Chapter 15
The ocean breeze seemed to be their constant companion as they continued the trail north from Vermilion City. They had heard from the Nurse Joy in Maiden's Peak that the closest Gym aside from Vermilion was in Saffron City, so that was their next destination. But the trail was for the most part uneventful, leaving something to be desired. Fortunately, it didn't take long for this to happen, and it just so happened when the pair stopped for a break, and Ash, on his hands and knees, peered down at the waves crashing against the raised rock. "Wow, look at those rocks!" he commented, but his stomach began to feel woozy from peering down the cliff. "That's a long drop..."
Brock sat up without really acknowledging Ash's comment and read the map unfolded in his hands. Nodding his head, he lowered it and looked towards a path that seemed to follow the cliffs. "The map says that this ledge leads right to Saffron City."
"And to our next challenge at the Saffron Gym," Ash added, sitting back up with a determined smile on his face. "Yeah!" Excitement filled his chest knowing how close they were to the city, but then something caught Ash's eye beyond where the trail passing along the cliffs turned out of view. It was a very long distance away, but there was a large flock of white dots fluttering through the sky over the ocean. "What are those?"
After a few moments of watching the movement, Brock realized what was happening as they got closer. "The Butterfree are celebrating their season of love."
"Butterfree..." Ash murmured, retrieving his Pokédex from his pocket and scanning one of the Bug Pokémon that were floating far away.
"Butterfree. One week after Caterpie evolves into Metapod, it again evolves into Butterfree."
"Their season of love?" the Pokémon Trainer repeated Brock's words as he closed the cover over Dexter and put it back in his jacket pocket.
"The season of love is when Butterfree lay their eggs," the Pokémon Breeder explained with a smile on his face. "The Butterfree find mates, and then lay their eggs across the sea."
"Across the sea?" Ash echoed this while looking ahead at the vast stretch of blue that stretched as far as he could see.
"That's right."
"Are they all wild Butterfree?" Ash asked, looking at the huge flock again.
"Some, but not all of them. A lot of Butterfree Trainer will come here to release their Butterfree as well," Brock explained, and Ash smiled.
"Hey, then let's go check it out! I bet there are a lot of strong Trainers there," he suggested. Brock agreed, since it was on their way, and the pair continued down the path now that they had finished their little break.
They didn't get very far, however, when they discovered a young man in a hot air balloon. Though it was inflated and the fire was burning in the burner, but he fidgeted with both it and his glasses with increasing frustration. Noticing the pair, the young man waved them over, and getting closer, Ash could see that he had a bit of stubble on his face. "Hi hi," the dark-haired man greeted. "I was wondering if either of you guys knew how to fly a hot air balloon? I kind of missed that part of the training when I decided to rent a hot air balloon."
"Yeah, I do," Brock piped up, and Ash quietly thought to himself that Brock was a man of many talents. "I could fly it for you if you let us come along with you."
"We were hoping to watch the Butterfree," Ash added.
"Oh oh, so neither of you have Butterfree?" the man queried, then smiled. "Yes yes, that is fine. The more the merrier." As Ash and Brock entered the basket with the man, Brock began to fidget with the burner.
"So does that mean that you have a Butterfree, Mr..." Ash trailed off, realizing that they never introduced themselves.
"Hi hi, I'm Tim; I'm a news writer for National Pokégraphic in Saffron City," he introduced. "I'm not a Pokémon Trainer, but I raised a Butterfree just to write this article here."
"Hey, that's pretty cool, Tim!" the Pokémon Trainer responded with a smile. "I'm Ash, from Pallet Town."
"And I'm Brock. It's nice to meet you," Brock finished, and leaned back, signifying that he was done. "Hold on guys! We're lifting off." Pulling the cord connected to the burners, the propane tank connected to it released more of the fuel, and the fire shot into the hot air balloon, which lifted them off the ground. "We'll probably see more hot air balloons when we get higher into the air."
They raised higher and higher into the air, and soon the tall trees that had once surrounded them now blended in with the grass far below, and the sparkling ocean glittering like jewels in the sunlight was laid out before them. The scene brought a chuckle to Ash's face as a gasp escaped his mouth. "What a view!" he exclaimed.
Movement to their left caught their eye, and they turned to see more Butterfree flying in from over the forest to join the rest. "Look! There are more Butterfree!" Tim pointed out.
"Let's go," Brock suggested, and pulled at the cord connected to the burner. Floating higher into the air, the basket waved in the wind gracefully as the wind took them after the Butterfree until they had joined countless others fluttering far above the ocean. Their endless cries seemed to be blurred together into a series of chirps, and it was very interesting watching the collection of Bug-type Pokémon all gathered together. Some had already found partners, and were paired off, flying close to each other to show the other Pokémon of their species that they were taken.
"It seems all the Butterfree are pairing off into couples!" Tim observed with the sun reflecting off his glasses.
"Okay, Tim," Brock reminded him. "Now is a good time to bring out your Butterfree."
"Right," the journalist agreed, and fished out a Poké Ball from his pocket. Pressing the silver button in the center of it, it grew larger in his hand, and he held it forward over the edge of the basket. "Butterfree, come on out now!" The ball split in the center in his hand, and released white plasma inside before it condensed together into the purple Butterfly Pokémon.
"Freeeee!" it chirped, and instantly flew forward to join the rest of the flock in front of it.
"Hi hi, Butterfree. This is what we've been waiting for," Tim told it as it flew off toward the cloud of Bug and Flying Pokémon.
"Good luck, Butterfree!" Ash called after it. They watched with interest as Butterfree slowly drifted up to other Butterfree, observing them for only a second with its big red eyes. Sometimes, the Butterfree turned their head away from Tim's Butterfree, while other times, Tim's Butterfree barely gave others a single glance as well. Confusion covered Ash's face as he cocked his head. "Huh?"
"Maybe none of those other Butterfree are its type," Brock commented, hearing Ash's confusion.
"What do you mean by it's 'type'?" Tim asked the teen. "The Butterfree all look the same to me..."
"Some must fly better than others, or maybe they have slightly different patterns, I guess," the Pokémon Breeder answered. Suddenly, they could hear popping of many Poké Balls behind them, and the three all turned around to see a large gathering of hot air balloons of all sort of colors floating behind them.
"Look at all the balloons!" Ash stated. In each of those balloons was at least one Trainer who threw out a Poké Ball, and coming from those Poké Balls were all Butterfree. Like Tim's Butterfree, they flew out past their balloon to join the rest.
"They're all Butterfree Trainers. They come at this time every year to release their Butterfree," Tim explained to them. As the balloons caught up to theirs, one particular balloon next to them caught Brock's eye, or at least the Trainer inside. She was a young girl with long purple hair that reached her waist, dressed daintily in a cream colored dress. She cradled her Poké Ball delicately in her hands as she smiled down at it.
"You just go find yourself a nice mate, Butterfree," she told it, and threw out the Poké Ball. "Go!" The ball opened, and released her Butterfree, that went on to join the others. Ash and Tim both stared at Brock, whose face was glowing like a hot ember as he stared at the girl with a dumb smile on his face.
"Uh, what's going on with your friend?" Tim asked, but before Ash could answer, Tim's Butterfree came fluttering back up to the basket, not having any luck finding a mate in the first wave. "Butterfree-"
"Listen up, Butterfree!" Brock exclaimed, cutting off Tim and jumping in between the dark-haired writer and his Pokémon. "See that Butterfree that girl just released?" He let out a yell and pointed forward at a Butterfree that was at the edge of the river that was being swallowed by the ocean of Butterfree. "That one right there! Pick that one!" Butterfree looked at the Pokémon Breeder, following his finger, and then looking back at him with a cocked head.
"Free?"
"Don't you get it?!" Brock yelled, slamming his hands down on the edge of the basket, and Tim's Butterfree receded downward slightly. "If two Butterfree fall in love, their Trainers will meet and they can fall in love too!"
"Brock, I'm Butterfree's Trainer. If anything, I'll be the one that girl falls in love with," Tim pointed out, and this seemed to instantly deflate Brock's enthusiasm, and he leaned over the side of the basket with a sigh.
"Don't go after it, then..."
"Tim, if Butterfree doesn't find a mate, it won't ever have babies," Ash told the older man, smiling down at his Pokémon.
"You're right, Ash," Tim replied, and adjusting his glasses, he looked at his Pokémon and smiled. "Go ahead, Butterfree." Butterfree nodded, and with the new wave of Butterfree joining them, it flew out with a chirp to mingle. "Go get 'em, Butterfree..."
The Butterfly Pokémon flew around for a moment or two, looking at the new Butterfree that had joined in with the cluster with reverence. But one particular Butterfree that had just joined the kaleidoscope caught its eye, and Tim's Butterfree seem to bounce in the air and couldn't seem to get there fast enough. This particular Butterfree also grabbed Ash's eye as well, seeing how it was colored pink instead of the usual purple Butterfree's bodies were. "It looks like Butterfree has found one it likes!" Tim commented.
"Yeah, love at first sight with that pink one," Brock added, pulling the cord on the burner to try and get a closer look. As they did, Butterfree started to flap its wings, bringing its body back and forth toward the pink Butterfree with each wave of them and singing a song while doing so. This caused Ash to raise an eyebrow.
"Butterfree's acting kind of weird..." the boy muttered innocently.
"That's Butterfree's courtship dance," Brock answered as Butterfree spun around and tried a different angle.
"Courtship dance?"
"It's Butterfree's way of saying 'I wanna be your Butterfree'!"
"That's quite interesting! I've never seen it do that before," Tim observed with a smile on his face.
"If it's successful, the other Butterfree does a dance, too," Brock continued. They all watched the pink Butterfree carefully, waiting for it to do a dance back, but it did something else instead. As Tim's Butterfree would flutter one way, the pink Butterfree would turn its head in the opposite direction. Finally, after a few more attempts of this, the pink Butterfree left the collection of Butterfree and fluttered up higher into the air. Tim's Butterfree looked up at the other Pokémon, and followed after it, hastily trying to dance as it flew upward.
"What's going on?" Ash asked, but before anyone could answer, the pink Butterfree struck Tim's Butterfree across the face with one of its stubby blue hands. The three males all let out a simultaneous gasp of horror as Butterfree sat frozen in place, watching helplessly as the pink Butterfree fluttered off with its nose in the air.
"Butterfree got shot down..." Brock whispered.
"But why?" Tim questioned. None of them knew the answer, and it seemed that Butterfree was completely heartbroken, and it quickly went in the opposite way of the pink Butterfree and fluttered down. It left the cloud of fellow Bug Pokémon and started to fly towards the forest below.
"Butterfree, where are you going?!" Ash cried, but the Bug Pokémon ignored him and kept going until it disappeared into the sea of foliage.
"Butterfree!" Tim shouted.
"Shot down in its prime..." Brock murmured. Directing the balloon with the burner expertly, Brock landed them in the forest once they found a clearing, and the three disembarked to find the heartbroken Butterfly Pokémon.
"Butterfree! Hey, Butterfree!" Ash called, his voice echoing off the trees that made up the forest.
"Butterfree!" Tim yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth to carry his voice. "Butterfree, come out!" For quite some time, the group of three called for the Bug and Flying Pokémon, looking for anything that stuck out amongst the green and browns of the forest. Finally, after traversing through the woods and yelling loud as they could, the familiar sound of Butterfree overcame the cracking branches under their shoes, and they followed the noise to discover the Butterfly Pokémon was sobbing at the base of a thick oak tree.
"It's Butterfree!" Ash cried, spotting the edge of the Pokémon's wings peaking out from behind the tree, and the group ran up to it. The Pokémon didn't even look up from the ground upon being discovered. "Hey there, Butterfree. Are you okay?"
"Freeee..." the Bug Pokémon moaned, clutching its wings as its chest as it sniffled. Feeling bad for the poor Pokémon, Ash knelt down to look at it at eye-level with the corners of his mouth curling downward.
"Hey, how come you look so sad, buddy?"
"It was rejected by someone it loved; that's a terrible shock," Brock answered knowingly with his arms crossed and head bobbing in understanding. "Believe me, it's a terrible feeling." Slamming his hands onto his hips and sticking out his chest as if proud, he continued. "I could write a book about the secrets of love and heartache!"
"I don't need to be a journalist to tell you that book would probably be your autobiography..." Tim murmured snarkily, and Brock's arms hung at his sides like a pair of wet noodles. Kneeling down beside Butterfree as well, Tim looked uncomfortable while he tried to console his Pokémon. "Come on, Butterfree. Don't be so down – there are tons of other Butterfree up there."
"But when you find the one you love, that doesn't matter," Brock pointed out, regaining his composure.
Ash stood up once again, and fished out the red hi-tech device out of his pocket. "Do you think maybe Dexter might be able to tell us can get that other Butterfree to be its mate?"
"Computers know love even less than you or I, Ash," Tim answered with a frown, and Ash cocked his eyebrow as he looked at the closed case of his Pokédex once more before lowering his arm.
"I just don't understand it. Butterfree is great, why would any other Butterfree reject it?" the boy asked rhetorically, and then smiled and looked down at Tim's Pokémon. "Butterfree, maybe you just have to show off your strengths and let the others see how great you are! Show how powerful your Tackle is, or how you can use Stun Spore!" Ash ended this by waving his hands in the air as if pretending to be a Butterfree using a powder attack.
"That's a good idea, Butterfree! Try to be assertive!" Tim agreed, and his Butterfree looked up at him. It still looked sad, but looked up questioningly at its Trainer. "I've interviewed others about their love life, and a lot of people compare their battle for love with Pokémon battles!"
"You mean it?!" Brock exclaimed with a shock look on his face.
"...At least, from what I understand," Tim replied honestly, and Brock raked his fingers through his hair.
"I wish I had known that sooner!"
"Let's give it another try," Ash told the purple Pokémon with determination, but Brock stopped him.
"Hold it!" When the others looked at him, Brock pulled a yellow ribbon out of his breast pocket and knelt down in front of Butterfree. Being as delicate as possible, he tied the yellow cloth around its neck. "A new look might help."
"Free..." the Pokémon murmured, but upon seeing the Trainer's faces light up, its own face did.
"It looks great!" Tim complimented, and Butterfree started getting blurry-eyed once again, but this time from how much the three were helping it. Instantly, its happiness seemed to peak.
"And you know what, Butterfree? I think I have an idea on how we can help you show off your strengths to that pink Butterfree!" Ash said, and looked at Brock and Tim. "But it's going to require a little acting."
o 0 o
Taking to the sky once again, Butterfree flew beside the hot air balloon as it lifted into the air to join the other balloons once again. But Ash wasn't paying attention to those, and instead using the binoculars in his backpack to look into the kaleidoscope of Butterfree slowly pairing off above the ocean. "Where did that pink Butterfree go?" Ash muttered to himself, his head twisting back and forth as he scanned for the differently-colored Pokémon.
"This is important to you, isn't it?" Tim questioned curiously.
"It's important that Butterfree finds its mate, because then it will be happy," Ash answered without hesitation, and a curious look appeared on Tim's face, but then a small smile appeared on his mouth as he looked at the black-haired Trainer. Ash was ignorant to this as he turned back to the gathering of Butterfree, and he finally let out a gasp. "All right, there it is!" he exclaimed, and then turned to Butterfree who was flapping beside the balloon's basket. "Now Butterfree, just have confidence in yourself and remember the plan!"
Butterfree nodded, and it flew on ahead. Looking at the other two, they nodded and began the plan that Ash had planned ahead. Pulling the cord one last time to give the balloon some gas, all three ducked down under the basket, hiding them from view. After a few moments, Ash and Brock jumped up. They had both discarded their outer layers of clothes, and had taped red 'R's onto the front of their shirts. Trying their best to don evil looks on their faces, Ash lowered his hat so the shadow fell across his eyes, and the pair crossed their arms and turned their backs to each other.
"Prepare for trouble!" Ash began loudly, gaining the attention of some of the closer hot air balloon travelers and Butterfree alike.
"And you can make that double!" Brock added, taking a flashlight and shining it up his face to cast a shadow over it.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To defend the beauty of truth and..." Ash recited, but his words trailed off, realizing he forgot the words the Team Rocket members had chanted when he had met them in both Mt. Moon and the St. Anne. Shaking off his stumbling, he twisted his hat backward and looked out at the Butterfree. "Oh, whatever! We're Team Rocket, and we're here to steal rare Pokémon! And that pink Butterfree looks mighty rare, don't it?"
"That's right! We've taken control of this hot air balloon, and now it's time to round up some Pokémon!" Brock replied theatrically. Both Ash and Brock pulled out a pair of Poké Balls and threw them out of the balloon.
"Pidgey!"
"Zubat!"
The pair of spheres opened, releasing from them the brown and tan colored bird Pokémon, and the blue and purple bat Pokémon. The pair of Pokémon chirped upon being released, and flew after the pink Butterfree, who turned its head curiously at the commotion. As the pair of Flying Pokémon shot towards the colored Pokémon, Tim's Butterfree – easily distinguishable from the yellow ribbon that had been tied around its neck – flew up and held out its little arms to stop the pair of Pokémon from going any further.
"Do not be a hero, Butterfree!" Ash cried choppily. "We have tricked your weak Trainer; do not think we will not do the same to all who stand in the way of Team Rocket!"
"Hey, cool it with the insulting!" Tim whispered from his laying position on the floor of the basket.
"Sorry..." Ash whispered back, then turned back up to the faux battle in front of him. "Fine, if you do not give up, then we will stop you!"
"Agreed!" Brock piped up, and pointed forward. "Zubat, use your Whirlwind to blow that thing out of the way!"
"Pidgey, you too!"
But before the attacks could be initiated, a loud cry called from the forest. In a blink of an eye, a large brown Pokémon with an elongated beak and a red comb spiking up from the top of its head came out of the forest and swooped up, moving quickly towards the swarm of Butterfree.
"Fearrroooowwww!" the newcomer shrilled, and the Butterfree all began to scatter to try and get away from the Pokémon flying at them.
"What is that thing?" Ash exclaimed, dropping his persona and his mouth at the same time.
"It's a Fearow!" Brock answered with panic in his voice. The sound of the Butterfree panicking quickly overrun any other objectives they had, and even Tim's Butterfree seemed to be panicking from the unexpected development. They watched helplessly as the Fearow zigzagged through the air, nipping at other Butterfree in an attempt to capture one in the thin beak.
Hearing the commotion, Tim peeked his head up, hesitantly at first and his glasses-covered eyes barely reached over the edge of the basket. "What's going on?"
"It looks like a Fearow has come to break up the love-fest," Brock explained.
"But what can we do?" Ash questioned. A loud chirp came from the swarm, and they all looked up to see that Fearow had finally succeeded in capturing a Butterfree. Of course, the one Butterfree it managed to grab was the pink Butterfree that Tim's Butterfree had set its eyes on. With a Butterfree now struggling in its beak, Fearow descended downward to the forest from which it came from.
"It's got that pink Butterfree!" Tim exclaimed, and as he did, his yellow-scarfed Pokémon gave a cry of determination and zoomed down to the forest after it. "Butterfree!"
"C'mon, we've got to go after it!" Ash said to Brock, and the Pokémon Breeder agreed with a nod of his head. Lowering the balloon seemed to take an eternity, and when they finally reached close to the ground, Ash jumped out of the basket and rushed through the woods with Pidgey close in tow. Tim also tried following, but he wasn't quite as active as Ash and tripped over the side of the basket. But he quickly picked himself up, and as the basket landed, Brock recalled his Zubat back into its Poké Ball and the pair ran after Ash.
The shrill cries of Butterfree and Fearow easily drew them to their location, and when they got there, they could see the pink Butterfree has escaped from Fearow's beak, but was still being pursued by the Beak Pokémon. Close by, Tim's Butterfree was watching with anxiety, unsure of what to do, but fluttering forward as if it wanted to help but kept second-guessing itself.
"We've got to help that Butterfree!" Ash declared, and looked up at his Flying Pokémon. "Pidgey, go get it!"
"Wait, Ash!" Brock interrupted, and both Pidgey and its Trainer froze in place. "This is Butterfree's battle. If you use Pidgey, it would disrespect its honor." Turning to Tim, Brock gave him a hardened look. "This is a great opportunity! Have Butterfree defend the pink Butterfree, but for real!"
"F-for real?!" Tim stuttered, shaking his head back and forth and raising his arms in protest. "I can't battle that huge Fearow! I'm not a Pokémon Trainer!"
"You can! And Butterfree can, too! You just have to be confident, and Butterfree will be as well."
"You can do it, Tim," Ash assured him. Tim's dark eyes flitted from Ash to Brock, and finally to his Butterfree. His knees were shaking, but he stepped forth and took in a deep breath.
"Okay Butterfree, it's time to attack that Fearow!" he called to his Pokémon. Butterfree perked up, and cocked its head at its owner, but eventually nodded and flew forward, its eyes glistening in determination. "Ash, I don't even know what attacks to tell it to use!"
"Then we'll have Dexter help us with that," Ash replied, whipping out his Pokédex from his pocket, and after scanning the Butterfree in front of them and pressing a white button on its face, Butterfree's picture appeared on the screen.
"Butterfree's attacks are: Number one: Tackle."
"Okay Butterfree, start o-off by using Tackle attack!" Tim began, sweat rolling down the side of his face from under his hair.
"Free!" the Butterfly Pokémon exclaimed, and flapped its wings hard to gain speed. The pink Butterfree saw the normal colored Butterfree coming toward it, and quickly fluttered out of the way. Seeing this, the Fearow craned its long neck in the direction of where its prey was looking, and its eyes widened when it saw the Bug and Flying Pokémon shooting towards it. With a wave of its huge wingspan, it pushed higher into the air, and Butterfree soared past it.
"Oh, it missed!" the journalist cried, even more panic flooding into his voice now.
"Here comes Fearow!" Brock warned. Fearow's beady eyes now locked on the purple Butterfree, it tucked in its wings and pointed its beak at the Pokémon like an arrow being shot from a bow. Butterfree hesitated in dodging, and Tim didn't call for any response, so the Flying Pokémon reached it and repeatedly jabbed at it with its beak. Wounds covered Butterfree's frail body as it was thrown backwards, but it quickly flipped around, and shaking away the pain, looked to Tim for orders.
"Butterfree?" Tim murmured, as if looking at his Pokémon in a new light. Butterfree nodded, and despite being covered in bruises, it looked ready to go on.
"Fearow is coming in again!" Ash cried, pointing up as Fearow turned in the air and began to swoop down once again.
"Number two: Stun Spore," Dexter recited, and Tim quickly lowered his brow and repeated.
"Butterfree, use Stun Spore!" he called. Reacting quickly, Butterfree used the same technique that Fearow had used and flapped its wings downward as the Beak Pokémon swooped down at it to hit it with another Peck attack, and as it pushed its wings down, an orange powder came pouring out of the scales on its white and black wings. Fearow's eyes widened as it breathed in the powder, and instantly its whole body seemed to seize up. Butterfree didn't stop with that single wave of its wings, and chirped loudly as it flapped its wings more, releasing more sparkling powder that covered Fearow. The Flying Pokémon collapsed to the ground, unable to keep flying any longer.
"Free!" Butterfree declared proudly, while its Trainer looked on in surprise.
"Butterfree... did it..!"
But the Bug Pokémon wasn't done yet. Flying to the side, Butterfree's wings shimmered a light blue color, and it waved them hard, producing a powerful gust of wind from them. Fearow's eyes clenched together as it struggled against the powerful winds, but was eventually blown off its feet and was thrown past the trees where the Normal and Flying Pokémon was swallowed into the forest.
"It did it!" Ash cheered, pumping his fist in the air.
"I've never seen... Butterfree use that attack before," Tim commented quietly to himself.
"That was a Gust attack," Brock told him. "It must have learned it from the experience it got from battling." Victory now in its grasp, Butterfree flew over to Tim, and the writer smiled up at his Pokémon.
"I didn't know you had it in you, Butterfree. You did great."
"You both did great," Ash corrected him. The man awkwardly adjusted his glasses, and then turned and saw the pink Butterfree approaching his own Butterfree. Now that they were looking at it closer, the pink Butterfree also had a pink tint in its wings as well.
"Freeee..." the pink Butterfree crooned, and it seemed to laugh playfully and a blush crept on its face as it swayed back and forth in the air, singing a song as it did.
"Hey, look!" Ash pointed out, and Tim's Butterfree's eyes began to shimmer with happiness.
"Now the pink Butterfree is doing the courtship dance for your Butterfree," Brock said to Tim with a chuckle. Butterfree mimicked the dance back as Tim smiled up at the pair, and they began to dance around each other, accepting the proposal.
"All right. Good for you, Butterfree," Ash said, folding his arms and watching the two Butterfree flutter around each other with glee.
Instead of taking the hot air balloon again, they walked to the cliffs that were just beyond the trees in the distance. The ocean was now shimmering like an amber, mimicking the color the sky was turning thanks to the setting sun. In the distance, dots of white filled the horizon. The Butterfree had all gathered, and with the sun setting, they were now heading across the sea to start their life. In front of them, Tim's Butterfree and the pink Butterfree were inseparable now, but having got what it wanted, a somber presence seemed to hang in the air. The two Butterfree stood in the dirt side by side on the tips of their light blue feet, both of them looking up at Tim, who seemed to have conflicted feelings.
"I guess it's time for you to leave now, isn't it?" Tim asked, finally breaking the silence that was starting to get uncomfortable. His Butterfree nodded.
"Free..."
"They have to cross the ocean to start their new family," Brock assured him, and Tim's eyes looked to the ground.
"Butterfree, I caught you in order to write an article about the Butterfree's season of love, and to get a first-hand experience of it," the young man began. "And I always knew this would come, but you and Ash and Brock really opened my eyes to this experience, and to Pokémon in general. This article is really going to be great, but overall, I'm really gonna miss you, Butterfree."
Brock looked up at the sky and saw the dots of Butterfree gradually getting out of sight, and he placed his hand on the journalist's shoulder. "It's time," he told him. Tim nodded and knelt down to look at Butterfree at eye level, but then turned to the pink Butterfree.
"This is a great Butterfree. Make sure to take good care of it for me," he told it.
"Free free," the Butterfly Pokémon nodded.
"You two are going to have great babies," Ash commented.
"I guess you better get going," Brock urged, but lightly and with a smile. The pink Butterfree flew higher into the air, but Tim's Butterfree seemed to stay grounded for a moment, looking sadly up at its Trainer as tears gathered at the bottom of its ruby red eyes.
"I'll be okay. And maybe we'll see each other again, someday," Tim told it. Standing up, the reporter's glasses seem to reflect the sun, blocking his dark eyes from view. "So this isn't goodbye. Hi hi, Butterfree."
Above, the pink Butterfree called for its new mate, and Butterfree turned its head up, then back at Tim before taking off into the sky. "Bye bye, Butterfree!" Ash cried, using one hand to cup his mouth and the other to wave.
"Good luck to both of you!" Brock added.
And as both Butterfree turned around and started to fly after the kaleidoscope in the far distance to catch up, a single tear escaped from underneath the shimmering glass of Tim's glasses. Suddenly, he took off into a run, and stopped just before the edge of the rocky cliff, waving his hand high above his head. "Good luck, Butterfree! Bye-bye, buddy!" Hearing its former Trainer, they could see faintly Butterfree turning around, and sparkles fell from its eyes as it turned around. "I'll always remember you! Thank you for everything!"
Just as they had almost caught up to the other Butterfree, with its mate beside it, Butterfree turned around in midair, and as it flew backward, its cry could be heard echoing over the ocean waves as it gave one last cry to the man who raised it.
"Freeeeee!"
-end-
Ash:
Party:
Wartortle (Poké Ball)
Moves: Tackle, Dig, Water Gun, Bite
Pidgey (Poké Ball)
Moves: Gust, Sand-Attack, Whirlwind, Wing Attack
Bulbasaur (Poké Ball)
Moves: Tackle, Vine Whip
Charmander (Poké Ball)
Moves: Flamethrower
Krabby (Poké Ball)
Moves: ViceGrip
Badges:
Boulder Badge
Cascade Badge
Thunder Badge
Brock:
Party:
Onix (Poké Ball)
Moves: Tackle, Bind, Dig
Geodude (Poké Ball)
Moves: Seismic Toss, Tackle
Zubat (Poké Ball)
Moves: Whirlwind, Supersonic
