Some of you might have noticed that I've been uploading on Sundays for a couple of weeks. Well, I've decided to try updating Ashley's Journey series on every Sunday as I can. I might not be able to hold the schedule a few times, but I'm simply eager to write the episodes and continue with the other sagas, especially my favorite ones.

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

Chapter 8: A Bout With Sprout

We finally made it to Violet City without any other incidents after what happened in Happy Town. It had taken a little over a day, so it was shortly before lunch we reached the outskirts of the city.

"We're finally here… Violet City", Ash said determinedly.

"Pika", Pikachu cheered from my brother's shoulder.

"I'm getting a little nervous about challenging the Gym…", I spoke softly. "It's been a while…"

"You'll do just great, Ashley", Misty assured me with a pat on my shoulder. "Both you and Ash trained your Pokémon, so you're prepared for it."

Brock grabbed a guidebook about the cities and towns of Johto from his backpack to find the way to Violet City's Pokémon Center where we could rest up first and then challenge the Gym. "Let's see… If we keep walking through this block, we should find the Pokémon Center north from here and the Gym is located in downtown", he informed us.

"Pika!" Pikachu jumped down from Ash's shoulder to smell some flowers that were planted by a wall surrounding a building.

"Hurry up, Pikachu!" Ash called when we were a few feet ahead. "You can smell on some flowers later!"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu called and ran after us.

"A Pikachu!" two child-like voices suddenly called out.

"Piiika?!"

We looked over our shoulders and spotted a boy and a girl like five or six years old who had run to Pikachu from the opening of the wall. They were tugging Pikachu's arms like in a tug-of-war Ash and I used to do when we were their age, but we tugged with plushies instead.

"I found Pikachu first!" the boy yelled at the girl.

"No, I did!" the girl retorted.

"Piiiika! Piiika!" Pikachu screamed in pain as his limbs were being pulled. His defense mechanism kicked in because his cheeks began sparkling for an electric attack.

"Pikachu! Don't!" Ash yelled as he ran back to save the children from his Pokémon's attack. He quickly snatched Pikachu from the children's grip just as Pikachu released a Thunderbolt, accidently electrocuting him.

"Ash!" I yelled worriedly and ran back to him with Misty and Brock. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine…", Ash coughed, miraculously still standing after he got zapped.

"Piika…", Pikachu cold sweated and rubbed the side of his head, looking very apologetic.

My brother recovered from the Thunderbolt and turned to the children who got a little scared by the surprise move. "I'm sorry, you two, but this Pikachu is one of my Pokémon", he informed.

"Oh!" the girl with auburn hair gaped in surprise before she got a little sad. "I'm sorry…"

"Sorry… We thought it was a wild Pokémon", the boy, who looked awfully similar to Ash when he was his age, apologized as well.

"Zackie! Lizzy!" a woman called from the yard which I recognized it was a schoolyard and the main building was a school. She ran straight to the children with a worried expression. "You should be in class right now! You can't go out without telling me!"

"I just wanted to catch that Pikachu!" Lizzy whined as she pointed at Pikachu who sat safe in Ash's arms.

The young woman finally noticed us and gaped when she saw what had happened. "I'm so sorry!" she bowed deeply to apologize. "I hope my students didn't bother you so much."

"Oh no, they didn't bother us at all, Miss!" Brock exclaimed as he had switched mode into a love-struck Growlithe.

"Wait…", Zackie said. "If that's your Pikachu, then are you a Pokémon Trainer?"

"Yep! Sure am!" Ash smiled widely. "We all are!"

"Wow!" Lizzy cheered excitedly.

"Awesome! We're gonna be Pokémon Trainers when we graduate from the Pokémon Academy!" Zackie explained in the same cheerful way as Lizzy.

"The Pokémon Academy?" Ash repeated. "Is this place a school?"

"That's right", the woman replied. "The Pokémon Academy teaches children all about Pokémon, how to train and take care of them until they become old enough to have their own Pokémon."

"These children are lucky to have a sensitive and caring teacher like you!" Brock complimented the female teacher before he recovered some common sense. "Where are my manners?! My name's Brock and I'm an aspiring Pokémon Breeder! What's your name, Miss?"

"My name's Priscilla", the teacher introduced herself.

"Priscilla…", I repeated the name, feeling how it flowed through my lips so easily. "It's a pretty name."

"Thank you", Priscilla giggled softly.

"My friends and I have come to Violet City so the twins, Ash and Ashley, can challenge the Violet City Gym", Brock explained. "Do you happen to know the fastest way to the Gym, Ms. Priscilla?"

"Why yes, I do", Priscilla nodded. "If you just walk-"

"You're gonna challenge the Pokémon Gym?!" Zackie exclaimed in awe as he and Lizzy stared intensely at me and my brother.

"Y-Yes, that's right", I stuttered hesitantly, feeling a little nervous by the children's deep stare. They may be a couple of years younger than me, but I still felt very awkward with them because they reminded me of the awful time of my childhood when I got bullied.

"Ms. Priscilla! Can't we ask these Trainers to stay and teach us about Pokémon, please?" Lizzy asked.

"What?" Ash, Misty and I gasped simultaneously.

"I don't know, Lizzy", Priscilla responded. "They must be in a hurry to find the Gym-"

"Oh, please, it's no problem at all!" Brock spoke for us, even though we hadn't agreed on it. "We'll gladly stay here for the rest of today's classes and share our experience with the students! The best way to learn about Pokémon is from experienced Pokémon Trainers like us!"

"Really? That'd be lovely!" Priscilla smiled as she clasped her hands. "We rarely have Trainers coming here to tell the children about their Pokémon, so this will be a good experience."

"That's what I'm saying!" Brock nodded in agreement.

"Brock really knows how to do things without our consent…", Misty mumbled quietly.

"But if we can actually teach the kids about Pokémon and it helps them… It might be worth it", Ash said with a tiny smile. "Who knows; one of these kids might become a rival of mine."

"I don't know if I can do this…", I spoke quietly. "Teaching myself about Pokémon is one thing, but…standing in the front of a classroom with everyone's eyes on me…feels uncomfortable…"

Ash patted my back gently. "If you don't want to teach them, that's fine", he comforted me. "I'll deal with the talk."

"I have a bad feeling about this…", Misty muttered.

"Togiprii!" Togepi chirped happily in her arms.

"Okay then", Priscilla clapped her hands. "Zackie, Lizzy, go back to your classroom and wait there while these Trainers and I go and speak to the principal."

"Okay!" the children replied before they ran to the school building.

XXXXXXXXXX

The principal was a tall and large man who was dressed in a dark blue dancing suit and had a cloth wrapped around his waist and a pair of dance shoes. He was quite eager and energetic during a quick interview before Priscilla escorted us to the classroom where ten children including Zackie and Lizzy were excitedly waiting for us.

"I'll gladly stay here and observe how well you can teach the children about Pokémon", the principal, whose name was Earl Dervish, said before twirling around on his toes like a ballerina. "So please, go on and tell us everything you know, hoho!"

"Okay, children, first we'll have Ash tell us about Pokémon", Priscilla called out.

"Yay!" the children cheered happily.

"Watch and learn, Ashley…", Ash whispered to me before he stepped up to the podium at the front of the classroom. He removed his cap to look more presentable and mature as a Pokémon Trainer. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath before he faced the students. "Becoming a Pokémon Trainer is the dream of many kids, including you guys, right?"

"Yes!" the students nodded excitedly.

"I was the same when I grew up and became ten years old. The feeling of receiving your first Pokémon will always be a memorable moment for the rest of your life. The thrill to travel across the region with your Pokémon, meeting new friends, catching new Pokémon and train them so they can show their full potential in Pokémon battles… Every day is full of surprises."

"I have a question!" a girl raised her hand. "What was your first Pokémon?"

"Duh! It's obviously Pikachu!" Zackie called out.

"Actually, that's wrong", Ash said while making an X with his arms. "My first Pokémon was a Bulbasaur who is now an Ivysaur. Pikachu, however, was the first Pokémon I caught with the help of Ivysaur, so he's too a very special partner."

"Pika pika!" Pikachu smiled before he climbed up my brother and got onto his shoulder.

"Becoming a Pokémon Trainer is a huge responsibility", Ash said as he suddenly became serious. "You must take care of every Pokémon you catch and treat them like they're your family. You must form a bond with each and every one of them in order to understand their feelings. It's very important for the Trainer and Pokémon to understand each other and build the trust between them. If you can build the trust with your Pokémon, you'll be able to communicate with them even with just a glance."

I was actually very impressed by Ash's speech. He really sounded like a true Pokémon Trainer in the way he talked about the bond with Pokémon. It just showed he was very passionate about them and he must have learned a lot during our first year as Pokémon Trainers.

Another boy raised his hand to ask a question. "If you build the trust with the Pokémon, will they also battle better?" he asked.

"A little, but the best way to get better with battles is to train a lot", Ash replied. "But you should never, and I mean never, push your Pokémon beyond their limits. It's important to treat your Pokémon with care and use your imagination to adapt to the battle and come up with surprise comebacks."

Lizzy raised her hand to the next questions. "Have you battled a lot?"

"I sure have!" Ash smiled. "My sister and I were in the Indigo Plateau Conference last November. Ashley made it to the Top 16 and I reached the Top 8."

"Huh…?" Zackie said in surprise before he suddenly looked bored. "Then why should we listen to a loser like you?"

Ash flinched a little by that comment. I could tell he got offended or hurt by that, so I thought he was going to throw a tantrum. Color me surprised when he remained calm and smiled back at Zackie. "This was our very first time participating in any sorts of League", my brother answered while straining his voice to sound calm. "We didn't expect to win on our first try, but to make it that far is a huge accomplishment for any new Trainer."

"Ash really kept his cool now…", Misty whispered to me.

"Yeah…", I whispered back. "But I can tell he got frustrated by that comment…"

"Still, it's a huge sign that Ash's maturing…", Brock spoke up after he finally ripped his eyes off Priscilla.

I sighed softly by Brock's little comment. I knew Ash was growing up, but I didn't really feel like I had matured so much. I still felt small compared to my brother who was as bright as the sun while I was the shy moon.

"I got an excellent idea", Priscilla clapped her hands. "Why don't we ask these Trainers to show us their Pokémon during lunchbreak?"

"Yay!" the children cheered excitedly.

"I'll gladly give you permission to call out your Pokémon in the schoolyard, hoho!" Mr. Dervish smiled before he did another pirouette.

XXXXXXXXXX

We ate in the dining room together with the class before we stepped outside to let out our Pokémon for the children to play with. To be perfectly honest, the food in the cafeteria wasn't as good as Mom or Brock's cuisine.

The children got very excited when we called out the Pokémon. Some of them were in awe at the sight of the larger Pokémon like our two Charizards and Brock's Onix. Our Pokémon were very patient as the children inspected them much closer like gently touching them to feel their skin or scales. Heracross tried to drink some of Ivysaur's nectar, but Ivysaur smacked him away with Vine Whip. Chikorita played with the children until she had enough and ran to Ash. I noticed how she glared at Pikachu before she rubbed her cheek against Ash's leg.

I saw how two girls played with Hikaru and gently touched his wool. "The wool is so soft!" one of the girls giggled.

I walked over to them and crouched down next to Hikaru to caress his wool. "A Mareep's wool is a little difficult to brush, but you have to do it every day so it doesn't knot together like hair", I explained. "That way, Hikaru's wool will be clean and soft."

"Hikaru?" the other girl repeated confusedly.

"I like to nickname my Pokémon", I explained. "I've done that ever since I received Firered, my Charizard, on my first day as Pokémon Trainer."

"Wow! It's so cool how a girl can tame a dragon-like Pokémon!" the second girl exclaimed in awe.

"Hey, did you forget about the Gym Leader Clair?" the first girl told her friend. "She's a dragon tamer too just like her cousin Lance!"

"Lance? As in…Champion Lance?" I asked just to make sure I got it right.

"Yeah!" the first girl nodded. "He's one of the strongest Trainers on the planet!"

"I know", I nodded as I began feeling more comfortable than an hour ago. "I admire Champion Lance so much, and it's my dream to become the greatest dragon tamer."

"Then… Why do you have different Pokémon that aren't dragons?" the second girl asked.

"Because…it's very exciting to catch and train different Pokémon and who knows if they can learn any dragon-type moves later in the future", I replied. "I've got several Pokémon back in Pallet Town, but I left them there to start fresh with new Pokémon I'll catch in Johto."

"Whoa…", the two girls said in awe.

"CHUUU!"

I jumped by the sudden yell and looked over my shoulder. Zackie had pounced onto Pikachu and got zapped by him. "Pikachu! No!" Ash yelled as he and Chikorita ran to them.

"Excuse me", I told the girls before I straightened up and ran to see if I could help.

"Are you okay, Zackie?" Ash asked as he reached his hand to help the little boy.

"Go away!" Zackie slapped my brother's hand away while Pikachu managed to get free from the boy. The little yellow Pokémon looked really scared of the child and hid behind Hikaru who had come to our aid.

"Maareep?"

Zackie didn't let go of Pikachu from his sight, which Ash clearly noticed. "Why are you staring at Pikachu so much?" he asked.

"Because I want your Pikachu!" Zackie shouted.

"What?!" Ash got caught off guard by the demand.

"Chiko?" Chikorita tilted her head to the side in surprise.

"Zackie, you can't demand someone to give their Pokémon to you just because you like it", I told the boy.

"But you two are big losers and Pikachu deserves a better Trainer!" Zackie continued throwing insults.

This time it hurt me because that was meant for both me and Ash. I did get a little upset by it, but I mostly got angry than sad by that insult.

"GIMME PIKACHU!" Zackie demanded, screaming like how I used to do whenever I wanted something back when I was his age.

"Sorry, but I can't do that", Ash replied as calmly as he could.

Zackie began crying and whined like crazy. "I WANT PIKACHU!" he repeated multiple times while crying real tears.

"Piika…", Pikachu mumbled worriedly as he remained by Hikaru.

"What's going on?" Priscilla asked as she noticed the drama.

"Zackie wants Ash's Pikachu and won't listen to my brother", I told her.

"Zackie, I told you before; you can't ask Trainers to give their Pokémon to you", Priscilla scolded the boy.

"I DON'T CARE! I WANT PIKACHU!" Zackie bawled and rolled around the ground throwing a tantrum.

"Oh dear…", Priscilla sighed tiredly.

Next thing we knew, Zackie jumped up and grabbed Ash by the waist, catching my brother off guard. "H-Hey!" Ash exclaimed in surprise.

Zackie grabbed something from Ash's belt and got off him before he revealed a Poké Ball in his hand. "Thanks for the Poké Ball, Ashie!" he laughed.

His tantrum had been nothing but an act to lure Ash to take a Poké Ball! But which Poké Ball was it?

Ash felt his belt and gasped in horror when he realized what Zackie had done. "Zackie, don't!" he yelled.

"I'm gonna catch you, Pikachu!" Zackie told the Pokémon and prepared himself to throw the capture device.

"Pika?!" Pikachu shrieked in terror and ran out of the schoolyard to the nearby forest.

"Hey! Come back!" Zackie yelled as he ran after Pikachu. "I wanna catch you!"

"Zackie, stop!" Ash shouted as the boy ran off the schoolyard.

"He's so selfish…", I couldn't help but mutter irritably. "Doesn't he know you can't catch a Pokémon that's already been caught?"

"I'm so sorry", Priscilla apologized. "Zackie's too excited to catch his own Pokémon. I should've scolded him harsher."

"Kids his age can be wild, but they mean no harm, Ms. Priscilla", Brock said, trying to sound mature.

"Still, this is going too far…", Ash said. "I must find him and Pikachu!" He turned to his Pokémon and called them back to their Poké Balls, much to the children's disappointment. "Everyone, return!"

"You too, guys!" I called as I retrieved all my Pokémon except Hikaru. "Hikaru, you'll stay with us so you can help us locate Pikachu!" I knew that electric-type Pokémon could communicate with each other in a long distance through electrical waves.

"Maareep!" Hikaru nodded.

"When you find Pikachu and Zackie, meet up with us at the Sprout Tower", Misty informed us.

"Sprout Tower?" I repeated confusedly.

"It's a nearby tower that's famously known for being supported by one beam that sways back and forth like a Bellsprout", Priscilla explained.

"Aha."

"C'mon, sis, let's go!" Ash called as he ran off.

"Coming!" I yelled and waved to the others. "We'll be back later!"

"Mareeep!"

XXXXXXXXXX

The forest wasn't as thick as it looked like from the outside. Ash and I still made sure to stay close to each other while Hikaru remained by our side while trying to find Pikachu with the electrical waves.

"Do you sense Pikachu nearby, Hikaru?" I asked.

"Mareeep!" Hikaru nodded before he ran ahead.

"He must have found Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed in relief. "Let's go, sis!"

"Right behind you!" I nodded.

Hikaru ran through bushes and got some leaves and twigs on his wool, but I didn't really worry about that right now. I could clean him later. Right now, we had an emergency.

My Pokémon jumped through a bush and bleated at the other side. Ash and I pushed ourselves through the bush and came to a sudden halt. Pikachu stood in front of a crying Zackie with a Bellsprout that swayed back and forth.

"Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed in joy and opened his arms. "You're okay!"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu nodded and immediately jumped onto my brother's safe arms.

"Great job, Hikaru", I praised him and gently caressed his head. "I'll make sure to clean your wool and give you a nice treat at dinner."

"Maareep!" Hikaru bleated happily before I called him back.

"NO FAIR!" Zackie cried as he threw his fists on the ground. "IT'S JUST NO FAIR!"

I quickly put two and two together when the Bellsprout didn't leave the little boy's side and, apparently, Ash figured it out as well. "You caught a Bellsprout with the empty Poké Ball you took from me, didn't you?" he said.

"I DON'T WANT A BELLSPROUT!" Zackie screamed at the top of his lungs that I had to cover my ears. "I WANT A PIKACHU!"

"Bellsprout bellsprout", Bellsprout said as it swayed its body.

"You reap what you sow…", I mumbled to myself.

Ash sighed and grabbed Zackie by the arms to make him stand up. "C'mon, Zackie. Ms. Priscilla and the class are going to the Sprout Tower and we should meet up with them", he told the boy.

"Hrm!" Zackie pouted and turned away from Bellsprout.

"Bell? Bell!" Bellsprout looked a little confused before it copied Zackie by turning away its head.

"Don't copy me!" Zackie yelled at the poor Pokémon.

"Beeeell!" Bellsprout got scared and hid behind Ash.

"Don't yell at Bellsprout like that; you'll scare it", my brother told Zackie.

"Good! 'Cause I don't want it! I want Pikachu!" the boy continued complaining.

I was reaching my own limits on how much nonsense and loud noise I could take from this selfish boy. He was even worse than Ash when he was Zackie's age, but Ash didn't demand other Trainers to give their Pokémon to him.

"Enough!" I yelled at Zackie, which caught him off guard. "You created this situation and didn't care about anyone's feelings but your own! Pikachu never asked you to become his new Trainer! You made so much trouble for everyone, especially for Ms. Priscilla, by being so selfish! You caught Bellsprout, so it's now your Pokémon and you will take care of it like a real Pokémon Trainer!"

"Ashley…", Ash mumbled nervously next to me.

Zackie started sobbing and cried tears so they ran down his cheeks. "Y-You're so mean…!" he cried.

"You're the one who was mean to Pikachu and you're now mean to Bellsprout for rejecting it!" I growled, not getting affected by the fake tears. "You're nothing but a bully!"

Zackie gasped when he heard that and stopped crying to glare at me. "I'm not a bully!" he retorted.

"Prove it to me by giving up on Pikachu and concentrate your energy on Bellsprout instead", I demanded in a calmer voice now that most of my frustration was gone. I still felt a little shaky because I can sometimes get a little scared for raising my voice at other people and get scolded because of that.

Ash stepped in between us to stop the arguing. "Okay, you two. Let's go to the Sprout Tower before the class heads back to the Pokémon Academy", he said.

"Okay…", I nodded and turned away from Zackie.

"Hrm…", Zackie pouted irritably as we started walking out of the forest.

XXXXXXXXXX

Zackie did try to convince Ash to trade Pikachu for his Bellsprout, but Ash was strict and said no every time. That put Zackie down in a dump, but Bellsprout comforted him by making weird dance moves with its swaying body. To my relief and somewhat joy, the boy laughed at Bellsprout's antics. Maybe he was getting used to the thought of having Bellsprout as his first Pokémon and was starting to forget Pikachu.

I looked up and saw the Sprout Tower in the distance, but there was smoke coming out from it! "Guys, look!" I called as I pointed at the structure. "Something's wrong with the tower!"

"The Sprout Tower's on fire!" Zackie gasped in horror.

"Everyone's in danger!" Ash yelled. "C'mon, let's go!"

We ran as fast as we could to the Sprout Tower, hoping that our friends and Zackie's class made it out in time. It was a huge relief to see them outside the tower as the smoke got intense.

"Misty, Brock!" Ash shouted. "Did everyone make it out?!"

"Ash! Ashley!" Misty gasped in relief.

"Yeah, we made it out in time!" Brock nodded.

"We've got to extinguish the fire before it burns the whole tower down!" I told them.

"Right!" Ash nodded before he grabbed a Poké Ball. "I choose you, Wartortle!"

"Wartoortle!"

"Poliwag, I choose you!" Misty shouted as she threw her own Poké Ball.

"Pooli pooli!"

"Wartortle, use Hydro Pump!"

"Poliwag, use Water Gun!"

The two water-type Pokémon fired their water attacks at the first floor of the Sprout Tower where the smoke came from, but nothing changed. The smoke kept going and I couldn't hear the crackling noise whenever there was a fire.

"Hey, Ash! I don't think it's a regular fire!" Brock called as he too noticed the smoke didn't fade away.

"Brock's right!" Misty nodded before she held her Poké Ball. "Poliwag, return!"

Just as she had called back her Pokémon, the smoke did clear up and revealed a familiar trio at the balcony on the top floor. "Team Rocket!" I exclaimed in surprise.

"We're baaack!" Jessie sang loudly.

"Too bad, twerps! That smoke came from my Weezing!" James informed us.

"What do you three want to do with the Sprout Tower?!" Ash yelled angrily.

"Why don't you come inside and see what we've done?" Meowth asked with a laughing voice.

"What did you do?!" I shouted.

"Let's find out!" Ash yelled before he dashed toward the entrance of the tower.

The rest of us followed him, minus the children, and got greeted by a horrific sight. The Sprout Tower was held up by a swaying wood beam and Team Rocket's Pokémon were busy sawing it!

"Oh no!" Priscilla gasped in terror. "The tower's going to collapse if they saw the beam!"

Team Rocket laughed as they came down the stairs. "Well, we can stop it…if you give us Pikachu and the rest of your Pokémon", Jessie smirked.

"A good proposition, don't you think?" James asked with a smirk himself.

"No way! We're gonna kick your butt before your Pokémon are done sawing the beam!" Ash yelled angrily.

"Then you can say goodbye to the Sprout Tower!" Meowth laughed.

"You can't!" Zackie shouted. "The Sprout Tower is important to everyone in Violet City!"

"Bellsprout bell bell bellsprout!" Bellsprout nodded in agreement.

"Well, you've got a Bellsprout, little brat", James said. "I'll show you what it becomes when it's fully evolved! Go, Victreebel!"

"Yiaaah!" Victreebel shrieked before it jumped down from the beam and headed toward Zackie and his Pokémon.

"Aaaah!" Zackie screamed in terror as Victreebel came closer. Bellsprout jumped forward to cover Zackie and used its Vine Whip to smack its fully evolved form in the face, which caught Victreebel off guard.

"Yiaaah!" Victreebel shrieked and bounced back to rub its sore spot.

"Bellsprout… You protected me…", Zackie mumbled in awe.

"Bell!" Bellsprout nodded.

"Let's battle, Ashley!" Ash yelled.

"Yeah!" I nodded as I quickly grabbed a Poké Ball from my belt. "I choose you, Hikaru!"

"Mareeep!"

"Hikaru, use Thunder Wave on Team Rocket's Pokémon that are sawing the beam!" I yelled.

"Mareeep!" Hikaru bleated as he prepared himself to launch electric waves at the working Pokémon.

"Victreebel, jump in and take that Thunder Wave!" James yelled.

"Yiaaah!" Victreebel shrieked as it had collected itself and hovered above Hikaru.

"Pikachu, knock Victreebel away with Quick Attack!" Ash shouted.

"Bellsprout, help out with Vine Whip!" Zackie shouted.

"Piika!"

"Bellsprout!"

Pikachu dashed toward Victreebel while Bellsprout extended its vines and together they knocked Victreebel aside before Hikaru released blue electric waves. They flew past Victreebel and struck Arbok, Weezing and Lickitung. They screeched as they got affected by the Thunder Wave. They stopped sawing and dropped down to the floor while the saw remained stuck on the beam.

"Oh no! They're paralyzed!" Meowth shrieked in terror.

"Well, that's a shocker…", James cold sweated.

"C'mon, get up!" Jessie demanded from the fallen Pokémon. "We've got a sabotage on work!"

"Let's finish this!" Ash exclaimed. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Hikaru, use Thunder Shock!" I shouted.

"Pika…CHUUU!"

"Maaa…REEEP!"

Our two electric-type Pokémon combined their electric moves into one massive lightning bolt that flashed in both yellow and light blue. It struck Team Rocket and electrocuted them until an explosion occurred and threw them out of the tower.

"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" their screams echoed from the sky.

"Is that Team Rocket's new catchphrase…?" Misty commented quietly.

"You did it!" Priscilla sighed in relief. "You saved the Sprout Tower."

"I don't think the danger's over yet", Brock pointed out. "The saw is still stuck on the beam. We need to pull it out without letting it collapse."

We got closer to the beam to see how much Team Rocket had managed to saw through it. Luckily, they hadn't made it to even half of it, so if we pulled the saw out, it hopefully wouldn't make too much damage to it.

"We're gonna need more help for this", Ash said before he grabbed another Poké Ball. "Ivysaur, I choose you!"

"Ivysaaur!"

"Zackie, I need your help for this", my brother told the boy.

"Right!" Zackie nodded before he ran to the other side of the beam with Bellsprout.

"Ivysaur, grab and pull that saw out with Vine Whip!"

"You use Vine Whip too, Bellsprout!"

"Saaur!"

"Beeellsprout!"

The grass-type duo wrapped their vines around the handles of the saw and carefully pulled it backwards. They took it slow as we eyed the beam, hope it would stay straight and not yield. I could finally breathe again when the saw was finally pulled out and the beam remained on its place.

"We did it!" Zackie cheered happily as Bellsprout and Ivysaur put down the saw on the floor.

"Great job, Zackie!" Ash praised the boy. "You were awesome!"

"Thanks, Ash!" Zackie giggled before he hugged Bellsprout, which surprised the Pokémon. "But Bellsprout is the real hero in my eyes!"

"Bellsprout sprout!" Bellsprout blushed modestly before it gently wrapped its leaves around Zackie's arms to hug him back.

My heart warmed up at the sight. Zackie had fully accepted Bellsprout and seemed to love it now. I guess he just needed time to accept his Pokémon, and he had bonded with it really fast. It could be a sign that Zackie was going to become an amazing Pokémon Trainer in the future.

XXXXXXXXXX – Normal POV

"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"

Team Rocket's scream echoed in the far distance and caught the attention of a red-haired boy and his Sneasel not so far from the Sprout Tower as they were sitting on top of a tree. He especially paid attention to the name of the organization he was looking for.

"Team Rocket…", Silver mumbled to himself as he grasped the branch in his hand and crushed the bark in anger. "I swear… I'll find them and I'll crush them…"

"Sneasel…", Sneasel stared at his Trainer with concerned eyes.

Silver took a deep breath to calm down his nerves. "We'll continue the journey, Sneasel…", he said before he picked up a Poké Ball and stared at it. "Together with Totodile… But next time, we have to intercept at least one grunt and demand the answers I need."

"Sneasel!" Sneasel nodded.

The two stood up on the branch and jumped across the forest like fast silhouettes, not realizing they would one day get more than what Silver bargained for.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ashley's party:

Firered the Charizard (male)

Cedric the Larvitar (male)

Trica the Sentret (female)

Hikaru the Mareep (male)

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Ash's party:

Ivysaur (male)

Pikachu (male)

Charizard (male)

Wartortle (male)

Heracross (male)

Chikorita (female)

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Misty's party:

Goldeen (female)

Staryu (genderless)

Psyduck (male)

Togepi (female)

Poliwag (male)

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Brock's party:

Geodude (male)

Onix (male)

Zubat (male)

Vulpix (female)