that's taken care of…When are you gonna challenge the Elite Four?" Misty said, "You can do that now, y'know."
"Uhh…"
"He'll challenge them on his own good time," Billie interrupted, "…Well, at least on the boss's good time…" She shrugged. "What's the difference, eh?"
Trust me, there's a huge difference.
I gave her a warning look and she got quiet.
"Oh…well, I hope you do it soon, 'cause I'm not waiting around for too long," Misty said, "You've already come this far in a year. You're not going to wait another one to fight them, are you?"
"No way!" I countered, "I'll fight them…when I'm ready…and not a moment before…or after."
"So you say…" Brock said, "…but are you sure you can keep to that?"
"Of course I can!" I said, "I can do anything I put my mind to!"
Speaking of which…I hope I can get outta Team Rocket…
Misty sighed. "In your dreams, maybe."
Pikachu must have sense my building frustration.
"Pikachu. Pikapika. Pikachu."
'It's all right, Ash. Don't worry about what they say. They don't know what you're going through.'
I sighed. "Thanks, Pikachu."
That made me feel better already.
"Huh? What'd it say?" Billie asked.
"Um…nothing," I said.
"Well…We're not gonna just stay here in Viridian, are we? The Elite Four are all at Indigo Plateau. If you're ever going to challenge them, we have to head back over there."
But I have to meet the boss later today…
"…I…think we'll just……stay here…for now…" I mumbled.
"…Is something wrong, Ash?" asked Richie.
I jerked my head up. "Wrong?! Uhh…No…Nothing's wrong…"
Yet another bad cover-up by the great Ash Ketchum…
Richie thought of another thing. "Hey Ash. Since it looks like you're getting your Pokémon back, do you think I can have Taper now?"
Have Taper? But…
"I……don't know……"
I blinked. Taper sure had grown on me…
"Maybe……we should let Taper decide…"
"Ash...you can't just give Taper back. Any Pokémon that you catch are the property of Team Rocket," Billie said.
"I didn't catch it...now did I?"
"Mm..." Billie mumbled.
I took out the only Pokéball on my belt that had a star on it.
"Taper! Come out!"
Taper emerged from its Pokéball.
"Drowwzee, drow…"
'What do you want now? You're not in a battle…'
"Taper…Richie wants to know if you want to go back with him now…" I said quietly.
"Drow!?"
'With him!?'
"Well…He is the one who caught you, you know…"
But…
Taper blinked upwards at Richie, who grinned nervously. He kneeled down in front of Taper.
"Hi, Taper," he said softly, "How're ya doing? Is Ash taking good care of you?"
Ash is taking really good care of me… Taper blinked.
I don't know if Richie heard it or not. He didn't react, at least.
"If you want to come back now…you can…I'd be glad to have you back…"
You never took care of me in the first place. You just caught me.
I was beginning to think that Richie couldn't hear Taper.
"Uh…Taper? Um…just do whatever you think is…best…" I said quietly.
You can go back with Richie if you want to…
Taper looked over its shoulder.
Oh yeah…You can read minds, can't you?
Taper nodded.
"Drowwzee…Drrowzee…Zee. Drow."
'I don't want to go with him…I don't have any attachments to him…He just caught me. That's all.'
I nodded. "Then tell him."
"Pika?"
'You can understand that?'
"Sure I can, Pikachu…"
It's my Pokémon, after all…
Taper turned around and waddled back to me.
"Drowzee."
'I've made up my mind.'
Richie stood up.
"…What's it decided?"
"Drow…"
'Go ahead. Tell him, Ash.'
"Uh…Taper's decided…to stay with me…"
I hope he doesn't mind…
He won't.
I frowned.
"How do you know?" I whispered.
Taper stared up at me with its sleepy-looking eyes.
You don't trust a psychic Pokémon?
"…Guess you have a point."
Richie smiled sadly. "That's what I thought…You two have grown close, haven't you?…It takes a lot to be able to train a psychic Pokémon…I probably couldn't have done it."
"Well...I didn't think I could either," I laughed.
Billie groaned. "Ash, you were as confident as ever when you used it to try to capture Magnemite."
I laughed nervously in remembrance.
"Oh…yeah…"
Taper smiled. Sorry about that, Ash.
"Don't worry. It's in the past…"
Misty watched us in scrutiny. "I still don't get it. How do you have a one-sided conversation with a Pokémon? Don't they usually talk back?"
I glanced up, realizing what I must look like when I talk to Taper.
"Uhh…"
"Ddrowzee?"
'That's gonna be hard to cover up…'
"Pikapikachu."
'Yeah. Even I don't get it.'
I laughed loudly. "Hey you guys! Don't we have training to do?!" I held out Taper's Pokéball. "Taper! Return!"
I headed for the door. "Let's go, you guys!"
"Bad cover-up, Ash. Really bad," I heard Misty say to herself.
Well…at least she's not lying.