"It's a Beedrill swarm approaching us!" Misty cries out in fear!"
"Correct! A Beedrill swarm approaches, Our match must end! Metapod, return!" Samurai nervously says as he recalls his Metapod.
Axew nervously cries out in fear as Iris responds, "Yeah, I get it. These guys are looking scary. Especially since there is like 30 to 50 of them."
Ash notices what's going on and starts to look scared. "Beedrill swarm!" He gets out Dexter.
Beedrill. This Pokémon is an evolved form of Weedle, following its Kakuna stage. It's sting is highly poisonous.
"The Weedle that got away from you has informed the rest of its kind! Good day!" Samurai accuses as he runs off.
"Hey! It wasn't all my fault, you know!" Ash yelled. Immediately afterwards, one Beedrill grabs and flies off with Metapod.
"Oh no! Ash, that Beedrill just Poké-napped your Metapod! We gotta do something!" Dawn cried out.
"Metapod, return, now!" Ash yells as Ash tries to recall Metapod, but the Beedrill moves fast enough to avoid the recall beam.
"It's no use! That Beedrill's going too fast!" Iris shakes her head. "You should have recalled him before scanning with Dexter.
"Hey!" Ash protests as the Beedrill manages to fly away into the forest with Metapod.
"Oh no! It got away!" Ash yells sadly.
"Beedrill bomber at six o'clock!" Misty yells.
Pikachu sends out an electric attack at some Beedrill and Snivy uses Leaf Storm on a few Beedrill as well. The attacks land, but they also hit Ash as well.
"Nice move, Pikachu. But next time, try to warn Ash before you do that," Dawn admits.
"Yeah. As helpful as that was, Ash is being a bit of a kid to not make that call himself," Iris says.
Surprisingly, Ash doesn't respond this time.
"Come on! Let's move it!" Misty yells out.
"But, Metapod," Ash counters in worry.
We can find and rescue Metapod later, but let's just run, now!" Dawn yells as everyone runs for it. The Beedrill, however, are hot on their trail.
"They're gaining on us!" Misty cries out in fear.
"Beedrills are pretty fast!" Dawn notes.
"Oh, yeah! Some of them can go even faster than this!" Iris brings up.
"Because that is what we need right now!" Misty snarked.
As the group ran, they ran by an Aipom that was eating some honey from a tree. Upon the group running by, she saw the chase and decided to follow and see what was happening. That…and she was interested in Ash's hat.
"These Beedrill just won't quit will they?!" Dawn cried out.
"I think I know what we can do! Quick! Duck in there!" Iris yelled as the group dives into a bush and hides from the swarm, and then sigh with relief.
"That was a close one!" Misty sighs in relief.
"I know, right? We're safe from those Beedrill. Now, we can finally re-," Dawn sighed only to be interrupted.
"Shh! This is bad. Nobody. Make. Any. Sudden. Noises. Or. Movements," Iris warned.
Everyone soon sees what Iris was warning the others about. "A whole hive of Kakunas. Just our luck," Samurai shakes his head as Misty screams.
"Misty, shush. Now is not the time to fret about your fear of Beedrill! We don't want those things to see us!" Iris warned.
Ash gets out Dexter.
Kakuna. A transitional stage between Weedle and Beedrill. Kakunas remain inactive until they evolve into deadly Beedrills and hatch.
Snivy notices something and nudges Ash, pointing at his Metapod within the Kakuna hive.
"Hey! Over there, it's Meta-!" Ash yells as Dawn covers Ash's mouth.
"Keep your voice down!" Misty whispered loudly.
"Yeah. The last thing we need is to alert the Kankuna. Grab Metapod and we can go find another place to hide," Dawn suggested.
Before the group could do just that, the Aipom from earlier jumped excitedly into the bushes and grabbed Ash's hat, putting it on her head. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?! That's my hat! Give it ba-," Ash forgot to be quieter as Dawn covered his mouth again…only for the Kakuna to start glaring his way. "Uh oh. We've been spotted. Sorry about that."
The Kakunas start cracking and a glow comes from within.
"They just had to start evolving right now. Now we're REALLY in trouble," Iris shook her head.
Right on cue, the newly evolved Beedrills emerge. "Beedrills! They evolved!" Misty yelled in fear. The Beedrills quickly go on the attack. "RUN FOR IT! AGAIN!"
"Metapod…," Ash tries to grab Metapod…only for a Beedrill to get in the way. In fear, Ash makes a break for it without thinking.
Everyone runs for it once again, as Ash catches up. "What happened to Metapod?" Dawn asked in worry.
"Did you recall him?" Iris asked curiously.
"N-No," Ash shook his head as everyone gasped.
"Novice…," Samurai growled.
Meanwhile, as they ran, Ash notices the Aipom swinging from one tree to another, still wearing Ash's hat. "Hey, it's the Aipom that stole my hat!" Ash yelled as he was about to grab back the hat.
"Um, let's worry about Metapod and the Beedrill first," Iris noted.
"This forest is huge, how are we gonna escape them?" Misty asked worriedly.
Soon, they spot a cabin up ahead. "My cabin! I think we can make it!" Samurai yelled.
"It's gonna be close! And they got their business ends pointed at us!" Dawn said. Thankfully, everyone manages to get inside just as one Beedrill sticks its back stinger through the door.
"Phew. That was close," Ash sighed.
"Too close for comfort," Dawn agreed. Upon looking around, Dawn noticed that Aipom joined the group and was in the cabin as well. "Hey, Ash? Our little friend joined us to hide."
As Ash turned, he saw that Aipom was indeed in the cabin and still had his hat. "Now, give it back to me!" Ash and the Aipom got into a brief squabble, but Ash eventually got back his hat. "Look, I know you love that hat for some reason, but it's important to me!"
"But why? It's just a dumb hat," Iris shook her head.
Finally, Ash blew up at Iris. "Please stop with all the cracks and jabs! I get I'm not a perfect Trainer! You don't need to keep rubbing it in! I'm starting to wonder why I was even considering you a friend! Heck, I fail to see why anyone would be your friend!" Ash yelled as Iris looked a bit sad and hurt. "And…as for the hat, it is important…to me. It represents my drive to be the best Trainer I can be, perhaps even better than my dad was." The Aipom tried to jump up and get the hat back only for Snivy to hold Aipom back with Vine Whip. "Thanks, Snivy. Now I just need to worry about getting back Metapod before the Beedrill do who knows what to him."
At this point, Samurai takes off his helmet as our heroes catch their breath.
"I hope you've learned your lesson, novice! Your letting that Weedle escape almost cost our lives," Samurai scolded.
"Take back that novice crack!" Ash countered.
"Ash has a point. You were the one who distracted him by drawing your katana on him," Dawn reminded. "Ash may not have done perfectly, but he's not the only one at fault."
"You may have a point, blue-haired maiden. Still, the novice here could have reacted faster or still caught him before moving his attention away from the Weedle. And, you know what? I do take it back, because not even a novice would abandon his own Pokémon as you did," Samurai shook his head in anger.
"B-B-But…I tried to save Metapod," Ash said guiltily as Pikachu and Snivy looked sadly at Ash.
"I know. You just got caught up in fear…," Misty noted as Ash and Snivy gave a glare.
"Your Metapod will pay for its trainer's inexperience. The other trainers from Pallet would never have been so irresponsible," Samurai said.
"Other trainers from Pallet? Did you have a match against Gary and the other trainers from Pallet?" Ash asked.
"I'd say he did," Dawn noted.
"Correct. Gary, as you call him, and the other two faced me in three spectacular matches, each more challenging than the last. All three really know how to raise Pokémon," Samurai complimented.
"Sounds like they're very tough Trainers, Samurai. But…you weren't exactly a pushover either," Misty noted.
"You're welcome. Even though I was defeated all three times, I was inspired to redouble my own training," Samurai explained. "I had been eagerly preparing for that day when, finally, I would beat the next Pokémon trainer from Pallet."
"So THAT'S why you've been waiting around here for Ash to show up," Misty realized.
"Correct, my friend. But, compared to Gary and the other two, Novice, here, is a joke!" Samurai laughed. Ash just looks down in disgrace and sorrow, not even caring that Aipom grabbed his hat and put it back on.
"Hey! You should know that Ash is a great Trainer! Or, at the very least he's a new Trainer who plans on getting much better to stand in the League someday!" Dawn defended. "Also, what about me? Why not battle me?"
"Oh, the Squirtle boy, Gary, said that you walk the path of Coordinator. So, obviously, you're not interesting or strong enough for me to worry about," Samurai answers as Dawn seethed, though Snivy and Piplup held her back.
That night, everyone was asleep except Ash, who was miserably laying down thinking about leaving Metapod behind and not grabbing him when he could. "Metapod." Before he could continue miserably laying down, he heard Iris say something.
"So, you plan on getting Metapod tomorrow then?" Iris asked Ash.
"Of course. I can't stop thinking about how much I've messed up and how Metapod could be in danger because I was too much of a coward to save him. But…why do you care? I thought you would be happy to point out another of my mistakes," Ash grumbled.
"To be honest, no. I'm sorry about my attitude, Ash. If I'm being honest, I don't have many friends and I don't like being seen as weak, weird, or childish myself, especially since I only have Axew and one other Pokemon, and…," Iris went on..only for Ash to silence her.
"I'm sorry too Iris. I could have responded to your jabs better. I could have easily ignored them. And…jabs aside, you've been a pretty decent friend and not at all weird, all things considered," Ash admitted as Iris smiled with a blush.
"Thanks, Ash. If you need it, I'll help you get your Pokemon back tomorrow. Metapod will be saved," Iris said.
"Thanks. I'm… actually feeling a lot better now," Ash said with a smile.
"When the Bug Pokemon are still asleep we can go and find Metapod," Iris noted.
Before the duo could go back to sleep, the Aipom went back up to Ash and Iris, giving Ash back his hat and screeching something.
"What is she saying?" Ash asked.
"Looks like you have a new friend. She wants to help you save Metapod too," Iris translated.
The next morning when all the bug types were still asleep, Ash, Iris, Axew, and Aipom started to sneak back to the Beedrill nest.
"Don't be scared for Metapod, Ash. Beedrill don't typically eat Metapod," Iris reassured as she notices the hive tree up ahead. "Keep down, and be very quiet. We'll just quietly sneak over to Metapod and…"
Meowth lands on Ash's head. "Do you know what Meowth's favorite game is?" Meowth mocks.
"Get off!" Ash snarled as Meowth scratched Ash.
"Scratch, and sniffle," Meowth says as he laughs. Suddenly, Aipom fires a Focus Punch, hitting Meowth and forcing him to jump off as Ash cries out in pain.
"Meowth? Ugh! That can only mean…" Iris realized as Axew shook his head.
"Guess who?!" James yelled.
"Huh?" Ash and Iris turned to the trio.
"Prepare for trouble!" Jessie began the motto.
"Make it double!" James continued.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denou…"
"No! Not again! Not now!" Ash cried out in worry.
"Never interrupt the Team Rocket motto!" Jessie barked out.
"But we already heard it!" Iris yelled out in a loud whisper.
"But the Beedrill…," Ash tried to warn.
"Ahem! To denounce the evils of truth and love!" Jessie continued.
"To extend our reach to the stars above!" James said.
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Keep it down before you wake up the Beedrills!" Ash quietly warned.
"You're really being an idiotic nuisance right now!" Iris agreed, with Aipom trying to send out a Swift at the trio, though after being hit, they tried to finish their motto before acting on their anger.
"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!" Jessie finishes.
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!" James finishes his section.
"Meowth! That's right!" Meowth ends off.
The Beedrills wake up and spot the intruders. "You know what? You three are bigger nuisances than Ash or our friends can be!" Iris growled.
Ash screams in panic.
"Little boy, why don't you give us your Pikachu? There's no use trying to resist us, so be smart and hand over the Pokémon!" Jessie says.
"I don't have Pikachu with me, and even if I did, I'd never let you take him!" Ash protested.
"Ash, Aipom, follow me! I have a plan!" Both of them follow Iris.
"Come back here!" Jessie and James yell as Team Rocket gives chase.
"If we can make it past the Beedrills at just the right moment, they'll dive bomb Team Rocket! This is gonna be close! NOW!" Iris yelled as the group dives under the Beedrills at just the right moment, and the Beedrills proceed to go after Team Rocket.
"Huh? The tank will surely come in handy now!" Jessie nervously says.
"It was worth the struggle dragging it here," James agrees as he grabs the tank…only for it to be revealed that some Weedle were eating the tank.
"Meowth! They're eating the tank!" Meowth freaks out.
"But we made it from paper to reduce the weight!" James admitted.
"Who knew?" Jessie asked, not seeing the mistake they made.
"Numskulls!" Meowth growls as the Beedrills continue after Team Rocket, forcing them to retreat, the trio screaming as they run.
"Well, that takes care of both of our current problems. Now, get Metapod quickly!" Iris yells as Ash goes into the nest and sees Metapod.
"So there you are! Metapod, I've been so worried!" Ash sighs in relief as he gets out his Pokéball. "Here. Into the Pokéball, Metapod." Metapod, however, shakes his head before crying his name. "Metapod? Is everything okay? Iris…?"
"Looks like you really made Metapod mad for earlier. He doesn't want to enter his Pokeball after being abandoned. Hell, he'd rather stay here than travel with you. I'm sorry, Ash," Iris genuinely apologized as Axew and Aipom gave sympathetic looks.
"Metapod…," Ash said sadly.
Suddenly, the group hears a buzzing sound. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but right now we should run and apologize later! The Beedrill are returning!" Iris pointed out.
"Right!" Ash picks up Metapod as he and the others run for it. While running, Ash tries to apologize. "I didn't abandon you, Metapod. I just got sidetracked, It was all Samurai's fault-Aaah!" Ash trips over and drops Metapod who rolls to the ground. Ash finally admits the truth. "No. It wasn't Samurai's fault. It was my fault. If I was a better Pokémon trainer, I'd stop making all these excuses."
"But Ash… Samurai did have a role in the swarm appearing in the first place. Also, please get back up before the Beedrill attack us!" Iris pleaded.
"Maybe…But I still could have attempted the capture of Weedle sooner or even avoided running away. I'm still to blame for what happened. It's just… for years now I've felt small. I let my dad's disappearance have a massive impact on me. I've felt insecure about whether I'd ever be able to make him proud and truly be the greatest Pokemon Trainer and Master in the world," Ash admitted as Iris helped Ash back up.
"As much as it is a bad time for this, I gotta say…I'm sorry Ash. I guess we both feel like losers and want to prove ourselves," Iris said somberly as Axew and Aipom were left speechless.
"Maybe so…From now on, I swear I'll never run away and leave my friends behind again. No more excuses. And maybe our friendships with each other and others will help us improve. And one day we'll both be great enough to face the world and be proud of who we are," Ash said confidently as he picked up Metapod, who looked lost for words before speaking.
"If you're wondering, Metapod says he forgives you and that he understands how we feel," Iris said as Metapod and Axew nodded in confirmation. Then they heard more buzzing. "And…enough with the sentimental junk. We got company!"
"Ash! Iris! Axew! Aipom!" Misty cried out in worry.
"Watch out for the Twin Needle attack!" Samurai warned as the Beedrill drew closer, with Pikachu and Snivy crying out in worry.
As the Bug-Pokemon drew close, Metapod charged forward at Beedrill, being fatally injured with a cracked hole in their shells, Ash caught Metapod just in time. "Metapod!" The Beedrill's stinger was broken on impact and it flew away.
"Man, that was dark!" Dawn worriedly freaked out as Axew looked on in fear.
"Now, now, Axew… Don't worry about Metapod! I think we just need to take him to a nice Pokemon Center and…," Iris tried to console her Pokemon before Axew could faint.
"We have to do something! Ash, Iris, Axew, and Aipom! Get Metapod out of there before the remaining Beedrill catch up!" Dawn cries out.
"It may be too late for Metapod, sadly enough…," Misty said.
Ash cradles Metapod. "Are you hurt? Are you okay, Metapod?"
"Well, I don't see any of their liquid innards coming out of the cracks, so that's a good sign. But I'm not sure why. A hole that big should have…," Iris internally wondered.
Suddenly, a glowing light shines from crack in Metapod's shell. As Dawn, Pikachu, and the others look on in shock.
"Could it be…?" Misty was in awe.
"That…Metapod is evolving…?" Dawn finished.
"I think so, fair maidens. I think so," Samurai answered.
From the cracks and the fading light, emerges Butterfree.
"Axew? See? Everything is fine! Metapod just evolved into a Butterfree! And considering a few nights ago, this must be a dream come true for him!" Iris said gleefully as Axew looked on in awe and relief.
Ash's Butterfree cried out in glee at the fact he could fly now.
"Butterfree…," Ash mutters.
"Butterfree's so beautiful!" Misty said.
"Considering you have Entomophobia, calling Butterfree beautiful must be a big deal," Dawn notes.
"Well…I guess some Bug-Pokemon are fine…but don't make anything big about it," Misty blushed.
Ash scans Butterfree's entry.
Butterfree. One week after Caterpie evolves into Metapod, it again evolves into Butterfree.
"Impressive, isn't it? Your Butterfree has evolved already!" Iris was impressed.
"I know! But…I'm confused. Didn't the Pokedex say it takes time for that to happen? It's only been a Metapod for a few days," Dawn wondered as she and Ash's Pokemon approached the pair of humans.
Snivy gave out a cry, which Iris translated, "Apparently, sometimes Pokemon can evolve slower or faster than the normal expectation. I guess that it evolved faster than normal due to the bond Ash had with him. I'm…impressed." Iris said softly.
"I have to agree with Iris here. If there is one thing you do well Ash, it's empathizing with your Pokemon and bringing out lucky miracles as a result. Just don't get a big head and-," Misty said only to be interrupted upon everyone hearing buzzing in the distance.
"Uh oh! Here we go again!" Misty fearfully yelled.
"Looks like now would be a good time to see if Butterfree would do well in a battle," Dawn said.
"Yeah..! Okay! Butterfree, use your Confusion Attack!" Ash cried out as Butterfree was able to hold some of the Beedrill in place before slamming them on the ground and knocking them out. "Great! Now, follow it up with your Gust!" Ash called out as Butterfree created a small yet powerful breeze that pushed back the Beedrill, defeating some of them and forcing them to fly off. "You're doing great, Butterfree!" Ash yelled.
"I agree, but we're not out of the woods just yet," Iris warned.
"Yeah…but there are still a lot of Beedrill left to fight. Even with powerful new moves, we may be in a jam," Dawn agreed.
"Well then…we'll just need to wait for an opening for us all to escape!" Ash optimistically said.
"You make it sound easy," Misty said under her breath.
Suddenly, one Beedrill was close to attacking Ash from behind. Before the others could react, Aipom used her Swift attack to knock out Beedrill. "Aipom…you saved me…," Ash was amazed at the purple monkey's quick and selfless response. "Thank You. So, you wanna help us battle these guys?" At this, Aipom nodded and charged up a Focus Punch on her tail hand, hitting a few Beedrill with the punching hand. "Great! Now, Butterfree, use your Confusion! Pikachu, Thundershock, and Snivy, Leaf Storm!" All three of the young teen's Pokemon complied, hitting Beedrill after Beedrill, either forcing them to flee or knocking them out.
"We can't just let Ash do everything. Buneary, come on out and help fight off the Beedrill with Ice Beam! Piplup, you use Bubblebeam!" Dawn called out as she sent out Buneary and both her Pokemon teamed up to fight the Beedrill.
"The novice and his friend are working to fight off the Beedrill. Either they are very brave or ignorant. Still, they need help. Scyther, come out and use Aerial Ace!" Samurai cried out as he sent out his main Pokemon, slicing some of the Beedrill in one shot.
"Iris? Are you gonna help out?" Misty asked the wild girl.
"Um…I think Ash, Dawn, and the Samurai guy have it covered for now," Iris declined, much to Misty's confusion. Suddenly, one Beedrill was about to attack Axew. Iris, in response pushed Axew out of the way, getting hit by a Twinneedle. Iris struggled to get back up in response to being hit by the attack. Axew, seeing his Trainer in pain, looked mad and used a Scratch Attack on that same Beedrill. However, unfortunately, the attack did little damage and Axew was quick to try and help Iris back up. "Thanks, Axew. So…yeah. I can't do much to fight back. And you only have a Goldeen right now so…"
"Yeah. I understand," Misty agreed.
For a good while, the group of Pokemon fought off the various Beedrill, managing to knock out the Beedrill and/or force them to flee. However, their larger numbers eventually managed to get to the group and they began to become exhausted.
"There's too many of them! We need to run!" Dawn yelled out.
"You're right! We gotta get out of here, right now! Butterfree, retu-," Ash tried to recall his Butterfree only for his wings to shine. "Wait. Do you know…of course! Butterfree, knock them out with your Sleep Powder!"
Butterfree uses Sleep Powder, as the remaining Beedrill drew close, one Beedrill fell, then another, and another, Butterfree kept using Sleep Powder over and over, it also put the Weedles to sleep as well as Team Rocket.
"Well, looks like that problem's solved," Iris sighed in relief.
"You know, when they're all asleep like this, they're almost kinda cute," Dawn said as Piplup looked shocked.
"I wouldn't go that far," Misty noted.
"I think what's important here is that we're all safe and out of danger," Ash pointed out.
"Yeah, you're right Ash. You did great, Piplup and Buneary," Dawn said as she hugged her Pokemon, who joyfully accepted the hug as Buneary gave Pikachu a loving wink, much to his awkwardness.
"Same with all three of you. Especially you, Butterfree! You put all of them to sleep! You're the best!" Ash cheered as he and Pikachu laughed, with Snivy giving a small smile.
Meanwhile, Iris looked at Ash and Dawn and gave a smile, happy to see the strong and happy bond between the duo and their Pokemon.
"You two did a great job handling your Pokémon, even one that had just evolved! Most impressive," Samurai noted.
Soon, Samurai and our heroes are at the exit of the forest…
"This trail will lead you to Pewter City," Samurai said as he pointed to a dirt path.
"That's great. But before we leave you, Samurai, we still have to finish our match. Pikachu and I would really love to battle that Scyther of yours," Ash offered.
"Compared with you, my friend, I am the novice. And…a bit of a dishonorable jerk. I apologize for not taking responsibility for my part in the mess," Samurai noted.
"Hey, we both messed up back there. At least everyone got out of it okay," Ash accepted responsibility as well.
"True, Ash. Also, I apologize to you as well, Dawn. You showed me that Coordinators aren't bad Trainers either. I hope that you are able to do well in your Contests when the time comes," Samurai said.
"Hey, no need to worry. So…what do you plan on doing now?" Dawn wondered.
"I have a ways to go before I can try for the League. I will keep perfecting my technique, and one day, we will meet again," Samurai answered.
"I'm sure it will be a most spectacular match," Misty said.
"That is guaranteed," Samurai agreed as he and Ash shook hands.
"Until then, Samurai," Ash said as the group of teens and Pokemon walked off, with Snivy and Pikachu waving.
"See ya!" Misty said goodbye.
"Same here," Dawn said as Piplup waved as well.
"It's been nice…kinda?" Iris awkwardly said goodbye.
"Farewell," Samurai nodded as he turned to return to the forest.
As the group returned their attention to the path, Dawn asked, "So, Iris? Where do you plan on going now that we're out of the forest?"
"Well…," Iris began a bit awkwardly before looking at Ash and smiling. She then said more confidently, "I think I'll go with you three for now. I mean, you guys kinds need all the help you can get. Also…It was fun being able to spend time with some pretty good friends, right Axew?" Axew then spoke. "See? Axew agrees."
"Well…I guess it won't make much of a difference to have you around as well," Misty agreed.
"Same here, except less passive aggressively. The more friends the merrier, right Ash?" Dawn asked her friend.
"Of course!" Ash agreed. Suddenly, he felt his hat come off his head once more. "Pikachu? Was it Aipom...?" Ash asked his mouse friend, who nodded as Snivy used her Vine Whip to grab Aipom and lift her to be in front of Ash. "You are a bit of a hassle, you know that?" Aipom, however, looked unfazed as she handed the hat back to Ash. She then proceeded to break free from Snivy's Vine Whip and reached into Ash's bag and grab a Pokeball.
"You know what, Ash? I think Aipom wants to go with you," Dawn said.
"Well, the following us out here and grabbing a Pokeball was kinda a dead giveaway," Iris snarked. "But-it would be nice to have another friend with us out here."
"Okay, it's a deal! I'd be more than happy to have another friend to travel with!" Ash agreed.
"What about you, Misty?" Dawn asked.
"Well...okay. I guess I can get used to a joyful monkey," Misty said as she tried to conceal a smile.
"Okay then, Pokeball, go!" Ash yelled as he grabbed the Pokeball and threw it at Aipom, enveloping her and shaking a few times before clicking shut. "Aw yeah! We just caught an Aipom!" At this, Pikachu mimicked Ash's pose and Snivy shook her head with a smile. "Oh! By the way, Iris. What exactly is it that you plan to get on your journey?" Ash asked innocently.
At this, Iris looked a bit more nervous. "Well…um…Does it really matter?" Iris, part nervously and part in annoyance, asked.
"If you want, we can wait on your answer, Iris," Dawn consoled.
"Yeah…okay," Iris sighed in relief as Axew looked confused. "We'll tell them when we're ready, Axew," Iris whispered as the group continued down the path to Pewter City.