Aoba didn't know who they were. Aoba didn't know how they had found him. Aoba didn't know why they wanted him. He only knew that they were hunting him.
It had been over a week since he had left his home behind. The former scientist from Cinnabar Island had thought that it meant that he had also left the people who had tried to kill him behind. Or he had hoped that it had meant that he had left them behind long enough to discover their identities.
They had killed Ted. Aoba wanted to at least be able to set the police on them, to gain some small measure of justice.
But the murderers were too close behind him. Aoba could only guess that they had picked up his trail a few days after he had left the café. He had tried to lose them in the forest, but Aoba was inexperienced in the arts of wilderness stealth, and they had briefly caught up to him the day before.
He had his hand clamped to his side, where blood soaked through his shirt. Aoba didn't know what attack had clipped him. He guessed it wasn't a poison attack, the former scientist hadn't noticed any symptoms besides the ones associated with trauma and blood loss.
The afternoon sunlight was being filtered through the leaves, now changing colors. He and Ted would have to-
Ted was deceased, Aoba reminded himself, stepping over a tree root and starting to climb up a steep hill. They would never walk through the autumn woods again.
Another jolt of pain shot through his side. Aoba hissed in pain. Just a month ago he was in love and nearly at peace. Now he was bleeding to death in the woods.
Part of him just wanted to lie down and let death take him. To let the burdens of guilt and fear and shame be lifted by the welcoming darkness, to go and join Ted once more. But another part of Aoba raged against the idea, raged against dying before he at least knew who was hunting him.
It was that part of him that had powered his flight through forest while strange people and pokémon had bayed at his heels, and driven him into a swift flowing river to escape.
Aoba heard noises behind him, but knew from past experience that if it was his pursuers, they would be nearly impossible to see. He forced himself to pick up his pace, lifting leaden legs more rapidly as he ascended the hill.
A lance of fire shot through the space above the former scientist's head, just as he reached the top of the hill. It smashed into a tree branch and a concussive wave of super-heated air blasted forth, snapping the branch and bowling over Aoba.
He pulled himself using another tree and stumbled over the crest of the hill. He caught a glimpse of a pretty blue haired woman in red overhauls kneeling amidst a group of pokémon. There was a bulbasaur glaring at him.
And then his pursuers arrived and there was chaos.
It had been about a week since Ash and his companions had left Cerulean City, heading south for Vermillion City, skirting around Saffron City.
Summer had finally ended and autumn was just beginning to hit its stride. Leaves were changing into a glorious display of red, yellow, and orange before their impending fall. The heat of summer was gone and the chill of autumn that would eventually lead to winter had started to creep in. Migratory birds and flying types began to head south.
Ah autumn, when all those flying pests are leaving, Pikachu sighed happily. Of course, autumn means you have to hurry up and stockpile for winter and winter's not fun, but at least you don't have to keep an eye on the pichus to make sure some big flying type hasn't eaten them.
Did that happen a lot? Ash asked in a whisper, letting himself fall behind Brock and Misty.
Too often, Pikachu said. Back when I was with my folks and their group it was my job to keep an eye on the skies when the others were foraging. Too many flying types thought they could sneak in a quick meal on pichus too small to really shock them. Sparks flew from Pikachu's cheeks. Unfortunately for those hungry flying types, I learned how shock them very quickly….
Huh, Ash commented. Sometimes he forgot that type advantage wasn't just something that predatory pokémon leveraged to eat other pokémon; prey pokémon could develop a type advantage to defend themselves as well.
They camped near the edge of a cliff overlooking a series of river valleys and canyons. A swift flowing river rushed, gurgled, and splashed below. The three humans, plus Pikachu, sat around a small campfire, watching the sky as the sun finished departing and the stars came out, painting brilliant patterns onto the canvas of the night sky.
"You know Aaron," Brock said out of the blue as they watched the stars, "I don't think you've ever told us about yourself."
"What do you mean?" Ash asked.
"You know, he's right," Misty added, looking over at the younger boy. "I know you started your journey in Pallet Town and sort of assumed you grew up there. Is that right?"
"Uh," Ash said, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, I went to school there last year, but I moved around a lot."
"Where did you live?" Brock asked, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "And what are your parents like?"
"I lived lots of places," Ash answered, trying to think of an appropriate answer to the second half of Brock's question. "But I was really young, so I don't remember a lot. I know I lived in Violet City for a bit, but I don't really remember it."
"Where else did you live?" Misty asked. "And why did you move so much? Was it because of your parents' jobs?"
The ones who raised Ash had kept him moving because Ash had been hunted and the hunters had already killed his parents.
"I guess," Ash said instead, with a shrug. Strange, uncomfortable, emotions broiled inside of him. Pikachu began to silently nuzzle into Ash's side, relieving some of the tension. Ash reached down and scratched the top of his pokémon's head before continuing. "I also lived in Canalave City, Fortree City, and by Lavender Town."
"What's Canalave like?" Misty asked, leaning forward and letting her chin rest in her hands. "From the things I've heard about it, I'd love to visit it someday."
"It was….." Ash tried to recall what it had been like. He still remembered Jack and Shelly, but the memories of them grew fainter each passing year. "I remember bridges and trees mostly. And lots of water."
"Exactly," Misty said. "Cerulean's nice, but it's not actually a port city, it's just next to a port town. It's a trip to go see the ocean. But Canalave's actually a bunch of islands in the ocean. I could swim everywhere I needed to go…." She finished with a happy sigh.
"What do your parents do for a living?" Brock asked.
"Uhhhhhhh…" Ash had absolutely no clue how to answer this question.
"Let me guess, office work," Misty suggested, unintentionally coming to the rescue.
"I guess," Ash said with a shrug. Poison Lance, Pocket Watch, and Flygirl had never known what his parents had actually done to earn money. He knew that his father had been a pokémon trainer, but didn't know which path is father took to earn money through that, or what his mother had done.
"What was it like getting to move around so much?" Brock asked.
"I didn't like it," Ash admitted, staring into the fire. "My friends couldn't come with."
"Oh," Brock frowned. "Yeah, I can see how that would be a problem. Were there any good things about it though?"
Ash thought back on his memories of city in the trees, of his first encounters with the mountains around Lavender Town, about the sight of the land below as he was carried by Flygirl.
"I got to see cool stuff," Ash answered. "That was good."
"I'm surprised you decided to become a pokémon trainer and leave Pallet Town," Brock said. "Considering that you probably had to leave some friends behind there."
"Yeah, but now that I'm a trainer I can go back anytime," Ash replied with a wide smile. "And I can visit the other places I lived too! And I move when I want to move! And I want to see more new, cool, places!"
"That is a perk," Brock admitted with a wry grin. "I can admit to sharing in a sense of wanderlust."
"Wander-what?" Ash asked.
"The urge to keep moving or exploring," Misty explained.
"Yeah, I guess I've got that," Ash said.
"Wanderlust is nice while we're young, but it can't last forever though," Misty said leaning back and stretching. "What are you two going to do when you feel like settling down? I know I'm going to take over Cerulean Gym and make it a proper gym."
"Open up a ranch," Brock said. "I'll start breeding and raising pokémon."
"I don't know," Ash said, frowning. Ash liked travelling its own sake, and he liked many things that came with travelling, but there was a part of him that embraced travelling because he thought it was a way to keep safe from his hunters.
Which was funny, Ash reflected, because he had gotten into two dangerous encounters with people who weren't hunting him. And despite the fact that Team Rocket had recently come close to killing him, he wasn't nearly as afraid of them at the moment as he was of his first hunters.
Ash briefly wondered why that was, until Pikachu briefly shifted positions to nuzzle Ash's knee. The pokéraised child smiled as he got his answer and gave his pokémon a quick hug.
"Earth to Aaron," Misty said, causing Ash to look back up. "Let me guess, you were lost in thought, thinking about what you're going to do in the future."
"I guess," Ash replied.
"Well, I guess that's to be expected, after all it is unfamiliar territory." Misty commented with a smirk.
Don't blame the idiot, everyone gets lost in unfamiliar territory, Pikachu said at the same time.
Ash sighed. He got no respect. And they kept reusing that same joke, over and over again.
"Moving on," Brock said, "what are your plans for the more immediate future?"
"I don't know," Ash said with a shrug. "Earn badges until I can compete in the League Conference. Though I guess I have to wait a year or two for that. How long do people usually take to get all the badges in Kanto?"
"Some people do it in six months," Brock said. "Others take several years. But my advice is that you shouldn't worry about how long it takes other people; you should go at your own pace."
"Okay," Ash replied. He wondered how long it would take him to get all the badges in Kanto.
They sat around making idle conversation as the fire crackled, the river rushed, and the night deepened.
Before they turned in, they heard strange noises off in the distance, but dismissed them as wild pokémon fighting…
A bipedal orange, lizard-like, pokémon with a small flame at the end of its tail, scrambled through the underbrush, thorns tearing at its skin. Charmander whimpered as he heard people and pokémon crash through the trees behind him.
He wanted to cry. He had been safe at the village earlier today, with all those other pokémon, and the nice lady with blue hair who had found him after Damien had lost- had abandoned him. And then that man with the blue-grey hair had stumbled into the village and then there were all those mean people and mean pokémon and there had been that fight and then he had got lost and then and then and then….
Charmander was hyperventilating in his panic. He tripped over a tree root and tried to scramble forward, but he felt a clawed foot on his back and he was slammed to the ground.
I got 'em boss, a raticate said as it held the struggling fire type down.
"Did you get it?" a scarred woman with short brown hair asked. "It looks like you did catch that damn firebug."
Shapes surrounded Charmander. Surely, they were only people and pokémon, but the downed fire type could only see the bottoms of dark pillars, like the forest but now menacing. Claws dug deeper into his back as the raticate tightened its grip.
"Now," the woman said, crouching down to look Charmander in the face. "You're going to lead us to where your little friends are hiding. Or we'll rip out your tongue and gut you. Nod if you understand."
I don't know where they're hiding! Charmander squealed. If I did, I'd be with them. Let me go!
"Do you think we're not serious you little fire shit?" The woman asked, drawing something that shone in the combined faint light of the moon and Charmander's flaming tail. Charmander felt something sharp prick him under the eye.
"Now, you're going to lead us to where your little friends are hiding. Or I'm going to carve your face like a pumpkin. Do I make myself clear?" the woman said, holding a knife to Charmander's face.
I-I- I, Charmander stammered, not caring that she wouldn't understand him. Terror robbed him of everything except his most basic instincts and he attempted to scramble backwards from the woman with the knife.
He was slammed down into the ground again by the raticate. Charmander went numb with fear, frozen more thoroughly by his terror than any ice attack. The cold painful prick of the knife returned.
"I guess it's time to show you I mean business," the woman said. There was a sharper pain in his face and Charmander could feel hot blood start to leak out beneath his eye. "Should I take this eye? Or the other one?"
You can take this, a voice growled from the darkness. Something whizzed through air and the shapes around Charmander scattered. He could hear somethings thud and cut into wood, trees crack and splinter, people and pokémon cry out in pain.
"It's that damn bulbasaur again," the scarred woman growled. "Everyone with a fire type, forward! Light up the area and then burn it!"
Magbies, houndours, growlithes, and a numel moved forward, spitting gouts of fire to illuminate the forest and incinerate the sharp leaves. Bulbasaur stood before them, illuminated by the harsh orange light of the fires, vines lashing out, and firing Razor Leaf after Razor Leaf from underneath his bulb.
"Now, everyone-"
Attack! A new pokémon cried out. Pressurized jets of water shot out of the forest behind Bulbasaur. People and pokémon alike were blasted, sent tumbling back into the dark forest bruised and broken.
"Recall your wounded pokémon and retreat," the scared woman ordered. Many of the humans did so, red light flashing as pokémon were returned to their pokéballs. Other humans and their pokémon began to scatter forward into the woods, only to be assaulted by more deadly leaves, and blasts of water. "Don't bother trying to find their trainer!" the scared woman continued. "Have your pokémon cover you and retreat!"
You're not getting away! The bulbasaur shouted. Dark brown seeds shot out of its bulb at the scarred woman. But her raticate intercepted, fangs shining in the night. All of the seeds were destroyed or deflected by a flurry of claws and biting fangs.
"Everyone out now!" The woman shouted, keeping an eye on her subordinates. Attacks rained down at her, but she avoided everything that her raticate didn't intercept. Only once her people had retreated did she withdraw, dashing into the night forest, her pokémon close behind.
Come on, she's getting away! The hidden voice from earlier shouted out, before emerging from the forest, revealing its owner to be a squirtle with a pair of angular sunglasses perched on its forehead. More squirtles followed him, each of them wearing rounded sunglasses.
Don't be stupid, Bulbasaur growled. They're too fast. If we chase them like this, they'll have time to set up their own ambush. Charmander, are you alright? The grass type turned to the fire type cowering on the ground. Charmander? The bulbasaur rushed over to downed pokémon.
I'm-I'm-I'm fine, Charmander managed to stutter, one claw pressing down on the cut below his eye. You saved me…
'Course I did, Bulbasaur replied. I've never abandoned someone under my protection before and I ain't going to start now.
But now you can start doing it with style! Squirtle said, sticking up his two inner claws in an approximation of a human 'thumbs up' gesture.
By the Tree of Life, are you wearing those stupid things at night? Bulbasaur asked, noticing the sunglasses on the water-types forehead and rolling his eyes.
It's the squad uniform! Squirtle defended his nocturnal fashion choice. It's how everyone can tell that we're the Squirtle Squad! Right Squad?
Right! Chorused the squirtles behind him.
Um….. Charmander began. Couldn't others just tell you're part of the Squirtle Squad because you're a bunch of squirtles who are always together in a squad?
Don't bother trying to reason with these maniacs, Bulbasaur sighed as the squirtles began to celebrate their victory with a series of high fives. I've tried and it ain't never gone anywhere pleasant.
The pokémon led Charmander back to the cave in the canyon wall, accessible only via a narrow switchback, overlooking the rushing river below. Inside the cave was a large gathering of pokémon, most of them scared and huddled together against the cave walls. There were rattatas, pidgeies, bellsprouts, weepinbells, a staryu, a magikarp, slowpokes, geodudes, caterpies, and a small tauros.
In the center of the cave sat a pretty woman with blue hair and blue eyes, and with bandages on her face and on her left arm. She was tending to a fire, over which a pot steamed. Next to her, shivering in a bed roll, was the man with blue-grey hair.
We're back! The lead squirtle shouted as the group entered the cave.
"You're safe," the woman said in a breathless tone. "And you got Charmander! Did anyone get hurt? If you're hurt get over here, so I can treat you."
Charmander, she means you, Bulbasaur said, giving the lizard a push with one of his vines.
Melanie, I'm fine…. Mostly, Charmander said to the woman, Melanie. And then Bulbasaur's vine pushed him again, this time on the shoulder, spinning the fire type around so that Melanie could see the scratches on his back from the raticate's claws. Bulbasaur then spun Charmander around once more, and placed a vine under the knife wound on Charmander's face.
This is where he needs treatment, the grass type said gruffly.
"Come here," Melanie said gently, getting out a piece of cloth and holding it in the steam from the pot. Charmander came over and the human woman began cleaning the fire-type's wounds.
Have you been taking care of your own wounds? Bulbasaur asked, gently poking the bandages on her face and arms with his vines.
"For someone who can't talk in a manner that I can comprehend, you are very good at making yourself understood," Melanie replied with a gentle smile. "Don't worry, I changed the bandages while you were out. I may have some light scarring, but I'll make a full recovery."
Good, Bulbasaur nodded. He looked around the cave, taking a count of the pokémon there, a task made more difficult by the boisterous squirtles, who had begun to playfight, longue around the cave, and generally make nuisances of themselves.
Can you control your crowd? Bulbasaur snarled at Squirtle. I'm trying to see if anyone's still missing.
Ten-hut! Squirtle Squad Assemble! Squirtle cried out. Instantly the rowdy squirtles assembled into rows before their leader. Bulbasaur then began to take count of the pokémon in the cave.
Girantia's Gullet, Bulbasaur swore. Oddish is still missing. He turned to the human woman and began a series of gestures. He tapped his bulb, curled one of his vines into a small ball, and then made a high-pitched squeak.
"Caterpie-no, Oddish?" Melanie asked. "You haven't found her yet?"
No, Bulbasaur said, shaking his head. He turned on the spot, stalking over towards the cave entrance. Before he could leave, he felt a paw on his front shoulder.
You can't go out now, Squirtle said. My crew's all tired and you don't know where the enemy is.
Oddish is small, timid, and probably frightened out of her little head! Bulbasaur shot back, half turning to face the water type. She was never a wild pokémon! She needs help! I've had a lot of enemies, but they never stopped me from helpin' before and I ain't about to let them start doing so now!
Oh, you complain about us being rowdy, but it's fine when you're rearing to go, Squirtle retorted. Look, I know we've only been in this village a week, but we do like all the pokémon here. And the blue-haired human. Not so sure about the guy who just arrived though…..
He's not important right now, Bulbasaur growled. Melanie can take of him while I search for Oddish.
And who will take care of you if you get ambushed out there? Squirtle protested. Oddish isn't stupid, she'll find a tree and sleep under the roots.
You don't know that!
And you don't know if you can even find Oddish tonight! Squirtle shot back throwing up his arms. You need to stay here and guard the pokémon who are already here!
You- That ain't- I- What do you- Grrrr….. Bulbasaur growled. You know, for someone who acts so stupid it ain't right that you can act so smart when it's inconvenient….
Well someone has to think ahead, Squirtle replied. And not just in the middle of a fight.
Fine, I'll stay, Bulbasaur muttered. But first thing in the morning we're setting out and we're going to find Oddish!
Fine, fine, fine, Squirtle said, leading the grass type back into the cave. Now if you'll follow me, we can get that hot-foot of yours looked at. The one you thought I didn't see.
Egg of Mew, you can only be observant when it's obnoxious, Bulbasaur growled again. It's only a little burn.
We'll let Melanie be the judge of that, Squirtle smirked.
"Bulbasaur," Melanie scolded when Squirtle showed her the burn on Bulbasaur's foot, "you should have come to me sooner. Burns needed to be treated right away."
Bulbasaur just rolled his eyes while the blue haired woman cleaned his wounds. His gaze settled on the man in the bedroll, shivering in fever. When Melanie finished tending to his own wounds, she noticed Bulbasaur's gaze.
"I haven't gotten his name yet," she told the grass type. "That's not to say he's been quiet. He keeps calling out for someone named Ted and asking for their forgiveness."
He should be asking us for our forgiveness, Bulbasaur growled.
"I hope that was something comforting," Melanie said, laying her hand on Bulbasaur's head and gently rubbing it. "Because we have no idea who he is or why he wants forgiveness. We've both…. experienced the character of the people chasing him. We can't be sure that he's a good man, but if the people chasing him are so bad, then, well, I'd say that's a testament to his character."
Well, I had comrades say you could always judge the quality of a human by the measure of their enemies, Bulbasaur said. But I don't think things work so neatly.
"You know I can't understand you," Melanie replied with a gentle smile. And then she sighed.
I'm worried about Oddish too, Bulbasaur said morosely.
"If you're guessing that I'm worried about Oddish, then you're correct," Melanie said. "I hope she's alright."
She'll be fine! Squirtle interjected, giving Melanie his version of thumbs up and patting her back.
"Thank you," the blue haired woman told the water-type with a wan smile. She sighed again. "I always knew I might have to worry about poachers or greedy trainers. I even thought about setting some traps. But I never expected anything like this….."
Don't worry, I'll protect you, Bulbasaur said gently, nuzzling the blue haired woman.
We'll protect her you mean, Squirtle said, clapping Bulbasaur on the bulb.
Yeah! His squad chimed in together.
Go to sleep you lot, Bulbasaur growled. We're going looking for Oddish first thing in the morning. And I ain't going to be showing any mercy to idiots who stayed up all night!
"I can't understand what you're saying," Melanie said, still gently rubbing Bulbasaur's head. "But it's nice that you are all getting along."
It was midmorning when Ash and his friends broke camp and set out once more. They paused by the edge of the canyon, where the forest receded. Ash got out a map and then Brock and Misty started arguing about which direction was the correct way to go. Ash rolled his eyes, used the sun to figure out the cardinal directions, and then began to plot his current location on a map.
I thought the pokégears came with some sort of map thingy, at least according to all the ads on TV, Pikachu said, standing by his trainer's leg, while Ash navigated. Couldn't they just use that?
I heard them talking about a service interruption yesterday, Ash said. I'm pretty sure that the pokégears aren't working right now. Though, I'm not sure they'd use them if they were working.
Why not? Pikachu asked.
I think it's a pride thing, Ash said. I heard a bunch of kids at school talking about how they wouldn't need pokégears to get around.
So, they'll just get lost instead?
I guess, Ash replied with a shrug.
Humans are sooo stupid, Pikachu said. You're just lucky that you're all so big, helpless, and cute.
If you say so, Ash said, matching landmarks to the map.
Wait a minute, you don't use a pokégear? Pikachu asked.
I don't have a pokégear.
But Brock and Misty do, Pikachu pointed out. Or Misty did, did she ever say if she got a new one?
I don't know, Ash said, taking a look at the river in the canyon below.
The point is at least one of them has a pokégear and I don't remember you ever asking them to use that to navigate before, Pikachu finished. You're just as stupid as they are.
Well….. Flygirl, Pocket Watch, and Poison Lance spent so long teaching me this stuff, Ash replied. And then there were those lessons at school. It feels like a waste not to try and use them.
You- One of Pikachu's ears started twitching. Wait, do you hear that?
No, Ash said, quickly putting away the map. Where's it coming from?
That way, Pikachu pointed back into the forest behind them.
"Pikachu's heard something," Ash said, interrupting Brock and Misty's argument.
"Great," Brock said, grabbing a pokéball. "Spread out everybody. Make sure to cover each other."
"On it," Misty said, grabbing a pokéball of her own.
Uh, I never said it sounded dangerous, Pikachu spoke up. Ash winced. It was too late to convey that now.
Bulbasaur! Big brother! Bulbasaur! Squirtle! Bulbasaur! Some small voice was shouting and getting closer. A small oddish stumbled out of the woods, scratched and blemished. It took one look at the assembled humans, squeaked, and tripped over its own feet trying to run away.
"Oh," Misty, putting her pokéball away. "It's hurt."
"We should help it," Ash said.
"I agree," Brock said, putting away his pokéball and reaching into his bag for a potion.
Stay back, stay back, Oddish screamed, trying to scuttle away.
"Pikachu, can you….." Ash tried to figure out how to phrase his request, but Pikachu didn't need any further instruction.
It's okay, they're not going to hurt you, Pikachu said. I mean not on purpose. I know my trainer and the girl are very stupid, and I have my suspicions about the other human, so they might do something dumb. But they'll at least try and help you.
Oddish had quit screaming and started looking at Pikachu like he was crazy. Ash tried to keep his expression neutral while his pokémon talked.
Misty was the stupid one after all, not him. She was the one who tried to send him away to fight that tyranitar by herself!
"It's times like these I wish I could understand pokémon," Brock sighed.
Ash thought that he should be careful what he wished for.
Look, if they were going to hurt you, they would have had me shock you by now, Pikachu said. Brock had gotten the potion out of his pack. See, they've got a potion.
You're not- you're not with the bad humans? Oddish asked.
They're pretty good, despite being so stupid, Pikachu said with a smile. Ash had to focus to stop his eye from twitching.
Okay, Oddish sniffed. She cautiously went over to Pikachu and followed him over to Brock. Brock began to apply the potion, spraying it on Oddish's wounds. The grass type squirmed under the stinging spray, but didn't run away.
"It's young," Brock said as he examined the oddish. "I can't tell if it's a wild pokémon or a trained pokémon. Do you have a trainer?"
No, Oddish shook her head, or rather body.
"A human then?" Brock continued.
Yes! Oddish said, rocking back and forth in a nod.
"Are you lost?" Brock continued his inquiry.
Yes! Oddish said with another combination of rock and nod.
"We should help it find it's human," Ash, Misty, and Brock said in unison. They shared a quick glance with each other before turning back to the oddish.
"Do you know which direction your human is in?" Misty asked the grass-type gently, going down to one knee next to it.
No, Oddish said, looking at its feet and twisting itself to shake its head.
"Is it on the other side of the canyon?" Misty asked, still gentle.
No, Oddish said, shaking again.
"It's good at these yes-no sessions," Brock commented. "It definitely has spent some time around humans."
Ash just shrugged.
"Does your human live near the canyon?" Misty continued asking the oddish yes-no questions until everyone had an approximate idea of where they should start looking for the Oddish's human.
Pikachu hopped on Ash's head and then patted the human's shoulder.
You can ride here, he told the grass type. This idiot won't mind at all.
Okay, Oddish said, and then used her vines to climb up Ash and joined Pikachu on his shoulders.
Now onwards my human steed! Pikachu exclaimed, patting Ash's head.
"Awwww….." Misty cooed. "He's looking after his new friend."
Ash, who knew what Pikachu was actually doing, barely managed to suppress his grimace.
AN:
This chapter is unbeta'd, so it gets released early.
As a warning, I will not be releasing a chapter next week. I want some more time to polish and expand the current arc, so I'll be releasing on the 18th or 19th instead of the 12th.
Don't forget to review.