Chappie 3 is here! A big thanks to Coranth and imagine100perc, who took the time to review. I've finally cleared a really nasty block, so hopefully the chapters will go a bit faster now...although it looks like the real plot won't show itself until Chapter 6 or so... I seem to have the inability to stick to one specific plot.
This one's even longer than the last - hopefully it'll be satisfactory.
------------
A Different Kind of Soulmate
Chapter 3: Green-Eyed Monster
------------
The next day found the friends knocking on the door to Oak's lab bright and early in the morning. Too excited to sleep, and feeling totally rejuvenated, they had wanted to set out as early as possible. They had already said their goodbyes to Ash's Mom, who only looked on this as one journey in many, and felt that it was way overdue. Consequently, she was not very worried, and their goodbye was not particularly heart wrenching or long. And when not bogged down with tons of research equipment, the distance to Oak's lab was not quite as horrible as they had remembered.
The door was answered fairly quickly and opened to reveal a cheerful professor. Apparently all the talk of new discoveries had been enough to override his concern for Ash's safety.
"Ash, Pikachu!" he greeted cheerfully. "Come in! I suppose you have all the supplies for your journey with you already?"
In reply Ash shrugged his shoulder to display his backpack and passed Oak to enter the lab. Oak followed and eventually led the trainer to the pokemon storage area.
"So Ash," Oak began, "have you given any thought as to what pokemon you will bring with you?"
"Well…" Ash scratched his head in uncertainty as he stared up at the towering rows of pokeballs. "Sort of…but I'm still not sure which one."
"One?" Oak looked puzzled. "Does that mean you'll only be taking one other pokemon with you?" Ash glanced at Oak, a bit embarrassed.
"Yeah…" he replied hesitantly. He then attempted to explain, "I'll have my strongest pokemon with me anyways." Pikachu gave a chirp at this, happy with the praise. "And the woman said it had to be me and Pikachu alone, and it would be a lot easier to transfer one other back when we get there rather than five. So basically all I know is that whoever it is, they have to be strong where Pikachu is weak, in case we run into any trouble."
"Hmmm," Oak rubbed his chin in thought. "Well, that seems to point to either a grass or water pokemon." His gaze settled on a pokeball and his eyes lit up. "I know! How about Bayleef? She's a grass type, and she's so attached to you, I'm sure she'd love to go."
"Alright, yeah!" Ash also perked up, happy at the decision. "Bayleef it is!"
Oak nodded and punched some numbers into the keyboard of the computer console nearby. A mechanical arm reached around and plucked out a seemingly random pokeball from the masses. Oak picked it up and held it out to Ash, who took it.
Pikachu stared at the ball in Ash's hand with some misgivings. She remembered how jealous Bayleef had been of her and Pikapi's closeness, and she was not exactly ecstatic at the prospect of the grass pokemon being their only other companion on this journey. Undoubtedly Bayleef would be out more when it was just the three of them, and would seek to take Pikachu's place in Ash's affections whenever she could. While Pikachu was confident that her best friend would not abandon her, it would certainly mean less time together, just the two of them. Those were the times when Pikachu was happiest, and she was loath to give up even a moment.
She must have made some outward sign of her discontent, because Ash turned to her with slight concern to ask if she thought there was a problem with bringing Bayleef. Pikachu gave herself an inward shake and reminded herself that Bayleef was strong, otherwise nice, and extremely loyal to Ash, all in all the best pokemon for the job, not to mention her type advantages. And, she forced herself to acknowledge, I spend all my time with Pikapi. It's rare for Bayleef to be able to spend time with her trainer. She'll love this, and the least I can do is to let her have his attention for a little while. I have it all the time; surely it won't be so bad to lose a little of it?
"Kachu," Pikachu reassured Ash, adopting a false cheerfulness to cover her uncertain feelings.
"Alright, if you're sure you don't have a problem with it," Ash conceded, shooting her a glance even as he turned his head away, not completely buying her answer. He assumed she would tell him whatever it was eventually if it was important, and if it was really something major, that she wouldn't have tried to hide it. With a small grin returning to his face, he rolled the red and white ball around in his hand and gave it a small toss.
"Bayleef, I choose you!"
The ball split down the middle in midair and opened as if on hinges, releasing a jagged white light. The light uncurled itself from the ball and leapt down to the floor, beginning to form a shape. Ash opened his hand in reflex and caught the falling, empty ball that had been abandoned by the light which had now very definitely settled into the shape of a bayleef. Now still, the bright white glow quickly faded, revealing the green and yellow creature.
"Bay!" the creature chirped in greeting even before realizing where she was. With the greeting done, however, she was free to examine her surroundings. She blinked in the bright glare of the lab lights and looked confused for a second before her eyes settled on Ash. With a joyous shout of recognition, she ran towards him for a hug. Ash happily complied and gave her a hug around her long neck as she snuggled her head, leaf and all, against his chest. Pikachu settled down on Ash's shoulder and tried not to dig her claws in too much.
"Glad to see you too," Ash told her when they had separated. He grinned and tilted his head to the side in mock consideration. "Me and Pikachu are going on a little trip. Want to come?"
"Bay bay!" She nodded enthusiastically to his offer. Then she tilted her head to the side in question. "Bayleef bay?" she asked, gesturing to herself, Ash and Pikachu.
"Um, yeah, it'll just be the three of us," Ash confirmed, guessing correctly at her meaning. "Still up for it?"
"Bay!" she cheered, going in for another hug. Pikachu's ears flattened.
"It's good to see that you two are still so close," Professor Oak commented once their second hug had ended. "It will certainly help you on this journey to have two pokemon who are so strongly attached to you."
"Pika!" Pikachu piped up, hearing herself mentioned. But her contribution only got her a quick glance from Ash before he was focused on Bayleef again.
"You bet!" Ash agreed, giving Bayleef a scratch. "It's gonna be great!"
"Bayleef baybay!" Bayleef also agreed, even more enthusiastically.
"Pi…pikachu," Pikachu muttered to herself, turning away so Ash wouldn't hear her. As they said their goodbyes to the Professor and left the lab, heading for Viridian City, the next town over, she let her sarcastic words echo in her head. Yeah…great.
(o. o)-/
"Pikachu? Are you okay, pal?"
"Pi?" Pikachu answered a question with a question, sounding confused. She lifted her head from where it had been resting against Ash's neck and looked at him questioningly.
"It's just that you're being so quiet, and you've been sitting there all day…" Ash explained. He was worried. Pikachu had said almost nothing since they left Pallet Town, and when she did speak she sounded almost sulky. Ash had been forced to talk and play only with Bayleef since he could hardly get Pikachu to say a word, and that had only seemed to annoy her further. He couldn't understand it. And she hadn't once moved from his shoulder, even when they stopped for a short rest. Usually she liked to do a bit of her own exploring whenever they went anywhere, or at the very least she would walk beside him for part of the way. He would have thought she was sick except for the sulkiness he detected on the rare occasions that she spoke. Like now.
"Pika!" she responded almost angrily to his concern. She vaulted off his shoulder and dashed into the woods on the side of the trail without even so much as a backward glance.
Ash shook his head. He knew what she was doing; she was picking on his concern by doing exactly what he said she should be. She was going off on her own, presumably to explore, or, perhaps more likely with her current state of mind, to sulk.
If it was anyone else, Ash's thoughts would be to leave them alone and let them work it out themselves, and hopefully they would eventually tell him what was wrong. But it wasn't anyone else. It was Pikachu, his best friend, and he couldn't just let it be and hope it worked itself out. The only thing he could think of was that whatever had been bothering her back at the lab was worse, and it really worried him that she wouldn't tell him what it was. It hurt, that she wouldn't trust him with it when he had thought they shared everything.
Bayleef butted her head against his arm and moved up beside him so that his hand was resting comfortably on top of her head. "Bay?" she asked, concerned.
Ash forced a smile and gave Bayleef a scratch. "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just keep going, I'm sure she won't fall behind."
"Bayleef bay!" the grass pokemon replied more cheerfully. The remaining two travelers set off down the path once more, but the third traveler, having seen the whole exchange, only fled deeper into the forest.
(o. o)
Pikachu rejoined the group 30 minutes later, sulkiness notwithstanding. When the trio reached Viridian it was not yet lunch, and they continued on after a brief rest and snack. After a short time of walking down dusty little roads they reached Viridian Forest. With only a slight hesitation on Ash and Pikachu's part to enter the gloom they continued on through the forest. The darkness that enveloped them as soon as they entered was enough to send Pikachu back up to Ash's shoulder for comfort. Ash stroked her a bit to soothe her and whispered to her that it was only a forest, and although her retreat to the safety of her trainer was more a reaction to discomfort than any real fear she seemed pleased by the attention. After that she was in much better spirits and Ash couldn't detect anything unusual in her behaviour. Eventually he decided that it had been nothing big after all, but resolved all the same to ask her about it later.
At midday they decided to stop for lunch. Ash picked a spot where there were a few convenient rocks arranged for seating purposes, and they all settled down in comfortable positions to eat. Comfortable for Ash meant sitting on a rock with another rock to lean on; for Pikachu it meant sharing Ash's rock and nestling against him; and for Bayleef it meant settling down in a soft patch of grass and moss. Ash prepared food for both pokemon, and only when they were happily eating did he attend to himself. When he was finally ready to eat his sandwich, the pokemon were already halfway through their meals.
Pikachu, seeing this care on his part, regretted her earlier behaviour. Even though this was the way Ash always did lunch, seeing it after behaving so badly was humbling for Pikachu. She resolved never again to let her jealousy—for she had admitted to herself that that was what it was—get the better of her and make her act mean and petty. She was sorry for worrying Ash, now that she was rational enough to see his concern for what it was. No, she would not make that same mistake again.
However, no sooner had she made this resolution, than her jealousy was fired up once again. Bayleef, unoccupied by self-depricating thoughts as Pikachu was, had finished her lunch and decided to go sit beside Ash. Unfortunately for Pikachu, who was already sitting beside the trainer, Ash was leaning against a large rock, and the only available spot was the one Pikachu was currently occupying. Somehow Bayleef convinced herself that there was room for her between the two and wiggled in, forcing Pikachu farther away in the process. Pikachu eventually gave up the struggle to outshove a pokemon nearly ten times her weight, and jumped down from her rock, forced to abandon both her trainer and her unfinished lunch. She did her best to shoot daggers at Bayleef with her glare, but presumably she was unsuccessful since the other pokemon did not notice. Ash didn't notice any of this exchange, absorbed as he was in his food, and only smiled and scratched Bayleef's head when the grass pokemon butted his hand for attention.
Pikachu's fur bristled. He hadn't even noticed her absence! She had been curled up against him and he hadn't even noticed when Bayleef had taken her spot!
"Pikapi!" she protested, in the vain hope that he would by some miracle guess what was bothering her.
Ash lifted his head from his sandwich to look at her. When he saw nothing to warrant the outburst, an expression of confusion came to his face.
"Pikachu? What is it?" His gaze shifted around, and finally landed on her unfinished food dish. His face lit with understanding. "Oh! Here," he said, unfolding slightly to give her the dish. Bayleef complained softly at the movement. He glanced at her and gave her another scratch as he sat back down, but his gaze quickly returned to Pikachu. "Is that better?"
"Chu…" she muttered in reply. Ash took this as a yes, and was soon engrossed in finishing off his sandwich once again. Pikachu blinked at Ash and Bayleef, and then looked at her unfinished lunch, which was now lying at her feet. She stared at it for a minute longer, and decided that she wasn't really hungry any more. She turned on her heel decisively and dashed back into the depths of the forest, knowing she was being mean and petty, and finding that she didn't care.
Eventually she slowed her headlong dash to a more sedate walk. She had no idea how far she had gone while her only thought had been to get away from them, but that was a concern for later. As if on cue she wandered into a picturesque little clearing where a river branched off to form a small pool. Without a moment's thought to the possible dangers, Pikachu ran over to the little pool, skidding to a stop just short of falling in. She stared downstream where the little flow of water gurgled happily over the shallow rocks, making tiny rapids in some places. She saw a flash out of the corner of her eye, and when she whipped her head around, was sure she caught a glimpse of a Poliwag diving deeper underwater. She sighed and looked down at her own reflection in the calm surface of the pool.
Why is she even here? Pikachu questioned bitterly, her thoughts dwelling on the source of her ill mood. We haven't run into any trouble, and we probably won't for the rest of the journey. Pikapi isn't so famous yet that people everywhere would recognize him, and who would bother to attack a lone boy and his pikachu? Besides, it's not like there's a trainer anywhere that Pikapi and I can't beat. We're not the Champions for nothing. And that's another thing! We're the Champions, and I don't remember the prophecy mentioning the Champions plus Bayleef! It's supposed to be us…just us. It's been that way for so long now…Why can't it stay like that?
'They will be closer than any but the Champions can be…they will possess a relationship born of great understanding and friendship that others can only dream of…one that is truly magical.' That was what the book had said. That was what the prophecy had foretold. It was supposed to happen, supposed to be her and her Pikapi. Then why does it feel like it's falling apart?
It was while she was engaged in these troubling thoughts that danger presented itself. Occupied as she was, and unused to fending for herself in the wild as she had once—in a different lifetime it seemed—she didn't notice until it was already upon her. Then it was only her lightning reflexes that saved her.
"Pokeball, go!" Pikachu whipped around toward the voice just in time to smack a pokeball away with her thunderbolt-shaped tail. The ball splashed into the pool, disturbing the tranquility of the water in much the same way that the attempted capture had ripped apart Pikachu's reverie.
Pikachu jumped up into a fighting position, recovering quickly from her shock. Her tail quivered and sparks shot from her cheeks in righteous anger.
"Pikachu pika!" she shouted angrily in rebuke, forgetting momentarily that only Ash could understand Pika-speak. She glared fiercely at the trainer who had attempted such an inexperienced capture. The trainer, a young girl, was blinking her blue eyes in confusion at the water where the pokeball had disappeared. Her mousy brown hair was tied back in a ponytail, with two pokeballs hanging from a leather sash across her chest. She wore a light blue t-shirt with black cargo pants ending in blue-and-white sneakers. A small grey backpack hung from her shoulders. At the sound of an angry Pikachu, her eyes flicked back to the yellow mouse.
"Why didn't that work?" she muttered to herself, eyes flitting from Pikachu to the pool and back again. Suddenly her eyes lit up. "I remember! I have to weaken it first! Bulbasaur, go!"
"Pikaaa…." Pikachu sighed. She rolled her eyes and shifted her position a bit for maneuverability. Her fur bristled and her ears twitched as the other pokemon emerged from its ball in a flash of white light.
"Bulbasaur!" the small green creature cried. It stared at its surroundings with large red eyes, blinking slowly. Upon spotting Pikachu, the Bulbasaur gave its large bud a shake and stamped its feet threateningly.
"Pika pikachu, ka pi!" Pikachu cried, attempting to explain to the other pokemon that she already had a trainer, and that its owner couldn't capture her.
"Bulbasaur, go!" its trainer prompted, pointing her finger unnecessarily at Pikachu. "Tackle!"
"Pi-pikachu, pi!" Pikachu tried again, enforcing that she was not an enemy. Bulbasaur looked indecisive.
"Bulbasaur!" the girl cried, frustrated with Bulbasaur's inaction. "Tackle, already!"
"Pika pi pikachu!" Pikachu argued, with a firm shake of her head. Bulbasaur began to prepare a tackle anyway, it's obedience to its trainer winning out. Pikachu switched tactics. "Pika," she growled, giving the other pokemon a final warning of how strong she was. She let a stray shot of static from her cheek strike out to scorch the ground at its feet. It stopped once more.
"Bulbasaur," the trainer cried, her frustration now beginning to turn to sadness. "Why won't you listen to me? Tackle!"
"Bulba bulba bulbasaur," the bulbasaur finally told Pikachu. It would not disobey its trainer, even if the fight was already lost.
"Pikachu, kachu!" Pikachu threatened, telling it that she was the Pokemon Master's best fighter in a last ditch effort to make it call off the attack.
Bulbasaur only scoffed at her claim, and pawed the ground in preparation for its attack.
Fine then, Pikachu thought, resigned. I didn't want to do this, but if it won't listen to reason… Her eyes narrowed at her opponent and she rose up on the balls of her paws to be ready to dodge the tackle.
Bulbasaur rocked forward for its attack and charged at Pikachu, which she neatly sidestepped. The bulbasaur, pulled on by momentum, skidded to a stop just before falling into the pool. Pikachu watched sadly from a safe distance.
"Pika?" she asked vainly, hoping the other had seen the hopelessness of its situation.
"Bulba," it said, shaking its head. It turned to face her and waited for its next order.
"Tackle!" the girl shouted, and Bulbasaur launched into another charge. Pikachu neatly dodged once more, hesitant to hurt such an inexperienced battler. The girl called for yet another tackle, it being the only attack her bulbasaur knew.
This continued for some time, and Pikachu eventually found her thoughts straying from the completely unchallenging battle. She felt disturbed by the obedience that this pokemon displayed for its trainer, blindly following orders even when it knew that she was obviously wrong. It did not try to communicate with her or refuse to fight, it simply obeyed. For Pikachu this über-obedient mindset was incomprehensive, especially at such an early stage of the relationship, when no trust could yet have been forged. Even now Pikachu wouldn't hesitate to tell Ash when he was wrong about something, but she would also obey him even if she wasn't sure what his plan was, because she trusted him, and trusted that he did actually have a plan. But the difference between her and her Pikapi and this pair, she realized now, was that Ash would listen to what she said. Even if her bulbasaur had refused to fight, the girl would only have thought it disobedient and good-for-nothing. It would be treated like a slave, and its advice given about the same merit, just like the persian had said.
But that's always the trainer's option, isn't it? Pikachu thought dismally as she dodged yet another ill-executed tackle. Even with Pikapi. If he decided not to listen to me, there wouldn't be anything I could do about it. If he decided that he liked Bayleef better and left me at Oak's… She shuddered. That would never happen…but if it did… We're best friends, but shouldn't best friends be equal in all ways? …Can a pokemon and a trainer ever truly be best friends, even the Champions?
This last conclusion disturbed her so much that she paused, and consequently failed to dodge the next attack. The bulbasaur rammed into her side and she flew into the air, turning it into a backwards jump in midair. Still in midair, she sent a thunderbolt towards her attacker, acting purely on reflexes.
"CHUU!" she yelled as the electricity left her body and shot over to the bulbasaur, frying the naturally resistant grass pokemon. It gave a puff of smoke from its mouth and toppled over onto its side just as Pikachu landed lightly on all fours a few meters away.
"Pika…" she whispered to herself, feeling guilty about unleashing such a powerful attack on such a defenseless pokemon. She comforted herself with the observation that the bulbasaur had been wearing itself out anyways trying to hit her, that it would be fine once it reached a pokemon center, and that at least now the trainer would leave her be and she could get back to Ash.
Oh no! Pikachu thought, realization dawning. Pikapi! How long have I been gone? What if he's worried, or thinks something's happened to me? Worried herself over her trainer's possible worry, Pikachu turned to leave, but the trainer's next actions made her pause.
"Bulbasaur, return," she said, pulling the grass pokemon back inside its ball in a reverse flash of light. "You did your best," she murmured to the ball in her hands, and Pikachu's opinion of her rose considerably upon seeing that act of care. The trainer's eyes lifted back up to Pikachu, and her anger was apparent.
"This isn't over yet!" she warned the electric mouse, plucking the second pokeball off of her sash. "Rhydon, go!"
A…rhydon? Pikachu stared stupidly at the huge mound of living rock that now towered up above her. It opened its mouth and roared, proclaiming its strength. Pikachu did the only thing she could think of.
"PIKAPI!"
(o. o)-/
"PIKAPI!"
Ash and Bayleef both jerked their heads up at the cry, stopping their search for the little yellow mouse. Ash felt he could cry with simultaneous relief and worry; relief that they finally had a fix on where his best friend was, and worry at what could have prompted such a desperate cry. Before the cry's echo could so much as fade, both Ash and Bayleef were dashing in the direction of the call.
"Find Pikachu…help her," Ash panted when Bayleef, by far the faster of the two, hovered beside him for a moment for instructions. She nodded smartly at the orders and took off through the trees. Ash sped up, frantic to get to Pikachu as soon as he could, and not caring that Bayleef would be there to help anyways.
Finally, after what seemed like hours of following Bayleef's trail, the trees ended and Ash found himself on the edge of a small clearing. A small stream ran through it, forming a small pool at its center. But that was not its most noticeable feature by far. Beside the small pool, which was forming ripples every few seconds from huge footsteps, a pokemon battle was taking place. There, in that tiny idyllic clearing, Ash's best friend was facing down a towering rock nearly twenty times her size. Even as he watched, pausing to take in the amazing scene, his Pikachu scored a critical hit on the huge rhydon with a well-placed Iron Tail and it flinched, allowing the mouse to leap back out of range of any other attacks. Bayleef, he now noticed, was already halfway across the clearing, charging with a direct single-mindedness at the rhydon. Ash hovered a moment longer at the edge of the trees, still undetected by anyone. Suddenly he noticed a young girl standing behind the rhydon, frantically shouting and gesturing, but the pokemon was ignoring her. Amateur, Ash decided. But how did she get a hold of such a powerful pokemon?
The rhydon roared in surprise when Bayleef rammed into it at the end of her headlong charge, and Ash broke his cover. He sprinted across the clearing towards his two pokemon, shouting orders as he went.
(o. o)
"PIKAPI!"
Both trainer and rhydon stared at her stupidly after her outburst, expecting something, anything to happen. When nothing did, the rhydon took the initiative and came at her with a horn drill. She easily dodged its slow but scarily powerful strike and backed away nervously. Although she was used to fighting strong opponents, she always had Ash with her. This time she was alone, and everything was different. She felt awkward, like she didn't know what she was doing, like there was no hope of winning, alone as she was. She forced those feelings aside and concentrated on the battle as much as she was able, hoping with all her heart that Ash had heard her and was on his way now. If he was here with her, they could beat this thing, she knew it.
"Don!" the rhydon roared to the sky, preparing for an earthquake attack. Pikachu once again did the only thing she could think of and ran at the rhydon, distracting it from its planned earthquake. It swiped at her with one huge paw and she tumbled awkwardly out of the way. She dodged around behind it and back to the front as it lashed its tail at her much like a horse flicks its tail to get rid of an annoying fly. The rhydon then decided to ignore her and prepared for another earthquake. Pikachu desperately ran at it again, and when that didn't work, she followed through with the most powerful Iron Tail she could manage.
"Pika!" she yelled as she swung her shining silver tail into the rhydon's neck. Its roar changed to one of pain and it bent over. Pikachu leapt out of the way, barely, and backed away to get to a safe distance. The rhydon shook itself angrily as if to rid itself of the pain, and roared once more. Its horn began to spin again, Pikachu having apparently dissuaded it from trying another earthquake. Pikachu tensed herself to jump—
Suddenly a green blur slammed into the rhydon's side, causing it to abort its attack and give a roar of surprise. It staggered a few steps from the hit and the green blur that was Bayleef twisted in midair to land protectively in front of Pikachu.
"Bay!" she challenged, giving her leaf a warning twirl and standing firmly in front of Pikachu, legs spread out and claws digging into the soft earth.
The rhydon gave its loudest, angriest roar yet and regained its balance. Its horn began to spin yet again, and its next roar mingled with the sound of rock scratching against rock to make a very unpleasant noise. Pikachu forced herself not to flinch, not to run, and Bayleef did the same. They both waited together for the strike to fall. Finally the spinning reached its highest pitch and the rhydon reared up for its strike…And suddenly Ash was there, yelling orders.
"Bayleef, use your vines to jump! Pikachu, get out of there!" Needing no further prompting, Pikachu leapt clear of the incoming horn even as Bayleef easily vaulted away from the danger. She determinedly kept her eyes focused on the battle, knowing that if she looked at her Pikapi now, she would lose her concentration.
"Now, Bayleef! Solarbeam!" Ash directed, fighting to be heard over the roars. At the apex of her jump, Bayleef hovered a moment to collect sunlight. Then she fell back down to the ground, landing easily, and without a moment's hesitation shot a powerful solarbeam straight at the rhydon. It was a direct hit; the concentrated sunlight hit the other pokemon dead on. Already weakened from Pikachu's Iron Tail, the solarbeam proved to be way too much. It gave one last pitiful roar and toppled over, making the earth shake with the impact. Its trainer immediately called it back, looking almost relieved.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried joyously, finally allowing herself to look back at her trainer. She dashed towards him and jumped into his outstretched arms. Ash laughed happily and held Pikachu close as she snuggled into his embrace, safe at last. Eventually Ash pulled away a bit to get a better look at his pokemon.
"Are you okay, buddy?" he asked, worried. "That Rhydon looked pretty tough."
"Pikachu, pi Pikapi," she reassured him. She rested her head back against his chest with a sigh.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Ash asked, still concerned. "You don't sound alright."
"Pikachu, pi-pikachu pika," she replied, not moving her head from his chest. "Pipika…"
"You were scared fighting on your own, even though the Rhydon wasn't that tough? That's understandable. I would never want to fight without you there." Pikachu snuggled a little closer at that comment. "But what are you sorry for?"
"Pi-pikachu, pika," she explained. Now in a calmer state of mind, she regretted running off in the first place.
"Okay, but don't do that again. I thought Team Rocket had gotten you."
"Pikaa…" she sighed, knowing that he knew full well that Team Rocket hadn't been around since Ash gained the Master/Champion title. If they had, they both would have been much less bored.
"Hey, it could still happen! If nothing else, they're known for persistence." Ash paused, visibly making an effort to return to original topic. "But why did you run off in the first place?"
"Pika pi chu kapi ka," she replied, now hiding her face in his chest. She didn't want to admit she had been jealous, but she didn't keep secrets from Ash and there was no chance of his figuring it out on his own.
"Pikachu…" Ash murmured, beginning to pet her. "You don't have to be jealous of anyone, you got that? You will always be my best friend…and nothing will ever change that, ever. Together forever, remember?"
"Chupi, Pikapi…"
"'Maybe'? Pikachu, what's wrong?"
"Pikachu ka, pika pika pi chupika," she answered, burying her head even deeper into his chest to hide her now-watery eyes.
"Where did you get that idea from?" Ash demanded, outraged. "Who says people and pokemon can't be best friends?"
"Pikachu, pika pika kachu," Pikachu answered, explaining that although no one said it, many pokemon believed to be true in the end, and she was beginning to understand why they would think so.
"Well, then we'll have to prove them wrong," Ash declared resolutely. "You will always be my best friend. Always. And if the same goes for you…"
"Pika!" she assented, mildly insulted that he would even ask.
"Then I don't see the problem. We've been through tough stuff before, and we stuck together. Why should it be any different now?"
"Pikachu, pika!" she agreed, determined to make their friendship last. But a small part of her remained doubtful, even after Ash's reassurances. He wouldn't see the inequalities in such a friendship, she thought, because he's the one on top. –No! She argued with herself. Ash is different. Those pokemon don't know him; they wouldn't believe the impossibility of true friendship if they did. Ash and I are best friends forever.
Having beaten back her doubts and regained confidence in her best friend, she found herself in a cheerful mood, and was not at all annoyed when Bayleef came over and butted her head against Ash. The grass pokemon gave the large leaf on her head a twirl to show off, and Ash laughed.
"You did a great job, Bayleef," he praised her, and reached out to give her a pet, attempting to hold Pikachu with one arm in the meantime. Eventually Pikachu gave up trying to keep her balance and hopped up to her usual spot on Ash's shoulder.
"Bayleef bay!" Bayleef cheered, pleased with the praise. "Bay," she added as an afterthought, jerking her head in the direction of the recent battle. Ash's head lifted and his eyes immediately landed on the Rhydon's trainer, who looked like she was trying to sneak away. Ash hesitated, but the memory of the rampaging Rhydon made him speak.
"Um, excuse me – could you wait a minute?" The girl froze at the sound of his voice, eyes downcast. She didn't speak, but she did wait.
"Where did you get that Rhydon?" Ash asked, getting right to the point. The girl winced and gulped, as if she had been expecting that.
"…My brother gave it to me," she answered hesitantly. "For protection. I…He told me to use it only if I was danger, but…" Her eyes flashed briefly in defiance, but it was quickly extinguished. "I was sure I could control it."
"If I'm right and you're a rookie trainer, then the only pokemon you can control right now is that Bulbasaur," Ash stated, launching into lecture-mode. "Pokemon aren't stupid; they will only listen to someone if they believe they have the experience to back up their orders. Until you get that experience, your brother's Rhydon will completely ignore you. As it is, that pokemon is more dangerous than anything you will encounter on the road."
"…I know that…now…" she muttered, obviously not thrilled with the advice. Ash frowned.
"You have to think about your Bulbasaur too. All trainers start out with only one initially weak pokemon not only because that's all they can handle, but also because it is required for a strong bond between pokemon and trainer. They cannot have a backup plan if that pokemon fails; that would allow for recklessness and carelessness, and would not create the trust and respect needed between pokemon and trainer. Without that imposed interdependence, I don't think my pikachu would even like me. I can't force you, but I think you ought to leave your rhydon in Pewter City and continue on with only Bulbasaur. I know it would be grateful, at least."
"Pika!" Pikachu added, strongly in agreement with everything her friend had just said. She knew that without that forced mutual reliance that she and Ash had shared early on in their journey, they would not be nearly as close as they were now. They might not even be friends at all. The thought chilled her.
"I understand," the other trainer said, more firmly this time. Perhaps Ash's words had actually made an impression. "I'll consider it…you and your pikachu do seem close, so I guess you know what you're talking about."
"I sure hope I do," Ash chuckled. "But your first pokemon is usually the most important pokemon you'll ever own. If you treat it with respect now and trust is forged, it could become the best friend you'll ever have…if not, it's unlikely that you'll get far as a trainer."
"Chuka…pika cha," Pikachu muttered quietly, a comment meant for Ash's ears alone. He gave her a scratch in response and she gave a quiet "chaa" of happiness.
"Alright, I get it," the girl muttered, watching Ash and Pikachu closely. "I'll ask Bulbasaur what it wants me to do…And if it wants me to leave Rhydon behind, I will. Is that good enough?" Ash nodded. "Then can I go?" Ash opened his mouth to agree, but Pikachu suddenly reached up and whispered something in his ear. He listened, then nodded and focused again on the girl.
"Pikachu says your Bulbasaur knew that she already had a trainer, but that you made it fight anyways. If you pay attention to what your pokemon is trying to tell you, maybe you can avoid being charged with theft."
The girl blushed, gave a nod, and then dashed off along the path, presumably towards Pewter. Ash looked at Pikachu quizzically.
"That was…interesting," he commented, then glanced speculatively down the path. "Think she'll be ok?"
"Pikachu chu," Pikachu answered, nodding. Ash grinned slightly.
"Yeah, she'll learn…and I have a feeling I was a lot worse at that stage."
"Pika pika!" Pikachu agreed enthusiastically, nodding vigorously. Ash gave her a small glare.
"You didn't have to agree with me…" he muttered in response. He called to Bayleef, who had wandered off a bit during the conversation, and then the three followed the other trainer down the path to Pewter.
(o. o)-/
The journey through the woods was monotonous at best, so it was a relief when they finally reached Pewter City. They headed straight to the Pokemon Centre, where the current Joy recognized Ash—almost everyone near Pallet Town knew him—and managed to draw him into a conversation involved pokemon care. Ash had Pikachu and Bayleef healed, not fully trusting Pikachu's assurances that she was fine. Nurse Joy was amazed at Pikachu's condition, and began to interrogate him on what food she ate, how she exercised, and so on. Ash fended off the questions as best he could, but it seemed to take an abnormally long time to heal his pokemon. When they finally reappeared night had fallen, and it was decided that they would remain in Pewter for the night and set out early the next morning to make up for lost time. They whiled away the hours until true night by wandering through the various shops and stocking up on more supplies. The young trainer from the woods was not spotted.
Eventually, having finished shopping, they all went back to the Pokemon Centre. Ash, still bored and not yet willing to sleep, suggested a sparring match between his two pokemon. He said it would be only accuracy and evasion practice, since he knew Pikachu was the stronger of the two. So, for half an hour, Bayleef threw everything she had at Pikachu while the smaller pokemon skillfully dodged every attack until a single errant leaf from a Razor Leaf attack clipped her tail. Pikachu stopped, admitting defeat.
"Pika pika!" she cheered, happy for Bayleef's final success. But…
"Good job Bayleef! It's rare for Pikachu to get hit at all anymore."
"Bayleef bay!" the grass pokemon cried, happy with her trainer's praise.
"Pika..." Pikachu sighed quietly to herself, annoyed that she let herself get hit at all.
"I think it's time for sleep now," Ash continued, catching Pikachu's expression. "Bayleef, return!" He placed Bayleef's now full pokeball on his belt and knelt down in front of Pikachu. "Hey…" Ash paused and waited till Pikachu raised her eyes to his. "Don't feel bad, Pikachu. I like to think that I've trained Bayleef extremely well, and it was only a stray leaf that caught you. If she hadn't been tired and the attack had been focused like it should have been, you'd have been free and clear."
"Pika, pipika," she replied more cheerfully. "Pikachu kacha, pi Pikapi?"
"Yeah, we're still learning, and that'll never stop. We just gotta be careful not to think we're invincible, and we'll be okay."
"Piiika!" Pikachu cried, completely cheered up.
"That's better. Now, time for bed?" Ash stood and held out his hand to Pikachu. She nodded and ran up his arm to his shoulder. Together they headed back to the Pokemon Centre, both in high spirits once more.
Well, I think I solved my Mary Sue issue by not even giving the 'OC' a name. Ah well, whatever works. So, didja like it?