Back again everyone, enjoy this next chapter with another one of my favourite Pokemon caught by Ash!
Back from my morning jog I returned to find everyone packing up. "Hey guys!" I called ahead and they all looked up and around to see me.
"Hey Ruby, how was your run?"
"Refreshing." I said with a smile, looking down to Bulbasaur and Eevee. "Right guys?"
"Vee!" Eevee nodded her head though she was breathing heavily.
"Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur agreed, settling down for a nap so I giggled.
"Okay you two, I get the message." I told them, kneeling down and rubbed their heads. "It was a great run today, you two are really getting into shape and helping me to do the same! You both take a nice long rest and I won't disturb you until it's time to eat again, okay?"
"Vee Vee!" Eevee answered then leaped up into my arms, licking my face as Bulbasaur joined the attack, leaping onto me and suddenly I had both tongues slathering me all over, making me laugh and giggle as it tickled.
"Hey guys! That's enough! I love you too!" I laughed, picking up their Pokéballs then let them back inside so that I could stand up again. Misty smiled as I approached, wiping myself clean with a towel.
"Your Pokémon really look great Ruby. I think you should take Ash with you tomorrow and start to get him in shape as well."
"Pika?" Pikachu's ears pricked up at this before he smiled. "Pikachu!"
"See Ash? Pikachu agrees with me." Misty said but Ash shook his head and held out a hand.
"No I don't think so. I'm doing fine on my own thank you very much!" He boasted then marched away, already packed and ready to go. I sighed and shook my head as I began to take down the spare clothes from the line I had put up last night to dry them from their wash. I folded them up, put away my sleeping bag then made sure I had everything I needed.
"So are we ready to head off?" Brock asked as he secured his bag.
"I'm ready." I called out then looked over to Misty who stood up, Togepi in arms with her bag on her back.
"Me too! We're all set Brock."
"Alright then, let's go." We set off back on the track, climbing up the hill which turning into a very steep climb. The air quickly became cold so I turned my neckerchief around to keep the back of my neck warmer, looking up as the morning sun continued to rise.
Ash began to slow behind, struggling with the ascent as he puffed for breath, legs starting to turn to jelly. "Come on genius." I smiled, grabbing the scruff of his jacket and helped haul him forwards despite his outcry. "Let's keep those feet moving."
"But it's so much work!" He complained but I wanted to hear none of it.
"If you're struggling that much then you should take my advice and start working out more." I told him firmly. "It'll help build your weak little body up."
"Hey I'm not weak!" He argued then surged forwards in a march, giving the reaction I expected him to. Hey, at least it got him moving. After a while I felt the temperature drop further, pulling a complaint even from Brock, who never complains about anything!
"Boy it sure is freezing up here!" Misty didn't seem so bothered by the cold, probably because she was used to diving headfirst into freezing cold pools no matter the season.
"Oh look, there's even snow on that mountain!" She pointed and I smiled at the picturesque scene, glad to take a moment to breathe it all in.
"That's cool!" Ash agreed, smiling up at the mountain. "It must be just like winter over there!"
"Pika Pika." Pikachu nodded as Ash looked behind him to us.
"Why don't we go see if we can ski?" He suggested and Brock instantly grinned.
"That's a great idea!" He declared then looked up at the sky whilst holding his chin, looking dreamily upwards. "I can see myself now, spending all morning on the slopes…and all afternoon at the lodge." Ten bucks says he's picturing himself at the lodge surrounded by girls. "I think I may have hit on the perfect sport for me! Downhill skiing."
"Oh boy. I think your brain is going downhill." Misty answered wearily as Togepi brightly trilled in her arms.
"Forget skiing!" Ash suddenly said and we all looked at him in surprise. "I've found something that's even better! Just take a look over there." He pointed and instantly I gasped, hands jumping to my face.
"I don't believe it! It's a Chikorita!" Instantly I had Eevee's Pokéball in hand. "I'm catching this one Ash, and you can't stop me!" I began to run forwards but Ash leaped for me.
"No! I want to capture it!" His arms swiped for my legs but I jumped up neatly, grinning as I did.
"Nice try Ash, but you always capture Pokémon! I want to capture this Chikorita because they're so spunky! Just remember how fearless Casey's Chikorita was!" Sure enough this Chikorita and instantly glared at us.
"But I want to catch it! I saw it first!"
"Well I'm battling it first." I answered back with a glare. "If you've got a problem with that then you'll have to deal with it."
"No fair!" Ash leaped to his feet and pointed at the Chikorita. "I'll battle you for the right to battle it so I can capture it!"
"Ssh!" Misty hissed softly. "You're going to scare it away!" She reminded us so I instantly buttoned my lips.
"Uuh I don't think so." Brock said, tapping a finger towards the Chikorita who was beginning to spin the leaf around on its head, eyes levelled and focused on us. "That Chikorita looks like it wants to fight, a really tough cookie."
"Awesome! Chikorita and I were destined for one another." I decided firmly. "I'm the toughest one here, so that settles it!" But Ash didn't back down.
"No way! This isn't fair!"
"Well we can't both catch it!" Meanwhile I heard Misty lean closer to Brock and whisper something.
"It's not backing down a bit!"
"I told you it was tough." Brock returned and Misty looked at him.
"I thought Chikorita were supposed to be sweet." Ash turned to face the Chikorita who still looked just about ready to pounce on us.
"If you ask me there's nothing sweeter than capturing a tough Pokémon." He said. "I choose you, Bulbasaur!"
"Well I choose you, Eevee!" I returned then flinched as she came out with a yawn. "Sorry I broke my promise, but I need your help to capture that Chikorita before Ash does! Okay?"
"Vee!" She nodded her head quickly then leaped into position, standing beside Bulbasuar. Chikorita charged forwards, aiming a Tackle at Bulbasaur. I love it! It's so tough and awesome!
"Go Bulbasaur! Hit it with Vine Whip!" Ash directed.
"Use Quick Attack Eevee!" I countered and Eevee darted forwards. Before Bulbasaur's vines could lay a hit Eevee had knocked Chikorita out of the way but instantly it was back on its feet, glaring before swinging its leaf around and used Razor Leaf at Eevee who dodged easily so it aimed another shot at Bulbasaur.
"It's using Razor Leaf!" Brock called but Ash smirked.
"It's not going to beat Bulbasaur that way!" He said and Bulbasaur let its own Razor Leaf attack cancel out Chikorita's.
"Give up now Ketchum, this Pokémon is mine." I said with a smirk. "Use Swift!" Eevee let a cluster of stars shoot out and they smacked into Chikorita, the powerful hit sending it flying backwards again but still it leaped right back to its feet.
"Not a chance! Bulbasaur!"
"Eevee!" We spoke together. "Tackle attack!" Both Pokémon raced towards Chikorita who looked up in fear. Wait…what was I doing?! Two on one was not fair! "Eevee, Tackle Bulbasaur!" Eevee instantly changed her course of direction and slammed into Bulbasaur, throwing him off course but he turned around and directed a furious rant at Eevee.
"Bulba! Bulbasaur Saur!"
"Hey no fair! That was a sneak attack!" Ash yelled at me but I shook my head.
"Ash think about this, we're being totally unfair on Chikorita. Two against one is not a proper battle, it's just being bullies." I said to him. "We need to stop this right now."
"No way! I want to catch that Chikorita and if you're not going to even try then you lose!" He crowed then turned back to the battle. "Pokéball go!" Chikorita turned to face it evenly, unafraid and when it got close enough, smacked it back at Ash with its leaf. "Huh?" He blinked as he caught it. "It's tougher than I thought."
"Ash stop it already!" I said, looking with worry to the Chikorita who could barely stand. "We've really hurt it!" But Chikorita used Vine Whip, smacking Bulbasaur on the head before he could even move to dodge.
"Hey!" Ash growled then glared at me. "It's tougher than you think, just leave us alone and let me catch it Ruby!" He returned Bulbasaur to his Pokéball with a slight smile. "You did a great job, now you deserve a rest." I tried to move forwards to try and speak to him again but he just flung out a hand and pointed to Chikorita. "You may have got lucky against Bulbasaur, but your luck is about to run out Chikorita! I choose you, Charizard." I sighed and rolled my eyes.
"Come on Eevee, best get out the way." I sighed and she smiled at me before leaping into my arms.
"Vee! Eevee Vee!" I stood and watched as Charizard stomped on the ground, making Chikorita flail its legs as it was thrown up but then it glared, once again focused. It charged forwards with a determined expression, however the effect was completely ruined when Charizard folded its arms then lifted a foot to press it against Chikorita's head, stopping it in its tracks. Oh that's just mean.
"This one's pretty tricky Charizard, use your Flamethrower attack!"
"Chika!" Chikorita smirked as Charizard roared, summoning up his Flamethrower but Chikorita used its Vine Whip to grab Charizard's other leg then dragged it from underneath so Charizard fell flat on his back and Ash got a full taste of burn medicine. Oh my goodness…I totally love this Pokémon!
"Hey!" Ash complained, a little singed around the edges. "Don't use it on me!" Charizard stood up and scratched his head in confusion, unsure of what just happened. Chikorita spun its leaf and sent a Razor Leaf attack at Charizard, still not giving up. "Burn those leaves with your Flamethrower Charizard!" Ash called and Charizard obeyed. Well it looks like since I last saw them Charizard and Ash have really grown to respect one another. It's an improvement at least.
"Tackle it now!" Ash directed once the leaves were out of the way and Charizard flew forwards at an alarming speed but Chikorita only smiled and used Vine Whip on Charizard's head, making him flinch and close his eyes. "Agh!"
"What an upset! Charizard is heading for a fall!" Brock yelled and instantly I was standing upright and paying proper attention, watching with care. Suddenly Chikorita was dragged back, its vines snagged on Charizard and it cried out in alarm.
"This looks bad!" Misty gasped.
"They're going to crash right into that mountain!" I let Eevee leap to the ground and I was already racing forwards but there was nothing I could do fast enough. Both Charizard and Chikorita plummeted into the hard rocks, making the entire cliff tremble before they slumped to the ground and were perfectly still.
"Charizard!" I heard Ash yell but then his Pokémon began to sit up, rubbing his head but otherwise okay. "Charizard! Are you okay?" I skidded to a halt and scooped up the Chikorita, Eevee at my side as she whined softly with worry.
"Vee?"
"You were great Charizard, return!" I wanted to be angry. I wanted to be angry at Ash, because he'd done this to Chikorita, because he just wouldn't give up but also, I wanted to be angry at myself because I'd been too stubborn not to back down when I should have. But I knew it wasn't anyone's fault, it was just this cute, spunky little Pokémon was just too tough and too spirited to run away. "Hey, is it okay?"
"No, it's in bad shape. We need Nurse Joy right now!"
"This way!" Brock said and I followed him down the path, racing with a fainted Chikorita in my arms. Thankfully it wasn't far, all we had to do was follow the path back down the mountain and it was right on the road side.
"Just keep calm and relax Chikorita, you'll be okay." I promised as she blinked and looked up at me. "We'll make sure you come out stronger and better than ever before!" We raced into the Pokémon Centre, startling Nurse Joy at the desk but immediately she spotted Chikorita.
"What happened?"
"This Chikorita needs your help right away Nurse Joy!" I called, gasping for breath. "It's hurt real bad!"
"I'll take good care of it, don't worry." She promised, taking the Chikorita from my arms. "Chansey! I have an emergency that needs treating right away, please prepare the theatre." Nurse Joy then hurried off with the Chikorita in her arms, not wasting a second longer.
"I can't believe it. It fought so hard even when it had no advantage to still come out wanting to battle." Misty said quietly. "Just the way it looked at you, you could tell it wasn't going to back down."
"Yeah, it would be a perfect Pokémon for either Ash or Ruby. But after today I don't think either one will want to capture it now." He was right. I felt terrible and partly responsible. I sat on a chair with my head hung low, Eevee sitting beside me and trying to cheer me up but all her usual tricks didn't work.
"Hey, it's going to be okay." Ash said to me, taking the seat on my other side. "If there's one thing I learned, it's that that little Chikorita isn't going to go down without a fight. It'll be fine."
"I know that, I just feel bad that we did this to it." I answered, giving a deep sigh.
"Vee?" Eevee wriggled her way onto my lap and I curled my arms around her, hugging into her soft fur for comfort. "Eevee Vee…" She said to me, tail flicking across my lap as she gently licked my face. "Vee Vee."
"Thanks Eevee." I smiled then giggled as she yawned. "You take a long rest now. I'll be sure to ask Nurse Joy if she'll give you a check-up before we go." I said then returned her to her Pokéball. Suddenly I saw the red light die out and we all leaped to our feet, running over to Nurse Joy as she emerged from the room.
"How's Chikorita?" Ash asked as we all crowded together.
"Chikorita will be fine." Nurse Joy assured us and I instantly exhaled with relief.
"That's great!" Suddenly Brock was standing in front of us, blocking the way as he took Nurse Joy's hands.
"Your hands, they're so small and soft. I bet they're also warm and caring. Dare I ask, but would these kind and gentle hands impart their gentle loving care on my humble Pokémon?"
"Oh of course! Caring for Pokémon is what I do." She answered unwittingly.
"And maybe then you could also heal my aching…" Quickly the three of us leaped in front of him and pushed him out the way before he could embarrass us any further.
"Uh could you look after my Pokémon too Nurse Joy?" Misty asked quickly as we all smiled up at her.
"And mine too!" Ash said as Nurse Joy took a step back.
"I'd be happy to, now let's see, who wants to go first?" Now that's a very good question, only thing is it received a complicated answer of all of us wanting to be seen first. Once our Pokémon were all taken away to be healed, Nurse Joy let us into the room where Chikorita was resting to check up on it. "I've seen lots of Chikorita just like this one. The Chikorita around here are famous for being stubborn and battling opponents much bigger, stronger opponents even when they know there's no way of winning." If I were a Pokémon, I would totally be a Chikorita.
"And so they end up here in the Pokémon Centre?" Misty asked and Nurse Joy nodded her head sadly.
"They just battle until they can't battle anymore. It's really very sad."
"You have to kinda admire its spirit though." Ash answered gently as we all looked down at the sleeping Pokémon. It began to twitch, groaning and flinching as it starting having a nightmare, gritting its teeth before whimpering. "Ah! Nurse Joy what's happening?"
"It's having a nightmare, don't worry, it'll pass soon and the most important thing for it now is to let it rest." Nurse Joy informed but I was already unslinging my bag and pulled out Gary's gift to me.
"I can make dreaming a little easier, don't you worry Chikorita." I said with a wink, placing the flute to my lips then began to play a soft, mellow tune which flowed easily into sound. Almost immediately I got the effect I wanted, a slumbering, peaceful Chikorita who smiled in its sleep and curled up to be cosier.
"Wow, that's amazing Ruby." Nurse Joy said to me as I continued. "You have a talent for playing that flute."
"Thank you." I said as I finished. "I've been experimenting with tunes and pitches and I seem to get different effects from it depending on what I play. I'm so lucky to have it, I can't wait to start trying out new things with it too!"
"Where'd you get it?" Misty asked innocently but I blanched slightly, giving a nervous laugh as I rubbed my head.
"I uh…um…Gary." I answered finally, sighing. "Gary gave it to me."
"What?! Gary actually gave that to you?" Ash asked in shock but I quickly pressed a finger to my lips and hushed him, gesturing over to Chikorita.
"Yes, for your information, Gary did! Someone gave it to him but he didn't want it so he gave it to me, big deal! He probably thought it was junk anyway." I excused, putting it back in my bag. "Maybe we should leave Chikorita alone for now. I think we're making too much noise." I said just as sirens began to wail. "Huh?"
"Yes, good idea. Chikorita needs to rest now." Suddenly the doors burs open and two doctors came running inside.
"Alright stand back! Coming through! We're here to take this Chikorita to our special intensive emergency care unit." The man said in fast, jumbled up words as we all stared at him.
"But how did…"
"This is a critical condition." The woman cut Nurse Joy off rudely and I glared at her. "We don't have time to explain!"
"Huh?"
"Let's go!" They quickly wheeled Chikorita out of the care room though Nurse Joy called out after them.
"Excuse me?" We followed after them. Something didn't add up. How come they knew about Chikorita and her condition? And didn't Nurse Joy literally just say Chikorita was going to be fine? "I haven't seen you two before, where are you from?" Nurse Joy asked as we got outside.
"We're from the team that causes trouble." The woman said as they turned around. Wait, don't I know that hair from somewhere?
"I hope you're insured because we make it double!" The man answered and with a flash, their costumes were ripped away to reveal the Team Rocket uniform.
"To protect the world from…"
"I knew it was you two!" I yelled. "Give Chikorita back right now!" Jessie's face twitched uncontrollably, staring in anger before she roared down at me.
"How dare you interrupt me twerp! Can't you see I'm in the middle of reciting our beautifully flawless Team Rocket motto!" I arched an eyebrow.
"Really? Because I was hoping you'd be kind of done with it by now." I shook my head. "That's not the point! Give Chikorita back right now!" I leaped forwards and both Jessie and James gulped as I raced for the doors to try and get to Chikorita.
"Hurry Meowth, get us out of here!" Jessie yelled before leaping into the passenger seat.
"Wheezing Smog attack!" James directed and before I could grab Chikorita, Weezing spewed out a thick black smog which left me choking for fresh air, tears streaming down my face as I failed to see what was where.
"We can't let them get away with this!" Ash yelled and raced forwards.
"Ash wait!" Misty called, coughing on the smog but I was already racing after Ash.
"Yeah, wait for me!" We ran together after the van, watching as the van began to snake its way up the path.
"We'll climb over that hill and get ahead of them, right Pikachu?"
"Pika!" Pikachu agreed so I picked up the pace.
"We'd better step on the gas then, let's hurry!" We bolted forwards, racing at full pelt as we climbed up the hill as fast as our feet would carry us. I broke through the brushes first, clearing the way before stopping at the cliff edge to watch as the van drove straight towards us.
"Now we're going show Team Rocket we're just as tough as Chikorita. You with me Ruby?"
"All the way Ash." I said with a breathless smile, lifting my fist and punching him gently on the shoulder. "Let's go!" Together we took the leap and with a yell, we hit the roof of the van. Ash grabbed onto one of the sirens and I anchored my foot onto the other, gripping onto Ash's jacket for ground as I grit my teeth. "Woah that was scary!" I gasped. "Let's not do that again!"
"Just hang on tight Ruby!" Ash called back as we were driven higher up into the mountains. It got colder and I began to shiver as snow drifted around us, landing dreamily on the ground in a perfect white blanket, though I wish I was wrapped up in a blanket of my own.
"Look, they're starting to slow down." I said to Ash, looking up ahead. "They must be stopping at that lodge, we'd better jump off before they see us."
"Right, but how?" I arched an eyebrow with a blank expression.
"Like this." I shoved him off without another word. Ash yelped and landed on the snow with me leaping off the roof after him and landing in a crouched position, glancing over my shoulder before gabbing Ash and hauling him over into the bushes. "Come on before they see us!"
"Hey, that could have hurt!" Ash said to me but I merely smiled.
"It's a fresh blanket of snow, Ash, and about a foot deep! You were fine." I said as I watched Team Rocket take Chikorita inside. We scouted the place out, hiding in the bushes as we watched the lodge carefully.
"Now, we gotta come up with a strategy." Ash said slowly.
"Pika Pika?" Pikachu asked in his sweet little voice as Ash thought deeply.
"I know! I'll have Charizard surprise them with a Flamethrower attack!" Ash reached behind him for his Pokéballs but groped at thin air.
"No luck Ash, we left our Pokémon with Nurse Joy, remember?" I said to him, turning to face both Ash and Pikachu with a deep exhale. "Okay, I think we can take them. We have Pikachu still and he's one who can pack an awesome punch. Right Pikachu?"
"Pikachu!" He nodded his head, electricity crackling at his cheeks so I smiled.
"Alright then, follow me!" I stood up and raced over to the door, preparing to barrel through but then I heard Jessie's voice though it was fairly muffled by the door.
"Now here's a copy of our standard contract. There's no need to read it, just sign right here on the dotted line." She laughed.
"Don't worry, if you can't write then a footprint is legally binding." James added and Ash looked at me with alarm before we raced for the door.
"Don't do it Chikorita it's a dirty trick!" He called out. "Team Rocket, prepare for trouble!" I leaped up into the air, spinning around and with a crack of my foot to the door it burst open off its hinges, falling to the ground as Ash and I stood in the white background of snow, side by side and looking seriously angry at Team Rocket.
"On second thought, make that double." I continued, smirking finally as I placed my hands on my hips as Jessie and James stared at us in blind bewilderment.
"To protect the world from…devastation?" Jessie began, already set on autopilot.
"To unite all people within our nation." James continued as he stepped forwards, staring at us as I lifted my finger and continued with my own twist.
"To uphold the truths of friendship and love!"
"To extend our reach to galaxies above." Ash added as we turned back to back, arms crossed as we mirrored one another.
"Ruby!"
"Ash!"
"Together we'll protect all that is right!" I said, arching my eyebrow at Jessie as she clenched her fists and growled at us under her breath.
"Surrender now, because it's time to fight." Ash finished and Pikachu leaped forwards with a flip then spread his arms.
"Pi Pikachu!" Personally I'm feeling pretty proud of myself. Ash and I are totally in sync and we just rhymed together! That has to be a point to us against Team Rocket, right?
"Meowth, that's right!" Meowth added, also unable to hold back his part in the now trademarked motto but Jessie shoved him back down.
"How dare you bangle our motto!" She yelled at us, enraged by our cheek. Hey, we're kids! What can I say?
"That is copyrighted material!" James agreed as we picked up our ammo.
"You three need to cool off!" Ash declared as he and Pikachu both held a snowball.
"Yeah!" I agreed. "Cool off and chill out!" Strike one, two and three! You're all out! Sweet! I think Casey would be proud.
"Quick Pikachu, go get Chikorita!" Pikachu sprang forwards and faced Chikorita to quickly explain things.
"Pika! Pika Pika Pikachu!" With that he turned and they both ran out to us, making me smile.
"Alright! Come on let's get out of here!" I waved a hand at Ash but before we could turn around Meowth had picked up a remote.
"They won't get away!" Huh? What is that thing? What does it do? However when Meowth pressed it and nothing happened I smirked.
"Looks like you're all getting a little cold fingered for this." I said to them but then Pikachu called out.
"PIka Pi!"
"Pikachu! What's the matter?" We both ran outside to find both Chikorita and Pikachu trapped, collared around the middle tied together by a rope. "Pikachu! Chikorita!" Ash called as he ran for them but then Meowth pressed the button again and another claw shot out from under the snow and anchored itself around him.
"Ash! No!" I yelled and leaped onto the snow.
"Not so fast twerpette!" Meowth growled and I heard the shift of snow, the rush of air and instantly I whirled around, sensing the object as it came from behind me. I flicked out my leg and swiped the belt aside, knocking it into the snow with a smirk.
"You'll have to be faster than that to get me." I said then turned to Ash. "Just hold on Ash, I'm coming!" I tried to break it open with my bare hands but it wouldn't budge. "No good, we'll just have to run, hurry!" I called and they all nodded their heads.
"Come on you two!" Ash yelled and both Pikachu and Chikorita raced forwards, however there was one small problem. With as not moving fast enough and the three of them all being tied together by the rope, they didn't quite manage to run off in the same direction.
Ash lost his balance and fell backwards with no control over his feet and his weight pulled the Pokémon with him. "Ash! Pikachu! Chikorita!" I yelled then jumped after them, surfing down the slope as Ash and the Pokémon managed to roll themselves into a snowball, rolling down and over the hills with me following as close behind as I could, having to race up the next hill to slide back down it on the other side.
"Ash!" I called out again as I watched them fly down a seriously steep slope only to be tossed off at the edge of a cliff and be brutally slammed into a tree. Gasping for breath I jumped down, landing in a thick pile of snow. "Hold on Ash!"
"To what?" He demanded as he hung from the tree by the rope. Only a moment later it snapped, landing all three of them to the ground with a yell and the force shook off some of the snow from the branches above, covering them in a fresh mound.
Just as I raced over I heard the sound of a snowmobile coming closer and I guessed it would be Team Rocket. "Stay there, someone's coming!" I called and dove behind a tree, scuffing my tracks quickly to hide them before blending in out of sight.
Sure enough they passed us by, squabbling with one another but none the wiser to our presence. I watched them leave then exhaled with relief, glad it was finally over. "Okay guys, it's safe." I assured them as I approached the mound again.
First to pop up was Pikachu who blinked, shook out his fur then beamed up at me. "Pikachu!" I giggled then watched as Chikorita and Ash appeared, covered in snow and looking very sodden.
"Hey! That was kind of fun wasn't it?" Ash said and I laughed, gripping his hands to help him stand up.
"Fun? Maybe if we cut out the near death experience! Were any of you hurt?" I asked but Ash shook his head.
"Nah, we're all in one piece and that's all that matters. Come on! Let's get back to the Pokémon Centre to warm up." Music to my ears.
"Come on Chikorita, I'll make you some special cookies!" I promised then began to trudge through the snow. We climbed up the opposite way Team Rocket had went, which was down. However when we got to the top we still didn't have any idea of which way to go.
"Okay." Ash sighed, trying to peer further outward. "Now which way should we go?"
"Chika!" Chikorita bounded forwards before either of us could catch her.
"Hey wait!" Ash tried to move too quickly and this time, ploughed into me as we fell to the ground and slipped down the slope.
"Ash Ketchum! You are so dead!" I yelled as we slid down the sharp descent then crashed at the bottom, Ash's bony elbow digging into my back as he flattened me. "You are lucky I'm too cold to even move right now." My teeth clattered together as we both stumbled to our feet. "Where'd Chikorita go?"
"I don't know but I can't see it anymore." Ash sighed. "Better keep moving. It's starting to snow." Oh great, just what we needed.
"In that case, we should find shelter." I said and began to look around me. "Look, there's a cave over there. I'll grab some wood, you just hurry and get Pikachu inside before he freezes." I said and Ash nodded his head.
"Right, come on Pikachu." I stopped to find as much dry wood as I could, which wasn't much, barely a few sticks but it was enough to light a fire. I just wish I had Charizard with me to fly us back and keep us warm. I shook off all the snow I could before going towards the back of the cave where Ash and Pikachu sat.
"How're we going to light it?" Ash asked but I smiled.
"You forget Ash Ketchum, my name is Ruby Bates! And what am I known for?" I questioned then answered for him, seeing as he had a blank expression on his face. "For having everything!" I pulled out my emergency tool kit, picked up the magnesium stick and striker before setting to work with some kindling I had spare.
In no time at all I had a fire going and we huddled close to it, keeping back the chill as we kept together to share body heat as well. I was tired but I forced myself to stay awake, knowing it was dangerous to fall asleep when too cold.
"I wonder if…Chikorita's doing okay out there." Ash said, breaking the silence.
"I don't know. It's getting pretty heavy." I said to him. "Could Chikorita really withstand a blizzard like this? Something tells me no." After a few seconds it sunk in. Chikorita could be in danger out there, it could be stuck in the storm!
"I gotta find Chikorita!" Ash declared, leaping to his feet. "You two stay here in case Brock and Misty come looking for us." Ash said with a smile then raced for the entrance.
"Ash wait!" I called, getting to my feet and rooting through my bag. "You'll need this." I said and handed it to him. "It's a flare light. If you get stuck or you find Chikorita, use it to beacon yourself and someone will see it. I'll wait here with another so you can find your way back." I told him nervously. "Just be careful and try and head as straight as you can. That way you'll be able to make it back here a lot easier."
"Thanks Ruby. I will." He assured me, taking the light then ran out into the storm. "I'll be back!" and then he was gone. The blizzard was so thick I couldn't see him after he'd taken five steps away from the cave. I just hope these torches work. They should do because they were extra powerful, I'd made sure they were when I bought them.
"Pika Pi?" Pikachu asked at the mouth of the cave, standing there with me so I looked down and smiled to him.
"Don't worry. Ash'll be fine. If there's one thing I know about Ash, it's that he always finds his way back in time for dinner." I laughed. "All he has to do is follow his stomach."
"Pikachu." He nodded his head then leaped up onto my shoulder, snuggling close so I stepped a little further back into the cave to keep us warm then began to flash the light in blips to signal to Ash or anyone else who was around.
We waited for a while, how long I wasn't too sure, but I was beginning to grow worried. Just when worry was starting to turn into panic, I saw a light flashing in the distance, bright red against the snow. "Alright Ash!" I beamed with laughter, switching on the light and waving it for him to see and instantly the light turned around to face us.
Ash slowly emerged through the blizzard, carrying Chikorita in his arms and I waved. "Way to go Ash!" I cheered. "You found Chikorita!"
"Yeah, we're both okay, aren't we Chikorita?" He said, looking down at her happily and she beamed up at him.
"Chika!" Chikorita agreed as Ash joined us at the back of the cave and we both took off our jackets to curl up under them with the Pokémon to keep us all close and warm, all of us also huddled inside my sleeping bag for extra warmth.
"There, this'll keep us all warm!" Ash smiled as he put one arm around me and I smiled, taking off my hat to untie my bandanna and put it around Chikorita.
"Here you are Chikorita, that'll warm you up a little faster from being out in the cold so long." I said to her and she beamed up at me sweetly.
"Chika!"
"Maybe tomorrow the snow will stop and we can head back. In the meantime, let's all get some sleep, okay?" Ash suggested and I nodded my head.
"Sounds like a good idea." I agreed, stifling a yawn. "Goodnight you three, sleep well." I said then closed my eyes. It didn't take long to fall asleep, I just hope the snow stops soon because to be honest, Ash wasn't the comfiest of pillows.
