Hello again, everyone! It's been a while, but I'm so excited to be back with a new one shot for you all! Another one that was inspired by Ash's final episode where he was reunited with a certain Pokémon of his.

Aiden: 4 years old

Fair Feather Friends

"Okay, Pidgeot. Let's fly!"

The bird Pokémon sighed as Aiden climbed onto his back. Pidgeot loved his trainer's children, but that was part of the problem. He never wanted to do anything that would hurt them, and unfortunately for him, Aiden was extremely headstrong and adventurous. Pidgeot wouldn't have minded taking the boy for quick flights, but Aiden always wanted Pidgeot to go higher, and faster, and further. It made the bird Pokémon awfully nervous, and he often felt better leaving the boy on the ground as a result.

"Pidg-ot…"

Aiden hummed and leaned over, taking note of the bird's hesitant expression. "Hey, what's the matter? Do you feel okay?"

"He feels fine, buddy."

The boy looked up at his father, who was sporting a contemplative look himself. Pikachu, meanwhile, hopped off his trainer's shoulder in order to provide the flying Pokemon with a reassuring pat on the leg. "Then how come he's not flying?"

"I think you're just making him a little nervous," Ash presumed, glancing over at his Pokémon. "Am I right, Pidgeot?"

The bird nodded affirmatively. That answer made no sense to Aiden, however, who quickly cried, "why am I making him nervous?"

"Because you're a crazy kid who likes to push boundaries," Ash quipped.

Aiden twisted his mouth and thought for a moment before admitting, "I dunno what that means."

"I figured," Ash chuckled. Once he stopped laughing, the Pokémon Master explained, "Pidgeot cares about you a whole lot, buddy. And he's afraid he might hurt you."

"Pi-ka!" Pikachu agreed, having conversed with Pidgeot on the side.

Such a concern seemed to shock the boy. "Pidgeot wouldn't hurt me!"

"Not on purpose he wouldn't, of course not," Ash refuted. "But when you ask him to fly really high, or really fast, I think it kind of freaks Pidgeot out."

"…yeah?" Aiden asked, leaning closer into Pidgeot.

The bird Pokémon cooed quietly and nodded once again. In return, the boy sitting on his back frowned and sat up straight.

"I didn't know that," Aiden murmured.

"It's good to take time to talk to your Pokémon and understand what they're feeling," Ash helpfully informed his son. "Doing that will make you a stronger team!"

"Take time?" Aiden repeated. "I'm not very good at that. But I like knowing a lot about Pokémon. And when I have my own, I want us to be the best team ever! So…I guess I can practice."

"Sounds like a plan!" Ash chirped, picking Aiden up off Pidegot's back. The dual type let out a sigh of relief, which in turn earned a smirk from his trainer. "Maybe you can start with Pidgeot."

The boy, however, did not look convinced. "You already told me how Pidgeot feels!"

"I told you how he feels about one thing," Ash sighed. "Pokémon are no different than people; we all have lots of different feelings about lots of different things."

Aiden pursed his lips. "I love Pokémon. And baseball. But I hate carrots and baths. Is that what feeling different stuff means?"

Ash nodded. "It is!"

"Oh, okay, I think I get it then," Aiden declared. Turning his attention back onto his father's Pokémon, Aiden inclined his head and asked, "do you hate baths too, Pidgeot?"

Both trainer and his two Pokémon nearly fell on their faces. Recovering, Ash rubbed the back of his neck and awkwardly chuckled, "I didn't mean like that, buddy."

Aiden scrunched up his nose. "Well, now I'm ca-fused again."

"Don't overthink it," Ash casually replied. "Just take the time to let Pidgeot tell you about his feelings."

"Okay," Aiden sighed, turning on one foot before sitting himself down in front of the bird Pokémon. Delighted, Pikachu hopped into the boy's lap, causing him to chuckle. "You can help me, Pikachu!"

Ash grinned at the trio. "You guys have fun! Maybe I can take a quick nap while you do that…"

I really want to try and get back into the swing of writing more, but it's been a little hard to get inspiration since I'm no longer watching the anime. I've been meaning to do a rewatch of some old episodes soon, so hopefully that will spark some ideas!