CHAPTER 3: From anger to friendship

Some days passed traveling and everything was calm. Ash, Iris and Cilan continued with their way so the young man with hat won the gym badges, necessary to enter in the Unova League. They were just starting their journey, so they would have to train with their Pokémon for future battles.

Ash's Oshawott enjoyed the trip, at the same time that he tried to become friend with Snivy. Despite that they had met a relatively short time ago, they were understanding each other over time. The otter waited for them to become friends than just teammates. Days passed and the two of them became more friendly with each other. There was slow progress but secure. He would do everything possible so the grass snake felt as comfortable as possible while everyone traveled.

One day arrived when Ash re-encountered with Trip, who was his rival since they met in the Professor Juniper's laboratory. Ash wanted to do a rematch with him, and Trip accepted for that time. A battle was fought in the Pokémon Battle Club. Sadly, Ash lost against his rival's Pokémon, the power difference was quite large. The young man with hat didn't want to give up and wanted another battle for the next time they re-encountered each other again, to show that Ash could beat him. He hoped it would be like that.

The next day, Ash and his friends were resting and waiting the lunch that Cilan was cooking. Their Pokémon were free to do what they want at that time. Oshawott was stretching in that instant, he also thought that he wanted to talk with Snivy to spend time; however, he didn't see the grass snake around him nearby. Where was she? He thought. Would she have walked away from them so quickly? He had to look for her.

At the distance, he saw something moving, or rather, hiding. It was something with color green. The water-type realized that it was Snivy's leaf tail, it seemed that she was hiding behind a tree for some reason. What was she doing? Why she was hiding? Oshawott needed answers, so he went to where she was. After walking a few steps, some strange noises were heard, it seemed it was Snivy's voice that was doing some sounds of exertion, as if she was attacking something. The otter had to investigate.

Oshawott wanted him not to be seen by the grass-type. He went to a rock and hid himself behind it to see what the grass snake was doing. He saw what was happening, Snivy was attacking with Vine Whip quickly and repeatedly at a tree trunk. The sounds that she gave made him think that she was very furious for something, and she was taking it out on a tree. What was she exactly doing? Oshawott thought. He didn't want to interrupt her, he just watched to see what was wrong with her.

Snivy continued attacking with Vine Whip at the tree trunk furiously, until she stopped attacking for an instant. She looked tired by making a lot of effort in a short amount of time. In one moment, she turned her head to some place, the place where Oshawott was hiding. He, after noticing it, stopped watching and hid himself behind the rock not to be seen by her. He felt fear of being caught, he didn't know how the grass snake was going to react after seeing her teammate spying her, so to speak. The most probably thing was she would get very mad with him and would give him a beating with her vines, he was afraid by just thinking on that. He had to look for some opportunity to talk to her.

After some seconds hidden, he came back to watch her, he tried to be more careful. From what Oshawott saw, Snivy fixed her gaze on a medium-size rock. What was she going to do with that rock? The otter wondered. Later, the grass snake jumped and spun several times in the air, to attack with Leaf Blade to the rock that she was looking. She put weight on her tail and attacked to the big stone, breaking it and crushing it, it was a quite strong attack so a rock got destroyed in one hit.

The Sea Otter Pokémon watched that the grass snake got exhausted by all the effort that she made to attack the tree trunk and destroy the rock. It seemed she couldn't do make another move, Oshawott took that to his advantage in that instant to talk to her. He went towards his teammate, who had her back turned. After coming close enough, the water-type greeted her:

"Hello, Snivy."

The grass snake, immediately, turned around to give to the being that was behind her a strong and painful whiplash with a vine. When she realized who really was, he stopped her attack completely. Oshawott was very scared, he had Snivy's vine at short distance from his face. She had stopped just when she was about to give a whiplash on the Sea Otter Pokémon's face. He was still paralyzed by fear for what he saw. There were some seconds of silence until Snivy said in a serious way:

"So It was you, Oshawott."

"Oh… oh… Hello…" he said sharpened.

She immediately withdrew her vine and asked to him still with seriousness.

"What are you doing here?"

"I… uh… wanted to talk with you."

"About what?"

"It's about… First of all, what were you doing a while ago?"

Snivy looked with a slight anger because of the question. She answered.

"I was practicing to become stronger. I need to train more for my later battles."

"So that was it, eh? I see."

"Why were you watching me in secret?"

"I just wanted to talk with you, I've been looking for you near where the others were and I didn't see you around, so I had to look for you."

The grass snake was still looking serious, while Oshawott tried to talk normally with the fear inside him. He continued talking:

"Umm… I've noticed lately that you weren't in a good mood these days, why are you like that?"

The grass-type tried to calm herself a little and started to talk about what happened to her.

"Did you know what happened to me when Ash did a Pokémon battle with that boy called Trip in the Battle Club?"

"Uhh… the only thing that I remember is that Trip's Tranquill beat me in one attack. The rest I don't know because a was fainted. Did something happen to you that time?"

"Well, Ash sent me to battle against that youngster's Sevine. It was very difficult for me to try to beat him, he was more agile and stronger than me. Everything changed when Ash ordered me to use Attract on Trip's Pokémon. Fortunately, The Servine that he had was male, and he got in the infatuated state and vulnerable for me to attack him."

"Yeah, what else?"

"I was giving him a lot of whiplashes and finish him with Leaf Blade. I had beat him."

"Are you talking seriously?!" Oshawott exclaimed very surprised, "Did you beat your evolved form?! That's incredible! You're very strong!"

"Yes, I felt very proud for that, even Ash and Pikachu were happy for what I did. Just then, Ash returned me to my Poké Ball to rest a while."

"And what happened next?"

"The battle against Trip continued and in one moment Ash took me out of the Poké Ball to fight again, but this time my opponent was a Frillish. He was bigger than me and the Servine that I beat, so I had to make a lot of effort to beat him. He ordered me to use Vine Whip and I hit him, but Ash didn't know that the ability that Frillish had was Cursed Body."

"Cursed Body?"

"Yes, that ability allows that the opponent be without possibility to attack with the move that it used to attack. I attacked with Vine Whip at Trip's Frillish and didn't let me attack with that move again. After attacking, I felt… very strange, and disturbed in some way. It seemed for me to hear scary and unsettling things inside my head."

Oshawott felt goosebumps after imagine what Snivy lived after suffering the Cursed Body ability from Trip's Frillish. She continued telling the story:

"Anyway, from what I heard, Iris scolded Ash for not knowing that Frillish had Cursed Body, and told us that it activated with a contact attack. I don't know if that was totally true, but Ash didn't want to rick again. He ordered me to use Leaf Storm, but Frillish used Protect. That meant that I was unable to attack at distance, and I could attack physically neither. What I could do? I felt frustrated by that."

The Sea Otter Pokémon continued listening what his partner told. If it happened the same to him and fell on a situation of not able to attack the opponent in any way, he would also feel very frustrated for it, Snivy continued talking.

"Later, Trip's Frillish attacked me with Night Shade, I felt a terrible screech that made damage inside my head after receiving the move. Taking to my advantage that my opponent was vulnerable, I used Leaf Storm once again and I hit him, I finally dealt damage to him, but the battle hadn't ended yet. Ash later ordered me to use Attract, I thought that I would have the victory assured like the battle against Trip's Servine, but he dodged. I never felt more frustrated in that moment. Argh!" she said very angry.

The water-type little by little was getting more scared by the increasing anger that Snivy showed. It seemed that she was going to attack anyone if she reached to a certain point. Oshawott didn't want to see his partner very angry, but the story hadn't ended. Snivy continued:

"What could I do in that moment? I wasn't able to attack with Vine Whip, if I used Leaf Storm, he would use Protect, and he also was able to dodge my Attract easily. I wasn't able to do anything! Ash took a risky decision, he told me to use Leaf Blade at full power to defeat that Frillish once at for all. And I did that, I focused all my power to give that darn Frillish the coup de grace and end the battle. I used Leaf Blade and I did a strong and direct hit. And do you think that I beat him with what I did?"

"Ah… well… I think that…"

"No!" she said very angry, "I couldn't beat him even if I used all my power in just one attack! That Frillish was way stronger that I thought! And if that wasn't enough, the Cursed Body ability affected me again and left me without possibility to attack. It didn't end there! Frillish used Water Pulse and I received the attack. I was wrapped in water that damaged me constantly as if I was inside a washing machine, and guess what? The battle hadn't ended! After going out from Water Pulse, I was in confusion condition. I didn't know where I was and I was vulnerable against any attack. And to end with my humiliation, Trip's Frillish used Hex, and why not? It dealt more damage to me because I was confused. It seemed that my mind was going to explode by so much damage inside my head, until I finally fell fainted. I tell you the truth! I tell you the darn truth! That was the most humiliating battle that ever had! All the misfortunes that have been and will be fell on me in that right time! DO YOU THINK IT'S FUNNY LOSING IN SUCH A HUMILIATING WAY, OSHWOTT?! ! !

Oshawott was completely paralyzed from fear by the unbound fury from his partner after telling what happened to her in the battle of Ash against Trip. He was without seeing any words, but the only thing that he said was:

"Uh… uh… I…"

"IT WASN'T FUNNY AT ALL! ! !"

Snivy, with all her fury, decided to attack Oshawott with Vine Whip in an extremely violent way. He, with just seeing the grass-type taking out her vines to attack him, he closed his eyes and clenched his teeth with the idea of her giving a brutal and painful beating by whip-lashing; nevertheless, for some reason, nothing of that happened. Oshawott was still on state of tension waiting to receive the attacks from his partner, he didn't know that one vine was in the air at very little distance from his face, like what happened while ago. Snivy stopped when she was about to attack Oshawott, she thought in that instant that she couldn't attack her partner. Was really a good idea giving whiplashes to the water-type just for taking out all her anger that consumed her completely? She couldn't do that. She was about to make a mistake.

The grass snake withdrew her vines. The Sea Otter Pokémon was still with his eyes shut and his teeth clenched, but after realizing that he hadn't received any attack, he opened his eyes. What's wrong? Why Snivy didn't attack him? he thought. Just then, he saw Snivy that she tried to calm herself down. He asked her:

"Snivy, are you alright?"

She gave a heavy sigh and answered:

"I'm sorry, Oshawott. It wasn't my intention to scare you like that, I was just… Argh!" returning to be angry, "I can't be calmed now for what happened in the battle! How did everything bad in the world happen to me in that instant?!"

"Calm down, Snivy, it's not necessary that you be angry. That battle is already in the past."

"It was the most humiliating thing that I lived until now. That's why I try to make an effort to become stronger, don't you see?"

"Yeah, I know, Snivy, but… honestly… I don't wanna see you angry for a lost battle."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I don't like you seeing like that. I feel very worried about your condition if you're upset for something. I know that you lost and you were humiliated in the worst part possible, but that's already in the past."

"For you it's easy to say it, you didn't last anything when you went to fight. You were defeated quickly."

"Well… yeah, that's right, but I accepted that I wasn't prepared to defeat Trip's Pokémon, his Pokémon were stronger that Ash's ones and none of us had opportunity to defeat them all. Despite that, the battle is now in the past and it let us learn that we must be stronger and more intelligent for the next time we encounter him."

"Hmm…"

"You may have lost in a humiliating way, but I want you to be content even if you lost in that way. Maybe next time you have another opportunity. Besides, be happy at least for something that a few Pokémon can do."

"What thing?"

"That you were able to beat your evolved form, who was way stronger than you. Previously, I wanted to fight in an occasion, but my opponent was a Dewott, I chickened out and I didn't fight against that Pokémon. I didn't have the guts for that, but you do. I'm still surprised that you have done it. You're very strong despite you lost in the other round against Frillish, but the most important thing is that you're happy traveling with us. I don't wanna see you angry in that way because I'm worried about you."

Snivy, after hearing those honest words from her teammate, he felt better than when she was angry. So it was true that Oshawott cared a lot about the grass snake. It seemed that he still wanted that she felt good after all for something so fleeting like losing a simple battle. She must have been calm while everyone continued traveling through Unova. The grass-type believed that. The rage went off and she said to Oshawott:

"Thank you, Oshawott, that made me feel better."

"Do you feel calmed now?"

"Yes, I'll do my best I can to win. I'll have to try harder in the battles."

"Very well, Snivy. I'm glad for that."

"Yes. You really are a good partner and friend."

"Exactly, wait… do you… consider me… as a friend?"

"Yes, you have helped me in everything and have made me feel good while we traveled. It as if I had at home, so to speak, although I don't remember that I had a home before that; in any case, thank you so much for all."

Oshawott couldn't believe it, Did Snivy considered him as a friend? That was he wanted since she joined to the team. He was happy.

"Yes!" while he jumped of joy.

Snivy got intrigued for his unexpected happiness. She commented:

"So you're happy because we're friends, right?"

"Yeah, I know that you're not a very sociable and unexpressed Pokémon, but at least you opened to me. That's why I'm happy, because my objective since you joined to the team is accomplished at last. Look how you've progressed since the first encounter when Ash caught you."

Snivy didn't know why, but seeing Oshawott so happy made her feel good in a certain way, even a slight smile escaped her face, rare thing to happen. No matter, they had to return with the other to eat. Oshawott said:

"It's better to return to eat, do you wanna accompany me, Snivy?"

"Yes, I'm going with you."

And the two went to where Ash and company were. The Sea Otter Pokémon couldn't believe it yet. Now Snivy and Oshawott were friends, that would made the trip smoother and enjoyable for her. She had a good time while she traveled with everyone, that it was the most important thing for the water-type. Now they had to prepare themselves for future battles. They had to try so hard if they wanted for their trainer to win the gym badges and compete in the Unova League.