Note: This chapter contains elements of several episodes that will become obvious after reading. Obviously episode 78, having Ritchie meet Ash, but some others as well. I have several reasons for having Ritchie meet Ash this early, but no spoilers.

29: Sparky vs. Pikachu

Compass, maps - these items were still in the front pocket of the backpack, ready for use. Emergency rations for both humans and pokemon were placed at the bottom. Fish could be caught and other food could be foraged for between pokemon centers, but these kind of supplies were certainly necessary. A flare was also placed at the bottom as a last resort for certain situations. It was followed by laundered clothing items, healing items for the pokemon, a tarp and other items to fashion a small tent, and a sleeping bag.

Last, the pokeballs were checked. He had six, and they were all there, labeled with small stickers he'd seen in a store one year, then saved for his pokemon journey. Looking carefully at the lightning bolt, flame, water droplet, leaf, star, and butterfly before placing the pokeballs strategically in his pockets and bag, knowing which was where, so the specific pokemon could be called on at any time without hesitation. Afterward, he zipped up his shirt, putting on the backpack before heading down the hall of the pokemon center. There, he took the offered meal and ate it quickly before going to the door.

"Are you going already, Ritchie?" the nurse asked.

"Yeah," Ritchie confirmed. "I already have the badge here... It's time to get the next one."

"Congratulations! You've made it far. I just thought you might stay and train," the nurse said.

Ritchie shook his head. "I can't relax until I'm at the town with the next gym. Then I start doing any needed training."

"That doesn't sound like too much of a relaxing time to me. But I know you work hard. Go for it!"

"Thanks, Nurse Joy," Ritchie said, nodding before he finally left.

"We're almost back!" James exclaimed as he saw the signs for Celadon while walking with his teammates on the main road.

"We've still got a while to go," Jessie said.

"Yeah, and you shouldn't be celebrating," Meowth chided. "If we go back now, we're going back empty handed. That won't make the boss want to praise us."

"He might not even notice us," James mused. "So no need to worry." He smiled reassuringly at the other two.

"Hey! That's not the right attitude!" Meowth shouted back.

"Meowth is right," Jessie said. "We're in Team Rocket to get rich and be stars. That won't happen by not being noticed! We have to prove ourselves by bringing back more pokemon!"

"You're right, but... The ghosts were impossible to catch, and Pikachu would just beat up our pokemon before we could get it..." James lamented, remembering their most recent failures. He turned and sat at the side of the road, pouting as he looked at the ground. "Mondo's help with the rocket pokeballs was useless. What can we do?"

"There's gotta be some twerps we snatch some pokemon from," Meowth said. "We'll just find them along the way."

"Would any brat we can beat have any impressive pokemon?" Jessie muttered, deciding to sit by James and sulk along with him.

"Why are you talking like that? It's an insult to your pokemon," Meowth accused, pointing a claw Jessie's way.

Jessie shook her head. "It's not. Ekans is impressive, but it hasn't evolved yet. Also it's just one pokemon, while most of these kids have six."

"You have two," Meowth said.

"Lickitung is... Good backup. But two is less than six, and even with James's two, four is less than six!"

"Did you two forget to think just because you got pokemon?" Meowth shifted its eyes from one sulking human to the other. "How long were you in Team Rocket without any pokemon, huh? And now you wanna act helpless with them? Use your brains and figure out how to get some pokemon even if you can't beat these brats in a battle!"

"As if we haven't-" Jessie began before James interrupted.

"Shh!" he warned, pointing ahead on the road. "It's that brat boy! With the ultra powered pikachu! And he's alone this time."

The rockets shuffled behind some foliage, peeking out. "He got a change in wardrobe, too," Meowth pointed out. "Guess some things happened, and now he's by himself. You two are big kids, right? I bet you can handle one twerp on his own, if we get him by surprise."

"It's not him," Jessie noted.

"Huh? It is-" Meowth realized the mistake as the boy came closer, revealing the face was unmistakably different from who they'd been expecting.

"Young trainer styles are similar," Jessie pointed out. "Some bright colors since that's what they sell for kid's clothing, and a branded hat to cover up the bad hair they hardly take care of."

"So it's not Pikachu's trainer, but it is a trainer. Go get his pokemon then," Meowth ordered.

"You're being way too bossy. But we do need pokemon." Jessie stepped out from their place in semi-hiding, approaching the boy and folding her arms. "Hey, you! Do you have pokemon?" she asked.

"Um, hi," the boy said, glancing to the ground before back up. "I'm Ritchie, from Viridian. Did you want to battle?"

"Hmph. I wouldn't mind it," Jessie said, still looking away as she took out a pokeball.

"No, no," Meowth whispered loudly, following with James and waving its paws. "You just-"

"Go, Sparky!" Ritchie threw out a pokeball.

"Huh?" Jessie turned at the order, then got further confused as she saw the pokemon.

"Is that... Your friend? Co-worker?" Ritchie asked.

"It's-" Jessie realized she was talking about James. "Never mind that. You don't even know what pokemon you have. That's a pikachu, not a 'sparky'. Refer to it properly!"

"I know," Ritchie said, pulling his hat partially over his eyes. "It's a nickname."

"Some trainers do that," James said.

"Whatever, then," Jessie said as she took out her own pokeball. "Pikachu generally aren't tough, so I bet I can win. Go, Ekans!"

"How cool!" Ritchie exclaimed. "I haven't seen one... Never mind."

"Ekans is one of the sleekest pokemon there is," Jessie bragged. "It's powerful, too. Ekans, wrap!"

"Sparky, quick attack!" Ritchie followed Jessie's order with his own.

"Pika!" Sparky called as it ran forward, completing the quick attack which just put it close enough for Ekans to wrap around it, squeezing it. "Pika," Sparky gasped.

Ritchie just smiled. "Alright, Sparky! You're in a good spot! Thunderbolt!"

"Ekans, bite!" Jessie ordered.

Ekans completed its attack first. "Pika!" Sparky called out loudly as Ekans's teeth briefly sunk into its body. Despite its predicament, Ritchie's pikachu was able to concentrate enough to power up its attack. "Pika, CHU!" It completed the thunderbolt attack, enveloping the pokemon coiled around it with a surge of electricity. The snake-like pokemon called out as it took the direct hit, then relaxed its grip, completely going limp. "Pika," Sparky called out in its victory, hopping away from the challenging pokemon.

"Ekans!" Jessie exclaimed, returning her pokemon with a scowl. "How could a garden variety pikachu win! Ekans is no pushover! Let's see what happens if-"

"Any pokemon can grow powerful, right?" Ritchie said, adjusting his hat to meet his opponent's eyes. "I mean, with a good trainer to lead them."

"That's right, isn't it?" Jessie said, lowering her voice as she glanced back toward her teammates. "Even the boss said that..."

Meowth nodded. "Trained pokemon are more powerful."

"They're certainly worth more than some ghosts in a dusty old tower," James said with a smirk. "Even if it's not the same as that other pikachu, if it could beat you..."

The rockets said nothing more as they turned back toward Ritchie, who bowed slightly. "Thanks for battling me," he said. "I've really been trying hard at training Sparky- my pikachu. So I appreciate having some battles with worthy challengers."

"Um, yeah," Jessie said blankly.

"Hey kid!" Meowth interjected.

Ritchie looked down at the pokemon, blinking silently. "Did your meowth just-"

"What's that on your pokeball?" Meowth leapt up, battling at the mentioned object. Ritchie dropped the circular object on the ground as it did, and it rolled away. Ritchie leaned down, trying to pick it up before feeling the weight on his back release. He turned around, seeing James pick up his backpack, straps cut. The man ran off.

"Wait!" Ritchie shouted. He turned back toward where Sparky's pokeball had rolled, seeing the meowth swatting it further down the path before his defeated opponent picked it up.

"Team Rocket will take control of this one," Jessie said, dashing off into the woods herself.

"We'll make better use of it than you!" Meowth declared before it ran after her.

Ritchie glanced back at where the backpack thief had gone, now out of sight. He paused, unsure which to go after, and in that hesitation almost lost sight of Jessie. Not wanting to hesitate a moment more, Ritchie ran off after the thief he could still see. She moved fairly quickly through the foliage, but he kept up with her, following the small movements he could see, hearing the meowth rustling through the bushes. But eventually, he tripped over an upturned root, scraping his hands and covering the rest of his body with old leaves and dirt. Ritchie got up. As he collected himself, he heard no sign of the thieves. He wandered around, trying to track them through visual signs. There was a footprint here and there, displaced plants. Ritchie moved as quickly as he could as he could as he searched for each clue, eventually almost tripping again.

It was only then that he started to whimper. Was he even still on the right track? Where was he, even?

As bad as he felt, it was his pokemon he should be concerned about. Determined to get them back, he got back to trying to track the thieves' trail.

Ash lay on his back, head against his backpack, opening his eyes at the sound of a slight breeze going through the trees. The daylight had almost faded. They'd tried to get to Celadon before sunset, but hadn't quite made it. Brock was making the best of some leftover and foraged ingredients to have some kind of meal. Ash's stomach growled. "Pikachu," Pikachu called as it heard the sound. Ash patted his pokemon's head.

"Ash," Misty began.

"Hm?" Ash glanced toward her, seeing her figure lit by the fire, staring into the woods.

"Did you let Charizard out?"

"No." Ash shook his head. "All my pokemon are in their pokeballs." Misty should know that as well. After a lot of training, they were all conserving their pokemon's energy until they got back to town.

"Hm. I thought so," Misty said. "But something's out there."

Ash sat up. Looking into the woods, there did seem to be some kind of flicker of flame. Was it a reflection? He stood up and went by Misty to get a closer look. "Is it a pokemon?" he asked.

"Maybe something else. We'd better check it out," Misty said. She took out a flashlight and pokeball from her bag, throwing out the latter. "Go, Staryu! Get ready to put out a fire if we need to," she said.

"Good idea, Misty. I'm just gonna stay here and watch dinner though," Brock said as he stirred the pot.

"Maybe I should get Squirtle ready too," Ash said, going back to his backpack. "And you can come too, Pikachu!"

"Pika!" Pikachu hopped up from its resting position, ready for a battle or other encounter. It had to wait as Ash reached into his backpack for the pokeball.

Misty went on ahead. The small flicker seemed to be a ways away... Perhaps just another campsite, though one so far off from the main path really wasn't typical. She shined the flashlight on the ground, carefully not to trip while still keeping an eye on the unknown sight ahead. Getting closer and closer, she could make out the shape of a human. Once close enough, it was clear it was a young boy, hat over his eyes, hugging his knees. "Ash?" Misty said.

The boy looked up, surprised. No, of course it wasn't Ash, who had been behind her. As she got closer, she saw his face, a slight resemblance though unmistakably unique from Ash, and realized the boy's clothing was different as well, if very similar. "Hello there," Misty greeted him awkwardly.

"What? What? I'm here!" Ash ran next to her, almost tripping as he stopped, noticing the other boy as well. "Uh, hi," Ash said.

"Pika?!" Pikachu exclaimed as the flame they'd been tracking moved.

"Char!" the flame replied. It was a charmander, who seemed wary but still unthreatening as it greeted their unexpected guests.

"Hello," the boy spoke, standing up and brushing off his clothes. "I'm Ritchie, from Viridian," he said. Ash and Misty briefly introduced themselves as well. "I'm glad you found me," Ritchie continued once they had. "I just got lost... All the way out here."

"All the way..." Misty shook her head. "What are you talking about? The main path is right over there, and we aren't that far from Celadon."

"Oh." Ritchie frowned sheepishly. "I should have known that... It makes sense they'd go back to the main path. I guess they were headed to Celadon, too. If I was smart, I would have stayed on the main path as well."

"We can just show you where it is," Ash said.

"Yeah, thanks," Ritchie said.

"You seem really upset, is everything okay?" Misty asked. As he paused, she kept talking herself. "It's not, is it? What are you doing out here, with just your charmander? Were you just going to spend all night like that?"

"Um." Ritchie frowned again, looking downward.

"Come on," Ash grabbed the boy's hand, reaching for Misty's flashlight. "I'm hungry. Let's go eat."

Misty pulled back her flashlight, but led the way for the two boys. Brock glanced up as they returned. "Oh? You found a person, and a pokemon?" he asked. Ritchie introduced himself, and Brock in return. "You got stranded? Do you need food?"

"I'd appreciate it," Ritchie said.

"You didn't even bring any food?" Misty said.

"My backpack got stolen," Ritchie explained. "It had my emergency food... And my pokemon, except Zippo, and-"

"Zippo?" Ash repeated. "That's a charmander!"

"It's a nickname, right?" Brock said as he served out the food.

"Yeah," Ritchie confirmed, his expression lightening as he took the food. "I mean you wouldn't call your dog 'Dog', right?"

"Why not?" Ash said with a shrug. "I never had a dog... But dogs and pokemon don't talk, so it doesn't matter."

"Hee." Misty grinned after taking a bit of Brock's meal. "I'd never get used to it, but I think it's cute! What are your other pokemon, and their nicknames?"

"They're-" Ritchie paused. "Well, I let them get stolen, so I don't really have a right to name them."

"Who stole them?" Misty asked, though she had a good idea.

"It was two uniformed people, they had a big letter on their shirt," Ritchie explained. "They work for some company, I guess. I didn't recognize the uniforms though."

"An 'R', maybe?" Misty asked.

"Yeah," Ritchie confirmed.

Misty scowled. "Team Rocket- Wait, how are you from Viridian, and you haven't heard of Team Rocket?!"

"I have," Ritchie said defensively. "They wear black, these people were wearing white."

"It's still Team Rocket!" Misty insisted. "And I think I might know who."

"Hmm." Brock nodded as Misty looked toward him.

"Team Rocket, but they weren't going to steal pokemon anymore!" Ash insisted, his expression a mix of confusion and anger.

"What did I tell you when they were talking like that, Ash?" Brock asked.

Ash bit his lip before staring back at Ritchie. "Never mind. We'll get your pokemon back," he declared.

"Well... I'd like to, but I guess they're long gone by now. This could be the end for me as a trainer. I don't have the money to replace the supplies they stole," Ritchie said, clenching his fist as he looked downward.

"We'll get that back, too!" Ash scooped his food into his mouth quickly, then stared Ritchie right in the eyes. "Your pokemon were stolen, right? You aren't giving up on them, are you?"

Ritchie looked Ash right back in the eyes, and eventually shook his head. "I miss them already... I don't want to think I'll never see them again." Admitting it made him feel even worse. What would things be like for his pokemon friends without him? Since they were in their pokeballs when taken, would they think he abandoned them? Would they even be treated well?

"You will!" Ash declared, nodding happily. "We'll just wait until morning, then we'll go right back and find them."

Ritchie had nothing to say to the shower of optimism, but Misty sighed. "Not that I don't want to help him... But he could be right. They could be long gone with his pokemon by now, and we wouldn't be able to find them."

"Don't listen to her," Ash shook his head. "I've had to deal with Team Rocket plenty of times. Just forget about it tonight, we'll get them back in the morning."

Ritchie nodded, looking around the darkened landscape. There seemed to be nothing to do that night, anyway. He turned his attention to his food, finishing it off before thanking Brock. Sitting down, he took out a small notepad and pen from his pocket. "Misty of Cerulean, Brock of Pewter... Did you know there's gym leaders with your names where you're from?"

"That's us!" Brock beamed.

"Right. We're on hiatus now, but we're still officially gym leaders," Misty said.

"Impressive you remembered," Brock said.

"I didn't remember completely, I just take notes... And your names sounded familiar." Ritchie flipped through the pages of his notebook. "I skipped Pewter's gym when I was traveling, but I got my first badge from Cerulean. I battled Violet."

"My sister," Misty informed.

"Oh? You're sisters?" Ritchie started to write in his notebook.

"Gyms are often run by families," Brock explained.

"Yeah? That makes sense, I've seen that." Ritchie kept writing as he spoke.

"You have the Cascade Badge? How many other badges do you have?" Ash asked.

"I just got the badge from Celadon, so that's six now," Ritchie informed.

"Six? How long have you been training?" Ash asked.

"I started in April. I just turned ten the day I could leave," Ritchie said.

"Sounds familiar," Misty commented with a laugh, peering toward Ash.

"No way! And you've already got six?" Ash lamented. "I've just got four. See?" Ash showed the inside of his vest where his badges were pinned.

"Four is a good pace, especially if you just started," Ritchie said, studying the badges closer. "Oh, you have the Cascade Badge too. And the Boulder Badge, from Pewter." Ritchie looked to Brock, who nodded. And the other two... Wait..." Ritchie opened up his notebook. "I knew it! The Thunder Badge! Lt. Surge is really tough... And wait..." Ritchie turned a page, then looking from the book to Ash's other badge and back again. "No way... The Marsh Badge, from Sabrina in Saffron?"

"Yeah, that's it," Ash confirmed. As Ritchie raised his eyebrow, Ash furrowed his brow in thought. "I thought I would challenge Celadon's gym next, and you just beat them, so are you going to Saffron next?"

"No, no!" Ritchie shook his head, slamming his small book shut and holding it close. "Sabrina's the most challenging gym leader, period. I don't mind losing, but I already know there's no way I'm gonna win. She's not for a beginner like me. Didn't you know that? How did you beat her?"

"I guess Misty said something like that a bunch of times," Ash admitted. "But if I'm going to be a master, I'm not just gonna run away because someone else tells me it's too hard."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu added.

Ritchie clutched his book close, letting Ash's words go through his head. Had he been backing away from challenges? He'd lost at two gyms, but maybe after that he'd been picking what he thought might be the easiest ones. Ritchie frowned, tensing up. He eventually relaxed as he looked toward the pokemon that had just called out to him. "You caught a pikachu, too?" he said, deciding to change the subject.

"Pikachu's my first pokemon," Ash informed.

"Wow, I never heard of that. Who from?" Ritchie asked.

"Professor Oak."

"Professor Oak?" Ritchie repeated. "You got him to sponsor you? Oh, right, you're from Pallet. I never heard he gave out pikachu to start as well." Ritchie again opened up his notebook, finding the page on Professor Oak to make note.

"I think Ash is a special case," Misty said.

In more ways than one, Ritchie realized, turning to a blank page to make notes about this trainer. Ash had badges from two historically very difficult gyms, not that the other two were on the easiest ranked either. Now he had two gym leaders traveling with him, likely because he was something special. Plus he'd gone against Team Rocket before? Multiple times? Enough not to even be a little worried about them? Being sponsored by Professor Oak was impressive as well, though the man had a bias toward people from his hometown.

"Do you want to battle?" Ash asked.

"Come on, Ash!" Misty chided. "He just lost his pokemon, except for this one. He was ready to sleep alone in the woods tonight. You can't just ask him to battle." Misty shook her head.

"No, it's okay." Ritchie stood up, putting his notebook in his pocket. "I only just took Zippo out before you found me. It's fine, it can battle."

"Are you sure you should-" Misty began before Ash interrupted her.

"Great!" he exclaimed. "I know just what pokemon I'm gonna use. Let's go!"

The boys went out to a clear area on the main path, the light from the fire and Zippo's tail allowing them to see the area well enough. "Go, Zippo! Get ready to battle," Ritchie directed, pointing to where his pokemon should stand.

"Go, Charizard!" Ash threw out his pokeball. The large pokemon roared loudly as it appeared.

"Ash!" Misty exclaimed, standing nearby him. "Are you just picking on this poor kid now? Showing off?"

"I thought it would be interesting," Ash said with a frown.

"Well, think a little more next time." Misty lightly pushed Ash's shoulder.

"Is it really too much?" Ash frowned as he rethought his choice.

"N-No," Ritchie interrupted. "You're right, it's an interesting matchup. Are you ready, Zippo? Ember!"

"Char!" Zippo charged toward its opponent, powering up its attack.

"Charizard, flamethrower!" Ash ordered. Instead of performing the attack, Charizard lay down, pushing the much smaller pokemon's head as it attacked. Even being hit by the ember attack, it just turned its head, spitting a small amount of flame into the air. "Charizard?" Ash questioned.

"I think Charizard is refusing to battle!" Brock called from where he'd been cleaning up from dinner.

"Um, why? What do I do?" Ash asked.

"I've seen it plenty of times in the gym. Automatic loss for the trainer whose pokemon refuses," Brock informed.

Misty nodded. "No point in continuing a battle with a pokemon that won't fight. I guess Charizard sees how pointless the match is, too."

"Oh..." Ash frowned. "I guess you win," he said to Ritchie, returning the pokemon and turning to go back to the campfire.

Ritchie couldn't follow. "W-Wait," he said. When Ash turned around, he forced himself to speak. "If that's the end of that battle... Let's fight again." He couldn't accept a win like that. Even if he technically won, Zippo probably would have lost. Without Charizard battling, he'd never know.

"Okay," Ash said with a smile. "Charizard won't battle, so I'll use a different pokemon. Go, Pikachu!"

"Pika!" Pikachu called as it hopped in front of Zippo.

Pikachu? It seemed too easy after thinking of facing Charizard, the battle had already been agreed to. "Zippo, use ember!" Ritchie repeated his last order.

"Pikachu, thunderbolt!" Ash ordered.

"Char!" Zippo got ready to repeat the attack.

"Pika!" Pikachu's cheeks sparked as it began to power up its own attack, lighting up the area much better than before. As Zippo spat the flame into its face, Pikachu blinked before completing its own attack. "Pika, CHU!" it called, hitting Zippo with the barrage of electricity.

Ritchie shuddered in surprise as his pokemon hit the ground. "Zippo, return!" He quickly pressed the button on his pokeball to bring it back.

Misty sighed. "That was picking on him even more than just using Charizard," she said.

"I wasn't trying to! Pikachu seemed like it wanted to battle," Ash justified.

"Your pikachu's really impressive," Ritchie said, approaching Ash with his hand out. "Thanks for the battle."

Ash shook his opponent's hand. "We'll battle again."

Ritchie nodded. "If I ever get my pokemon back... Maybe my pikachu could go up against yours."

"We're gonna get them back," Ash declared. "Then we'll battle for sure."

Though Ash seemed absolutely convinced, Ritchie really wasn't. Could he really get them? If the thieves were back at Celadon, that was a big place. It was likely they weren't, and the uniformed people were somewhere out in the largest expanse of wilderness. Even so, Ritchie wanted to believe he might get his pokemon back. It wasn't just that he wanted to see them again, something about Ash's confidence made it seem like it might really happen. That was just a feeling though. Logically, it didn't seem plausible.

Then again, neither did a new trainer with three badges and less than a half year's experience beating Sabrina. Ritchie decided to have some confidence in this trainer that somehow also had a charizard in addition to a very powerful pikachu. He was even able to sleep some that night, huddled on the ground next to the campfire nearby.

Misty approached Ash as he cleaned up the campsite in the morning. "How are you suggesting we find Ritchie's pokemon?" she said, not really expecting an answer. She kept talking in a low voice, seeing the boy they'd found wandering back to them. "I didn't want keep talking about it to his face, but he could be right. They could be gone. I've talked to other trainers that lost theirs for good. Nobody does anything about Team Rocket most of the time." As Ritchie approached, Misty smiled and waved.

Ash shrugged, not seeming at all concerned about getting a poor downtrodden trainer's hopes up. "We just need to find Team Rocket. Then we'll beat them in a battle and take your pokemon back."

"Where could they be? Maybe anywhere in Kanto by now," Ritchie said.

"Go, Pidgeotto! Butterfree! Charizard!" Ash threw out the pokeballs one by one, calling out the pokemon. "Listen up. You all remember Team Rocket. Go and look around, then let's meet back here."

"Don't you want to know what they look like first?" Brock said, looking up from packing up his bag.

"We know what they look like," Ash scoffed. "We've seen them plenty of times."

"There's actually a lot of Team Rocket members, not just Jessie and James," Misty pointed out.

"Oh. Maybe it's not them," Ash said with a frown.

"Maybe. But maybe it is. Ritchie said they had white uniforms, rather than black," Misty said.

"Yeah," Ritchie confirmed.

"And did they maybe have a meowth?" Misty asked.

"They did!" Ritchie raised his eyebrows. "It kind of seemed like it was talking, too."

"So it is them," Ash said, smiling as he turned back to the three flying types he'd just picked out. "You all go and look! Come meet back here, be ready to battle if you find them!"

As the three pokemon flew off, Misty shook her head. "They might not even be nearby," she said.

"I think they are," Ash said, clenching his fist as he looked Misty's way.

"I suspect so, too, though it's not for sure," Brock added, turning to Ritchie as he put on his backpack. "You had been tracking them, right?" he asked.

"Yeah. I thought I was on their trail," Ritchie said.

"So they couldn't have gotten far, especially if you only lost their trail when it got dark," Brock put a hand to his chin.

"There's planes, boats, trains, cars," Misty muttered.

"It's true, Team Rocket has a lot of branded methods of transportation. But when have we ever seen that group using any of it?" Brock said.

"They also could have kept walking, even if it's dark," Misty pointed out.

"Like I said, it's not for sure. But I still think it's worth a shot to find out. Looking by air is a good start," Brock reasoned.

Ritchie pursed his lips. "You guys... You don't have to go so far to help me," he said.

"Why not?" Ash said.

"I should be able to take care of my pokemon on my own." Ritchie looked to the ground.

"Well, you weren't," Misty snapped. "Now why don't you thank us for helping you out? It's not like I'm going to ignore Team Rocket stealing some trainer's pokemon."

"Me neither," Ash agreed.

"Do you really want to help?" Ritchie turn to Misty specifically, who had seemed quite cynical about their success.

"Of course." Misty grinned. "I'm ready to get out my pokemon and battle as soon as we find them. Let's wait for Ash's pokemon to come back, then we might try going into town."

"Sounds good to me," Brock said.

"Thank you," Ritchie said.

"Huh?" Misty noticed the younger trainer bowing in front of her. "Hey, it's fine," she said.

"Yeah," Ash agreed.

"I really mean it," Ritchie said before he stood back up straighter. He didn't have anything else to offer them, so his thanks would have to be all. The sight of the three of them looking back at him calmly and happily as if they weren't burdened at all was enough to humble him. All he could do was show appreciation as they did what he was currently powerless to.

They waited a bit for Ash's pokemon, sitting down at the campsite. Charizard flew back first, coming from the path to Celadon city. "Did you find them?" Ash asked.

Charizard snorted and turned away.

"I guess not. Thanks anyway, Charizard," Ash said before returning the pokemon to its pokeball. Butterfree came back next, coming from the forest on the side of the path they'd found Ritchie. "Did you get them?" he asked.

"Free," Butterfree called mournfully, shaking from side to side. Ash took the answer as a no, and returned Butterfree as well, just before Pidgeotto flew down.

"Pidgeotto!" the pokemon called confidently, then turned around, facing in the direction it had flown from before hopping up and down. "Pidgeotto!" it called again.

"Looks like Pidgeotto found something," Brock said.

"I bet it did," Ash said. "Show us, Pidgeotto! Let's go!"

Jessie, James, and Meowth sat in the clearing in the forest, returning the stolen pokeballs to the stolen bag. "Nothing rare, and none of the pokemon are even fully evolved," Jessie pointed out with a scowl.

"The butterfree is," James pointed out.

"Those things are a dime a dozen. Just getting one isn't anything," Jessie pointed out.

"Well, we certainly won't beat our Pokemon Tech haul, but it is something," James said. "That's what we wanted, right?"

"I wanted something more impressive," Jessie said.

"We'll just get some more on the way there," Meowth said. "I have a plan for more impressive pokemon, anyway."

"Oo, do tell," James invited, leaning forward to hear his friend talk.

"In Celadon-" Meowth began, stopping as Pidgeotto's call interrupted it, and the four kids broke into their clearing.

"Go, Starmie!"

"Go, Geodude!"

"Pikachu! Get ready!"

The three summoned pokemon jumped out in front of the rocket group. "How violent," James said, scooting back from his place on the ground.

"Pokemon thieves have no room to judge!" Misty said, pointing forward.

"You should give back the stolen pokemon, now," Brock said. "Didn't you say you were going to start catching your own pokemon instead of stealing from trainers?"

"Wild pokemon, trainers' pokemon, it makes no difference, since all pokemon belong to Team Rocket!" Jessie declared. "Now, go-"

"Remember what I said about working smarter!" Meowth shouted.

"Oh, right." James grabbed the backpack, standing up and getting ready to run.

"Go, Ekans, Lickitung!" Jessie got ready to cover him.

"Pikachu, run, thundershock!" Ash said, pointing forward at Lickitung, the first pokemon between him and the rockets. Jessie, Misty, and Brock also shouted orderers at their respective pokemon. Ash didn't pay attention, just ran past Lickitung after it was hit, breezing by Jessie as she grabbed at his shirt, and tackling James.

James shouted in surprise as Ash collided with him, the both of them falling to the ground. Not having been expecting this kind of confrontation, he was momentarily shocked, and did nothing as Ash stood up, grabbing the stolen bag. "We've got it! We've got it! Here, Ritchie!" Ash shouted as he ran toward his new friend, tossing the bag in Ritchie's arms.

Ritchie almost fell backward, feeling astonished himself at Ash's actions and momentum, as well as the reality of the situation. As promised, the bag with his stolen pokemon was back in his hands. Before he checked to see if the pokemon were there, Ash looked toward the rockets.

"Jessie, he took it," James whined.

"I noticed," Jessie groused in between ordering her two pokemon. "Are you paying attention over here? Maybe you could give us some cover."

"Oh... Right. Go, Koffing! Smoke screen!" James threw out his pokeball, ordering his pokemon the instant it appeared.

"Koffing!" Koffing performed the technique, obscuring the battlefield with its smoky exhaust. As it dissipated, the rockets were gone.

Ritchie looked in the bag as it seemed the coast was clear. His belongings were displaced from how he normally packed them, but the five pokeballs with his familiar stickers were in there, placed at the top of everything. "I've gotta see..." Ritchie released them all one by one, tears entering his eyes as he realized they were all there. "Thank you," he choked out to the three who had helped him, again bowing to them.

"Of course we'd help!" Ash said.

"Yeah. I'm happy knowing I could trip them up," Misty added.

"We're close to Celadon... I know you were headed the other way, but maybe you should come back with us for now?" Brock suggested.

Ritchie nodded. Picking his head up, he tried to be just as cheerful as the group around them as they made their way to the city.

"Back already, Ritchie?" the nurse greeted him as the four of them approached the counter.

"Yeah," Ritchie said guiltily. "I ran into some things." He looked away, unable to meet her eyes as he spoke.

"It happens. Should I look over your pokemon?" the nurse asked.

The four of them ended up giving her all of their pokemon, then having a meal as they waited for the checkup. Even eating the meal, Ritchie felt guilty. He'd almost been ready to give up his pokemon, after so many people he knew had banded together to help pay the license fees and sponsor him. He'd let them down. He'd let his pokemon down. Only this other boy's confidence had stopped him from giving up completely. Why couldn't Ritchie himself just be like that?

When they got their pokemon back from the nurse, Ritchie stepped over to Ash. "Why don't we have that battle now," he said.

"Yeah! Pikachu against Pikachu? That's gonna be fun," Ash said.

"Didn't Pikachu already beat a powerful raichu?" Misty commented dryly, then waved at Ritchie as they were about to step outside. "Wait!" she said. As Ritchie turned back, she spoke seriously. "Ash's pikachu is really something else, you should know that. It's far beyond even normal pikachu, so I think this might not be a fair matchup."

Ritchie stopped himself from pouting, and forced himself to smile back at the warning. "Thanks, Misty," he said. "But I'm gonna be like Ash. I won't back away from battles because I think the opponent's too powerful."

"Is Ash someone to aspire to be like?" Misty asked.

"Of course!" Ritchie exclaimed, honest happiness and enthusiasm entering his voice as spoke. "Ash is one of the best trainers I've met. I didn't even know there were people like him out there." Ritchie almost felt lighter as he spoke. "I'm going to be like that too."

"Well then... Good luck," Misty said.

Outside, Ritchie and Ash found an empty practice field, and sent their pikachu out on it. "Sparky, quick attack!"

"Pikachu, quick attack!" Ash and Ritchie almost spoke in unison. The two pikachu slammed against each other in a blur before separating, each keeping on their feet as they hit. "Pikachu, thunderbolt!"

"Sparky, thunderbolt!"

"Pika, CHUU!" The two pikachu attacked each other at once. Ash's grimaced as it was hit, then continued its own attack, hitting Ritchie's pokemon with a brighter attack of a longer duration.

Sparky teetered back and forth. "Pika..." Sparky called before falling to the ground.

"Sparky, return!" Ritchie held the pokeball close as his pikachu was brought back in. He'd seen Pikachu's skills the previous night and hadn't really expected to win, but he'd tried not to think too much about it. If he hesitated and hand picked battles he was sure to win, he'd never become the kind of trainer he wanted to be.

"Good job, Pikachu!" Ash complimented, then turned to Ritchie. "How about we battle again? You're not leaving today, right?"

"No," Ritchie said. "I guess we could battle more."

"You two have a lot of the same pokemon," Misty pointed out. "Maybe you could have other same species battles."

"Butterfree vs. butterfree? Pidgeotto vs. pidgeotto? Yeah, I wanna try that!" Ash exclaimed.

Ritchie nodded in agreement, getting out the pokeballs for his next challenge. These battles were the first step to becoming the kind of trainer he wanted to be, one that could run right into battle without hesitation or overthinking, defending anything that needed to be defended, completely confident in his actions. Of course, Ritchie thought as he gave his butterfree the first instruction of the battle, he'd have to have the power to back those actions up.

End note: So, I suppose this chapter is also taking the place of episodes where Ash helps a character of the day whose pokemon get stolen by Team Rocket. Couldn't have been too many of those, ahaha. And of course Ash's charizard giving a default win... Annoying to Ash here, but not as upsetting since it's not at the end of the league. Hm, I wonder what the end of the league might be like.

Next chapter: Team Rocket vs. Erika