Chapter 2: To Go? Or not to Go? That Is the Question...
At first I could not think of a place to begin looking for anyone to help me.
But then I remembered a man. A seemingly important human that a young boy had been thinking about one day when I "eavesdropped" on his thoughts.
I'd done it a long time ago.
The only reason I pried into his mind was to figure out his destination, and whether it involved me.
Don't forget, when it came to humans I took many precautions.
I dug into the corners of my mind, trying to remember the *important* human's name and location...
He was a...professor, I believe...
Yes.
A Pokémon Professor.
Being such, he was someone who would most likely know of several good Pokémon trainers...
I glanced, deep in thought, to my right, and saw a tree.
Nothing unusual about that.
What compelled you to look there?
Sheesh.
It was just a tree...
Yes.
...A tree...
Ah-ha!
A tree!
Oak!
That's his name!
And he was from...
I yawned, tired. I stretched my tiny arms and big feet.
All this thinking was giving me a headache...Not a normal occurence, mind you.
All I wanted to do was lie down and catch a quick nap on a nice, soft pallet of fresh, luscious leaves...
Pallet! *That* was the town!
My subconscious sometimes surprised even myself.
With renewed energy and a big grin, I spun around, and glanced up.
Pallet Town...
That was *my* destination!
With a twirl of my tail and a sharp kick of my feet, I took off into the dark sky, through a wide gap in the tree branches that revealed a breath-taking view of the twinkling cheerful and worry-free stars.
Because I was so full of energy, the trip took merely a few minutes.
Since it was night time, the town at first glance seemed to be deserted.
...It appeared to be quiet and still.
But I knew better.
If I listened very carefully, I could pick up different sounds: ...A snoozing Pidgey...a leaking garden hose...and the rustling of a watchful Hoothoot.
Zooming up above the small town, I surveyed the modest houses with a critical gaze, and spotted one with a large pen out in the back. Several Tauros were catching a few winks of sleep in it, along with lots of other kinds of Pokémon.
But *other* Pokémon weren't my concern at the time.
I floated over to the house, and willed the door to open with my mind.
It did...and without a creak.
I gave a triumphant smile, and entered. The door shut behind me silently.
Hovering, I went into Oak's room, where the Professor was sleeping quite fitfully.
I heard him mumbling through gaps in his loud snoring, "Ash, why can't you catch more Pokémon like Gary?" Snore. "You've got what it takes, but you never apply yourself..." Snore.
This sounded like a dream he'd had often, I reflected with an inward giggle.
Hmm.
Ash? Gary? Perhaps *they* might be helpful to me?
I entered his mind, and his dreams.
No matter how many times I did it, it was always a weird experience to view someone else's dreams.
This man dreamed in color, and his...nephew, it appeared, and his nephew's rival were the main focus of it.
...It seemed that Gary was a good Pokémon trainer, but not incredibly kind or close to any of his Pokémon. Ash had caught very few Pokémon, if you didn't count the group of Tauros out back, but was considerate to the ones he usually kept with him.
I probed gently through Oak's mind a bit more, sighing in frustration at his lack of knowledge about different humans.
He didn't care much about any other trainers, but the ones he did know about and keep tabs on's skills were, in his opinion, quite below those that Gary and Ash possesssed.
Not too much help there.
...Was I fully ready to commit to the thought and actuality of having an unpredictable *human* assist me with my problem?
Could I even trust humans?
...I guess the real question was: Did I have a choice?
The truth was painful...
No... The thought echoed through my mind.
Fine.
Ash it is, then.
I hoped desperately that I wasn't making a big mistake.
At first I could not think of a place to begin looking for anyone to help me.
But then I remembered a man. A seemingly important human that a young boy had been thinking about one day when I "eavesdropped" on his thoughts.
I'd done it a long time ago.
The only reason I pried into his mind was to figure out his destination, and whether it involved me.
Don't forget, when it came to humans I took many precautions.
I dug into the corners of my mind, trying to remember the *important* human's name and location...
He was a...professor, I believe...
Yes.
A Pokémon Professor.
Being such, he was someone who would most likely know of several good Pokémon trainers...
I glanced, deep in thought, to my right, and saw a tree.
Nothing unusual about that.
What compelled you to look there?
Sheesh.
It was just a tree...
Yes.
...A tree...
Ah-ha!
A tree!
Oak!
That's his name!
And he was from...
I yawned, tired. I stretched my tiny arms and big feet.
All this thinking was giving me a headache...Not a normal occurence, mind you.
All I wanted to do was lie down and catch a quick nap on a nice, soft pallet of fresh, luscious leaves...
Pallet! *That* was the town!
My subconscious sometimes surprised even myself.
With renewed energy and a big grin, I spun around, and glanced up.
Pallet Town...
That was *my* destination!
With a twirl of my tail and a sharp kick of my feet, I took off into the dark sky, through a wide gap in the tree branches that revealed a breath-taking view of the twinkling cheerful and worry-free stars.
Because I was so full of energy, the trip took merely a few minutes.
Since it was night time, the town at first glance seemed to be deserted.
...It appeared to be quiet and still.
But I knew better.
If I listened very carefully, I could pick up different sounds: ...A snoozing Pidgey...a leaking garden hose...and the rustling of a watchful Hoothoot.
Zooming up above the small town, I surveyed the modest houses with a critical gaze, and spotted one with a large pen out in the back. Several Tauros were catching a few winks of sleep in it, along with lots of other kinds of Pokémon.
But *other* Pokémon weren't my concern at the time.
I floated over to the house, and willed the door to open with my mind.
It did...and without a creak.
I gave a triumphant smile, and entered. The door shut behind me silently.
Hovering, I went into Oak's room, where the Professor was sleeping quite fitfully.
I heard him mumbling through gaps in his loud snoring, "Ash, why can't you catch more Pokémon like Gary?" Snore. "You've got what it takes, but you never apply yourself..." Snore.
This sounded like a dream he'd had often, I reflected with an inward giggle.
Hmm.
Ash? Gary? Perhaps *they* might be helpful to me?
I entered his mind, and his dreams.
No matter how many times I did it, it was always a weird experience to view someone else's dreams.
This man dreamed in color, and his...nephew, it appeared, and his nephew's rival were the main focus of it.
...It seemed that Gary was a good Pokémon trainer, but not incredibly kind or close to any of his Pokémon. Ash had caught very few Pokémon, if you didn't count the group of Tauros out back, but was considerate to the ones he usually kept with him.
I probed gently through Oak's mind a bit more, sighing in frustration at his lack of knowledge about different humans.
He didn't care much about any other trainers, but the ones he did know about and keep tabs on's skills were, in his opinion, quite below those that Gary and Ash possesssed.
Not too much help there.
...Was I fully ready to commit to the thought and actuality of having an unpredictable *human* assist me with my problem?
Could I even trust humans?
...I guess the real question was: Did I have a choice?
The truth was painful...
No... The thought echoed through my mind.
Fine.
Ash it is, then.
I hoped desperately that I wasn't making a big mistake.