Yeah, this chapter is short. But think of it as something like a break from all the intense action.

Chapter 26: A Time of Respite

"You actually took down Hunter Jay? THE Hunter Jay and her Salamence?" Officer Jenny was staring at Blue in shock after her told her what happened, he kept it secret about the part with Mew of course.

The entire place was surrounded by cops and other Officer Jennys, they had arrested Hunter Jay while she was unconscious and returned her Salamence in her Poke Ball, Blue was holding the baby Kangaskhan since she wanted his company due to so many people here.

"Well it certainly wasn't easy, but we couldn't just let her get away with hurting and stealing the Pokemon like that." Blue said with a serious frown.

"I've heard that Hunter Jay had recently gotten a Key Stone from the Kalos Region from a client she pleased, and a Salamencite from another client in the Hoenn region, nobody could stop her and that Mega Salamence of her's, so if what you're saying is true, then on behalf of regions and Officer Jennys everywhere, we salute you and Ash's bravery and skills as Pokemon Trainers to put a stop to her once and for all." Jenny said with a salute.

"Thank you, but it's not necessary, we were only doing what was right. And speaking of which, how is Tommy? Did he find his parents?" Blue asked.

"Yeah, it was actually because of Tommy and the Kangaskhan herd that we knew something was terribly wrong, the boy kept screaming about a strong dragon hunter, so I called for all the back-ups I could get, figuring it was Hunter Jay, but it took too long and by the time we came, the battle was over. On the plus side, Tommy did reunite with his parents and they decided to stay here and help out with the Pokemon Preserve if it means staying with their little boy." Jenny gave a smile. "Good parents would do anything to keep their child happy as well as care for their well being."

Blue nodded, he had seen first hand what a parent would do to keep their child safe, he's sure Mew would never dare reveal herself to him and especially Hunter Jay if not for the fact Ash, her child, was in danger. "Speaking of parents, do you know where this one's is? She seemed to have gotten lost, I found her alone and injured."

Jenny looked at the baby Kangaskhan in his arms, surprised, "You mean it's not yours? But it seems pretty attached to you."

The boy shrugged, "That's because I've helped her, but she still does want her mother back."

"Hmm… well, you might be able to find her among the Kangaskhan herd not too far from here." Jenny said. "They should be somewhere in the area since they sensed the threat is gone."

Blue nodded to her, "Thanks, I'll go find her parent and be on my way."

"Don't be a stranger now, you did help save this place after all." Jenny said with a smile to him.

Blue nodded to her again before he ran off, he didn't tell Jenny that he had the Key Stone and Salamencite since it would make it look like he stole them, and Mew gave those to him, so she trusted him to keep those stones safe from people like Hunter Jay.

As Blue was moving, he couldn't help but think about Ash. I wonder how he's doing now? I'm sure he'll be fine with Mew taking care of him, but… now… I actually kinda miss home.

"Memma!" The baby Kangaskhan in his arms called out cheerfully.

Blue looked up to see to Kangaskhan herd and one of the parent Kangaskhan turned, its pouch was empty and it saw the baby in Blue's arms, she went over to him. Blue cautiously set the baby down, not wanting the parent to think he kidnapped her or anything, Kanagakhan, or any mother for that matter, gets really overprotective when it comes to their babies.

"I found your child lost and injured, I treated her wounds and brought her back to you." Blue said calmly to the parent Kangaskhan as she picked up the baby.

The parent Kangaskhan put her child into her pouch before she looked at Blue and said, "I thank you, young man, for saving my child, I was worried for her."

"Yeah, just be a bit more careful not to lose her next time." Blue said as he turned and began to walk away.

"W-wait, please, don't go!" Blue heard the baby Kangaskhan called out to him.

Turning, Blue frowned, seeing the baby holding out its arms at him, he looked up at the parent, who seemed pretty amused by it. "I'm sorry, but you have to stay with your Memma."

"Hehe, it seems that my child's grown quite attached to you." The mother Kangaskhan said with a chuckle. "We have a rule about humans here, and one of them is if they gain our trust, we go with them, especially if our child wants to go."

Blue nearly faceplanted, "A-are you serious? But I just-"

"Young man, you can't expect to just leave after saving my only daughter without gaining our trust did you? And both of us had wanted to see the world outside of this safari anyway." Kangaskhan smiled.

Blue brushed his hand at the back of his head, he really wasn't expecting this. How does this keep happening to me?

Meanwhile, somewhere a place secluded with trees, Ash was still unconscious, but he felt something… or someone trying to talk to him, and they sounded familiar.

Ash felt like he was underwater, he couldn't move or open his eyes, all he could do was sit still, but he could hear someone.

"Hello? Who's there…?"

"Where… am… I…? I am… I am ready… to be…"

Ash is sure he's heard that voice before… a while back, he's sure… "Can you hear me? Hello?"

"..."

"Um… please… tell me… can you hear me?"

"Is… is someone else here?"

Ash is sure he knew that voice, it sounded familiar… and yet different somehow. "I'm Ash… and you are?"

"Ash… Ash…. I… I think… I know you…"

"You do? Please… can you tell me your name?"

"..."

"... Hello?"

"I… I remember…"

"What?"

But that was the end of the conversation, because Ash could not hear the voice anymore, and the water disappeared… Ash could hear the sounds of Pidgey chirping and the Bug Pokemon humming. The boy began opening his eyes slowly, feeling like he could move again.

Ash blinked when he saw Storm and the newly evolved Scorch sleeping beside him peacefully, but where was Mew? He was sure he saw her earlier before he blacked out.

"Storm… Scorch…?" Ash was surprised that his voice cracked a bit, must be weak from all that shouting earlier- but he noticed his body wasn't feeling as injured as before. The last time something like this happened was… after his first match with Dustin in Celadon City.

His eyes widened, and the young boy quickly sat up, looking around. T-that's right…! I was facing Hunter Jay… A-and then the Mega Salamence used Dragon Pulse to counter Blastoise's Ice Beam… And after that, then what? … But before that… Scorch evolved…

The boy looked at the sleeping shiny Charmeleon curiously, tilting his head- he had learned about Charmeleon with his Memma before, and he also knew many inexperienced Trainers have a hard time controlling Charmeleon as they love to battle stronger enemies but are hard to handle if they deem their Trainers not worthy. Remembering this made Ash worry a bit on how Scorch will act now that she evolved, he hadn't expected her to for a while.

I mean… if she doesn't think I'm worth her time, will she even look at me anymore? the Trainer thought to himself nervously, crossing his arms in thought. Sure, she was loyal to me as a Charmander- but it probably didn't transfer over to being a Charmeleon… But still… she evolved to protect me, didn't she?

These doubts plague the young boy, he wasn't sure if he was ready for his Pokemon's evolution. Sure his Pokemon are getting stronger, but is he getting any better as a Trainer?

"Oh Ashy, you worry too much- you've grown just as much as they did. I'm glad to sense you're awake now." Ash jumped, hearing Mew's voice in his head.

"M-Memma!" He quickly turned around to see the pink cat floating over from the nearby forest, dozens of Berries in her arms. "W-what are those for?"

"I figured you were hungry, Ashy- after all, your body took a lot of damage and had to heal all those wounds, I wouldn't be surprised if you were hungry enough to eat a Snorlax." Mew spoke up gently as she put the berries on top of a big leaf.

"...E-eheheh…" Ash sweatdropped, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well, I guess so… but I'm okay, really I am!"

"You could've died back there! I don't like it when you're threatened Ash, you know this. I had to step in… that Mega Salamence would've finished you off with that Hyper Beam otherwise." Mew said with a serious tone, crossing her arms.

"I know, Memma, I know…" Ash sighed, looking down at the ground and beginning to poke a hole in the dirt. "It's not like I enjoy nearly dying- sometimes it just happens because of me being a Trainer… I'm sorry…"

"No, I'm sorry Ash- I feel like it's my fault you're constantly in danger. People aim for you because they also want me, so they aim for you if they're a Child of Legendary and are against me." Mew frowned sadly as Ash began munching on some berries.

Ash shrugged, munching on an Oran Berry. "Yeah, but I would be in danger no matter what, right?"

Mew sighed as she began eating some Cheri Berries. "Well… Pokemon Trainers would naturally bring danger to themselves- it comes with the territory, traveling in regions, meeting new people, both good and bad, and seeing many wild Pokemon, some more aggressive than others. But I feel like I bring you a lot more danger sometimes, which is why I want to keep an eye on you."

Ash shrugged again, munching on Pecha Berries this time. "And that knocks out what makes me being your child so dangerous, right? You're there to protect me, after all!"

"Of course, but that too comes with risk on my part. I had to reveal myself to Blue and Hunter Jay." Mew explained, making Ash drop the berries in shock.

"W-wait, what!?" The raven-haired boy looked up at his Memma, his eyes wide. "You had to show yourself to Blue? And- and to HER? Are you okay!?"

"I'm fine Ash, really! Hunter Jay has been arrested and she won't be getting out any time soon, and she'll most likely either think she's crazy or they think she IS crazy. Blue… Well, I know we can trust him." Mew said, trying to reassure him.

"Still, what if we hadn't gotten rid of Hunter Jay's petrification ray?" Ash asked with a worried frown, still looking extremely nervous. "She could've caught you!"

"But she didn't. There's a reason why no human was able to catch me for thousands of years, Ashy- put a little more faith in your Memma." Mew chuckled before raising an eyebrow. "But I heard your worried thoughts about Scorch's evolution earlier… Ashy, do you really think you're not worthy enough for her?"

"I- w-well of course no…" Ash hesitated, stopping anything he was about to say as he glanced down at the dirt hole he had been making earlier. "...I… I dunno, Memma."

"Well Ash, you still have a lot to learn, but don't think you're not growing with your Pokemon. Scorch was worried for you." Mew said with a sigh.

Ash sighed too before he said, crossing his arms, "I hope we don't have to go up against another Trainer with one of those Key Stones- a Mega Evolution seems way out of our league right now."

Mew shrugged. "Well, it's up to you for now- but don't worry, Mega Evolution isn't too common here in Kanto. Only a few people use it, including the current Pokemon League Champion, and he only got it after defeating the former champion, Blue!"

"Oh yeah, where's Blue anyway?" Ash asked, frowning curiously.

"Last time I checked, he was talking to the police about Hunter Jay." Mew answered with a shrug.

Storm and Scorch began stirring from their sleep, both of them slowly waking up. The Pikachu sat up and gave a yawn while the Charmeleon stretched out.

"Mmm… I had this really bad dream that Ash got hit on the head, and…" Storm paused, his mind quickly going over the memories that began flashing through his head after he said that. "..." The yellow mouse quickly sat up and looked around frantically, sighing in relief when he noticed his Trainer safe and sound. "Ash!"

Storm immediately jumped at the boy, glomping him and causing Ash to fall back. "You're alive! You're awake! I was so worried for you!"

"O-okay! Easy, Storm!" Ash sat up, petting the little Pikachu, who was still glomping him.

Scorch sat up and walked over to him, catching Ash's attention. "Well, well, well, look who finally decided to join the living."

Ash gave a nervous chuckle, "Y-yeah, I'm awake, uh… sorry to make you all worry like that." he couldn't help but study the newly evolved shiny Charmeleon. "So you've evolved I see."

Scorch gave a shrug and said, "Yeah, I like being a Charmander, but you were in danger and I had to do SOMETHING, on the plus side, I've gotten a lot stronger, from both the evolution and that battle itself."

"I thank you for that Scorch, but let me ask… do you still consider us as partners? I know Charmeleon won't respect a Trainer they deem weak and not worthy." Ash said to her seriously.

Scorch looked at him just as seriously before nodded, "You've gone through a lot on this journey, how could I NOT respect you? I may give a little attitude now and then, but never think I wouldn't respect you as a partner and a friend Ash."

Ash nodded and gave a sigh of relief, he had seen some Trainers having a hard time handling their Pokemon because they became too powerful for them to handle, "Thanks Scorch."

The boy then sat up and said, "We should go find Blue now, I'm sure he's worried after all that's happened, and I need to talk to him about Memma."

"Oh right… she did show herself to him right when she blasted Hunter Jay and her Salamence." Storm said with a small frown.

Ash looked up at the floating Mew above him, "Come on Memma, teleport us back to the safari, I need to talk to Blue and continue our journey."

Mew gave a small sighed and nodded, "You've seemed to have recovered enough… Alright, but be a bit more careful next time you challenge a big bad villain Ashy."

The boy nodded as Mew closed her eyes and a bright light enveloped the three, when Ash opened his eyes again, he was back in the safari reservation with Storm and Scorch beside him.

"Now where could Blue be?" Ash said as he looked around the place.

Mew floated beside him and said, "He should be close by."

"ASH!" Ash nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard said boy's voice shouting. "There you are!"

"Hey Blue! I was just about to go looking for you!" Ash said with an awkward smile.

"Are you kidding? You're the one who disappeared!" Blue pointed at him before he sighed. "How are you feeling? You got hit pretty bad back there."

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm a lot more resilient than I look and I've been through worse, so don't worry about me." Ash said with a small chuckle, he was still a bit uneasy to know that Blue now knows about Mew, and it didn't help said Mew was floating right there beside him.

Blue looked over at the floating pink legendary beside the younger boy, "... Mew, huh? Wow, I've heard legends and stories about you, but to actually see you up close and in person like this is an honor."

Mew giggled and said, "Hey now, no need to be so formal. I appreciate your concern and help you've provided for my little Ashy here."

"Oh come on Memma, not in front of Blue." Ash groaned, his cheeks blushing from embarrassment. Then he remembered. Oh wait, Blue can't understand Pokemon.

"Well, I'm glad your son's okay." Blue said in relief.

Ash blinked before he stared at Blue, "You… you know… she raised me?"

The spiky haired boy blinked at the raven black haired boy before something dawn on him. Oh crap, I've forgotten Ash doesn't know I can understand Pokemon! "Ah… uh… she uh… told me telepathically while you were unconscious!"

Ash crossed his arms, "... Blue, throughout my journey with you, you've showed signs of understanding Pokemon, much more than a simple communication with the heart, almost like you could have a conversation with them."

"What do you mean? I couldn't really…" Blue hesitated.

"Hey, what you did was brave back there." Scorch said to Blue, bringing his attention.

"Oh, hey, congratulations on your Charmander evolving." Blue said, trying to change the subject.

"Well to be honest, I was taken by surprise by it." Ash said with a small chuckle. "But Blue, did you understand what she just said? You know I can understand Pokemon, so why do you try to hide the fact you can too from me?"

This made the spiky haired older boy pause before he frowned, "I don't know what you mean…"

"Blue, come now, there's no reason to be afraid, go ahead and tell him." Mew said with a smile.

Ash looked at the Mew who raised him curiously before turning back to Blue, who just gave a sigh of defeat. "Alright, I'll admit it… I can talk to Pokemon."

"I knew it!" Ash smiled, glad that Blue finally admitted it rather than hiding it. "But why hide it? It's not like I'd think you were a freak for understanding Pokemon."

"It's because… I wanted you… to think I was normal. It's the same reason why I didn't tell you I was a former Champion of the Kanto region. Also, usually when you can talk to Pokemon it raises a lot of unwanted, personal questions." Blue explained.

"Yeah… I can relate." Ash sighed, remembering Brock and Misty's reaction when he told them he could understand Pokemon. "But come on Blue, you don't need to hide it from me! I mean, I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't exactly live a normal life." the boy gestured to the Mew floating beside him.

"Yeah, you've got a point there." Blue nodded in agreement.

"So now what? The human family are living together with the Kangaskhan, Hunter Jay is arrested, Ash is awake and recovered, do we leave now?" Storm asked, feeling tired of this place.

Ash nodded, "Yeah, as beautiful as this place is, I'm just about ready to get back on track and head to the Safari Zone to get a new team member."

"Well that's good, because the Safari Zone shouldn't be too far from here." Blue said. "Officer Jenny was nice enough to point out here it is on this map." The boy opened a map and pointed at a circle the officer probably drew.

"Well that's good." Ash said before turning to Scorch and Storm. "Alright, we're done here, it's time to move on to the Safari Zone."

"It's about time, hopefully the next team member will be a good one." The golden Charmeleon said with a slight attitude.

Ash held out the Cherish Ball and returned Scorch into it as Mew transformed into a Meowth again. Storm jumped to Ash's shoulder. And for the two humans and the two Pokemon with them, they continued on their way to the Safari Zone.

The idea Ash may not be able to handle Scorch as a Charmeleon came from the canon universe where Ash really couldn't handle his Charmeleon and Charizard until much later, thankfully this Ash won't have that problem. Thank you for reading and a review is always appreciated. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.