Out of the Johto Starter Pokémon, my personal favorite is Chikorita. I used to reset my old Generation 2 games just so I could start with a female Chikorita. I can't be the only one who's done that.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon characters! I only own my OCs!

Chapter 6: The Chikorita Rescue

I was still wondering about that weird Stantler we saw a couple of days ago back when we were in Cherrygrove City and bought new supplies for the journey. We did call Professor Oak the next day to ask him about the mysterious Stantler, but he actually had no idea about it. He said he was going to call his colleagues and ask them if they knew something about an evolution of Stantler. He was going to call back if he ever learned something.

We have been walking for around a week and were not so far away from Violet City, according to my PokéGear. We were still going north and the temperature was actually cold for early March. The nearby mountains were still covered by snow that hadn't melted yet.

"Brr…! It sure is cold up here!" Brock gritted his teeth by the cold air.

"No wonder there's still snow on those mountains over there", Misty commented as she nodded at said mountain.

"Togi."

"I bet there's many new Pokémon playing over there right now", Ash smiled. "I'd love to catch them, but it'd be probably a huge detour."

"Pika pika."

"We could fly with Firered and Charizard to the mountain", I suggested before I shivered by a sudden blow of cold wind. "With proper clothing."

"Hmm…", Ash hummed while rubbing his chin. He looked around in the green grassy area where we were and gasped softly when he spotted something. "I think I found my next Pokémon", he commented.

"Your next Pokémon?" Misty and I repeated confusedly.

"Look…! Over there…!" Ash whispered as he pointed at something in the grass.

I squinted and finally realized there was a Chikorita resting in the grass. There was no Trainer nearby, so it must definitely be a wild Pokémon. "A Chikorita…?" I said in surprise.

"Aww, it's so cute…", Misty smiled before she sniffed the air. "And I smell a nice sweet scent…"

"It's coming from Chikorita's leaf", I told her. "Just like with Casey's Chikorita."

"Finding wild Starter Pokémon is very rare, so they're usually a big target for many poachers…", Brock commented. "This one looks like it's sunbathing."

"Just like what Ivysaur likes to do", Ash nodded. "I'm gonna catch it…unless… You want it, Ashley?"

"No", I shook my head. "It's all yours, Ash."

"Seriously?" my brother said in surprise.

"Pika?"

"Yeah, as much as I think Chikorita is cute, I don't want one", I replied.

"If you say so", Ash shrugged his shoulders before he got serious. "Let's catch Chikorita!"

"Piika!"

My brother ran ahead to approach Chikorita. The wild Pokémon woke up from the sunbath and quickly jumped up on its small paws and swung its leaf, ready to defend itself. "Chikooo!" the Pokémon hissed warningly.

"Chikorita, I'm gonna catch you!" Ash called.

"Be careful, Ash!" Brock warned him. "Chikorita must be a tough Pokémon by the way it moves its leaf!"

"In that case, let's fight plant against plant!" Ash yelled as he snatched one of his Poké Balls from his belt. "Ivysaur, I choose you!"

"Ivysauur!" Ivysaur roared after he came out from the Poké Ball.

"Chikoo!" Chikorita growled and glared at its opponent.

"Wow. This Chikorita is not scared at all", Misty commented in surprise. "But aren't Chikoritas supposed to be calm and docile?"

"Pokémon have different personalities like humans, so not every Chikorita is going to be calm and docile", Brock explained.

"I wonder if Ash will manage to catch Chikorita…", I mumbled to myself.

"Ivysaur, we're catching that Chikorita, so don't let it run away!" Ash told his partner.

"Saur!" Ivysaur nodded.

"Chikoo!" Chikorita hissed before it ran toward Ivysaur, clearly using a Tackle attack.

"Knock it back with Vine Whip, Ivysaur!" Ash called.

"Sauur!" Ivysaur grew his vines out from the flower on his hand and grabbed Chikorita with them. The wild Pokémon struggled in the grasp before Ivysaur threw it down to the ground.

"Kooo!" Chikorita growled before it swung its huge leaf and sent a couple of Razor Leaves.

"Counterattack with Razor Leaf, Ivysaur!" Ash shouted.

"Ivysauur!" Ivysaur roared before he fired the same amount of Razor Leaves that slashed Chikorita's Razor Leaves with ease. This proved that Ivysaur was significantly stronger than the wild Pokémon.

"Time to use the new move, Ivysaur! Use Return!" Ash shouted.

Back in Pallet Town, both Ash and I had done some research about Pokémon moves and we found one that most Pokémon could learn, so he decided to learn that move to a couple of his Pokémon to replace the self-inflicting moves like Double-Edge.

Ivysaur dashed toward Chikorita to use the Return move. Chikorita stood tall and used Vine Whip to hit Ivysaur on the forehead. It caught him off guard and he even got a bruise on the forehead. "Saur!" he yelped in pain.

As if that wasn't enough, Chikorita wrapped its vines around Ivysaur and tried lifting him up to throw him. However, an Ivysaur weighted twice as much as a Chikorita, so it struggled a lot to throw Ash's Pokémon.

"Ivysaur, use Vine Whip on Chikorita!" Ash quickly yelled.

Ivysaur recovered from the surprise attack and struck Chikorita on the forehead with his vines. Chikorita shrieked both in pain and surprise by the attack and dropped Ivysaur on the ground. He managed to land on all four instead of his stomach.

"Quick! Use Return!" Ash shouted.

Ivysaur didn't hesitate to run and tackle Chikorita while it was distracted by the pain on its forehead. "Chikooo!" Chikorita screeched as it bounced on the ground a couple of times before it landed on all four too. Its body was dirty and bruises were already forming.

"That Chikorita packs quite a punch!" Brock called.

"I think it's already weak enough for you to catch it, Ash!" Misty yelled.

"Yep, so I'll give it a try!" my brother called as he grabbed an empty Poké Ball. "Poké Ball, go!"

He threw the capture device toward Chikorita, his aim perfect. Chikorita, however, still had enough strength to swing its leaf and knocked it back to Ash who caught it with ease. "Still full of energy, huh? Guess we have to battle a little more!" Ash commented. "Ivysaur, use Solar Beam!"

"Ivyyy…", Ivysaur began humming as his flower started collecting sunlight for the move.

"C-Chikoo!" Chikorita growled weakly as it ran toward him in an attempt to use Tackle. However, the wild Pokémon gritted its teeth and slowed down when it sensed pain, which was enough for Ivysaur to fire the Solar Beam.

"SAAAUUUR!"

"CHIKOOO!" Chikorita got engulfed by the light of Solar Beam and got thrown back into a wall of a cliff behind it. I gasped in horror when I saw it hit the wall and crashed onto the ground. That must've hurt a lot.

"Chikorita!" Ash gasped in horror too before we all ran to check the little Pokémon. "Chikorita, are you okay?!"

"Pika pikachu!"

"Saur ivysaur!"

"Chi… C-Chiko…", Chikorita grunted weakly as it tried standing up to battle more.

"Chikorita wants to keep battling…?" I mumbled in disbelief.

"It can hardly stand up", Misty said worriedly.

It didn't last long before Chikorita fainted and collapsed on the ground. "Chikorita!" Ash shouted worriedly before he gently picked it up and cradled it in his arms.

Brock took a closer look to inspect Chikorita's injuries. "Chikorita is badly hurt! It might even have a concussion!" he exclaimed.

"We've got to take it to a Pokémon Center ASAP!" Ash nodded before he turned to me. "Ashley!"

"On it!" I nodded before I picked up my PokéGear and checked the map. "There should be a Pokémon Center not too far away from here! Let's go!"

XXXXXXXXXX

To our luck, there really was a Pokémon Center close to our location. It was located by the foot of a nearby mountain, so it was equipped with winter gear and even had skis for rent. In the middle on our way to the Pokémon Center, Chikorita woke up once and bit Ash on his arm in protest, so Brock made sure to treat the wound while Nurse Joy and her Chansey treated Chikorita in the emergency room.

"There. That should do it", Brock said after he finished wrapping bandage around Ash's arm.

"Thanks, Brock", my brother said before he moved his arm around. "That Chikorita is quite fierce."

"I suggest you'd let Nurse Joy inspect the wound when she's done with Chikorita", Brock said while he packed away his first-aid kit. "Pokémon can carry bacteria that are dangerous to humans."

"Pika…", Pikachu hummed quietly.

"Saur…", Ivysaur hummed in the same tone as his friend.

"Who would've thought a Chikorita can put up a fight like that and still try to battle in its terrible condition?" Misty commented.

"Togi?"

"I think it has encountered several Trainers and poachers before and it must've learned how to battle in order to run away from them", I said.

"That sounds reasonable", Brock nodded. "It could explain its fierce temperament."

The doors to the emergency room opened with Nurse Joy wiping her hands clean with her apron. "Nurse Joy!" Ash called out as he ran to her. "How's Chikorita?"

"Chikorita will make a full recovery", Nurse Joy informed us.

"What a relief!" Ash sighed deeply.

Brock pushed past us and immediately went into playboy mode with Nurse Joy. "Oh, Nurse Joy! If it isn't too much for me to ask you… Can you check my Pokémon, please?" he asked.

"Oh… Of course", Nurse Joy replied sheepishly. "Taking care of Pokémon is my job after all."

"A-And then… May I thank you by going out on a-", Brock got interrupted when Ash and Misty pushed him away and saved Nurse Joy from the embarrassment.

"Nurse Joy, can you check my Pokémon too, please?" Misty asked.

"And mine too", Ash added.

"And… Mine as well, please…", I said a little shyly.

"Sure", Nurse Joy smiled after she recovered from the flirting.

XXXXXXXXXX – Ash's POV

After Nurse Joy checked our Pokémon, she led us to the incubator stretcher in which Chikorita was resting inside. "Chikoritas are actually very common around these parts of Johto", Nurse Joy explained. "They're known for being fierce and stubborn and continue battling even when they know their opponents are stronger than them."

"So it's not because of poachers?" I asked.

"It's partially because of poachers. They are training hard to become strong enough to defeat their Pokémon so they can run away while the stronger Chikoritas hold back the Trainers", Nurse Joy replied. "I've treated many Chikoritas here and I've seen worse injuries than this."

"That's terrible…", Misty mumbled sadly.

"Yeah…", Ashley said in the same tone.

"Still, I can't help but admire their spirit", I commented softly. "They're helping each other so they can protect the weaker Chikoritas from bad people."

"Yeah… It's the natural instincts among Pokémon, especially in a herd", Brock said.

All of the sudden, the doors to the emergency room slammed open and two people dressed in doctor uniforms, glasses and facemasks ran inside. "Coming through!" the man yelled. "We've received information about an injured Chikorita!"

"Huh?" Nurse Joy said, looking completely confused.

"We're here to bring Chikorita to the main hospital of Violet City!" the female doctor said before she and her colleague grabbed the incubator stretcher and rolled it out of the Pokémon Center cottage.

Something felt wrong. Nurse Joy's reaction on the duo was really off, so we all ran after the doctors who loaded the stretcher inside an ambulance. "Wait! I haven't called for anyone to relocate Chikorita! Who are you two?!" Nurse Joy called.

The duo froze in their tracks before they started laughing in two familiar voices I recognized. "We're the team that causes trouble!" the female doctor said.

"So you better hope you're insured!" the male doctor laughed before they ripped their clothes off, revealing their true attires.

"Or else you'll get trampled!" Meowth called from the front of the ambulance.

"Team Rocket!" My friends, sister and I exclaimed angrily.

"Pika pika!"

"Sauur!"

"What do you three want with Chikorita?!" I yelled at them.

"We want it in Team Rocket, that's all you have to know, twerp!" Jessie responded.

"Weezing, use Smokescreen!" James called.

"Wheeezing!" Weezing came floating out from the ambulance before it released a thick cloud of smoke that engulfed us.

I could hear the tires as Team Rocket drove off with that ambulance. No way was I going to let them get away with Chikorita! Without thinking twice, I ran after them as Weezing kept using Smokescreen to cover the ambulance, but this time I could see the vehicle as I jumped out of the smoke with Pikachu on my shoulder.

I saw the ambulance heading toward the snowy mountains so I ran after it. I just kept running where my feet brought me and before I knew it, I found a shortcut where I could intercept the ambulance. I stood on top of a cliff and waited for the ambulance to be just below me. I took a deep breath and jumped down without Team Rocket seeing me. I bounced onto the roof of the ambulance and held onto the red lamp so Pikachu and I wouldn't fly off. I prayed the bad guys didn't hear me bounce and decided to check if there was something on the roof.

The temperature dropped as the ambulance drove onto the mountains that were clad in snow. I shivered by the freezing wind, but I never once let go of the lamp. Pikachu huddled closer to the nape of my neck to keep himself warm. The ambulance soon stopped by a lodge in the middle of the mountain, which must be Team Rocket's temporary hideout. I signed to Pikachu to stay silent while Team Rocket opened the back of the ambulance and took Chikorita inside the warm lodge. I made sure to stay out of sight until they were inside and shut the door. I jumped off the ambulance and crawled slowly through the snow to reach one of the windows. I saw Team Rocket was talking to the now awake Chikorita who looked very confused. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I could tell they were trying to convince the wild Chikorita to join them.

"We must save Chikorita…", I whispered to Pikachu.

"Pika…", Pikachu nodded.

"Let's surprise them with Charizard-", I reached for my belt to grab his Poké Ball, but all I grabbed was air. "Oh no… I forgot my Poké Balls at the Pokémon Center in the middle of the chaos…!"

"Chuu…", Pikachu sighed in disappointment.

"Okay, we have to change plans…", I said, determined to rescue Chikorita. "We're gonna crash in…literally."

I crawled back to the front of the lodge where I could hear Team Rocket talking. They were really trying to convince Chikorita that they were its savior and tried to trick it that I was the bad guy. I grabbed the handle and quietly moved it before I kicked the door in. "Don't listen to them, Chikorita!" I yelled, surprising everyone inside the lodge. "They're the bad guys!"

"It's the twerp!" Team Rocket exclaimed in surprise.

"How did he find us?!" James asked confusedly.

"Would you like to know!" I responded as I clenched the snowball in my hand. "Pikachu, time to use the classic snowball attack!"

"Pika!"

Pikachu and I threw a total of three snowballs and hit Jessie, James and Meowth straight in their face. What they didn't know was that Pikachu and I had found stones and hid them in the snowballs, so that should knock them out for a while.

"Pikachu, get Chikorita and let's get out of here!" I shouted.

Pikachu ran to Chikorita who looked majorly confused. "Pika! Pika pika pikachu pi!"

"Chiko chi? Chiko!"

The two Pokémon nodded before they ran past me and out of the lodge. "Wait for me!" I yelled as I ran after them. I reached down and grabbed them in my arms and ran as fast as I could away from the lodge before Team Rocket could regain consciousness.

"Don't worry, you two! I'll protect you!" I told Pikachu and Chikorita as I cradled them in my arms.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu smiled widely.

"Chikoo…?" Chikorita tilted its head to the side confusedly, but it remained in my arms without struggling around.

I almost slipped in the snow when I forced myself to stop. I had reached a steep hill that led down the mountain. It wasn't safe to slide it down without a sledge. I looked around and noticed a tree that had a large piece of bark sticking out. "I've got it!" I exclaimed to myself and ran to the tree. "Chikorita, can you use your Vine Whip to help me pull this large bark off the tree?"

"Chiko?" Chikorita nodded yes even while confused. I settled down the two Pokémon on the snow before I grabbed the bark to pull it. Chikorita helped me with its Vine Whip while Pikachu scratched the bark so it could come loose.

We successfully managed to pull the big piece of bark off the tree. I put it down on the snow and confirmed it was big enough for a small sledge. I pushed it to the edge of the hill and sat down on it. "Pikachu, Chikorita, get ready for a ride!"

They climbed into my lap and held on tight before I pushed ourselves down the hill with the bark sledge. It went so fast I barely had control over it. I grabbed the front of the bark and tried steering it so we wouldn't fly straight into trees and other obstacles. We had many close calls, but we thankfully didn't slam ourselves into objects.

The ride came to an end when we reached a flat area. We had no choice but to abandon the bark sledge. The snow was deep so Pikachu climbed onto my shoulder while I carried Chikorita in my arms. That way we could move faster.

The wind started catching up and made me shiver again. I looked up and noticed dark clouds were heading toward the mountain. It only meant one thing; a snowstorm was coming!

"We need to find cover!" I told the Pokémon as I started looking around for a place where we could take cover from the storm. It didn't take long before snow started falling just as we found a small cave inside a wall. It was big enough for us so I left Pikachu and Chikorita there for a quick moment to grab some sticks to make a small fire.

The sticks were wet by the snow, but thanks to Pikachu's Thunderbolt he was able to dry them enough so he could use just a small touch of his move to start a fire. I saved some sticks to keep the fire alive throughout the night while I settled in with Pikachu and Chikorita. I brought them to my chest and used my jacket to keep them warm.

"That should do it", I smiled at them. "If we stay together like this, we'll keep each other nice and warm."

"Chaaa…!"

"Koo…"

"Let's hope the snowstorm will stop tomorrow and then we can go back to the Pokémon Center where everyone's waiting for us", I said. "Now, let's get some sleep."

My heart warmed up when I saw how comfortable Chikorita was and it cuddled even closer to me. Pikachu did the same before I shut my eyes to catch some z's.

XXXXXXXXXX

By the time I woke up, the little bonfire was barely alive. The entrance to the cave was covered in snow, so I pushed it away so I could breathe fresh air. The sky was clear and the wind was calm. We've survived the night.

"The storm's over and no signs of Team Rocket", I sighed in relief. "Pikachu, Chikorita, let's go back to the Pokémon Center!"

"Pika pika!"

"Chiko ko!"

The two Pokémon rushed out of the cave looking bright and well-rested. However, I knew they must have had a rough night, so the sooner we go to the Pokémon Center the better.

"You won't go anywhere!" a familiar voice cackled.

My shoulders dropped when I spotted Team Rocket walking around a corner with shovels and Meowth carrying a weird gadget on his back. "Oh no… Not now!" I growled.

"You knocked us out all good, so we're gonna return the favor!" Meowth hissed. "Start loading up!"

"Aye aye!" Jessie and James used their shovels to pick up snow and loaded that on top of the device on Meowth.

"All done, Meowth!" James informed his teammate.

"Great! Here comes a taste of the upgraded version of the classic snowball attack!" Meowth exclaimed before the device fired perfectly shaped snowballs from the catapult. I got hit immediately in the face and crashed down on the soft snow. I quickly brushed the snow off my face and saw how Chikorita protected us with its Razor Leaf, slashing the snowballs into pieces.

"Nice job, Chikorita!" I praised the wild Pokémon. "Thanks for protecting us!"

"Chiko!" Chikorita smiled brightly.

"Chikorita, if you join us, you'll be the star of Team Rocket!" Jessie called, trying to coax the Pokémon to join the evil team.

"I think Chikorita doesn't care about becoming a star!" I retorted. "Chikorita, use Vine Whip on the machine!"

"Chiko!" Chikorita nodded before it expanded its vines and struck the two catapults so they got bent and the machine couldn't project anymore snowballs.

In fact, the gadget even started sparkling. "Uh-oh… That doesn't sound good…", Meowth cold sweated.

"Let's finish this with a bang! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" I shouted.

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded and jumped up in the air while his body began sparkling. "Pika…CHUUU!" He unleashed his signature move and electrocuted Team Rocket. The machine on Meowth's back soon exploded and sent the trio up and far away into the sky.

"TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"

"We did it!" I cheered happily. "You two were awesome! You worked together like a real team, Pikachu, Chikorita!"

"Pika!"

"Koo!"

"Now, time to head back to the Pokémon Center without any more trouble from Team Rocket", I told them.

"Ash!"

"Rawr!"

I looked up and spotted Ashley flying on Firered in the sky. She waved to me as Firered slowly descended down to us.

"Looks like the cavalry has arrived!" I smiled at the sight of my sister. I was very eager to leave the snowy mountain and get some warm food in my empty stomach.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ashley and Firered brought me, Pikachu and Chikorita back to the Pokémon Center where everyone else waited for us. Misty scolded me for being so reckless and run away without my other Pokémon before she gave me a big warm hug. She started acting more like Mom now, but I liked it very much.

Nurse Joy treated Pikachu and Chikorita while I ate a big lunch and slept well until the next day when we decided to leave.

"Thank you for everything, Nurse Joy", I thanked her while we were outside of the cottage.

"No, thank you for being so brave and rescue Chikorita, Ash", Nurse Joy smiled. "It means a lot to me to see Trainers who care about Pokémon. I've never seen one go so far for a wild Pokémon like that before."

"Hey, Ash, that reminds me", Brock spoke up. "Didn't you want to catch Chikorita?"

"Well…", I began slowly as I stared at Chikorita who stood next to Nurse Joy. "After everything that happened… I really don't want to catch it anymore."

"Why not, Ash?" Misty asked in surprise. "You were quite adamant about catching it before."

"Yeah, but…", I began as I scratched the back of my head. "I feel like it would be best for Chikorita to stay here so it can protect its kind."

"Pika…"

Chikorita was a stubborn but strong Pokémon. Perhaps it really was the best to let it stay and protect the forest and the other Pokémon, like how I released Pidgeot to protect the Pidgey and Pidgeotto herd back in Kanto.

"Chiko chiko!" Chikorita shook its head before it ran to me with glassy eyes. "Ko chiko chiko chi!"

I got very confused by its behavior. It acted like it didn't want to leave me. I crouched down to comfort it, but it refused to leave me at all. "What's the matter, Chikorita?" I asked, a slight hope blossoming within me.

"I think it wants to stay with you, Ash", Ashley said.

"Stay with me…?" I repeated confusedly before I looked at Chikorita. "Chikorita, do you want to come with us?"

"Chiko!" Chikorita nodded before it licked my cheek like a kiss.

"Maybe Chikorita can become much stronger and less stubborn if she travels with you", Nurse Joy added.

"Really?" I smiled while Chikorita nuzzled her cheek against my lap. I gently picked her up and smiled at her. "Then, Chikorita… Welcome to the team!"

"Chikooo!" Chikorita shrieked in joy before she kissed me on the cheek.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu smiled widely by the news of a new member in our growing family.

Not only was Chikorita the second Johto Pokémon I've caught, but also the second female Pokémon. I didn't mind that because I was going to train every Pokémon equally and unlock their potential.

With Chikorita, I now had a full party, but I was still excited to catch many new Pokémon on my journey across Johto.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ashley's party:

Firered the Charizard (male)

Cedric the Larvitar (male)

Trica the Sentret (female)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ash's party:

Ivysaur (male)

Pikachu (male)

Charizard (male)

Wartortle (male)

Heracross (male)

Chikorita (female)

XXXXXXXXXX

Misty's party:

Goldeen (female)

Staryu (genderless)

Psyduck (male)

Togepi (female)

Poliwag (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Brock's party:

Geodude (male)

Onix (male)

Zubat (male)

Vulpix (female)