Chapter 7 Mossy Forest

Ash groans awake as he hears the noises from the Budcheep outside the window. He tries to move his body to sit up, but he feels trapped. He remembers last night when Alice had a nightmare, and he offered to cuddle her for the rest of the night. Now, he sees her hugging him like a teddy bear, not wanting to let go. Her face wears a smile instead of fear, which makes Ash blush a little.

Pikachu yawns as he wakes up, but his eyes widen when he sees how close Ash and Alice are. Pikachu gets an idea and starts making kissy faces at them. Alice is still asleep, so she doesn't notice, but Ash does and glares at Pikachu. He can't yell because it would wake Alice up.

"Please stop it, Pikachu..." Ash whispers.

"Nope," Pikachu teases. "Ash and Alice are sleeping in the same bed..."

Ash rolls his eyes as he notices Alice stirring. She must have heard Pikachu and starts to wake up.

After a cute yawn, which Ash finds endearing, Alice sees Ash smiling at her.

"Good morning, Ash," Alice says.

Before Ash can answer, Alice realizes she's hugging him tightly. She quickly pushes him off the bed, and Ash crashes onto the floor.

Ash winces from the crash. "Oww..."

Alice panics at what she's done. "I'm sorry, Ash, I didn't mean to hurt you..."

Ash grabs Alice's hands to help himself up from the floor. "I'm fine, Alice..."

Once they are both up, they still blush at each other based on what happened yesterday.

"Morning to you as well, Alice. Did you sleep well?" Ash asks.

Alice's embarrassment turns into a smile. "I was having a terrible nightmare, but thanks to you and the song, I feel better. So, are you ready to go into the Mossy Forest?"

"Sure. But first, we need to get some breakfast. And because of what that mouse did this morning, I might have to throw all my ketchup bottles into the trash can," Ash says, casting a playful glance at Pikachu.

Pikachu freezes and rolls around on the floor. "No! My ketchup is going to slip away from me! Don't do this, please!"

Ash laughs at Pikachu's reaction. "You'll have to beg for more if you want me to keep it."

Alice feels weird about Pikachu's affection for ketchup and slightly giggles. In the end, they dress up and head downstairs for breakfast.

Once they finish breakfast, they head into the forest. After a long trek, they decide to rest near a tree. Just then, they notice a Pokémon sleeping under a nearby tree. The Pokémon is brown-colored, with a sapling branch growing out of its head and a hard shell.

Alice points it out, "Will you look at that, it's a Stickit. And it's sleeping."

Ash nods. "You're right, we shouldn't disturb him."

They decide to leave the Bug-type Pokémon alone, but Ash accidentally steps on a twig, causing a loud snap that wakes the Pokémon.

"Uh oh..." Ash sweats nervously. "I guess we woke it up."

Alice reassures him, "Don't worry. He's a defense-type Pokémon. We just need to be careful."

Stickit looks around for the source of the noise and notices the two humans and Pikachu. He freezes upon recognizing Pikachu and quickly approaches the group.

"Pikachu, is that you? Then is that Ash?" Stickit asks excitedly.

Ash and Pikachu are both surprised. "What?"

The Pokémon seems to know both of them. Ash realizes it must be one of his missing Pokémon, but he isn't sure which one.

"Ash asks, "Does that mean you are also one of my Pokémon that got revived?"

Stickit jumps into Ash's arms and nods. "How can you forget me? Maybe it would be better if I were a Heracross now..."

"Wait, so you are my Heracross? No way..." Ash exclaims.

Alice adds, "Heracross... I remember it's gentle and docile, but also possesses great strength and power. Their favorite food is the fresh sap of leafy trees."

Ash laughs, "Well, he used to sap on Bulbasaur's bulbs ever since I caught him in the Johto Region. But he's a good Pokémon and knows a lot of great moves." He hugs Stickit tightly. "I'm glad you're safe as well. That makes the fifth one..."

Alice smiles warmly. "That's great. I'm glad you got your friend back."

As they share a laugh, Ash notices something. "Alice, I noticed that you can understand what my Pokémon and I are talking about."

Alice freezes, her secret revealed, and then she frowns. "To be honest, this is one of the reasons I got bullied. I was treated as a freak because I could talk to Pokémon and understand their feelings. I don't care what they think of me, but it has made me miserable..."

Ash, still hugging Stickit, says, "I see... Do you know about Aura?"

Alice nods slightly. "I've heard of it. It's a form of energy that connects with our senses. I also read some books about Aura back in Kalos."

Ash looks surprised. "Wow... and why were you reading about it?"

Alice explains, "My mom is also an Aura user. I guess she can also talk to Pokémon just like I do."

Ash's eyes light up. "You see, Aura can be linked, which means that if we link our auras, we can also link our minds." He turns to Alice. "Maybe I can teach you some Aura techniques."

Alice smiles brightly. "Really? That would be great."

They decide to take a break and have some lessons about Aura. Meanwhile, Ash captures Stickit since he was originally his Pokémon.

Stickit: The Beetle Pokemon: Bug and Grass Type. Stickit will burrow themselves underground near the roots of trees to sleep. Their tough backs assist in defending against predators.

Ash has been teaching Alice about Aura Weapons, each weapon containing a type and forming Pokémon moves instead of causing real injuries and blood. He also teaches her self-defense techniques to help her become braver. In return, Alice tells Ash about the history of Aura.

"So, three families are known for their Aura abilities," Ash says. "One is the Ketchum Family, which is me, and one is the Mache Family, which is you?"

Alice nods. "Yes, I am from the Mache Family. My mom is too. You know, she's a great fashion designer."

"I've met a lot of fashion designers on my journeys, but you seem to speak so highly about your mother. May I ask who she is so I can know if I met her before?" Ash inquires.

Alice smiles. "I heard you challenged the gyms in the Kalos Region. You must know Valerie, the Laverre City Gym Leader, right?"

Ash gasps. "Wait, Valerie is your mother? No way..."

Alice giggles. "Yeah, her Trick Room strategy is her strongest. I heard that someone managed to break it using X-scissors. That was you, right?"

Ash nods. "Wow... So you're a Gym Leader's daughter whose mother is also a Gym Leader. That's interesting."

Alice chuckles. "I can say the same thing to you. You're a Champion whose mother is also a Champion."

Ash laughs. "I know. But what about the third family?"

Alice explains, "Well, it's the Sakaki Family. But I heard that this family trains mostly with dark aura, and they were destroyed by the Ketchum family and the Mache family working together."

Ash nods thoughtfully. "Then I don't think we need to worry about that family using dark aura to do evil stuff." Hearing his stomach rumble, he takes out a chocolate bar. "All that training is making us hungry. Do you want some?"

Alice nods, but before she can reach for it, a bird appears and snatches the chocolate.

"Hey! That's mine!" Alice exclaims.

They watch as the bird eats the chocolate like it's a treat. Ash looks at the Pokémon; it's green-colored with a leaf for a tail and a leaf-like feather on its head.

"What is that Pokémon? I've never seen it before," Ash asks.

"It's a Cheepip," Alice replies. "It has a move called Squall Blow, so we have to be careful."

But when Ash sees the chocolate on the bird's beak, it reminds him of a certain Pokémon he once owned.

"Pikachu, I have an experiment to try out. Will you help me?" Ash asks.

Pikachu nods as Ash instructs him to use Thunderbolt. Pikachu shoots out electricity, hitting Cheepip. The bird falls but slowly gets back up.

Cheepip says, "You want a battle? Then I'll give you one!"

But every time Pikachu defeats him, he immediately gets back up.

Ash stops Pikachu. "Enough of it."

Pikachu nods and goes behind Ash, while the bird Pokémon remains wary.

"Now you want to fight me?" Cheepip asks.

"Relax, I am not going to fight you, Swellow," Ash replies.

Cheepip freezes, wondering how this human knows about his past life.

Alice looks intrigued. "Swellow? I've heard it uses its impressive dive-bomber speed and large talons to capture its prey."

Ash smiles. "Yeah, and he's also tough as well. I remember when Pikachu and he performed a great golden armor move that helped me win the Mossdeep Gym. He was my first capture in the Hoenn Region."

Cheepip then recognizes Pikachu and recalls how many times he has been shocked by the same electricity. The golden armor move is also one of his best when working together with Pikachu.

Cheepip flies towards him, resting on his shoulder. "Ash... is that you?"

Ash smiles. "Welcome back to the group, Swellow, or now it's Cheepip."

Cheepip nods and looks at Alice. "Who is she? Is she your travel companion?"

Alice responds, "Hello there, Cheepip. I am Alice. I'm traveling with Ash with his mother's permission. Don't worry. I know what those guys have done to you, and I promise I won't be like them."

Ash adds, "She's right. She's also an Aura User. Aura users have sworn to take good care of Pokémon."

Cheepip nods and then rests on Alice's shoulder for a while. Meanwhile, Ash looks at the Pokédex to see more information about this Pokémon.

Cheepip: The Chirping Pokemon: Grass and Flying Type. Cheepip travel in large flocks. Sometimes there are such large amounts of them together that, when resting, they make can make entire rock faces look covered in grass.

Ash smiles. "That is so cool. We sure got two more companions back on our team."

Alice responds, "Good for you. Let's get out of the forest."

Ash nods, and they continue walking through the forest. Along the way, they battle some trainers who block their path, each encounter providing an opportunity to test their Pokémon's skills and grow stronger. Pikachu and Cheepip work seamlessly together, their coordinated attacks impressing both Ash and Alice.

As they trek deeper into the forest, they come across various wild Pokémon, each encounter adding to the excitement of their journey. The lush greenery and the sound of rustling leaves create a serene backdrop, but their focus remains on reaching Serpentine City.

After several battles and encounters, they finally see the edge of the forest. The anticipation builds as they step out into the open, with Serpentine City visible in the distance. Ash's determination to earn his first badge in this region fuels his steps, and Alice's encouragement bolsters his confidence.

Here is a new chapter, and this time Ash gets his Heracross and Swellow back into his team. And Alice is like the Darker Version, she is an Aura user in training. And it is also one of the reasons she gets betrayed by his classmates. I hope you enjoy it and the next chapter will be about the Serpentine Gardens.

New Pokemon or evolution: Stickit (Heracross), Cheepip (Swellow)

Mossy Forest:

Land: Lavenseed:25% (LV:3~5), Hamstar:20% (LV:4~6), Budcheep:20% (LV:4~6), Stickit:20% (LV:3~5), Cheepip:10% (LV:3~5), Pixwee:5% (LV:3~5)