Author Notes: TW for this chapter, there are going to be some Pokemon trauma. Be cautious while reading as a Pokemon will be expressing their trauma.
How will Ash deal with this?
—
Ash, Misty, and Gary were chatting among each other as they walked along the path, noticing the nearby police station. Upon seeing the said building, the raven-haired boy suddenly remembered about the upcoming traps that Squirtle was going to set.
"Hey Gary, please watch your step," Ash warned his rival. "I just remembered that the Squirtle Squad set their traps somewhere around here."
"Thanks, Ashy-boy, but I got it," Gary said with a dismissive chuckle as he shoved his hands into his pockets.
Ash sighed in response. "Okay, if you say so." The raven-haired boy shrugged as he looked over at Pikachu who had watched the entire interaction.
"The arrogance is still there, huh?" Pikachu smirked with a soft laugh. "Don't worry, it's not your fault."
"I guess." The dark-haired boy sighed at his electric mouse's response. He hadn't liked Gary's arrogance but he was grateful that it hadn't been as bad as it had once been.
Both boys were not paying attention as they had been distracted by their conversation about traps to see any actual traps. However, Misty looked past the boys as she noticed something onto the path.
'There are piles of berries on the path…Why are they there?' the Cerulean City native thought for a moment before her eyes widened. 'Shit, they might be some kind of traps. I'd better warn the boys.'
"Ash, Gary!" Misty called out as she lifted a finger to point towards the upcoming trap. "Watch out for tha…" She was not able to complete her sentence before Ash and Gary tripped over a vine, causing both boys to cry out in surprise.
The next thing that both boys knew, they'd smashed their faces against the piles of berries on the ground. Pikachu quickly jumped off of Ash's shoulder to avoid the impact, but he started to laugh when he looked back to see what had happened.
"What gives!?" the raven-haired boy groaned as he carefully sat up, his face covered in berry juice as he looked towards Gary who had met a similar fate.
"That hurts…" the brunette groaned as he got out some napkins. He began to clean his face before looking towards Ash. "Did Squirtle pull this kind of prank last time?"
This caused Ash to blink as he looked around his surroundings. "No, he made a hole that we fell in and got trapped," he admitted softly. "I'm not sure what's with the berries." He began to clean his own face with his arm before pausing as he heard laughing. He looked towards the bushes to see who it was before his eyes widened.
In front of Ash and Gary, there weren't any Squirtle. Rather, there were several Chikorita crowding the two Pallet Town natives. But these were not just any Chikorita; these ones were wearing various designs of flower sunglasses.
'Chikorita…?' Ash thought to himself as he began to be confused. 'I thought they were native to Johto, not Kanto…' He then covered his left eye as he began using his aura sight, before letting out a whisper that only Pikachu could hear. "Bayleef…It's Bayleef as a Chikorita…"
"Bayleef?!" Pikachu exclaimed in surprise, watching the Chikorita Squad to laugh as their prank was a success.
"Oh, you gotta admit that this was good!" The leader of the Chikorita Squad giggled as she smirked over at the two trainers. "Y'all are good for nothing trainers. You two deserve these berries in your faces!" She stuck out her tongue in a mocking way.
Ash had to take a deep breath, knowing that he shouldn't let his Bayleef turned Chikorita get on his nerves. If she and her squad were anything like the Squirtle Squad, they had been treated wrongly by their previous trainers and were now going after other trainers for revenge.
"Why are you calling us good for nothing?" the dark-haired boy asked calmly, catching the leader Chikorita by surprise.
"Y…You understood me?!" the grass-type Pokemon cried in shock, dropping her sunglasses in the process. "H…How?! Are you using some forbidden magic or what?!"
Ash chuckled softly as he held up his hands before speaking again. "I am an aura user, so I am able to effectively communicate with Pokemon through my aura ability. If you let me help you, maybe I can help you to figure out the best justice for your previous trainers."
"How can I trust you…?" Chikorita asked hesitantly, furrowing her eyebrow as she glared at Ash.
Ash thought about this for a moment before getting out his Pokeball, causing Chikorita to hesitate as she prepared for an attack. He then spoke up. "I am not going to fight you," he reassured her. "I've helped Pokemon that have been neglected or abused by their previous trainers in the past."
He then tossed up the Pokeball as it opened and revealed his Chimchar. The fire monkey now stood in between Ash and Chikorita "You can talk with my Chimchar and see what he says about me." He gave a gentle smile. "He knows what you went through, maybe just as well."
Chikorita blinked in response. She stared at the fire-type monkey warily for a moment as Chimchar just gave a gentle smile over at the Leaf Pokemon. She spoke after a moment, deciding to test the waters.
"Is it true that this trainer helped you when you were being treated wrongly?" the Leaf Pokemon asked hesitantly, watching Chimchar's every move.
"That's right," Chimchar grinned as he walked towards Chikorita, causing her to tense up. "Before I was with Ash, I was with someone named Damian." He sat down next to the grass-type. "Damian was very abusive towards me and would physically harm me if I was too weak in his eyes." He then sighed. "I tried to run away, but he caught me, severely injured me, and left me for dead." This caused the Leaf Pokemon to growl at the mention of abuse, but Chimchar knew not to mind her for the moment. "This was where Ash came in," he continued. "He saw how injured I was and he made sure that I got the medical attention that I needed."
"What happened with that Damian guy?" Chikorita asked as she listened to the fire-type monkey's story.
"He got the justice that he deserved." Chimchar smirked as he crossed his arms. "Ash helped me to attest to what had happened to me and Officer Jenny arrested my former trainer and revoked his license so he couldn't hurt anyone else." He then smiled. "After that, Ash offered for me to join his team, which I accepted, and he has been wonderful since."
"That's amazing." The Leaf Pokemon gave a small smile before turning to Ash, letting out a soft huff. "Fine, I'll trust you since it's pretty clear that you have this Chimchar's full trust." She paused for a moment before continuing. "I was abandoned by my former trainer because he felt that I was too affectionate towards him. He told me that he did not want a Chikorita like me because to him, it's just pathetic and weak."
"There isn't anything wrong with being affectionate," Ash responded as he reached out towards Chikorita and gently ruffled her head. She did tense up slightly once again, but relaxed when she remembered that Ash's intentions were nothing but good. "I have a few Pokemon that like to be affectionate towards me, but I don't mind it at all. So yeah, there isn't anything wrong with it."
"S…So it was just my former trainer being an idiot?" Chikorita asked quietly, which Ash nodded in confirmation as she sighed quietly. "I apologize for pranking you and your friend. I was just full of…"
The remainder of the Chikorita Squad watched on in silence, keeping an eye on their leader to make sure that she was ok.
"Anger and hurt," the dark-haired boy responded, giving a gentle smile. "It's ok, we understand. I would be hurt too if someone that I trusted threw me away like I was nothing."
Chikorita could only nod at this as she fell into silence, thinking over the situation as she wasn't sure of what to do next. However, a sudden siren caught her attention; the Chikorita Squad collectively snapped their attention towards a woman on a motorcycle who was approaching the group. Ash recognized the woman, so he stood up and quickly went to greet her.
"Hey Officer Jenny!" Ash grinned as he waved towards the teal-haired woman, who was taking off her helmet.
"Hi there," Officer Jenny responded, placing her helmet on her motorcycle before letting out a long sigh as she noticed Chikorita and her squad. "Have the Chikorita Squad been bothering you kids?"
"Not at all." The Ketchum boy reassured the officer with a smile. "There was a misunderstanding and I was able to sort out what was happening with my aura ability to communicate with Pokemon," he explained softly. "It turns out that they were just upset with trainers in general because of what their previous trainers did to them."
"Oh?" The woman tilted her head as she listened to Ash. "I've been wondering why they've been pulling pranks." She sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I suppose that it makes sense if they're upset with what happened with their former trainers."
"Yeah, you'd be right," Ash responded softly, rubbing the back of his head before turning towards the Chikorita Squad. "Is there any way that Officer Jenny can help you guys?"
"Actually." Officer Jenny spoke up before the leader Chikorita could answer, offering a small smile over at the Leaf Pokemon. "You see, in Vermillion City… we've been having troubles with our flowers and garden this year which we haven't been able to figure out." She then got onto her knee, holding her hand out. "I was thinking that you guys could live in a shelter with no trainers, and you could come and help the plants in Vermillion City to thrive. It would help with tourism, and you will get all of the Pokemon food and care that you could possibly need."
"Y…You really mean that?" The leader Chikorita's eyes widened as she listened to Officer Jenny's offer, Ash translating on her behalf. She then looked over at her group before speaking. "What do you guys want to do? As much as I want more training from a good trainer, I don't mind just sticking with everyone else."
The four Chikorita looked among each other as they thought about the offer. It was tempting, and if Ash trusted Officer Jenny, and they could trust Ash, then they could trust her too, right? One of the Chikorita walked forward.
"We'll take the offer," the Chikorita began as he nodded at Officer Jenny before adding, "However, we want our leader to go with Ash to become stronger, and to be able to accomplish her goals." This surprised both the leader Chikorita and Ash.
"B...But who will lead the team?!" the leader Chikorita exclaimed in shock, looking over at her teammate.
"I will take care of things from here on out." The other Chikorita smiled. "Don't worry about a thing, I'm sure I can find a way to reach you if there's anything that needs your attention."
"O…Okay…" The Chikorita leader nodded as she began to tear up from the kindness of her teammate. "I'll do it… I will do it for you guys." She nodded towards her team as they hugged each other with their vines.
"She said that they're willing to take the offer." Ash finally spoke up after a moment, looking over at Officer Jenny. "However, they want me to take her in so she could become stronger and accomplish her goals."
"I think you will be a good trainer for her." Officer Jenny smiled, nodding in approval as she let the Chikorita Squad do what they needed to do. It took several minutes before the leader Chikorita approached Ash nervously.
"Hey there." Ash smiled softly, getting down onto his knee to meet her level before getting out an empty Pokeball and sizing it up. "Would you like to battle first, or would you want to go ahead and come in?"
Chikorita just stared at Ash as tears welled up in her eyes, she couldn't believe that the raven-haired boy had been nothing but kind to her. Without any word, she headbutted the Pokeball which opened and surrounded her in red light before it sucked her in and dropped onto the ground. It dinged immediately as there hadn't been any struggle, indicating the successful capture.
"Let's go, I've caught Chikorita!" Ash cheered as he picked up Chikorita's Pokeball, grinning before looking towards Officer Jenny. "Thank you so much for taking in the rest of her squad."
"You're welcome, sweetie. I'm going to go ahead and show them where they can stay, but please let me know if you need anything." Officer Jenny smiled kindly before she took off with the remainder of the Chikorita Squad, leaving Ash, Gary, and Misty along with Pikachu and Chimchar alone.
"So Chikorita rather than Squirtle…" Misty commented, after several moments, having watched the whole scene.
"Yeah, I guess so." Ash nodded, smiling before looking over at Pikachu and Chimchar. "I'm going to go ahead and let her out, so I can catch her up with what's happening."
Pikachu and Chimchar nodded at this as they agreed with their trainer's decision, knowing it was better to take advantage while they were alone.
"Chikorita, come on out!" Ash called as he tossed up his Pokeball, which opened and revealed Chikorita standing still. She seemed like she was in a state of shock, which worried the raven-haired boy.
"Chikorita?" he tried as he looked down towards his Chikorita. She stared at him with wide eyes, and then all at once, she started screaming.
"LEAVE SCEPTILE ALONE! YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SEPARATE US! I REFUSE TO BELIEVE HE'S GONE!" the Leaf Pokemon screamed out as tears began to well up in her eyes. She suddenly lunged forwards and started slamming Vine Whip after Vine Whip against Ash, who cried out in pain as he attempted to cover himself in defense.
"C…CHIKORITA!" The raven-haired boy groaned as he tried to catch her attention, but it was in vain as she continued to attack him with her vine whips. "Owww! Ow, Ow!"
"Ash!" Pikachu cried out frantically as he fired off a Thunder Shock towards the attacking Chikorita, forcing her to stop attacking Ash as she was paralyzed. The Ketchum boy could only let out a deep breath as the attacks subsided.
However, what didn't subside was her screaming as Chikorita just dropped to the ground, crying out Sceptile's name over and over again. Ash couldn't help but be worried as he got onto his knees to be at her level. He was about to speak to her when he heard Chimchar's voice coming from behind him.
"I…I can explain what happened, but I wasn't expecting for her to be that traumatized," Chimchar admitted, letting out a soft sigh. "You see, when we were fighting off the Paradox Pokemon. Bayleef got hit by one of their moves, and Sceptile jumped in front of her to protect her," he began. "But the Paradox Pokemon were relentless and didn't let up with their attacks, so when they were about to end her…" He took a deep breath, exhaling afterwards. "Sceptile took the attack head on and he…he perished as a result…" He looked at Ash, whose eyes widened at the news of his Sceptile's death. "This caused Bayleef to get so angry that she evolved into Meganium as a result. She was driving back several Paradox Pokemon at once out of sheer determination to avenge Sceptile, and that was when everything went black and we were sent into the past."
"S…So that was why she was attacking Ash? Because of her trauma?" Pikachu asked hesitantly, having listened to the story. Chimchar could only nod in response as the two looked towards Chikorita who was still sobbing and screaming Sceptile's name over and over again.
Finally, Ash moved towards his Chikorita before pulling her into a tight hug as he rubbed his back. "It's okay, Chikorita. It's just me, Ash…" He gently shushed her. "We're in the past now…Sceptile is okay, he's okay…" He spent the next several minutes focusing on calming the Leaf Pokemon down. She did eventually quiet down after twenty minutes, thanks to Ash's efforts to help her through her traumatic episode.
"S…So…" Chikorita finally spoke up quietly, looking up towards her trainer. "W…We time-traveled back into the past?"
"We did, yes," the raven-haired boy explained gently, keeping her trauma in mind. "We were sent back into the past to figure out what happened and who's responsible for releasing the Paradox Pokemon to have them attack us. Sceptile is okay now…" He paused before continuing. "Well, he should be okay. I haven't caught him yet, but I know he's okay."
"You promise me that he's okay?" the Leaf Pokemon asked, looking into Ash's eyes. "I don't want to lose him again…"
"I promise you that." Ash gently rubbed her back in comfort, giving a small smile. "I'll make sure to have you around when we find him again."
"I'll hold you to that." Chikorita responded quietly, nodding before using her vines to hug her trainer tightly. "I'm sorry that I attacked you."
"Don't worry about it, I completely understand," the dark-haired boy reassured his Johto starter as he gave a gentle smile. "I'll be fine, it's just some bruises. That's all."
Chikorita just nodded quietly, feeling bad about causing her trainer harm as the two fell into silence. Ash was worried about how her trauma could affect her training, but he decided that it'd be best to take it a step at a time. All it mattered was that she was okay, and Sceptile should be okay too even as a Treecko.
"Would you like to return for now?" Ash asked after several minutes of silence, continuing to rub Chikorita's back gently as he comforted her.
"Yes, please." The Leaf Pokemon nodded, looking up at her trainer who got her Pokeball out in response. She immediately hit the Pokeball to return herself, leaving Ash alone with Pikachu, Chimchar, and his two companions.
"Are you okay?" Misty asked as she got down onto her knees to check over her long-time friend. She had been stunned over what had happened when Chikorita began to attack Ash so she had to make sure that he was okay.
"I'm good." Ash let out a soft chuckle as he grinned over towards Misty. "Like I told Chikorita, it's just going to be some bruises."
"I've never seen a Pokemon this traumatized." Gary cleared his throat to get Ash's attention. "I'm not sure what the relationship between her and Sceptile was, but it sounds like they were close enough to cause a lot of emotional trauma."
"It does seem that way." The dark-haired boy exhaled as he looked down towards Chikorita's Pokeball in worry. "It doesn't help that she evolved from trauma before we were sent back. So I'm a little worried about catching her up fully, she might not want to evolve fully right now."
"I would suggest that you take it a day at a time," the Oak boy advised as he crossed his arms. "I do think that you need to talk with Gramps about it."
"Yeah, you're right," Ash mumbled as he cradled Chikorita's Pokeball, staring down at it in worry. "It doesn't help that I'm worried about Charmander as well." He turned to look at Gary. "Is there any other way that we could possibly get to Sinnoh?"
Gary thought about this for a moment, pulling out his PokeNav as he began to punch in a few keys. The dark-haired boy just stared at Gary as his rival continued to mess around with the device in silence. Finally after a few moments, the brunette spoke up.
"We could try going to Hutber Port after we deal with Lt. Surge or whoever is taking over and after we check out the St. Anne," he began. "It appears that they offer boat rides to various regions and Sinnoh seems to be on the list." Gary then turned his PokeNav around to show Ash the information that he was able to obtain.
"So if we keep moving without much delay, we should be able to catch the next ride that will take us to Sinnoh which is supposed to leave on Saturday," the dark-haired boy mumbled as he looked at Gary's screen on the PokeNav, he then grinned. "I'll take that, thanks, Gary."
"You're welcome, Ashy-boy," the brunette chuckled, turning towards Misty. "What do you think of that idea?"
"Well, considering how worried Ash is about this Paul guy, I think it's a good idea that we go there after the next gym so we can make sure that Charmander's okay," the red-haired girl commented, crossing her arms. "Maybe I'll catch myself some Sinnoh Pokemon while we're over there."
"Wait!" Ash's eyes widened, hearing the last comment. "If we're going to Sinnoh, we might as well go ahead and get my team from there." He grinned as he glanced over at his electric mouse. "What do you think, buddy?"
"I think that's a great idea." Pikachu nodded in agreement. "Maybe we'll even find Bulbasaur and Squirtle too in Sinnoh. Plus, they'll have more time for their training so that would work out perfectly."
"And I'm certainly interested in catching Sinnoh Pokemon myself." Gary commented with a soft laugh, smirking. "I guess we're going to need to pick up some Pokeballs when we get to the Pokemart."
"After I talk with your gramps." Ash grinned before pausing. "Speaking of talking, I need to switch out some Pokemon so I can talk with Scyther and Eevee." He exhaled. "I know they're new as I've never caught them before, and I think it'd be good to talk with them."
"Yeah, it would probably help them to get to know you," Misty pointed out, crossing her arms. "I can let out Vaporeon so she has a chance to spend time with Eevee."
"Sounds like a plan to me." The dark-haired boy nodded as he pulled out his Pokedex and began to switch out his Pidgeotto and Zubat for his Scyther and Eevee. He had been grateful that Professor Oak had upgraded it so he could transfer his Pokemon team at any time.
After the switches were done, Ash took out Scyther and Eevee's Pokeball as he looked over at Misty. "Ready?" He asked his companion who nodded in response, which he then proceeded to throw the two Pokeball up. "Scyther, Eevee, come on out!"
"Vaporeon, come on out!" Misty called out as she threw Vaporeon's Pokeball up.
The three Pokemon materialized as they looked around their surroundings in confusion. Eevee was quick to recognize Vaporeon before running to hug her tightly.
"Mama!" the Evolution Pokemon cried out happily, snuggling up with Vaporeon.
"Oh, my baby. You're okay!" Vaporeon purred as she snuggled up with her child. "I'm so relieved."
Scyther on the other hand just stared at Ash wordlessly, crossing his arms as he awaited to see what his new trainer wanted.
"Right, you guys." Ash coughed awkwardly, looking over at the three Pokemon. The Water Jet Pokemon turned to look towards the dark-haired boy, eyeing him carefully.
"Are you the new trainer of my sweet baby girl?" Vaporeon asked warily, unsure what to make of her child's new trainer.
"I am," the Ketchum boy answered with a small smile. "I understand that you may have some concerns, but I promise that I have no bad intentions for either of you. I thought that I'd have Misty to let you out too so we could figure out something with you and Eevee."
"I see." the water-type Eeveelution nodded. "How would I know that you are not going to harm or separate either one of us?"
"You are welcome to ask my Pokemon team, they are willing to attest to their experiences with me… Especially Chimchar." Ash reassured, causing Vaporeon to blink in surprise at the mention of Chimchar.
"Chimchar…Is he okay?" Vaporeon asked worriedly. "I really hated that I had to hurt him… He's like my other baby. It killed me to think about what Damian and Scyther forced us to do."
"Damian had good intentions," Scyther responded coldly. "He was just trying to make Chimchar stronger."
"Good intentions, yeah right," Vaporeon growled, rolling her eyes. "You watch your mouth."
"You watch yourself," the Mantis Pokemon retorted He was about to begin moving towards Vaporeon when Ash shot a glare towards Scyther.
"Don't make me use Pikachu against you," Ash sternly warned. "As far as I am aware, you haven't been properly trained to deal with super-effective moves. He can take you down in one hit if he has to." Scyther huffed in annoyance before stepping back and looking away.
"Thank you…" The Water Jet Pokemon sighed in relief, grateful that Ash had stepped in. "Anyways, as I was asking earlier. How is Chimchar?"
The dark-haired boy got down his knees to meet her level as he placed a gentle hand onto her back. This caused the Water Jet Pokemon to stiffen for a moment before relaxing when she realized that Ash was not going to hurt her.
"You're welcome. To answer your question, Chimchar is fine." Ash smiled, petting Vaporeon's back gently. "I was the one who saved him and got him the medical care that he needed. Anyway, from what I understand, Eevee is your offspring, is she?"
"Y…Yes. She is," Vaporeon answered warily, raising her eyebrow. "Why are you asking?"
"I'll explain why I am asking… One thing that I want to go ahead and disclose is that… Me, Misty, and Gary are more or less time-travelers in a way. So this isn't my first time going through Kanto," the raven-haired boy admitted. "Mentally, I'm 8 years older than what my body is so I know what to expect for my journey for the most part."
"T…Time traveling?" The water-type asked in surprise. "Is this something that legendaries can do?"
"Yes. To make it short, we were attacked by Paradox Pokemon which the legendaries had to make a decision to send me and Pikachu into the past." Ash then glanced over at Misty. "Now, me and Misty, your new trainer, are traveling together right now. However, after we get through Kanto, the Orange Islands, and Johto… we will be going our separate ways so Misty can focus on her things while I focus on my journey, which I understand will mean that you and Eevee will be separated."
Vaporeon was about to speak up in protest when Misty did so first, seeing her distress.
"We understand that you have a bond with your offspring, so I am willing to send you to be with Professor Oak at least every other week so you can visit Eevee while she's there," the red-haired girl reassured her newest addition. "If there's a reason that Ash is using Eevee, he will be letting me know so we can make other arrangements."
"You'd really do that for me and my mama?" Eevee asked, her eyes watering as she listened to the conversation.
"Absolutely." Ash grinned in response. "Misty and I care about our Pokemon, so we will do what we need to do for both of you."
"Thank you…" Vaporeon mumbled, her eyes watering. "This is the kindest thing that anyone could have done for me and my baby." She exhaled. "When I was with Damian, he didn't give a damn about whether we were separated or not. He told us if we wanted to stay together, then we'd better do what he told us to do."
"Damian was scary," the Evolution Pokemon whimpered. "He was so mean to my mama." She looked down as she remembered all of the bad memories.
"You will not have to worry about Damian again, I'll make sure of that." Ash reassured the two Pokemon as he pulled both Eevee and Vaporeon into a hug. He then looked down towards the two, glancing towards Scyther as well. "We could really use your help with the Paradox Pokemon, so are you guys in?"
"I'm in!" Eevee exclaimed excitedly as her tail began to wag, snuggling up with her new trainer. "You did a lot to help us, so I'm happy to help!"
"It wouldn't be right if we didn't accept." Vaporeon chuckled before tiling her head. "What are Paradox Pokemon anyways?"
"Whatever…" Scyther mumbled, rolling his eyes as he crossed his arms before looking away from his new trainer.
Ash noticed the behavior, but decided not to say anything at this time to the bug-type as he shifted his focus onto the Water Jet Pokemon. He then proceeded to explain everything to the new additions, though he noted that while Eevee and Vaporeon listened, Scyther stayed back, occasionally stealing glances at the trio but clearly not being fully interested.