Part XXIX: Standing Up To Bullies
Ash sat down by a nice lake on the edge of a lush field with a few trees enjoying the nice day. It was only a day's walk from Vermilion to Saffron and with the Contest there still 3 days away, Ash and Misty had decided to take a day to set up camp and train in this nice-looking field so that Misty could get her Contest strategy down. She was using Pinsir in the appeals round and Gloom in the battle stage and she wanted to get some last-minute practice in with both of them before they made their debuts.
They had left Vermilion the day before after spending most of the day in the city getting supplies and seeing it. That had only been part of it though, the other part had been for Misty to spend some more time with Ambipom before saying goodbye to her for a bit.
Ambipom had struggled to make her decision as to what she wanted to do in the future. She clearly loved Pokémon ping pong while at the same time wanting to return to Misty's side. In the end it had been Ash who had suggested a compromise. Ambipom would stay with O, train and go pro but before every Contest after Saffron Misty would contact him and see if Ambipom was free to be sent over for the upcoming Contest. The hop had been that Ambipom would get to compete with Misty again at least once that year while also pursuing her own dreams.
O had agreed with this and Misty felt it was for the best so she gave O Ambipom's Poke Ball to make things easier. With Ambipom's future sorted out, O offered to show them his facility and have some fun with Ambipom there the next day which they instantly said yes to.
Visiting the facility had been the last thing they had done before they left Vermilion City. It had been a sad goodbye to Ambipom again but this time with more hope as Misty promised that they would compete again soon, maybe even in the Wallace Cup if everything worked out. Ambipom had been happy and so had Misty as they parted once more, each pursuing their own dreams, more determined than ever to make them a reality.
After that the young couple had walked until they had found this field and set up camp near the lake. It was a typical Kanto lake with lush reeds around it, soft banks and likely lots of good Pokémon in it. It was the perfect place to make their last preparations for Saffron, as well as a few other plans they had.
Ash had decided that it was time to try and catch a new Pokémon as part of his current journey. Misty already had 3 and he wanted to catch up with her. It had been too long since Ash had expanded his roster with a new friend, now as good a time as ever to do that.
Ash was so set on catching a new Pokémon that he had decided against his initial plan of having Scraggy come with him as his 6th Pokémon against Sabrina and was going to catch one today and add it to his roster for his full battle against the psychic type gym leader. It just didn't feel like a journey unless Ash had a Pokémon he had caught during it with him at all times after all. Now it was time to get to work on catching a Pokémon, be it by finding one that loved to battle and beating it or by simply befriending it, either way Ash was going to catch something today.
After being woken up by Piplup freezing them, they had a simple breakfast and split up to get to work before regrouping and exchanging advice over lunch. Ash was on the bank of the lake with Pikachu and his fishing rod while using Dawn's special lure so that he could catch a Pokémon. Ash was hoping for a good water type, maybe even an evolved Pokémon but he would take any, bond with them and train them to be great. The last time he had fished he had caught Palpitoad, hopefully this time would be as good.
Misty meanwhile was in the field with Pinsir and Gloom. Her other 4 Pokémon were out and encouraging them, or in Eevee's case being jealous that they got to compete this time, as Pinsir perfected her appeal and Gloom worked on her Contest style battling. Misty planned on using them in a few of the upcoming Contests and definitely as a pair in any duel battles she had to have so that they could all gain experience. They were already best friends when she had caught them as a pair, their chemistry was already high so all Misty just had to utilize that in a battle to maximize her chances of winning.
Everything was going well to start the day. Ash was patiently waiting for a bite, the exercise teaching him that at times he had to calm down, take things slow, be patient and not rush what he was doing to prevent making mistakes. Meanwhile Misty was working hard on her routine. Pinsir was really getting it so Misty was confident that she would do well in the upcoming Contest and help Misty advance to the battle stage. Then Ash got a bite and his line tugged and everything changed.
"Alright I got something!" Ash exclaimed as he began to tug on the rod, standing to get better leverage as he got into a tug of war with the Pokémon on the end of the hook. "It's a strong one I think."
Misty instantly abandoned her training by calling for a break so that she could join Ash and see what he had reeled in. They could use a break anyway and it would be nice to see what Ash was about to try and catch, Pikachu up and at the ready to lend aid with his type advantage.
With one last, hard, tug, Ash yanked back and pulled the Pokémon free of the water, landing hard on his ass in the process. The Pokémon he had hooked with his lure flew out of the water and landed on his chest with a wet thump. Ash looked up at what he had reeling in and his jaw dropped at the Pokémon that blinked back at him with a mixture of confusion and a hint of fear in its eyes.
"Dratini?" The small, blue and white serpentine Pokémon asked in confusion as it spat out the lure onto Ash's chest.
"What Pokémon is that?" Misty asked amazed as she pulled out her pokedex and scanning it.
"Dratini, the Dragon Pokémon." The pokedex said helpfully. "It's called the "Mirage Pokémon" because so few have seen it. Its shed skin has been found."
"Wow." Misty muttered looking at the entry. "That Pokémon is really rare I take it."
"Exceedingly." Ash said amazed at what he had reeled in, there was no way he wasn't going to try and catch it. "I have only seen a few in my time and most only in their evolved forms, almost never at the first stage. That Dragonite that Iris caught is its final stage so that is what it can become. It shouldn't be here though, at least as far as I am aware. I don't know how it got here but I am definitely catching it."
Misty was about to say something, if this little thing could become a powerful Dragonite then it was a huge catch for Ash, when a sound came from the reeds. Instantly Dratini leapt off Ash in fear and as Ash got up it curled up behind his legs shaking uncontrollably and not looking towards the lake. Ash and Misty looked and heard an eerie noise coming from it.
"Mar, Mar, Mar, Mar."
That was what it sounded like but Ash and Misty couldn't be certain. It was coming in a steady, rhythmic, and threatening sound that was coupled with the sound of a something slapping something else in time with the chant. Then they saw it and it all made sense. Ash had seen a lot in his life but this was up there with oddest and most out of place things he'd seen, right up there that evil Togepi they ran into back in Sinnoh.
A group of 4 Marills walked slowly out of the reeds in perfect unison all still saying the first half of their names as they walked. They had grins on their faces that was not friendly at all and narrowed their eyes at Dratini as they approached slowly. As they walked they were using their right arm was slapping their sides in rhythm matching their chant. They were clearly threatening the Dratini for some reason. It was very unusual behavior for the usually friendly and kind Pokémon. As soon as they were out of the reeds they took up their positions but kept up the rhythm and chant.
"Um what is going on?" Misty asked confused and a little creeped out by the display in front of her. "Marills shouldn't be like that, right?"
"True but remember we met an evil Togepi which shouldn't have existed." Ash reminded her. "Pokémon come in all shapes and sizes and they all have unique personalities so it is only natural for some to be less friendly then what is expected of them."
"Mar, Mar, Mar, Mar." The Marills continued to chant but it got faster and Ash knew something worse was coming.
As it sped up the water in the lake between the reeds parted and a Pokémon broke the surface in a smooth motion. It was larger than the Marills and egg shaped with large ears. The lower half was white with white circles further up its body. the rest of it, including its feet, were blue and it had a jagged black tail ending in a blue ball similar to the Marills.
At once Ash knew what it was, it was an Azumarill, Marill's evolved form and clearly the leader of this group. Like the others it was not looking friendly though unlike its gang of Marills that were following it, the Azumarill had a sadistic gleam in its eyes.
"Azumarill." It said with a grin and pointed at the Dratini and made a challenging gesture towards it. "Az, az, Azumarill."
"Dratini." Dratini said shaking its head in fear not wanting to fight the bully before it.
Dratini didn't know why this Azumarill and its Marill lackies had it out for him in particular, he had done nothing to it. He was just a lone Dratini who had somehow ended up here as an egg and hatched. It was a body of water with plenty of food so Dratini had stayed, it was his habitat so why leave. For a while he had been happy, playing with the other Pokémon here and having a good time with them. They played, they fought in fun, and they grew up together. Then the Azumarill and her crew showed up.
They were bullies and Dratini didn't like bullies. Azurill was the biggest Pokémon in the lake and expected to be treated as the boss because of it. The other Pokémon couldn't leave and couldn't fight back against such a Pokémon, except Dratini, he alone felt he could face her. He was a dragon type; a strong type of Pokémon and he would show them by standing up to them. He challenged the Azumarill, intending on winning and forcing them to either be nice or leave the home he and his friends had here so that they could have peace again.
However when he attacked Azumarill he realized something odd, his dragon type attack was having no effect on her. After that he couldn't beat the Azumarill because it was his only good move and it had no effect. Since then the Azumarill constantly taunted him and threatened him, enjoying their battles and humiliating Dratini in front of the other Pokémon while taking control of the lake for herself and her crew.
"Hey leave it alone." Ash yelled at the Azumarill and Dratini looked up at the trainer and his Pikachu with hope, he was standing up for Dratini the way Dratini had tried to do for his friends in the lake. "It's done nothing to you to deserve this."
"Azumarill." The Azumarill said dismissively and waived its hand at Ash as if to say that this wasn't of his concern. "Az, Azumarill."
Instantly the 4 Marills opened their mouths and blasted Ash, Pikachu, Misty and Piplup with powerful Water Gun attacks at the same time, sending them backwards, exposing Dratini. Azumarill taunted him again and Dratini had to try once more. It hadn't worked before but this human had just stood up for him, it was the least he could do to repay the human's kindness. If he got hurt then thee human would heal him, Dratini felt the love for Pokémon and the protectiveness in the human's heart and knew that he was a good man. Perhaps he could teach Dratini to be strong enough to stand up to his bully.
Opening his mouth and feeling the blue rage build in his belly, Dratini attacked. He shot the rage out in a flash of blue dragon type power. It formed the image of a flying, burning, dragon as it barreled down on the Azumarill who just stood there calmly, smiling the entire time as the attack approached it.
Ash watched in amazement at the attack. It wasn't the most powerful dragon type attack but always did damage when it hit and against Azumarill it should do enough to make it flee. He'd seen Axew use it and knew it was a good attack for a first stage dragon type to use. The Azumarill didn't stand a chance, neither did its gang of Marill followers who would be caught up in the attack. The attack struck Azumarill dead center mass and exploded, obscuring the water Pokémon in a cloud of dust.
Ash expected it to dissipate and show an injured if not knocked out Azumarill and wounded Marills around it. Instead all of their jaws, or in Piplup's case his beak, hit the floor as the smoke cleared to reveal a smirking Azumarill and its Marill followers completely unharmed as if nothing had hit them to begin with.
Dratini just sighed and hung its head in shame and defeat, waiting for the inevitable counter. As with the several times before, it's Dragon Rage had done no damage to the Azumarill and she would make sure Dratini suffered for his daring to stand up to her. This odd resistance was why she kept beating him and toying with him. What good was a dragon type who's moves couldn't affect a simple water type.
"It's like what happened with Togekiss." Misty said amazed and worried at the same time. "It did nothing. That was a dragon type move and it didn't work. How is this possible?"
"I know, I have no idea why." Ash said shaking his head. "We will have to tell Professor Oak when we can. This phenomenon clearly not limited to Togekiss anymore which means there is something bigger at play. Tracy has a Marill so that will help their research a lot as it looks like Marill has the same resilience as Azumarill."
"Azumarill." Azumarill gloated, ignoring the humans as it opened its mouth and a light blue light formed.
Dratini just closed his eyes and looked away waiting for the pain to hit him, he was too beaten down to dodge it and even if he did the Azumarill wouldn't let up until he was hit. She clearly knew that it was a super effective attack against him and he just had to deal with it, every single time.
Azumarill finished charging the attack and quickly sent out a powerful Ice Beam right at him. It hit Dratini in the side and he wailed in pain as he was thrown back by the force of the attack.
"I got you." Ash said snapping out of his amazement, jumping up and catching the now injured Dratini and crashing to the ground protecting it from any more harm.
"Azumarill." Azumarill said with a nod as it turned and went back to the water with its lackies in tow all laughing at their success.
Ash just ignored it as sat up and opened his arms to see the wounded Dratini in his arms with swirls for eyes having been briefly knocked out by the attack. It was badly hurt and Ash could tell it was going to need healing. However he knew what to do. Traveling with Brock had taught him first aid and traveling with Iris had taught him how to handle dragon type Pokémon.
"Misty, there should be some super potion that we picked up earlier in my bag." Ash called out to his girlfriend not wanting to move the injured Pokémon in his arms. "Get it and see if we have an Aspear berry on hand."
"An Aspear berry?" Misty asked confused as she fished out the super potion and brought it to Ash. "Why do you need one of those?"
"It helps with freeze damage." Ash said quickly taking the potion and beginning to apply it. "Iris told me about it as she always carries a few on her just in case and given her fear of ice I trust her on it. I don't think Dratini is frozen but it will help at least."
"Ok." Misty said going back to their berry supplies and looking, they had at least one of all the common ones so she hoped they had it for Dratini's sake.
Misty knew what she was looking for. They had eaten the berry in a cake back in Sinnoh when an old lady's Raichu had helped them but that was a memory for another day. There was an injured Pokémon in need and Misty needed to focus on it. It didn't take her long to find the yellow berry with green circles on it. They only had one but she didn't hesitate in grabbing it, it was what Ash needed and they could always get more in Saffron.
While she had been doing this, Ash had continued to spray Dratini's wounds and watching them heal with relief. The Pokémon had just been knocked out, nothing more but the berry was a precaution just in case. As Misty returned with the better Dratini was coming too.
"Here, eat this." Ash said kindly as he held it out to Dratini. "It will help with the cold. I don't know how much freeze damage you took but this will help you recover regardless."
Dratini heard the care in the human's voice and trusted him, he had tried to stand up for Dratini and was now helping Dratini, he was clearly a good human. Dratini was already feeling better than before, if a little sore, so this human knew what he was doing. He could trust that the berry the human had would only help him recover faster.
Opening his mouth, Dratini accepted the berry and bit into it. It was hard on the outside but sweet and warm on the inside. Instantly the lingering cold from the attack left him and Dratini happily finished the berry as his strength fully returned to him.
"Dratini." Dratini said happily jumping off Ash's lap and landed on its white belly looking around and seeing that he was a in the field near the lake where he sometimes played back before Azumarill and her crew showed up. "Dratini."
"So Dratini." Ash said to it causing it to look at him, he was still sitting so Dratini didn't have to look up too much to look at Ash. "Does that happen often?"
"Dratini." Dratini said sadly hanging his head in shame at his failure. "Dra, Dratini."
"And they do it for no reason?" Ash asked kindly not judging Dratini's failure at all.
"Dratini." Dratini confirmed shaking his head.
"Pikachu." Pikachu said to the Dragon Pokémon kindly offering his support as he patted it on its back. "Pika, Pikachu."
"Pikachu's right, that's not how Pokémon should act." Ash said annoyed. "Pokémon should all be friends, not bullies to those it perceives as weaker than it. That Azumarill has an odd advantage and it uses it to its advantage to bully you for no reason it seems."
"Dratini." Dratini said telling at least Pikachu that there were others who had been tormented since Azumarill had shown up but that they were weaker than he was and even he couldn't stand up to Azumarill and her crew. "Dra, Dratini."
"Well we need to change that." Ash said decisively clenching his fist with a gleam in his eye that Misty knew all too well, it was time for Ash to be the man she had fallen in love with. "I promise you Dratini, we will help you defeat that Azumarill and end its bullying ways."
"Dratini?" Dratini asked confused.
"It is time for is to do some special training." Ash said with a smile. "And I will make sure that you can fight and defend your home from bullies. I hate bullies as much as you do, I will ensure that you can beat them."
"Pikachu." Pikachu said clenching his fist and telling Dratini to trust his trainer in this and that Ash will deliver on his promise. "Pi, Pikachu."
"Dra, Dratini." Dratini said wanting to help out but too dejected to be hopeful, he had fought the Azumarill many times and never won so why would this be any different no matter how kind this human was. "Dratini."
"Don't be like that, almost any Pokémon is beatable with the right moves and strategy." Ash said encouragingly. "Even one that is inexplicably immune to dragon type moves can be overcome with the right attack. This Azumarill is beatable and I will help you do that."
"Pikachu." Pikachu said with a nod of encouragement. "Piki, Pikachu."
"Now we know that dragon type moves are out, though we don't know why, but that doesn't mean you aren't defenseless." Ash said looking Dratini over. "Now if you knew an electric type move that would be a game changer. Do you know any?"
"Pikachu." Pikachu said adding his own point in defense of his type and to help get the point across to Dratini.
"Dratini." Dratini said as hope finally began to return. "Dratini, dra."
He did know an electric type move but it didn't work no matter how often he tried to perform it. He had tried to learn it to counter Azumarill but he couldn't master it, maybe this human and his Pikachu could show him how to do so.
Dratini decided to demonstrate it despite his constant failure. He turned and faced open field so that he wouldn't accidentally harm anyone if it fail. When he was ready, Dratini focused on charging his body with electricity. A few sparks ran along his body as he opened his mouth wide. However instead of the bolts of lightning Dratini was trying to make, the sparks sparked a bit and then exploded in his mouth causing his to cough smoke as the attack failed.
They were all so focused on this that no one noticed that the excess electricity arched off his body and hit Piplup frying him a crisp with the super effective electricity. A singed Piplup fell over with swirls for his eyes and already know that this was going to be a long, painful day for him. Misty and her mate were going to pay dearly for this.
"That looked like Thunderbolt." Misty said amazed not noticing that her starter had become fried penguin near her. "I didn't know Dratini could learn it."
"I think it can but it can't be common." Ash said an idea coming to his mind about what to do to help Dratini out with its problems. "But then again I don't know Dratinis well so I can't say. Still we can definitely work with this. Alright Dratini, it is time to perfect that Thunderbolt. By the end of the day I promise you that you will master it."
"Dratini." Dratini asked hopefully.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu said as he sent his own Thunderbolt into the sky for emphasis, it was his signature move so he was the best teacher for it. "Pika Pikachu."
"Dratini." Dratini said happily and nodding, he was willing to learn.
"Alright then it is time to learn." Ash said making sure that he was on Dratini's level and looking at it. "Now Dratini, listen to me and copy Pikachu and his instructions. I have been hit by so many of these that I know how it works and Pikachu is a master with it so you have some great teachers. Alright to begin with…"
Misty just watched in amazement and love as Ash began the process of teaching Dratini how to master the move it would need to beat Azumarill. It was such an Ash thing to do, to take his time from his own schedule to train a wild Pokémon in a move to defend itself against bullies that were harming it and its home. It was just one of the many reasons why she loved him so much. He cared for all Pokémon whether they were his or not. It helped that this was a move that Ash was familiar with and Pikachu was an excellent teacher in it so Dratini was in good hands.
Misty was so focused on her love that she didn't notice the multiple times Piplup got shocked by the countless failures Dratini had. Piplup was charred, hurt, and pissed off. They were in for a world of hurt when it was all done.
The next few hours passed by in a bit of a blur for them as Ash worked patiently with Dratini to master the move. It took some time and explaining, mainly by Pikachu who could actually talk to Dratini on a level Ash couldn't, but soon the sparking explosions turned to weak bolts and finally began to get some zap and power. Piplup knew that as the sparks that kept hitting him were getting more and more painful each time.
Unbeknownst to them, a lot of the Pokémon from the pond who had also been victims of Azumarill and her crew were watching and hoping that their friend Dratini would master it. For the first time in a long time they had hope that their tormentors would finally be beaten and they could go back to living in peace here.
Finally, after a few hours of practice with berries to replenish energy, and a really crispy but ignored Piplup, Dratini could consistently produce the attack even if a spark always flew off his body for some reason. There was just one final test, one that Ash had to administer personally to make sure that Dratini was ready to face Azumarill. It was one he was an expert in so he could make sure that Dratini had mastered the move.
"Alright Dratini, I want you to now hit me with the Thunderbolt." Ash said getting up and walking a few paces away before turning and facing the small Pokémon. "Trust me, this is all part of the training."
"Dratini?" Dratini asked confused, cocking his head as to why the helpful human now wanted him to hurt him, something Dratini didn't want to do. "Dratini?"
"Don't worry I can take it; I've been taking it from Pikachu for years so I'm used to it." Ash said with a reassuring smile. "I can judge how strong it is and know if you're ready to face Azumarill."
"Pikachu." Pikachu confirmed as he was the one who often shocked Ash and knew his trainer could take it. "Pi, Pikachu."
"Dratini." Dratini said with as close to a shrug it could manage with his serpentine body and tried it.
He opened his mouth and his whole body sparked. The ball of electricity formed there as before and then shot out and hit Ash in the chest while a lone spark arced off his body making a beeline for Piplup. Ash yelled in pain as he was fried for a second before it ended and he crashed to the ground charred with his hair standing on end the way it always did thanks to Pikachu. Misty just sighed at her boyfriend's antics and went over to check on him further irritating Piplup, they were not going to be mating for at least a month, he was going to ensure that.
"Alright that is strong." Ash said recovering faster than a normal person would and praising Dratini. "You're ready. That is as powerful as I think it will get today and against a water type it will be super effective."
"Dratini." Dratini said with a happy smile, finally he had an attack that could save his lake and his friends.
"Now it is time." Ash said getting up with Misty's help and heading to the lake. "Let's confront that bully and put it in its place. Only after losing will it realize that you all can be friends."
"Dratini." Dratini said with a serious nod as he slithered by Ash's side. "Dra, Dratini."
The human was right. He had the power now to stand up to that Azumarill and he was going to finally beat her. The human was right, Pokémon should all get along and be friends, not use their power to bully weaker ones so that they could rule the area. It was time to make sure that the Azumarill and her crew learned that lesson the hard way.
"Dra, Dratini, dra." Dratini yelled at the lake challenging the Azumarill and calling her some choice names that were sure to piss her off. "Dratini."
"Azumarill." The Azumarill said annoyed as she came out of the water her faithful Marills joining her. The pipsqueak wannabee dragon type who as her little bitch wanted another fight, this time she wasn't going to go easy on him. "Azumarill."
"Dratini." Dratini challenged putting all his pain and hurt into his words. "Dratini."
"Go for it Dratini." Ash said kindly stepping back. "This is all you. defend you home."
"Dratini." Dratini roared as he let his belly fill with rage.
Azumarill saw the telltale dragon type move and laughed at it, the Marills joining her. Dratini was using a move that hadn't worked on them in months. Azumarill didn't know why she was suddenly immune to them after having been affected by them a few years ago but she wasn't complaining, it was a huge advantage for her. Dratini was the only Pokémon here who could challenge her rule and without its dragon type move it was nothing.
Dratini knew this as well but he had a plan as he opened his mouth and unleashed his Dragon Rage attack. It flew through the air and slammed into Azumarill again while the Water Rabbit Pokémon laughed as it did nothing to her. The hit caused another explosion that obscured Azumarill and her crew from Dratini's view. That was exactly what Dratini had been hoping for.
As the smoke began to dissipate Dratini charged himself with electricity again. Then he opened his mouth and formed the yellow ball there. With all his anger and pain at Azumarill, Dratini launched the Thunderbolt just as the smoke vanished and Azumarill could see again, not noticing the side spark that went on a Piplup seeking mission.
As soon as Azumarill saw the flash of electric type power bearing down on her from Dratini and her eyes went wide in shock. She wouldn't shrug that off and there was no time to dodge or counter it.
The Thunderbolt hit home and Azumarill yelled in pain as the super effective attack coursed through her body. There was another explosion a second later and Azumarill was thrown high into the sky and away from the lake.
"Azumarill!" She wailed as she disappeared with a twinkle.
"Marill!" The Marills wailed in shock at their lost leader and all began running after her in panic they would never return to this lake again, not after that attack. "Mar, Marill!"
"Way to go Dratini!" Ash said with a fist bump to the sky.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu yelled as well.
"Piplup." Piplup growled away from them but no one was paying him any attention.
"Dratini." Dratini said with a smile of amazement that he had finally defeated his bully.
Just then a chorus of joyous Pokémon voices greeted them. Ash and Misty looked to the lake and saw a bunch of Pokémon coming out of it as Dratini slithered back to it. There were Poliwags, Woopers, Lotads, and Shellders on the banks. Popping up in the lake itself were Horseas, Goldeens, and Remoraids. All were yelling and cheering as Dratini joined them in celebration. Dratini had defeated their bully and they could go back to living in peace and happiness with no fear in their lake.
"Well done Dratini." Ash said with a smile as Dratini was congratulated by his friends for finally getting rid of Azumarill. "I knew you had it in you."
"Dratini." Dratini said looking at Ash and then back at his friends who all nodded in approval, knowing what the Dragon Pokémon wanted.
Dratini loved his friends here, he always would. They had accepted him as an egg, raised him in his natural environment and helped him grow up despite there being no other Dratinis around. Even after the Azumarill and her gang had shown up and targeted him more than the others they had supported and helped him.
Despite all of this, Dratini knew that didn't really belong here as he was a dragon type and they were all at least part water type. He needed to leave the lake to grow and learn to become more powerful and help all Pokémon like he had just done for his friends. He had learned with from that Azumarill that there were Pokémon out there that he couldn't beat without help. He needed a trainer to help him grow and who better than this boy who had just helped him defeat Azumarill and shown him love and compassion. This was a human that Dratini could join.
"Dratini!" Dratini called out loudly and Ash turned in confusion to look at Dratini as it came over to him. "Dratini."
"Dratini?" Ash asked confused as he got down on one knee and Dratini nuzzled his hand as soon as it could and Ash realized what Dratini wanted. "Do, do you want to come with me?"
"Dratini." Dratini said happily nodding his head at the human's words, Ash as the Pikachu had called him. "Dratini."
"Alright!" Ash said with a wide smile while Misty stared at him in amazement. This was who Ash was and even after all this time it still amazed her to see it, as well as making her heart swell from love for her man. "Welcome to the team Dratini."
Ash reached behind him and pulled an empty Poke Ball off his belt. He expanded it and held it out to Dratini so that the Pokémon could make the final decision whether to join Ash or not. After everything, Ash felt that it was Dratini's choice to make to enter the Poke Ball.
Dratini didn't hesitate as he headbutted the button and the ball opened engulfing him in a flash of red light before closing. The ball wobbled and flashed for a bit in Ash's hand before it chimed and went still as Ash just stared at it.
"I just caught a Dratini!" Ash said with yell leaping up and holding out the ball in his usual pose.
"Pi, Pikachu." Pikachu said happily joining him in his pose.
"Welcome to the family Dratini." Ash said looking at the ball as Misty came up to his side and pressed herself against him.
"Wow Ash." Was all she could say as Ash put his arm around her waist.
"I know." Ash said with a smile. "I think I will keep Dratini as part of my rotation this year and train it up. I always like having a new Pokémon to raise and travel with on my journeys. The rest can be swapped in and out for the battles but for now Dratini and Pikachu are my two permanent Pokémon."
"I think that's a great idea." Misty said as she rested her head against Ash's chest. "It's what I'm doing with Gloom, Pinsir and Eevee. It is also so you to do this so it makes sense to keep Dratini on hand from now on."
"Yeah true." Ash said as he opened the ball. "Come on out Dratini and say hello to everyone."
"Dratini!" Dratini yelled and proceeded to tackle Ash away from Misty and to the ground and cuddle him.
Ash and Misty just laughed at the Dragon Pokémon's actions. Clearly Dratini was going to be like all of Ash's Pokémon and show him love and affection at every turn. It was a good sign, it meant that Ash and Dratini already had a good bond to start with. He couldn't wait to raise Dratini and Misty couldn't wait to watch it. However it was time to get back to training, and appeasing Piplup once they noticed how charred and pissed off he was.
It had certainly been a good day so far. Ash had made a new friend, they had learned something about Pokémon that was clearly more than an isolated case, and they had a new Pokémon on their team. It was never a boring day on the quest to achieve one's dreams. Their next stop on that journey was the Saffron Contest. They couldn't wait.
