"Seriously." Pikachu finally said. Ash's jaw simply hung open stupidly. "Seriously. That...was..."

"Awesome?"

"Yeah..." he agreed. They continued to stare dumbfounded and in silence. This silence was broken, however, by an exasperated sigh coming from behind Ash.

"Of course. It always has to be Squirtle causing trouble, doesn't it?"

Ash and Pikachu turned and their faces lit up.

"Bulbasaur!" Ash shouted excitedly. The small, green creature looked bashfully back up at him, smiling despite his composed demeanor.

"Hi, Ash."

"Bulbasaur!" Pikachu shouted. He sprinted forward and playfully tackled him. They tumbled across the ground and into the side of a tree.

"Every time, Pikachu? Do we have to do this every single time you come over?" spluttered Bulbasaur.

"It's a tradition, isn't it?" said Pikachu playfully. "It's like making Charizard mad and hiding Squirtle's sunglasses. It's just a thing that has to be done!"

"But, if you remember, I never participated in any of those things."

"Which is why I have to tackle you every time I come over! You wouldn't have any fun without me!"

"Fun is subjective. Now, please get off me." Pikachu slid off Bulbasaur and let him right himself. He plodded back to Ash with his hands at his sides.

"He's even more boring than you are." Pikachu remarked.

"Hey Bulbasaur! Guess what!?" Ash excitedly said.

"Uhm..." He turned to Pikachu. "What is he talking about?"

"Ash can understand Pokemon now!" Pikachu exclaimed whilst doing a light tap-dance in excitement. Bulbasaur looked at Ash confusedly for a moment before turning back to Pikachu.

"Okay, seriously. What do you want to tell me?"

"Just that! I can read minds now!" Ash piped in. Bulbasaur looked from Pikachu to Ash and back and forth, waiting for the explanation that they were joking. It didn't come.

"What, you're serious?" he asked. "How?"

"We fought a Kadabra in the woods. He used Psychic on me. When I woke up, I could read minds."

"We're not exactly sure of what happened exactly." Pikachu said, ignoring his own redundancy.

"So not only did you survive getting your brain essentially put through a hurricane, but you inexplicably got psychic powers as a result?" Bulbasaur confirmed. "Have you thought this through? Wondered why you got these powers in the first place? How? Why?"

"Well..." Ash scratched the back of his head and turned away. "Not really...no."

"In that case, my opinion would be to leave right now, go into the Professor's lab, and see if he has any machines that can check for brain hemorrhages or tumors." Bulbasaur said calmly.

"But it's not like I can turn it on and off. I don't think it's anything bad. I haven't felt dizzy or seen any bright lights or anything like that."

"Look, Ash, we Pokemon are naturally more resistant to each other's attacks. When you've had to evolve for thousands of years with a billion other creatures with a billion other elemental abilities, it was necessary to develop at least a rudimentary defense for all of them. That's why Pokemon rarely kill each other during battles. You humans don't have these defenses. You caught the full force of an extremely powerful move that most other Pokemon would consider overkill anyway. The fact that you survived is a miracle. I wouldn't be testing Fate any further if I were in your position."

"But all I want to do is get to know my Pokemon better! There's nothing I can do about it now, if there's a problem. And besides, wouldn't the exercise of being outside and walking around be good for me regardless?"

"Fine..." Bulbasaur sighed. "I'm just worrying about you, Ash. That's all. Sometimes you rush into things without thinking first. Anyway, now that we can finally communicate, I need your help with something."

"Sure thing."

"Well, there are those that would describe me as kind of the caretaker at the ranch. I solve problems when they arise." He glanced at the unconscious Wartortle. "Non-violently, of course. Right now, there's a situation that I'd be hard-pressed to resolve on my own. Just follow me." Bulbasaur turned and plodded down the path into the woods.

"Wait!" Ash turned and cupped his hands to his mouth "SQUIRTLE!"

Squirtle was floating on his back in the pond, resting his hands and feet. He started when he heard Ash's voice and looked up.

"YEAH!?"

"I'M GOING TO HELP BULBASAUR IN THE WOODS WITH SOMETHING! I'LL BE BACK IN A LITTLE WHILE!"

"GOTCHA!" Squirtle lay back down on the water's surface and adjusted his sunglasses lazily. Ash turned and followed Bulbasaur into the woods.