I originally wanted to write this as a whole chapter, but it got too long so I decided to split it into two parts. Also, look forward to some Ashley/Ritchie moments.

I want to credit a friend of mine for sharing their idea for the title of the two-part chapters. They are called Mando_Kenta on Discord. Thank you for your help, buddy!

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

Chapter 34: A Reunion's Silver Lining – Part 1

We spent the whole day bringing the jewelries back to the market and returned them to the different shops and tourists. We were done by the evening and it was too late for us to go to Ogi Isle, so we stayed over at the local Pokémon Center, giving Ariene and Jerano private time now that they were engaged. We went to Jerano's workshop next morning to wish them goodbye and good luck with their marriage before we set off to Ogi Isle.

We found the underwater cave leading to Ogi Isle. We didn't encounter any wild Pokémon as we walked through the cave. It smelled strongly of sea water and sea weed, which made it smell like sewer. I had to pinch my nose a couple of times to not feel sick by the stench. So it was a huge relief when we exited the cave and set our feet onto the sand of Ogi Isle.

It was a beautiful sight seeing the ocean and the other islands of the Whirl Islands. The wind from the ocean felt cold which was perfect for the hot July weather. "What a lovely breeze from the ocean", Misty sighed in delight.

"It smells so fresh out here…", I nodded and inhaled deeply to fill my lungs with the cool air.

"And we're this close finding the mysterious Pokémon", Ash smiled. "Let's stay here for a couple of days before we head back to Olivine City."

"Sounds good to me", Brock said.

"Pika…", Pikachu chirped before his cheeks began sparkling. "Pi?"

"What's wrong, Pikachu?" Ash wondered.

"Are you perhaps sensing another electric Pokémon nearby, Pikachu?" I asked, remembering that electric-type Pokémon could communicate through electric waves in a long distance.

"Pika!" Pikachu pointed at some tall grass right in front of us.

A yellow figure jumped out from them and landed on all four paws. "Pi?"

It was another Pikachu! And not just any Pikachu. It had a scruff of fur on top of its head and I have only seen one Pikachu having the exact same style.

"Sparky?" I asked, suddenly feeling my heart beating fast. "Does this mean…"

"Ritchie is here on Ogi Isle?!" Ash gasped in realization.

Like summoned by magic, Ritchie appeared out from a corner. "Hey, Sparky, did you find-" He stopped in his tracks when he spotted us. We all went silent to register our encounter. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest I thought it was going to jump out. "Ash? Ashley?"

"Ritchie! It is you!" Ash exclaimed happily.

"Hey, it's been a long time!" Ritchie smiled widely.

"H-Hi, Ritchie…", I mumbled nervously as I glanced down, having a hard time looking at him in the eye. My cheeks were burning up and my palms were getting sweaty. I was feeling the weird illness again. It had been a while I felt like this, so why did it happen now with Ritchie showing up?

"We haven't seen each other since the Kanto League!" Ash grinned.

"Yep, more than half a year ago", Ritchie nodded as the two Pikachu and Togepi started playing together.

"This was an unexpected surprise seeing you here on the Whirl Islands", Misty commented. "Did you come here for the Whirl Cup?"

"No, I never went to the Whirl Cup", Ritchie confessed. "I wasn't interested in participating in that competition. I'm here because I'm looking for a mysterious Pokémon."

"Mysterious Pokémon?" Brock repeated.

"We're also looking for that!" Ash exclaimed eagerly.

"I've done some research of this Pokémon and where it could possibly show up", Ritchie explained. "There are very few reports and people who have witnessed the Pokémon can't agree with what it looks like, but all the sightings were here on Ogi Isle. So I decided to travel here and look for more clues and see if it really exists."

"I can tell for certain that Pokémon exists!" Ash nodded. "We actually saw its shadow underwater when we got thrown overboard by Team Rocket by the Blue Rock Isle."

"Really?" Ritchie gasped in surprise before his face changed into a frown. "Wait, Team Rocket? The lousy trio that almost sabotaged the Pokémon League?"

"That's them", I nodded, now feeling comfortable with my palms no longer sweating, but my heart was still beating fast every time I glanced at the brunet.

"Man, it must be really hard having them right by your tail", Ritchie commented worriedly.

"It's fine; we've beaten them every time they try stealing our Pokémon", Ash reassured him. "So, have you found any clues about the mysterious Pokémon?"

"As a matter of fact, I have!" Ritchie nodded. He pointed to a small island close to Ogi Isle that had a small mountain and forest at the bottom. "Some have said there were sightings of the Pokémon on that deserted island because nobody lives there. A rare Pokémon would surely hide there from unwanted eyes."

"Alright! Then let's go there and look for the Pokémon!" Ash exclaimed determinedly.

"Are you both…going to try catching it?" I wondered.

"It depends on what kind of Pokémon it is", Ritchie replied. "If it turns out to be an ordinary Pokémon, I might catch it. But if it turns out to be a rare Pokémon, I just want to study it and leave it alone."

"Well, I want to challenge it to a battle and catch it fair and square!" Ash puffed his chest out. "That will be great training for Pikachu and my other Pokémon for our upcoming Gym battle in Olivine City!"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu cheered before he jumped up onto Ash's shoulder.

"What about you, Ashley?" Ritchie wondered, throwing me off guard by asking me.

"M-Me…?" I mumbled before I looked down on my lap, twiddling my thumbs, with rosy cheeks. "I-If it's a…dragon Pokémon… I might try catching it…"

Ritchie chuckled softly. "You still have the goal of becoming the best dragon tamer?"

"Mm-hm…", I hummed with a light nod.

"There's a small harbor town not far from here", Brock spoke up as he checked his guidebook. "We might be able to rent a rowboat and row to the island."

"Alright! Let's go, I can't wait any longer!" Ash exclaimed.

We started walking toward the town with the hopes of finding somebody willing to rent their rowboat to us. Misty and I walked last while the boys wanted in front of us. My mind went back to the silhouette of the mysterious Pokémon we saw back by the Blue Rock Isle. I was almost certain it could be the same creature that saved me from drowning when S.S. Anne sank during that storm last summer.

"Ashley…", Misty whispered in my ear, her breath tickling me.

I nearly shrieked and flinched back before I covered my ear. "Don't do that, Misty…", I retorted in a low voice.

"Sorry, Ashley, but I have a question for you and I don't want the guys hear it…", Misty replied.

"Question…?" I blinked confusedly.

Misty threw a quick glance at the boys to make sure they weren't paying attention to us. She then turned back to me and got closer to my ear to whisper now that I was aware of it. "Do you…like Ritchie…?"

"Like him…?" I raised a confused eyebrow. "Of course I do… He's our friend…"

"No, not like that…", Misty sighed. "Do you like like him…?"

"Huh…?" I was very confused what she meant by the double like. "Like…like him…?"

Misty sighed tiredly, but not loudly. "Like like means you really like somebody, like you want to be close to them and get to know them better…"

"Umm…", I still didn't get it. "Aren't I close to Ritchie right now…?"

Misty sighed deeper in defeat. "I hope Ash isn't as slow as you…"

"Toge?" Togepi chirped from her arms.

"What do you mean, Misty…?" I asked, now feeling very confused.

"Never mind", the redhead shook her head, speaking in a normal voice. "I guess you're not ready for romance yet."

"What about romance?" Ash spoke up, looking over his shoulder.

"Nothing, Ash!" Misty retorted. "Just trying to have some girl-talk."

"Girl-talk?" I repeated, new to the term.

Ash chuckled heartily. "It means a conversation only between girls, Ashley. Misty just wanted to have some private time with you."

"Oooh…", I now figured it out thanks to my brother's explanation. "So that's what it means."

I may finally know what girl-talk is, but I still didn't know what the double like meant. Yes, I liked Ritchie and I wanted to be close to him and talk to him, but I feared I was going to feel ill again if I were too close to him. I didn't want to infect him with this weird disease.

XXXXXXXXXX

We rented a rowboat and rowed out to the deserted island. The only Pokémon we saw in the water were the usual kind we saw on a regular basis. We were meters away from the shore when I noticed movement by the corner of my eye. A boy was swimming around in the water with a Lanturn when there was a weird splash next to them, but none of them moved around. Was there a third being with them?

We got on land and pulled the rowboat up on the sand and far away from the water so the tide wouldn't get hold of it and pull it back to the ocean leaving us stranded. The island was quiet with no Pokémon making noises. Could it be a clue that the mysterious Pokémon had conquered the island as its territory and was a powerful Pokémon it scared the wild Pokémon away?

"It's so quiet…", Misty commented.

"Togi?"

"Yeah, I don't see any Pokémon", Brock agreed.

"I saw somebody playing in the water not far from here…", I pointed out.

"I saw him too with a Pokémon", Ritchie said. "Maybe he has seen something."

"That boy over there?" Ash asked as we approached the little shore where said boy and his Pokémon were swimming.

"That's him", Ritchie nodded.

"Hi there!" Ash immediately called out to the boy who froze in the water. "Can we ask you something real quick?"

"Umm… Sure", the boy replied hesitantly, having a nervous expression. I also noticed Lanturn appeared to be nervous as well and glanced down at the water.

"We're looking for a mysterious Pokémon that's said to live here. Have you seen it?" Brock asked.

"Nope! I haven't seen a mysterious Pokémon!" the boy replied instantly, shaking his head rapidly. "And even if I did, I wouldn't tell anyone!"

The last part weirdly caught my attention. It sounded very off, like he had actually said he did spot the Pokémon. I was uncertain if he really said the truth that he hadn't seen the creature, but I didn't ask back.

"That's too bad…", Ash sighed.

"Guess we have to look around more to find it", Misty suggested.

"Hmm…", Ritchie nodded with a pondering expression.

"We still have more grounds to cover, so all hope is not lost yet", Brock stated.

"You're right", I nodded.

"Sorry for taking up your time, kid. Have fun playing with your Lanturn", Ash told the boy.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu waved his paw.

"Thanks guys!" the boy waved back. "Although, I can assure you you won't find any mysterious Pokémon here!"

XXXXXXXXXX

We spent the next half an hour exploring the island searching for clues of the Pokémon, but we found nothing. Not even Sparky who Ritchie called out to help us out. We did see a few wild Pokémon, but they flew away as soon as they saw us. The island was a little too quiet and it gave me the chills.

"This island is very deserted…", Misty commented as we gathered by the rowboat.

"Toge?"

"I guess the rumors about the Pokémon being here were false", Brock hummed and rubbed his chin.

"So we're back to the drawing board?" Ash wondered.

"Pika pi?"

"Something's not right…", Ritchie spoke up in a soft mumble.

"Pi?" Sparky chirped from his Trainer's shoulder.

"What do you mean?" I asked as I snapped out of my trance after I stared out at the ocean.

"That boy we met…", Ritchie began. "I don't think he was being honest with us."

"You think so too?" I blinked in surprise.

"What are you talking about?" Ash asked.

"Before we rowed onto the island, I saw him by the corner of my eye playing with his Lanturn and another being that was underwater", Ritchie revealed.

"I saw that too!" I exclaimed in realization. "Except I only saw a splash that didn't come from the boy and Lanturn."

"And the way he worded his sentence at the end", Ritchie added. "I believe he must have seen it, but he wanted to hide the secret from us."

"So he did see the mysterious Pokémon!" Ash bumped his fist into his palm.

"We don't know that for certain, Ash", Misty told my brother.

"Let's go back and ask that boy again", Brock suggested. "If he has really seen the Pokémon, we'll ask him if we can just take a peek at it and then leave them alone. He could be very protective of the Pokémon."

I suddenly heard something swimming fast, so I turned toward the water and spotted said boy riding his Lanturn as fast as it could. Right behind them swam a small white-silver creature with a navy blue mask made out of fins, and couple of fins on its back. I instantly recognized the mysterious Pokémon from the books I've read in Professor Oak's laboratory that were about Legendary Pokémon.

"A Lugia!" I shrieked out as a large black submarine appeared to be chasing after the trio.

"Hey, what's going on here?!" Ash exclaimed.

"That submarine is chasing them!" Misty gasped.

Said submarine suddenly launched a large net toward the little Lugia, but it missed because the boy and the Pokémon swam toward us for help. "Help us, please!" the boy begged.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on that submarine!" Ash yelled.

"You too, Sparky!" Ritchie shouted.

The two Pikachu jumped up from their Trainers' shoulders and launched a double Thunderbolt at the submarine. It appeared to work in a few seconds, but the double move didn't destroy the submarine.

"Save your batteries, twerps!" a familiar voice called out as a compartment opened before two familiar figures stepped out on a small platform. "You don't want to waste it against our insulated submarine!"

"Compared to our three useless members, we've got the best quality!" the male cackled.

"It's them!" Misty gasped in shock when she recognized them.

"Butch and…was it Casey?" I asked.

"It's Cassidy, you damn tomboy!" Cassidy yelled angrily back at me, my ears ringing by her loud voice.

"What do you two want?!" Ash yelled, demanding answers.

"Hand over the baby Lugia or we'll take it by force!" Cassidy replied, pointing at the small Lugia.

I immediately snatched a Poké Ball from my belt and threw it toward Team Rocket. "Mystic, send them away with Extrasensory!"

"Togitiic!" Mystic shrieked as he was released from the Poké Ball. His eyes started glowing as he prepared the move. That, unfortunately, gave Team Rocket enough time to call out their Pokémon.

"Houndour, use Flamethrower!" Cassidy yelled as she called out her Pokémon.

"Hitmontop, use Rolling Kick!" Butch shouted, calling out his Pokémon.

"Hooooun!" Houndour howled before it breathed fire toward Mystic at the same time as Hitmontop spun on top of its head right next to the fire attack.

Ritchie quickly threw a Poké Ball to join the battle. "Cruise, use Sandstorm on Houndour and Hitmontop!"

Cruise came out from its Poké Ball, revealing a Pupitar which really surprised me. "You have a Pupitar too?"

Cruise activated its inner power and summoned a whirlwind of sandstorm that intercepted the Flamethrower. The fire move got canceled and Hitmontop got sucked into the sand whirlwind, spinning around out of control. The sandstorm reached Houndour and sucked it in as well before Team Rocket's Pokémon were thrown back at them. Cassidy and Butch yelped as their Pokémon landed on them.

Mystic was done charging his energy and released a psychic shockwave at the submarine. The steel at the front slowly got crushed under the psychic power, threatening to crunch it entirely if Team Rocket didn't retire.

"Leave now or else, Team Rocket!" Ash yelled at them while Mystic added a little more strength to his power.

"We won't leave until we have that Lugia!" Cassidy yelled, refusing to give up even though the submarine was getting into a worse condition.

The boy managed to climb onto land together with the baby Lugia and hid behind us. Lanturn splashed up from the water and crawled onto land. They were all safe, so we could go all out if we needed to.

The next thing we knew, a boat slammed into the submarine, pushing it away from us. Cassidy and Butch almost fell overboard after they had called their Pokémon back by that crash. Mystic canceled his move when smoke emitted from the submarine.

"Oh no! The submarine's got serious damage!" Butch gasped.

"We've got no choice but to retreat!" Cassidy growled. "Don't think this is over, twerps! We'll be back!"

The platform retreated into the submarine before the large watercraft sank underwater and left us alone with an uneasy tension. The duo made a threat they were coming back, so I guess the danger wasn't all gone yet. Ritchie recalled his Pupitar back, but I let Mystic stay with us a little longer.

The boat that rammed the submarine sailed slowly toward the shore and lowered the anchor when it gently bumped against the land. I immediately recognized the ship and its captain.

"Luka!" Ash, our friends minus Ritchie and I greeted her in relief.

"Are you guys okay?" Luka asked worriedly.

"We are now, thanks to you, Luka!" Brock smiled widely, clasping his hands together like a love-boy.

"Thank goodness you came just in time", Misty smiled.

"How come you're here, Luka?" Ash wondered.

Luka had a locket around her neck and she opened it to reveal the Silver Wing we found before. "The Silver Wing led me to this island", she explained. "I was sailing around trying to find the Pokémon that dropped the feather when I saw that submarine attacking you."

"You really came to our rescue, miss", Ritchie nodded before he turned to the boy with Lanturn and baby Lugia. "Are you three okay?"

"Y-Yes, we are", the boy replied before bowing deeply. "I'm Oliver. Thank you for saving me, Lanturn and Silver."

"Laaan!"

"Ruuuh!" baby Lugia chirped and flapped its wings.

I crouched down in front of the baby Lugia and held my palm up for it to sniff it. "So… You didn't tell us the truth because you wanted to protect this little Lugia?" I asked Oliver before I started giggling when baby Lugia licked up hand.

"Uh-huh", Oliver nodded. "I don't want anyone catching Silver because he's still a baby."

"You gave it a nickname? That's cool", Ash chuckled.

"Pika!"

"And it suits him", Misty giggled as she gently caressed Silver's soft feathers.

"Ruuuh!" Silver chirped and nuzzled its face against Togepi. The baby Pokémon chirped happily and nuzzled back in return.

"Wait… This is the mysterious Pokémon?" Luka wondered.

"The shadow we saw before was at least three times bigger than Silver here", Brock nodded with an arched eyebrow.

"Hey, Oliver", Ritchie spoke up. "How did you come across Silver?"

"Well, it happened a while ago", Oliver explained. "I was out swimming with Lanturn when a storm came out of nowhere. We tried swimming back to shore, but the waves crashed down on us and the currents were too strong for Lanturn and pulled me underwater. I thought I was going to drown, but that's when Silver and his parent showed up and saved us. Since then, I swore I will protect Silver until he grows up and becomes strong to defend himself against bad people like those guys with the submarine."

"You did a great job, Oliver", Ash nodded. "We get it now why you kept him a secret from us when we asked you about the mysterious Pokémon."

"And now we know the mysterious Pokémon is actually a Legendary Pokémon, we're going to keep it a secret", Misty said.

"I agree", Luka nodded before she got a weird expression. "Umm… Ashley, what is your Togetic doing?"

I turned around and noticed Mystic flew around Luka, but his eyes were staring at her locket. "Mystic, what's wrong?"

"Tic togitic tic!"

A rumble was suddenly heard from the ocean. I thought it was Team Rocking coming back already, but it was instead a whirlpool that shot up to the sky. We all stared at it flabbergasted, but Silver chirped eagerly at the sight. The whirlpool scattered apart, sending water drops everywhere, and revealed a fully grown Lugia.

"RUUUUUH!" it screeched angrily.

At the same time, Luka's locket started glowing in a red light. She opened it so we could see it was actually the Silver Wing glowing in that red light. "What's going on?" she wondered.

"That's Silver's parent!" Oliver exclaimed.

"Lugia!" Ash gasped.

"That must be the real mysterious Pokémon!" Ritchie said.

"But why is it mad?" Misty wondered as she stood behind my brother.

"It must be thinking we want to hurt its baby!" Brock shouted.

I stared at Lugia. It was my first time seeing a real one, and yet it felt awfully familiar. Its eyes… It reflected anger and protectiveness, and it was the latter that I recognized.

Mystic flew toward Lugia and started chirping to it. He probably tried explaining to the parent that we were good people and had protected its baby from Team Rocket. Even Pikachu and Sparky stepped in and tried talking sense with Lugia.

"Please, Lugia! These people are friendly! They even saved us from a pair of really bad Trainers!" Oliver shouted to the Legendary Pokémon.

"Ruuh ruuh!" Silver nodded.

"Ruuuh…!" Lugia slowly calmed down at the same pace as Luka's Silver Wing stopped glowing.

"This Silver Wing must be one that this Lugia dropped…", the young woman mumbled.

Lugia landed in front of us and stretched its long neck to nuzzle Silver, pruning his feathers. It was so adorable seeing them interact with each other.

"Looks like Lugia trusts us", Ritchie chuckled.

"Yeah", Ash nodded.

I gasped loudly, which caught everyone's attention, including the Pokémon. "What is it, Ashley?" my brother wondered.

I could now say for certain what Pokémon saved me last year. "Ash, remember the incident with S.S. Anne and how a mysterious Pokémon saved me from drowning?" I asked if he remembered that.

"Yeah…?" Ash nodded slowly before his eyes widened and his jaw dropped in realization. "Wait! Do you think the Pokémon that saved you-"

I nodded, confirming his theory. "Yes. It was a Lugia."

"You saw a Lugia before, Ashley?" Ritchie gasped in surprise.

"I only remember seeing its silhouette and blue glowing eyes, but I know it had the exact same shape as Lugia", I explained. "But it must have been a different Lugia because you haven't seen me before, right, Lugia?"

"Ruuuh…", Lugia rumbled from its chest and, to my surprise, nuzzled me too. Its beak scratched against my abdomen, which made me laugh by the tickling feeling. I returned the affection by caressing its face, feeling how soft and smooth its feathers were.

"Wow… Lugia opened up to you so fast, Ashley", Misty said in awe.

"Maybe it senses you interacted with another Lugia?" Brock wondered.

"Like…it can sense that other Lugia's aura on me?" I asked. I stopped myself as I thought back at my own words. Why did it feel like I had forgotten something very important that was about aura? My memories felt a little hazy right now, like a memory lost in the past.

"Ruuuh!" Lugia shrieked and jumped back into the water. Silver was right behind his parent's tail, but he poked his head up and chirped playfully.

"Silver wants to play with us", Oliver explained Silver's behavior.

"Under water?" Ritchie said. "How can we do that?"

"Luka", Ash said.

"Leave it to me!" Luka winked. "I have gear for everyone!"

XXXXXXXXXX

We spent the next hour swimming underwater with Lugia and Silver, exploring the bottom of the sea and seeing many different water Pokémon. Even Pikachu, Sparky and Mystic got gear and air tubes so they could swim with us. Now that we weren't under pressure finding a lost ship or treasure or being under attack by Team Rocket, we could relax and have fun and even observe a Lugia's behavior. It even showed us how it fed Silver some seaweed it found by a coral reef, so it was fresh and full of nutrition.

I was amazed by the beautiful sight. It was like I was in a totally different world underwater, like a wonderland. I got lost in my own world as I did my own exploring, checking the corals and shells scattered around at the sea bed. Some wild Pokémon swam away as they got afraid of me, and one Shellder even closed its shell to protect a pearl it had on its tongue.

"I feel like an explorer, Mystic", I told him through the radio communicator. "To think there is so much beauty down here…"

"Togitiic", Mystic chirped.

"Found something interesting, Ashley?" Ritchie spoke up as he swam to my left side.

I flinched by his sudden appearance and moved back a little, feeling nervous to be around him again. "Ritchie! W-Where did you come from?" I asked, somehow feeling my cheeks got warm.

The brunet laughed heartedly. "Guess you were so distracted you didn't sense me coming."

"Pika pi!" Sparky nodded.

"Y-Yeah…", I laughed sheepishly before turning back to the reef. "This is my first time exploring underwater. I was just so…fascinated by the nature here. It's so different compared to land."

"The ocean develops its own forest of coral reefs and seaweed and other plants that can only grow here", Ritchie explained. "It's part of the ecosystem on our planet and we must protect it just as much as the nature we know of."

"So they can't live without one another… Land and ocean…", I mumbled softly.

I was deep in my thoughts I didn't realize Ritchie swam over to a small boulder and picked up something. "Ashley?"

"Yeah?" I looked up to see he was holding a white scale with shades of yellow, light blue, pink and purple. "What is this?"

"It's a Heart Scale", Ritchie explained. "These are rare to find and I just found two of them. Here, you can have this."

"A-Are you sure…?" I mumbled, my heart picking up its pace, as I held my hand out.

"Mm-hmm", Ritchie hummed with a nod and put the Heart Scale on my palm. "Let's have these as souvenir from the Whirl Islands and memory of our discovery of Lugia."

"Pika pika!"

I checked the Heart Scale up close and felt a smile appear on my lips. This was my first present from Ritchie. It felt so…nice and warm in my heart. "Thank you, Ritchie. You're so nice…"

The warm feeling wasn't exactly new, but it felt stronger than usual. It was like my body told me to show Ritchie my appreciation by not just giving him a hug but also a kiss in his cheek. I almost got scared by those new thoughts. I've never felt like that before. Why did those feelings trigger whenever I was with Ritchie?

"Hey, guys!" Brock called. "It's lunchtime, so we should swim back and grab a bite!"

"I'm down for it!" Ash shouted. "I'm starving!"

"Pika pi", Pikachu chirped.

"I almost forgot it's actually lunchtime", Oliver laughed sheepishly.

"Lan laaan!"

We started swimming upward to the surface with Lugia and Silver. I swam in the back, holding the Heart Scale in my hand. I refused to drop it because it was my first present from Ritchie.

Misty swam to me with a teasing glance in her eyes. "So… What did you and Ritchie talk about, Ashley?"

"Not much", I replied, having my eyes locked at Ritchie. "About the difference of nature here in the ocean and on land… And he gave me a Heart Scale."

"A Heart Scale, huh?" Misty hummed suspiciously before she lightly elbowed me. "Looks like Ritchie's interested in you."

"Interested? Like how?" I asked.

"The double like", Misty hinted before she swam ahead.

The double like? Was she referring to the like like she talked about before? Ritchie really liked me and wanted to know me? Why did it make me feel so hopeful? So many new emotions were triggered just by Ritchie's presence and I had no idea what they meant.

I shook my head, not wanting to think too much about this and get my brain overloaded. My stomach growled for food, so the priority was lunch.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ashley's party:

Cedric the Pupitar (male)

Hikaru the Ampharos (male)

Mystic the Togetic (male)

Victor the Houndoom (male)

Axel the Scyther (male)

Lily the Espeon (female)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ashley's Pokémon at the Lab:

Trica the Furret (female)

Wanda the Gyarados (female)

Queendra the Seadra (female)

Aria the Lapras (female)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ash's party:

Pikachu (male)

Bayleef (female)

Cyndaquil (male)

Croconaw (male)

Shiny Noctowl (male)

Dunsparce (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ash's Pokémon at the Lab:

Heracross (male)

Tauros (male)

Ivysaur (male)

Snorlax (male)

Kingler (male)

Poliwrath (male)

Wartortle (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Misty's party:

Staryu (genderless)

Psyduck (male)

Togepi (female)

Poliwhirl (male)

Lanturn (female)

Corsola (female)

XXXXXXXXXX

Misty's Pokémon in the Cerulean Gym:

Goldeen (female)

XXXXXXXXXX

Brock's party:

Geodude (male)

Onix (male)

Crobat (male)

Pineco (male)