Chapter 8: Day 7-On a Clear Day…
Misty's POV
I could see Snow's eyes open, slowly and gently, and her body began to sway. Although it was being held up by metal chains connected to her wrists and ankles, her body still looked like it was unstable, as if it wasn't for the chains she would fall over in an instant. It was like seeing her battered and beaten and nearly defeated, nearly tore my heart in half, I could barely stand it. I tried to reach out for her, but Ash held my arm, hard and fast, and pulled me back, shaking his head slightly.
I sighed for what seemed like the twentieth time that night, looking up at the shiny glass case containing my beloved little girl, or at least someone who I saw as my little girl, and being unable to do anything about her suffering.
"You son of a bitch," I heard Ash growl from beside me, "Let her go!"
"How appropriate that you all should show," the guy in the lab coat said, "You see we have been having troubles drawing out Jirachi's true power, but with you both here, maybe you could help us out a bit."
I stepped forward a little, feeling my eyes blaze from tiredness. "And why on earth would we ever help you?" I asked.
The black haired man only shook his head. "You don't understand do you? This world is in such shambles, and Jirachi has the power to save us all! We could change so many things, and find so many things that would benefit us, like how to grow more efficient crops or find cures for common diseases. Jirachi could help us but all we need is her power. Don't you want to save your world? Or better yet, what about your city? It's on the brink of disaster right? Wouldn't you want to save your town from poverty? Jirachi can do so much for you but all you have to do is tap into it."
Throughout this whole speech his waved his arms wildly, almost feverishly, I couldn't help but get distracted by his windmill-like motions. It seemed so crazy, like he was trying to keep his body in balance by waving his arms to prevent himself from falling over like a ton of bricks.
I rolled my eyes, placing my hands on my hips and tapping my left foot. I wanted to curse the fool out, however knowing that Snowflake could probably hear my every word I decided against it. Ash looked to me a bit worried, I guess he was afraid that I would blow my top, knowing how sensitive I get about my hometown.
I sighed in frustration, trying to keep my cool. "If you think for one second that I would use Jirachi that way you're dead wrong! I know about Jirachi's power, but I never once thought of using it for such a selfish act. Whatever has happened to my city, I can't change that, but all I can do is live my life the best I can and just get over it. In the end, my actions won't change the entire economy."
"But that's precisely what I mean!" The lab rat stated. "You can! With Jirachi's power you can do anything you wish! Would you like a demonstration?" He began to smile again, almost in frustration, and turned his back to us, pressing a few buttons on his keypad that was attached to a small screen in front of him. Ash and I looked at each other curiously, then we heard a snapping noise from above, and a large missile-like structure peered down at us, aiming directly at us with a red blinking light.
I began to get a bit fearful, and grabbed Ash's arm, while he in turn backed us up a bit, a few steps back so we were right next to Pikachu and Venusaur.
The man in white smiled at us. "Maybe I should give you a taste of Jirachi's true power! This electromagnetic beam will shoot almost 50% of Jirachi's energy straight at you! Then you won't be able to deny what I say!" He began to yell, seemingly confident, but I guess anyone would be having a powerful legendary on their side.
I could hear Jirachi struggling against her restraints, with newfound vigor and determination. I could hear her scream, her voice ranging out clear as a bell.
"Mommy! Daddy! No don't hurt them! Please! Let them go!"
I could feel my heart skip a beat as I looked to Ash. "Did she just call us...her parents?" I whispered.
Ash, wide-eyed and open mouthed, could only utter a faint reply. "I-I think so," he stuttered, clearly in shock.
I looked from Ash, to the man in front of us, and to Jirachi, gripping Ash's arm tighter.
"There's no point in doing this," I stated. "All you're doing is wasting your energy."
The man only growled a little, feeling a bit uncomfortable, I could see him fidgeting. His eyes became red like a wildfire, his teeth were grinding together like stacks of pancakes, and it was clearly obvious that this guy was losing it. He roughed up his hair using his hands, bending his head down a bit to do so, and then he turned around and nearly screamed at the glass case.
"Can't you see what you're doing to them?! They still think that you are a human with emotions! You're nothing but a tool you hear me? A tool for destruction! And yet you fool these idiots into thinking that you mean something! Why? Why won't you transform back? Turn back!" He yelled, hitting the glass with his fists, causing it to shake.
I shook my head and turned to Ash, "What is wrong with this guy?"
Ash said nothing, but narrowed his eyes a bit, as if trying to suppress a headache. He sighed heavily, running his fingers through his jet black hair. I turned back to the cage, still staring at the guy banging helplessly on it, watching Snow's eyes flicker with sadness and fear. Even after all this time, she still felt like Snowflake to me, especially since she was still in her human form.
"Now it all makes sense," I heard Ash reply.
I turned to look at him and even the crazy lab rat stopped his rampage to listen to Ash.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"The only reason why this guy is trying so hard, I can't believe I didn't realize it sooner. You didn't get your wish did you?" Ash replied, a smile beginning to form on his lips.
"What?!" the man snarled.
"Jirachi is the type of pokemon that only grants wishes to those that are deemed worthy. But you, I bet you were seen as being unworthy, and that's why Jirachi tried so hard to run away from you. So tell me then, since saving the world isn't your real goal, then what is your real wish?" Ash said.
I looked at Ash and saw the wheels of thought turning in his eyes, a bright confident smile that became even brighter with each word he spoke. I then looked to the man in front of us, who had the opposite expression. He said nothing, but his eyes seemed to speak over a 1000 words, and he gritted his teeth, clenching his fists as if he could beat us silly.
Then from the shiny glass, a voice ranged out, filled with anger and resentment.
"He...he was looking for Mewtwo!" Jirachi shouted.
"Mewtwo?" Ash and I repeated.
Suddenly a flash of memory streaked across Ash's face. "Oh yeah! You remember Mewtwo, dontcha Misty? The artificial creation, the carbon copy made from the DNA of Mew. So that means...you're a part of Team Rocket?!" He pointed his finger at the lab coat man, as if discovering a small hidden piece of gold in a pile of trash.
"What I am or what I'm not shouldn't matter to you," the man replied. "All that matters is that now you have met your end!"
Suddenly we turned around to see a horde of people surrounding us, all dressed in black and white, broadcasting the same bright red R that was imprinted on their shirts.
"Team Rocket!" Ash yelled out.
"So you are a part of Team Rocket!" I shouted. "You piece of crap, you were leading us on to buy time for your calvary to arrive!"
"Maybe so," the man begin to smile, "But none of that matters now, as long as I don't see you again!"
The rocket members began to sneer and snicker, gradually getting closer to us. Ash suddenly pulled me behind him, and gathered Pikachu and Venusaur by his side.
"Are you ready, Pikachu? Venusaur?" He said to them.
Pikachu and Venusaur both nodded in understanding, while I began to brace myself for what would happen next. Right as Pikachu's cheeks began to spark however, I could hear a loud explosion from my right. Ash and I turned around to see the cage glisten in white and then finally explode into a million pieces of glass that showered from above us. In the panic Ash dragged me to the side, Pikachu and Venusaur still protecting us, but the cowardly Team Rocket members ran to different sides of the room for cover.
Out of the bright light came Snowflake, now in her Jirachi form, and glowing a bright yellow. The only thing that could be seen was her bright blue eyes, now showing rare signs of anger, as she swung her left arm in front of her like a sweeping motion. This casual act nearly broke the room in half, creating a pillar of fire that separated the men in front of us. All of them began to scream in fear, tripping over each other, falling over and backing up in caution of what would happen next. Jirachi had no fear, however, as she hovered above us, her eyes glowing a bright pink as she lifted her arms in the air.
The people who were running towards her began to get lifted and tossed aside like rag dolls, and their pokeballs that they were about to toss out fell to the floor. At this moment the mad lab rat scientist, who was in shock the whole time, ran up to Jirachi waving his arms in the air.
"Stop this Jirachi!" He said. "I won't hesitate to destroy you! Your power belongs to me!"
"That's what you think!" Ash yelled out. "Venusaur use Vine Whip!"
Venusaur's vines flew out from his body, wrapping around the guy in the white coat and restraining him down. He struggled helplessly, looking in fear seeing Jirachi above him.
"No let me go!" He yelled, "She's going to kill me!"
"Maybe you deserve it," Ash replied, "After all you did to Jirachi, I dare say you deserve it, wouldn't you Misty?"
I flinched a bit as he turned to look at me, not expecting the sudden attention. All I could do was nod slightly.
"You can't be serious!" He yelled back. "I don't want to die!"
"How do you think Jirachi feels?!" I spoke up. "Surely she doesn't want to die to the likes of you either!"
"That isn't very fair, wouldn't you say so, Jirachi?" Ash looked to her, a smug smirk on his face.
Jirachi only nodded, her hands beginning to glow a dark pink, as if powering up an attack. I couldn't help but get a bit fearful, not really fearing for the lab rat's safety, but for ours in case we got hit by something. But Ash did something unexpected, he turned to me and winked, his smile growing larger. It was then I understood, Ash had no intention of attacking.
"No please!" He screamed, "Let me go!"
"You didn't let us go," Ash said, "Why should we let you go?"
"Please, I won't do it again, please!" The cowering man yelled back. He had his knees on the floor and his tried to move his tied up arms trying to in failure to cover his head.
"What do you think, Snow? Should we let the man go?" I heard Ash ask next, while placing his hands on his hips.
Snowflake let her arms slowly fall by her side, her eyes returning back to their original color, and her body having less of an impactful yellow aura. She nodded slightly, her lips forming a slight little smile.
Ash nodded, calling Venusaur to release his vines on the man, who seemed pleased and scared looking back and forth between Jirachi and Ash. Finally without saying much of anything, he stood up and ran off, hopping over the large cracks in the ground and avoiding the puddles of fire causing the ground to become smoldering patches of asphalt.
I sighed heavily, letting go a breath I didn't realize I had been holding. I could hear Pikachu and Venusaur also breath happily, especially after seeing the rest of the Team Rocket members scurrying along away from us. After seeing that Ash turned to me and smiled happily.
"See? And you had the nerve to doubt me," he replied.
It was then that I looked behind him, seeing Jirachi fall slowly to the ground, her eyes getting heavier and heavier. Her body glowed a faint white, it seemed as if she used the last of her energy protecting us, and her eyes closed as her body was close to hitting the floor below.
"Ash, behind you!" I said.
Ash turned around in a hurry, he began to gasp and run quickly towards the falling pokemon, catching her safely in his arms. I ran up next to him, watching Ash cradle Jirachi as if he would a tiny human baby.
I bowed down next to him, worry evident in my face. "Is she alright?" I asked in a hush.
Ash looked so intensely at her, and stood up slowly, still holding on to her. He turned to me and nodded, his eyes once again filled with determination as he ran over to the wall.
"We got to hurry and get out of here," he said. "Pikachu, Venusaur, tear down this wall! We'll go straight through!"
With a combined attack, Pikachu used his Thunderbolt, and Venusaur used Frenzy Plant to tear down the wall into pieces, watching it crumble and fall almost like fallen snow from the sky. Once we hopped over all the debris we saw nothing but trees and sky, the sun coming over the horizon line brightly.
It was then my mind kicked into high gear. "Ash, it's the seventh day!"
Ash nodded in understanding. "Right, we gotta get Jirachi to the mountains quick otherwise she's done for!"
As soon as we could take a step however, we could hear voices and footsteps coming up from behind us, and once again I could feel my mind becoming clouded with dread and fear. I slowly turned around to see a gang of pokemon disturbers all dressed in their black and white, with the same cowardly leader in front of them.
"You piece of crap," Ash muttered, his nostrils flaring, "Why won't you all just leave us alone?"
"We're not going anywhere until you give us that Jirachi! You wont stop us from reaching our goal," the man said, still wearing his flowing white lab coat.
"That's too bad," Ash said. "Because you won't stop us from reaching ours."
He turned to me and smiled and I couldn't help but smile back, instantly knowing our next move.
"Pikachu, thunderbolt!" I yelled.
"Venusaur, solar beam!" Ash yelled from beside me.
I was a bit shocked by this risk taking move but then I realized exactly why Ash chose that move. He had set his hopes on Pikachu rising into the air and charging his electricity, for little did the Rockets know that Pikachu himself was a little solar flare, gaining energy from the sun shining directly on his back. It was this intensity of light, along with the power of the rising sun, that allowed Venusaur to power up his Solar Beam faster and the collaboration of this power was able to merge together perfectly. It created a beam of light that pushed back all the negative power of the Rockets, spiraling them backward and pushing them far away into the air, dawning them to the sky above.
Amidst all the screaming I could hear the main Rocket's cries, "This isn't over!" But even his voice waned in the distance, fading into nothing but silence.
It was an eerie silence, and Ash and I began to look around, almost as if we were expecting something else to come out from the trees, and then Ash looked to me breathing another sigh of relief. I smiled, then congratulated Pikachu and Venusaur, who never ceased to amaze me in their way of protecting us.
Then Ash spoke to me, "C'mon let's go, before anyone else shows up."
I smiled a bit, then we took off together, breaking into a run.
Before the sun could reach much higher in the sky, Ash and I, along with Pikachu and Venusaur, finally made it to Mt. Moon. Ash was still carrying Jirachi, who seemed to finally wake up a bit as if she sensed we were reaching the bottom of the mountain.
"What do you think?" I asked, "Should we climb up higher?"
"I think we should try," Ash said, stifling a bit of a yawn. "The higher we go the safer she should be right?"
"That's quite alright...I should be fine the rest of the way on my own…" A voice called out to us.
I looked down at Jirachi, seeing it was still a Jirachi, and then looked to Ash and the other pokemon.
"Did you hear that or am I going crazy?" I asked.
Ash nodded. "That voice sounded a lot like-"
"It's alright Ash," she said. "You can let go of me now."
I could see Ash's whole body flinch as he let go of the tiny lump that was Snowflake. Jirachi's body lifted into the air, glowing a yellow as bright as the sun as she turned around to face us. As the light faded, we could see her body a bit more clearly, and her blue eyes as shiny and clear as the fresh ocean water. It also seemed as if her surge in power healed all her wounds, I surmised it could have been even more powerful than that infamous mega evolution I heard so much about.
Her blue and yellow tassels seem to have gotten longer as well, and her hidden eye on the center of her body finally opening, another sparkling pearl of blue showing my reflection.
"Jirachi..?" I whispered.
She began to smile brightly, "It seems as if our journey is finally over," she began.
My mind began to scream: No! It can't end yet! But deep in my heart I knew it was already over, I just wasn't ready to admit it yet.
"Is this...really the end?" Ash asked, as if reciprocating my thoughts.
Jirachi nodded. "I am afraid so, but it has been a great week hasn't it?" She said, beginning to laugh a little. "If it wasn't for my connection to the both of you my powers wouldn't have adapted this much, especially to the point where I could telepathically communicate with you."
So this is how Jirachi is speaking to us, I thought, too astounded to make a comment.
"It's just, I kinda enjoyed having you around," Ash said, "You certainly made this an adventure I wouldn't forget any time soon."
Pikachu and Venusaur both nodded, agreeing with their trainer.
"Jirachi.." I said softly, "As much as I don't want you to go, I know you have to. I only hope that in the next 1000 or so years, you would remember us?"
"Of course mother Misty," Jirachi giggled. "I would never forget you or papa Ash."
I suppressed a laugh myself at that moment, never thinking that I would ever hear the words 'papa Ash' from anyone.
Ash rolled his eyes, placing his hands on his hips. "Well just promise us you will take care of yourself okay? And try not to fall for any more men in lab coats."
"I won't, promise," Jirachi said.
I felt as if I was about to cry, silently cursing myself for not thinking of a single thing to say. Damn, I bet this is how parents feel when their children leave home for the first time, wanting to remind their children of what to do and what not to do, the feeling of complete helplessness, hoping and praying for the best every day. I could feel Jirachi looking at me, her eyes glowing brightly, and she floated closer to me as if she wanted to hug me. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply, and before I knew it she instantly transformed back into a human. Except this time she wasn't such a little girl, but a near adult, a seemingly innocent adolescent, her purity shining in a golden aura all around her.
"Snowflake?!" I heard Ash say.
We were both clearly surprised, but I couldn't even mumble a word as she crept closer to me, and pressed her finger on my forehead. We were all silent, but I could feel something slowly creep along my body. From my head to my toes I could feel this tingling sensation that I couldn't turn away from, almost stunning me to the point where all I could do was close my eyes. I heard Ash whisper my name, but then that was it, and all that was left was Snowflake and me.
As if she was pushing away all of the world except for me...
My eyes snapped open at this thought, as if it was the most prevailing thought I ever had in my life. Snowflake nodded and smiled, as if realizing some sad, dark truth.
"I see, so that's how it is," she said. "You and Ash were both affected by the death of your mothers. Now I know it was more than just coincidence that you both should meet wasn't it?"
I was still too stunned to move, but I miraculously found my voice. "But...how?"
Snowflake walked over towards Ash and touched his forehead in the same manner in which she touched mine. I saw his body stiffen, and his eyes widen a bit before closing entirely. Then in a manner of seconds, it was over and Snow stepped back.
She smiled at him. "You are still plagued by the death of your mother," she said, almost bluntly. "As much as I hate to say it this way, you have to let it go, otherwise your mother will never have peace in the afterlife."
"Wha-what do you mean?" Ash stuttered out.
"I know how much your mother meant to you," Snowflake continued, "But if you allow her memory to prevent you from moving on then you will suffer even more than she did."
Ash couldn't say anything but held his head down in silence. Snowflake corrected his actions, lifting his chin up slightly.
"Don't do that either," she said. "It's always darkest before the dawn."
She then turned to look at me, still being as silent as ever. "Misty," she said, pointing at me, "You must become a better influence on Ash."
Then she turned back around and pointed at Ash, "And you must also be a good influence for Misty. You both must remember that throughout your struggles, you both have become a shining example of what it takes to live on. Now all you both have to do is take that final step. Do not be discouraged! Remember that it is your connection to each other that brings you both through your darkest trials. From this moment on...I want you both to be reborn anew."
It was at this she transformed back into a Jirachi, her golden aura still present upon her body.
"This is my wish for you…" I could hear her say.
I looked down at my body to see it glowing with the same yellow aura that Jirachi had, and Ash also had this same aura about him, as Pikachu and Venusaur looked at us both curiously. I didn't know what was happening to Ash, but when I thought my body would feel pain, there was this calming, peaceful sensation passing through me, as if nothing could ever hurt me again. Of course I knew this wasn't true but I at the moment I wanted to believe it, almost like I had to believe it. I looked to Ash's golden body, his soft smile looking quite peaceful on his lips, his brown eyes staring down at his hands as if he was afraid that they would disappear if he didn't look at them.
I heard Pikachu's voice and then looked to see him pointing at the sky. I turned to see Jirachi seemingly like she was floating higher away. It was then that my body sort of kicked into high gear, almost moving involuntarily forward and I lifted my arm into the sky, hoping to catch a hand or a tassle or something that would prevent her from leaving me.
"P-Please don't leave me!" I shouted. "What shall I do without you, you are the only daughter I could ever come close to having! Please stay with me!"
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Ash come up next to me and place his hand on my shoulder. I began to sob, uncontrollably I might add, seeing Jirachi as nothing more but a blurred object in my vision. I closed my eyes and buried my head into Ash's left shoulder, gripping his right and feeling my wet tears fall on his shirt. I'm not sure if it was the fact that I had no sleep or whatever Jirachi did to me that made me glow like an orange, but I haven't felt so out of sorts since Togepi left me. Togepi...I still haven't even called her by her evolved name…
I could feel Ash rub my back with his hands, pulling me as close as he ever could, nearly devouring me with his arms. I could feel his breath hitch and get heavy, and his tears beginning to fall like rain on the top of my head. I wondered if this was how parents felt when their children leave them…
"Don't cry mother Misty," I could hear Jirachi say, "Ash is with you now, and as long as you have each other, you will be fine."
"Jirachi…" I heard Ash say, his saddened voice resonating through my body. "Snowflake...thank you..for everything. You will always be in our hearts, but I'm sure you already knew that right? I hope we get to meet each other again, one day."
I looked up to see Jirachi's body getting brighter, her feet turning into shards of crystal. She nodded slightly, still smiling gracefully, as her body slowly became brighter and shinier. Right before our eyes, she was fading, becoming completely shrouded in a crystallized lattice that formed over her entire body.
And then...she disappeared. Her body rising to the top of Mt. Moon and becoming a speck somewhere in the steep landform.
"Is..is it over?" I murmured.
I could feel Ash's head nod, his body still pressed close to mine. "Yeah," he breathed, "She's truly safe now."
I began to cry again, but this time it was tears of happiness, as I wrapped my arms around Ash's back. I could feel Ash kissing the top of my head and it seemed like our bodies swayed along with the movement of the tree branches swaying from the wind. Finally after what seemed like forever, Ash slowly pulled away from me, I believe it was hearing Pikachu's voice that broke him from his inner trance.
"Are you okay?" He asked me. I could see the tears still falling from his face, but slowly now almost as if they wanted to linger on his cheeks a bit longer.
I nodded, beginning to smile a little. "Yeah, I'll be okay."
Then Ash did something unexpected. He kissed me. I wasn't sure if it was out of instinct or love or partial pity, but I couldn't help but accept it. I could feel his tongue dance along with mine, but before I could get off into it, he pulled away and placed his forehead on mine. He smiled at me, and it became infectious, causing me to smile too.
"Ah?!" I said with a shock. Pikachu ran up all of a sudden and jumped on my shoulder as if to express his happiness towards me. I laughed and scratched his fur, and then knelt down to pet Venusaur who had waddled over and nudged my leg. I stood back up to look at Ash, who was looking towards the sky, a bit of a blush evident on his tear stained cheeks.
"You know," he began to say, "I wonder if my mom felt the same way when I left home."
"Most likely," I replied.
Ash then turned to me and smiled, grabbing my hand. "C'mon let's go home."
"Uh, Ash did you forget we don't have a home anymore? We got kicked out remember?" Then a flash of remembrance hit me like a ton of bricks. "Oh shit my bike! What about our stuff? Oh no what about the money I had?"
"Calm yourself little one," Ash teased. "I told Pikachu and Venusaur if anything happened to us then they would take care of everything. As for your bike however, I'm afraid it got torn to bits by that Weather Ball attack. But hey you could always buy another one right?"
"You mean you could buy me another one," I said, folding my arms and rolling my eyes.
"Oi, don't you dare start up with that again!" Ash said, stomping off.
I walked up to him, being partially serious, "You always get me into your adventures, Ash Ketchup! You owe me something for my trouble."
"Oh really?" He turned to me and smiled, before kissing me again.
I was caught off guard by this, as my knees nearly buckled by the power of his force. I finally snapped out of it and pulled away.
"Hey! I want more than that!" I said.
"Gosh, getting a bit kinky are we? Well if you just want to…" Ash replied, winking at me with that crooked smile of his.
"Oh just forget it!" It was my turn to stomp off, hearing him laugh behind me and his rushed footsteps to catch up with me, Pikachu and Venusaur trailing behind us. I thought for sure I could almost hear them snickering at me.
Two days later…
"It's been a long time hasn't it?" I whispered.
"Yeah," murmured Ash beside me.
It had indeed been a long time, since Ash and I went to the gravesite of Ash's mother. We had ridden on our bikes, Ash on his old one and me on my new one, and made the day and a half trip to a small cemetery where Ash's mother currently lay. I was surprised that the site still looked at clean as it was when it first happened, and fresh flowers were already placed near her tombstone, although Ash had just placed his next to them. Pikachu stood on his shoulder, as if trying to read his emotions, while Venusaur stood next to me, in his same quiet disposition.
"I just thought I should see her...at least one more time," Ash said.
I nodded. "Of course," I said. I wanted to say more, but I just couldn't think of the words. Ash had been in deep thought for a while now, but all of a sudden he just said that he wanted to see his mother. I didn't object, nor show my pride of him as we climbed the steep hill and traveled the distance to his his mother, who still rested peacefully in her Pallet grave. I could do nothing but hold his hand, and watched him as he seemed to sort through so many thoughts in his head.
Then he turned around, almost abruptly, but then kneeled down and turned back around to touch the tombstone. He smiled softly, his lips nearly quivering.
"Goodbye, mom," he said.
He then stood back up and walked over to Venusaur, his bright brown eyes shining with glee.
"Venusaur," he called, reaching in his pocket. "I have a surprise for you."
The large bulb plant perked up, looking a bit surprised and excited. He pulled out of his pocket, a shiny red and white ball, which he was able to enlarge using the button in the middle. Venusaur cheered his name happily, as Ash tossed the ball forward causing Venusaur to be absorbed in the red light. It only shook once before it sparkled, and a loud ping sound could be heard. Ash smile grew even brighter as he picked up the ball and placed it on a belt buckle on his pants.
"Ash, what did you do?" I asked curiously.
"Well, of course you're going to need a team if you plan on becoming a pokemon trainer, right?" He smiled looking at me.
"Wait you mean?" I said, a bit stunned by what exactly he was implying.
Ash nodded and began to rub Pikachu's fur, as Pikachu cried out joyfully. Ash laughed and then held out his hand.
"So, would you like to come along?" He said, winking at me.
I grabbed his hand eagerly, as if I was afraid he would run away if I didn't. "Dummy, as if you needed to ask."