Pokémon: Best Wishes
Episode 4: Two Teams, One Fray!
Our heroes are now travelling through the mysterious Pinwheel Forest, heading towards Nacrene City, and Ash's first gym battle in the Unova Region. Also, our friends over in Accumula Town are preparing to leave for Striaton City, for their first gym battles as well.
"Come on, Darrien! You're slowing us down!" Ash shouted as he dashed excitedly through the forest.
"Pika!" Pikachu shouted in excitement.
"I'm coming! Slow down, Ash! The gym isn't going anywhere!" Darrien was trying to keep up with Ash, running after him while dodging tree roots, and jumping over rocks in the process.
Ash slowed down and allowed Darrien to catch up with him. "You ready to go now?" Ash asked.
"Ash, do you even know where you're going? Pinwheel Forest is a huge place! An expert on the area can even find themselves lost if they're not careful!" Darrien scolded.
"Yeah, yeah," Ash tried to brush it off.
"Pika!" Pikachu pointed off in the distance.
"What's up, Pikachu?" Ash questioned. Both he and Darien turned around and spotted a Cottonee. It was looking around feverishly, and then spotted Darrien and Ash. It hurriedly floated over to them.
"Nee! Nee! Cottonee!" It was speaking at a terribly fast rate.
"This is a Cottonee, right?" Ash questioned.
"Yes, but I wonder what it' trying to tell us…" Darrien was trying to think of possible scenarios.
"Nee! Nee!" Cottonee jumped into Darrien's afro!
"Woah! What's going on, buddy?!"Darrien was taken aback. The Cottonee then began to nudge Darrien in a certain direction.
"Hey, maybe it wants to lead us somewhere?" Ash suggested.
"Ok, Cottonee, lead the way then." Darrien was calmer now.
"Nee…"it began to nudge in the direction again.
"I think it likes it in there." Ash joked. "Let's just walk in the direction it's showing us." Darrien and Ash began to walk off deeper into the forest.
"Come on B! Stop dragging your feet! We want to make as much distance before night time!" Hilda called back to Bianca, who was straggling behind.
"Coming…" Bianca held her Oshawott in her arms, and was looking down while walking.
"Just leave her. She'll snap out of it eventually." Cheren shrugged off. He kept on walking with his Snivy eagerly following in his footsteps. "She might be nervous because there's a gym in Striaton City." Cheren theorized.
"But even so, I don't like her like this. Yesterday was a tough day for her…" Hilda recollected the events of the previous day.
"I know, and I'm at fault too. I shouldn't keep putting her down like that all the time. I don't know, it's like I'm compelled to be snarky sometimes…"Cheren said guiltily. He then stopped walking, surprising his Snivy, who bumped into his leg.
Hilda stopped walking too. Gigi was alert however, and didn't make the same mistake as Snivy. "Finally! You seem to get it! Now, I honestly think that you should go apologize." Hilda said firmly.
"Maybe…ok," Cheren said. He began to turn when suddenly a Blitzle jumped in front of them, and began to graze on the nearby grass, not paying them any mind. "Oh, I've got to get this!" Cheren took out his Pokédex.
'Blitzle, the Electrified Pokémon. When thunderclouds cover the sky, it will appear. It can catch lightning with its mane and store the electricity.'
"Wait a second, there are no thunderclouds in the sky, so why is it out roaming?" Hilda questioned.
"Look up…" Cheren said sadly. The clouds almost immediately ushered in new shades of grey and thunder quickly struck. Shortly after, rain began to fall. "Come on, Hilda! We got to find somewhere safe. Snivy, return!" Cheren called out while holding Hilda's hand and running off.
"All right, return Gigi! I'm coming, don't pull so hard!" Hilda called out. Soon enough they were gone in the distance.
"Guys? Guys? Hello?!" Bianca called out. It was now foggy out, and the rain was coming down hard. Bianca couldn't really see her footing.
"OSHA!" Oshawott called out. Suddenly a beacon of light got its attention, shining through the fog.
"Ok! Let's head to there!" With a leap of faith, Bianca quickly began to run towards the light shining through the fog. She wasn't able to quite see where she was going, but she was quick on her feet…until nothing was under her feet. Bianca's eyes quickly widened. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She quickly shouted while dropping to her fate.
"Did you hear that?! Holy crap, we forgot B!" Hilda screamed at Cheren. She face-palmed, not believing her own irresponsibility.
"…Let's just hope she'll be safe. There's nothing we can do now until this rain and fog lets up…" Cheren said solemnly. They were situated under some bent trees that made it so limited rain could pass through, keeping them dry for the most part.
"Please be safe, B. If you're not, I'll never forgive myself…how could I be so stupid, so selfish?!" Hilda was beating herself up about the situation.
"Come on, Darrien. It looks like it might rain soon!" Ash said while looking up at the sky. They had come to a clear outing in the forest.
"We'll be okay, as long as we're in the dense part of the forest. The rain will mostly be trapped in the upper layers of the tree branches, so only a little rain actually comes through. That's the type of environment the Pokémon that live here enjoy." Darrien informed.
"Nee…" Cottonee nudged Darrien in the direction of a region where there were a lot of trees. Ash and Pikachu quickly followed. They arrived at a scene of a group of fainted Cottonee.
"Nee…" The main Cottonee jumped out of Darrien's afro, and levitated before him. It made a really sad face.
"Woah! What happened here! All of these Cottonee!" Ash was surely surprised.
"What happened here, Cottonee? Why are all of your friends fainted?" Darrien asked while making eye contact with Cottonee.
"Nee…nee…" It began to explain.
"Pika!" Pikachu was shocked.
"Hey, Pikachu, you mind explaining what's up with Cottonee?" Ash asked.
"RUFFLET!" Quickly a Rufflet came from a shrub and charged at Pikachu! Pikachu, detecting its movements, instinctively released a jolt of electricity and struck the Rufflet, causing it to fall to the floor. Still standing, it shouted "RUFF!" It shot Cottonee a stare.
"NEE!" Cottonee cowered into Darrien's hair.
"Who's that Pokémon?" Ash was trying to process the situation.
"It's a Rufflet…but why is it in Pinwheel Forest? Rufflet are never seen here…" Darrien was thinking.
"RUFF!" It ran off into the distance.
"That sure was weird…" Ash was confused.
"Pika…" Pikachu agreed.
"Cottonee, it is ok now. Rufflet's gone. You can come out." Darrien said reassuringly.
"Nee…" Cottonee whimpered out.
"I think I might actually have an idea as to what's happening here." Darrien said affirmatively.
"Please, let me know." Ash said.
"Well, there's a group of fainted Cottonee, this Cottonee's friends. Most wild Pokémon can be ruthless when in a threatening situation. Rufflet don't live in this area, so that Rufflet must feel unsafe for being in such a strange environment…" Darrien continued to ponder to himself. "So, Cottonee, am I right when I say that this Rufflet ambushed you and your friends? And that you are actually the leader of your group and managed to get away and get help?" Darrien asked.
"Wait…leader? Wait…how can you come to all these assumptions?" Ash was skeptical.
"Ash, as a connoisseur, well, a connoisseur in training, you have to be able to create a bond with any Pokémon so that you can communicate with and understand them; in addition to being able to test the bonds of other trainers and their Pokémon. I could be very wrong, but the way that Rufflet shot Cottonee a stare, and the fact that Cottonee didn't retort an equally menacing stare, which wild Pokémon do as a part of their nature, lets me know that this Cottonee is somewhat traumatized by this Rufflet." As he was explaining he was petting Cottonee. "And a logical assumption is that this Rufflet not being in its natural environment causes it to be restless and makes it battle anything, which explains why it up and attacked Pikachu. Also, in its restlessness, it probably attacked the Cottonee group. Is that right?" Darrien asked after fleshing out his thoughts.
"NEE! NEE!" Cottonee nodded excitedly, and jumped into Darrien's afro.
"But what makes you say this is the leader Cottonee?" Ash asked.
"Well, different Pokémon assume different roles for their leaders. Some leaders protect the rest of the group, while in other situations; the rest of the group protects the leader. This Cottonee managed to get away, which it wouldn't be able to do without having other Cottonee protecting it." Darrien stated.
"Nee…" Cottonee started to feel bad.
"But you did the right thing! Now we can help ya out!" Ash tried to make it feel better.
"Pika!" Pikachu added on.
"So, I know that somewhere in this forest is a rest stop. We can transport these Cottonee to that point, and then continue to Nacrene City. What do you say about that?" Darrien asked.
"But how are we going to do that?" Ash asked.
"We have sheets, and fabric we use to make tents. It just means that we have to use our ingenuity." Darrien was set on helping these Cottonee.
"Ok! I'm with you! Let's transport these Cottonee, then on to Nacrene City!" Ash cemented the plan. As he said that, rain water trickled from the trees above, and into his mouth, causing him to cough dramatically, causing Darrien, Pikachu, and Cottonee to laugh.
The fog began to clear, but the rain was still coming down hard. "Can you believe we only dropped 3 feet? I thought we were down a cliff!" Bianca said to her Oshawott, who was still mentally recovering from the fall. "Either way, that light was just this pretty little Blitzle…" Bianca noted as the Blitzle sparkled as it grazed. "Being in the rain is no fun…" Suddenly, Bianca began to hear whimpering and crying. "Dear Oshawott, is that you?" Bianca asked,
"Osha?" Oshawott had no idea what she was going on about.
"You didn't hear that? It sounds like something's in pain…" The whining sound continued, and the cry lingered. Bianca quickly got up. "I feel terrible hearing this. Oshawott, you're a Pokémon. Your hearing is better than mine. Where is that sound coming from?" Bianca asked.
Oshawott listened out then shrugged. The rainfall was overpowering the sound. The whimpering continued. "Ugh, I can't take it anymore! Wherever you are, paining creature, I'm coming to the rescue!" Bianca ran off blindly, Oshawott in hand, closer and closer to the sound.
Darrien and Ash were treading through Pinwheel Forest, holding a massive sheet, made of multiple tied fabrics. On top of the sheet were multiple Cottonee, most fainted, and some who were coming to.
"Nee!" The main Cottonee was consoling all of the waking Cottonee, who were shocked and unaware of what was currently happening. Pikachu was consoling them as well.
"So, you know where we're going, right?" Ash called out at the front.
From the back, Darrien called out, "No idea! But if we keep traveling, we'll come across a rest stop. There are many located around here because so many people get lost!"
"Ok, let's just hope that we find it before it gets too dark…" Ash said worriedly while looking up at the sky. The two continued to lift their surprisingly feather-weight load in search of a rest stop.
"AWW! HOW CUTE!" Bianca found the source of the whining, and it was a Lillipup that was in pain while drenched from the rain. She picked it up. "Ow!" Something pricked her.
"Osha!" Oshawott pointed to a splinter in Lillipup's paw.
"Oh! Thanks Dear Oshawott!" Bianca pulled out the splinter. "There! All better!" She said joyfully.
"PUP! PUP! PUP!" The Lillipup jumped onto her and began to lick her face happily and wouldn't stop.
"Osha…" Oshawott awkwardly stood there watching what was going on. Bianca couldn't stop laughing and was clearly enjoying the moment as well. "Osha…" Oshawott noticed as the Blitzle began to recede back to the spots from where they hid and looked at the sky. The grey clouds began to clear away. "Wott?" Was the rainfall over?
"Would you look at that? Dear Oshawott and Cutie Lillipup! We're finally safe from the rain! Everything's going to be all right!" Bianca cheered.
"B! B! Do you hear me?" Hilda's voice was in the far distance.
"HEY! HILDA?! CHEREN!? I'm over here!" Bianca happily shouted out. As she was doing this the Lillipup began to roll around and chase its tail. Oshawott observed this weird behavior.
"STAY THERE, B! We're coming!" Cheren responded.
"We'll be reunited soon, guys!" Bianca was happy.
"Pup?" Lillipup looked up expectantly at Bianca with its big eyes.
"Oh yeah, Lillipup, you'll meet Cheren and Hilda. They're my two best friends in the world, and I'm journeying with them!" She said happily.
"Pup!" It licked Bianca's face and began to play with her, repeating the scuffle that happened before. Oshawott began to play with some of the flowers nearby.
"Pika…" Pikachu suddenly became alert and looked off at a nearby shrub.
"Nee?" The leader Cottonee was curious as to what Pikachu noticed.
"What's wrong guys?" Darrien asked, being the only one who could notice as he was rearing the back.
"Pikapi…" Pikachu knew something was wrong.
"RUFF!" Rufflet quickly charged at Pikachu! This charge was a lot faster than the previous one, and Pikachu couldn't detect it this time and Rufflet slashed right past him, causing him to fall off the sheet, getting the attention of everyone this time! Ash and Darrien put down the sheet.
"Nee!" The leader Cottonee had to keep the other Cottonee calm, hiding its own fear at the moment.
"Hey! Rufflet, I know that this isn't your environment, but what was that Aerial Ace for?!" Ash scolded.
"RUFF! LET!" The Rufflet sliced the air, causing barely visible ripples, and shot them towards Ash!
"CHU!" Pikachu intercepted with Thunderbolt!
"Well if it's a fight you want it's a fight you'll get! Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Ash commanded.
"Pika!" Pikachu charged at Rufflet, leaving a white stream behind it.
"RUFF!" Rufflet quickly took to the skies.
"Some speed…" Darrien noted.
"RRRRUUUUUFFF!" Rufflet came charging down at Pikachu, with its talons elongated and glowing.
"Look out, Ash! That's Crush Claw!" Darrien shouted from the sidelines.
"Pikachu, quick, Iron Tail to counter!"
"Pika!" Pikachu's tail became engulfed in what seemed like metal filling, and it clashed with Rufflet's claws, sending both Pokémon back.
"Ruff…" Rufflet began to spark yellow.
"Pika…" Pikachu smiled.
"Great job! Your Static is as good as ever, Pikachu!" Ash shouted out.
"Ruff…" Rufflet was having trouble moving.
"This Rufflet's strong. It's a great battling partner. Hey, what about catching it?" Ash suggested.
"Pika?" Pikachu was surprised.
"RUFF!" When Rufflet heard that, it came charging at Pikachu at full speed with Aerial Ace, fighting the paralysis.
"Ok! Pikachu, charge with Volt Tackle!" Ash commanded.
"Pikapikapikapikapikapikapikapikapikapikapikaaa!" Pikachu became outlined in yellow and black and contacted head-first with the Rufflet, creating a massive explosion.
"NEE!" the Cottonee began to huddle in fear.
"I got ya…" Darrien and the leader Cottonee huddled over them, making sure they were calm and safe.
When the smoke cleared, Pikachu was breathing heavily and sparking. The Rufflet was nowhere in sight. "Darn it! It got away! That would've been a great addition to our team! It's not every day that we meet a wild Pokémon that can keep Pikachu on his toes…" Ash said disappointedly.
"It's all right, Ash. We have a responsibility right now, to these Cottonee. We have to get them to a rest stop, so an actual medic can take care of them." Darrien reminded Ash.
"Oh, yeah, they could take a look at Pikachu too!" Ash added in. He and Darrien made sure everyone was safe on the sheet, and they continued their trek through Pinwheel Forest.
'Lillipup, the Puppy Pokémon. The long hair around its face provides an amazing radar that lets it sense subtle changes in its surroundings.'
"So, when did you find this little cutie?" Hilda asked, picking up the Lillipup and admiring it.
"Actually, I found it not too long before you and Cheren called out for me." Bianca admitted.
"B, you have to stop straggling behind like this! We were worried about you." Cheren admitted.
Bianca sighed. "I know, Cheren. It's just that, I was feeling down. But, this little trip, well, I'm rethinking things. Of course, it's going to be tough in the beginning; it wouldn't be a journey if it was easy from the start. So, I'm going to keep trying with Oshawott, and complete the Pokédex for the professor!" Bianca proclaimed.
"B, that's great! I'm so happy that you're thinking optimistically! But, I'm curious. What made you rethink things?" Hilda asked.
"Well, when I fell today, I thought that well…it was over. But, it wasn't. And I realized that life's too short to sit around feeling sorry for yourself and I should have as much fun as I possibly can!" Bianca said happily.
"B, I wanted to say that-"Cheren started when Bianca cut him off.
"There's no need." Bianca stood up. "Well, I've held us all up for long enough! Let's get going to Striaton City!" Bianca shouted.
The group began to walk away. "Pup! Pup!" Lillipup kept on following Bianca.
"Sorry, cutie, but I have to go now!" Bianca said in a baby voice. Lillipup frowned and let out a whimper. It then began to walk away.
"Bianca! You're letting something that cute get away? That's surprising." Hilda admitted.
"Well, what can I do? I can't just carry it around! Then there's no space for Oshawott." Bianca said blatantly.
"Why don't you catch it? You know, in a POKÉ BALL!" Cheren said heavily sarcastically. Hilda ignored him this time.
"Oh yeah! Hey, cutie Lillipup, do you want to come along with me? I'm pretty sure we'll have lots of fun and lots of adventures!" Bianca was smiling.
"Pup!" Lillipup jumped into Bianca's arms and licked her face. In doing this, Bianca unconsciously dropped Oshawott, who looked on as its trainer loved another Pokémon.
"Osha…" it looked down sadly.
Darrien and Ash came into a clearing. The rain had stopped a while before, so they weren't fearful of being drenched. "Pika!" Pikachu pointed off in the distance, grabbing the attention of everyone. There was a cabin house, with a giant P on the roof.
"That must be it! Over there is a rest house! See, Ash, I told you that we would make it!" Darrien said happily.
"Ok, let's get a move on!" he said. Ash and Darrien began to jog towards the cabin. While running, two invisible ripples struck the floor in front of Ash's feet. "What the-" He stopped in his tracks, causing a train wreck with Darrien not expecting this, and some Cottonee falling off the sheet. Ash and Darrien lowered the sheet.
"What's wrong, Ash?" Darrien asked.
"I swear that was just an Air Slash…that must mean Rufflet is back for more!" Ash said while looking up in the sky, looking for Rufflet.
"NEE!" The Rufflet was tormenting the Cottonee once again.
"This is crazy! This Rufflet isn't being reasonable anymore! A Pokémon will be threatened if it's in an environment unnatural to it, but usually it won't start fights when unneeded. This Rufflet is rogue! I don't know what we can do besides defeating it!" Darrien claimed.
"Ok, this is another chance at catching a strong Pokémon! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on the Rufflet to direct its attention away from the Cottonee!" Ash commanded.
"CHU!" Pikachu let loose a well-controlled bolt of electricity at Rufflet, as to not hit the Cottonee.
"RUFF! RUFF! LET!" The Rufflet shouted in pain. Then its beak glowed and it began to peck the Cottonee repeatedly!
"What are you attacking them for? They didn't do anything!" Ash shouted.
Darrien couldn't bear to watch helplessly, even though he had no Pokémon of his own. "Cottonee, protect your group! Fight!" Darrien shouted.
"Nee?" the leader asked. It was being protected by the rest of its group like it was previously.
"I know that you usually are protected, but now's the time to pay them back for their loyal service to you!" Darrien said encouragingly. He nodded. The Cottonee then nodded in response.
"NEE!" Cottonee focused, and then it became outlined in red and charged at Rufflet.
"RUFF?!" Rufflet was taken aback. Then, suddenly one by one, all the other Cottonee began to be outlined in red and charged at Rufflet! Even Pikachu became outlined in red and charged at Rufflet!
"What's this?!" Ash was surprised.
"It's Beat Up! A move rarely known by Cottonee! It makes all of its allies team up on one Pokémon! A great move when used by a leader!" Darrien was happy.
"RUFF!" After all of the hits the Rufflet began to fly away.
"No you don't, go Poké Ball!" Ash threw the Ball but then Rufflet kicked it back at his face and flew off. Pikachu, Darrien, and the Cottonee laughed.
…...
It wasn't long until they reached the rest house. "Thank you very much for taking the time to bring these Cottonee here. There have been several reports of that rogue Rufflet appearing and battling many Pokémon. I just wish someone would do something about it." The receptionist said sadly.
"Oh! I was so close to catching it!" Ash sighed.
"Pika…" Pikachu sighed too.
"Young man, if you were to catch that Rufflet, it would be great! Please, don't give up trying!" the receptionist said encouragingly.
"So, these Cottonee are good now, right? It's safe for us to leave?" Darrien confirmed.
"Yes, they are in safe hands. Thanks again for your help." The receptionist let them go. "Wait, excuse me!" Ash and Darrien turned around. "This Cottonee, it seems to want to see one of you…."
"Nee!" The Cottonee jumped into Darrien's afro. "Nee…" it began to nuzzle in his hair.
"What are you doing, Cottonee?" Darrien asked jokingly.
"I think it wants to come with us! You said something about a bond with Pokémon, right Darrien? I think this bond is obvious!" Ash said happily.
"But…I can't… you're a leader! You have a responsibility. Your group needs you." Darrien said sternly.
"We'll take care of these Cottonee, there's no need for worry about them. If this Cottonee does go with you, it will be missed, but surely the Cottonee will elect a new leader for their group." The receptionist reassured.
"Well…" Darrien began to contemplate.
"Nee…" Cottonee was anxious.
"Welcome aboard! Cottonee, you'll be my first Pokémon, my vintage, my premium brand!" Darrien pointed out excitedly.
"NEE!" Cottonee shouted happily.
Darrien took out a Poké Ball, and Cottonee happily jumped inside. It shook three times, then stopped. "ALL RIGHT, I GOT A COTTONEE!" Darrien was super excited.
Ash began to laugh.
"What's so funny?" Darrien asked.
"Remember a couple days back when you called me a kid? Who's the kid now?" Ash joked.
"Oh you!" Darrien chased after Ash, who ran out of the rest stop and dashed towards Nacrene City.
Not one, but two of our heroes have new additions to heir ever-growing family. Now, with Ash's sights refocused on Nacrene City and Cheren's, Bianca's, and Hilda's sights set on Striaton City, what adventures lay ahead? Well, the journey continues…
Author's Note: *Unfortunately, I'm going on holiday, so there won't be new chapters for a while. However, once I'm back, I'll have a lot of free time, and there'll be a lot of new chapters!*