Part XXI: Fun in the Forest
It was a few days after Ash's birthday celebration and Misty and he had finally starting their journey together in Kanto. It had taken a few days just to recover from, clean, and wrap up the festivities of Ash's party while also preparing for their new journey. It had been a long but fun few days though.
First, after Misty and Ash had woken up the next morning they had to pack up the tent and return with it to the ranch for breakfast with those who were staying and get ready for the battles that day. They had had their first time together that night and while things were now different for the young couple after taking their relationship to the next level, it was a good different. They felt closer, more connected than they had ever felt before as they had fully given into their love for one another and been the other's first time.
Of course, they didn't advertise this when they joined everyone else and just acted like they had the day before but Misty was certain a few, mainly Dawn who had been taking care of Pikachu and Piplup, suspected as much. Let them speculate, they didn't need to know and those who were jealous of Misty could seethe in it for all she cared. She loved Ash and he loved her back and that was all that mattered.
While there were a few glances at them, any questions were silenced when breakfast became a second cook-off between Brock and Cilan that got everyone involved. Again it ended in a tie as Ash enjoyed both of their creations. It was looking like Brock and Cilan were going to need a round 3 at some point.
Breakfast was a much more chill atmosphere then the part as people just ate and chatted about plans for the rest of the day. Several guests had either left before or did so after breakfast with goodbyes to Ash and promises to meet again.
Bianca, Trip, and Barry had all headed out early wanting to get on their journeys right away but thanking Ash for the party. With the exception of Barry they were all challenging the Kanto gyms and seeking entrance to the Indigo league so they would all meet Ash again no later than the Indigo Conference so they were now officially rivals. Ash couldn't wait to see them again and hopefully battle them.
Tyson too had headed out as well as he needed to get to Iron Island as soon as possible for his training there. He had thanked Ash for the party and wished him luck in the Indigo League and promised Ash a battle in a year's time when hopefully he was part of the Hoenn Elite Four and Ash had won the Indigo Conference.
Nando too had opted to leave after breakfast and begin his own journey. He had thanked Ash and Misty and said that their paths would cross again before he left, letting the winds guide him on his journey.
The other noticeable missing guests were two of Ash and Misty's potential rivals in the heart department. Macy had already left sometime in the night, likely to avoid dealing with Misty, while Conway had also slipped away unnoticed. Kenny was the only one that they all knew had left during the party though Ash didn't miss him at all.
Casey had joined Gary with the clean up after breakfast and neither were seen after that morning. Professor Oak insisted that it was because they were setting up everything to evolve Casey's Electabuzz into and Electivire. The rest had stayed to watch and participate in the battles that were kicked off with a full battle between Ash and Max.
Ash won handily taking out all of Max's Pokémon while only losing 2 of his own but he did congratulate Max for a good battle and expected that once he had all 8 Hoenn badges their next match would be closer. Part of the problem had been Max's strategy and use of his Pokémon as the rules had not allowed for substitutions. Max had been too focused on one matchup and lost at least one Pokémon because of that. Had he not, he may have taken out at least one more Ash's Pokémon.
Max was a little upset that he couldn't do better but thanked Ash and said that he would train twice as hard so that he didn't lose next time. Ash knew that he would and was looking forward to seeing Max challenge the Hoenn League. Then they could have a rematch and Ash knew that the next time they met, Max would do a lot better.
After Ash's match came Misty's own's match against Angie, or as Dawn put it when she yanked Brock away from being the ref so that she could do it herself, 'Misty's second battle about Ash'. It was a simple one on one battle and Misty had rightly predicted Angie would use Luxio as her Pokémon.
That meant that Misty would use Mamoswine and easily won, though not before accidentally injuring Piplup and Dawn in the process. Some thought it was unfair of Misty to use Mamoswine but Angie came to Misty's defense saying that battles weren't supposed to be fair and that she would have to train harder to overcome both type and power disadvantages. It had been a learning experience for Angie and she would be better prepared in the future.
Brock and Cilan were next up and had also agreed to a one on one battle. It started normal enough but Brock was as confused as everyone else when Cilan went full evaluation time with Pansage. Brock's Croagunk was getting evaluated by Cilan before he got bored and took out Pansage mid rant with a Poison Jab. Croagunk then proceeded to do the same to Cilan, dragging his twitching body away to cheers from Iris while Brock was forced to grab Pansage and run after Croagunk and Cilan.
From then on it was a lot of fun as various people faced off based on challenges from the night before. They were all having a good time but Ash and Misty didn't notice as they had decided to take May for a walk to spend some time with her that they hadn't done the night before. There were several battles before May and Zoey demonstrated a Contest battle so they had the time to finally catch up with May.
The three of them spent a while together just catching up about what they had been up to over the last year and a half while just wandering around the ranch. All Ash and Misty did was hold hands as Misty didn't want to make May uncomfortable with excessive displays of affection with Ash. Taking their relationship to the next level the night before had made Misty want to be all over Ash but May didn't deserve that, not after her own love life had failed.
May however seemed a lot happier while there which made Misty happy, May should be happy and not upset because Misty's happiness made May remember her past. Ash was oblivious to this but he was supportive of her planned trip to Kalos and upset he couldn't go but he and Misty already had plans and they weren't going to change them. May brushed it off as if it was nothing but Misty got the feeling that there was more that May had wanted out of her trip to Kalos then she let on.
It was during their time with May that Misty realized that May was acting differently around Misty and not just because of memories of her past relationship with Drew. Her suspicions were heightened by the way she talked about Kalos and wanting to go there with Ash. May seemed to not like the idea of Misty joining which was odd to Misty.
It was just a few small things but because of them thoughts percolated in the back of Misty's mind and she had a feeling that she would have to keep an eye on May in the future. This was just in case she and May needed to have a personal talk about things and clear anything up that could damage their friendship. It helped that they would all meet again at the Wallace Cup that was being held in May's hometown this year so they would all be able to catch up again at that.
After they returned to the battles, mainly because it looked like Iris and Georgia were on the brink of killing each other, things progressed normally and May was much happier after spending time with Ash. The only thing that bugged Misty was when May hugged Ash for a little longer than necessary both when he congratulated her on becoming a Top Coordinator and when her and Max finally left at the end of the day. Otherwise May was much happier and really got into her Contest battle with Zoey.
Misty knew that it was her jealousy, something that Dawn had managed to unlock in her back in Cerulean, was exaggerating things but she was certain that the hug was closer than it should be. It also ensured that Ash would certainly notice May's considerable assets pressed against him though that might just be Misty being insecure with herself, something she would work on personally. Whatever the case, May was definitely on Misty's radar going forward.
As for the other guests, they all left over the next day or two, some staying longer as they planned to challenge Forrest in the Pewter Gym in the next week or so and hoped for insight from Brock before he left or Ash. All they got was that it was a rock type gym and nothing more.
After that they left and Ash and Misty were finally alone at his home with his mother for a few days before they began their own journey. Of course Misty could tell that Delia knew what they had gotten up too, she was getting plenty of knowing looks from Mrs. Ketchum and subtle questions about the night. Misty just did her best to deflect though she did make sire to 'accidentally' drop her prescription showing that she was routinely taking it and had for the days before and after the party.
Of course Ash was completely oblivious to all of this. He was too focused on their journey and making sure that his own challenges were issued. Starting the day after the party, Ash had formally issued his challenge to all 8 gym leaders. He challenged all to 6 on 6 full battles over the course of the year with promises to let the gym leaders know when he was near their respective gyms.
Dawn had instantly accepted the challenge in person within moments of getting it, though Misty did not like the gleam in the other girl's eye when she accepted it. Dawn was up to something, something that would rear its head when they returned to Cerulean City and Misty didn't trust her in the slightest.
However, they were going there for both the challenge and the fact that the first contest of the season was going to be in Cerulean City in a month's time so there was no way for Misty to avoid it. That and Dawn had also promised that she would come watch Misty in her Contest, the least Misty could do was be civil and fight back whenever Dawn's plan revealed itself.
Other than Dawn, 4 other Gym leaders had formally accepted the challenges by the time they left Pallet Town for Pewter City. The first had been Forrest, Brock's brother and hence why they were heading there for the first challenge in a week's time. It was also a fitting place to start as the Boulder Badge was the first badge that Ash had ever earned. As such they'd set the date for the challenge and Ash couldn't wait for it and his challenges to begin.
In addition, Lt. Surge, the Vermilion City Leader had accepted with a day of Ash issuing his challenge. Over the next few days Erika in Celadon and Sabrina in Saffron, those cities respective leaders, also accepted.
As for the other 3 gyms, the Cinnabar Island Gym was apparently closed for a few weeks while its leader Blaine was out of the region. The Fuchsia City Gym leader Koga had apparently left his post to join Johto Elite Four and his daughter Janine had become the new leader and she hadn't gotten back to Ash yet regarding his challenge. The last gym, also the nearest as it was in Viridian City, had a new leader that Ash didn't know and who hadn't responded to Ash's challenge.
It wasn't a problem for Ash as he had plenty of time before he was in those cities, and they could always backtrack to Viridian City for the gym there. For now Ash and Misty were simply camping out in Viridian Forest as they began their Kanto journey.
They had decided to in the forest and train here for a few days where they could be alone and focus on the battle in Pewter City. Ash had already selected his team for his match against Forrest and wanted to train with them while trying to predict what Pokémon Forrest would use, with at least 3 of them easy to predict as they were Brock's Pokémon that Forrest used in the gym.
While Ash was doing this, Misty wanted to catch at least one new Pokémon, specifically a grass type Pokémon if possible. This was because one thing Misty had realized after her time in Unova and Johto was that she really needed to expand her roster and train a wider variety of Pokémon. Misty currently had 7 Pokémon, 8 if you included Ambipom but she was off doing her own thing so didn't really count and loved them all but there was only so much Misty could do with a limited roster.
One thing that Zoey had done to always stay fresh was to have new Pokémon each time they met so Misty figured now was as good a time as any to emulate her best friend. To make this easier, Misty had decided to register her Pokémon with Professor Oak so that she could use his ranch for her Pokémon.
It just made sense as she was now in Kanto and Togekiss was staying there anyway because of the Professor's research on her. It also was needed because Togekiss had apparently declared herself the ranch's mother and joined Ash's Bulbasaur as a mediator of any disputes. She was already living up to her classification as the Jubilee Pokémon.
In addition, Misty was leaving Pachirisu, Typhlosion and Furret at the ranch. The former because the electric type had fallen in love with the place and had decided to stay there regardless of Misty's attempts to persuade it. The later because he and Ash's Quilava had bonded and Misty didn't want to separate them for too long so she decided to let Typhlosion stay there. Furret had been sent to the ranch and was having a great time playing with Ash's Pokémon so Misty left it there as well but might recall Furret for a Contest or two.
As such, Piplup, Buneary and Mamoswine were the only Pokémon with her. Piplup because he wasn't going anywhere, Buneary because she would not leave Pikachu's side, and Mamoswine because Misty knew that she would need his power and strength at times so she liked to keep him around. That gave Misty 3 spots in her roster to fill and she hoped to fill them by the time of the Cerulean Contest so that at least one might be ready for either the first or second contest she entered.
That was why Misty had insisted on staying in Viridian Forest for a few days. She needed a new Pokémon and really wanted to try and catch one of a type she had not yet managed to catch. The one common type that Misty hadn't managed to catch was a grass type. She wanted one as it was the starter type she didn't have and it would gave her an edge against water types which was something she didn't have with Pachirisu at the ranch. There were other types that Misty would love to catch but they could wait.
One thing was for certain, Misty didn't want to leave the Forest without a new, and preferably small and cute, grass type Pokémon. Little did Misty know that she was about to get her wish and then some.
The small Pokémon was running through the forest that she had known all her life looking for someone to help her. Her best friend had been hurt by some other Pokémon who had feared her even though she was harmless if you got to know her. She was just different and not native to the forest, that's all.
Unfortunately, the other Pokémon hadn't seen it that way and ganged up on her in an effort to drive her out. She had defended herself and her friend as she was bigger but against overwhelming numbers, she had been hurt in the process and left injured by the other Pokémon. Now she needed help.
The running Pokémon knew what to look for, humans. They seemed to know a lot when it came to the healing arts and could perform tasks that Pokémon, especially her, could not. She had seen it done while watching the humans that had traveled through the forest and knew they could help. She would but her own healing move only worked on herself and not her friend. That was why she needed additional help.
Humans often traveled through the forest but she didn't trust most of them as she didn't know them. She needed to find the right one to take to her friend. She wasn't sure what she was looking for but she knew she would find it, she had to. That was when she smelt it.
It was a sweet, pleasant, delectable scent not native to forest at all but that the Pokémon instantly liked. It was calming and gentle and she knew that whoever it belonged too had to be a friend to Pokémon. Instantly she ran to it.
It only took a moment to find it as it was nearby. She hid in the bushes as she watched, waiting for the right moment. The smell was coming from a human female with hair the same color as the Pokémon's body, just a shed or two lighter.
As a bonus the human had a bag on her back and was just putting down a small Pokémon that was not native to the forest, possibly even the region as she had never seen one before. With her was a male human with a Pikachu at his heels who was unpacking a bag and setting up camp.
No other Pokémon were present. It was the perfect time to get the human's attention and her help. With a cry of help, she jumped out, yelled her name and went straight for the human's hair.
"Oddish!"
Misty put Piplup down and stretched from the walk to the clearing where they had made camp. They had been walking for a while and decided to make camp for a little lunch and some light training. Without Brock, Ash was in charge of food and carrying equipment so he was setting it up while Misty got everything else ready.
With Ash carrying the food, Misty had the Pokémon supplies and medicine with here so she was still carrying her own weight on their journey. She had been about to take her bag off when she heard it.
"Oddish!"
Misty had enough time to look and see a small Oddish leap out of the bushes nearby. That was not so surprising, they were in a forest and it was a wild Pokémon native to Kanto that liked forests. What was surprising was that Oddish instantly latched onto the end of Misty's hair with its mouth.
"My hair!" Misty yelled twirling around in surprise. "Get off my hair!"
"Wha…" Ash looked up over to his girlfriend, intending to help her.
Instead he was hit square in the face by the Oddish that was still clinging to Misty's hair and floored. It was not what he expected and he was dazed on the ground as a series of Oddishes ran around his head. That was just what the Oddish needed.
Oddish then used Misty's own momentum to pull her down. Then, with her hair still in its mouth, it started running, dragging the protesting trainer with it, her desperation lending her strength. She needed the human's help and this would do.
"Ow, ow, ow." Misty protested as she tried to get herself under control. "Please let go of me."
The Pokémon didn't listen and Misty was stuck trying to get her footing. Clearly this Pokémon needed her for something so she was going to have to reason with it.
"Please, I can tell you need help." Misty pleaded. "Let me go and I will help you."
That did it. The Oddish let Misty go. Of course, it was still running and Misty slammed into the ground hard but she couldn't have everything. Grumbling, Misty rolled over and got up and onto her knees and looked at the small Pokémon. She saw that there was a pleading, worried look in its eyes as it looked up at her. It clearly needed help with something.
Misty had feeling that there must be an injured Oddish out there and this one had decided that Misty could help out. Misty knew enough first aid to help at least stabilize a Pokémon long enough to get it to a Pokémon Center and would help out in any way she could.
"You need my help?" Misty said and the Oddish nodded. "Alright, lead the way. I will do what I can for your friend."
"Oddish." The Oddish said happily as it jumped up, turned and ran off. Misty quickly got up and followed it.
She had to keep low as the Pokémon was small but she was able to follow it just about as its blue body was clear against the green vegetation. Thankfully they weren't too far from where they needed to go. A few minutes later they burst into a clearing where an injured Pokémon lay up against a tree. Misty had been at least half right in her assessment.
There had been an injured Pokémon but it defiantly wasn't an Oddish. Instead it was an odd looking, bipedal brown Pokémon with spindly arms, short stout legs, 3 claws, and a large set of spiked horns poking out of its head. It had a mouth of sorts that didn't seem to close and its teeth were vertical and not horizontal. Misty had never seen a Pokémon like it before, it must be a Kanto native Pokémon that didn't exist in Sinnoh, but that didn't matter. It was hurt and Misty was going to help it.
Misty wanted to check it on her pokedex but that could come once she'd stabilized the Pokémon. She could clearly see that it was wounded. It had marks on its body as if it had been in a fight and Misty was certain she saw the signs of poison if the purple blemish under its eyes was any indication. Without Brock on their trip, Misty had made sure she had all the supplies for field first aid and hurried with the Oddish to the injured Pokémon's side.
As soon as it saw her it cowered in fear at the unfamiliar human. Whatever it had been through it had been scared by the experience and it didn't want her there. Misty slowly raised her hands, palms up, so that she wouldn't scare it, and slowed to a walk as she approached.
"I'm not here to hurt you." Misty said quietly getting down on her knees to be at its eye level, making sure to maintain eye contact. "I am here to help you."
"Oddish." The Oddish said to it encouragingly. "Odd, Oddish."
The other Pokémon mad a series of clicking sounds and Oddish spoke back to it. It was clear that the Pokémon were close friends, an odd pairing as Misty was a little unnerved by the intimidating looking brown Pokémon but she was here to help it, its appearance didn't matter to her at all.
"Look, I have some berries that will cure that poison and a potion that will heal you up." Misty said slowly putting her bag down and reaching into it she pulled out the a few of the right berries after a little blind fumbling. "See, this is Pecha berry, it will cure your poison and this is an Oran berry, it will heal you a bit so that I can apply the potion."
The Pokémon still looked hesitant. Misty could tell that it had been through a lot and was only even letting her this near because of the Oddish. Deciding to show the Pokémon that the berries were fine and not harmful, Misty took a bite out of each in front of the injured Pokémon.
"See, they aren't going to harm you." Misty said with a smile at it as she swallowed the berries. "I promise, there is no need to worry."
"Oddish." Oddish said to the hesitant Pokémon then looked at Misty and the berries. "Oddish."
"Oh yeah that will help." Misty said understanding what Oddish wanted and handed one of each to Oddish to take a bite of which the Pokémon did. "See, Oddish here likes them so you know they must be good. Please, let me help you."
"Odd Oddish." Oddish said happily and the other Pokémon relented and nodded at Misty.
Misty smiled and slowly fed the Pokémon the berries. First she placed the Pecha berry in its mouth as its arms were clearly a little too weak at the moment. It ate it and then sighed as the purling under its eyes went down and slowly vanished showing that it was working. It open its eyes looking a lot better and happier. Misty kept smiling as she fed it an Oran berry next to restore some health.
"I'll give you more in a bit." Misty promised as she reached for the potion bottle in her bag. "They will help give you strength but I want to clean and dress the wounds. Can I touch you?"
The Pokémon chittered and did its best to nod at here. Misty breathed out a sigh of relief and began searching her bag. Finding the right potion, she pulled it out along with a pack of bandages to cover the wounds.
"This will sting a little." Misty said gently. "I am sorry but it will help, promise. Can you be strong for me? You were brave to fight and I am guessing that you saved your friend, that's why it came to find me. I know you can be brave again."
The Pokémon nodded and Misty gently sprayed its wounds with the potion. The Pokémon hissed but only for a moment and then breathed a sigh of relief as the potion began to do its job.
Misty smiled, she knew it was working. She pulled out a few of the bandages, they were pink but they would work, and slowly cleaned and put them on all of the Pokémon's wounds.
Misty was a little startled, but didn't show it, when she touched the Pokémon and felt a hard carapace under her fingers. She had suspected that it wasn't a grass type, or at least not a pure grass type, but she had no idea what it was until she touched it. Now she could tell that it was clearly a bug type Pokémon so its presence here was not a surprise.
It took a little while to dress all the wounds, it had clearly been in some intense battle, but soon they were cleaned, dressed and healing. She gave the Pokémon another Oran berry and it looked a lot better now. Finally done, Misty knelt back and the Oddish ran forward and nuzzled its friend who was smiling at it. At least Misty thought it was, it was hard to tell with its odd mouth.
"Oddish." The Oddish said in thanks to Misty.
"Your welcome." Misty said getting up and turning to leave.
"Oddish!" Oddish said and latched onto her hair pulling her back down.
"What?" Misty asked as she returned to them, Oddish releasing her hair again.
"Oddish." The Oddish said looking at it, its friend and then Misty.
Misty wasn't certain but she had a feeling that the Oddish at least wanted to go with her after she had helped its friend. It was looking at her expectantly while its friend was a little more hesitant.
"You want to come with me?" Misty asked confused. "After I helped your friend?"
"Oddish." Oddish said with a nod before turning to its friend and pleading. "Oddish."
"But you also want your friend to be with you and you will only come if your friend comes as well?" Misty asked and Oddish nodded so Misty turned to the still unknown Pokémon. "Do you want to come with me?"
"Oddish." Oddish pleaded with its friend.
The other Pokémon looked between Oddish and Misty for a moment. Oddish kept pleading and Misty had no idea what they were saying. Misty got the gist of it though and she was not going to catch the Oddish unless its friend agreed to be caught as well. It was clear that these two were close and Misty was not going to separate them no matter what.
Finally, the other Pokémon looked and Misty and nodded in agreement. She had saved it and cared for it when no one else but her friend Oddish had. She could trust this human if her friend did. Perhaps she would learn to be strong under her and Oddish liked her so she couldn't be bad as Oddish was a good judge of character. Plus it would get them out of this damned forest at last.
"Thanks." Misty said with a smile as she pulled out two empty Poke Balls from her bag. "I will make sure I do well as your trainer, both of you. I promise you that."
Misty then touched the Poke Balls to the Pokémon. One on Oddish's body and the other on the forehead of the still unknown Pokémon. The balls opened, engulfed them in red light and sucked them in. The center flashed red for a moment and twitched in her hands before dinging and falling silent. Misty just smile in amazement at what had happened. She had helped a Pokémon and its injured friend and ended up catching both of them.
Standing and stretching as she had been kneeling for a while, Misty turned to head back to the camp sight, hoping that she could find it. She needn't have worried as Ash, Pikachu and Piplup were all standing behind her at the edge of the clearing, their mouths hanging open in shock at what they had just seen. They had clearly followed her and then watched a fair bit of what had just happened. Still they were standing there amazed so Misty had to ask.
"What?"
Ash had been dazed by the Oddish and it took him a moment, and some prodding from Pikachu and Piplup to recover. Who'd of thought that such a small Pokémon with no arms could pack a punch like that. Ash had had worse but it was still a shock to be floored by an Oddish of all things.
Groaning, Ash got up and swore. Misty was nowhere to be seen and Ash had already begun to set up their camp. Knowing that he would have to find his girlfriend but worried that he may get lost, Ash pulled out two Poke Balls and threw them into the air. In an instant Heracross and Snivy appeared before him.
"I have to go after Misty." Ash said quickly to them. "Hold down the fort and if I am not back in 20 minutes then come and find us."
"Snivy." Snivy said with a nod.
"Cross." Heracross confirmed with a chitter.
"Thanks guys." Ash said with a smile. "Piplup, Pikachu with me, let's go find Misty."
It wasn't hard to follow the path initially. It seemed that the Oddish was quite strong as well has being a good weight as it had dragged Misty a fair distance into the forest. They just had to follow the Misty shaped trail of destruction in the undergrowth until it stopped to at least get a sense of what direction to go in.
Unfortunately, it seemed that Misty had managed to get control at some point and the trail ended. Ash was looking around frantically, unsure of where Misty was, when Pikachu sensed something.
"Pika!" Pikachu said and Ash looked to see his Pokémon pointing in a direction ahead of them.
"Do you think Misty is that way?" Ash asked.
"Pika." Pikachu confirmed pointing to a broken branch that could only have been made by someone as tall as a human running through it.
"Then lead the way buddy." Ash said and he and Piplup followed Pikachu.
They followed the electric mouse for a few minutes, Ash noticing a few signs that a person had been through here, until they came to the edge of a clearing. Ash saw a flash of blue and white in the clearing and knew that it was Misty. He was about to go and see what had happened when he felt a dragging on his pants leg.
Looking down Ash saw Pikachu trying to pull him back. His starter was shaking his head and put a paw to his lips. Ash gave Pikachu a confused look so his starter sighed and pointed into the clearing. Ash looked and saw why he had been stopped.
Misty was kneeling down at the far end with the Oddish by her side, administering first aid to a Pokémon resting against a tree. From the angle Ash couldn't quite make out what Pokémon it was but he saw at least one brown limb and a gray horn so had a good guess as to what it might be, though why it was here made no sense as it wasn't native to Viridian Forest.
Regardless it was hurt and if Pikachu had stopped him then his friend had sensed something was off and to not to disturb Misty. She had taken to first aid better than he had when Brock had taught them and was clearly using her knowledge to heal the Pokémon. Ash just watched in amazement as Misty worked, mutter calming words that he couldn't quite catch to the Pokémon while the Oddish, who was clearly a friend to the injured Pokémon, stood by for support.
After a while it seemed that Misty had stabilized the Pokémon and Ash felt he could step into the clearing with their starter Pokémon. They all entered but paused as Misty continued to talk to them. She muttered softly to the Pokémon again, the Oddish confirmed and chatted with the other Pokémon. After a moment Misty thanked them, pulled out two Poke Balls from her bag and touched both with them. A moment later the pair were caught.
All Ash could do was stare in stunned amazement; his mouth hanging open. Misty had just caught two Pokémon at once and all because she had been kind enough to help an Oddish out when it needed it. Not only that but she had caught two Pokémon within a day of her journey in Kanto, Ash was jealous.
Misty got up, turned and looked at him oddly. Ash realized he was still gaping and that likely Pikachu and Piplup where as well after what had just happened.
"What?" Misty asked.
"You just caught two Pokémon." Ash said in amazement. "At the same time. I've never done that before, that herd of Tauros don't count. I'm impressed, and envious."
"Well I do have to one up the great Ash Ketchum from time to time." Misty said with a slight blush as she sauntered up to her boyfriend, feeling a little playful after Ash's complement. "Though I will admit I wasn't expecting it myself."
"Yeah well I wasn't expecting taking an Oddish to the face today." Ash grumbled. "Another added to the long list of Pokémon that have decided to use my head as target practice over the years."
"Sorry about that." Misty said as she put away her Poke Balls and snuggling up to Ash. "It kinda latched onto my hair and startled me. I guess it liked my shampoo or something. It used it to drag me here, well part of the way as I managed to get it to stop and lead me the rest of the way."
"Yeah we followed the path of broken undergrowth." Ash said as he plucked a twig from Misty's hair as he pulled her into him. "It helped."
"Glad to know." Misty said with a grimace at the twig as Ash noticed for the first time that she was a bit cut up from the ordeal.
"We should get back to camp." Ash said quietly taking Misty's hand. "You need some first aid as well."
"True and food." Misty said with a nod and grumble of her stomach as they began to head back, following Ash's not so subtle trail. "And I want to check out what the other Pokémon was. I've never seen one like it before."
"You don't know?" Ash asked confused, it wasn't normal to catch a Pokémon you didn't at least check in you pokedex first. "Didn't you scan it when you saw it?"
"I wanted to but it was hurt bad." Misty said shaking her head. "So, I went to its aid before anything else. It's not native to Sinnoh I know that much as I didn't recognize it. Do you know?"
"I only saw part of it but I am pretty sure I know what it is." Ash said with a nod. "And I know that it is usually only found in the Safari Zone and the area around it. I have never known it to be here in the Viridian Forest, well at least a wild one that is as the first one I ever met was in a trainer battle here in my earliest days as a trainer."
"Huh that might explain why it was hurt." Misty said pulling out her new Pokémon's Poke Ball and looking at it as they walked. "I think a bunch of Pokémon from here attacked it. I got the feeling that it isn't a normally peaceful Pokémon and was likely attacked by frightened Pokémon but from my interactions with it I think it has a shy nature."
"Well can't you scan the ball with your pokedex?" Ash asked. "That will tell you what Pokémon it is. I remember that Paul did that back in Sinnoh so I am assuming other pokedexes can do it."
"Oh yeah I can can't I." Misty said letting go of Ash's hand and taking out her Pokedex to scan it. "I forgot about that."
"Pinsir, the Stag Beetle Pokémon." The pokedex chimed helpfully confirming Ash's suspicions as to what Misty had just caught. "It grips prey with its pincers until the prey is torn in half. What it can't tear, it tosses far. This Pinsir knows the following moves; Vice Grip, Seismic Toss, X-Scissor and Harden."
"I thought that was a Pinsir from what little I could make out." Ash said. "It is a distinctive creature though not really the type you usually go for."
"Yeah it's not." Misty said looking at the entry for Pinsir. "But it does explain why it was attacked for seemingly no reason. It is a predatory Pokémon and likely was attacked because of it. Still unsure why the Oddish was friends with it but they seemed close. Oddish wanted to come with me but would only do so if I caught the Pinsir as well. Pinsir seemed timid and afraid at first but listened to Oddish and agreed. I have a feeling this one is a little different from a normal Pinsir."
"Well let's set up lunch and see." Ash said as they returned to the camp, Snivy and Heracross still guarding it, keeping a watchful eye out for them. "I know that Pokémon can often form odd friendships, any being can after all, so it isn't surprising that an Oddish and a Pinsir might be friends, just not what I was expecting."
"Yeah I agree." Misty said as she set her bag down in their camp. "Still, I am glad I have them. I wanted to catch a grass type from the forest and now a grass and poison type as well as a bug type in Pinsir. I think both will be great in contests. If I can make Pinsir shine then I know I am a good coordinator, it's not a typical appeal Pokémon but if you can make it good then it could be big points and I want to show people that any Pokémon can look good."
"I know you can do it." Ash said with a smile as he went to his bag and began emptying it. "But for now, I could use some help with all this."
Misty smiled and helped Ash with his stuff. They didn't have a table the way Brock or Cilan had so they just spread a picnic blanket out on the ground. Ash had a few sandwiches for lunch that they had packed. The cooked food was there but that was for later when they ran out of fresh food.
In addition, they had several tins of Pokémon food curtesy of Brock for their team, as well as extra in case they caught any new Pokémon like today. Misty also had plenty of Poffins as treats and to make the Pokémon look good.
It didn't take long for them to set up and then release the rest of their Pokémon from their Poke Balls. Ash went first sending out the last 3 of his team for his match with Forrest. He had decided to go with one from each region and one wild card to keep things balanced. He had also made sure that a few didn't have type advantages against Forrest and at least one was a disadvantage to challenge himself. Of course with a rock type gym that meant that Pikachu was the one with the disadvantage.
They all came out and made themselves comfortable in the camp. The clearing was large enough for the Pokémon, with Mamoswine and some of Ash's it had to be, so they could be comfortable so long as they didn't cause any accidents due to some of their types.
Misty did the same right after Ash and let her own Pokémon out, including the two new ones. That was when two surprising things happened.
First, Oddish burst forth and instantly latched onto Misty's hair and dragged her down. Apparently it had decided it liked the taste and Misty was stuck with it for the moment. The other was the Pinsir. That was somehow more surprising.
Ash knew that Pinsir were normally pretty aggressive and territorial. This one wasn't. it came out and instantly cowered behind Misty as she got up, looking a little fearful at the other Pokémon, especially the bigger ones. They all noticed this, and the two new Pokémon, with curiosity.
"Guys, this is why I was briefly away." Misty said giving up on trying to pry Oddish off her and just letting the Weed Pokémon dangle there happily. "Meet our new teammates, Oddish and Pinsir. Please be nice, Pinsir just got hurt badly and is a little timid because of it, I want them all to feel included."
The other Pokémon all gave warm welcomes and tried to be nice to their new teammates. Pinsir was somewhat encouraged and looked out from behind Misty at the other Pokémon. It was a little nervous of the two really big Pokémon present but the others seemed fine and they all seemed to get along. Piplup and Pikachu went up to it and started talking to it and it seemed to be receptive to them.
However, when Mamoswine came to say hi it got scared again. Ash had never seen a timid Pinsir before and started looking in the pack to see what he had that might help it out. Meanwhile Misty was trying to explain things.
"Don't be shy Pinsir." Misty said getting down on one knee and putting an arm around her new Pokémon. "This is Mamoswine, he may be big but he has a gentle heart. Plus, he is our protector whenever we need it, few Pokémon can stand up to him unless they have a type advantage."
"Mamo." Mamoswine agreed before kneeling down so that it could be closer to Pinsir's level and backing away a little.
"Oddish, a little help." Misty said to her other new Pokémon that was still enjoying her hair. "I want both of you to be well integrated into the team. You could say hello as well and help Pinsir out."
Oddish reluctantly let go of Misty's hair and started to say hello to the others. It got on well with the other small ones but was a little startled by Mamoswine's size. However, after a moment of chatting it was convinced that the Pokémon was indeed a gentle giant and went to talk to Pinsir.
After a moment, Pinsir finally came out and started to warm up to the others with Oddish by its side. It would take a while and Misty was going to have to be patient in training it but she knew she could do it. She had gotten through to Mamoswine after all, Pinsir would be a piece of cake by comparison.
While Misty had been busy helping Pinsir out, Ash had found what he needed in his bag. He had made sure to pack a jar of nectar for Heracross but he remembered from when he caught Heracross that there had been a Pinsir tribe on the other side of the river that liked nectar as well. Team Rocket had disturbed them and the Pinsir had not been happy that their nectar was lost.
"Heracross." Ash said to his somewhat absentminded Pokémon. "I want you to take this to Pinsir and share it. I think it will be a nice gesture and help it warm up to the group. Do not take it all yourself."
Heracross nodded and eagerly took the delicious sap. Ash was worried for a moment but thankfully Heracross understood and went over to Pinsir and offered it the jar with a chitter that most bug types used to speak. Pinsir looked at it questioningly.
"Cross." Heracross said before taking a little himself and enjoying it then offering it again to Pinsir. "Heracross."
Pinsir tried it and smiled as soon she tasted it. It was good, just like the Pokémon used to enjoy from the trees before the attack. Heracross had insisted they share it and that is what they did just that, passing the jar between them until it was empty. It helped that the other Pokémon was also a large bug type and could understand what it was like.
"That was nice." Misty said as she came over to Ash while they began to serve the Pokémon their lunch. "I think it helped."
"Yeah I remembered that Pinsir like nectar just as much as Heracross do." Ash said. "So I figured they could share as a way to break the ice so to speak. We will have to get more in Viridian, it is Heracross's favorite so it is a good treat to have lying around."
"We can restock there." Misty agreed as they sat on the blanket and began the sandwiches, Misty cuddling up to Ash as he held her close. "I will need some more supplies anyway for Oddish and Pinsir."
"Training will be tough." Ash said looking over and noting that despite the attempts Pinsir was still a little shy and sticking to Oddish most of all. "That Pinsir knows some good moves and can be really useful going forward but it needs to get its confidence back. I know you can do it though."
"I know and I will have to be patient but I can do it." Misty said with a smile. "I can do that. Plus I healed it and showed it kindness so we are already bonded."
"That is true." Ash said as he finished his sandwiches at his usual fast pace. "After lunch we can do a bit of training, well except for any fire type training as this isn't the right conditions for that."
"Agreed." Misty said with a nod. "I want Oddish and Pinsir to learn about contests and Piplup and Buneary will be great teachers for them to begin with, Mamoswine is a little too big for them to learn from. I also need to give them some Poffins, have to start getting them ready early. I want them to sparkle in their debuts"
"True and no Pokémon can resist your Poffins." Ash said. "They all love them."
"No they can't." Misty said as she too finished her sandwiches and went to her bag. "Time to introduce them to my treat."
Misty grabbed two bags of Poffins from her bag. One was just for Mamoswine so that he didn't barge into her and grab all the Poffins that were meant for everyone. She made sure to give Mamoswine his first so that he was distracted when she gave the others theirs.
While he was eating she handed one out to each of her other Pokémon, as well as ones to Pikachu and Snivy who had come over for poffins. Piplup and Buneary ate them happily. She had to feed it to Oddish as it didn't have arms but judging by its reaction it liked them a lot. Then she gave one to Pinsir who looked at it in confusion.
"It's called a poffin." Misty said to it. "They're special Pokémon food that I make myself using my own special recipe. The others love them and they will make you look great for when you start competing in Contests but all in good time, first you have to see what Contests are. We are taking things slow Pinsir, ok."
Pinsir chittered at her and nodded happily. It then tried the poffin. Misty was smiling, pleased that she had gotten through to it. That was until Pinsir spat the poffin out with a grimace and a sad look on its face.
Misty was shocked. Not since she had perfected the recipe had a Pokémon rejected her poffins. Pinsir saw her look and started to look away upset that it hadn't liked her poffin and ashamed of that. Misty realized that it was upset and instantly comforted it.
"Don't be sad Pinsir." Misty said with a smile, hugging her new Pokémon to her. "You just don't like them, it's natural for Pokémon to have different tastes. When I first made them, Piplup and Buneary hated them as well because I used my mon's recipe which works great for cat like Pokémon but not others. I've never had a bug Pokémon before so clearly your tastes are different from the others. It's normal. All it means is that I have to come up with a new, special recipe just for you and that means no one can steal your special poffins. how does that sound?"
Pinsir looked at her trainer and saw that she was not mad at her but going to work with her so that she too could enjoy the treat. Misty was actually going to work hard so that Pinsir could have the same enjoyment at the treat the others did. That eased Pinsir and it nodded, cheering up at once.
Clearly Misty cared very much for Pokémon, Oddish had been right, she was a good human and Pinsir knew she would be a good trainer for them. Misty smiled at Pinsir looking forward to the challenge of making a poffin for Pinsir and the bonding experience it would be.
"You never cease to amaze me." Ash said coming over to Misty, returning one of his Pokémon who had decided to fall asleep. "You know that right."
"I learned from the best." Misty said with a smile up at Ash, love in her eyes for her boyfriend. "So let's clean up and start training. I want to show Oddish and Pinsir just how fun contests are and how great they can look once they're ready."
"And we need to prepare for rock types." Ash said with a smile turning back to his 5 Pokémon that were still out. "Alright guys, time to train, we have a battle to win!"
Ash was greeted with a chorus of cheers from his Pokémon and they set off to begin their own training, working on moves that would be good against their likely opponents. Misty just smiled at her love and his enthusiasm before turning back to her own Pokémon and cleaning up the food, Ash would get it next time.
"Come on guys." Misty said to her three old Pokémon. "Let's show Oddish and Pinsir what contests are all about."
Mamoswine roared and Piplup and Buneary joined in as they all set up eager to show their teammates just what they did. Their journey had really started with a bang and Misty couldn't wait for what lay ahead of the next. It was going to be an interesting year.
