The Very Best

by God of Sun

What if Ash never overslept? With his brand new Pokémon partner, Squirtle, he is going to go on a journey to become the next Champion of the Kanto Region! However, his journey is not going to be even remotely easy. Ash will have to deal with powerful enemies, new friendships, and to learn how to become someone that is worthy of being called a Pokémon Master!

9. The Hidden Village! A Girl From Hoenn!

I can't believe that we have already made it this far, and it has been because of the support that you have given this fanfic so far! However, I will take a break from this story for at least a month. School has just been killing my creativity so far. Ash will be getting Bulbasaur, but there will be another capture that I hope will surprise you.

Another character is also joining the group, someone I've been debating about for a long time. A certain girl from Hoenn will now be part of this story.

Disclaimer: Why am I still putting this? You can figure out I don't own Pokémon!

The Very Best:

Chapter 9:

The Hidden Village! A Girl From Hoenn!

Opening (If you want to): Ready, Steady, Go! (From Fullmetal Alchemist, cover by AmaLee)

---

It was now June, and that meant that summer had reached Kanto. Though it wasn't too hot, it was getting warmer than before. Our group of four watched as Ryan and Brock dueled, the younger boy hoping to get the Boulder Badge from the teenager. Everyone, along with Ryan's Butterfree and Ash's Pidgey, saw how the battle unfolded. It was a spectacle, a battle of the ages, a conflict many would write books about!

"Use your Iron Tail!" Jangmo-o had his small tail covered in pure metal as he tried to jump high and hit Onix. The massive Rock-type took minor damage as he unleashed his mighty Dragon Breath, releasing blue fire from his mouth. Jangmo-o barely dodged the majority of the attack, taking a few hits that made him highly exhausted so quickly.

"On!" Onix was quick to his massive tail to use Bide on Jangmo-o. The little Dragon-type was caught in the tail as he tried his hardest to escape, only making Onix go tighter on him. Despite the pain, Jangmo-o did not back down from the fight, even though he knew that winning was unachievable at this point.

"Are you ready to call the match?" Brock asked Ryan, not wanting to faint Jangmo-o accidentally. Ryan could hear his Pokémon whimper in pain, leaving him no other options.

"I forfeit!" He declared, ashamed that he had to go through with it. Onix released Jangmo-o and let the Dragon-type on the ground gently. The Rock-type asked if his friend was okay, Jangmo-o responding half-heartedly. So, the whole spectacle thing was putting in very kindly.

Or at least, the description above is how Ryan saw it.

Ryan grunted as he kicked himself for another loss. "This is a lot harder than you made it out to be, Ash."

"Don't be like that," Ash told him as he walked up, giving a soft smile to the boy. "I know you got the skill for something like this."

Brock went up to the boy and placed a gentle hand on the boy. "Sometimes, your team can get countered by a Pokémon type. It's hard to find a team that can truly counter everything." Ash's Pidgey landed on his head, giving him some comfort as well.

"All you need is a good Grass/Water-type, that's all," Ash assured him as he held up his partner. Ryan saw that Jangmo-o was next to him, also picking him up. "I think you're doing great as is."

Ryan smiled at this as Butterfree came to him, showing comfort. He gently petted his Bug-type with his free hand. "Do you want to have the next Pokémon that we come across?" Misty suggested to him as she came.

Ryan shook his head. "I couldn't do that to you. Besides, what would happen if the Pokémon we found was weak to Rock-types?"

"Simple. You would kindly give it to me without any argument."

"You mean give the girl, who already has a full team, more Pokémon?" Ash challenged as he frowned at what Misty was trying to do.

Misty frowned after hearing that. "I only have five Pokémon with me, alright? My sisters tell me Seaking's too popular to give back to me." She explained as she looked down. "Why did I ever give her away so carelessly?"

"Didn't you say that she wasn't-"

"I already know." Misty quickly cut Ryan's answer to her rhetorical question. She sighed as she looked at Brock. "Anyway, can we just take a break?"

"Break? We haven't done that much today." Ash pointed out, as it was still morning out.

"I think a break will do us all some good." Brock sided with Misty, as they had been traveling non-stop for the past week. "Would anyone care to fetch water as I start the pot?"

Ryan shrugged as he called back Butterfree, putting Jangmo-o on the ground. "Sure," Ash sighed as an unscheduled break had crossed their day. He quickly checked the map with Wartortle, a pouty face on him as Pidgey rested on his head.

Everyone quickly got themselves situated and began to sit down. Misty was taking a good breath as she sat against a stump, with Ash looking at two separate maps to figure out where they could be. Jangmo-o was banging his head against a decent size boulder, trying with all his little might to make cracks appear on the thing.

Ryan returned with a massive bucket of water, bringing it to Brock as the older boy got a little fire going. "I think one more bucket should do it." Ryan sighed as he had to make one more minute-round trip.

He left with the empty bucket, and he gave a slight frown to Wartortle. "Sure would've been nice if you could have been my water supply." Wartortle just lazily shrugged, the boy groaning at the display.

Ryan walked over to the nearby stream of water with a small waterfall, a Magikarp or two swimming in there. Ryan got his bucket full as he looked at himself in the water, touching the liquid. A small ring rippled through as he looked at himself, seeing his hair starting to grow out a bit. "I'm better than this," He looked more closely at himself in the water as he thought this. "Right?"

"Oddi.'

Ryan quickly moved his head, gasping a little at what was on the other side of the water. A simple Oddish was minding his business as he drank from the water. Ryan sat straight up as he didn't say anything for a minute. He observed the Grass-type as the Pokémon didn't realize someone was near him.

Ryan cleared his throat. "Hello?"

"Oddish!" Oddish quickly looked up, becoming fearful at seeing someone there. The Grass-type took two cautious steps back.

"Hey. I-It's okay," Ryan tried to assure the shy Pokémon as he gave a friendly smile to him. "I'm not here to hurt you." Oddish sensed no bad intent from the boy, calming down a bit.

The Grass-type slowly walked closer to Ryan, making sure to be a foot away in case he had to run away. The temptation to throw a Poke Ball was strong, but Ryan restrained himself. "I didn't mean to scare you like that. I came here for the water, if you couldn't guess."

Oddish began to inch closer to him, sensing something familiar with the boy. Ryan reached a gentle hand to pet the Grass-type, something the Oddish took. Oddish felt the soft touch of the boy, how he playfully tugged on the leaves on his head. The Pokémon thought this boy was familiar but couldn't pinpoint where they had last met.

"Oddi!" He happily said. Ryan offered a soft smile as he stood back up.

"I need to leave now, but it was fun speaking to you." Ryan walked off as he knew the Grass-type wouldn't want to be his Trainer. Him passing up a potential partner was not the best choice, but Ryan was just glad that he could make Oddish smile.

"Odd."

Ryan turned, seeing how Oddish was following him. "You... you want to come?" The Grass-type nodded, surprising the boy. Ryan wasn't sure what to say but saw how Oddish was already too curious about him. "Well, you can come. Don't worry; my friends won't try to capture you on the spot."

Oddish nodded as the two began to make their way back. The Grass-type looked up at the boy, tilting his head as he looked too familiar. "Odd." The Pokémon mumbled, not figuring out this little mystery.

A shadow suddenly grew above as he gasped at what was above, letting out a scream to make it stop. Ryan brought the bucket close to him as his plan to water Oddish didn't go well. "Sorry! I thought Grass-types liked water!" He quickly apologized.

Back with the group, Ash and Misty were having a little debate. Wartortle and Brock tried to cover their ears as the two debated, Pidgey even going back to her own Poke Ball not to listen. Jangmo-o was too focused on the rock to care.

"I'm just saying, Greninja cannot be the most popular Water-type forever." She quickly tried to clarify. "I think that Gyarados, or even Quaquaval, should be the one picked for next year."

"Yeah. I prefer a ninja frog over the dancing bird." Ash quickly countered as he looked through his bag, putting it back on him. "What's wrong with Greninja? I feel like he deserves more representation."

"Is five years in a row of being picked the favorite not good enough?"

"No. It should be six years." This comment was meant to annoy Misty, and Ash made that happen.

"Please! Stop!" They heard Brock yell desperately as he slid his hand over his eyes. "Why is this debate still going on after a day? You two argued about it for two hours yesterday!" He angrily said as he huffed, making the two stop.

"War." Wartortle agreed with Brock, though he scooted a bit away when he saw the teenager trying to compose himself.

"Sorry about that. Can we... have a nice time?" He finally asked kindly. The two looked at each other before crossing their arms, scoffing slightly as they turned away. Brock sighed. "I'll just take that as a yes."

Suddenly, Misty felt something in her pocket as she brought out a Poke Ball about to be open. Jigglypuff came out of the thing, fake microphone in hand, as she looked at them with a small smile. "Puff?" She requested as she held her microphone up.

Mist sighed at this, deciding to go along with it. "Alright. You can sing in front of us." The Fairy-type was extremely happy as Wartortle came over, also wanting to hear a live performance.

"If it makes her stop talking, I'm all for it," Ash spoke as he turned around. Misty glared a bit as they looked at Jigglypuff. The Pokémon quickly began to clear her throat. She held her microphone up to her mouth, closing her eyes as well.

"Jigg ggg-"

"Hey, everyone! I'm back." Jigglypuff was cut off as Ryan walked in. Everyone looked at the boy, seeing he had brought an unexpected guest in. Oddish quickly hid behind the boy as he gently petted the Grass-type. "It's okay. They're friends."

"Aww. That's a cute Oddish." Misty cooed as she walked over.

"Did you make a new friend, Ryan?" Ash asked as he and Wartortle left Jigglypuff as well. The Fairy-type grumbled, pouting that she was completely sidelined.

Ash gently kneeled to the Grass-type as he offered a hand, Oddish nervously taking it with one of his short legs. "Hey, bud. It's nice to meet you." Ash told the Pokémon in a friendly manner.

"War," Wartortle told the Grass-type as well. Oddish looked between the two and Misty, the girl waving at him. Oddish then saw Brock there, stopping the fire to see the Grass-type for himself. Oddish familiarity with these people was confirmed when he looked at all of them.

"Wow, Ryan. When we said to catch a Grass-type to help you, we didn't mean to find one immediately." Brock said as he petted the Grass-type as well. Oddish looked over to see Jangmo-o hurting his head as he got a few cracks in the rock. The Pokémon moved closer to Ryan.

"He's not my Pokémon. He's just a partner I just got along well with." He picked up Oddish and held the Grass-type close to him. He suddenly heard coughing as Jigglypuff was trying to get their attention. "Is she okay?"

Jigglypuff stopped as everyone looked at her, holding her microphone up. "Sorry about that, Oddish. Jigglypuff wants to sing right now." Misty quickly apologized as she looked at the two. "If you don't want to fall asleep, you might want to keep your distance."

"Dish." Brock, Ryan, and Oddish quickly backed away as the three remaining looked at Jigglypuff.

"Sing away, girl." Ash encouraged. Jigglypuff nodded as she started to sing in a clearer voice.

"Jigg-"

"Bulba!"

Out of nowhere, a Vine Whip came at Ryan and slapped hard across the face. "Ow!" Ryan let go of Oddish as he went to tend to the pain inflicted on him.

"Odd!" Oddish was grabbed by the Vine Whip as the responsible for doing this was a Bulbasaur. The Grass-type angrily scowled at the group that was threatening his friend. Bulbasaur saw Ryan slowly get up as everyone looked at the Grass-type.

"What was that for?" Ryan angrily said. Bulbasaur glared as he shot sharp-edged leaves at the group. Everyone had to step back from Razor Leaf as Bulbasaur took the chance to run, Oddish still held within his Vine Whip. "Wait, stop!" Ryan reacted on his own as he began to chase after the Pokémon.

Ash saw this and looked at Jangmo-o as he approached the Dragon-type. Jangmo-o was surprised when he was picked up and held directly above Ash as the boy began to run after Ryan. "Wait! You forgot your own Pokémon, Ryan!" Wartortle was close to his Trainer.

Misty was about to run after them when something grabbed her hand. Jigglypuff was using all her tiny might to stop the girl, wanting her to listen to the song she still had to sing. "Puff!" She complained.

Misty looked at her Pokémon, then back at the people leaving them. She made a rather selfish decision looking back, grabbing her Pokégear and just tossing it to Jigglypuff as she let go. "Just sing into that for me." She then ran off, Brock and Jigglypuff watching on.

Jigglypuff looked on as she saw her Trainer and friends run after the Pokémon, looking at the Pokégear as she began to inflate in anger. Brock sighed as he stood right next to her. "Don't worry; you're not the only one they left behind." He assured her.

"Puff!" Jigglypuff and Brock returned to the camp that everyone else had left behind. They, unfortunately, had a pot and scattered maps to go clean up.

---

"Ryan, you need to slow down!" Ash called out to his friend. Ryan was still running as Bulbasaur was getting farther away from them. Ryan had sweat going down as he kept running, Jangmo-o now back in his pocket of Poke Balls.

"I can't pass up this opportunity!" He tried to explain. In his effort to run, he accidentally tripped over a tree root. The boy couldn't react as he fell to the ground, landing on his stomach. Everyone quickly caught up to him as he groaned.

"Are you good?" Misty showed slight concern as she went to help the boy up. Ryan didn't even bother to care about himself or thank Misty, making an effort to keep on moving. Misty's hand quickly grabbed his shirt. "No. You're not running off."

"Come on! I need to help Oddish out." He tried to convince them, but it didn't quite work. It was only when he stopped trying to pull away did Misty finally let him go.

Ash placed a hand on the boy as Ryan looked at him, his breathing slowing down as the eleven-year-old gave him a comforting look. "Trust me, I want to go after them too, but chasing after them isn't working. We need a plan."

Ryan let out a sigh. "Fine. Okay," He pretended to be calm before quickly running again. Ash and Misty quickly reacted as they ran after him again, Wartortle grumbling as they moved again. As Misty and Ash were about to grab Ryan again, they didn't realize that they accidentally triggered something.

A net covered up by leaves quickly went up, scooping all four of them in as they were taken out of the ground and held six feet off the ground. Everyone screamed as they were all stuck together, hanging high off the ground.

"Ugh. Keep your elbow away from me!" Ryan complained to Misty.

"Your head is in the way!" She said back with annoyance.

Ash had one of his legs sticking out through the rope, trying to bring it in. "It won't budge!" Wartortle wanted to help him out, standing on Misty's legs as he helped out his Trainer.

"Watch it!"

This complaining and untangling would take a few minutes before everyone could get as comfortable as they could. Ash's attempts to calm everyone were ruined as Misty openly complained about being up there. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have rushed in like that." Ryan tried to tell the girl, but the girl was too upset to listen appropriately.

"Ash, can you get me those berries on the tree?" She asked her friend.

"Why do I have to?" Misty sent a severe look, showing why he had to do this. The boy quickly reached out and grabbed some berries from the tree. The girl took them with some force and didn't stop for a second to consume the fruit.

Misty put the first berry in her mouth, enjoying the taste. "Wartortle, don't do what I'm doing. These will not help you if you are stuck in a situation like this." She advised the Water-type as Wartortle watched, seeing Misty fall in love with the taste. "Mhh. These are good."

Misty was slowly eating her berries as Ash decided to make Misty even more annoyed. "I am calling it now; Inteleon will get more votes than Quaquaval."

"NOOOOOO!" Ryan screamed, knowing this would be a long time stuck up here.

---

Meanwhile, Jigglypuff and Brock were walking across the rocky shores of a river. Brock had the Pokégear on full volume as he heard the rather nice song that Jigglypuff had made. Speaking of the Pokémon, Jigglypuff angrily kicked a rock on the ground. "Puff!"

Brock sighed as he looked down at her. "I know you're upset, but we must focus on finding the group. Can we at least agree on that?" He tried to pursue her as Jigglypuff blew the air from her mouth in annoyance. Unknown to them, something was coming near them, having been drawn in by the music.

"Jiggly." Jigglypuff tried to scowl, but her rather adorable face didn't give her the results she wanted. On the inside, she felt like Misty ran off because of the music she made, even though she couldn't help it.

Jigglypuff was surprised when Brock picked her up with one arm, holding her out as the other was still playing the music. "You know, I'm glad that you wanted to be part of our group. Your music is always something that we can always listen to if this journey ever becomes dull." He waved the Pokégear as it played her song.

Jigglypuff enjoyed the praise but turned her head to the side. She wanted more than just mere song flattery. "Puff,"

Brock gently used one of his free fingers to scratch Jigglypuff's head. "We do not always show it, but we appreciate you." Jigglypuff looked at Brock, interest in her eyes. "You have good musical talent, at least to me. You know Misty is willing to give you the chance that you deserve. And if anyone says otherwise, you shouldn't listen to them, Jigg's."

The Pokémon gently smiled after hearing that but looked confused after what Brock had just called her. "Jigg?"

"Oh. Well, I thought you would like it if I used a little nickname to call you. You know, to show our friendship and, um..." Brock quickly cleared his throat. "Just ignore what I just said."

Jigglypuff then began to chuckle lightly, finding the nickname rather cute. "Jig!" Jigglypuff jumped onto Brock's shoulder as she smiled at him, and the boy returned it.

From the depths of the trees, something floated out as the Pokémon hovered above both Brock and Jigglypuff. "Beldum?"

Jigglypuff and Brock froze when they heard that sound. Brock stopped his music as he turned around, looking up and gasping. A robotic-like Pokémon with a long body and a set of claws sticking out of its rear was looking at them. One large, red eye looked at the two curiously as it tilted its spherical head to the side. A short crest projects from its body and extends over the head. The Pokémon shone silver, and its claws had a golden hue.

Jigglypuff became very weirded out by the bizarre Pokémon, hiding in Brock's bag as the boy looked on with surprise. "Oh! H-hello?" The Beldum slowly floated over to them as it used its superior vision to analyze Brock. It then saw the Pokégear he was holding looking down upon it.

"Bel?" The Pokémon sounded like it was requesting something as Brock looked down at the phone, placing the pieces of info together.

"Do you want to listen to the music?"

Beldum seemed to happily nod at this suggestion as the Psychic-type eagerly looked at the teenager. Brock looked one more time as he played the song, the music coming from the phone. The soft and soothing lullaby made its way to Beldum as the Pokémon seemed rather happy with listening to this song. Jigglypuff emerged from her hiding place as she saw Beldum enjoying her music, feeling a bit of pride for scoring a fan.

Brock let it play for a minute before pausing the music, the odd-colored Pokémon stopping his little dance when the music died down. "You must've liked that music, huh?" Beldum nodded its entire body at that question. Brock decided to entertain this, seeing how the Beldum was more friendly. "Do you want to meet the music artist?"

"Puff!" Jigglypuff knew that was her cue, the Fairy-type revealing herself. "Jigg puff iggly ypu puff jig." She explained to Beldum, who was excited to meet the Pokémon.

"Beldum," It spoke, turning entirely around so that the sharp spikes were before Brock. The Trainer was worried that trouble had come, but Jigglypuff calmed him down before jumping onto the Steel-type.

Beldum made sure to keep himself steady as Jigglypuff was riding on them, making sure to look back at the singing Pokémon. Jigglypuff had never felt alive as she proudly hovered over everything with her new-found fan. "Puff!" She declared as she imagined that she was flying over every Pokémon in that area.

The fun had to end sadly as Jigglypuff safely floated back down to Brock, Beldum following close by her. "That sure looked fun," Brock told the Jigglypuff in his arms with a smile. He then looked at Beldum. "I know we just met, Beldum, but can you help us? Our friends ran off on us, and we can't find them."

Beldum had a thoughtful expression as it closed their eye, running several calculations in seconds. The Steel-type decided to help these two, for they were no threat, and the potential pros outweighed the cons. "Bel."

"Thank you so much." Beldum took the appreciation with a nod, beginning to float in a specific direction and speed optimal for people to follow. Brock and Jigglypuff followed as Brock brought the Pokégear out for their helper. "If you want, we can listen to some tunes by yours truly." He pointed to Jigglypuff. "She's recorded almost a dozen songs."

Beldum didn't hesitate to nod, hearing a rather happy tune from the one Brock picked. Jigglypuff was allowed to float on Beldum, though the Psychic-type trying to dance with the Pokémon on them made a rather harrowing ride for Jigglypuff.

---

It had been a full hour, and everyone was still stuck up in the net. Wartortle had given up trying to bite his way out, as the rope was too strong for him. Misty was stuffing the fourth batch of berries into her mouth as Ryan rolled his eyes. "We can't eat our way out of this."

"I don't care! These are good." Misty complained through the food in her mouth while eating the fruit.

Ash sighed as he still held onto hope that someone would come, but he and Wartortle were the only ones that fully believed in that. "Is it that rock?" Ash asked the Water-type.

Wartortle shook his head as he guessed wrong on the I Spy game that they were doing the pass the time. Ash groaned as he was running out of gray things that he could see from up there.

"Are you guy's okay up there?"

A moment of shock passed through everyone as everyone looked down to see what the female voice was. Below them was a slim girl with long, brown hair that had a single fringe at the center with three edges secured by a red and white kerchief. She has blue eyes with long eyelashes. She was dressed in a sleeveless orange tunic with a black collar, white gloves with black fingertips, and white pockets and stripes over black cycle shorts. She also has a mint green fanny pack, a green and white kerchief, the same black ankle socks, and orange, white, and black shoes.

Everyone started to move as soon as they saw another person. "Yes. I was so worried we were going to be stuck here forever." Ryan openly admitted as Misty moved everyone out of the way so that she could do the talking.

"Hi. We may not know each other, but we need your help." Misty quickly tossed the berries aside and cleaned her mouth off as she tried to offer a kind smile to the girl. "Get us out of here right now!" She frantically tried to move around in the net before looking down again. "Please?"

This weirded out the other girl, but she saw how desperate these people seemed. "Um, sure thing?" She went to the rope and began to undo the knot that had kept them up there for so long, sticking her tongue out as she focused.

"If you could let us down slowly when the rop-"

Ash was cut off as the girl let the loose rope run its course. Everyone began to fall as they crashed into the ground in one massive pile. "OW!" Ryan said as they landed. Everyone began to groan at the new pain they were feeling, slowly starting to remove the net from them.

The girl brought her hands to her mouth she quickly came over. "I'm so sorry!" She tried to apologize as everyone sluggishly stood up.

"It's fine," Ash assured her as he had to use the tree to stand up, Ryan wobbling as he tried to walk. It took a minute before everyone made their legs wake up again.

"Thank you for that. I almost forgot what standing felt like." Misty remarked as everyone stood up properly. The girl gave a very sweet smile.

"No worries. I'm just doing something that anyone would do."

"Thanks' for that..." Ash tried to remember her name but realized this girl never did introduce herself. The brown-haired chuckled as Ash was trying to drag the sentence out.

The girl flashed a friendly smile as she jammed a thumb close to her face. "The name's May!" The now-named May told the group as they could look at her, seeing her rather unique outfit.

"Huh?" Ryan said out loud as he tried to get the dust out of his hair. May seemed nervous when she heard the silence go for too long.

"Is my outfit messed up?" May worried, hoping not to make a wrong first impression.

Misty quickly shook her head. "No. I think your outfit looks good." She told the girl as she tried to clear her mouth off completely. "We've been stuck up in a tree for a while, and our brains are only now starting to work again."

Ash took a step forward and gave a smile to the girl. "I'll start. My name's Ash, that's Misty, and there's Ryan." He quickly introduced himself as he picked up his partner with both arms. "And this is my partner, Sheila!" He jokingly introduced.

Wartorle had a look of betrayal. "War!"

Ash chuckled at his Pokémon's reaction. "Fine. His real name is Wartortle." Wartortle looked at May, seeing how the girl seemed nervous about the Water-type. May quickly shook her head as she smiled.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you all." She tried to be optimistic as she happily shook Misty's hand. "Although, you probably shouldn't be here. Melanie doesn't want any bad Trainer or poachers to come through."

"Oh, we're neither of those." Ryan quickly corrected, everyone now seeing why this trap was made. "Sorry to ask, but w-who is Melanie?"

"Well, she's... she's the girl I'm currently staying with for a bit." May knew revealing the place to strangers was not a good idea, as Melanie wanted her to keep it a secret. "She doesn't want anyone untrustworthy to come in."

"We're not here to cause trouble; we just lost our friend," Ash explained as he tried to show that they weren't here to be harmful. "His name is Brock, and we accidentally lost him when we got stuck in the trap."

"War!" Wartortle tried to use his hand to make a silhouette of a tall guy with spiky hair to show May who they were talking about. The girl looked slightly frightened as she turned away from the Water-type.

She sighed. "I don't know how you want me to help."

"Please. We're asking a lot, but we'll try to make it up to you." Misty tried to convince the girl as May was deep in thought, trying to think of what to do.

May lightly tap her feet on the ground as she concentrated and finally decided to go with this. Besides, Melanie only wanted to keep bad people out. "Alright. Follow me."

"Oh, thanks so much!" Ash exclaimed as May began to walk down the path that had Melanie farther down it. Ash went over to high-five the girl, but May quickly jumped back when the Water-type got too close.

Everyone stopped as May nervously chuckled. "Sorry about that. Just... not the biggest fan of Water-types." May lied as she quickly walked further down. "Not the biggest fan of any Pokémon, really." She whispered under her breath when no one else could hear her.

"Guess there goes that chance of you two becoming friends," Ryan remarked to Misty after what May said; the girl playfully rolled her eyes.

"I don't need someone telling me who will be my friend or not." She quickly defended herself before she seemed a bit nervous, gulping a bit. "Can we all agree to never talk about what happened in that net?"

The three boys gained mischievous looks as they chuckled at Misty. "Oh, we definitely won't tell anyone," Ash promised with a fake voice, gently petting Wartortle as the Pokémon grinned. Misty quickly raised her fist, causing the three to back away as Misty looked at them. If the boys were going to bring her down, she'd make sure to even it out.

---

"You shouldn't worry," May told them as they descended a path significantly diverged from the regular road. This seemed like a path that no one would willingly go through, as there was a lot of uneven land and tight spots you had to make it through. "Melanie is a very sweet girl."

"You said that you were staying with her for a bit," Ryan remarked as they were getting closer to the place. "Do you not live around these parts?"

May wanted to be honest with the group but remembered that she only met them. "Sorry, but I'd rather not say. I hope you understand."

"That's alright, we understand," Ash told the girl with a smile, deciding to ask a less personal question. "Are you a Pokémon Trainer?"

May seemed nervous as she answered, almost like she wasn't pleased with her status. "I am, but I only have one Pokémon with me. They were a gift given to me actually to start my journey."

"Well, I hope we get to meet your Pokémon." Misty kindly told the girl, finally going past her annoyed mood after having a good walk. The girl was secretly hoping that it wasn't a Bug-type. "If you'd like, I can show my amazing selection of Pokémon." This comment got a massive eye-roll from Wartortle.

"Uh. Thanks, but no thanks." May answered with slight quivers in her voice. She quickly cleared her throat as they had finally reached their destination.

Next to a wide pond lay a small log cabin with central clearing all around the place. Everyone was surprised at how calm this place seemed to be, seeing that there were even Pokémon about. Rattata's, Pinsir's, Staryu's, and more were all in this clearing as the Pokémon all seemed happy together. Playing, napping, eating, and racing each other is what they were mainly doing.

Misty had a smile as she looked around. "This place is nice." She was being serious as Wartortle and Ash stood beside her, admiring how peaceful this place was. Ryan gave a small whistle as he was too impressed.

"You're lucky. It must be nice being here."

May took the compliment with a smile as she walked in front of the group. She led them to the front of the cabin, passing across the Pokémon. Wartortle happily waved at the group of Pokémon that were there. A few waved back as they saw the kind gesture but became scared at seeing the new company. "Melanie should be inside. I'm sure that she'll-"

"Personally, I always try to go for the food with more nutritional value." An unfamiliar female voice said as everyone rounded the corner.

"I know a few affordable brands, but I don't think they might be the right stuff for this kind of place." Everyone felt a spark of hope when they heard that familiar voice. Ash came around, smiling at who he saw.

"Brock!" The teenager turned to see the eleven-year-old smiling as he walked over. The two shared a good hug as they were reunited, Wartortle joining in with them. "I'm sorry that we ran off like that." He apologized as they broke their hug to look at each other.

"War." Wartortle apologized as well.

Brock shrugged. "Mistakes happen. Although, I don't know why you're the one apologizing." He signaled to Ryan, who nervously chuckled as he was being focused on. He quickly adjusted his shirt.

"Hey, Brock. I'm sorry that I kind of... ran off like that." He began as he was stumbling a bit over his words. "Um. I know that was a very bad thing to do, and I would like to apologize for my mistakes humbly. I sincerely hope that I didn't make you angry with my-"

Brock playfully rolled his eyes as he brought Ryan into a one-arm hug, smirking at the kid. "You don't have to be like that. Can you promise you won't run off without cleaning up again?" Ryan nodded at the simple request, giving a tiny hug back. "Besides, it will take much more than this to make me angry."

After the two broke the hug, May walked over to the other girl, about the same age as Brock. "Let me introduce you to Melanie, the girl I've been talking about." The older girl kindly waved to the group, smiling calmly on her rather pretty face. Her blue hair was in a ponytail tied in a yellow bow, and a redhead band was also present. Over her pink shirt were red overalls, and the outfit was complete with yellow shoes.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." She said as she kindly shook Ryan's hand. "Brock has been telling me about his group of friends. I'm guessing your Ash."

"I'm Ash." The boy pointed to himself as a way to correct the girl. "The person you are shaking hands with is Ryan."

"Oops. My mistake." Melanie and May shared a chuckle at the misunderstanding.

Misty turned around to see all the Pokémon still enjoying their time together. "I'm curious to know, are all those Pokémon yours?" Melanie looked at the girl with a tilted head, Misty mentally telling herself off for not even introducing herself. "Forgot to introduce myself. Hi, my name is Misty."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Misty." Melanie greeted as she looked at the shorter girl. "The Pokémon you see there are those that have come here to relax and enjoy themselves."

"This place is meant for the injured and abandoned Pokémon." Brock elaborated, for he knew what this place was. "It's a location where Pokémon can enjoy themselves, and Melanie happily takes care of them."

"So, it's like a camp of sorts," Ash concluded after hearing all that.

"I guess that's one way to look at it. I merely just wanted to take care of Pokémon my way, and I felt like this would be the best place for it." Melanie spoke in a soft tone.

Misty looked at May after hearing all this. "So, do you help her care for the Pokémon?"

"Well, I always give them food and stuff," May said as she looked down at the ground.

"May is simply just staying with me for a bit. She doesn't like to help out with the more physical tasks." Melanie then looked at Misty. "Are you the one that owns Jigglypuff?"

"How do you know?"

"Puff! Puff!" Misty turned to see that Jigglypuff was walking over to her with a very pouty face, the Pokégear in her hand. The Fairy-type was very mad at Misty for leaving her like that, and the girl began to feel a bit scared at seeing how angry her Pokémon was at her.

"Oh, hi. Jigglypuff." She tried to be kind as she knelt to her Pokémon. Jigglypuff seemed unimpressed as she handed the phone to her, Misty putting it away in her pocket. "So about me running off back there, that was a simple mistake. A one-time thing, I swear. You can forgive me for missing your song, right?" She finished with a smile that showed her teeth.

Jigglypuff didn't even bother to consider this. The Pokémon jumped up high and gave a hard Pound to Misty's stomach. The girl clutched her stomach as the Normal-type move felt like a strong gut punch. "Jig!" Jigglypuff scoffed as she walked away, a very posh look on her as she needed some time to cool off.

Wartortle cringed as Ash ran over to his best friend. "You alright?"

"To be honest, I completely deserved that," Misty admitted as she tried to catch her breath. "If everyone could just let me sit here for a minute, that would be nice." May also cringed as well at seeing that.

Ash saw how May seemed a bit scared of the Jigglypuff. "Don't worry, Jigglypuff isn't like that... usually." The girl took his word on it.

"Beldum!" Beldum happily floated over to May as the girl looked up at the Psychic-type, May reached out to touch her Pokémon. Beldum felt the hand on their steel-covered body. Everyone unaware looked at Beldum, gasping at what they saw.

"Beldum was kind enough to lead Brock to this place," Melanie explained as she gently touched the floating Pokémon. "They are always very curious about new people or things and seem to like May as a Trainer."

Misty looked up from her pain, gasping as well. She pushed through her pain as she looked up at the odd-colored Pokémon. "Y-you own a Beldum, May." She remarked as she was in awe at what she was seeing. "But Beldum's coating is supposed to be dark blue."

Ash was the most surprised as he took out Dexter, wanting to see what this was. Wartortle, Misty, and Ryan listened very closely. "Beldum, the iron ball Pokémon. Dex Number: 401. National Region: Hoenn. Pokémon Typing: Steel, Psychic. Beldum keeps itself floating by generating a magnetic force that repels earth's natural magnetism. Beldum bears no gender, and this specific one is level 8. When it sleeps, this Pokémon anchors itself to a cliff using the hooks on its rear. This Pokémon has the following move: Take Down. This Beldum is a shiny, clearly indicated by its silver coating."

Everyone stood still and silent after hearing this explanation. Everything else was just standard Dexter's explanation, but the last line made everyone's jaw drop to the ground. They slowly looked up at Beldum, who seemed a bit nervous at all the wide eyes he was receiving.

"You own a shiny?!"

"That's a shiny?!"

"War?!"

Everyone was shocked at what was in front of them. Shiny Pokémon were no joke, as they were the rarest thing for someone to find. Many would spend days or weeks trying to hunt one and wouldn't have even seen a glimpse of a shiny. And here, May just had one floating around like it was nothing.

"I don't know why everyone keeps being surprised about that," May said, as she had seen this same reaction from multiple people. "I mean, it only has a different color to it."

Misty thought she heard wrong when May said that. "Do you not realize what you have? I would give my entire poster collection to have a shiny!" She declared.

"The only person I know who has a shiny is Professor Oak," Ash added as he slowly touched Beldum with a wide mouth. Beldum was a bit nervous at the touch but calmed down when they saw that Ash was not trying to harm them. "And even then, I've only seen them in his documentaries."

Ryan was the most stunned of all. "I thought shiny Pokémon was just a myth!" He exclaimed. "I thought they were just some rumors that people gravitated towards. Beldum's are supposed to be a blue color, not this amazing silver!"

Beldum was a bit nervous about all this sudden attention, even though just about everyone reacted the same way to them. Melanie was there to stick up for May and Beldum. "Can you please leave them alone? It doesn't enjoy having so many eyes watching it."

Even though everyone still wanted some answers, they knew that making all this commotion wasn't a good thing. Everyone calmed down as Brock also expressed his feelings to the group. "It was Beldum that brought me here, and I was glad that they were able to help me." Brock expressed, causing Beldum to be happy. "I was just as shocked as you guys; I merely held it in."

"Bulba!"

Suddenly, the same Bulbasaur from before ran and headbutted Misty to the ground. The girl barely caught herself as she was left in pure surprise. "HEY!" Ash angrily called out, standing before his best friend to protect her.

"Bulb!" The Grass-type yelled at them.

In a quick motion, Melanie got in between the two sides glaring at one another. "Please! Don't fight." She begged them in a concerned tone. "Bulbasaur, they aren't here to-"

Bulbasaur didn't care to listen. He began to charge straight at Misty; Ash prepared to help his friend. Bulbasaur hit something hard enough that he pushed back, being dazed momentarily. He quickly snapped out of it as he looked at what he hit, gasping at who he saw. Oddish has stood in the way, taking the hit for Misty.

Wartortle quickly came over to the Pokémon. "War-"

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur angrily yelled at the Water-type, forcing him back as he wanted to check him personally. Bulbasaur was gentle with Oddish as he helped him up. "Bulba saur saur?"

Oddish seemed a bit nervous to answer but still did it. "Oddi ish odd Oddish od." He explained. Bulbasaur was surprised, looking up at the group with slightly widened eyes. "Odd, ish ish."

"W-what did they say?" May asked in confusion.

Melanie looked at the two Grass-types. "It seems like this Oddish knew you before we even met." She remarked.

"Met us? We've never run into an Odd-" Ash's breath went still as a sudden realization hit him. Eventually, the fundamental idea dawned upon everyone as they looked at the Oddish, seeing how similar it was to one they met long before now. Ash gently knelled down to him. "Unless... are you?"

Oddish seemed nervous, not wanting to hear the answer he already knew. "You belonged to a Trainer. You belonged to Paul, didn't you?" Brock gently questioned the Pokémon. "I remember you. You were the first Pokémon he used against me."

Oddish looked down, merely nodding at those unhappy memories. "If Paul didn't take you along, that must mean he..." Misty bit her finger, not wanting to say what had happened in front of the sad Oddish. "I... I can't believe he would do that."

Oddish gently had tears going down his face as he sadly looked up at the people that once protected him back then. Melanie gave a sympathetic look. "I remember finding him out in the woods one day. One of his legs was fractured, and I could see marks that meant he had been electrocuted."

"You knew the guy who left Oddish behind?" May asked, surprised. Beldum felt bad, though their robotic eye made it hard to tell truly.

Brock nodded. "When I had my Pokémon make Oddish faint, Paul didn't even pretend to care. He even called the poor thing 'pathetic.' Ash ran into him a little while ago, saying how Paul's Chimchar was scared of his Trainer." Brock reflected, feeling his stomach turn in an awful way. "I've heard of people hurting their Pokémon, but I've never seen it until he showed up."

May felt sadness for the poor Grass-type, that was tearing up. "Was that Paul guy really like that?"

Bulbasaur shook his head, still not wanting to trust these people even after hearing what they did. "What's your problem?" Ash angrily asked the Pokémon as they both glared at each other.

Melanie knelled down to Bulbasaur. "Please, at least be kind to these people. I can tell that they truly mean well and that they aren't here to cause issues." Melanie softly begged the Grass-type. Bulbasaur looked at his caretaker before sighing and walking off from them with a frown.

"If it's too much trouble, we can leave now."

"It's no trouble at all," Melanie kindly told them as she approached the group. "If Oddish truly does consider you a friend, I see no reason why I shouldn't."

Bulbasaur always kept a good eye on everyone. Ash released his Pidgey and Nidoran as he wanted the two to get some fresh air. Even though these two weren't hostile, Bulbasaur still treated them like enemies, almost leading to a fight between him and Nidoran. Bulbasaur observed as he saw how Brock seemed to be the most responsible. Bulbasaur decided not to push him out because of that.

Misty poured water over her Horsea, knowing how much Water-types enjoyed it. Horsea was quite happy at how relaxing the water was. "Horse!" She said in joy as Misty petted her Pokémon.

May looked on and saw how happy Misty and her Pokémon were. She turned to see her Beldum, still being stalked by Ryan. Brock came over to the boy as he followed the Steel-type. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to figure this thing out," Ryan said as he watched Beldum hover over to a tree with fruit. "I want to see how this thing works daily. Like, how is it supposed to eat?"

Ryan went to observe what Beldum was about to do. Beldum, feeling the eyes watching them, used his psychic abilities to make some water spill on Misty. "Ugh! Are you serious?" The commission quickly got the boy's attention. As they turned away, Beldum quickly finished its food in record time.

When Ryan turned around, he saw Beldum happily floating back down. "We missed it!" He remarked as he saw Beldum go off to do its own thing. Ryan kept a very skeptical eye on the Pokémon. "We're watching you?"

"We?"

"Yes, you're my helper now. It's too late to say 'no.'" Ryan told Brock as he kept his eyes trained on Beldum when he walked off. Brock just shrugged, finding this a bit of a waste of time. May lightly chuckled at hearing how they were.

"Hey, May." The greeting surprised the girl.

"Oh. Hi, Misty." May kindly greeted the orange-haired girl offering a friendly smile. May decided to take this opportunity to ask. "So, can I ask you something?"

"Sure thing. What do you want to know?"

"Well... how are you so good with your Pokémon?" May questioned. "I mean, I'm not really that good at taking care of the Pokémon here. I'm okay with Beldum, but that's probably because they aren't that demanding. Any tips?"

Misty thought for a moment. "Well, I can't just give you advice that can apply to any Pokémon. Each of them has their own separate needs and likes." May sighed, thinking that she would get no answer. "If you ask me, just spend time with them. Not on training or battle, but take the time to know how they are and what they want."

May took this advice and nodded, wanting to ensure that her Pokémon did like her. "Thanks. Although, I've never actually trained my Beldum before." May admitted, a bit shyly.

"Hmm? Were you given your Beldum at level 8?"

"No. I think it was at level 1 when I got them. I've been using these since they work so well." May checked her bag, struggling to find something as she pulled it out. She showed off a little piece of candy covered in a blue wrapper. "I think they were called Rare Candies," May said unsurely.

Misty gasped at what she saw. "A Rare Candy? Those things are expensive!" Misty proclaimed as she held the candy in her hand. She looked at the candy, then back at May. "You said that you leveled up Beldum with these?"

"Yup. I had eight when I started, but I used them all up." May admitted with a nervous chuckle. Misty's slapped herself in the center of her face after what she had just heard.

Misty took a deep breath in. "These things are rare. If I were you, then I wouldn't have used them so carelessly." Misty admitted as she handed the candy back. "You're only supposed to use those for high-level Pokémon, where it saves time on training."

"Thanks'. I'll make sure to keep this one safe." May promised.

Misty could tell that this girl didn't quite know everything and would like someone to guide her. Someone that could only be as great as her. "You know, how about I give you some advice? We can even talk about our favorite kind of music."

"Oh. Thank you for that." May gratefully said. "Although I don't listen to music."

Misty shook her head. "That's alright. We can talk about other things." Misty suggested in a friendly way, receiving a nod from May. "I deserve to talk to a girl after all this." She thought to herself. Bulbasaur saw how everyone was, how everyone seemed happy with how things currently were.

"Asaur," Bulbasaur turned away, thinking that this group would be just like everyone else.

---

Everyone could enjoy themselves for the rest of the day, finally stopping when the sun was no longer visible. Melanie was kind enough to let them stay for the night, retreating to her cabin for the night. Everyone was sleeping in their tents except for May. The girl didn't have a tent to sleep in, and Ryan had to give his up for the night.

Bulbasaur was still untrusting of these newcomers, even after seeing them play and take care of the Pokémon for the day. Oddish still followed Ash and Ryan all over the place, even wanting to spend the night with them.

"Thanks again for letting me sleep with you," Ryan said to Ash as he got his sleeping bag ready, already in his pajamas.

"No problem. The last thing I want is for you to sleep with Brock's loud snoring." Ash replied, recalling how loudly the older boy snored. Wartortle was merely sitting on his lap.

The two boys, along with Wartortle, shared a nice laugh. Oddish tried to join in on the laughter too, though his shyness quickly took over. "You sure you want to sleep with us, Oddish? I'm sure your friends would want you to be with them."

Oddish shook his head, feeling safe with his choice. "Odd," Ryan shrugged as he looked outside, seeing Beldum sleeping. Unlike all the other Pokémon, Beldum had hooked themselves to one of the thick trees with spikes, making sure to keep itself held up in the wood.

Ryan gently shook his head at the bizarre Pokémon. "That thing is something else," He looked around, seeing that everyone seemed to be in their tent. As he was about to close it back up, a vine suddenly grabbed his hand. "Ahh!"

"Are you okay?" Ash quickly crawled over. The vine was revealed from Bulbasaur, who came into the tent with his still serious look. Everyone was a bit stunned at the unexpected guest. "Can we help with something?" Ash asked in a friendly tone.

Bulbasaur said nothing as he stood where he could see everything. He kept his eyes primarily trained on Oddish, occasionally looking at the boys and Wartortle. The Grass-type spoke very little as he kept looking at everyone there, making Ryan feel like Bulbasaur's eyes were going through him.

"So, are you going to sleep with us, or..." Bulbasaur made no reply, making Ryan feel very uncomfortable, which Oddish felt too.

Ash tried to think of what to do to pass the time. "Oddish. Would you like to hear some stories?" Saying stories were how his mother always brightened his mood, and he hoped that these could do the same.

Oddish seemed a bit weary of the idea but nodded after a moment. "War tort ortle?" The Water-type asked Bulbasaur. He merely gave a light scoff, allowing something like this to happen.

Oddish sat down as Bulbasaur approached him, Wartortle beside the two as the boys looked at the three Pokémon. Ryan was deep in thought. "What kind of story do you think we should tell them?"

Ash was racking his brain as well. "Do you guys want to hear about our adventures?" He finally asked them. Oddish seemed rather excited about the idea, Bulbasaur made no real reply, and Wartortle merely shrugged. The Water-type was for any excuse to fall asleep early.

"Ok. I have a really good one that happened about two weeks ago." Ryan suggested as he sat up, clearing his voice.

As this happened, May came out of her tent to go and stretch her legs. The girl was currently wearing a yellow shirt with some loose-fitting white shorts, her hair completely undone. She looked at her Beldum, already accustomed to her Pokémon's unique way of doing things. She saw that Misty and Brock's tent was blacked out. She looked up at the sky, seeing the nice stars coating it; no moon presents this time around.

"And then we almost fell straight into the ditch!"

May heard Ryan's yelling, walking over to the tent. She saw the shadow of everyone there, surprised at who was there. "Why is Bulbasaur and Oddish with them?" The girl snuck right by the tent, making sure not to make any noise as she listened in on what was happening.

"I tell you, me and Nidoran almost had a great fall if it wasn't for Brock. The strong man used his great strength to pull us up, all to ensure that we didn't meet a perilous end!"

"Calm down, Ryan. The ditch wasn't that big." Ash jokingly remarked. Even though Ryan was always good with details, he was always one to exaggerate a lot. May gently laughed at how these two were.

"Hush now! The people crave to hear to end of this story." It was true. Oddish was fully listening, and even Bulbasaur was slightly interested as well. The story went on as Oddish was full ears, practically begging for a second story when it was over. Bulbasaur took the time to listen to the next one, finding it rather good.

May also listen in on all this, still making sure not to make too much noise. May was always a sucker for a good story, and these were just too tempting not to listen to. She loved how Ash and Ryan would jokingly bicker, how the latter would try to put as much detail as he could. She wasn't sure how long she stayed there. Even when her eyes felt heavy, she still kept listening.

All the way into her sleep.

---

The morning had made its way into the world, waking everyone there. May woke up to see that she had accidentally fallen asleep on the ground near Ash's tent; quickly getting up as she realized what had happened. She wasn't the only one to fall asleep near Ash and Ryan, as Oddish and even Bulbasaur had fallen asleep near the boys.

Everyone was stunned to see the once profound Bulbasaur sleep near the people he distrusted and pushed to leave. Melanie was the most shocked when she came out. "Bulbasaur only ever sleeps with me." May couldn't even dream of having your own Pokémon sleep next to you.

"So, who's going to wake them up?"

"Allow me." Misty seemed almost excited about this task, placing a gentle hand on one of the boy's shoulders. Though her shaking was violent and painful, it did get the two up from their sleep.

Ash and Ryan quickly got themselves ready as they began to get dressed. Everyone shared a relatively small breakfast, wanting to get started on the day as soon as they could. Surprisingly, Bulbasaur was willing to help them make food, using his vines to help with Ash's dish duties. No one could still see how Beldum ate as the Psychic-type was being watched.

"I want to see how they do it," Brock said as he and Ryan observed the Pokémon, a small pile of berries beside them. Beldum was sneaky enough to use its psychic powers to make Misty's small bowl fall over her, causing her to groan loudly after what happened.

"Ugh! Seriously?"

This disturbance made Brock and Ryan look away for the shortest time. When they quickly turned back, they saw a happy Beldum with no berries. Beldum just gave an eye smile as the two boys frowned.

Everyone was in their regular outfits as they were getting ready to leave, knowing it was time for them to leave. May was out with everyone as Melanie seemed to have gone off somewhere. "It was nice getting to meet you, May," Misty told the girl, every one offering a small smile to the girl. "I hope that you enjoy your time here."

"I probably will. Except, there's a problem." She brought up as she tried to make her face look sad. Beldum, floating next to her, knew to take this moment to give off a sad look. Although, it was hard to understand what Beldum felt with a single eyeball to show emotion.

"What's the matter?"

"Oh. I want to go out and explore the world with Beldum, but it's so dangerous out there. All the wild Pokémon, the dangerous landscape, the dangerous plants... t-the wild Pokémon." May listed off as she gazed at the sky. "If only there were a team of four good people that could take across Kanto. All I wish for is to see what this region truly has to offer, but I think that my wish will, sadly, never come true. I wish someone to take me in these sad times."

May was not being secretive or sly about what she wanted from the group. Everyone slightly rolled their eyes at what this girl was trying to do, even though a simple request would've been enough. May opened one eye to see their reaction, seeing Ryan shrug.

"Okay. Good luck with that." The boy then decided to start walking off. Before he could get far, Brock grabbed his backpack to make the boy stop.

Ash looked at May, offering a small smile. "Would you like to come with us?"

"Me?" She pretended to think before offering her hand. "I would be honored to join, Ash. I promise not to be too much of a bother." May told him truthfully as the two gave a handshake to each other, Wartortle smiling as well. Beldum stopped being sad as they happily joined in on this new change.

Brock and Misty looked on with a bizarre look. "Ash picked an interesting choice," Brock remarked as he saw the new companion with them.

Misty shrugged. "Meh. May seems good, and I'll finally have another girl to talk to." She then gasped at what this development could lead to. "I wonder if she is a big fan of music?"

Brock just shook his head as he gave a soft smile. "Are Jigglypuff and Pidgey simply not good enough?"

"I didn't say that. I want someone that I can speak to, and that can actually speak back to me." Misty corrected as Brock playfully ruffled her hair, Misty knocking it away with a small laugh.

Ryan cleared his throat as he walked over to Beldum. "I don't quite understand you, but I hope we become friends." He said kindly to the Steel-type. "I-I mean, we might as well be since we're kind of stuck together." He quickly finished off.

Beldum just hovered over to Ryan and gave an eye smile, seeing nothing wrong with that idea. "Bel," They said in their robotic voice, Ryan nervously shaking one of its spikes as a way to have a handshake.

"Can you believe it, Beldum? We're finally going to start traveling again." May spoke in an excited tone. She then realized something. "Oh. I should probably tell Melanie about all this."

"I already heard." The older girl said as everyone turned. Melanie walked over to May, Bulbasaur, and Oddish beside her as the other Pokémon were merely observing. May and Beldum came to the girl.

"Can you believe it, Melanie? I'm finally allowed to explore the rest of Kanto."

"I'm very excited for you, but it will be sad not to have you here." Melanie sounded down, having grown attached to the inexperienced girl and her Beldum. "I hope you and everyone in the group will have a wonderful time."

May smiled as she gave a fist bump to Melanie, the girl softly returning it. "Thank you for everything. I am going to miss this place." Beldum floated over and gently rubbed itself on Melanie, the girl kindly giving them a pat on the eye.

"Bulba." Bulbasaur extended one of his vines to May, to which to girl gently shook the thing. May looked around her and sighed, recalling how nice this place was.

"You sure you want to come with us?" Ash's question snapped her out of her thoughts. "Don't feel pressured to join the group."

May turned around, smiling as her eyes looked back, but only for the briefest of moments. "No. I think I'm ready."

Misty seemed excited as she wrapped an arm around May. "Don't worry. With me in this group, you have no reason to worry." She said to her fellow girl. May seemed a bit weirded out but nodded at the notion.

Ryan quickly clapped his hands together. "Well, if we have nothing else-"

"There is something I need to tell you." Melanie interrupted. She looked down at both Bulbasaur and Oddish. "I've seen how the Pokémon have taken a liking to you, especially Bulbasaur and Oddish."

"It must've been my amazing charm that did it." Brock tried to joke. When he saw that his joke was met with silence, he quickly cleared his throat. "You can go on."

Melanie thought about her following words. "I saw how Bulbasaur took a liking to you, Ash. Bulbasaur is usually not that friendly with new people, so imagine how shocked I was when he followed you around." Bulbasaur nodded at this, being picked up by Melanie. "You are a good Trainer who always looks out for his Pokémon."

Ash smiled at the compliment. "Thanks for telling me all that."

"Bulbasaur has always protected this village for as long as he has been here," Melanie continued, looking down at the Grass-type. "But I know it would be selfish to keep him here forever. A young Pokémon like him deserves to go out and explore the world. I always wanted him to go with someone who could care for him, and I think I found the right person." Melanie stepped forward to Ash. "Would you take Bulbasaur with you, Ash?"

The boy couldn't believe it. Not only did a Pokémon want to join his team, but it was the same Pokémon trying to kick them out just yesterday. Wartortle tail began to wag excitingly at this idea. Ash looked behind him, seeing how everyone was supporting him. "Why are you looking at us? It's your decision." Brock told him with a small smile.

Ash gave a bright smile. "In that case, it would be an honor to have Bulbasaur with the team!" He smiled down at the Grass-type. "Welcome aboard, brave partner!"

As Ash went over to pick up Bulbasaur, the Grass-type jumped out and made some distance between him and Ash. His face became serious as he lowered his body. "Bulbasaur!" He growled at him, though not as mean as he once was.

Ash knew exactly what Bulbasaur wanted. "You want to fight, don't you?" Bulbasaur nodded as Ash took a battle stance, taking out one of his Poke Balls. "I knew it would be too easy if I just got you."

Everyone watched the fight between Bulbasaur and Ash. "Oh my. I should've known that Bulbasaur would be this stubborn." Melanie commented as the group got a good view of the fight.

Misty decided to cheer on Ash in her way. "If you lose, I laugh at you all day." She encouragingly told the boy.

"We'll see who's laughing after this," Ash replied as he didn't take his eyes off Bulbasaur.

May quickly went to Brock's ear. "Will this fight take too long?"

"Hopefully not. Ash is pretty good when it comes to Pokémon battling." He replied as Beldum floated nearby. They heard a Poke Ball open as Ryan gave a massive groan.

"Are you just going to keep coming out at the mention of a fight?" He asked his Jangmo-o, who had made a good spot for himself near Ryan. The Jangmo-o cheekily nodded as he watched the fight with all his attention.

Ryan rolled his eyes at how battle-hungry his Pokémon was, suddenly feeling something brush up against his legs. Oddish stood by him, looking up at him with a small smile. "Oddi?" He asked in a kind tone.

Ryan was initially confused but smiled when he realized what the Pokémon was asking for. "Yeah. You can sit right by me." Oddish nodded, making a little spot for him beside the Dragon-type.

"War! War tort Wartole!" Wartortle cheered on his best friend. Ash gripped the ball tightly as the air became much thicker with the fight approaching.

Ash flipped his cap back as he called upon his Pokémon. "I Choose you, Pidgey!" The Flying-type emerged as she stretched her short wings out.

"Pidg!" Pidgey yelled, feeling ready after the breakfast she had just had. Bulbasaur got himself ready, knowing that this would be tricky for him. Bulbasaur went for a quick Sleep Powder.

"Use your Gust!" Pidgey used her wings to create a blast of wind to not only push back the powder but also to hit Bulbasaur. The Grass-type quickly jumped out of the way, using Vine Whip to grab Pidgey. Pidgey was wrapped up in two vines as she was struggling to break free.

Bulbasaur dragged her close to land a mighty Tackle. Pidgey was quick to think as she readied her one free wing, covered in white as her attack came out. Bulbasaur could only gasp as the Wing Attack hit him directly. "Nice hit!" Misty remarked, cheering on her fellow female.

Bulbasaur shook himself off as he used his Razor Leaf attack. The sharp leaves came straight at Pidgey, who could quickly dodge the first few. Pidgey couldn't avoid all the leaves, as two had hit her face and lower chest. "Use Quick Attack to get out of there!" Ash called out.

Pidgey disappeared in a flash, becoming a mere blur. Bulbasaur could only look around in pure confusion before Pidgey hit him with impressive speed. "War!" Wartortle cheered for his fellow team member.

Bulbasaur still stood his ground, using Razor Leaf again. Except this time, the leaves were covered in a greenish aura. Everyone was surprised except for Melanie, the girl smiling as the ability had been activated. May was confused. "Why do those leaves look different?"

"It's Bulbasaur's ability, Overgrowth," Brock explained as he watched. "If a Grass-type has lost enough health, their Grass-type moves will get more power to them."

This explanation proved true, as Pidgey attempted to use Gust to blow the leaves away. The leaves were barely fazed as six had hit the Flying-type. Despite not being very effective, it still hurt. "You alright?" Pidgey nodded at Ash's question. The boy thought momentarily, wondering if this next move might accidentally faint the Pokémon. "Go for one more Quick Attack!"

Pidgey complied, disappearing once again. Bulbasaur surrounded himself with Poison Powder, hoping to keep his opponent at bay. Unfortunately, not only did Pidgey get the hit off, but she was also not affected by the powder, escaping it quickly enough. Bulbasaur was left very weak, struggling to get up.

Ash knew this was his chance, taking out an empty Poke Ball. "You did good, Bulbasaur," He complimented the Grass-type. Bulbasaur stood up with the bit of energy he had, bracing himself for what was to come next. "Poke Ball, go!"

The Poke Ball hit Bulbasaur on his bulb, sucking him in with the red beam. The shaking process began as Ash watched with a determined look. Everyone was silent as the ball moved back and forth. The ball stood still after the fifth shake, meaning it had been done. Ash gave the biggest grin as he happily ran to the Poke Ball.

"YES! YEAH!" He cheered in an excited tone. Even though it wasn't the first-ever Pokémon he captured, it was still the second one he had to fight to obtain. He took the ball, smiling at it before extending it up into the air. "I caught a Bulbasaur!"

Everyone clapped for how the boy managed to win, Jangmo-o clanging his small scales instead. Pidgey perched herself on Ash as the boy gently petted his Flying-type. Though Melanie was not clapping, she still offered her best smile. "I hope everyone works out for you, Bulbasaur."

"HA HA! Now who's laughing!" Ash said to Misty with a cheeky smile. The girl rolled her eyes.

"Alright. I'll let you have this one." She said, the two sharing a nice fist bump as they smiled.

"That was good, Ash." May complimented. "I mean, I haven't seen a lot of Pokémon battles, but that was still good." Ash smiled at how the girl was.

He raised the Poke Ball. "Come on out, Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur was released from his Poke Ball. Even though he was relatively weak, he still smiled at his new Trainer when he was on the ground. Melanie came over with some powder in a bottle.

"Here, Bulbasaur. You need your strength." Bulbasaur took the powder from Melanie with a nod. Though it tasted truly bitter, it had healed him up to full. Everyone was surprised by this.

"That wouldn't be Energy Powder, would it?"

"It is. I made it all on my own." Melanie confirmed as she closed the bottle. "If you want, I can give you the rest of this bottle. It doesn't taste good, but it's one of the better items to heal your Pokémon."

"You don't have to. We've already asked enough as is." Brock tried to tell her.

"It would be a pleasure to help you guys out." Melanie gave the bottle to Ryan, the boy looking at the cream-colored powder. "If I were to be honest, it was a pleasure meeting you all."

"Funny. We were going to say the same thing about you." Ryan kindly told the girl, Jangmo-o by his side. "I hope you'll help the Pokémon that can't help themselves."

"Jang!"

Melanie smiled at that statement. "Of course I will. May," She called to the girl, placing a shoulder on the girl. "Good luck out there. The world can be unkind to most people, and I'm so happy you can be with this group."

May then hugged the girl, to which Melanie returned. The two broke the hug as May smiled. "I'll miss you," She said to her, Beldum coming over to also say goodbyes.

"Bel Beldum dum dum. Beldum beldu." Even though their voice was robotic, a tear came down the Pokémon's eye. Melanie gently petted the hard exterior of Beldum, offering a kind smile.

"I know that you'll become something extraordinary, Beldum. Never give up on you or your Trainer." Beldum nodded, floating off to cry somewhere else for the time being. Melaine then faced the group. "Before you leave, I have to admit to something."

"You have feeling for me too?" Brock asked right away. Everyone gave him a bizarre look as the teenager saw Melanie give a massive sweat drop. "S-Sorry. Please, continue." He apologized as he took a step back.

"As I was saying, Bulbasaur wanted to join you earlier, but he wasn't the only one who wanted to be with you." She glanced down at Oddish, who stepped forward. "If it's true that you once helped this Oddish back then, it should only be fair that you should have him too."

Everyone couldn't believe this. "Are you sure? You don't have to do this." Misty told Melanie.

"I know. But this isn't my request, but his." Melanie petter Oddish, remembering how she found so beaten and bruised. Oddish was nervous but knew these people were kind, compassionate, and understanding. The opposite of what Paul was to him.

Oddish ran over to them, knowing exactly who to go with. He ran so fast that he accidentally bumped into Ryan's legs, quickly sitting back up after the fall. Oddish looked up at the person he picked. "Oddi!"

Ryan was surprised. "You want me to be your Trainer?" Oddish nodded at this.

The boy wasn't so sure about this choice, looking around at everyone else. The group was looking at the two and showing their support. "If Oddish does want to be with you, then you should let him be part of your team," Brock told the boy as he placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You did say you wanted a Grass-type just yesterday." Misty reminded him with a kind smirk. "If I were you, I wouldn't even hesitate."

Ryan wasn't sure as he knelled down to Oddish. "Do you want this? I'm not good with Pokémon or even that strong on my own. I'm just trying out a goal that might not simply work out. Is that what you want as a Trainer?"

Even with all this negative information against Ryan, Oddish didn't even try to change his mind. "Oddi," He offered a kind smile to the boy, leaving the boy speechless.

Jangmo-o looked upon Oddish. Though the Grass-type was not that strong, he could sense that he could still leave his mark. With some training, some courage, and a more serious personality, Oddish could become a strong Pokémon. "Jang! Jan!" The Dragon-type egged on his Trainer.

Ryan offered a small smile, breathing out a small sigh. "It would be my honor to have you as my Pokémon, Oddish. I may not be the best Trainer, but I will never stop trying my hardest." Ryan took out a Poke Ball from his relatively light backpack and held it out in his hand.

Oddish didn't need to be told to jump up to click the button. Oddish didn't attempt to break free as the ball stopped moving, solidifying himself as Ryan's fourth team member. Ryan looked down at the Pokémon that once belonged to Paul, now part of his team.

Melanie kindly walked over to Ryan. "If it helps, I think you'll do well with Oddish, just like how I think Ash will with Bulbasaur."

"Thank you," Ryan said softly as he looked down, feeling a smile tug on his face.

"Hey! Where's the celebration?" Brock jokingly said as he ruffled Ryan's hair. "This warrants a big cheer."

"Yeah," May agreed, even though she had no other Pokémon. Everyone gave a big cheer for Ryan, which caused the boy to turn red from how overwhelming it was. He smiled as Jangmo-o still bit his ear but was okay with it this time.

Everyone offered their goodbyes to Melanie, who still kept a warm smile on everyone. Wartortle came up and held something to her. "What's that?" It appeared like a miniature statue made entirely of ice. "Is that for me?"

"War," Wartortle nodded with a small smile.

"Thank you." She petted Wartortle as he stood proudly with hands on hips. "You are lucky to have a Pokémon like this, Ash." Wartortle sent a smug look to the boy, feeling very proud of being called a 'lucky Pokémon.'

"Oh, stop acting like you aren't allowed to do whatever you want." Ash jokingly told his Pokémon. After that, everyone finally left the cabin behind. May walked among the group as she adjusted each part of herself, looking her best as she stood next to these people.

Ryan then realized that Beldum was floating with them as they walked off. "Can you put that thing in a Poke Ball or something?"

"Oh, right." May took out the Poke Ball, accidentally holding it upside down, and aimed toward her Beldum. "Beldum, get in the Poke Ball." This command did nothing, as May was left confused.

"You're supposed to click the button."

"Oh. Thank you," May listened to Ash's advice, letting her Beldum enter its Poke Ball. The group shared a small laugh as they resumed their journey to Vermillion City.

Melanie kindly waved them goodbye, smiling as the teenager saw them leave. "I'll miss you both." She sadly thought, walking back to her cabin with a sense of peace.

---

"So... do you guys just walk across the path until you reach your next destination, Brock?" May asked the teenager as they had left Melanie and her place behind. May tried her best to act like part of the group, even miming how Ash seemed to be walking.

"Well, there's more to it than just going from place to place, but that's basically how we roll," Brock explained. "If you ever get tired, just let us know."

"Don't worry about me. I think I know how to walk for a long time."

When Ash heard this, he decided to humor this idea. "Have you ever walked ten miles in a single day? That's what we always do every day."

"It is?" May became nervous for a second before hearing Ash laugh it off.

"No. At least, I don't think so." He said after thinking about it. "Wartortle, can you help me out?"

Wartortle thought for a moment, also not getting a concrete answer. "War," He said with a shrug.

May sighed as she saw that walking would be her only way of transportation, at least now. "I miss my bike back home. It was red, and it was amazing."

"You have your bike?" Misty asked curiously, to which May nodded. "I have my own bike too, or at least I did."

"What happened? Is it broken?"

"Not really. It just blew up." Misty said most casually. This caused May to chuckle, thinking that the girl was trying to put a smile on her face. May then realized that Misty was slightly frowning.

"Oh wait, you're serious?" Misty nodded as May sweat dropped. "Sorry. I didn't believe you there."

"That's fine." She shrugged, realizing that she had to do something. "Hey, May, do you know that candy you fed your Beldum?"

"Yeah."

"Can I please have the last one?" Her voice was quite polite as she questioned this. "My Pokémon need it."

May didn't mind as she allowed Misty to grab the Rare Candy from her pocket. "I don't mind." She told Misty.

"Thank you so much for this." She told May as she placed the Rare Candy in her bag, smiling on the inside. "Now, she can't waste that last one."

"By the way, can you guys explain something to me?" She asked the group as everyone turned around. "I have this thing, and I don't know what it is. Can you help me out?"

Ryan smiled at this request. "Sure. Let's see it." May began to rummage around in her bag, looking into three separate pockets before finding it. She held it out to the group, as they saw what was in her hand.

In the palm of her hand looked like a marble of sorts, but much bigger than what it should be. It was primarily light blue except for the middle, a curved white line between two yellow lines. The stone seemed rather odd, as there seemed to be a strange kind of power being poured out of it. Everyone looked down as Brock, Ash, and Misty knew precisely what this was. Wartortle and Ryan were merely bewildered by such an object.

"That cannot be what I think it is," Misty remarked, too stunned even correctly to show it off.

"What is it? Some rare rock?" Ryan asked in a somewhat confused way.

"Oh. Your right about the rare part." Brock took the stone as he touched it with his finger, feeling how polished and smooth it was. "May, where did you get this?"

"It was a gift from someone. They said it was called a Mega Rock or something like that." May tried to recall. "I remember them saying it would be useful whenever Beldum evolved."

"It's a Mega Stone!" Ash corrected as he touched the rock, feeling like he was touching literal gold. "I can't believe you have this!"

Misty turned to May. "My sisters don't even have one of these, and they have enough money to buy a personal aquarium!" Misty took the Mega Stone, holding the stone to May. "Who gave you this?" Her voice cracked a bit.

"His name was Steven Stone," May responded, making everyone quiet when they heard that all-important name. "He's the Champion of Hoenn and the heir of the Devon Corporation. At least, I think that was its name."

Everyone knew this would make any average person disbelieve, but considering what May had shown herself, this seemed pretty much in line. Everyone was still trying to wrap their heads around the fact that this girl with one Pokémon had something that many would not ever obtain. Ash felt his brain would either melt from this revelation or stop working.

"So... Steven, the Champion of Hoenn, gave you a Mega Stone for your Beldum, who will already evolve into something powerful on its own?" He said after a minute.

"Oh, I forgot to mention. The Beldum I have is also from him." May quickly corrected. "So yup, that's the whole story."

Misty was looking at her hands with an open mouth. "This explains... literally everything."

"Well, congratulations on all that," Ryan said as he was still processing all that. May was slightly startled by what she accidentally caused, as it would take everyone a few minutes to have their minds working again finally.

"May, I don't know what to say." Brock started as he got himself together. "But I'm glad you got so lucky to start your journey like this and are willing to share it with us." He offered a soft smile.

"Thank you, Brock." May smiled back before she became a bit nervous. "Please don't see me as someone who knows everything. If I can be honest, I'm just lucky to have a Pokémon actually to call my own."

Ryan placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'll try not to, but don't take my complete word on it." He realized his poor choice of words. "I mean, I'll a hundred percent treat you like a girl without magic rocks in her pocket." This name got a good chuckle out of everyone, Ryan being a bit nervous as his face became slightly red.

"Speaking of rocks, can I please hold the Mega Stone, May?" Ash asked as he had Wartortle holding his hand. "I just really want a better look at it."

May shrugged as she pulled it out from her pouch. "I don't know how to use it. I need a Metagross, but that sounds like a lot of work."

"Oh, you need more than just a Metagross." Brock pointed out as he and Ash examined the Metagrossite. "You need something called a Key Stone to activate the Mega Stone. I'm not sure if you noticed, but we don't exactly have that on hand."

"I also don't think you should show that Mega Stone off to anyone," Misty advised with actual concern. "We've met some thieves that would target that thing." May nodded after hearing all this.

Wartortle was touching the Mega Stone, feeling a wave of energy through him. It felt intense but also enjoyable in a way. "Wartortle war."

Misty looked at May for a long time. "You know, you have a good chance of being a Pokémon Trainer." She complimented as May looked at her. "I know the Mega Stone made that obvious enough, but I felt like saying it."

"Well, thank you for saying that. Although, I'm not like trying to be Champion or anything like that."

"Who said being a good Pokémon Trainer means you have to be a Champion?" Ash asked.

Misty rolled her eyes at that. "Your one to say something like that. You get stuck in daytime fantasies about being Champion."

"No, I don't!"

Wartortle then tapped his leg. "War, tortle le." Wartortle was saying that Ash was that way, even if no one did understand him. Ash frowned after hearing that from his partner.

"Well, I, for one, am excited about helping out May with her idea of becoming a Pokémon Trainer." Ash looked at May, giving her a thumbs up. "I can gladly guide you on this journey."

"You mean we can guide her." Ryan pointed to himself and everyone else in the group. "If it's about a problem that one of us has, then it makes sense that we should all be involved to help out."

"War!" Wartortle pointed to himself.

"Yes, even you can help out, Wartortle." Wartortle smiled to himself, feeling a sense of pride with this idea.

Even though May liked them caring about her, this wasn't something she asked for. "You don't have to do all that, really."

"We probably don't, but we want to help you," Brock told the girl. "If you want to stick with us, you'll have to get used to us helping you without permission."

May sighed, seeing how everyone in the group seemed to be stubborn in their ways. "Okay, but I'm probably not going to be that good at it."

Ash just gave her a big smile. "Don't worry. I know that you can become a good Pokémon Trainer."

"Wartortle!"

May smiled back as she looked ahead at the road, wanting to see what amazing cities there were to be seen. "I don't think that's actually going to happen, but whatever you say." She said softly, no one else hearing it but herself.

END OF CHAPTER 9

---

That's right! May is now part of the story! I debated on whether it should be her or Dawn that would be the final member of the group. After rewatching both series and seeing what fans thought of the two, I just found May much better than Dawn. Before you start making your way to my house, let me explain. Dawn is the more funny and memorable character of the two, IMO, but I think May is more enjoyable with her character arc. I wanted some way to bring the Pokémon Contest into this story, and I feel like May was the better option. Besides, she'll leave her mark on the group. Later!

Edit 3/24/23: Why did I think giving away Bulbasaur to Ryan was a good idea?! Now that I've fixed that awful mistake, I'll explain the shiny Beldum that May has. I thought it would be an exciting juxtaposition if the girl that wasn't interested in Pokémon at the start had one that many would spend days trying to get. Anyway, shiny Pokémon are now a thing but don't expect that everyone will get one. At best, there might only be two more shinnies for the rest of the story. Besides, shiny Metagross is just one of my favs.

Ash's Team: Wartortle (M), Pidgey (F), Nidoran (M), Bulbasaur (M)

Misty's Team: Starmie (N/G), Azumarill (M), Horsea (F), Magikarp (M), Jigglypuff (F)

Misty's Other Members: Seaking (F)

Ryan's Team: Pinsir (M), Butterfree (M), Jangmo-o (M), Oddish (M)

Brock's Team: Geodude (M), Onix (M), Zubat (M)

May's Team: Beldum (Shiny, N/G)