I wanted to skip this first, but the parts with the Kimono Sisters cannot be skipped for this saga, so I wrote this involving the second Kimono Sister.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon characters! I only own my OCs!

Chapter 14: A Farfetch'd Tale

We got some advice from Bugsy to travel through the Ilex Forest if we wanted to head to Goldenrod City for the next Gym. Bugsy warned us the Gym Leader there was one of the strongest according to many Trainers' opinions. Before we left Azalea Town, we stopped by Kurt who had finished making our Apricorn Poké Balls. Ash and Misty got a Lure Ball each, Brock got a Heavy Ball and I got a Friend Ball. I planned to save the Friend Ball for a special Pokémon in the future, so I stored it away inside my backpack.

The weather was getting warmer now in April, but it was still a little chilly during the nights. It was also another reminder how quickly Ash and I had obtained our first two badges on our journey in Johto. I kind of predicted that we would obtain our third badges sometime in early May depending on how fast we were traveling. After all, the Johto League was going to take place in November and we still had long way ahead of us.

"According to the guidebook, we'll be out of the forest in a couple of days", Brock informed us as he led the way through the forest.

"A couple of days means…what?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Less than a week, but more than three days", Brock responded.

"So it depends on how fast we walk…and hopefully we won't get lost like we usually do", Misty commented.

"Togiprii!" Togepi chirped happily.

"Yeah, this time I'll try staying put and not get distracted if I see a Pokémon", Ash laughed sheepishly. "It's not easy, but I'm working on it."

"Pika pi…", Pikachu muttered, not looking so convinced.

Misty suddenly made a noise of disgust. "I just hope we won't encounter any bug-type Pokémon…", she whimpered. "B-Bugsy did say the Ilex Forest is the home for many bug Pokémon…"

"It's okay, Misty", my brother assured her before he looked a little shy. "I-If you want…you can hold my hand."

"Huh?" Misty stuttered in surprise before her cheeks turned a little red. "I-I…" It sounded like she wanted to argue, but she gave in and put her hand on the hand Ash held to her. "T-Thank you, Ash…"

Is it just me, or did something happen between Ash and Misty recently? They looked more comfortable with each other and acted like the couples I've seen throughout my journey.

Brock sniffled loudly and hid his crying face behind the guidebook. "Ash's growing up!" he praised my brother before he growled disappointedly at himself. "But I'm the older one and haven't found the love of my life…!"

"Love…", I repeated quietly as I played with the dirt with my shoe. That topic was still foreign to me, even after Mom tried explaining it to me after the Pokémon League when I told her about those weird feelings I experienced after meeting Ritchie. Speaking of, I was wondering what he and his Pokémon were doing. Were they traveling in Johto too?

"C'mon, Farfetch'd!" a voice called out. "Use Cutting Attack!"

"Huh?" the four of us blinked and turned to the source of the voice.

A boy around my age stood not so far from us and had a Farfetch'd in front of him. The boy had a weird carrier on his pack, the kind in which you could put random stuff and tie it together, like logs or wood. We walked closer to the duo and observed what was going on.

"Please, Farfetch'd! Use Cutting Attack on the tree!" the boy whined tiredly.

I felt my chin drop in shock when I heard the name of the attack. "Did he just say…Cutting Attack?" I asked the others to be sure I wasn't hearing stuff.

"That's what he said", Ash nodded.

"Chuu…"

"I think he mixed up the names…", Brock mumbled.

"Yeah, because I know there's no move called Cutting Attack", Misty added.

"Far!" the Farfetch'd didn't move an inch after it got told by its Trainer.

The boy himself got a little annoyed, but he sounded mostly tired by the failure of his Pokémon not obeying him. "Pretty please, Farfetch'd! Why won't you use Cutting Attack?"

It was at this point we decided to make ourselves known to the Trainer. "Umm… Excuse us", Ash called. "But you're saying the move wrong."

"Huh?" the Trainer turned to us with a confused expression. "What do you mean? Isn't the move called Cutting Attack?"

"No… It's simply called Cut", I responded.

The boy got silent for a couple of seconds to process the information. Once he realized his mistake, he started panicking. "Oh no! I mixed up Cut with Fury Attack! I'm such a dumb idiot!" he blamed himself before turning back to his Pokémon. "I'm so sorry, Farfetch'd! I meant to say Cut, not Cutting Attack!"

"Faaar…", Farfetch'd yawned tiredly.

"Okay, let's try it again", the Trainer said. "Farfetch'd, use Cut!"

"Faaar…", Farfetch'd yawned loudly again, refusing to listen to the commands.

The Trainer whined exhaustedly. "Why won't you listen to me, Farfetch'd? I said the move right this time."

"Maybe you should take a break from the training and clear your head", Brock suggested.

"Yeah, too much pressure won't do you any good", Misty agreed.

"That sounds like a good idea", the Trainer said. "I do need to clear my head and memorize the correct name of the move."

"Fetch'd far farfetch'd", Farfetch'd chirped and casually inspected its leek.

Pikachu jumped down from Ash's shoulder to greet the flying-type Pokémon. "Pika pikachu!"

"Farfetch'd far!" Farfetch'd nodded to the electric Pokémon, not showing any signs of fear.

We sat down on some stumps and fallen logs to properly introduce ourselves and take a break from the walking. "Thanks for correcting me, guys", the Trainer said. "My name's Sylvester."

"I'm Ash and this is my partner Pikachu", Ash introduced himself.

"Pika pikachu!" Pikachu happily waved his paw to Sylvester.

"I'm Ash's twin sister Ashley", I nodded.

"My name is Misty and this little baby is Togepi", Misty giggled as she cradled her Pokémon.

"Togiprii!" Togepi chirped happily.

"And I'm Brock", Brock introduced himself.

"I'm just curious; did you recently become a Pokémon Trainer?" Ash asked.

"Well, yeah, I recently started training Farfetch'd, but I have a hard time remembering all the moves it can use, so I keep mixing them up", Sylvester explained.

"It's something that happens to everyone, especially at the beginning of your Pokémon Trainer career, but I'm sure you'll get the hangs of it soon, Sylvester", Misty assured him.

"Yeah, it was the same for me when I became a Pokémon Trainer last year", Ash nodded. "Even after I've studied with Ashley, I sometimes forgot some moves and had to be reminded by my sister."

"You've gotten better, though, Ash", I praised him.

"Are you gonna participate in the Johto League, Sylvester?" Ash asked.

"No, I don't have plans on doing that", Sylvester replied. "My dream is to become a master of making purifying charcoal like my father."

"Purifying charcoal…?" I repeated slowly. I've never heard about it before. I knew of charcoal, but purifying charcoal… Nope.

"What's that?" Ash asked, sounding just as confused as me.

"Purifying charcoal is the best!" Brock exclaimed happily, which surprised me.

"You've heard about it, Brock?" Sylvester's face exploded into a bright smile.

"What exactly is purifying charcoal?" Misty asked.

"We know that normal charcoal is made by burnt wood and is used as fuel, but purifying charcoal has the ability to purify water and clean the air", Brock explained.

"Wow…", I mumbled in awe.

"And the charcoal made by the wood from the Ilex Forest is worldwide famous for its top quality!" Brock added in the middle of his enthusiasm. "I used to cook rice with the wood back in Pewter City with the mineral water from Mt. Moon and it had such excellent taste!"

"Oh boy… Now I'm getting hungry by all the talk about food", Ash laughed sheepishly just as a growl erupted from his stomach.

"Pika…", Pikachu sighed with his ears dropped.

"Still, it's really amazing how you can do such things, Sylvester", Ash praised the Trainer, now ignoring his hungry stomach.

"Well, I'm still an apprentice and I have a long way to go to make charcoal", Sylvester replied. "My father's teaching me the basics right now."

"I'm sure you'll become a great charcoal maker in no time", Misty smiled.

"Right! That's my dream and I won't give up!" Sylvester smiled at his Farfetch'd before he patted the Pokémon's head. "That's why Farfetch'd and I are out training so Farfetch'd can cut the wood in perfect blocks. Then, I'm gonna have to learn how to control Magmar to make the charcoal."

"Interesting pair of Pokémon…", I mumbled to myself.

"You can't cut the wood however you want to make charcoal?" Ash asked.

"Every piece must be perfectly cut in order to bring out the best quality to make charcoal", Sylvester explained. "That's why Farfetch'd and I are out here to train, but… As you saw, it's not going well."

"Faaar…", Farfetch'd yawned again, looking bored by the talk.

"Don't worry, Sylvester", Ash comforted him. "As long as you and Farfetch'd work together, you'll be able to cut the wood in no time! So don't give up until it's over!"

I smiled to myself when Ash said the Ketchum motto. A motto passed down to us from our father. It was one of the few things I had from Dad before he left for a journey a long time ago.

"You're right!" Sylvester nodded, looking relaxed now after getting the encouragement from my brother. "Okay, Farfetch'd! Let's train a little more today before we go home!"

"Farfetch'd…", Farfetch'd didn't look so convinced, but nodded in response.

"Before you go, Sylvester; do you know if there's a Pokémon Center in the Ilex Forest?" Misty asked.

"Yeah, there's one if you keep going north from here", Sylvester responded and pointed in a direction. "If you go now, you'll be there before the sun sets."

"Great! Thanks a lot, Sylvester!" Ash smiled. "And good luck with the training!"

XXXXXXXXXX

True to his words, we found the Pokémon Center just as the sun touched the horizon. The cabin Pokémon Center had a free room for us for with bunk beds, so we didn't have to sleep outside much to Misty's relief.

We slept well the whole night and woke up early the next morning. After breakfast, we sat in the lobby to inspect a map of the forest Brock had borrowed from Nurse Joy. "There's a main road through the Ilex Forest not so far from here, so if we follow it, we might be out of here in two or three days", he explained.

"So we just need to find the main road and follow it without any distractions", Misty nodded. "It's going to be so nice to leave the forest."

"Pikachu, I'll give you special permission to zap me if I get distracted by a Pokémon", Ash informed his partner.

"Pika?!" Pikachu looked very stunned by that just like me.

"Are you sure about it, Ash?" I asked.

"Yep! Besides, I've got a full team of Pokémon, so I should hold myself back a little", Ash replied. "But! If we spot a rare Pokémon… I might withdraw my idea."

"Or we can just ignore it", Misty suggested, looking unamused.

"Yeah", I nodded before I blinked my eyes when I felt something soft bump my leg. I looked down on my right and was greeted by a pair of large eyes. I nearly freaked out, but I caught myself when I realized the creature was an Espeon.

"Espeon!" Espeon barked softly as it stared at me with its tail wagging back and forth.

The others noticed the Pokémon sitting next to our table. "That's an Espeon", Brock stated.

I reached my hand out for Espeon to smell. It poked its nose against my palm and took a few sniffs before it pushed its head against it and purred in delight. "Peooon…"

"You're so cute", I praised the Eeveelution Pokémon. "But where's your Trainer?"

"Espeon!" a feminine voice called.

I looked up and felt like my heart went up to my throat and got stuck there. A geisha in her late teens approached our table, dressed in a pink kimono with white and red flower pattern which clearly represented Espeon's color schemes. It was kind of obvious that she was a Kimono Sister like Zuki we met back in Violet City, but there was something about her aura…that made me a little nervous. It was similar to what I felt back in the Kanto League when I saw a couple of girls. And that feeling was also the same as when I thought about Ritchie…

Am I getting sick again?! I checked my forehead and felt it was getting a little warm. Did I have a fever all of the sudden?

"Espeoon!" Espeon barked happily and ran to the geisha, rubbing its head against the kimono.

"I'm sorry if my Espeon bothered you", the geisha apologized with a soft bow.

"That's okay, miss", Ash replied.

"Pika pikachu", Pikachu nodded.

Brock bounced up from his seat and went immediately to the geisha, being love struck once again. "Hello, you lovely geisha! My name's Brock, a future Pokémon Breeder!" he introduced himself enthusiastically. "Are you, perhaps, related to the Kimono Sister Zuki?"

"Yes, I am", the geisha smiled, looking a little uncomfortable with Brock in her face.

"I knew it!" Brock exclaimed joyfully. "You're just as beautiful as your sister! Say, do you want to-"

Misty grabbed him by the ear and pulled him away from the geisha. "Can't you see she's uncomfortable with you in her face, Brock?" she muttered irritably.

"Owowow!" Brock yelped in pain as he was dragged back to the table.

Ash and I laughed sheepishly at the scene. "Sorry about our friend, miss", my brother apologized on our behalf.

"It's okay", the geisha smiled sheepishly before she coughed to clear her mouth and started acting gracefully. "I've recently become one of the Kimono Sisters of Ecruteak City, so I am still little inexperienced. My name is Naoko and this is my partner Espeon."

"Eoon!" Espeon barked in greeting.

"N-Nice to meet you…", I greeted nervously, looking down on my lap to avoid eye contact while my heart beat faster than usual.

"I've heard from Sister Zuki that she had given a special Pokémon Egg to a Trainer whose soul is of silver and her brother has the heart of gold", Naoko spoke up as she stared at me and Ash. "Her descriptions of those Trainers and their friends match you, so I presume it's you people?"

"Y-Yes…", I nodded shyly as I grabbed Mystic's Poké Ball, trying to avoid eye contact with the geisha or else I would be all nervous again. "I-It hatched not long ago…"

I opened the Poké Ball and Mystic appeared on the table, looking happy like the carefree baby he still was. "Togiprii!" he chirped.

"Ah, so it has hatched", Naoko giggled in delight as she leaned closer to Mystic. "I see it hatched into a Togepi." She noticed the little blue ribbon I had tied around his right arm. "What is this ribbon?"

"I…always give my Pokémon a blue ribbon so I can dis…distinguish them", I answered, slowly pronouncing the long word because it was still a tongue-twister. "A-And…I want them to feel more like…family."

"What a lovely idea", Naoko smiled warmly, which made me feel even more weird and nervous. I touched my cheek and felt it burning. Did my fever get worse? Why did I feel so nervous then? I just couldn't understand what was happening to my body.

"Togi?" Mystic chirped worriedly.

I snapped out of it and gently grabbed Mystic and cradled him in my arms. "I'm fine, Mystic. I just…feel a little weird."

"I hope you're not coming down with an illness, Trainer with soul of silver", Naoko said concernedly. "I shall leave now, but please visit my sisters' dance theater if you ever come to Ecruteak City."

"Oh, we will certainly visit the dance theater!" Brock extended his arm in the air with a big excited smile.

Naoko giggled behind the long sleeves of her kimono at his enthusiasm now that he wasn't so close to her. "I shall meet you next time, Trainers", she bowed. "Let us go, Espeon."

"Espeoon!" Espeon barked and followed the geisha out of the Pokémon Center.

"She feels so mysterious…just like the other geisha we met", Misty commented as soon as the duo was out.

"Yeah…", Ash nodded before he turned to me. "By the way, Ashley, are you okay?"

"I… I think so", I responded, feeling a little calmer now that Naoko had left.

"You sure?" Ash asked. "You started acting really weird when Naoko came to our table."

"Um…", I mumbled, not sure how to describe what I had just experienced. "I just…suddenly felt weird when I saw her."

"Weird? Like, how?" Brock asked, looking like he might have an idea what I was goin through.

"I-", I was unable to start explaining when a yell interrupted me.

"Nurse Joy!" Sylvester rushed to the front desk where Nurse Joy was preoccupied by typing on her computer. "Nurse Joy, have you seen my Farfetch'd?!"

"No, I haven't, Sylvester", Nurse Joy replied. "Not since last week you were here."

"Oh no! Where did Farfetch'd run off to?!" Sylvester panicked, rubbing his head violently.

"Sylvester!" Ash called as he ran to the panicked Trainer. "What's wrong?"

"Ash?!" Sylvester slowly calmed down when he noticed us. "Guys, please, you've got to help me!"

"Calm down first and tell us what's going on", Misty spoke to him calmly.

Sylvester took a few deep breaths to calm himself down before he explained the situation. "You see, Farfetch'd and I were training again, but it didn't go well because I messed up with the commands again and…", he trailed off and looked down in shame. "Farfetch'd ran off…"

"It really ran away?" I asked in surprise. I've barely heard about Pokémon that ran away from their Trainers by such a similar situation. I knew about Pokémon running away because they dislike their Trainers, but this?

"Y-Yeah… And I don't know where it ran off to…", Sylvester mumbled as tears appeared in his eyes. "I'm such a loser…"

"Sylvester, have you checked your family house?" Nurse Joy asked. "Farfetch'd used to be your father's Pokémon, so it might have run back to him just like last time."

"Are you familiar with Sylvester's family, Nurse Joy?" Brock asked, not acting love struck due to the seriousness of the situation.

"Why yes. Sylvester's father Yosaku provides the Pokémon Center with purifying charcoal", Nurse Joy explained. "He's a very strict man, so I think Farfetch'd would be too scared to leave home and make him angry."

"Y-Yeah, I should have looked there first…", Sylvester sighed tiredly and face palmed himself. "I can't believe how stupid I am…"

"Is your father gonna get mad at you for losing sight of Farfetch'd?" Ash asked.

"Probably…", Sylvester mumbled.

"How about we go with you?" Ash asked. "If your Farfetch'd isn't there, we can go look for it together."

Sylvester brightened up after my brother told him we would help him find his Pokémon. "Really? Thanks, guys!"

XXXXXXXXXX

We had quite the bad luck. Farfetch'd wasn't at Sylvester's family house and his father scolded him for losing sight of the Pokémon. Ash tried to intervene between the father and the son, but it didn't really help. Yosaku however told Sylvester that he needed to do more than just give commands to Farfetch'd if he wanted to become a good Trainer; Sylvester had to work together with Farfetch'd as a team. Sylvester didn't really get it, but he ran off after his father warned him that he wasn't allowed to come home until he had found Farfetch'd.

We followed Sylvester and came upon a shrine at the epicenter of the Ilex Forest, next to an open clearing. According to him, the shrine was built to the spirit that watches over the forest. "We were around here when Farfetch'd ran off", he said.

"Farfetch'd!" we called for him, but we didn't get a response back.

"That's odd…", Ash hummed while rubbing his chin. "I don't think Farfetch'd would actually run away from home…"

"Cha…", Pikachu purred concernedly.

"It's no use…", Sylvester sighed, defeated. "The Ilex Forest is huge… We'll never find Farfetch'd like this…"

"What if we call out our Pokémon so they can help us?" I suggested.

"That's a great idea!" Brock nodded. "That way, we'll cover more ground!"

"And the search will go much faster", Misty added.

"Alright!" Ash cheered and threw his Poké Balls, calling out his Pokémon. "Everyone, I choose you!"

"Ivysauur!"

"Wartortlee!"

"Herakross!"

"Chikoo!"

"Cyndaquuil!

I snatched my four Poké Balls and called out my partners. "We need your help, guys!"

"Larvitaar!"

"Furreet!"

"Flaaaffy!"

"Togiprii!"

"You too, guys!" Misty winked and released her Pokémon, minus Goldeen because she couldn't be active on land.

"Hyaa!"

"Psypsyduck!"

"Poli!"

"Let's go, everybody!" Brock shouted and threw his Poké Balls, releasing his Pokémon.

"Oooo!"

"Geodudee!"

"Shia!"

"Vuuul!"

"Pinecooo…!" Pineco hissed before his body began glowing, indicating he was about to use Self-Destruct, which set off a panic among us.

"No, Pineco!" Brock yelled. "Don't Self-Destruct! Return!" Swift with his moves, he recalled the bug Pokémon before he detonated himself.

I sighed in relief as soon as Pineco was back to his Fast Ball. "Brock… You might have to train Pineco and tell him not to explode whenever he comes out…", I commented, trying to calm down my rapid beating heart.

"Y-Yeah, I'll work on it", Brock laughed sheepishly and put away the Fast Ball.

"Okay, guys! We'll split up and look for Sylvester's Farfetch'd!" Ash called, taking the command, while Chikorita cuddled against his legs. "We'll meet here again in an hour!"

Everybody nodded or called out to show they understood their mission. Ash's and my Pokémon spread out, except for Pikachu and Mystic who stayed with us and Sylvester. Brock and Misty ran off with their Pokémon, promising they'll be back by the shrine in an hour.

I stayed with my brother and Sylvester while cradling Mystic in my arms. I looked among the trees and bushes, never losing sight of Ash. It took like fifteen minutes before Heracross came back and pointed toward a direction. "Herakross hera herakross!" he called.

"Did you find Farfetch'd, Heracross?" Ash asked.

"Hera!" Heracross nodded, still sounding a little panicked.

"Something's wrong", I said. "It sounds like Farfetch'd is in trouble."

"Farfetch'd is in trouble?!" Sylvester panicked. "I've got to save it!"

"Heracross, show us the way!" Ash told his Pokémon. "We've gotta pick up everyone!" He took a deep breath and cupped his mouth to yell. "Everybody! We've found Farfetch'd!"

It didn't take long before my and Ash's Pokémon joined us and we followed Heracross together as a group. I wasn't exactly surprised when I saw who had caught Farfetch'd and carried it in a net over their shoulder.

"Team Rocket!" Ash and I exclaimed simultaneously.

"The twin twerps?!" Jessie gasped in surprise, carrying Farfetch'd's leek in her free hand.

"Faaar!" Farfetch'd chirped in distress.

"They've got Farfetch'd!" Sylvester gasped.

"Release Farfetch'd right now!" Ash demanded, his Pokémon agreeing with him.

"My father's gonna be angry if I lose Farfetch'd, so please give it back!" Sylvester begged.

"Well, we found this Farfetch'd first, so it's ours!" Jessie laughed.

"That's right! Finders keepers, losers weepers!" Meowth taunted us.

James looked too exhausted to even join the fun. The reason was because his stomach sounded empty thanks to the growl coming from it. "I wanna cook the Farfetch'd for dinner…", he mumbled weakly.

"We'll take back Farfetch'd right now!" I shouted. "Farfetch'd, cover your ears!"

"Faar?" Farfetch'd looked confused by the command, but it did listen to me.

"Cedric, use Screech!" I shouted.

"Larvi…TAAAAAR!" Cedric took a deep breath before screaming so loudly the shockwaves engulfed Team Rocket. They screamed in pain and covered their ears to shield them from the loud noise. Jessie dropped her hold on the net and the leek, so they fell down to the ground.

"Ivysaur, Chikorita, use your Vine Whips to grab Farfetch'd and its leek!" Ash shouted.

"Saur!"

"Chiko!"

The two Pokémon extended their vines and went toward the target while Team Rocket kept covering their ears. James, despite the ongoing Screech, reached for one of his Poké Balls and threw it. "Victreebel, counterattack with Razor Leaf!" he yelled as loud as he could.

"Yiaaah!" Victreebel shrieked and sent couple of sharp Razor Leaves at the incoming vines. The leaves cut them badly, which made Ivysaur and Chikorita flinch in pain and had no choice but to withdraw the vines.

"Trica, use Quick Attack to approach Team Rocket and cut the net with Fury Swipes!" I shouted.

"Furreeet!" Trica shrieked before she dashed toward Team Rocket who were recovering from the Screech attack, since Cedric had to take a break from screaming.

"Victreebel, stop Furret with Take Down!" James yelled.

"Yiaaah!" Victreebel bounced up to prepare itself to pounce onto Trica and stop her in her tracks.

"Cyndaquil, use Flamethrower on Victreebel!" Ash shouted.

CyndaQUIIIL!" Cyndaquil breathed fire that flew above Trica and engulfed Victreebel. Trica quickly ran ahead before a burning Victreebel could land onto her. She ran between Team Rocket's legs and actually hit Meowth with her tail before she tore apart the net that had trapped Farfetch'd.

"Faaarfetch!" Farfetch'd chirped in joy to be free and grabbed its leek before flying to a safe distance from Team Rocket.

"No! Get back here!" Jessie growled before she threw a Poké Ball. "Lickitung, grab Farfetch'd with your tongue!"

"Lickiii!" Lickitung groaned before it extended its tongue, reaching for Farfetch'd who was running for its life with Trica protecting it.

"Heracross, use Take Down on Lickitung!" Ash yelled.

"Heraa!" Heracross didn't hesitate to fly quickly at Lickitung and tackled it just before it could grab Farfetch'd. They tumbled down to the ground while Trica and Farfetch'd made it to us.

"Farfetch'd!" Sylvester crouched down and embraced his Pokémon in a big hug. "I'm so happy you're okay!"

"Faaar…", Farfetch'd chirped in relief, happy to be back in its Trainer's safe arms.

"Now that Farfetch'd is safe…", I began as I felt determined to get serious now that Farfetch'd was safe.

"…We can now get serious", Ash finished my sentence as our Pokémon gathered in front of us, glaring at Team Rocket.

"We'll get Farfetch'd, so be it!" Jessie growled before she threw her second Poké Ball. "Arbok, use Poison Sting!"

"Shaaarbok!" Arbok hissed when it came out and fired multiple poisonous needles toward us.

"Wartortle, use Hydro Pump to block the Poison Sting!" Ash shouted.

"Wartoooor!" Wartortle withdrew into his shell and used Hydro Pump so water was fired from every visible opening. The Poison Stings were blocked by the water and bounced down to the ground.

"Mystic, use Extrasensory on Arbok!" I yelled as I threw him up in the air.

"Togiipriiii!" Mystic shrieked and used his psychic powers to envelop both himself and Arbok. He floated in the air and sent psychic shockwaves at Arbok so it flew back onto Team Rocket so they became a pile. I caught Mystic when he fell down from the sky.

"That hurt…", Meowth rubbed his sore head as he poked his head out from the mass.

"Let's finish this!" Ash yelled. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Hikaru, use Thunder Shock!" I shouted.

Our two electric Pokémon ran forward and jumped up together before they unleashed their moves. The two attacks fused into one and electrocuted Team Rocket and their Pokémon. Like always, an explosion erupted and the force of it sent the evil team up and away into the sky.

"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAAAIN!"

"We did it!" Ash cheered together with his Pokémon.

"Great job, everyone!" I praised my Pokémon and gave each a big hug.

"Wow… That was amazing", Sylvester commented, his eyes wide in awe. "You two really worked together with your Pokémon."

"That's how Trainers do, Sylvester", Ash grinned widely. "And you can do it too with Farfetch'd."

Sylvester and Farfetch'd locked eyes with another and nodded simultaneously, like they had agreed on something without even speaking. "Let's try it, Farfetch'd!" the boy said determinedly.

"Faar!" Farfetch'd nodded and dashed toward a tree with its leek ready.

"Farfetch'd, use Cut on that tree!" Sylvester called, his voice sounding a lot more confident than before.

"Faaaar…fetch'd!" Farfetch'd cut the trunk of the tree with its leek like a sword, causing it to fall down to the ground with a big bang.

"Yay! We did it!" Sylvester cheered happily before he calmed down, but kept his serious demeanor. "Okay, Farfetch'd! You know what to do next! Let's cut the tree and make lots of charcoal!"

"Faar!" Farfetch'd began cutting the tree into pieces and removed all the leaves and tiny branches that weren't needed. Soon, a pile of perfectly cut wood had replaced the tree.

"Wow! That was amazing!" Ash praised the duo.

I couldn't resist the urge to clap my hands at the nice performance. "That was great!" I nodded.

"Thanks, guys", Sylvester smiled sheepishly. "It's all thanks to you two that I've learned how to work together with Farfetch'd."

"I told you you can do it, Sylvester", Ash grinned. "Don't give up until it's over!"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu agreed along with the other Pokémon.

"Now, let's carry the logs back to Dad and make lots of purifying charcoal!" Sylvester cheered happily.

It was a nice reunion when we met up with Misty and Brock. We helped Sylvester and Farfetch'd to bring the logs to their home where Yosaku had waited for us. It was getting late by the time we made it, so we slept outside of the house and left the next morning with a small stack of purifying charcoal the family gave to us as a thank you gift.

Oh, and I realized Trica had learned Cut after she had observed Farfetch'd using the move, so now we could cut our own logs for the fireplace whenever we had to camp outside.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ashley's party:

Cedric the Larvitar (male)

Trica the Furret (female)

Hikaru the Flaaffy (male)

Mystic the Togepi (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ash's party:

Ivysaur (male)

Pikachu (male)

Wartortle (male)

Heracross (male)

Chikorita (female)

Cyndaquil (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Misty's party:

Goldeen (female)

Staryu (genderless)

Psyduck (male)

Togepi (female)

Poliwag (male)

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Brock's party:

Geodude (male)

Onix (male)

Zubat (male)

Vulpix (female)

Pineco (male)