"I'm sorry again about not calling yesterday, things have been… hectic, to say the least."

"No need to apologize, my boy! Based on what you've told me, it sounds like you had quite the unpredictable first day of your official journey. Besides, it wasn't your fault that Team Rocket was up to no good, as per usual." Professor Oak laughed, causing Ash to chuckle in response.

It was the following day of Ash arriving in Viridian City with an injured Absol and an unconscious Team Rocket grunt. After last night when it was decided Absol would stay in Ash's possession, Ash had gone straight to bed, mentally and physically exhausted from all the drama that day. After getting a solid 10 hours of sleep he woke up feeling better than ever before and started his day by getting dressed, having breakfast, and finally, videocalling Professor Oak like he had promised to do whenever he got to a new destination.

"How is Absol's condition? Is she going to be okay?"

"According to Nurse Joy she will be, but she wants to keep Absol around for check ups and to make sure her injuries heal naturally with time. Soft-Boiled is great for healing pokemon, sure, but it can't heal a broken leg. I promised Absol I'd stay in Viridian City for as long as it takes until she's all better, so I'm putting my journey on hold until then," Ash said, surprising the older Oak.

"I'm surprised to hear that, but I understand. That's very noble of you, Ash, I'm sure your mother would be proud." He chuckled warmly, causing Ash to smile as well. He tried his best hiding how emotional the statement had made him. "I suppose I'll let you go for now, my boy. Stay safe and call me if anything changes, okay?"

"Of course, Professor Oak, I'll talk to you later." They waved to one another before hanging up, causing Ash to sigh as he stood from his seat. He pursed his lips, turning around and heading outside for a miniature adventure. He breathed in deeply, loving the fresh air before he started to walk around the city aimlessly. Despite visiting frequently after waking up from his coma, he had yet to explore the city and see what it had to offer.

It really was a beautiful day outside, the sky had little pockets of clouds flying around, none were close to the sun as it shined brightly down upon the city. The temperature was perfect, a wonderful mixture of warm weather with a soft and gentle breeze, keeping things from getting too hot. The city was quite lively as it was about one in the afternoon, people and pokemon alike were roaming around much like Ash was, albeit some seemed to have a destination in mind instead of simply wandering around. Some younger kids had backpacks on, so they were probably heading home from school. Some older people were walking with pokemon by their sides, who were carrying their groceries for them. It warmed Ash's heart, seeing pokemon and humans live together, hand in hand.

A shop caught Ash's eye and he stopped in his tracks, and he found himself staring at a cute little tea shop called "The Cozy Cottonee", with an illustration of a Cottonee wrapped in a blanket with a steamy tea cup sitting in front of it. A nice cup of tea did sound nice right about now, and as an added bonus there was an area for outdoor seating as well, allowing him to enjoy the lovely day. Plus he had plenty of time to kill, why not make the most of it?

So that's exactly what Ash did, the young trainer ended up getting a cup of ginseng tea before taking a seat at one of the tables outside. He let out a small sigh of contentment before closing his eyes and taking a drink, so far finding the day pleasurable and relaxing, exactly what he needed from the events which unfolded the day prior.

His eyes opened upon that thought and he stopped drinking, choosing to sit the cup down and cradle it in both hands, appreciating the heat from the cup as it kept his hands warm from the breeze. He stared down at his cup, now suddenly deep in thought over everything that has happened this far. He started to remember a conversation he had with Professor Oak before he left to start this journey. The older Oak was proud of him for coming so far, yet had some concerns. He was worried for Ash, about the boy's newfound quest for revenge against the people who have wronged him so dearly and so personally. He was worried about Ash's mental health and what this quest for revenge could and would do to it. He didn't want Ash getting hurt or worse, or have Ash do something he might regret.

But if Ash didn't try and take down Team Rocket once and for all, who would? The police and G-Men have had eight years to do so, and, based on Ash's knowledge, have barely made a dent in Team Rocket as a whole.

But that raised a good question, was Ash ready and willing to do whatever was required of him to finally bring an end to Team Rocket?

"Excuse me? Is this seat taken?"

A new voice asked, snapping Ash out of his thoughts before he could go down any further into the Buneary hole. He shook his head, trying to come back to reality.

"Ah, sorry, I was lost in thought. No, the seat… isn't…" Ash trailed off, soon losing all train of thought as his mind shut down and went blank, his eyes going wide and a light blushing staining his cheeks by staring at the woman in front of him.

The word beautiful was the first word to come to Ash's mind, and even that wasn't enough to describe her. Exotic, gorgeous, stunning, nothing could properly describe her, he was partially sure such a word didn't even exist. She was a giant compared to him, well above 6'0 feet tall, with beautiful long, flowing light purple hair and sharp, striking dark purple eyes, which seemed to stare into his very soul. Her skin was a soft pale, ghostly and yet elegant, and her face had sharp features as well. She wore a stunning white sundress, a wide brimmed purple sun hat, and a purple scarf was wrapped around her neck. And, despite Ash trying his best, even he couldn't avoid noticing her… assets, shapely curves all in the right places and a pair of breasts big as his head. The woman oozed confidence and toughness, she wasn't someone to trifle with.

"I'll assume that means 'no'," she giggled, giving him a soft smile which made his heart race. He was surprised as he watched her pull out the seat and sit down; he had expected her to take it and perhaps sit with someone else.

"Oh, um, s-sorry about that. I guess I got a bit distracted." He scratched the back of his and gave an awkward chuckle, causing the woman to giggle again. "So um, what's your name, Ms?"

"Taylor. Melissa Taylor. It's a pleasure to meet you at last, Ash Ketchum." She smiled at him, and he smiled back on reflex before what she said struck a chord with him.

"How did you know my name? And, what do you mean by 'at last'?" he asked, feeling just slightly on edge about this new encounter. It was hard not to, given with all that has recently happened.

"Oh my, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to raise any alarms or cause you any stress. I'm not the best at talking with people, I should've introduced myself in a more proper way," she apologized, gently laying her hands over his own. In an instant a wave of calmness and tranquility washed over Ash, causing the boy to relax and his heart rate to decrease from its excessive beating. His fight or flight response had been quelled. "I'm a reporter with the Kanto Times. Recently I heard through the grapevine you had finally woken up from your coma, and I was wondering if I could get an interview sometime. How's that sound?"

Oh, so what's who she was, how she knew him, and why it was a pleasure to meet him at last. Well, at least that explanation had answered most of Ash's questions, although he was still curious how she knew he woke up from his coma. Based on his knowledge, waking up from his coma hadn't had any sort of coverage on TV or on the internet. Of course, there was always the possibility she knew someone at the hospital who fed her the information.

"I mean, I guess we could at some point. But can I ask why? I mean, I haven't exactly done anything newsworthy," he sweatdropped, causing Melissa to giggle.

"Are you kidding me? A child surviving a Team Rocket attack? Waking up after an eight year coma? And, one of the first things you do after waking up is attacking some Team Rocket grunts and even bringing one of them into the police? If that isn't newsworthy, I'm not sure what is," she said, using her thumbs to rub into circles on his hands. The act caused a shudder to run down Ash's spine, the feeling was pleasant, strangely therapeutic even. This woman… he wasn't sure how, but she had a natural talent at putting him in a tranquil mood.

"U-Um, t-thank you, Melissa. B-But it's really nothing! I'm s-sure anyone would've done the same thing," he tried playing it cool, but was finding it increasingly hard to do so. She made him feel a wide variety of emotions, some of them confusing, but none of them unwelcomed.

"You're welcome, handsome." She winked at him, causing his blush to tenfold and a new feeling warming its way into his gut. Despite the new and wonderful emotions he was currently feeling, something at the back of his mind was itching him. Despite Ash having never met Melissa before today, he couldn't shake the feeling that he knew her somehow.

Their time was interrupted by a buzzing sound coming from Ash's pokedex. He excused himself, forcing himself to break apart from Melissa and instantly missing the warmth and comfort she brought. He grabbed his pokedex and opened it, finding a text from Nurse Joy.

Nurse Joy: Mr. Ketchum? Could you come to the Pokemon Center immediately, please? I can't explain why or how it's happened but, Absol has somehow gotten all better?

The text caused Ash's eyes to widen in surprise, and a bit of confusion as well. How on earth was Absol all better? Her leg wasn't fully healed yet, so was Nurse Joy mistaken? Or, was this some sort of weird miracle?

"Hey, um, I'm really sorry but something has happened regarding my pokemon at the Pokemon Center. I'll have to cut our time together short," he apologized, feeling up and through all of his pockets before finding a pen and hastily writing down his number and handing it to Melissa. "Call me sometime!" he called out as he started to run towards the Pokemon Center, leaving Melissa alone. As much as he wanted to stay with her, Absol was currently more important to him.

Melissa was left stunned by the suddenness of it all, but she couldn't help but giggle out of delight. She had talked to him, she had finally talked to him after all this time! Sure she might have fibbed a little bit about certain things, but it wasn't out of malicious intent or anything like that. She would tell him everything when the time was right, for now she wanted to revel in the fact they had an actual conversation, she had made him blush too! And her hands… they were still so warm from touching him. She giggled, her purple eyes sparkling in delight and desire.

She couldn't wait to have him, her chosen one.

(Pokemon Center)

When Ash arrived at the Pokemon Center, the first thing he did was go straight towards Absol's room. When he arrived, he found Absol hooked up to a machine as Nurse Joy ran tests on her, checking her over. The dark type's tail wagged excitedly upon seeing Ash, and instead of waiting for Nurse Joy, rose from her spot on the bed and dashed forwards, the little straps and devices flying off of her, much to Nurse Joy's dismay. Absol ran forward, doing happy little circles around Ash before using her hindlegs to stand tall and jump on Ash, licking him and causing him to laugh out loudly in delight.

"It's nice to see you too, girl," he said while petting her behind her ears, managing to calm her down enough and making her go back to all fours. As he pet Absol, he could see Nurse Joy approaching him. "I can see what you meant by your text. She looks all better!"

"That's because she is. I ran numerous tests, she's back to full health, and her leg is as good as new. Truth be told I have no idea how this is possible, I estimated that it would take at least another week or two in order for it to heal. My best guess is some kind of pokemon must have healed her, but even then to do so much healing in such little time… I'm not sure which pokemon could do such a thing," she admitted, which confused Ash as well. The only guess he had would be a legendary pokemon, but even then, which legendary pokemon could or would heal Absol?

"So does that mean Absol is free to leave?" Ash asked, hopeful Nurse Joy would agree.

"As much as I would like to keep her here to run more tests, I really don't see the point in doing so. So, yes, Absol is free to leave the Pokemon Center once I finish the paperwork." She smiled, causing Ash to whoop and Absol to bark in joy. "I should have it done before tonight, which means you should be able to continue your journey tomorrow, if you wish to of course."

"I think that'd be nice, one more day of rest before we head out. Doesn't that sound nice, Absol?" Ash asked before letting out a small 'aww' as Absol nuzzled to him again. With her all better, now maybe things could finally get on track and he could continue his journey!

(Later that night, Ash's room)

In the time before bedtime, Ash managed to call Professor Oak on what has happened so far, get food for himself and his team, and get the paperwork signed by Nurse Joy. With everything set and in place, this meant that once Ash woke up he could finally venture forth into the world and into his journey.

The chosen one could be found sound asleep in his bedroom at the Pokemon Center, but he wasn't alone. Ash laid on his left side, hugging Absol to his chest while Ekans slept next to his head and Growlithe snuggled against his back. Everything was peaceful as the pokemon and their trainer had their own little dreams: Growlithe dreamt of her and Ash playing catch, Ekans dreamt of her and the team laying in a grass field while the sun beamed down upon them, and Absol dreamt about her and Ash staring up at the full moon.

Ash however was having a more… interesting dream, about a certain purple haired woman in her bare glory. A wet dream, a strong one at that, making the trainer in the dream and in the real world throb uncontrollably, a new essence escaping him and entering the room. The smell had a calming effect on Ekans and Growlithe, whereas Absol started to blush, a pleasant shudder running down her spine as her dream took a sudden and lewd turn. The once cute dream of them staring up at the moon turned into a dream of hormones and desire, as the dark type in the dream was suddenly presenting herself as her whole world was rocked by her trainer.

Who knew that one chance encounter could unlock a smorgasbord of new ideas, thoughts, and feelings. One could only wonder when they would come to light and be acted upon…

As the journey continues.

Boom! Chapter 6 is finished. Ash's journey can officially start, Absol is all better, and he has a strange encounter with a stranger mysterious woman. I wonder what'll happen next?

I jope y'all enjoyed! I'm finally planting the seeds of what's to grow and come, hope it's getting you puuumped like I am! Thanks for your patience, I'll be starting the next few chapters soon!

Idk what else to say. Leave a review if you'd like, maybe what you want and hope for?

Join me next time in Ash's new journey. See ya in chapter 7!