Chapter 41

Legs tired from the walking they had endured the past couple of days, Ash and Brock found the perfect spot in a beautiful meadow in the middle of the woods for a break. Their backpacks were on the ground to give their shoulders a break, and as Brock washed the silverware they had just eaten from, Ash was scrolling through the data in his Pokédex. Apparently, this forest was rumored to have sightings of a very rare Pokémon, and Ash wanted to know what it was in case they encountered one, humming to himself as he searched through the database.

"Is this the one, Brock?" the Pokémon Trainer asked with an extended arm holding out Dexter, and Brock glanced at the screen being presented for a moment and nodded.

"Yeah, it's called Farfetch'd."

"Wow!" Ash smiled, looking down at the picture. It was a squat bird-like Pokémon that had a leek tucked in its wing.

"There was a rumor that one has been spotted right near here," Brock went on, and Ash pressed a button on the Pokédex to learn more about the Flying-type.

"Farfetch'd, a Wild Duck Pokémon. Farfetch'd makes a delicious meal, especially when cooked with leek. Because of this, Farfetch'd is nearly extinct." A determined smile curled Ash's mouth upward and he stood up as he snapped the cover to his Pokédex shut.

"Hey! If it's that valuable, I'll capture it!"

Brock didn't respond as he put away the dishes that were now washed, and took out the map of the area and studied it lightly. "There's supposed to be a spring nearby and we need to get some water. You want to come?"

"Yeah! I'll go with 'ya!" Ash replied.

"Great," the Pokémon Breeder said as he fished out his canteen from his backpack. Ash did the same, and the pair began to head off in the direction of the spring, but Ash stopped and frowned back at their backpacks left strewn about on the ground against the rocks they had been sitting on. "What's wrong?"

"Are you sure it's okay for us to just leave our backpacks here?"

"It isn't too far away from here," Brock answered lightheartedly. "And besides, Psyduck is here to guard them." Ash's eyes flickered over to the Water-type Pokémon that was sitting beside its Trainer's backpack, its hands on its head and staring blankly into the distance with a look that almost gave Ash a headache. It had let itself out yet again when they sat down for their break, and hardly said anything since.

"That isn't exactly reassuring..." Ash murmured while looking at the distant expression on Psyduck's face, but nevertheless, followed after Brock – the main reason he wanted to go to the spring was to be able to try and find that Farfetch'd.

But unfortunately, the short journey came up fruitless. The spring was quiet and beautiful, but there were no sign of any Pokémon, let alone a Farfetch'd. Ash's hopes weren't high, of course, but his eyes widened to the size of saucers when they got back to their bags. A light brown Pokémon was standing in front of Psyduck, poking the yellow Pokémon with its long leek in its wing and laughing hysterically at the blank expression on its face.

"I don't believe it! It's a Farfetch'd!" Ash exclaimed, drawing the Wild Duck Pokémon's attention to him. It didn't run, and instead its smile curled more upward, and it began to hum theatrically before marching back and forth while raising its leek up and down like it was in a marching band. It sang and did this before ending it with a baton twirl high in the air and catching it perfectly.

"Far far fetch'd!" the Flying-type finished.

"Well, it's quite a performer!" Brock commented with a chuckle.

"Performer or not, this is my opportunity to catch it!" Ash declared with a smirk, but just then, Farfetch'd turned on its heel and booked it back down the path into the woods. The black-haired boy's smirk quickly disappeared, and was replaced with a gasp. "Hey, come back!" In one fell swoop, Ash swept past his backpack and threw it over his shoulder before giving chase. Brock was close behind him, quickly throwing his backpack over one of his shoulders before losing Ash. He didn't even have time to put his canteen in his backpack and just tossed it to the ground. But he did skid to a stop and recalled Psyduck back into its Poké Ball, who gave an utter of confusion before being drawn in by the recall beam. Throwing the red and white sphere into his backpack, Brock hurried after Ash.

The pine needle covered path was one that Ash and Brock had already run down, so they knew all the twists and turns they had to take. Farfetch'd was faster than it looked, so it was able to keep some distance ahead, but even at how much it was ahead, they could hear the Pokémon laughing as its webbed feet patted against the ground. It was all a big game to it, and this was especially clear when it didn't run into the foliage on either side of it.

Up ahead, there was a sharp right turn that bent around a large oak tree, and Ash remembered it as Farfetch'd skidded around the corner, so he took it wide. Brock, however, was on the side closest to the tree, so he just immediately took the corner. Though he remembered it as well, he ran into an obstacle that wasn't there last time – a person. There was a loud 'oof' from both parties as they fell to the ground, and Ash heard this and peeled his eyes away from Farfetch'd for the first time since the chase ensued.

"Ow, that hurt!" the boy that Brock had ran into exclaimed, rubbing his backside from his position on the ground. Ash blinked and looked at the two males and their backpacks strewn about on the ground. Strangely enough, they both had the same backpack.

"Oh, no!" Reality hit Ash, and he gasped and whipped his head back in the direction where Farfetch'd had run off, but the Pokémon was long gone. It must have disappeared into the bushes. "Oh..." the Pallet Town boy groaned as the boy with the long brown hair tied into a low hanging ponytail helped Brock up.

"I'm sorry, are you okay?" he asked, helping the older boy up onto his feet.

"Yeah, thanks." The boy looked relieved, and then rubbed the back of his head bashfully.

"It's my fault; I wasn't looking where I was going."

"No, we weren't paying attention either. We were chasing a Pokémon," Brock replied.

"Did you happen to see where that Farfetch'd ran off to?" Ash asked the newcomer, and the boy thought for a moment.

"That was a Farfetch'd? It ran by so quickly I just thought it was a Pidgey, so I didn't pay attention," he answered, and handed Brock his backpack. "Here you go!"

"Thanks!" The Pokémon Breeder smiled at the boy's generosity, and then the kid waved at the pair.

"See 'ya!" And with that, he ran off up the path he had just come from. The pair watched him until he turned the corner in the winding path before locking eyes and frowning.

"Man, we were so close to catching that Farfetch'd," Ash said, his voice heavy with disappointment. "It really was an incredible Pokémon – it would have been awesome to add it to my team." But, Ash brushed it off as a loss and they walked back to the meadow so they could collect their discarded water bottles.

However, when Brock zipped open his pack to put his water inside, he let out a cry of horror. The sound made Ash's eyes dart over to his traveling companion, and he cocked an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"That kid must have handed me the wrong backpack," Brock explained, and took out the contents inside the bag. The blue bag that was normally filled with all sorts of supplies, cooking equipment, and various other things was now weighed down with rocks and newspaper. "Not only were all of our supplies in there but... all of my Pokémon were in there as well, including my Vulpix!" Tears streamed down the Pokémon Breeder's face at the mention of his prized Pokémon, and Ash could only look in uncomfortable silence as Brock recovered. There wasn't anything that Ash could say to help the situation right now.

"Remember that paved road we passed before we got into the woods?" Ash suddenly said, closing a fist and tapping it on his opposite palm. "There was a police station on that road, wasn't there? Maybe that kid discovered he grabbed the wrong backpack and brought it there! Either way, we should still go see Officer Jenny in case it does turn up!"

"Good idea, Ash..." Brock agreed, and they quickly hurried off the way they had entered.

o 0 o

While they unfortunately had to backtrack about an hour's journey, it wasn't a hassle at all. Ash felt terrible for Brock – he couldn't imagine losing all of his Pokémon. And, just as Ash had remembered, they came across the police station just some distance away from the beginning of the woods. Though Brock was trying to hide it, Ash could tell he was upset, because he didn't flirt with Officer Jenny when they first met her. The Pokémon Breeder instead took the lead and explained the story to the turquoise-haired officer – about how they had found the Farfetch'd and chased after it before bumping into the kid with the same backpack as Brock. But after explaining everything, Officer Jenny crossed her arms over her chest and closed her eyes knowingly.

"The Farfetch'd came, and did a trick?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry, but that was no accident," she told them.

"What? What do you mean?" Brock recoiled.

"This has happened before?" Ash added with raised eyebrows.

"You're the fifth victim of the backpack-switching thief this week!" Jenny answered, her pointer finger raised. She walked over to a sign with a poster beside her one-man station and gestured to the wanted poster tacked in place that they had yet to see before. It featured an image of a Farfetch'd, with red bold letters underneath reading 'BEWARE OF THIS POKÉMON'. "You were tricked by that boy and his Farfetch'd.

"No, I don't believe it!" Brock exclaimed, raking his fingers through his spiky brown hair. "Every Pokémon I had was in that backpack!"

"I've been trying to track him down for a while, but he never stays in one place," she said, and looked down at the ground as her lips scrunched up. "He's a slippery one, that kid..."

"So, is there nothing you can do to help us?" Ash asked hesitantly as a frown colored his face, but Jenny smiled at him, not wanting either one of them to give up hope.

"You two saw him recently, so there's a good chance he's still in the area. Why don't you show me where you found him and we'll go from there."

o 0 o

The three entered back in the woods that the two had come out of, and they traveled down the main, winding path, not stopping until they came to the curl in the trail, and Brock, recognizing the large oak tree, looked at Jenny. "I think this is where we ran into him."

"Yeah, it looks right," Ash agreed, studying the area around and giving a nod of affirmation.

"Maybe he lives somewhere nearby..." the Pokémon Breeder muttered in thought, curling a finger around his chin while Officer Jenny took a look around for any clues. "I can't believe he got all my Pokémon... Onix, Geodude, Zubat, Vulpix, Psyduck..."

"I'm surprised they stole Psyduck," Ash joked lightheartedly. "Anyone who steals that dumb duck should be bringing it back." Just then, a rustling in the bushes nearby put them all on edge, and they all sat silently and laid low as they waited for whatever was moving through the foliage to come out. A quiet quacking turned louder, and finally, a squat yellow figure came stomping out of the bushes calmly, holding its head and grunting.

"Look, it's Psyduck!" Brock exclaimed. Psyduck didn't even turn its head to look at its Trainer running up to it, and the Pokémon Breeder scooped it up in his arms. "I'm so glad to see you! How did you get back here?!"

"Psy-duck."

"Where is my backpack, Psyduck?"

"Psyduck."

"What about the other Pokémon?"

"Psy-duck."

"Where did he take you to?"

"Psy-duck."

"Well, then, how did you get away?"

"Psy-duck?"

"Where's the guy who stole you?"

"Psy-duck?"

"And, where's that Farfetch'd?"

"Psy-duck?"

"Ugh, this is hopeless..." Ash murmured, rubbing his forehead with his palm in exasperation as Brock put down his Pokémon. It seemed even the Pokémon Breeder was starting to lose his patience.

"Psyduck, can you at least re-trace your footsteps to show us where you came from?"

"Psy-yaiy?" the Water-type responded, tilting its head to the side. It stared dimly at Brock before turning around and backtracked into the bushes from where it had come from. The former Gym Leader smiled and looked back at Ash and Officer Jenny.

"C'mon, we're gonna follow Psyduck!" Ash looked at Jenny and gave her an unseen nervous look before they both followed Brock with Psyduck in the lead. They followed in silence as Psyduck led them to a path in the woods they had yet to travel, and they walked for about fifteen minutes before coming to a fork in the road. This time, Psyduck stopped in its tracks, and it held its head and stared blankly ahead. "Psyduck, which path do we take? Left or right?"

"Psy-psy duck...?" it murmured, wobbling back and forth as it tried to remember.

Ash let out an exasperated sigh. "Are you sure we should be relying on Psyduck?"

"You've got to relax," Brock replied lightly, though his eyebrows curling downward told them he was talking to himself as much as Ash. "Psyduck's trying as hard as he can to remember where the others are."

"Psy-yaiy!" Psyduck finally spoke up, and pointed one of its webbed hands toward the left path.

"Huh? To the left? Are you sure?"

"Psy-yaiy?" The way it held its head and looked blankly at the sky wasn't quite as reassuring as it could be, but it was the only lead they had.

"Following directions from a Psyduck doesn't sound like a good idea..." Ash said, scratching his cheek lightly, but they all followed it nevertheless. Another fifteen minutes of walking, and they came across a clearing in the woods, but this time, it looked as if it had been lived in. There was a collection of rocks off to the side in a circle that showed a fire had been set there recently, and there, a boy with a bright blue backpack holding a large sack in his right hand was starting to pack up his belongings. Beside him was a Farfetch'd, and it was helping him as well. Still hiding behind the bushes, Psyduck turned to the group and gestured an arm out.

"Psy!" it said proudly.

"That's him!" Brock said quietly, and smiled down at his Pokémon. "Good work, Psyduck – you found him!"

"You act like a quack most of the time, but you're pretty smart, Psyduck!" Ash added, and Psyduck cocked its head as it looked up at the pair, unable to know how to take the compliment.

"Well, I guess we better get going," they heard the boy say to his Farfetch'd, and the Pokémon agreed with a quack, but as they stepped forward, Brock and Ash jumped out of the bushes.

"Stop right there!" Brock declared, standing with his arms open wide to stop him from going through, though with his Psyduck standing and staring into space beside him it didn't look like he had great back-up. "Your crime spree is over; you're not going anywhere until you've given back my Pokémon and anyone else's you've stolen.!"

"Oh, no!" the boy exclaimed, and whipped around to run in the other direction, but froze immediately in his tracks when he saw Officer Jenny standing behind him. She had snuck around with the foliage as her cover to surround him.

"You're under arrest for grand theft Pokémon!"

"Far..." his Farfetch'd muttered, and both of them looked back and forth trying to figure out the best method of escape, but to no avail.

"What makes you think it was okay to lie and cheat people so you could steal their Pokémon?" Ash demanded. "It takes a lot of love and care to raise Pokémon; we worked real hard to train them all to win their Pokémon battles!"

"Maybe we should start off by showing this kid just how difficult a Pokémon match is!" Officer Jenny suggested with a smirk and crossed arms.

"Good idea!" Brock agreed, and the boy seemed taken aback by the suggestion, even slightly nervous.

"That's right! A battle!" Ash told the kid, stepping forward, and the long-haired boy knelt down beside his Farfetch'd.

"Wait a minute! Farfetch'd is too weak; we had no other choice!" he argued, but Brock countered with a smile.

"That's not true at all. Pokémon will become stronger with Trainers who work with them."

"But Farfetch'd isn't-"

"Fetch'd far far," his Pokémon interrupted, stepping forward and poking its Trainer with its leek to get his attention. The boy opened his mouth in silent surprise, and looked down at the Wild Duck Pokémon.

"You mean, you want to battle?"

"Far-far Fetch'd!"

"But, Farfetch'd..." he replied nervously, but Ash grinned excitedly.

"Good! Let's start our Pokémon battle!" he declared, and extended a drawn Poké Ball forward. The ball split in the middle and spilled out a burst of light from inside.

"Bulba-saur!" his Pokémon announced when it had revealed itself from the energy that was inside.

"Fetch'd, Far-far!" Farfetch'd stepped forward bravely when it saw its opponent.

"W-wait, Farfetch'd!" the young thief protested with his hand out, but Ash ignored him and called for his first attack.

"Go for it, Bulbasaur! Tackle attack!"

"Bulbasaauurr!" his Pokémon cried, bounding toward Farfetch'd. But when it had almost reached the Normal and Flying Pokémon, Farfetch'd flapped its wings and jumped out of the way, skillfully jumping over Bulbasaur. As the Seed Pokémon skidded to a stop in the grass, Farfetch'd landed back on the ground. Surprised that its blow didn't land, Bulbasaur ran once again at Farfetch'd, and like before, the Wild Duck Pokémon jumped into the air to avoid it, but this time jumped even higher with a cackle of delight.

"Farfetch'd, stop!" the boy called, his voice filled with worry.

"Bulbasaur, Vine Whip attack!" Ash commanded, and his Pokémon cried out before lowering its head and sending two vines out from under its bulb straight up at Farfetch'd. Just before the Pokémon landed on the ground, the two vines struck Farfetch'd, one after the other and multiple times.

"Farfetch'd! No!" the young thief cried in horror as his Pokémon was damaged, and with one last crack through the air, Bulbasaur's vines sent Farfetch'd flying backward where it landed on its feet and closed its eyes tightly as bruises formed throughout its body. "Please, stop, Farfetch'd! You can't win this!"

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur called, and sent its vines shoot at Farfetch'd again, but this time, Farfetch'd's eyes shot open, and it knocked the first vine away with a back-swing of its wing, and then repelled the other with its leek. A fire seemed to burn in its eyes, and Bulbasaur gasped as it retracted the vines that had been repelled. Its feet pattering against the ground, Farfetch'd charged forward with its eyes locked on Bulbasaur, and the Grass Pokémon shot out its Vine Whip once again, but it cracked against the ground as Farfetch'd seemed to disappear and reappear just inches to the side. Another vine shot out like a rocket, but this one missed as well when Farfetch'd moved so fast it seemed to have disappeared for a moment.

"Huh?!" its Trainer gasped, blinking as if he didn't believe his eyes.

"What's that?" Ash questioned, his own mouth opening wide in disbelief.

"It's Farfetch'd's Agility!" Brock answered as Farfetch'd reached Bulbasaur and stopped directly in front of it with a grin on its face.

"I didn't know it could do that..." they heard the young thief mumble to himself as Farfetch'd repeatedly disappeared and reappeared in a circle around Bulbasaur. Its vines were up, but it had no way of figuring out where Farfetch'd was going to be, and it whipped its head all around frantically as it attempted to keep up with it.

"Bulba! Bulbasaur!"

"Fararaaar!" Farfetch'd seemed to laugh, and now that it was all confused, Farfetch'd held its leek firmly in its wing and repeatedly jabbed it into the Grass and Poison Pokémon while continuing to circle it. Bulbasaur had no choice but to lower its head and close its eyes in a defensive position while it was attacked from all angles. Finally, Farfetch'd appeared in front of Bulbasaur and leapt high into the air. Bulbasaur opened its red eyes just in time to let out a cry of horror as Farfetch'd brought the leek down directly in between them. Its aim was true, and struck powerfully, and as Farfetch'd landed on the ground, Bulbasaur collapsed before it. "Farfetch'd! Far-far-far-far-faaaar fetch'd!" The Pokémon celebrated with a small dance and threw its leek into the air like a baton.

"Bulbasaur, are you okay?" Ash asked his Pokémon, running up and kneeling down beside his Pokémon.

"Bulba..." the Pokémon groaned in response, covered in bruises as Ash put his hand carefully down on its bulb.

"I never thought Farfetch'd had attacks like that!" Farfetch'd's Trainer stated, obviously dumbstruck that his Pokémon had won the battle.

"You really didn't know it could battle?" Brock asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"No!" The long-haired boy held his hands out with a shrug. "If I had known it was this strong, I wouldn't have used it to steal!" Brock's face melted into a smile, and he placed his hands on his hips.

"You can't judge a Pokémon by the way it looks," he told the younger boy.

Ash stood up and took out Bulbasaur's Poké Ball before recalling it back inside, the Pokémon giving one last weakened utter of its name before being pulled inside and being replaced with another Poké Ball. "All right, Wartortle, your turn..."

"Wait a minute! He stole from me, so I want to battle him!" Brock announced, stepping forward. Ash blinked, and Brock pointed forward. "Go, Onix!" He reached back, but when he grasped at air, let out a hearty chuckle and rubbed the back of his head. "I forgot; I didn't get my Pokémon back yet..." Ash stumbled to the ground, but before he could get up, Psyduck gave an utter of its name and walked in front of Brock and faced Farfetch'd.

"Psyduck, Psy."

"Far?" Farfetch'd cocked its head, but none were more surprised than Brock and Ash.

"Psyduck?" the Pokémon Breeder questioned, and Psyduck tilted its head slightly.

"Farfetch'd?" the Flying Pokémon asked, stepping forward and looking at the Water-type. Remembering it from the meadow, Farfetch'd threw its head back and laughed mockingly before using its Fury Attack again, this time directing it on Psyduck's head. It brought its leek down on Psyduck's head repeatedly and without relent, and Brock and Ash smirked at each other knowingly. Right away, Psyduck's body began to tense from pain, but not from the attack.

"Psyduck's headache is getting worse!" Brock observed.

"Just a little more!" Ash called to Farfetch'd. The Wild Duck Pokémon continued its attack, and failed to notice the blue glow starting to color over Psyduck's eyes. Finally, Brock took over.

"Psyduck, use your Disable attack!" he commanded. Just then, a blue aura shimmered around Farfetch'd, and the Pokémon's eyes widened as it seemed to freeze in place with its leek held high in the air.

"Farfetch'd, no!" the long-haired boy cried.

"That's it, Psyduck! Now use Confusion!" Psyduck's hands lowered from its head and it spread them out, and when it did, Farfetch'd levitated into the air before Psyduck gestured forward. Farfetch'd let out a cry and soared backwards, not stopping until it struck its Trainer in the stomach, and the force of the attack was so powerful that it even knocked the young thief off his feet and sent them both soaring backward into the branches of a tree where they disappeared in the leaves for just a moment before coming back down to the ground. First it was the thief who landed on his backside, and then Farfetch'd came down, and the two collided heads before slumping to the ground in defeat. "You did it, Psyduck!"

"Psyduck!" his Pokémon replied happily, turning around and grinning up at Brock while giving him a victory sign with its webbed hands.

Finally, they all started to walk closer to the boy, and when he opened his eyes and saw this, him and Farfetch'd drew each other into the arms and he cried out. "I'm sorry! I won't do anything bad anymore!"

"Farfetch'd!"

o 0 o

The boy – whose name was Keith – had been walked back to the police station with Jenny, Ash, and Brock. He had given Brock back all of his Poké Balls, and the other Trainers had been called. It wasn't until sunset that he had been let off the hook. "Forgive me. I'll give back all the Pokémon I stole," he apologized to Jenny with his head lowered in shame.

"None of the victims are going to press charges since they all got their Pokémon back," she replied with a nod.

"That's good..."

"Yeah, and it's good to have my Pokémon back, too," Brock said with a smile on his face.

"It's wrong to steal," Keith stated, and looked down at the Farfetch'd at his feet. "And it was wrong not to believe in Farfetch'd."

"Fetch'd, Far far!" his Pokémon replied smugly with its beak in the air and eyes closed.

"Now I'm gonna train Farfetch'd to become even stronger!"

"Great! That's the way it should be!" Ash told him.

"Now you see that Pokémon can be anything a good Trainer wants it to be!" Brock said, smiling down at the Psyduck at his feet. Keith's eyes followed the Pokémon Breeder's, and his own smile spread across his face.

"Yeah! Thanks a lot!"

"Far far Fetch'd," his Pokémon smiled, and the pair bowed to the group once again before walking off.

"See 'ya! Let's go, Farfetch'd!"

"Take care!" Ash called to them, and as the pair walked away, they could hear Farfetch'd singing a quiet song and marching proudly beside its Trainer, and they exchanged a pair of nervous grins. It seems that Farfetch'd was always going to be a performer at heart.

-end-

Ash:

Party:

Wartortle (Poké Ball)

Moves: Skull Bash, Dig, Hydro Pump, BubbleBeam

Pidgeotto (Poké Ball)

Moves: Gust, Quick Attack, Whirlwind, Wing Attack

Bulbasaur (Poké Ball)

Moves: Tackle, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Leech Seed

Charmander (Poké Ball)

Moves: Flamethrower, Fire Spin, Skull Bash, Ember

Tauros (Safari Ball)

Moves:

Mankey (Poké Ball)

Moves: Thrash, Mega Kick, Scratch, Seismic Toss

At Professor Oak's Lab:

Muk (Poké Ball)

Moves:

Tauros (Safari Ball)

Moves:

Krabby (Poké Ball)

Moves: ViceGrip

Badges:

Boulder Badge

Cascade Badge

Thunder Badge

Marsh Badge

Rainbow Badge

Soul Badge

Brock:

Party:

Onix (Poké Ball)

Moves: Tackle, Bind, Dig

Geodude (Poké Ball)

Moves: Seismic Toss, Tackle

Zubat (Poké Ball)

Moves: Whirlwind, Supersonic

Psyduck (Poké Ball)

Moves: Tail Whip, Water Gun, Disable, Confusion

Vulpix (Poké Ball)

Moves: Fire Spin, Flamethrower, Agility