For this chapter, I had a debate with myself about who should get a Houndour; Ash or Ashley? Who will catch one? You have to read the chapter to find out.
And to answer the question the anonymous guest posted; there will be no harem in this series. Ash will only have ONE love interest and that's Misty.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 15: Hour of the Houndour
There was quite a hectic week after we made it out of the Ilex Forest. We followed Route 34 and came across a seaside city called Palmpona. We met a Trainer called Benny who was in town for an annual Tauros festival and a Swap Meet where Trainers trade their Pokémon. He wanted to find somebody who could trade their Pokémon for his Wobbuffet. Ash was very eager to participate in the Tauros festival, so he contacted Professor Oak to switch Heracross for his Tauros. He managed to win the festival against the reigning champion, which caught the attention of many Trainers who wanted to trade their Pokémon for Tauros, but my brother rejected every offer.
The Swap Meet attracted Team Rocket's attention, so they tricked many Trainers and stole their Poké Balls. We caught up with the evil trio and got a huge surprise when Jessie called out Lickitung. She had somehow traded away her Lickitung and got Benny's Wobbuffet by accident! Jessie got very disappointed at first, but she accepted her new Pokémon after it defeated Ash's Chikorita by bouncing her moves back with Counter.
Thankfully, Team Rocket's victory lasted short before Pikachu defeated them with Thunderbolt. We retrieved the stolen Poké Balls and returned them to the anxious Trainers, many skipping the Swap Meet after realizing how much their Pokémon meant to them.
The next day, when we were about to leave Palmpona after buying supplies, Professor Oak called Ash on his PokéGear and asked him if he could send Wartortle to the lab. Apparently, a fire broke out in Pallet Town that quickly got extinguished by the Squirtle Squad, but they had showcased disorientation because they were missing their leader. Ash had nothing against it and sent both Wartortle and Tauros back to the lab, so his party was open for two more Pokémon just like mine.
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We were still far away from Goldenrod City. Brock said the estimated time to reach the city was around ten weeks and that was after we had left Palmpona three days ago. If we still had Firered and Charizard, we could have flown to the city.
We had just left another small town until we stopped by a tiny campsite to have lunch. I was in charge of the bread, which I kept in my backpack that I dropped next to Ash's backpack when we left to look for some water to fill everyone's thermoses. Ash, Pikachu and I found a small river with clean water, so we filled the thermoses and hurried back to the campsite.
"We're back!" Ash yelled to Misty and Brock who were setting the table for lunch. "We found a river with water, so we've got enough drinks!"
"Pika pika!" Pikachu cheered happily.
"Great!" Brock smiled. "Now we just need the bread and we can dig in!"
"Okay!" I called and walked over to the tree where Ash and I had put down our backpacks. I blinked twice when I noticed my backpack was missing. "Umm… Did any of you move my backpack?"
"No, we haven't touched it", Misty responded.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"One-hundred percent", Brock replied.
Panic started to grow in my soul. If no one had moved my backpack, then… "Somebody stole my backpack!" I exclaimed loudly. I was suddenly hit by flashbacks of the few times Gary and the other bullies in Pallet Town used to steal my stuff and hid them in trash bins and other nasty places.
"Ashley, calm down!" Ash called and shook my body before I could lose myself in the memory line. "It's none of the bullies from Pallet Town who stole your backpack! And we will find it! Take deep breaths and calm down…"
"Piika…", Pikachu whined worriedly with his ears dropped.
I managed to take a couple of deep breaths and calmed down. Ash was right. It couldn't be the bullies from home who took my backpack. It must have been somebody else or a wild Pokémon. "You okay now, Ashley?" my brother asked, seeing I wasn't panicking anymore.
"Y-Yeah…", I nodded and rubbed my forehead to massage away the remaining anxiety.
"That's odd", Misty commented. "Why did the thief only steal your backpack and not Ash's too?"
"Togi?" Togepi chirped confusedly and tilted her head to the side.
Brock looked down at the ground around the tree to seek for clues. "I think a Pokémon stole your backpack because it caught the scent of the fresh bread, Ashley", he stated.
"How do you know that, Brock?" Ash asked.
Brock beckoned us with his finger. "'Cause there are footprints here and they aren't made by humans."
We gathered around him and saw clear footprints of a Pokémon on the dirt. From the shape of it, it must have been a four-legged Pokémon. I couldn't tell whether that Pokémon was a feline or a canine, though.
"Do you know what kind of Pokémon left those footprints, Brock?" Misty asked as she picked up Togepi from the table.
"I can't really tell…", Brock replied hesitantly. "I can guess a couple of Pokémon and be entirely wrong about them."
"I want my backpack back", I spoke like a small child. "I don't have much of value in the backpack besides my clothes and other stuff, but I need them for the journey."
"Don't worry, Ashley! We'll track down the thief and get your backpack back!" Ash exclaimed determinedly.
"Piika!" Pikachu nodded, agreeing with his Trainer.
"Let's head back to the town and ask Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny if they know about the thief!" Brock suggested eagerly. "It's possible a Trainer is using their Pokémon to do the dirty job for them."
"Criminals…", I growled to myself, getting angry by the thoughts of humans using Pokémon to commit crimes.
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It didn't take long to return to the town where we caught up with Nurse Joy and her Chansey. She said they had been grocery shopping, but when she looked away somebody stole the ham she had bought. She did inform us there has been some shoplifting in town recently, mostly food, but no one had caught the thief yet. We did find the wrapper of the ham and the same footprints we saw in the forest around it.
We followed the tracks back to the woods until we couldn't see them anymore. Brock got an idea, so we set up camp for the night. We had a light dinner before we started preparing the trap. Brock asked me to have Trica use Cut on a thick branch so he could use it for the trap. He carved the branch expertly without cutting his own fingers and transformed the piece of wood into a sausage.
"Wow…", I hummed in awe, seeing Brock transform the branch into a copy of the sausage. I was always amazed by people who could make things with their hands, or like Mom who can sew clothes so well. I didn't think I was so good at sewing, but I took proud of my cooking that I was still evolving thanks to Brock's guidance.
"There we go!" Brock smiled widely at the result. "It looks like the real deal!"
"What's the wood sausage for?" Misty asked.
"Prii?" Togepi chirped from her arms.
"You'll find out", Brock said. "Ash, is the pot ready?"
"Yeah, the water's boiling!" Ash called as he sat by the campfire, controlling the fire that heat up the water in the pot.
"Pika pikaa!" Pikachu waved his small hand.
"Then let's do a little magic", Brock exclaimed. He picked up the real sausage and walked to the pot before dropping both the real food and the fake sausage in the boiling water. "You see, wood has the ability to absorb different scents, so if we boil the fake sausage together with the real sausage, it will smell just like a sausage."
"I think I get it", Misty said. "You're gonna use the wood sausage to lure out the thief?"
"Yep", Brock nodded. "But we'll keep the real sausage as a backup."
It didn't take long before the scent of sausage flowed in the air and made my stomach growl again, even though we had just eaten. We discarded the water and put the wood sausage on a plate and left it on a stump. We hid in the bushes close by with the real sausage on another plate that Brock carried. I had recalled Trica and called out Hikaru instead in case we were going to need some extra light because it got very dark in the night. It didn't really help when the wind blew and extinguished the little fire left of the campfire. The clouds covered the moon, so it got extra spooky. I cuddled closer to my brother, fearing that a ghost-type Pokémon would suddenly pop out of nowhere and scare me to death.
"Pika…!" Pikachu yelped quietly and looked to the side like he had heard something.
"What's wrong, Pikachu…?" Ash whispered. "Did you hear something…?"
I just glanced at my brother for one second before I looked back at the stump, seeing a quick shadow jump away from the now empty plate. "Guys…! The thief took the bait…!" I called out.
"Flaaa…", Hikaru bleated quietly.
"Let's go get it!" Ash exclaimed loudly and jumped out of the bushes. "Come back and give my sister's backpack back!"
"Ash, wait!" Misty yelled after my brother.
Ash dashed after the shadow that jumped into the bushes and disappeared from our sight. "It got away!" he growled irritably.
"And it was too dark to see what it was, so we won't be able to find it", Misty added.
"Don't worry; it went all according to plan", Brock said as he and I stepped out of the bushes. "If the thief took the fake food, then it must be really hungry and will certainly come back to get the real sausage."
"So that's why you kept the real food!" Ash snapped his fingers in realization.
"But… Won't that Pokémon become aggressive when it realizes we tricked it?" I asked concernedly.
I got my answer not from Brock but from the growls coming from the bushes around us. The four of us got into position to cover every direction and protect each other's backs. Hikaru stood in front of me with his tail orb sparkling, ready to attack if needed.
"Guys… It's back", Misty said nervously.
"Yeah… And it's not alone", Brock nodded.
"Come out immediately and face us!" Ash yelled to the hidden Pokémon.
Red eyes glowed from the shadows as the Pokémon got closer to the clearing. Their eyes intimidated me, so I moved back and bumped against Ash. The clouds were blown away, allowing the moon to cast its light upon us. The light was strong enough to reveal four Houndours and one of them had the fake sausage in its mouth.
"It's Houndour!" I exclaimed.
"Houndour?" Ash repeated the name before he picked up his Pokédex to check the data.
Houndour, the dark Pokémon. Dark and fire-type. It uses different kinds of cries for communicating with others of its kind and for pursuing its prey. To corner prey, they check each other's location using barks that only they can understand.
The Houndour with the fake sausage spat it out and growled aggressively along with its friends. "Now it must be really angry at us for tricking it…", Misty cold sweated.
"Maybe I should've cooked two real sausages instead…", Brock mumbled, now realizing the error of his plan.
"Pika pika!" Pikachu yelled and pointed upward.
"Guys, look!" Ash yelled and pointed at a cliff where a fifth Houndour was standing. "The Houndours aren't alone!"
"Hoooouun!" the fifth Houndour howled and jumped down from the cliff and landed in front of us. I noticed it was some scars around its face and even on the skull-like helmet on its head and it was a little larger than the rest of the pack.
Brock noticed the scars too and the different of height between it and the other Houndours. "That one must be the leader of the pack!"
"Give back Ashley's backpack to us!" Ash yelled at the Houndours.
"Hooun!" the Houndour leader howled, signaling to the other Houndours to attack us. They jumped at us, but we dodged them as best as we could. One even tried to take the sausage from Brock, but he protected it well, even though he got a scratch on his arm.
"Fine, if we have to battle for it, we will!" Ash yelled and threw one Poké Ball. "Cyndaquil, I choose you!"
"Cyndaquiil!"
Cyndaquil wasn't exactly the best Pokémon against Houndour, but Ash had sent Wartortle to Professor Oak, so he didn't have another choice.
"I will battle too for my backpack!" I shouted and threw Cedric's Poké Ball. "Cedric, I choose you!"
"Laaar!"
"I choose you, Stary-", Misty was about to call out her Pokémon when a light came from her duffle bag. It turned out to be Psyduck who came out from his Poké Ball without being called…again. "Psyduuck!" Misty yelled furiously.
"Onix, I choose you!" Brock yelled and threw his Poké Ball.
"Oooo!" Onix roared and hovered above us.
"We've outnumbered the Houndours now!" Ash said.
"No, we're even…", Misty groaned and face palmed herself. "I know Psyduck won't listen to me…"
"Psyduck psy?" Psyduck looked confused like always.
"Hooun!" the Houndour leader howled, which was the cue for its pack to start attacking us again.
"Cedric, blow them away with Sandstorm!" I yelled, concentrating on my part of the battle.
"Larvi…TAR!" Cedric collected his power and summoned a Sandstorm, but unlike the usual Sandstorm, he shaped the whirling sand into a sand tornado and sent it toward two of the Houndours. The wild Pokémon got caught by the tornado and were thrown back to the ground before the tornado vanished.
"Hikaru, use Thunder Wave on the Houndours!" I shouted, thinking we could have an advantage if we slowed the canines down.
"Flaaaffyyy!" Hikaru released the electricity stored within him and sent an electric wave toward the fallen Houndours. They dodged the Thunder Wave in the nick of time, which made me a little irritated.
"Cedric, block the Houndour's path with Rock Slide!" I shouted.
"LarviTAAR!" Cedric jumped up and summoned several boulders above him before he threw his arms toward the ground. The boulders moved by his actions and dropped down like meteorites around the clearing. The Houndours barked in fear and quickly dodged the boulders before they could get crushed by them.
"Hikaru, use Thunder Shock!" I shouted.
"FlaaFFYYY!" Hikaru released the electricity from his body and aimed for one Houndour that got struck by the move. It howled in pain as it got electrocuted, but it ended when Hikaru canceled the attack.
"Hooun!" the Houndour leader barked all of the sudden, which made the others freeze in their tracks. They quietly stepped back and allowed the leader to step forward instead. Their behavior confused me a little.
"What's going on now?" Misty asked.
"I think the leader wants a one-on-one battle", Brock replied.
"But with who?" I asked.
"Pikachu will take care of the leader!" Ash exclaimed determinedly.
"Pika!" Pikachu growled determinedly with his cheeks sparkling.
"Houn!" the Houndour leader growled and used Leer at Pikachu who flinched back in fear.
"Don't be scared, Pikachu!" Ash encouraged his Pokémon. "You can do it!"
The battle between the Houndour leader and Pikachu was intense and both were quite even. However, Houndour got the advantage when a distressed howl suddenly echoed from the distance. The five Houndours froze and listened closely at the howl. The leader barked at its pack before they ran away to reach the one who was calling for them.
"They're retreating?" Misty asked.
"No, I think they're running to get to the one who was howling!" Brock answered. "That howl sounded like somebody's in trouble!"
"It must be another Houndour from this pack!" I gasped.
"Let's run after them and see what's going on!" Ash exclaimed. "Perhaps we can find your backpack, sis!"
We ran with our Pokémon after the Houndours who ignored us since we weren't attacking them. We ran up a small mountain and spotted a sixth Houndour outside of a cave, protecting the pack's home from an invading Golem. The other Houndours used Flamethrower to force the wild Pokémon back from the sixth Houndour that collapsed on the ground, looking very weak. The rest of the pack ran down to their fallen comrade and surrounded it to act like a shield while the leader attacked the Golem.
"They came back because their comrade got weakened by the Golem!" Ash gasped as soon as we saw the scene.
"I don't think so, Ash", Brock said. "It doesn't look good and I think it's not 'cause of the Golem."
"Ashley, look!" Misty pointed at a corner outside of the cave. "There's your backpack!"
She was right. My backpack was lying among some garbage that once contained food, but it got eaten up a while ago. I could tell my backpack was open, so the Houndours had surely eaten up the food.
"I wonder if they were getting food for the weak Houndour…", I mumbled to myself.
"Could this mean that Houndour is not only hurt but also sick?" Ash asked.
"Piiika…", Pikachu mumbled sadly.
"Maybe, but I need to get closer to check its condition", Brock replied.
The leader of the pack breathed Flamethrower on the Golem, which wasn't effective. The Golem curled itself into a ball and used Rollout to knock the Houndour back. I gasped in horror at the sight, feeling sad for it now that I knew the truth.
"Run away, Houndour!" I yelled. Before I knew it, I was running down the hill to get to the battle scene. I could barely hear Ash yelling at me, but I ignored him. Golem was rolling toward the Houndour leader, but I grabbed it and jumped away in time before we could turn into pancakes.
"Hooun?!" the Houndour barked in surprise as I crashed down to the ground with it safe in my arms.
"Are you okay, Houndour?" I asked, ignoring the little painful throbbing on my body after that crash.
"Ashley, look out!" Ash screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Goooleeem!" Golem uncurled itself and dashed toward me and Houndour, its eyes glaring angrily at us and looking ready to harm us. I shielded Houndour with my body and braced myself for the worst.
"Onix, knock the Golem back!" Brock yelled.
"Oooo!" Onix wriggled down the hill as fast as he could. It turned out he was faster than the Golem. He used his long tail to swipe Golem away from me and Houndour before it could pound us with its heavy body. That move wasn't enough to knock out Golem. It quickly got up from the ground and ran toward us again.
"Psyduck, use Water Gun on Golem! And quick!" Misty yelled.
This time, Psyduck did actually listen to her. He opened his beak and fired a large Water Gun at Golem's back. The wild rock Pokémon shrieked in fear and ran away before it could get hit by another Water Gun.
I sighed in relief now that the danger was gone and removed myself from Houndour. "Are you okay?" I asked softly.
"Grrr…", the Houndour leader growled softly and stared at me with big eyes. It then jumped from me and hurried to the fallen Houndour that was surrounded by its worried friends.
"Ashley!" Ash yelled as he ran to me and hugged me tight. "What were you thinking?!"
"I… I didn't really think…", I mumbled sheepishly against my brother's shoulder. "I just…didn't want to see Houndour get hurt."
"You scared me when you pulled an Ash, Ashley", Misty sighed tiredly.
"Pulled an Ash? What do you mean?" I asked. I had no idea what that saying meant.
"I'll explain later", Misty shook her head before she turned to Psyduck. "You did a great job, Psyduck. Maybe you do listen to me when it really gets serious."
"Psyyduck?" Psyduck tilted his head to the side.
Brock had gotten permission from the Houndours to inspect their sick comrade. We got closer and saw a big red wound on its back leg that didn't look so good. "How's the Houndour, Brock?" Ash asked.
"The leg's in a bad shape", Brock replied. "It's not broken and the wound isn't that deep, but it's showing signs of infection. It can be prevented if we treat it with a Super Potion."
"I have one in my backpack!" I called and ran to the small garbage pile. It felt a little nasty, but I still grabbed my backpack and checked the content. Everything was still in there, except for the bread, so I grabbed the Super Potion and went back to the Houndour. However, the four normal Houndours stopped me from reaching their sick friend. They must've thought I was going to hurt their friend.
"Houndour, please let me treat your friend", I begged them. "If I don't do it, it could get in a much worse shape than it is now."
"Lar! Lar!" Cedric nodded, trying to negotiate with the Houndours.
"Flaaffyyy!" Hikaru bleated, pleading with the canines.
"Hooun!" the leader barked at its pack. They listened to him and moved back to let me reach their comrade.
I smiled to the leader and crouched down next to the wounded Houndour. "It's going to sting a little", I warned it, gently brushing its stiff black fur to comfort it. "It will be over soon."
I started spraying the wound with the Super Potion. The Houndour yelped in pain by the medicine, which in turn made the other Houndours angry at me, thinking I was hurting it. The other Pokémon stood on standby to cover me in case the wild Pokémon were going to try attacking me.
"Everybody, chill!" Ash called out as he grabbed a Poké Ball. "Cyndaquil, return!"
"You too, Psyduck!" Misty said as she recalled her Pokémon.
"You as well, Onix", Brock recalled his partner.
I realized they had recalled their Pokémon to show the wild Houndours that we weren't a threat. Once I finished treating the wound, I recalled Cedric and Hikaru to show I didn't mean any harm.
"Hooun!" the Houndour leader snapped at its pack, which made them move back from us.
"It looks like the leader understands we want to help them", Ash smiled in relief.
I kneeled down to the hurt Houndour and caressed its fur. It was panting deeply like it was enduring strong pain, which didn't feel so normal. "How are you, buddy?" I asked with a soft voice as I moved my hand to its forehead. I instantly flinched back when my skin got tickled by immense heat. "Brock, is Houndour's body temperature supposed to be this high?"
"Let me see…", Brock got down next to me and checked the Pokémon's forehead, only to withdraw his hand with a loud gasp. "Houndour's got a high fever! We need to bring it to the Pokémon Center fast!"
"It's sick?!" Misty exclaimed in horror.
Ash turned to the Houndour leader. "Houndour, if we don't bring your friend back to the town and the Pokémon Center, who knows what will happen to it?! I promise we'll do everything we can to make sure your friend will heal up!"
"Pika pikachu pika!" Pikachu pleaded with the wild Pokémon leader.
"I'll carry it!" I called out and didn't hesitate to gently pick up the sick Houndour and carried it on my back. It was a little heavy, but I could hopefully endure it.
The Houndours didn't growl at me like I first thought. Instead, the leader nodded to me, as if it was telling me it was counting on me to take care of its comrade and get help for its fever.
"Do you think you can do it, Ashley?" Ash asked. "I can carry Houndour instead."
"I can do it", I told him determinedly. "I want to help Pokémon, caught or wild, and I can't do it if I take the first step getting help. I want to become independent, like what Mom always tells us."
"Okay", Ash nodded with a proud smile. "We're going with you!"
"Hold it right there!" a familiar voice called.
No! Not now! I looked up at a cliff and spotted the familiar trio that just loved bothering us at the worst time. "Team Rocket!" our group exclaimed.
"That's us, alright!" Meowth grinned mischievously.
"What are you three doing here?!" Misty yelled at them.
"We followed you twerps because those Houndours stole the ham we stole from Nurse Joy!" James complained.
"But now we don't care about the ham!" Jessie added. "We're gonna steal Pikachu and take the Houndours to the boss!"
"Not under our watch!" Ash growled back. "Ashley, you go ahead! We'll stall Team Rocket!"
"Okay! Be careful!" I yelled before I ran off with the weak Houndour on my back. Its head rested on my shoulder, so it panted air into my ear. It didn't distract me because all my senses were screaming to get the poor Pokémon help before the worst could happen.
I could hear the distant sounds of the battle with Team Rocket, but my eyes were aimed on the road. I jumped over thick roots that stuck out from the ground and avoided the bushes as I ran down the path. Thankfully, the mountain wasn't too far away from the little town, but there was still a good distance between us.
"Hang in there, Houndour", I told the Pokémon. "I'll get you to the Pokémon Center soon-"
I didn't look ahead and tripped on a pebble. I crashed onto my stomach with a grunt, sensing how my legs were already burning a little from the run. I couldn't give up just yet. I could see the lights from the town on the hill.
"I can't give up now…", I growled and pushed myself up on my knees before slowly standing up. "I will make it… I'm not a loser… I'm not a quitter…" I repeated the mantra that I had taught myself after all the bullying I had endured and how the bullies called me loser and other mean names. "I am a winner…"
"Ashley!"
Ash and the others plus the Houndours managed to catch up to me after the battle with Team Rocket. From the looks of it, they won against the evil trio. Ash carried my backpack on one of his arms, so it wasn't left behind.
"Everyone…", I panted softly, relieved to see them.
"Houn houn!" the Houndour leader barked at me before it got down on all four right next to me.
"You…will carry your friend?" I asked.
"Houn!" the Houndour nodded.
I bit my bottom lip. I'd feel bad to make the leader carry its comrade because I had promised I would do it, but…my body was sending signals that it was getting tired. I gave in and placed the sick Houndour onto the leader's back. "I'll run next to you to make sure your friend doesn't slide off", I informed it.
"Hooun!" the Houndour nodded before we jogged the rest of the way to the town.
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The last thing I remembered after we arrived to the Pokémon Center is that Nurse Joy and her Chansey brought the sick Houndour to the emergency room to treat it. After the tension finally left my body, my brain shut down and I fell asleep on a couch.
The next morning, I was awakened by the cheerful howls of the Houndours in the lobby.
"How is the Houndour?" I asked once I joined the group.
"Morning, Ashley!" Ash smiled widely. "It's doing great!"
"The fever broke in the early dawn and the wound's been treated", Nurse Joy told me. "Now it just needs to rest its leg and it will be just fine."
The Houndour that got hurt had some bandages wrapped around its leg. The pack cuddled with it to show they were happy it was doing much better now. The Houndour leader walked to me with thankful eyes. "Houn houn!"
I crouched down to the Houndour's eye level. "I'm so happy your friend is okay again", I smiled. "You and your pack did a good job taking care of it."
"Houn", the Houndour nodded.
"How about we celebrate it with a big breakfast consisting of sausages?" Brock suggested.
"Hoouuun!" the pack howled in joy after hearing the word "sausage".
"Yeah, my stomach hurts 'cause we had a very light dinner last night", Ash laughed sheepishly as a growl came from his stomach.
"Pika pika…", Pikachu looked embarrassed when his stomach growled by hunger.
"Priii…!" Togepi began whimpering by the fact that she got very little to eat as well.
"Don't worry, Togepi. We're gonna eat until we're full", Misty comforted the baby Pokémon.
"I'm hungry too…", I mumbled as I rubbed my own stomach.
"Chansey and I will make a fabulous breakfast for you all", Nurse Joy smiled.
"Chansey chansee!" Chansey chirped happily.
"I'll gladly help out in the kitchen, Nurse Joy!" Brock volunteered enthusiastically and grabbed an apron from his backpack. "Let's start cooking!"
"Hoouuun!" the Houndour pack howled again, looking very much forward to a good and hot meal to celebrate their friend's recovery.
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The Houndour left the Pokémon Center straight after breakfast without giving us time to say goodbye to them. It hurt a little, but I guess it was the way some wild Pokémon behaved. Nurse Joy healed our Pokémon before we took a quick trip to a grocery store to buy new food supplies. Then it was time to finally continue our journey to Goldenrod City.
We walked on the main road of Route 34, not expecting much when a howl caught our attention. The Houndour pack stood on top of a hill not so far from us. My heart sang in joy for seeing them again.
"Hi, Houndour!" Ash waved his hand to them. "Did you come to say goodbye to us?"
"Hooun!" the pack howled in response.
"That's so nice of them to come and wish us goodbye", Misty giggled.
"Togiprii", Togepi chirped joyfully from Misty's arms.
The Houndours looked at each other and nodded before we got a huge surprise. The leader of the pack jumped down from the cliff and ran to us. Or more precisely, it ran straight to me. "Houn houndour!"
"Houndour…?" I mumbled confusedly.
"Hey, I think it wants to go with you, Ashley!" Brock pointed out.
"What?" I gasped in surprise, not expecting the leader of a wild pack wanting to come with me on my journey. "Are you sure you want to leave your pack, Houndour?"
"Houn!" Houndour nodded and nodded its head at the pack. The pack howled like they were saying farewell to their leader.
"I think it had appointed a new leader for the pack", Brock commented.
"Well…", I was still a little uncertain and crouched down in front of the former leader. "Are you sure about this?"
"Houn!" Houndour nodded.
"Then… Welcome to the family", I smiled softly and held my hand out. Houndour responded by placing its paw on mine and we shook hands. "I should check what is your gender because I nickname every Pokémon I catch."
"I can do it, Ashley", Ash said before he grabbed his Pokédex and checked the data. "It's a male."
"Then…", I began as I went through potential names in my head for Houndour. "You will be…Victor. Victor the Houndour."
"Houn!" Victor barked with a big smile, liking the name I had given him.
I grabbed a blue ribbon from my backpack and tied it around his neck so it looked more like a scarf than a tie. "This is a ribbon I give to my Pokémon too", I explained to Victor. "When you evolve, I will probably tie it someplace else that's comfortable for you."
"Houn", Victor barked in response.
I picked up an empty Poké Ball from my belt and touched it on Victor's forehead. He got absorbed into the device and stayed there before I called him out now that he was officially my Pokémon.
"Welcome to the team, Victor!" Ash smiled. "We're gonna have lots of fun together!"
"Pika pika!" Pikachu smiled just like my brother.
"And I'll make sure you'll get sausages as part of your diet", Brock said.
"Houn!" Victor barked happily at that.
The pack howled again as we waved goodbye to them. Victor howled back to his friends before they ran back to their territory after wishing the best for their former leader. I made a promise to myself to take good care of Victor for not just his sake but also for the pack's sake.
Who knows? Perhaps we'll meet again someday when Victor has evolved into a Houndoom.
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I admit I did some cheating with the ROM I play with for the HeartGold game. I used a cheat code to encounter Houndours on Route 34 before Goldenrod City.
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Ashley's party:
Cedric the Larvitar (male)
Trica the Furret (female)
Hikaru the Flaaffy (male)
Mystic the Togepi (male)
Victor the Houndour (male)
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Ash's party:
Ivysaur (male)
Pikachu (male)
Chikorita (female)
Cyndaquil (male)
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Ash's Pokémon at the Lab:
Heracross (male)
Wartortle (male)
Tauros (male)
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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)