So, this is chapter 6, which was also split in half.
Thank you to everyone who added this story to their alerts and favorites. And a special thanks to starlight luna, CharmedMilliE, and thor94 for reviewing.
So, Ash catches a Pokémon, and has a serious discussion with Misty.
Next chapter will have another Pokémon capture and more Team Rocket.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. *howls at the moon sadly* And yes, I know it's light out. Psh, details.
Italicsare translated Pokémon speech.
The sun was just starting to show itself over the trees when they entered Viridian Forest. As they walked, Misty grabbed Ash and thrust him in front of her, clinging to his arm in fear.
"What's the matter?" Ash asked, concerned. He caught sight of a Caterpie in front of him and Misty, and beamed. "Cool. It's a Caterpie. It's one of the bug Pokemon."
"Even if it is a Pokemon bugs are disgusting and I don't like them. Do something."
Ash ignored her and looked at Pikachu. "Do you want to ask? I'd like for him to come with us, but…" he tilted his head in Misty's direction.
Pikachu grumbled. "Why do you keep it a secret, huh? You'll tell me later; I'll be waiting." He jumped down from Ash's shoulder and called out, "Hey Caterpie, do you want to come with us? We're traveling, and Ash there wants to make friends."
The Caterpie considered. "Is he a good friend? He's a human, after all."
Ash's expression morphed into a scowl. He bit his tongue to keep from asking just what was so bad about humans.
Pikachu nodded. "Yeah, he's a good friend."
The Caterpie finally bobbed his head. "Fine then. I'll come. He can put me in one of those balls if he has to."
Ash held up an empty Pokeball, eyes lighting up. "Come on Caterpie." He threw the Pokeball at the small Pokémon. It hit it and drew it in with red light. The Pokeball shook for a moment, light blinking, and then stilled, the light fading away.
Ash scooped up the Pokeball and punched his other fist into the air. "Yes! Caterpie. You're coming with us!" He was so giddy at making a new friend that he grabbed Misty and started running around. Misty soon shook him off.
He pushed the Pokeball toward her, and she cringed away. "Look Misty, Caterpie's going to be our new friend."
"Don't you mean that you're gonna train it? You only want it for battles don't you? To become a great Pokemon master or something?"
Ash frowned. "Pokémon aren't just for battles. I want them to be my friends." He explained this as if it should have been obvious.
How could this boy confuse me so much? Misty wondered to herself. Every other boy with a Pokémon seemed to only care about what the Pokémon could do for them, and here was a boy who cared about each Pokémon for who they were, not just what they could do.
"Just…keep it away from me." She demanded.
"But he's not scary, and he's inside his Pokeball anyway." Ash considered. "It's probably really great for Caterpie inside the Pokeball, all cute and comfortable inside there." He rubbed the ball against his cheek. "I love my new friend."
"I hate bugs!"
Ash blinked. "I like bugs. And Pokémon." He turned to Pikachu. "We've got a new friend!"
"I'm glad." Pikachu responded, sniffing the Pokeball.
"Oh, Pikachu, I'm glad you like it. And we'll make lots of new friends along the way." Ash continued, struggling to continue speaking in human, not Pokémon. "Caterpie, you're sticking with us."
Misty shuddered. "Does that mean…"
"Come on out, Caterpie." Ash hit the release on his Pokeball, and the bug Pokémon came out. Misty took off running.
Ash frowned. "There's nothing to be scared of." Although he did know that he didn't always respond to Pokémon, dangerous or otherwise, the way that normal people did. Still, he didn't think that Caterpie was too scary, even for a normal human.
"Here Caterpie, climb up on my shoulder." Ash encouraged. Caterpie nodded, and started up, but then spotted Misty. He raced over to the terrified teen, nuzzling her leg.
Ash smiled. "Hey Misty, Caterpie really likes you. Isn't that cute?"
"Get this disgusting bug away from me." Misty snapped, sinking to the ground. She scrambled away immediately.
"What? You think Caterpie's disgusting?" Ash asked, baffled.
"She hates me." Caterpie voiced sadly.
Pikachu walked over to him and patted his back. "It's ok. She's new."
Caterpie simply sighed sadly again.
Misty grabbed Pikachu. "I know. You can be friends with that and I'll be friends with Pikachu."
"Pikachu?" Ash asked as the Pokémon purred when Misty petted his head.
"Bugs are one of the three most disgusting things in the world!" Misty snapped, keeping Pikachu in between her and Caterpie.
"Aside from you, what are the other disgusting things?" Ash asked, getting irritated by Misty's attitude. He didn't wait for her to answer him. "You're hurting Caterpie's feelings with you silly fear of bugs, and I won't have it." He held out his arm for Caterpie. Pikachu looked on approvingly. "Come on, climb up onto my shoulder."
Caterpie looked to Pikachu, who nodded. "Go ahead. He won't drop you." Ash looked offended at the very idea.
But it worked. Caterpie crawled up arm to his shoulder. "We won't scare Misty anymore."
"What do you mean?" Misty want to know.
"We'll go on without her." Pikachu jumped out of Misty's arms to go with Ash and Caterpie. He didn't like Misty's reaction to Caterpie either.
After about an hour, Pikachu got Ash's attention. "She's still following us." He informed his trainer.
Ash turned around to see Misty duck behind a tree. He sighed, feeling tired. He understood about hate and fear, but he didn't see Pokémon as either. And Caterpie was so nice.
"If you're going to follow me anyway, you might as well come out." He called to the hiding Misty. "Hiding like this is silly."
Ash frowned as he wondered something. She was following him, but why? Sure, Pokémon he met and talked to ended up following or leading him around more often than not, but humans thought he was weird and tended to taunt him and/or stay away. Maybe she could be his friend too?
"Why are you following me, anyway?" he asked the surprised girl.
"You own me a bike!" she stuttered a little. Then she pulled herself together and glared at him.
Ash sighed tiredly. "So you don't want to be friends." He said disappointedly.
Misty's mouth fell open. "Friends? Where did you get an idea like that?" Nobody wanted to be her friend after they met her sisters. But, her subconscious reminded her, he hasn't met your sisters.
"Well, Pikachu and Caterpie are my friends, and they're coming with me. I'd hoped that you would be too." He explained. "When we get to the next town, I'll replace your bike. I think I have enough money saved up."
Misty hadn't expected him to give in so easily. But still… "But why would you want to be friends with me?"
Ash blinked at her, confused. "Why wouldn't I? You're nice, and smart, and you care about Pokémon. Well," he reconsidered, "You care about Pokémon that aren't bugs, anyway." He shot her a disapproving look as he rubbed Caterpie's drooping head.
Misty was astounded. He really thought that of her? But he'd only just met her! "I don't understand you, Ash." She sighed.
His face darkened. "I get that a lot." Caterpie nuzzled his cheek and Pikachu patted his leg.
"Don't you worry about her, Ash." Pikachu told his friend. "I like you for who you are. And so does Caterpie."
Caterpie nodded his head. "Yeah."
Ash smiled faintly at the Pokémon. "Thanks guys. I like you too." He started forward again.
Misty hurried to catch up with him. "Ash, wait. I didn't mean it like it sounded. You just confuse me, that's all. Your ideas don't sound like anything I've ever heard before. Trainers just don't see Pokémon like you do, and," her voice dropped to a whisper, "People just don't want to be friends with me."
Ash was quiet for a moment, and she was afraid that he was still angry. Then he asked, "Why?"
"Why what?" Misty asked, still lost in feeling sorry for herself.
"Why wouldn't people want to be your friend? I mean, I've never had a friend my age before, but that's because I'm weird and different. But you're not."
That snapped Misty out of her thoughts. "What do you mean? Haven't you ever had friends before?" Even she'd had friends, however briefly.
"Well Pokémon sure, but not kids. They never liked me." Ash admitted to the fiery red-head. Especially after Gary got to them.
Pikachu hugged Ash's leg. "I like you, Ash."
"Me too." Caterpie agreed.
Ash sent them a watery smile that made Misty feel worse. If he didn't have interactions with the kids around him, no wonder he was so odd, especially with his views on Pokémon. She liked those views, but she'd never even thought about it before he told Team Rocket off with them.
"I really am sorry about your bike." Ash apologized, expecting her to be angry with him again.
Misty shook her head. "You'll get me a new one. But, can we? I mean, be friends?"
Ash was startled. "You really mean that?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I do. I don't have many friends either."
"Okay." Ash grinned at her, transforming his face and causing his warm brown eyes to sparkle with happiness.
"And me?" Pikachu chirped.
"Me too!" Caterpie squealed.
Ash laughed at them all. "Of course, you guys." He said, confusing Misty. He pet Caterpie's head before reaching down to do the same to Pikachu. "Come on then. Let's get going."
They walked until it got dark, and then they made camp, lighting a fire and laying out their sleeping bags. Ash set Caterpie down onto a nearby stump, and Pikachu jumped up next to him. After they ate, Pikachu cornered him.
"Ash, you should tell at least Caterpie." The electric mousse said seriously. "And you still owe me that explanation about why you're keeping this a secret."
"Pi." Ash nodded. "Come here, Caterpie, Pikachu. Let's leave Misty so that she can change into pajamas." The two Pokémon followed him into the forest, leaving behind a grateful Misty. She could change in peace, and the bug was gone!
They stopped walking, and Pikachu folded his arms. "Well?" he demanded.
Ash turned to Caterpie. "You first." He said to the surprised Pokémon. "Are you really sure you want to come with us? I couldn't ask you in front of Misty, and I wanted to be sure."
"You can speak? This is much better than that human language; you're much clearer now." Caterpie commented. "And yes, I'm sure."
Pikachu tapped his foot. "That's nice and all, but I want to know why you won't tell Misty that you can speak our language."
Ash scratched his head and sunk to the ground next to his two Pokémon. "When I was a hatchling, I was raised by Pokémon. Then, humans attacked us, and killed most of them. My Mama found me and saved me. Then she took care of me and raised me."
"But why don't you tell people that you can understand us?"
"Because Mama told me that some humans would try and use that to hurt Pokémon, and I won't let them." Ash was resolute in this matter.
They chatted for a little longer before heading back to camp. Misty was already in her sleeping bag, so Ash climbed into his.
"Goodnight. Goodnight." He called in both languages. All three of them echoed his sentiments, but Misty was mostly asleep, so she assumed that the, "Pi-ka." Came from Pikachu.
Caterpie and Pikachu were both sitting on the stump again. Caterpie turned to Pikachu. "I love looking at the moon." He told his new friend. "Isn't it beautiful?"
"Yes."
"I want to evolve and become a Butterfree someday." Caterpie confided.
Ash listened sleepily to their conversation, wondering what it sounded like to people who didn't know what they were saying. He snorted. Probably the same as human speech did when he wasn't paying attention enough to translate it in his head.
He eventually fell asleep to the excited chatter of his friends.
So. How was it? I'm churning this story out fast. It's surprising me. I've never written this fast before.
Anyway, reviews are lovely, even just one word. Constructive criticism is welcome. Flames will be used to light a fire. Mm, warm and cozy.