Part two of Family. I had written the entire Charmander part before I realised how long a chapter it was going to be before he even meets Bill.
Family- Part two
A few days later they were all sat down around the fire eating when Ash looked up and saw rainclouds heading their way. "Uh oh, looks like there's a storm coming soon guys. Let's head inside" an hour later they were all huddled together as the rain pounded their tent. Suddenly they all tensed up as a massive spike of Aura washed over them.
"Ash that was fear, something out there is scared" Pikachu said.
"I know, but this storm is too fierce to brave it at the moment Pikachu" Ash said "we wouldn't be able to help whatever is out there if we can't even see in front of our hands. We just have to hope that it survives the storm" Nodding reluctantly they all sat waiting when another wave hit them.
"Ash, we need to do something. I can't sit here and do nothing" Pikachu said standing up.
"Very well" Ash said standing up and putting on his raincoat "but if we haven't found whatever it is in twenty minutes we're coming back here. We'll be no good to anyone if we're sick. Eevee and Bulbasaur I'm going to return you to your pokeballs. Hopefully we find whatever is out there quickly."
Rushing out of the tent Ash ran in the direction his Aura had spiked from. It was a vague guess Ash thought to himself, but it was all he could do. Pulsing out his aura he felt a faint blip come from a particular direction. Shouting over the howling winds to Pikachu "It's coming from over there Pikachu, let's go." Running in the direction Ash felt another wave of fear go through him. Immediately they knew what was wrong. A Pokémon was in clear distress. Rushing out into a small clearing he saw a Charmander huddled on a rock holding a leaf over its tail while a couple of Spearow attacked it.
Immediately Ash saw red and fired off two Aura spheres sending the Spearow flying into the nearest trees where they hit with a squelch. Uncaring of if they were dead Ash immediately took off his coat and wrapped the Charmander up ignoring its faint protests about its trainer. Running back to their tent took a seemingly long time for Ash. He was desperate to get this Charmander out of the rain. Seeing their tent appear out of the gloom brought a wave of relief to them both. Opening up his tent he immediately placed Charmander down and began to rifle through his bag for medicine and immediately began to apply it to the Pokémon as it passed out. Calling out Eevee and Bulbasaur he sat back and watched over the little lizard.
"All we can do now is wait Pikachu." Ash said in relief.
"Why was he out there though Ash?" Pikachu asked angrily.
"I share your anger my friend. And If I find out his trainer is responsible for this, we will deal with him" Ash said looking over at Eevee and Bulbasaur who were quiet in contemplation "I cannot abide abusers, you know this Eevee seeing as where I rescued you from. If I hadn't called Professor Oak and given away where I was, I would have likely killed A.J and no-one would have known. Every Pokémon I have caught, with the exception of Pikachu seems to be rescues so far. Cleffa, Eevee and Bulbasaur. All of you had people unworthy of your time. I hope that this Pokémon is simply lost, and his trainer couldn't find him in the storm. If I find out otherwise there will be hell to pay. Let's take turns keeping watch. I'll go first."
Eevee looked at the Charmander and immediately thought back to A.J. She was incredibly grateful to Ash for rescuing her. She had feared that being stuck with A.J was it for her. Pokémon can't leave a trainer unless the trainer says so. It burned her up inside for months after being caught. She had prayed and prayed to Arceus for months for help. And then Ash appeared and rescued her. It was the main reason why she happily joined him. Arceus had clearly heard her. Ash being her chosen One cemented it for her. And while she wouldn't be with him much longer, she knew that she would still be in his life forever more. She could take that. She would take that.
Bulbasaur looked at Charmander and felt a wave of pity. He didn't say it to Ash yet as he saw how angry Ash was, but he knew an abandoned Pokémon when he saw one. He had looked after them for years now at Melanie's shack. And he knew all the signs pointed at an abusive trainer who abandoned their Pokémon to die. Shaking his head, he wondered on Ash's final words to them. Could he accept the death of a trainer as a suitable punishment? What gave Ash the right to make that call in the first place? He was clearly missing something here.
"Pikachu" he asked waking him up "I need to talk."
"Go on" he said coming to his new partners side "What's up?"
"What gives Ash the right to make life and death calls?" Bulbasaur asked "who is he to be able to bring judgement on anyone?"
"Ah, I wondered how long it would be before you asked that" Pikachu said. Eevee had woken up at Bulbasaur's question and trotted over. This had clearly been on her mind too "You both were born from eggs and then immediately captured, weren't you?" seeing their nods he carried on "then you won't have learned the lessons wild Pokémon are taught from birth. There's only a few, but they are integral to life and balance. We are here to keep the world running, humans and Pokémon alike live in a symbiotic relationship. We're taught from birth by our parents that to live alongside each other a certain amount of push-back will happen, but overall to respect Arceus' blessing of life. To that end wild Pokémon learn quickly what life is really about. It's something Pokémon that come from an egg to be immediately given to a trainer will never learn. They will never know what it feels like to have to scavenge for food, to be attacked daily by other wild Pokémon after your territory, social hierarchies, have brothers and sisters to compete with every day or to live in constant fear that you may die any day. It is nature at its finest.
The flip side is to become a trainers Pokémon. There are both pros and cons to this however as you have found out to your cost. If we are caught then it's understood that we will never have to find our own food, want for shelter and generally lead a longer life than we would wild. Some are battlers, some are simply pets. The downside of this is it is very rare to choose your own trainer. Ultimately you are stuck with who you get. If you're lucky you will find a nice trainer will treat you well. If you're unlucky you will not. Now Ash may not be the nicest person in the world. But I have found that is only to humans, specifically those he deems unworthy of his time. Abusers are a different thing. Ash is a crusader, a knight if you like. Some would call him a guardian; however, I wouldn't call him that to his face as it brings negative thoughts of the Aura guardians. That's another story though and for Ash to tell you about. Ash despises Pokémon abusers.
Now we're taught at birth to adhere to Arceus' code with one exception. We've been told stories for millennia about The Chosen Ones. They are heroes to Pokémon throughout the world. They are Arceus' judgement on earth that arrive to halt tragedies and to preserve the balance at any cost. Ash is the latest one. Ash is vital to the world. I'm not just saying this because he's my friend either. I knew from the moment I met him he was special. That is not to say that all Pokémon will welcome him with open arms, no. We all have our own thoughts and feelings after all. But you will rarely find a wild-born Pokémon who will let the Chosen Ones be disrespected. Ash is Arceus' voice on Earth, her will is undeniable. He has been tasked with seeking and eradicating evil from the world to restore balance. Now, Ash WILL mess up and kill the wrong people from time to time. He is human after all, but he is gathering around him a family that will call him on issues that they feel is wrong. So far, his kills have been justified which is why I haven't said anything negative about it.
Team Rocket is a plague on this world. Trainers like A.J and Charmanders trainer are a blot on the landscape and deserve death. Yes, we all can see that he is owned. So can Ash. And we can all recognise abused traits in a Pokémon, again as can Ash. Ash is giving Charmanders trainer the benefit of the doubt at the moment because that storm was horrible, and they simply could have lost him. It is unlikely though. So Bulbasaur. I will give you until morning to think over what I have said. If you cannot stomach killing when necessary, I expect you to talk to Ash, tell him your reasons and leave. Ash will respect that and help you find someone else if need be. If you stay, then we will never bring up this topic again" with that Pikachu went back to Ash's sleeping bag and curled up. Looking up into Ash's face he saw he was awake and likely had been for a while. Nodding slightly Ash closed his eyes and they both drifted off to sleep.
The next morning Bulbasaur didn't say anything to Ash, so he didn't either. Looking over the Charmander all night had given Bulbasaur a fresh perspective on things. His worries while still there were not as prevalent as they had been. Ash had given him a chance to become the best he could be. He wasn't going to change his thoughts on that over an abusive trainer. Ash woke up and saw that Charmander was still out like a light. Looking on his pokegear he noticed that the nearest Pokémon centre was less than a mile away down the road.
"Let's go guys. We'll pack up and take Charmander to Nurse Joy" Ash said "Charmanders tail is still dangerously low. I have no doubts if we hadn't rescued him, he would have died last night. Thank you, Pikachu, for forcing the issue" he finished giving Pikachu a look. They both knew it wasn't just for Charmanders sake.
"You're welcome, Ash" Pikachu said, "it had to be done".
Packing up didn't take as long as they thought. With them all pitching in where they could they were away from their campsite within the hour. Walking down the track with Ash holding Charmander they eventually saw the big red housed building and went inside. Nurse Joy immediately rushed over and saw Charmander in his arms.
Before she had a chance to berate him, he said "Don't, it is not what you think. I rescued this Charmander last night. It was left alone on a rock in the middle of the storm. Now I have sprayed it with a full heal mixed with Oran berries, but his tail is still dangerously low. I brought him here as soon as I was able."
Nodding and thankful she hadn't said anything she took Ash and Charmander to a room where she placed Charmander in an incubator. Trying to read the charts Ash's head quickly gave him a headache. "It's in a better condition than I feared. You did well Mr?" Joy started.
"Ash Ketchum Miss Joy" Ash said pulling out his Pokedex and showing her his ID.
"It's just Nurse Joy" she replied happy with this trainers' manners "he will need to stay in this incubator for a day or so while we re-ignite his core heat to how it should be. He used up most of it keeping himself alive it seems. Now you said you found him last night in the storm?"
"Yes" Ash nodded "he was being attacked while he stayed on a rock by some Spearows. I chased them off and took him back to my tent where I gave him first aid and tried to keep him warm. I fear he may have been abandoned by his trainer. Wild Pokémon would never stay where it's wide open, especially during a storm."
"Yes, you're correct" Joy said frowning "unfortunately until Charmander awakens we won't know for sure."
"Well, I will stick around until he does" Ash said "do you need any help around here? I may as well make myself useful. I trained with Professor Oak for years in how to handle Pokémon."
The rest of the day flew by as Ash helped Joy examine Pokémon from the many trainers that were passing through Route 5. Discreetly using Aura, he was able to establish that they were all being cared for reasonably well. There wasn't a single Pokémon that caused him concern. That was until his last trainer of the day came forward and handed him a bag of Pokémon.
"Take care of these" he said before walking off. Going immediately to Nurse Joy she frowned at them. "It's uncommon for a trainer to not have any ID with them. It happens though. Let's have a look at them shall we."
Passing them through her healing machines she was immediately concerned. "These Pokémon aren't doing too well Ash. A lot of these are showing signs of forced evolution and malnourishment".
"Is there anything we can do?" Ash asked.
"No sadly" Joy said "it's the worst part of my job this. I can only heal them and give the trainer a warning. As he has no Pokedex number I can't report him, so he'll likely just ignore me. I will definitely flag him to the other Joys and Jenny's but without proof of abuse, and no ID we can't do anything else" Nodding sadly she left to heal them, and Ash made his way out to the counter with Pikachu on his shoulder.
Sitting down and eating it wasn't long before he was disturbed by the very trainer he was thinking of "Nice Pikachu. How much will you sell it for?"
Looking up and frowning he said "He's not for sale. And never will be."
"Come on man, it's a shiny Pikachu. You must have bought him yourself so one dealer to another, how much?" the guy said.
Standing up and staring him down he said "I did not buy him; he is not for sale. Now piss off before I hit you."
Snorting the man turned to leave but not before saying "by the time I leave I will have that Pikachu, whether you're alive to see it or not".
"And if you try anything you will leave here in a wooden box, is that clear" Ash said leaking Aura everywhere in anger and punching him in the face. Blood spurted everywhere as he flew back. Quickly his friends pulled him to their table before anything else happened. And Ash stalked off back to his room.
"We need to be alert tonight, Pikachu. He won't let this slide, you know that" Ash said. Ringing Sam, he explained the situation and gave him a description of the man. Sam replied that he would forward it on to all the police stations just in case Pikachu went missing. Before hanging up though he warned Ash to be careful, and to make sure anything he did could clearly be seen as self-defence. All night they were awake, which left Ash in an irritable mood. Finding Nurse Joy, he saw she was in some distress. "Charmander has gone. He left as soon as I opened the incubator. I can't leave here to find it".
"I know where it will have gone" Ash said. "I believe he was that abusive trainers Pokémon yesterday. I have no proof of that though. Charmander will have gone back to that rock. I'll go and find him."
Leaving the centre Ash headed back to the rock. Furious with himself that he wasn't there to ask Charmander who he belonged to. Coming up to the rock an hour later he heard a voice. Walking around the bend he saw that it was that trainer he had punched who had Charmander gripped by its neck in his hand.
"I told you to stay on this rock if you wanted to be my Pokémon. You clearly disobeyed me. I have no use for a disloyal Pokémon whose Ember attack can't beat a Bellsprout" The man said throwing Charmander to the ground.
"If you don't want him then I'll have him" Ash said coming forward.
"You" the man said loathing written all over his face "You want this weakling? Why?"
"A Pokémon is only as weak as his trainer" Ash said walking up to them "If Charmander is weak then it's because you're a shit trainer. You clearly don't want him, so I will. You don't have to put up with this abuse Charmander."
"No, I don't think so" he said sneering "I'll just order it to sit here again until it's not my problem anymore."
"Or" Ash said "I break your arm to go along with your nose, rip it off and use it to press that release button on the ball so Charmander goes free. Your choice"
Clearly thinking was difficult for this trainer "I have another idea. You want this pathetic Pokémon badly so you can have it, but I want that Pikachu in return."
Without even thinking Ash broke his nose again causing him to howl and drop Charmanders ball. Grabbing the man's hand he twisted it causing him more pain. Picking up the ball with his other hand he forced it into the mans and he pressed the button until it glowed blue. Directing it at Charmander he clicked it again. Ten seconds later the ball cracked open signalling it was no longer in use. Picking up the still in shock Charmander he carried it back to the Pokémon centre. Walking in he passed him to Nurse Joy who took him back to the incubator. All the while Charmander said nothing.
Half an hour later the man came storming into the centre demanding to Nurse Joy that the police be called. Ash walked out and saw what all the ruckus was about. "Oh, It's you"
"You!" he said before shouting at Nurse Joy "I want him arrested for assault and theft".
"I'll tell you what, I'll call Officer Jenny myself shall I?" Ash said taking out his pokegear and dialling her number. It gave three rings before it was picked up.
"Hello Ash" Jenny said, "what can I do for you?"
"Hi Jenny, can you do me a favour and ring the nearest police station to the Pokémon centre on route 5 please?"
"I can yeah, what for?" Jenny asked.
"I have a man here demanding I be arrested for assault and theft. So, I thought I'd save the poor Nurse Joy here some earache and do it myself" Ash said still looking at the man.
"That's a bit unusual. You want to turn yourself in for assault and theft?" Jenny asked confused.
"I do yeah. Well, the assault part anyway. I have no idea what it is I stole" Ash said.
"You stole my Charminder" the man said.
"Well Jenny will be there in the next fifteen minutes Ash" Jenny said hanging up.
Sitting down very unconcerned Ash and Joy talked quietly.
"Ash what are you doing? Why are you turning yourself in" Joy asked worried.
"Because he's messed up. And should it play out the way I think he will he'll never be able to have a Pokémon again. I just need you to play a small part, you'll know when to step in. Trust me. Just deny Charmander is here if she asks" Ash said and then did the zipped mouth sign.
Ten minutes later Jenny walked in to find Ash sitting talking to Nurse Joy and a man with a clearly broken nose and blood on his face glaring at them. Seeing her the man stood up "There! Him! I want him arrested for assault and theft!"
"Ok, settle down or I'll arrest you. I'm not in the mood for nonsense today so, explain to me what he's supposedly done." Jenny said making him sit down.
"He stole my Charminder and broke my nose, twice" the man said frothing at the mouth.
"Is this true?" Jenny asked Ash.
"I broke his nose once, the rest I have no idea what he's on about" Ash said shrugging his shoulder causing the man to stand up and begin shouting about him lying.
"Alright enough" Jenny shouted pinching the bridge of her nose "we'll soon sort this out. Who are your sponsors?"
"Professor Oak" Ash said.
"I don't have one" the man said.
"So, if I ring Oak and ask him if you have a Charmander what will he say?" Jenny asked Ash.
"He will tell you that at the moment I do not have a Charmander on record as being caught. I have 4 Pokémon registered to my trainer ID and I have no others anywhere else. Here" Ash said handing her his Pokedex. Pressing a button Dexter blared to life "My name is Dexter and I am the identification for Junior Professor Ash Ketchum, trainer number AK191298. Currently Ash Ketchum has four Pokémon caught on record. In order Pikachu, Cleffa, Eevee and Bulbasaur"
Handing it back to Ash she nodded to him. "Professor Oak won't lie for me Officer. I have no reason to lie either. I broke his nose last night because I wouldn't sell him Pikachu and he threatened to steal him while I slept. My Pokémon are like my family, and I will defend them to the last"
"Ok, Ash" Jenny said "well that will have to go on your record that you have a charge of assault. It will disappear after two years of no further infractions. Until then though it will be hanging over you. Now for you" she said turning to the man "What is your name, and can you provide me evidence that you had a Charmander and that it belonged to you?"
"I told you, I ain't got a sponsor" the man said sourly. "The name is Damian."
"Then you cannot prove a Charmander has been stolen" Jenny said, "nor can you prove you own any Pokémon".
"About that" Ash said leaning forwards "I read an article recently that without proof of ownership you're not an official trainer. Is that right?"
"It is" Jenny said "Any Pokémon caught by an unsanctioned trainer cannot be legally theirs. There is an exception though, those Pokémon must be identified as pets but even then they need ID stating that."
"So theoretically" Ash said, "what would happen if I knew of an unsanctioned trainer that had a bag full of Pokémon in pokeballs?" causing the man to pale.
"They would be confiscated and assessed for abuse by a sanctioned Nurse like Nurse Joy here" Jenny said puzzled "only with her say so can the person petition for their return."
"Interesting" Ash said looking at Joy. Seeing her blank face, he nudged her with his foot and looked at her sternly.
"Oh" she said suddenly "well that trainer brought in a bag full of Pokémon last night that show signs of abuse and malnourishment. His Pokémon had signs of forced evolution, extremely poor conditioning, and signs of battling with broken bones. I hate that I cannot do anything about it due to the laws that rule the Pokémon centres as safe spaces".
"Did he indeed" Jenny said standing up "hand them over."
Looking around furtively and sweating Damian lunged for the door. He only went two steps though before Jenny was on top of him, pinning him to the floor and in one fluid movement had him handcuffed. Whistling Ash said, "that's the first and only time I will consider messing with a Jenny." As she loaded him into the back of the van. Picking up his bag he handed them to Jenny. "they're all in here. If you need help distributing them then ring Professor Oak. I'm sure he'll happily help you take them to various nature preserves when they're healed."
"I know how to do my job young man" Jenny said taking the bag "speaking of, I'll let the assault charge slide just this once. Do not make this a habit though. I will be asking my sisters and cousins to keep an eye out for you" she finished sternly before climbing into the van and driving off.
Walking back into the Pokémon Centre Ash steeled himself for what he knew was coming. Walking past a smiling Nurse Joy he said "little victories" before carrying on into Charmanders room. This wasn't going to be easy.
"Hello Charmander" Ash said sitting down making it look up looking confused "My name is Ash Ketchum. I'm sure right now you're feeling overwhelmed at what happened. I rescued you last night because you needed saving. I rescued you before for the same reason. And right now, you need saving again. I won't beat around the bush. I want you as my Pokémon. I know there is a fantastic and strong Pokémon inside of you. All you need is training. I want to be your trainer, but more that I believe you will be a fantastic edition to my family. So, I will leave you to decide. You have until this evening because that's when I will be leaving. If you choose not to then I will wish you all the best Charmander and I hope someday we will see each other again."
Standing up Ash left the Pokémon centre and trained in its practice fields. Bulbasaur had still not gotten used to the weights just yet so for now Ash had him hop on the spot, twisting in mid-air to use Razor Leaf at the random Aura and Lightning Spheres Ash and Pikachu shot at him. Eevee was busy doing sprints around the field, occasionally stopping and digging and coming up using Iron Tail as it did. She was getting really good at that. Pikachu had learned Light Screen in the last few weeks, but it needed perfecting. Unfortunately to the moment he didn't have a special attacker to use with Pikachu to test it.
Charmander had heard a ruckus outside and wondered what was happening. Looking out his window he saw the trainer who had rescued him chatting and training alongside his Pokémon. It was a startling contrast to his old one, he seemed to expect a Pokémon to already know the moves he wanted to be used. And if they didn't they were denied food, kicked and punched and outright abused. Charmander knew that Damian left him there to die. He had hoped that staying on the rock would prove he was dedicated to be a good Pokémon for Damian, it wasn't his fault that he was taken to a Pokémon Centre and he returned to the rock as soon as he could. Damien clearly didn't think so and had made a point of telling Charmander that he was pathetic. But what choice did Charmander have? Damian had caught him. He had to obey Arceus' law. It was just really bad luck that had happened.
And then the trainer arrived and rescued him, and his world changed. Charmander knew instantly that he was special. He was clearly one of Arceus' chosen. His aura was visible for everyone to see. And he wanted Charmander to join him? He didn't even know why he was thinking about it really. He had been told by the nurse that he was in need of a lot of mental healing more than physical healing. What if this guy turned out to be just as bad as Damian in the long run? He doubted it but then again, the doubts were still there. Walking back to his bed he grabbed his tail and stared at his flame. Last night it should have gone out, and he was prepared to let that happen. But he had been given a second chance, escaped the miserable situation he was in and then offered a spot on the Chosen Ones team. This could only be a gift from Lady Arceus. He was still angry with her for the life he had been forced to lead so far but maybe this was her way of making it up to him. The decision had been made the moment he was asked really.
Packing up Ash walked out of his room to say goodbye to Nurse Joy and to thank her for what she had done. Smiling she accepted his thanks and told him Charmander wanted to see him before he left. Nodding Ash walked in the back to his room and walked in
"Well Charmander, I'm about to leave" Ash said, "have you made a decision?"
"I have reservations" Charmander said "I will not put up with abuse again. I'm still unsure if this is Arceus' blessing or a curse she has placed on me. But for now, I will come along with you. I reserve the right to change my mind though."
"Very well" Ash said taking out a pokeball and placing it on the bed "but be warned, I tolerate no disrespect to either myself or my Pokémon family. You will not be abused in retaliation, I will never strike you or withhold food as punishment, but you will be disciplined, as the rest of my Pokémon will be. So far, we've not needed to do anything like that. But know this, should you fully accept being in our little family we will defend you to the death if need be. Training will be harsh at times, but you will get used to the standards I have set for everyone and in doing so will become great. So, the choice is yours."
Standing up Charmander touched the ball and disappeared inside. "It seems we have another Family member Pikachu. Let's go"
Leaving the Pokémon Centre Ash followed the signpost that said 'Vermillion 20km'. walking down the path Ash mused on how radically life had changed in the past month. He had caught three new Pokémon, admittedly one was for his mother but still, he was well on his way to building a team. "Do you ever think Pikachu that Arceus is placing these Pokémon directly in our path?"
"What do you mean Ash?" Pikachu asked confused.
"Well, I've not exactly made it a secret that I will only have a team of six" ash said thinking out loud "and I've been pretty vocal that three of our team will be the Kanto starters. And in the space of a week, I have two of them. One could be played off, two is awfully coincidental don't you think?"
"I see what you mean" Pikachu said nodding "At the moment I'd say no, to me it is coincidental. After all we chose to walk into that forest and find Bulbasaur, he wasn't given to us. And we were already going down this route when we found Charmander."
"Yeah that's true" Ash said "but we were given the chance of rescuing them both all the same. In fact, every Pokémon I have I've rescued. You when you were a Pichu, Cleffa from Team Rocket, Eevee from A.J, Bulbasaur from being abandoned and now Charmander from that prick Damian."
"Again, that's undeniable" Pikachu said "but you've chosen to rescue them. You didn't have to, you weren't made to. You chose to because it was the right thing to do. And you've been rewarded for doing so. You have two of your three desired team".
"Three out of Four" Ash said correcting him "I always wanted you as my starter ever since I met you. There was something about you that resonated with me from the very beginning. I was offered a Pikachu by Sam but declined it because I knew it wouldn't be you. I see your point though. I still believe this was all set up though, I just took advantage of the situations."
"Which is what happens with life in general" Pikachu said shrugging "Life is all about choices, decisions not made and the consequences that come from the decisions that are."
"When did you get so philosophical?" Ash asked surprised laughing. Laughing they carried on down the route.
"I will say though Ash that should we find a Squirtle soon then I may have to agree that this has been one big set-up." Pikachu said after ten minutes of silence.
"Oh, why did you have to say that?" Ash said shaking his head "you know that we will find one soon now".
"Are you seriously complaining about completing the team you known you wanted?" Pikachu asked.
"Yes" Ash said laughing "because then what will we catch? I still have no idea who I want as our last two members. At least with Squirtle still out there I can focus on finding it and not have that worry"
Pikachu slapped Ash on the back of the head "Were you dropped on your head as a child?"
"Shut up." Ash said laughing.
Setting up camp later he called everyone out. "Guys I'd like to welcome Charmander to our little family. He has decided to join us, so I'd like you all to make him feel at home. Chatting to Pikachu earlier I realised something. All of you have been rescued, you all seem to have a traumatic past so to that end I would like to schedule at least once a month where it's just the two of us for the day to talk over any issues you may have, whether you feel you're not settling in, any issues from your past you may want to talk about etc. There's no pressure here guys. And this is a safe space for you to talk should you want to. We will always listen, Ok? Eevee you obviously can talk to my mum, but should you need me I'm always a phone call away and my mum will help you.
Now, onto the next few weeks. Were still around 15km from Vermillion City but I've promised Professor Oak that we'd make a detour to a man called Bill who lives just outside it. He's apparently a terrific researcher so it should be interesting. Bulbasaur, we're going to try and teach you Sludge this week. I had an idea on how we may do it as normally you can't learn it. Your egg move though suggests you can. Pikachu, now we've got Charmander we can try and perfect your Light Screen by having him use Ember. To that end let's have a look at you Charmander." Taking out Dexter he pointed it at Charmander. Bleeping to life it said
"Charmander Pokedex Number 4, The lizard Pokémon. This Pokémon is male and has the ability Solar Power. The flame on its tail shows the strength of its life force. If it is weak, the flame also burns weakly. This Pokémon has a Mild nature and knows the moves Scratch, Ember, Smokescreen and Growl. It also has the egg move Outrage but it has not yet been unlocked."
"Well, that's a good start but there's loads of things we can improve upon. I think for starters we will start by having Pikachu teach you Brick Break and Metal Claw while we have you target him using Ember to help his Light Screen. Building up your inner fire reserves are going to be what we primarily focus on so we will be exhausting you daily to build up your stamina and expand your core. We've been in need of a special attacker like yourself. As I told the others I will be helping you as much as I can by providing vitamins in your food that will help you build up your body. Your defence is your weakness due to your nature, so we'll start by building up those. For the next month I'm going to be feeding you Iron and Zinc in your food. I want it to get to a point where you can take a water move head on and not even flinch which I fully believe is possible. We start tomorrow. For now, lets chat about anything and everything."
Charmander looked around and wondered just what he had gotten himself into. The group seemed like a very strange but happy one. Hearing Ash's words about building him up though relaxed the little lizard. He had made the right choice. He just knew it.
