Chapter 18

Stopping in a quiet little town to rest, Ash found himself locked in the beginnings of a heated battle with a young Pokémon Trainer. The young boy – younger than Ash by just a couple of years – had introduced himself as Albert. He was a Pokémon Trainer, but too young to be traveling yet, and challenged everyone who passed through his town.

"How about a two-on-two battle?" Albert asked Ash, holding up his first choice of Pokémon firmly in his palms.

"Fine by me, but I'll only need one to beat you," the Pallet Town Trainer smirked at his opponent, taking his own choice of Poké Ball out.

"Oh brother. Overconfident for no reason..." Gary muttered, resting his palm against his forehead in dramatized exasperation. Ash ignored him and threw his Poké Ball forward.

"Chikorita, I choose you!"

"Chikah!" his Grass-type Pokémon cried as it burst from its Poké Ball and stood in the grass.

"Go, Zubat!" Albert shouted, throwing his own Poké Ball. From it, a blue bat Pokémon with no eyes appeared and fluttered in the darkening sky some distance above the ground.

"Zaba!" it chittered, but Chikorita didn't seem intimidated in the slightest.

It was Albert who called the first move, and did so by waving his hand forward. "Zubat, use Leech Life!" Obeying its Trainer, the Bat Pokémon spread its wings wide and glided at Chikorita with its teeth bared.

"Chikorita, stop it with your Vine Whip!" Ash countered quickly. Chikorita's red eyes flashed with determination as the buds around its neck extended out and shot up at Zubat. Before the Poison Pokémon could reach it with the super-effective attack, the vines wrapped themselves around the base of Zubat's wings, stopping it in place. Chikorita ran towards the Bat Pokémon with a smirk planted on its face and as it jumped, it slammed Zubat to the ground at the same time, and held it down until it itself had landed.

"Zubat, pick yourself up!" Albert cried with worry, and his Pokémon peeled itself off the ground and slowly fluttered back into the air. "Hit it with your Wing Attack!"

Zubat chittered once again, and shot at Chikorita. "Chikorita, Razor Leaf!" Ash commanded.

"Chika!" his Grass-type called, and jumped into the air before swinging the leaf on its head. Three razor-sharp leaves spun towards Zubat, but Albert's Pokémon spun around the leaves, and as they soared past it, Zubat swung past Chikorita and struck it with one of its wings. Chikorita cried out as it fell back to the ground.

"Great hit, Zubat! Now, use Leech Life again!" Zubat's wings fluttered powerfully as it curled in the air around its Trainer and dove down at Chikorita with its teeth bared once again.

"Tackle it, Chikorita!" Ash shouted. His Pokémon picked itself off the ground and it looked up to aim at Zubat, and then collided with it. The two attacks fought against each other, and then Chikorita bounced back and landed on its feet in front of its Trainer. "Are you all right, Chikorita?"

"Chikoh!" his Pokémon affirmed with a nod and a fiery look in its ruby red eyes.

"What about you, Zubat?" Albert asked, and his Pokémon shook its head free of pain and fluttered down close to its Trainer and chirped. "Okay, then use Supersonic!" Pushing itself up so its body was facing Chikorita, Zubat let out a high-pitched noise from its mouth, sending out rings of blue sound waves from its mouth that expanded bigger and bigger as they soared at Chikorita.

"Razor Leaf!" Once again, Chikorita leapt into the air and swung its head, and this time when the leaves spun out, they made direct contact with Zubat, since the Bat Pokémon was distracted by using its Supersonic attack. With the attack disturbed, the sound waves broke apart before they had a chance to reach Ash's Pokémon. "Now, finish it with Tackle!"

"Chika chika... RI!" Chikorita bounded forward and jumped into the air at Zubat who was still recovering in the air. Zubat let out a cry and fell backwards before falling into the grass in a heap.

"Zubat!" the younger Trainer exclaimed, and held out his Pokémon's Poké Ball. "You fought well. Return!" The Poké Ball sent out a red beam that converted Zubat into energy and drew it inside, and within moments, Albert selected his next Pokémon. He pressed the center button to make it bigger, and threw it forward. "Go, Raticate!"

"Raticate!" the tan Rat Pokémon appeared and bared its large front teeth.

"It looks tough. Can you handle it?" Ash asked his Pokémon, who simply scoffed in reply and smirked.

"Your Chikorita is confident, but it doesn't stand a chance against my Raticate!" Albert sneered, clutching onto his carrying case tightly. "Raticate, Tackle attack!"

"Then we'll use our Tackle, too!" Ash countered. The two Pokémon jumped at each other and collided in the air. Using each other as springboards, they bounced off the other and collided in the air two more times. When Chikorita landed, it was breathing heavily. The previous battle was taking its toll on it, but Raticate was fresh and ready to go. Ash gave his Pokémon a few moments to breathe, and then pointed forward. "Chikorita, Tackle attack!"

"Raticate, Hyper Fang now!" Once again, the two Pokémon jumped at each other, but as Raticate jumped and cried out, its teeth began to glow brilliantly, and it slammed them into Chikorita. The attack was much more powerful than its Tackle attack, and Chikorita cried out as it fell backwards and onto its side.

"Chika..."

"Ah! Chikorita, are you all right?!" the dark-haired Trainer exclaimed. His voice made Chikorita's eyes opened, and his Pokémon jumped onto its feet.

"Chikoh!" it stated, and ran at Raticate.

"Raticate, stop it with your Quick Attack!" Albert commanded. His Pokémon got down on all fours and lunged at Chikorita. It moved faster than its previous attacks, and the bigger Pokémon slammed into Chikorita, landing a direct hit that made the Grass-type cry out and fly backwards. His Pokémon bounced off the ground and landed on its stomach by his feet.

"Good job, Chikorita, but I think you've had enough for today, so return!" Ash told it. Hearing this, Chikorita picked itself off the ground and jumped forward before scoffing. "Didn't you hear me?"

"That Chikorita sure is stubborn," Gary muttered from the sidelines.

Without waiting for a command, Chikorita swung its head, and sent out a Razor Leaf attack at its opponent. The lack of command threw off both Trainer and Pokémon, and Raticate was struck with the leaves. "Nice Razor Leaf; good aim," Ash complimented, and took out Chikorita's Poké Ball. "But now I'm replacing you with Blastoise." This statement made Chikorita's eyes flash, unbeknownst to Ash, and he held out its Poké Ball. "Chikorita, return!" But as the recall beam shot out from the center button, Chikorita ran forward, and the red beam hit the grass uselessly. Ash's eyebrows raised momentarily, but then lowered in annoyance. "Chikorita, I said return!"

"Chika!" his Pokémon muttered, jumping to dodge the recall beam once again. Ash grumbled and tried a few more times, but each time, Chikorita skipped away from getting hit.

"Stop it, Chikorita!" He tried again and again, while both Gary and Albert looked on with similar looks on confusion as his Pokémon ignored his command over and over again. "Get back here, Chikorita! Return now!" Even Albert's Raticate was staring with confusion, having long since recovered from Chikorita's Razor Leaf.

"Dinner time!" A female's voice cried from a house nearby, and Albert looked in the direction of the house, and then fished a Poké Ball out from his pocket.

"Raticate, return," he said, and in moments, his Raticate was pulled inside.

"Huh? What are you doing?" Ash asked, still holding Chikorita's empty Poké Ball in his hand. "We're in a battle here; you can't just leave!"

"Sorry, it's late," Albert apologized with annoyance. "And I can't wait all night for you to get your Chikorita to listen."

"Uh... bye..." Ash murmured as the boy patted his carrying bag free of any dirt that had been kicked up from the battle and ran in the direction of his house. He watched the boy disappear through the front door, and then his eyebrows furrowed as he looked down at his Pokémon. "Chikorita, we would have won for sure if you'd just listened to me." Chikorita's smirk faded when it looked up at Ash, and he held out its Poké Ball. Finally, the recall beam hit the Leaf Pokémon, and it was pulled inside. With his Pokémon safely inside, he frowned and looked at the face of the capture device. His face was reflected in the metal, but in his mind's eye he was looking at Chikorita. "What's with you?"

o 0 o

The stars were just starting to dot in the sky when the pair of Trainers found the local Pokémon Center. While Gary fed both his and Ash's Pokémon, the younger of the two excused himself to make a phone call to Professor Oak.

"Good to see you again, Ash," Professor Oak smiled as he appeared on the monitor. "How's the journey going?"

"It's going great, Professor," Ash responded, and opened up his jacket to show the camera the Badge he had won. "I already won a Zephyr Badge at the Violet City Gym."

"Well congratulations; that's quite an accomplishment," the older man said. "But I hope in all the excitement, you don't forget to deliver that GS Ball."

"Don't worry, Professor. I won't forget that," the black-haired Trainer assured his superior with a chuckle. The gray-haired professor returned his chuckle, and then a grunt sounded from off-camera. Before Ash knew it, the screen was covered with a familiar purple sludge, and Professor Oak struggled out from underneath the affectionate Muk.

"As you can see, your Muk is just as playful and affectionate as ever – especially around dinner time," Professor Oak chuckled nervously, and then let out a cry as Muk pushed him over onto the ground. Both disappeared from view of the camera all the way at Pallet Town, but his cries could still be heard through the speakers. "Stop it, Muk! That tickles!" Hair roused and tousled, the gray haired professor rose and waved at the camera. "Bye for now! Call again soon!"

"Muuu-uuuu-uuuuk!" Ash's Muk agreed, and leapt on Professor Oak's shoulders and waved to the camera as well. Professor Oak tried to stay up as long as he could, but soon crumbled under Muk's weight, and as they both went down to the floor again, the screen went black. Ash chuckled to himself and ended the call on his side as well, and went out to the lobby to meet up with Gary once again.

The town they were in was very small, so they were the only ones in the center's lobby at the moment. As such, Ash and Gary's Pokémon were all spread out, each eating Pokémon chow from their own bowls. The only exception was Heracross, who was on all fours happily sipping some honey. Ash let a smile drift across his face as he looked at how happy his Pokémon seemed to be, and approached Gary, who was sitting on the bench with his eyes in the guidebook.

"Looks like everybody's enjoying their dinner," Ash observed. But there was one Pokémon that was noticeably missing from the group: Chikorita. Brown eyes wandered through the small lobby, and he found the Grass-type Pokémon sitting and looking out the window into the night. "Hey, Chikorita; why don't you go eat with the other Pokémon?"

"Chikoh?" Sad ruby eyes turned in Ash's direction, but then it turned back toward the window with its nose in the air.

Bulbasaur saw this commotion and extended its vines out from underneath its bulb. Rummaging through its bowl, it took a handful of dry food from inside and brought them over to the other Grass-type. "Bulba," it offered, placing them down on the ground by Chikorita. The Leaf Pokémon looked at them in disgust, and used its leaf to bat them away across the lobby, surprising both Bulbasaur and Ash and Gary.

"That wasn't very nice," Ash frowned, blinking as if he was shocked his Pokémon was acting that way.

"Chikorita seems to have an attitude problem lately," Gary observed, standing up and putting away his book. "Seems more like a Krabby than a Chikorita."

"Pokémon behavior is clearly driven by psychology." The two turned their head and saw the Nurse Joy that had checked them in had been observing the situation as well. Unlike other Nurse Joys who wore a nurse's outfit, this one was wearing a blue sweater and dark skirt underneath a white lab coat, and she adjusted the glasses resting on the bridge of her nose before continuing. "Does that Chikorita belong to you?"

"Uh, yes ma'am," Ash answered.

"And what's your name?"

"My name's Ash Ketchum."

"And you remember me from when we checked in – I'm Gary Oak," Gary spoke up.

"Yes, I remember. I'm Nurse Joy, and I have a degree in Pokémon psychology from Celadon University. I provide innovative counseling techniques and new Pokémon therapy."

"You mean there's some kind of new Pokémon called 'Therapy'?!" Ash exclaimed with a cocked eyebrow, and Gary's face immediately flushed red.

"Slow as usual, Ashy," he murmured. "Therapy's not a Pokémon, numb-skull. Therapy is what helps you with your psychological problems."

"Oh, is that all?" Ash whispered back. That wasn't nearly as exciting as a new Pokémon discovery.

"I have an idea, Ash!" Nurse Joy said with her pointer finger in the air. "Why don't you and your Pokémon join me, and we'll have a counseling session."

"But... I don't have a problem..."

"Maybe, but I'm going to need your help to explore the issues that may be causing your Chikorita's behavior."

"Oh. Okay."

Nurse Joy led the pair – and Chikorita – to the nurse's station after the rest of their Pokémon were recalled into their Poké Balls. She pulled up some chairs, and let Chikorita sit in the middle of them all. The Grass-type Pokémon laid down on the table with an air of disinterest, but seemed to be listening in on the conversation.

And so, with Nurse Joy's suggestion, Ash started from the beginning. He told her about its capture on Route 29, and how it wasn't until after Christmas that Chikorita started to become affectionate. He told her of the stubborn streak it seemed to have, and how it really didn't have any interest in helping anyone else. Eventually, he got to the base of the problem when Chikorita refused to be recalled into its Poké Ball.

"Interesting," Nurse Joy said, looking up from her clipboard. "You say Chikorita's refusal to return occurred while you were battling another Trainer and his Raticate earlier this evening?"

"That's right," Ash answered. "Chikorita took a lot of damage and it was pretty worn out, so I wanted it to return and take a rest. But Chikorita wouldn't let Blastoise take over." Nurse Joy thought for a moment, and finally, her glasses flashed in the florescent lights above with a quick movement of her head.

"I think I know the problem," she stated. "Chikorita is suffering from envy."

"Not 'Envy', I said we were battling with a Raticate!"

"Envy isn't a Pokémon, peanut-brain," Gary interrupted. "Chikorita's jealous."

"Jealous of what?" Ash responded with a cocked eyebrow, and then turned back to the pink-haired doctor. "I give Chikorita plenty of attention, Nurse Joy; why would it be jealous?"

"I don't know much about its background before you captured it, but it sounds like Chikorita didn't have very many close friends or family to care for it," Nurse Joy explained. "After seeing how much your Pokémon cared for you, Chikorita was able to open its heart and let you in. It wants to give you the world, but it thinks you don't believe in it."

Ash's mouth fell open as he let out a breath of air. He had no idea that that was why Chikorita was always snuggling up to him when he let it out of its Poké Ball. As he let the air out of his lungs, he deflated and his eyes drifted down to Chikorita, who was pretending not to listen. "Poor Chikorita..."

"Don't worry, Ash," Nurse Joy assured him with a smile. "I think we can work through it." She stood up and gestured for them to follow her. Chikorita refused to get up from the table, so Ash was forced to carry it in his arms and hurried after Nurse Joy.

They went to the back of the smaller Pokémon Center, and Nurse Joy opened up a pair of double doors. Immediately, the scent of foliage and plants hit him, as well as a heavy moisture-filled air rushing out. It was a beautiful greenhouse with plants and flowers thriving beautifully. The lights above gave illumination to the wide variety of greenery, while the large windows to the right provided a wonderful view of the small town past the center.

The scene immediately perked up Chikorita in Ash's arms, and it opened its eyes for the first time since dinner time. A small smile spread across its face, and it leapt out of its Trainer's arms to go explore. "Why did we bring Chikorita here?"

"Chikorita is a Grass-type Pokémon," Nurse Joy explained as Chikorita rubbed its head against a leaf. "So it needs lots of plants so it can be calmed and comfortable."

"That certainly makes sense," Gary agreed, noting the aggression fade from Chikorita's body before their eyes.

"Why don't you try to get Chikorita to return to its Poké Ball now?" she suggested. Ash nodded in agreement, and fished out its Poké Ball.

"Chikorita, return!" he called, and this time, the Leaf Pokémon was easily recalled inside. Though the light retreated inside the ball successfully, he still had a look of worry on his face. "Nurse Joy, do you really think this psychology stuff will help my Chikorita?"

"Yes I do. The new Pokémon therapies are quite effective." She held out her free hand that wasn't holding onto her clipboard. "But I think it's best if your Chikorita stays here in the greenhouse tonight."

"Sure..." Ash murmured, and handed the nurse the Poké Ball that was in his hand. With the red and white sphere placed in her palm, Nurse Joy rested the metal capture device on a table in the center of the greenhouse.

"This should help Chikorita's mood, but we can follow up in the morning. For now, I think we all need a good night's rest." Ash and Gary agreed, and with one last look at the Poké Ball resting on the table, Ash followed Gary down the hall to the room they had rented for the night.

o 0 o

The pair were roused abruptly out of their sleep early the next morning by pounding on their door. Ash's hair was more messy than usual as he peeled himself out of his bunk and sauntered over to the door like a zombie. On the other side was Nurse Joy, and she had a worried look on her face. "Ash! Chikorita's gone!" This statement brought Ash to a fully alert state, and his eyes widened so fast that the sleep crusts in them instantly disappeared.

"What?!" Quickly dressing as fast as he could, him and Gary hurried to the greenhouse, and there sat Chikorita's Poké Ball where they had left it that night, but it was open on its hinge, revealing the reflective mirrors and metal inside. "What could it have gone?"

"There's a security camera in here," Nurse Joy told him. "Let's go to the computer and see if we can see when it left." Back at the nurse's station where the peak of their evening hit the night before, Nurse Joy brought up the footage, and all three watched it together with different looks on their faces. On the black and white footage, they could see Chikorita's Poké Ball shake a few times before opening, and Chikorita appeared in a flash of light. It looked around for a moment or two, and turned its head before stopping its gaze on the screen door which was open just slightly. It hopped up to the window, looked around in the night air, and then went out and out of view of the camera.

A gasp escaped past Ash's lips, but Nurse Joy only looked at it with her chin resting on her face. "Yup, this is a textbook case," she mused.

"Case of what?"

"That Chikorita craves your attention," she told Ash. "And an excellent way to get it is by running away."

"I've got to get out there and look for it," the black-haired Trainer said, tightening his fist in frustration and worry.

"I think you'd better hurry, Ash," Nurse Joy said, and Ash turned his eyes up toward her. "This is a pretty tough neighborhood, and it's got some pretty rough Pokémon."

"Are you saying Chikorita might get attacked?" Gary questioned, and she nodded. Him and Ash locked eyes, both showing a fiery determination.

"Let's go."

"Right."

o 0 o

While the town wasn't very big compared to some of the other towns and cities that Ash had been to before, one never really understood the size of a town until they were trying to find a small Pokémon in it. As they ran up and down the streets calling out for Chikorita, they realized in a very short amount of time that trying to find the Grass-type Pokémon would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

They searched for an hour before Ash stopped to catch his breath. Sweat was dripping from the sides of his face, but his eyes were still looking around despite standing still. "I just hope Chikorita's all right..."

"If we don't find it soon, there's a chance it won't be," Gary replied. "We need to come up with a better idea than this, though. We'll never find it if we keep running around like this."

"Okay, but where do we look first?" Gary was silent for a moment, and Ash could see the gears turning in his rival's head.

"I know. Chikorita is a Grass Pokémon, so let's split up and have our Grass Pokémon see if they can pick up its scent."

It was as good of an idea as they were gonna get, so Ash nodded and immediately brought out Bulbasaur's Poké Ball. "Let's try. Bulbasaur, I choose you!"

Gary followed suit. "Go Venusaur!" Two lights shot from their hands and formed together into the two Seed Pokémon.

"Bulba!"

"Saur!"

"Bulbasaur, we need you to try and sniff out Chikorita. If you can pick up its scent, maybe we can find it."

"You too, Venusaur," Gary told his starter Pokémon. Venusaur began to saunter forward, breathing in through its nose with each step as it did, and Gary followed after it, but stopped and turned around. "We'll meet back here in an hour if we don't find any sign of it."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Ash replied, and followed after his Bulbasaur. The Grass Pokémon was sniffing the air as well, and was running off through the grass.

They ran for a little while longer, with Bulbasaur stopping every once in a while to sniff the air. Finally, it seemed as though it had caught a scent, and it perked up. "Bulba! Bulbasaur!"

"Did you find something, Bulbasaur?" Turning back to lock eyes with its Trainer, the Seed Pokémon nodded and hurried forward. Ash ran to keep up with the quadruped and after a bit of navigating, they approached an old, abandoned warehouse. The building looked to be in shambles, with broken windows, graffiti, and old machines that were no longer operational. The pair quickly sifted through the tall, unkempt grass and crossed the wooden fence that was falling apart just as much as the building it was encircling. "Chikorita!" Ash called, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Are you here? Chikorita!"

"Chikah!" The voice of his Pokémon made him perk up, and he strained his eyes to try and see through the darkness of the inside of the building. The garage doors were opened, and after some time, Chikorita came walking out. Much to his relief, it didn't look harmed at all, but its brow was furrowed over its eyes, and it walked with its chest out.

"Chikorita, there you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Ash said with relief, ignorant to the glare that Chikorita was sending him. As he stepped forward, a flash of movement in his peripheral made him freeze in place, and from the roof, a Pokémon that was familiar to him jumped down.

"Prime-ape prime prime!" the Pokémon snorted as it landed. It was a Primeape.

"Don't you touch Chikorita!" Ash shouted angrily, taking a step forward.

"Chika!" Chikorita called, and Ash froze in place when Primeape struck out a boxing glove-like fist, planting it into an iron barrel beside it. The metal folded like paper with its strike, and a loud, empty boom sounded as it clattered to the ground.

"Chiko... rita?" Ash muttered, an eyebrow raising. It almost looked like Chikorita... commanded the Primeape to give Ash a warning not to come closer. "I don't understand. Why did you run away?"

"Chikori!" the Grass Pokémon shouted back.

"Primeape!" the Fighting Pokémon in front of it added, swinging its arms in a warm-up. Ash looked down at his Bulbasaur, and the two locked eyes before Bulbasaur gave its Trainer a nod. The Pallet Town native returned it with a smile and took another step forward.

"Please come back, Chikorita. I'm sorry you feel jealous, but I-"

"Prime-ape! Prime!" Primeape screeched, cutting off Ash. Just then, three shadows flashed above him, and Ash looked up to see that a Hitmonchan, a Machoke, and a Hitmonlee had leapt off the roof and were diving straight at Ash. The black haired Trainer stumbled backwards in surprise and fell onto his backside, and behind him, Bulbasaur let out its vines to try and stop them, but it knew it couldn't stop all three of them – four if Primeape jumped in as well.

"Venusaur, Vine Whip!"

"Saaauuurrr!" Ash's head whipped up as three vines shot out from behind him and ensnared the three Fighting-type Pokémon in midair. Following the vines backwards, he saw Gary and his Venusaur emerge from the sidelines.

"Are you okay, Ash?"

"Yeah, thanks, Gare," the Pallet Town Trainer said, sighing with relief as he stood up. Now that Ash was safe, Venusaur flicked its vines and threw the three Fighting-type Pokémon onto the ground. All three fell down and grunted in pain, but they quickly picked themselves back up and glared daggers at the two. "I don't want to fight you guys; I just want my Chikorita back." Chikorita's glare softened slightly, and it went to take a step forward, but Primeape stepped out in front of it, blocking it from Ash's view.

"Prime..."

"They must somehow think Chikorita is their leader," Gary observed.

"Fine! If you want a battle, I'll give you a battle!" Ash said with determination, and took out a Poké Ball. "Heracross, I choose you!" He threw the ball into the air, and in moments, Heracross came buzzing out of the Poké Ball, but instead of landing on the ground in front of Ash, it turned around in the air and landed behind Bulbasaur before snatching it up by the vine.

"Bulba! Bulbasaur!" it cried, and used its Vine Whip to strike at Heracross's head and stop it from sucking the pollen out of its bulb. The Bug and Fighting-type Pokémon raised its hands up and covered its head, and sauntered back over to Ash in defeat.

Seeing the new Pokémon, Machoke, Hitmonchan, and Hitmonlee took a battle stance and readied themselves, but Chikorita cried out. "Chika! Chik-chikori!" As it spoke it, waved one of its paws at the three and pointed at Primeape. Much to their surprise, the three much larger Pokémon backed off and Primeape stepped forward. Chikorita really was commanding them.

Without giving them any time to recover, Primeape launched itself forward. "Heracross, Tackle attack!" Ash commanded.

"Herla-cross!" the Single Horn Pokémon barked and propelled itself forward with the help of its wings. The two Pokémon collided in the middle of the makeshift battlefield and struggled for dominance. Finally, with a swipe up from its horn, Heracross was able to break the contact with Primeape and send it back where its feet skidded against the dirt.

"Primeape, I don't want to battle you!" Ash tried to reason with it, holding out his hands with his palms up. "Please, I just want Chikorita to be safe." However, Primeape ignored him and rushed forward again, this time pulling back its fist to prepare for a punch. Ash bit back a groan of annoyance and shot his glance back at Heracross. "Heracross, Endure!" Just in time for Primeape to throw its punch, Heracross put its hands together and caught the punch. The punch was powerful that it made the Bug and Fighting Pokémon skid backward, and it grimaced with one eye closed before pushing forward and throwing Primeape back where it came from. Primeape flipped backwards and landed on the ground.

The two stared at each other for some time, and both were huffing slightly from the short battle, but Ash had absolutely no interest in this battle. Letting out a cry of frustration, he ran forward. Past Heracross and toward his Chikorita. Primeape saw this and immediately jumped at Ash, but Bulbasaur saved the day. "Bulba-zaur!" it cried, and sent out its Vine Whip to subdue Primeape and pin it to the ground.

Seeing their gang member get attacked, the other three Fighting-type Pokémon no longer stood by, and they too ran at Ash. "Venusaur!" Gary cried, and with a wave of his arm, the large Seed Pokémon let out a low roar and sent out six vines from underneath its flower. The vines tied themselves around the three and forced them to the ground.

Ash turned around and smiled at Gary, and then continued forward, this time at a slower pace. Locking his eyes on Chikorita, he gave it a smile and held out his hands with the palms facing toward it. "Chikorita, I'm sorry that I made you think that I didn't care enough about you. I care about each one of my Pokémon so much, and you're no different."

The hardened look on Chikorita's face cracked, and it frowned with saddened undertones as it looked at its Trainer. But before Chikorita could make a decision, Primeape began to thrash underneath Bulbasaur's vines. Pulling hard, it threw Bulbasaur off-balance, giving it enough leeway to break free of the Vine Whip restraints pushing it to the ground, and leapt into the air. "Primeape! Prime-primeape!" Ash heard the commotion and whipped around to see Primeape in the air and shooting towards him. Heracross was too far away to do anything, and Bulbasaur was still trying to get onto its feet. Ash and Gary both gasped, and could only watch from this angle, but suddenly, Chikorita jumped into the air behind Ash.

"Chiii-kah!" Two green vines extended out from the buds on Chikorita's neck, and they struck Primeape square in the face. The surprise attack caught Primeape off-guard, and it fell to the ground onto its back. "Chikah! Chik!" Chikorita said in a harsh tone as it landed in front of Ash and stood proudly in front of him.

Primeape looked up at Chikorita from its position on the ground, and the two locked eyes, before finally the Pig Monkey Pokémon pulled itself off the ground and hurried into the abandoned factory. With a nod of his head, Gary silently told his Venusaur to let go of the others, and they too hurried after the other Fighting-type into the darkness of the warehouse. Now that the threat of the Fighting Pokémon was gone, Ash let out a breath of relief and knelt down. Chikorita's angry look quickly melted into a smile when it looked up at Ash, and the boy chuckled as he rubbed the side of the Grass Pokémon's head.

o 0 o

"Thank you, Nurse Joy," Ash thanked. They had long since returned to the Pokémon Center, and after a brief council session to prove that Chikorita was fine and a good meal, they were ready to head off once again. "You really understand Pokémon."

"Thanks Ash; I'm glad I could help out," the pink-haired nurse replied, her glasses reflecting the setting sun behind them. "I just wish I had time to explore Chikorita's psyche."

Ash looked down at the Grass-type at his feet with a wide smile resting on his lips. "Guess we better get going, Chikorita," he said to it, and the Pokémon simply blinked up at him in confusion. "C'mon, this shoulder's just for you." Instantly, a bright smile curled Chikorita's lips, and it let out a loud squeal of happiness before jumping up and settling on his backpack. It turned around and rested its front legs on his shoulder whilst snuggling up against his cheek.

"Chika! Chikori! Chika!"

Ash:

Party:

Blastoise (Poké Ball) (m)

Moves: Skull Bash, Dig, Hydro Pump, BubbleBeam

Bulbasaur (Poké Ball) (m)

Moves: SolarBeam, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Tackle

Heracross (Poké Ball) (m)

Moves: Horn Attack, Tackle, Endure

Chikorita (Poké Ball)

Moves: Razor Leaf, Tackle, Vine Whip

At Professor Oak's Lab:

Tauros (Safari Ball) x2 (m)

Moves: Fissure, Horn Attack, Take Down

Kingler (Poké Ball) (m)

Moves: Water Gun, Bubble, Crabhammer, Hyper Beam

Muk (Poké Ball)

Moves: Poison Gas, Sludge Bomb

Primeape (Poké Ball) (m)

Moves: Thrash, Mega Kick, Scratch, Seismic Toss

Pidgeotto (Poké Ball) (f)

Moves: Gust, Quick Attack, Whirlwind, Double-Edge

Stantler (Poké Ball)

Moves: Hypnosis

Training at Charicific Valley:

Charizard (Poké Ball) (m)

Moves: Flamethrower, Fire Spin, Skull Bash, Slash

Kanto Badges:

Boulder Badge

Cascade Badge

Thunder Badge

Marsh Badge

Rainbow Badge

Soul Badge

Volcano Badge

Earth Badge

Diamond Badge

Indigo League Rank: Top 4

Johto Badges:

Zephyr Badge

Gary:

Party:

Venusaur (Poké Ball) (m)

Moves: SolarBeam, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Mega Drain

Arcanine (Poké Ball)

Moves: Take Down, Fire Spin, Fire Blast, Flamethrower

Nidoqueen (Poké Ball) (f)

Moves: Rock Smash, Hyper Beam, Mega Punch, Double Kick

Nidoking (Poké Ball) (m)

Moves: Horn Attack, Earthquake, Tackle

Pinsir (Poké Ball)

Moves: Fury Attack, ViceGrip

Hoothoot (Poké Ball)

Moves: Foresight, Peck

At Professor Oak's Lab:

200+ Pokémon

Kanto Badges:

Boulder Badge

Cascade Badge

Rainbow Badge

Seven unknown Badges

Indigo League Rank: Winner

Johto Badges:

Zephyr Badge