Chapter 3: Froakie vs Fletchling! Aerial Battle Maneuvers!


Serena stared at the three Pokemon on a table before her in Professor Sycamore's lab. She arrived via train earlier that morning and went straight for the laboratory. However, the young woman sweat dropped now that she looked at her choices of starter pokemon. Serena thought so much about finding Ash since leaving home that she did not even consider who to pick.

"Take your time, Serena. This is a very important decision." Sycamore assured her. Serena nodded then looked at her options. First sat a young Froakie, who blinked at her with meager curiosity but otherwise remained still. A water pokemon, and known for fierce determination when it came to battles. Not a bad choice, but in truth, Serena did not envision herself challenging gym leaders. She then turned to a Chespin who's face beamed with delight and cheerfulness as he waved at Serena.

"Ches." He tried to race forward and greet her but tripped over his feet and stumbled into her handbag.

"Chespin." Sophie groaned, but Serena smiled a little. He was cute and energetic, but perhaps a bit too excitable.

"Ches!" Chespin emerged from the bag, drool in his mouth and stars in his eyes as he held a macaroon Serena baked the other day.

"Chespin, no, that's not yours!" Sophie tried to grab him but the grass pokemon ran off and scarfed the sweet down.

"Sorry about that, he can be a bit mischievous." Sycamore scratched the back of his head.

"It's ok." Serena turned to the final pokemon, a little Fennekin who wagged her tail and let out a cordial purr.

"Fen." It was Fennekin above the others that caught Serena's eyes. She had always found them cute, but something about this one gave her a good feeling.

"I'll take her."

"Excellent." Sycamore handed Serena Fennekin's pokeball and a pokedex before Fennekin likewise jumped into her arms. Nearby, the Froakie watched with indifference while Chespin doubled over, quite disappointed he would not get to travel with someone who could bake sweets.

On Route 4, Ash stood beside a gentle stream between two grassy ridges in the forest. Pikachu stood on his left while Charizard took up the right. Clemont stood across from him, Bunnelby beside him while Bonnie sat down with Dedenne, Ash's egg in her lap.

"Come on, big brother!"

"Bunnelby use Mud Shot!"

"By!" Bunnelby hurled a barrage of dirt at Charizard who huffed with a cocky smile.

"Steel Wing." At Ash's command, Charizard smashed the mud shots apart with his metal wings. However, Ash also kept his attention on the water.

"Now, Double Team and Water Gun!"

"Froak!" Froakie burst from the stream alongside a dozen copies and blasted water at Pikachu.

"Agility."

"Pika, Pika, Pika." Pikachu dodged the attacks with masterful skill, much to Froakie's visible frustration. However, he waited for Ash's next command.

"Smokescreen!"

"Froak!" Froakie hurled a black ball around Pikachu and grinned when he watched the yellow mouse enveloped. However, a premonition from Ash hit the water frog which let him know he missed a command Ash gave Pikachu too.

"Pika." Pikachu appeared over the cloud of smoke and waved at a dumbstruck Froakie. After closer examination, he noticed Pikachu's tail was metal. Understanding dawned on Froakie, who realized Ash told Pikachu to propel himself up and over. Froakie saw an opening to hit Pikachu with water gun and readied himself.

"Froakie smokescreen in front of you." Ash's command sent a flare of frustration through Froakie, who longed to hit Pikachu but obeyed regardless.

"Thunderbolt!" As Froakie disappeared into his smokescreen he felt the ground shake when Pikachu's thunderbolt tore apart the ground where he had just stood. A thick sweatdrop ran down the frog's head and he understood what would have happened had he tried to hit Pikachu with water gun.

"Now, Pound! Iron Tail!" Ash threw out his hand and joined Pikachu, Charizard, and Froakie in the sensation. He found himself throwing punches and kicks matching Froakie's strikes, Pikachu's deflecting blows, and Charizard's wings/claws. He saw the awe in Clemont, Bonnie, Bunnelby, and Dedenne's faces but did not slow. Eventually, Bunnelby and Clemont had to tap out, but Charizard just joined into Pikachu and Froakie's match. The three-way sparring dragged on until Ash lost track of time. He almost did not notice how his arms body cried out and sweat soaked him from head to toe. His Pokemon looked much the same, but none showed any signs of slowing down. Ash savored every moment of it, and all but heard his three Pokemon inside the premonition sensation, when for the briefest moment, a fourth voice entered. Ash looked around but saw nothing. At first he thought he might have imagined it, when he passed the egg in Bonnie's arms and realized it glowed blue.

"Huh?" The light vanished and Ash decided it must be the sweat in his eyes fooling him.

"Froak!" Froakie pushed himself harder and harder alongside Ash. The sensation and connection between them lit a fire in his very soul. He never imagined having a trainer would be like this and knew abandoning the others was no mistake. Ash was the one he was waiting for and this proved it. Pikachu shoved Froakie back again before dodging Charizard's tail. Seeing an opening, Froakie called out to Ash.

"Water gun-" Ash stopped when he saw Froakie form a sphere of water. "Water Pulse! Froakie use it!"

"Froak!" Froakie tried to unleash the move but it fell apart as soon as it left his hand.

"Hmm, not quite there yet. That's fine, we'll keep at it."

"Um, Ash, maybe you ought to take a break." Clemont muttered.

"Eh? But we're just getting warmed up."

"Froak."

"Ash, it's been two hours since Bunnelby and I ducked out." Clemont pointed to a digital watch on his wrist and Ash went silent for a long moment. He and his pokemon shared the same baffled expression and sweat dropped together.

"Oh. Well, it is almost lunchtime." As if on cue, his stomach growled with the three pokemons' and Bonnie laughed. Ash and his team washed away their sweat in the stream before joining the others for lunch.

"Here you, pot-au-feu." Clemont offered Ash a steaming bowl of stew fresh from the pot. After a long morning training session it smelled like heaven.

"Thanks!" Ash scarfed it down despite the heat while his pokemon likewise gorged themselves on pokefood.

"It's no problem. Thank you for training Bunnelby and I, even if we're still rookies."

"That's not the right attitude brother."

"Bonnie's right, I'm already seeing improvement from you and Bunnelby. Maybe you should challenge Viola too." Ash beamed confidence for Clemont, but saw the inventor turn pale and tremble.

"We're not ready for that."

"Nonsense, give it a few more days of training." Ash patted Clemont's shoulder, but the inventor shook his head.

"I'm not sure we can keep up with you and your team. You all looked enraptured."

"Oui, even your egg seemed happy." Bonnie giggled.

"Huh?" Ash and his pokemon looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"Your egg started to glow when you really got into it."

"So it did go." Ash picked up the egg and sensed the premonition again, only fainter. He thought about what the mysterious figure said back in Lumiose city."

"Besides, I still only have Bunnelby." Clemont sighed and petted his lone pokemon's head.

"Hmm, you bring up a good point, Clemont." Ash smiled wider and set the egg back down into his bag. "You should catch another pokemon, and me too. We're on a route, the prime location to catch a wild pokemon." Ash's eyes lit up at the thought of catching his second Kalos pokemon. He ran through his new pokedex for pokemon that lived on route 4. However, halfway through, Clemont rose up with an aura of power that caught Ash off-guard.

"Catch a new pokemon, hmm." Clemont adjusted his glasses and with a single motion, whipped out an odd device with an antenna and speaker attached to it. "Behold, Clemont Gear, the pokemon emitter!"

"Pokemon emitter?" Ash muttered while Bonnie and Dedenne shared a skeptical expression.

"Not again, Clemont."

"My pokemon emitter will draw in any wild pokemon we desire by mimicking its call. All I have to do is set which pokemon and they'll come to us!" Clemont all but exploded in excitement, but Ash sweat dropped with his team.

"That's very kind of you, Clemont, but I'd rather find one on my own and-"

"Let's start with a simple Fletchling, and go!" Clemont entered something into the device and a strange bird-like sound emitted from the speaker. Less than a minute later, Pikachu pointed to the sky and they saw a fletchling in the air moving toward them.

"Ahh! It worked!" Clemont threw his hands up in triumph and even Ash felt a sense of wonder at the machine's effect. However, he soon realized that the fletchling did not come alone. Within moments a second one flew in, then a third, a fourth, fifth, and more. The sky soon darkened before at least a hundred fletchling.

"Uhh, Clemont. How many fletchling are you trying to catch?" Ash muttered as he backed up and thought of his thirty Tauros back at Oak's lab.

"Something's wrong. I only set it for one fletchling." Clemont started to sweat and threw himself at his machine which surged with electricity, then exploded.

"Clemont!" Ash saw Clemont tremble after the smoke cleared, revealing his soot-covered body.

"Ouch." Clemont fell onto his back with swirled eyes and Bunnelby patted his shoulder.

"Another failure brother!" Bonnie scolded Clemont and ran behind Ash with Dedenne when the swarm of fletchling let out a chorus of chirps then descended upon them. Clemont and Bunnelby scrambled about trying to find cover. Ash grit his teeth and threw a hand up to try and shield himself.

"Pikachu, Electroball, Froakie Water Gun, Charizard Inferno!"

"Pika!"

"Froak!"

"Grau!" His Pokemon unleashed their mighty attacks around the group and kept groups of fletchling back. However, there were just too many and a few broke through to nip them or Ash.

"Ah!" Clemont yelped as three pecked his head and another set Bunnelby's tail on fire.

"By!"

"Oh geeze, Dedenne, save Clemont." Bonnie sighed and her pet electric mouse ran over, then shocked the fletchling attacking Clemont. However, amid the chaos, Ash noticed one fletchling remain at a distant and stare at his pokemon egg.

"Eh?" Ash watched the fire-bird's eyes linger on the egg, then with a sharp chirp, the fletchling swooped in. With help from two others, Fletchling took Ash's egg and flew off toward the forest.

"Hey! Come back here!" Without thinking, Ash chased after him, scaling the rocky ridge and disappearing into the forest.

"Ash!" Clemont and Bonnie cried. Pikachu and Charizard wanted to join their trainer but could not abandon the others with so many fletchling still around. However, Pikachu did notice someone else from their group missing.

Inside the forest, Ash grunted when Fletchling vanished amid the trees. He stopped to catch his breath but wanted to punch himself. How could he let his egg get taken like that? Ash clenched both eyes shut, when a familiar presence surrounded him.

"Froak." Froakie appeared by Ash's feet and nudged him on with a determined look. His new pokemon's spirit rekindled Ash who nodded back.

"You're right, Froakie. Let's find them." Ash turned back up to the tree line and with steel resolve, climbed the tree in a matter of moments. Froakie leaped up from branch to branch, arriving at the top before Ash. For the next half-hour, they moved above the treetops searching for Fletchling and the egg. They found a few of the fire birds in their nests but no sign of their quarrel. Froakie tried to ask a few of the fletchling, or perhaps interrogate, by the tone of his voice, but to no success. Even so, Ash refused to give up when the premonition hit him again. He almost lost balance in that moment, and from the looks of Fletchling he had the same feeling. Trainer and pokemon met eyes and with a simple nod, they followed the premonition like a map.

After another few minutes, he saw them. Ash's egg rested in an enormous nest with Fletchling resting on top of it. As much as Ash wanted to race over and rescue the egg, he and Froakie surveyed the area for more fletchling. However, be breathed a sigh of relief when they found none.

"Alright, Froakie. I don't think this Fletchling will give up without a fight. Are you ready?"

"Froak." Froakie raised his fist to Ash, and a spark lit between them when he bumped it.

"Let's go then. Fletchling!" Ash's cry woke Fletchling up with a jump and the fire bird scrambled about to stay upright. "That's my egg!" Ash's eyes met Fletchling's, who stared back with a fiery gaze.

"Fletch, Fletchling!" The fire bird spat out an ember toward Ash, who did not flinch.

"Water gun!"

"Froak!" Froakie leaped up and extinguished the flames with a jet of water. However, Fletchling dodged with a quick attack and came straight for Froakie.

"Froakie, smokescreen!" Froakie propelled himself off the branch and slammed a ball of smoke into Fletchling as he flew under him. The fire bird coughed and tried to shake the smoke from his eyes, but Froakie caught himself on another branch.

"Pound!"

"Froak!" Froakie leaped out and threw his fists out mirroring Ash. The first blow hit Fletchling so hard, all the smoke flew off him, but it did not end there. Froakie came down again and kicked the fire bird into a tree-trunk.

"Awesome, Froakie. Keep it up." Ash used the distraction to race across the treetops toward his egg. However, Fletchling spotted him. With a furious chirp, he zoomed over with quick attack.

"Water gun!"

"Froak!" Froakie leaped up and blasted a jet of water at Fletchling, but missed. Ash and Froakie winced in disbelief when they saw the firebird perform a mid-air backflip and shoot at Froakie like a missile.

"Fletch!"

"Water Pulse!" The sensation flooded through Ash and Froakie. The water frog leaped at Fletchling and thrust both hands out together with Ash. A sphere of water formed and then unleashed straight into the fire bird who flew backward into a tree.

"That's it, now's my chance. Pokeball go!" Without hesitation, Ash lobbed a pokeball through the air which sent Fletchling inside upon contact. The pokeball flashed and rocked even before it hit the ground, then sparkled.

"Alright, I caught a Fletchling!"

"Froak!" Froakie leaped over and bumped fists with Ash.

"You did great, Froakie. You even unlocked Water Pulse." Ash patted Froakie on the head after he leaped onto his shoulder. A vast burden lifted from Ash as he picked up his egg, which glowed blue in the aftermath of the battle. However, it soon went still again, much to Ash's disappointment. Even so, he collected his new Fletchling and began the journey back to the others. When Ash returned, he saw Pikachu and Charizard panting, but no sign of the Fletchling swarm.

"Sorry about running off like that." Ash sweat dropped with Froakie, but Pikachu and Charizard both smiled then they saw the egg in his arms.

"Thank goodness you found it." Bonnie breathed a sigh of relief and added a bandage to Clemont's new collection across his body.

"I'm sorry." Clemont muttered while Bunnelby patted his back.

"It's ok, we found my egg. Plus Froakie learned Water Pulse and I have a new team member." Ash took out Fletchling's pokeball and tossed it into the air.

"Fletch!" Fletchling flew out then landed in front of Ash before saluting him with his right wing.

"Yaah!" Clemont scrambled backward.

"Relax, brother." Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"Pika. Pikachu."

"Grau."

"Fletch."


Author's note

I hope you guys enjoyed. Yep I changed this up a bit, and I'll let you decide if it was for the better.

So until next time,

Please review, comment, suggest, or ask (VIA PM)