"Hey guys, I brought the soup," Misty said, walking over to the table where they were seated and carrying a tray with three bowls on it. "Is something wrong, Ash?"
"…It's raining. I hope the Charmander from earlier got picked up by its trainer."
"I don't think it'd be waiting for that long, Ash. It must've been picked up by now," Brock responded.
"Man, Damien, you've got so many Pokémon!"
"Yea, it's a pretty nice collection," the blue-haired kid responded.
"Hey Damien, didn't you have a Charmander too?" Ash's ears twitched. He activated the recorder on his Pokégear.
"Yea, I had one, but that thing was so weak, it couldn't even beat the weakest opponents!" he shouted.
The other trainers in the Center popped veins at the kid's attitude. Misty vocalized it. "Man, that's one rotten brat."
"Any Pokémon can be great in the hands of a good trainer," Brock agreed.
"So what'd you do with that Charmander, Damien?"
"Eh, I left it on some rock in the middle of the woods. That thing is so stupid, no matter what I did to it, it kept coming back to me. I tricked the dumb thing by saying I'd come back for it. It's probably still waiting on that rock. Hahaha!"
"Hahaha, it's probably still up there, wagging its tail around!"
"Yea, it'll probably go out!" The group of kids laughed.
Bulbasaur growled in anger, but Ash was quicker on the draw. He stepped across the room briskly and lifted the kid bodily, holding him by the collar of his shirt. The others in the Center watched with interest.
"Hey, what's the big idea?!"
"You're a disgrace to Pokémon Trainers everywhere. A Charmander dies when the flame on its tail goes out and you left it in the rain!" Ash shouted in a rage.
He tossed Damien back onto the seat roughly. He held his hand out towards the blue-haired boy's Pokéballs. His eyes glowed blue and psychic energy surrounded the mass of Pokéballs, lifting them up. They shifted to Nurse Joy, following the motions of his hands.
"What're you-!"
"I'm reporting you to the Pokémon League and asking Nurse Joy to confiscate the rest of your Pokémon on the grounds of purposeful abandonment, mistreatment, and endangerment of one of your former Pokémon. I have a recording of you admitting to all of it with a laugh. Your trainer's license will be revoked." Nurse Joy nodded in agreement.
Ash grabbed his backpack and headed for the exit of the Pokémon Center.
"Hey Ash, where're you going?" Misty asked.
"I need to find Charmander and bring it back before it's too late. Misty, Brock, please stay here to help restrain that disgrace of a trainer if necessary and take care of my egg." The duo nodded. "Bulbasaur, Pikachu, hang on. We're going to travel fast."
The two Pokémon nodded and clung onto Ash. The last words they heard were 'Extreme Speed!' before they felt the wind and water whipping at their faces. In nearly no time at all, they were at the rock spire again. Three Spearow were flying above Charmander.
"Pikachu, Thundershock to scare them away. Bulbasaur, come on." Pikachu leaped forward and shot a controlled shock at the Spearow, forcing them away. He landed softly on Ash's head. Ash brought out a blanket to cover up the collapsed Pokémon.
"He doesn't look good, Ash," Pikachu said nervously.
"Bulbasaur, use your Vine Whip to grab Charmander and hold him up. Lucario!" The Aura Pokémon came out of his Pokéball. "It's an emergency. Help Bulbasaur with keeping Charmander up please." He nodded. "I'll keep his flame going. Charmander, hang in there!"
"Fire Punch." Ash's hands lit on fire and he held them closely to Charmander's tail flame. "Too bad Heal Pulse doesn't really work on physiological problems like this…" Ash quipped, flinching in pain. "Come on, we need to hurry."
…..
"Do you think he'll make it on time?" Misty asked anxiously.
"He'll make it. I know he will," Brock said, complete faith in the young trainer.
Moments later, the doors to the Center slid open and Ash ran in, his Pokémon dripping rain alongside him. "Nurse Joy, quickly!" She nodded and led Ash directly to an operating room.
"I'll take it from here, Ash. Good work."
Ash nodded grimly and waited outside as the operation room light flickered on. Brock and Misty joined him in waiting soon, handing him and his Pokémon towels to dry off. He did so carefully, minding his hands. Misty and Brock noticed.
The orange-haired girl gasped. "Ash, what happened to your hands?"
Bulbasaur looked at his trainer's hands for the first time as well, having been pre-occupied with carrying Charmander. Ash's hands were burnt, multiple spots pink rather than his normal skin tone. "Using a Fire-Type move like Fire Punch for a long duration of time can harm myself, yes. I needed to do it. My pain is nothing compared to what would've happened if I didn't."
"But-"
"Don't worry about it. I'll apply some salve and bandage myself. It should heal in no time," Ash said nonchalantly. Bulbasaur's respect for Ash just rose that much higher.
…..
"…Ash, I'd like for you to send me back to Professor Oak's Lab."
Ash tilted his head. "Why's that?"
"At the moment, I am too strong to be used in any challenges. Primarily, I'm just taking up space and I get the feeling you'll gain another family member soon. I'd like to return to the lab and help Professor Oak or Delia."
Ash nodded in understanding. "I'll send you back first thing tomorrow."
Lucario nodded and returned to his Pokéball. Ash went back to sleep on the couch, waiting for Charmander to recuperate completely.
…..
"Ash! There's been trouble!" Ash woke up to Brock's cry. "Charmander vanished from his room."
"…He must have returned to the rock where Damien promised to meet him. Let me send-off Lucario quickly and we'll go look for Charmander."
…..
Thirty minutes ago…
'The guy with the hat sure was nice…I'll thank him if I see him again. And who saved me last night? I wish Damien was that nice…I hope he comes back soon.'
Charmander climbed out of the window to his room and walked back towards the rock he was perched upon. His nose twitched.
'Why do I smell blood? It smells familiar…'
Charmander looked down. Mixed in with the water-soaked ground were traces of blood. He looked curiously at the ground and continued on to his destination.
…..
Back to normal time…
"Charmander!" Ash called out when the rock came into view.
The little lizard raised its head to see Ash jogging towards it. It hopped off the rock and walked over to meet with Ash.
"Hi! Thanks for the food…and helping me during the storm!" Charmander said happily.
"No problem, buddy…hey, how would you like to travel with me instead? Damien isn't coming back…"
Charmander lowered its head. "…He abandoned me, didn't he? I hoped that if I stayed at that rock like he asked, he'd change his mind and take me back in…but I guess I wasn't worth it," he said sadly.
"Don't say that Charmander! Damien was a bad trainer and he's not going to be a trainer for much longer…I think you'd be worth it, Charmander. You had the determination to stay on that rock even through the rain and the willpower to stay alive. I think you could become a really strong Pokémon," Ash stated, rubbing Charmander's head.
The lizard's nose twitched again. 'That smell…' "What happened to your hands?" Charmander asked, only now noticing the bandages wrapped around parts of his hand.
"Oh, these? Don't worry about it. I just got a little injured last night…"
'That smell…it's the blood from earlier today. Last night…'
Charmander's memories came to mind as he closed his eyes to think. The rain starting to pour. Grabbing a leaf to keep his tail lit. The sound of some Spearow hovering above him. The sound of electricity…the last thing he heard before he passed out.
"Charmander, hang in there!"
His eyes snapped open, finally understanding. "You got hurt saving me last night…"
Ash just smiled softly at him. "Like I said, I think you're worth it. I'd love to have you as part of the family. Will you join?"
Charmander smiled and nodded eagerly.
"I don't think I've had the chance to properly introduce myself yet. I'm Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town. Welcome to the family."
Ash tossed a Pokéball at Charmander, who leaped to meet the ball happily. He disappeared into the ball and Ash caught the ball as it bounced back.
Bulbasaur hopped off of Ash's head. "Ash, I'll go back into the Pokéball now."
Ash nodded and returned Bulbasaur, calling out Charmander. He put the egg inside of the incubator and gestured for Charmander to sit in his arms.
"Alright, let's get going!" Ash said with a smile. Misty and Brock nodded with similar expressions, glad that the Charmander found a trainer that would take care of it.
…..
"Wait!" Ash called out. Misty and Brock were taking the lead this time around, but they halted as Ash called out.
"What's wrong Ash?" Brock asked.
"There's a pitfall a few feet in front of you."
"What! How'd he see that?!" a voice shouted.
"Quiet fool! They might hear us."
"I can hear you. Stop hiding and get out here," Ash called out.
A bush rustled and five Squirtles jumped out. Four of the turtle Pokémon were wearing tinted circular glasses while the last one was wearing a cooler-looking set of shades.
"We're the Squirtle Squad!"
Pikachu and Charmander jumped down. "What're you guys doing?! Stuff like that can be dangerous!" Charmander growled.
"Hey, it was just a prank, we didn't mean anything by it," the leader said nervously.
Ash walked closer to the gang. "Having a pitfall that deep can be dangerous. I can understand pranking, but there's a fine line between fun and danger. Would you be able to live with the death of an egg on your conscience?" he asked, gesturing at the egg in his arms.
Each Squirtle lowered their heads in shame. "We…we're sorry."
"Why are you guys acting like this? You have to have a reason, right?"
The leader looked at Ash uneasily for a few moments. Ash's genuinely concerned expression was enough to disarm him though. "We…we were all abandoned by our trainers and treated badly…we were pranking people because of that."
"You really shouldn't be projecting your anger towards a few specific people onto all humans. Not all people are the same."
"I used to be abandoned too, but then I met Ash. He's the best!" Charmander added.
Ash smiled and bent down to pat Charmander on the head. "Thanks for backing me up you two."
The Squirtle Squad looked conflicted, but then a police siren came into earshot. The Squirtles dashed off. A few moments later, Officer Jenny arrived on her motorcycle.
"Are you guys alright? Is anybody hurt?" she asked.
"Yes, we're fine Officer Jenny. Why're you here?"
"I received reports that the Squirtle Squad were hanging around here and I wanted to make sure nobody got hurt. It's a shame that they act like this just because they never received any care from their former trainers."
An explosion sounded out from nearby. "What was that?" Brock shouted.
"Oh no! That came from the town!" Officer Jenny shouted. She got back onto her motorcycle and drove off. A column of smoke was rising from that direction.
"Misty, Ash, we need to go help them!"
They both nodded and the trio started to run to the town. "I'll go on ahead," Ash called out, channeling Aura for an ability.
Pikachu and Charmander both hung on tightly as Ash flickered and sprinted away.
…..
"So, what's so special about these Squirtle anyway?"
"The boss said that having five starter Pokémon available in our forces would be a great benefit. So, we're baiting them out. Houndour, Flamethrower!"
People screamed and ran as the fire dog set their stalls on fire.
"Hey, what are you doing!?" Officer Jenny shouted. "Growlithe, go!"
"Hmph, really? Primeape, Dynamic Punch!"
The monkey-like Pokémon jumped out of the shadows and slammed his fist into the smaller Fire-Type, knocking it out and back towards Officer Jenny.
"Growlithe!"
Primeape and Houndour walked menacingly towards Officer Jenny. She stepped back as the two Pokémon lunged. Suddenly, they were both knocked back by five Water Guns side-by-side, landing back with a growl.
Officer Jenny turned to see the Squirtle Squad standing there. "You guys? What're you doing here?"
The leader put a hand to his chest confidently and pointed at the criminal duo.
"Oh, look at this. The prankster gang came back to help out the town. Well, isn't that just beautiful?" the woman mocked. "Raticate, Skull Bash! Houndour, Smog!"
"Primeape, Dynamic Punch!"
The dark hound Pokémon blew black smoke into the Squirtle Squad. The Raticate and Primeape aimed for the leader of the Squirtle Squad and moved too quickly for him to dodge. He closed his eyes and readied himself for the pain.
A resounding thwack sounded out. Squirtle held his hands on his head, expecting the pain to register at any moment. But it never came. "Pidgeotto, Whirlwind to clear the smog. Fearow, Aerial Ace! Pikachu, Iron Tail, Charmander, Metal Claw, Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf!"
The smog instantly cleared. Fearow dove in, slamming into the Primeape whose fist was planted into Ash's stomach. Pikachu and Charmander slammed their attacks into Raticate, knocking it back and colliding it with Primeape. Bulbasaur's Razor Leaf shredded and knocked the two Pokémon further back and in front of their trainers.
Ash registered the Team Rocket uniforms, a man with green hair, and a woman with blonde hair.
The Squirtle Squad were blinking in confusion. In the instant that the smoke cleared, they saw Ash blocking Raticate's Skull Bash with both of his own glowing hands. He'd taken the hit for them.
"Team Rocket? What're you up to?"
"Ha, as if we have anything to say to a brat like you!" Cassidy laughed.
Primeape and Raticate rose back up. They growled fiercely at the opposing trainer.
"We need to take them out and boot them out of here. Charmander, Bulbasaur, you're up. Fearow, Pidgeotto, look around for anyone that might be trapped and help them out. Squirtle!" Ash locked eyes with the leader of the gang. "You want to help out?"
He nodded vigorously, along with the rest of his gang. "You four, go around and start dousing the flames. Pikachu, go find Brock and Misty with Officer Jenny and help with getting rid of the flames. Leader, you're with me. We're going to boot these thugs out of here."
Each of the Pokémon set off to their own tasks as Pikachu led Officer Jenny away with her injured Growlithe. Houndour moved to pursue, but Squirtle cut it off.
"Grrrr…..pesky brat!" the male shouted. "Primeape, use Dynamic Punch!"
"Charmander, Smokescreen and Dig!"
The lizard shot a large cloud of smoke into Primeape's face, startling it, and then dug into the ground.
"Raticate, Houndour, get moving! Super Fang and Flamethrower!"
"Squirtle, Water Gun to counter! Bulbasaur, keep Raticate back with Vine Whip!"
Steam hissed as Squirtle vigorously shot a strong stream of water into the Flamethrower, holding even with it. Bulbasaur snapped his vines at Raticate, knocking it off balance and slapping it repeatedly. Suddenly, he grabbed the rat.
"Charmander, now!"
While Primeape was distracted, he shot out of the ground and into the larger monkey's stomach. "Flamethrower!"
Charmander unleashed a stream of fire point-blank into the monkey's stomach, knocking it out from the pain and throwing it back into the Rocket duo.
"Nice job! Don't slack off you two! Bulbasaur, Take Down! Squirtle, dive to the side and Water Gun!"
Bulbasaur finished reeling in Raticate and slammed into the rat roughly. It skidded across the floor and met with the in-motion Primeape.
Squirtle followed Ash's instructions instinctively and dropped, the Flamethrower continuing past his previous location. He shot a Water Gun into Houndour's side, making it yelp in pain.
"Now, Rapid Spin!"
Squirtle retracted into his shell and began spinning quickly, sliding and slamming into Houndour. The dark Pokémon yelped again, flying through the air and colliding with the other two Pokémon as they landed simultaneously.
Bulbasaur and Charmander began to glow white. Their sizes and shapes shifted as they evolved.
"Awesome, we evolved!" Ivysaur shouted happily.
"Wow, I evolved already? I've only been traveling with you guys for three days!" Charmeleon said in surprise.
"Ash is just an awesome trainer!"
"Yea, he sure is! I never would've evolved this fast with Damien," he agreed.
Squirtle looked at the other two in awe. 'Wow…could I get that strong?'
Ash smiled, excited that his two friends evolved. "Awesome! Now, Ivysaur, Leech Seed and Sleep Powder on them."
The vines grew up out of the seeds and bound the criminals along with their Pokémon, before getting put to sleep with the green powder.
"Nice work guys!" Ash said, bending down. Charmeleon and Ivysaur ran over to Ash happily, nuzzling their trainer affectionately.
Squirtle walked over to Ash. "Thanks for taking the hit for me earlier…I didn't think anyone would go that far for me."
Ash just smiled at him. "No problem at all. I'd do it again any day," Ash replied. "Come on, let's go check up on our friends."
He walked over to the bundle of villains and dragged them along, leading the way to find their companions.
…..
"Onix, Geodude, Sand Attack!"
"Staryu, Starmie, Water Gun!"
Pikachu, Fearow, and Pidgeotto ferried buckets of water onto the flames, while Butterfree pulled over buckets with her psychic powers.
The Squirtle Squad were hard at work, jumping all over the place and putting out fires. Soon enough, all of the fires were put out.
Brock helped treat Officer Jenny's Growlithe while Misty handed out bandages to some people that were slightly wounded.
"Thanks Squirtle Squad! You really saved us there!" one of the townspeople shouted.
"Those two trainers helped us out a lot too and the trainer of those four Pokémon helped out a lot too! Thank you!" a few others shouted.
Brock and Misty turned humble under all of the praise.
"Hehehe, it wasn't that big of a deal," Misty said nervously.
"We were just doing what anybody would do in our places," Brock explained.
"Oy, Brock, Misty! We're back!" Ash called out, dragging the two Team Rocket members behind him. They looked at two of the Pokémon walking alongside him in surprise.
"Hey Ash! Charmander and Bulbasaur both evolved?" Misty asked in amazement.
"Yea! They can take even more training now!" Ash said happily.
Both of the evolved Pokémon's moods suddenly dropped and they whimpered. Pikachu walked over to them and placed a comforting hand on their shoulders.
"It's ok, my brothers…you will survive the torture and grow stronger. I believe in you two…"
The two Pokémon started crying comical streams of tears into Pikachu's shoulders.
Ash sweat dropped at their behavior. "Oh come on, I'm not that bad, am I?"
Each of his Pokémon turned to face him, except Butterfree. "Yes, you are," they all deadpanned.
He dropped to the ground melodramatically in shock. He bent down, arms crossed over his legs and back hunched. He started poking his finger around on the ground.
"B-b-but, I just want to help you guys get stronger…it's not like I don't treat you guys well…" Ash said sadly.
Butterfree flew up angrily. "Hey, don't bully daddy!"
The Squirtle Squad started laughing at the scene, their leader smiling. 'Man, it feels like it'd be fun with those guys…'
The other Squirtle Squad members saw the expression on their leader's face and huddled together to talk.
"Hey, boss!"
He turned around.
"Yea?"
"If you really wanna go with 'em, you can go with 'em, boss. We don't mind."
"Yea, do what your heart tells you to do, boss. Don't need to worry about us!"
"Officer Jenny asked us to be the official firefighters here, so it's not like we'll have nothing to do without you!"
"So we understand if you wanna go out and see the world, boss!"
The leader looked at his friends with thankful and cloudy eyes. "Thanks guys, you're the best! I think I'll ask to go with 'em…they seem like a fun gang to be traveling around with."
The five Squirtle huddled together in a group hug.
Charmeleon and Ivysaur snapped from their little act, knowing full well that Ash wouldn't do anything bad to them. Butterfree noticed the small pain that Ash was feeling and started fussing over him. He waved it off, but appreciated the concern. Squirtle walked over to the sitting trainer.
Ash waited for him to speak, as he obviously had something to say. "…Ash, can I come with you guys on your journey?"
Ash tilted his head. "You want to come with me? What about the Squirtle Squad?"
"The guys said they'd understand if I wanted to join you and I do. So, what do you say?"
Ash smiled. "Gladly. Welcome to the family, Squirtle."
The Squirtle cheered and took off his glasses. His eyes were shimmering with excitement and he jumped into Ash's arms for a hug.
"Man, Ash really has a knack for having good Pokémon," Misty commented.
"A great trainer deserves great Pokémon, after all," Brock stated. Misty nodded in agreement.
"Ash, I would like to return to the Pokémon Ranch. You need space for Squirtle, don't you?" Fearow asked.
"Are you sure, Fearow?" She nodded.
Pidgeotto looked dejected. "Aw, do you need to go already?"
"Well, somebody needs to make our nest…" Fearow said shyly, blushing furiously.
Pidgeotto went silent in shock. A hand clapped him on the shoulder. Ash nodded his head slowly, tears of pride running down his face.
"You've grown, Pidgeotto. It seems like it was only yesterday that you were a young one, but now I see that you're a healthy adult."
Pidgeotto sputtered and the rest of the Pokémon burst out laughing. Ash just smirked at the scene.
"Sorry about this Squirtle, but just wait around a bit. I'll need to transfer Fearow back to the ranch before I can catch you."
"No problem Ash!"
…..