Waking Up to an Adventure - Silver Conference Chapter 22: Good 'Quil Hunting, a pokémon fanfic

Chapter 22

This part of the Johto region seemed to be comprised mostly of forests. So this was a fairly familiar scene as the pair of Pokémon Trainers stood in a small clearing with their faces in the guidebook. They were lost, of course, and trying to find their position on the small eight by eleven sized page. Trees rose up around them, and even though they didn't have faces, Ash almost felt as though the oaks and pines were judging him, and felt needlessly self conscious.

Aside from Gary, he hadn't seen another soul in the woods in quite some time – not since leaving Muramasa's elite Trainer's school a few days prior. But according to the map, Azalea Town was just on the other side of the forest. Now the hard part was getting there.

"I just can't seem to find where we are on this map," Gary droned. The book was pulled up close to his face so Ash couldn't see the frown that was hiding behind the paper pages.

"We don't need to worry about a thing, Gary," Ash assured him with his hands confidently placed on his hips. "Who needs a map when all we have to do is cut through the woods until we run into the road!"

"Chika!" Chikorita happily agreed from its perch on Ash's head.

"Yeah right; like all the other times I've trusted you to lead the way?" Gary questioned rhetorically, a single cocked eyebrow raising from behind the book.

"Hey, you!" a new voice called from beyond the trees. It was the first strange voice they had heard in days, and the sound instantly grabbed Ash and Gary's attention. From beyond the shrubbery, a cold-faced teen wearing a red vest that stuck out amongst the green and brown stepped out through the leaves. "Have you two kids seen any Cyndaquil around here?"

"What Cyndaquil?!" Ash exclaimed, his whole body lurching into the air with excitement. Images of the Fire-type that he had seen at Professor Elm's lab danced through his head and gave his feet the jitters. "Where?! Where?! Where?! I don't see 'em!"

"Beats me," the kid replied with a frown. "I've heard there's supposed to be wild ones all over the place." But his eyes narrowed when he saw that Ash was no longer paying attention to him and was instead sifting through various bushes and foliage as though he were panning for gold.

"Come on out, Cyndaquil!" he beckoned, and Chikorita flailed to keep its balance on Ash's backpack.

"Listen here, kid! You better stay away from the Cyndaquil if you know what's good for you!"

But the threat fell upon deaf ears, and Ash continued to look around for one of the wild Fire-type Pokémon. The older boy yelled something at Ash, but the black-haired boy ignored it once again, dwelling on thoughts of having a Fire-type on his team.

His mind only focused on that, and he had left Gary and the boy far behind in the woods without a second thought. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Ash called, and only heard his voice echoing off the bark of the trees. When not even a single leaf moved in his earshot, he looked up at the Grass-type Pokémon on his shoulder. "Don't you want to help me find a Cyndaquil, Chikorita?"

"Chika," the Leaf Pokémon scoffed, and its lip puffed out as it looked into the air with disgust. Ash chuckled nervously; jealous as always. When he had determined the Grass-type Pokémon wasn't interested in helping him look for a new teammate, he turned his attention back to the forest.

"You can come out now!"

o 0 o

His imaginary trail of breadcrumbs had long since been forgotten, but Ash paid no mind. Only surrounded by high trees and low bushes, Ash continued his trek through the woods whilst keeping his eyes peeled for a Cyndaquil. So far, all he had yet to find was a Caterpie and snoozing Hoothoot, but no sign of any Fire Pokémon, or even a hint of smoke.

His enthusiasm was starting to plummet along with the smile on his face, and he let out a sigh – not quite yet one of defeat, but the thought was starting to creep into his skull. "I have absolutely no idea where the Cyndaquil might be..." he muttered. He was mostly talking to himself, as Chikorita still had no interest in helping its Trainer find one.

On what seemed to be a bright side, however, he had finally stumbled onto a path through the woods that him and Gary had been looking for earlier that day. Now all he had to do was find Gary. But the chances of catching up with his traveling companion again was now as slim as finding a Cyndaquil in these woods. He followed the path for a half hour at least. He had given up most hope at this point, but a faint rustling of foliage would pick it back up only to bring it back down when he would realize it was just the wind.

The path deposited into a clearing, and in the middle of it was a huge rock formation almost like the tip of a mountain was jutting out of the ground. But it wasn't the plateau that grabbed his eyes, but the many holes that cratered the surface. Even Chikorita looked up at it in awe. "Chika..."

"Look at all those caves..!" Ash breathed out a silent awe of admiration as he looked upon the high hill, but Chikorita perked up at the sight of movement at the top of the cave.

"Chikori!" it warned, and its body tensed up atop its Trainer's head, getting into an offensive position. Feeling the tension run down his head, Ash craned his neck and narrowed his eyes in order to see what Chikorita was seeing. Much to his surprise, there was indeed something moving toward the top of the mountain. Something dark with red spots. Before he could question aloud to ask what it was, the small form turned around and peered down at them with narrowed eyes beyond a long snout.

"Cyndaquil!" it squeaked.

"Ah!" Ash cried. His face instantly lit up and his eyes glittered as he reached into his pocket and took out his Pokédex.

"Cyndaquil, the Fire Mouse Pokémon. Normally mild and evenly-tempered, Cyndaquil will shoot a scorching flame out of its back when upset." Ash could barely hold back his victorious laugh as the Pokédex clicked shut in his grip.

"Looks like we found one after all, didn't we?"

The Pokédex wasn't exaggerating in the slightest when it described Cyndaquil as mild and evenly-tempered, as the Fire-type barely seemed phased that a human had entered its vicinity. It rubbed its eyes with its stubby hands and threw its head back and let out a loud yawn. It seemed as though Ash had awoken it from a nap. The only time that it peered back down at him was when the Pallet Town native started to climb up the side of the mountain.

"Just stay... right... where you are..." Ash grumbled as he struggled to climb up the rocks. The Fire Mouse Pokémon only watched curiously as the black-haired boy made his way closer to it, but then something jumped between them. It was a spiny Pokémon with long front claws, and Ash barely had a moment's notice to register its appearance before it turned around and began kicking dirt down onto him.

"Slash!" the Pokémon hissed as it did. Ash's arm rose to protect his eyes purely out of reflex, and when he did, it lost his grip and began to slide down the rocks, scraping his stomach and arms along the way until he fell onto the ground. Chikorita bounced off his head, its body covered in a layer of dust and looking unhappy as it bounced to the ground onto its stomach.

A loud, boisterous laugh filled his ears and he looked up to see the same Trainer who had informed him about the Cyndaquil in the first place standing beside the Sandslash, and Ash could see his sneering face peering down. "See 'ya, kid."

"That wasn't fair!" Ash spat, shaking the dust from his locks.

"Chikah!" his Chikorita added angrily.

"Big deal; I got here first!" the teen snapped back. "That Cyndaquil is mine!" But the Cyndaquil above both of them heard all the aggression and noise coming from below and disappeared into the caves behind it. The purple haired boy gasped when it saw this, and he angrily whipped around to look at his Pokémon. "Don't just stand there, Sandslash; go get that Cyndaquil!"

"Sandslash!" his Pokémon sputtered, and both of them ran into the cave system behind them and was swallowed up by the darkness.

"I can't... let myself lose... to a loser like that..." Ash grumbled. Now with a new fire of determination burning in his stomach, he began climbing up the side of the cliff-side. This time, his goal wasn't the Cyndaquil, but the closest cave to him. Pulling himself up onto flat ground once again, Ash disappeared through the gaping mouth of the cave.

The tunnel only went in for a short while before expanding and emptying out into the center of the rock. Much to his astonishment, the whole inside of the structure had been hollowed out. Light poured in from the various entrances. Not only that, but there were also other caves that led through various other parts unseen in the entryway that Ash had entered through. His footfalls echoed all around them, and even the sigh of frustration he let out bounced around as well. "They could be anywhere!"

"Cynda, cyndquil!" a small voice squeaked, and he looked down to see the small Fire Mouse Pokémon running rapidly across the same floor of the cave that Ash was standing on.

"Ah, Cyndaquil!" Ash shouted, throwing his hands in the air. But the Cyndaquil did not stop and disappeared around a corner. He hurried after it, but as he skidded on the rough ground and pivoted his body to tail it, something spiny rammed into his legs, and with a lurch of its body, it sent Ash flying onto his back on the ground with a crash. He winced in pain, and through pain-induced tears forming at his lids, he saw a Sandslash giving chase after the departed Cyndaquil.

"How was your trip, kid?" the older Trainer asked with a smirk as he ran past Ash. The Pallet Town boy's lips peeled away from his teeth in a silent snarl. Hurriedly, he picked himself up. This was no time to be reeling in pain. Getting up onto his feet, he charged down the mouth of the cave where the boy, his Sandslash, and the Cyndaquil had disappeared down.

Trying to use the echo to his advantage, he could hear the footfalls from the boy, as well as the orders he was giving his Pokémon as they traveled, but it was like a maze in this system. Similar to an ant nest, there were many different tunnels that coiled through the mountain, and led both up and down it, and before he knew it, Ash had completely lost sight of the three. "Hold on..." Ash puffed. His lungs were begging for air, and he forced himself to stop and gather his bearings as he caught his breath. As his chest heaved up and down and sweat dripped from his hairline, his brown eyes darted between the two paths ahead. One led to a lower level, and the tunnel to the right went upward. "I wonder which way they went."

"Chikah," the Pokémon on his shoulder told him. His eyes glanced up to see that the Grass-type Pokémon was looking behind them, and its leaf was perked up slightly. Straining his ears, he could hear a commotion going on back there. And there was definitely the droning of the boy's voice bouncing off the walls as well.

"Let's try going this way," Ash agreed, and spun on his heel and backtracked the way that he had came. Hope began to return to him as the sounds of a scuffle seemed to be getting closer and closer. The hope brought his energy back as well, and he began to pick up the pace. Turning the corner, he saw Cyndaquil sitting and looking down a hallway where Ash couldn't see, but he heard the boy's voice command his Pokémon.

"It's all over; I've got it cornered! Quick Sandslash, Poison Sting now!"

"Slaaaaasssshhhh!" The sound of something cutting through the air filled Ash's ears, and Cyndaquil leapt up into the air as white needles shot out from around the corner and plunged into the wall behind it. As Cyndaquil began to descend, it failed to see Ash rush by, and he expertly snatched the Pokémon up in his arms.

"Gotcha!" Ash said with a cheeky grin, and didn't stop his stride in the slightest before disappearing around the corner.

"Hey, wait!" the boy yelled, his voice filled with anger. While Ash had a head-start now, he had two Pokémon weighing him down and the other boy was closing in fast. "Sandslash, use your Poison Sting!"

"Slash!" Ash heard the order and twisted his neck to see what the teen was aiming at, and much to his shock, Sandslash jumped into the air and spun its body around and around like a wheel. White needles shot out from the spines on its back, and sailed through the air at him. Acting completely out of reflex, his head ducked and the poison needles whistled past him and crashed into the rock above. Just as Ash turned the sharp right corner, the Poison-type attack disturbed the rock above, and a loud rumble began to shake the cavern. A loud boom echoed and slammed into Ash's eardrums as the rock crumbled just inches behind him. Using his head, Ash bent at the knees and screamed as he leapt forward. He tumbled on the rough floor and was deposited into the outside, but the platform on which the mouth of this cave stood was almost nonexistent, and he tumbled down while holding Chikorita in one arm and Cyndaquil in the other.

His whole world spun around and around as he bounced erratically down the rough mountainside, and the Pokémon in his arms groaned in fear and pulled in tightly to Ash's chest. Finally, Ash was able to steady himself when they landed on flat ground at last, and he slid backward, still protecting the Pokémon in his arms at the same time. He slid to a stop, and though his brain was still bouncing around inside his skull, he lifted his head and opened its eyes. "Oh, that was a close one," he commented, looking down at the spinning Pokémon in his arms. "You aren't hurt, are you?"

"Chikori," the Leaf Pokémon confirmed with a smile, and nuzzled its head against Ash's chest.

"Cyndaquil!" the wild Pokémon piped up from the other one, giving a light nod.

Lifting himself off the ground, Ash looked up in the direction they had fallen from, and saw that the entrance to the cave they had been spat out of was covered by rock; the Poison Sting attack had made the cave entrance collapse in on itself. "Well, it looks like he'll leave us alone for a little bit while he finds another way out," Ash commented as he placed the two Pokémon on the ground. A empathetic frown colored his face as he looked down at Cyndaquil, and knelt down. "I'm sorry he's destroying your home, Cyndaquil."

"Cyndaquil," it squeaked, looking up at the destroyed cave near the sky without much interest.

"I can tell that you're more than just a powerful Pokémon; you're an extra nice one, too!" he grinned. The Fire-type Pokémon threw its head back and let out another yawn, but its gaze focused on Ash. "Cyndaquil, is there any way you want to travel with us? Seems like a better idea over getting stuck with that loser in there."

"Quil?" Cyndaquil questioned, cocking its head. It then glanced over at Chikorita, who had jumped back up onto Ash's shoulder. The Grass-type Pokémon paid no attention to Cyndaquil, and instead nuzzled its head against Ash's cheek. This elicited a small chuckle from the boy, and he rubbed his gloved hand over the top of its head. "Quil!" it decided, a smile curling under its long snout.

"Great!" Ash replied happily. His eyes flickered back to the cave, expecting the purple-haired boy to emerge any moment. "I better do this fast." Pulling out a spare Poké Ball, he wrapped his fingers firmly around it and tapped the ball against the wild Pokémon's forehead. The red and white sphere opened, and Cyndaquil was converted into energy before being drawn inside. The ball only shook in his hand for a second before clicking shut.

His smile spread even farther across his face as he held his new Pokémon in his hand, and he chuckled at Chikorita. The Grass-type grinned back at him; despite its earlier protests, it didn't seem disappointed in the capture. Looking forward, Ash swung his arm. "Gooo!" he cried. The ball opened up, and a white plasma spilled out before condensing into the Fire-type Pokémon. "Welcome to the team, Cyndaquil."

"Ash!" Gary's voice called, and the Pallet Town boy looked up to see his traveling companion shifting through the branches and running up to him. "I thought I heard you. I'm glad I found you." Before Ash could reply, viridian eyes flickered down to the Cyndaquil at Ash's feet. "Oh, you found a Cyndaquil after all. Did you end up catching it?"

"Yup! Cyndaquil and I are already buds!" he answered, but the conversation was interrupted.

"Back off, kid!" The four looked in the direction of the rock formation and saw the purple-haired boy and his Sandslash running out from inside it. "I told you to get out of the way so I can catch that Cyndaquil! Go, Sandslash!"

"Sandslash!" his Pokémon cried, raising its arms and preparing to attack. Jumping immediately into action, Ash ran out and stepped in front of his new Cyndaquil with its arms spread out to protect it.

"I already caught this Cyndaquil, so just give it up and walk away!"

"Huh?!" The boy flinched back and a range of emotions fluttered across his face, almost like a roulette of masks before landing on a smirk. "Well I don't think it likes you too much, 'cause it's the one doing the walking." A confused look danced across Ash's face, and he looked behind him where he thought his Cyndaquil was, but there was only sand and rocks. Chikorita stretched out a front leg, and Ash followed it with his eyes to see Cyndaquil walking away from the group, past Gary's feet and toward the forest.

"I didn't mean you, Cyndaquil!" Ash told it, jumping over and picking it up off the ground.

"How about I challenge you to a battle with my Sandslash and the winner can keep Cyndaquil," the older Trainer proposed with his hands on his hips.

"That's absurd," Gary piped up. "Ash already caught Cyndaquil, so he doesn't need to battle you for it."

"That's what I expect from a chicken," the boy goaded. Unfortunately, Ash fell for the bait.

"What?!"

"Can't blame him for being scared, since he's not a very good Trainer," the older boy continued, turning his head but looking at Ash through the corner of his eyes.

"Fine! I accept your challenge and I'll use Cyndaquil to beat you!" Ash accepted, but the words only made the bully smirk wider.

"Ash, you just caught Cyndaquil; it wouldn't be a good idea to use it in a battle this important without training it first!" Gary told him.

"We've got nothing to worry about," the dark-haired Trainer assured him, and smiled down at the Cyndaquil now wrapped in his folded arms. "Like I said, Cyndaquil and I are friends. Right?"

The boy, who introduced himself as Koji, made space between them for a makeshift battlefield. The forest was to Ash's right, and the cave system was observing to the left. Each stood with their chosen Pokémon in front of them. Some distance behind Ash, Gary stood with his arms crossed and a disgruntled look on his face. He still opposed the battle, but Ash's stubbornness overpowered reason.

"So it's a single Pokémon one-on-one battle," Koji reminded his opponent. "Ready?"

"Sure! Bring it on!" Ash agreed.

Immediately, Koji jumped into action, and threw an index finger forward. "Sandslash, get it with your Fury Swipes!"

"Sandslash!"

"Dodge it, Cyndaquil!" Ash commanded, but when he heard no response from his Pokémon, he looked down to see the Fire-type had fallen asleep standing up, and was breathing softly. The Pokémon Trainer sank to his knees – maybe Cyndaquil was a little too relaxed. "Wake up, Cyndaquil!"

"Slash!" Koji's Sandslash cried as it cut through the air. The shrill cry was enough to wake Cyndaquil up from its nap, and as Sandslash's claw raked the air toward it, Cyndaquil managed to roll backward, and the Ground Pokémon's white nails cut through thin air.

"Way to go, Cyndaquil," Ash complimented his Pokémon. "Now let's show 'em your Flamethrower attack!" Instead of responding with the attack, Cyndaquil threw its head back and gave another mighty yawn. Ash's spine curved as though his wrist gained a thousand pound weights around them suddenly, and his frown seemed to look the same. "Cyndaquil?"

"Sandslash, get in there and finish it with a Slash attack!"

"Sandslash!" Sandslash shouted, leaping high into the air and pulling one of its claws back. "Slaaaassshhh!" But as it descended down and struck its claw forward like lightning, Cyndaquil bounced out of the way like a flea, and Sandslash's claw dug into the ground. Its head followed its opponent, and as Cyndaquil latched itself onto a tree to the battlefield's edge, Sandslash hurried after it and struck at it diagonally. Seconds before it could make contact, however, Cyndaquil leapt away once again, missing it by just a hair. As Sandslash gave chase, the part of the tree where Sandslash cut slid down and crashed to the mossy forest floor. It was a clean cut from one end to the other.

Like a Mankey, Cyndaquil jumped from tree to tree, clinging to the bark while Sandslash was just one step behind, and it hacked and slashed, but each one resulted in a miss that only resulted in cutting through the tree. But it was clear that Sandslash was not to be underestimated, as each Slash attack cut through the wood and bark like butter. Finally, Sandslash had cut down all the surrounding trees, and Cyndaquil had no choice but to climb further up the tree it had clung to. When Sandslash cut the base of this one, the tree tumbled to the ground with Cyndaquil attached to it, and it was unable to hold on with the great crash under it. Though it seemed only slightly fazed, Cyndaquil rolled like a wheel back to the sandy battlefield.

"Cynda. Quiiiiil!" Despite being in the middle of an intense battle, the Fire-type threw its head back and gave another yawn.

"That Sandslash is one of the strongest I've ever seen, but it seems like Cyndaquil doesn't even care," Gary commented from the sidelines. It was loud enough for Ash to hear, however, and a pang of guilt flared in his stomach.

"C'mon, Cyndaquil! You gotta pull yourself together!"

"Wrap it up with your best attack, Sandslash! Keep using Fury Swipes!" The second the command left the purple-haired Trainer's mouth, the Mouse Pokémon launched itself at Cyndaquil with its claws pulled back.

"Cyndaquil, keep dodging it!" Ash told his new Pokémon. Cyndaquil heard this and turned to its so-called opponent just as it landed in front of it. Immediately, Cyndaquil was up on its feet, and as Sandslash unleashed a series of claw swipes at it, the Fire-type Pokémon expertly leaned and jumped away from each slash from Fury Swipes. Sandslash tirelessly hacked away at it, attempting to even graze it, but Cyndaquil weaved between the attacks in a manner that almost seemed like it was a completely different Pokémon from the yawning Fire Mouse Pokémon that could barely stay awake moments earlier. "I can't believe how good its defense is! Keep it up, Cyndaquil!"

"What speed! It doesn't waste a single motion when it is avoiding those attacks," Gary observed with slightly widened eyes as his eyes followed the backwards-moving pair of Pokémon.

"Chika!" Chikorita cheered from the sidelines. Finally, Sandslash stopped and bent to try and catch its breath; all of that had completely drained its stamina while Cyndaquil hardly seemed winded.

"Great! Now that Sandslash is all worn out, this is your chance to strike!" Ash told his Pokémon.

Cyndaquil seemed to agree and leaned forward, but then threw its head back and let out a low-pitched yawn. "Quiiiiill..." Hearing this, Ash fell onto his side.

"I don't remember telling you to take a rest, Sandslash!" Koji spoke up, and right away, his Sandslash gathered itself together and continued its assault on Cyndaquil. But just as it had before, Cyndaquil expertly slithered between each slashing attack while also moving backwards to keep Sandslash moving. "Sandslash, use Sand-Attack!"

"Sandslash!" Throwing a wrench into its pattern of movements, Sandslash sent its claw down to the ground instead of at Cyndaquil, and it dragged the appendage across the rocks and gravel below, and picked up loose sand before sending it back up at Cyndaquil's face in one sweeping motion. The sand succeeded in hitting Cyndaquil in the face, and buried itself in its eyes. The Fire-type let out a cry and fell on all fours before swinging its head back and forth to try and rid its vision of the sand.

"Cyndaquil!" Ash cried.

"Sandslash, time for Poison Sting attack!" Koji continued, now wearing a smirk on his face once again. His Sandslash jumped high into the air and tucked its legs and arms together and spun like a wheel as it had in the caves. Glowing white needles shot out from the quills on its back and sailed toward Cyndaquil.

"All right, Cyndaquil; fight back with your Flamethrower attack!" Managing to get most of the dirt out of its eyes, Cyndaquil pulled in a deep breath and let out a cry.

"Cyndaaaa-quil?" It sent out a small spark of flames from its mouth, but the flames quickly evaporated and it looked only to release smoke. As such, the Poison Sting attack hit Cyndaquil, and sent it bouncing backwards until it landed on its stomach by Ash's feet.

"Cyndaquil!"

"Looks like your useless Cyndaquil can't even handle basic attack skills, can it?"

"You're wrong about that!" Ash spat as his new Pokémon peeled itself off the ground, and then more quietly he looked down at his Cyndaquil. "Is something the matter, Cyndaquil? Do you know how to use Flamethrower?"

"Cyndaquil," the Fire-type replied, giving a short nod.

"Does it take you a little while to warm up before you can use an attack?"

"Quil?" The Fire Mouse Pokémon only cocked its head in response.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Koji commanded another attack. "Sandslash, let's use your Poison Sting attack one more time now!"

"Sandslash! Slash!" Once again, his Pokémon leaped into the air and began to spin, sending out a spray of needles.

"Run!" Ash shouted, and Cyndaquil jumped to its left just as the pins dug into the ground where it stood moments before. Cyndaquil only had time to land before suddenly Sandslash was in front of it, towering over the smaller Pokémon and glaring down at it. Once again, it rocketed into the air and spun, sending out another Poison Sting that hit its mark this time. Cyndaquil gave a high-pitched howl as it was thrown backwards and it landed on its stomach by Ash once again. "Cyndaquil!"

"Cynd... da..." the newly-caught Pokémon groaned, slowly pulling itself off the ground, but much more slowly than before.

"If you wanna win this, all you have to do is watch your opponent's every move, and dodge its attacks the same way you've been doing!" he encouraged it.

"Close in on it with Fury Swipes attack!" Barely letting Cyndaquil breathe for a second, Sandslash quickly closed the distance between them, and it unleashed another flurry of slashes at the exhausted Cyndaquil. Though it seemed to barely have any stamina, the Fire Pokémon was able to dodge these attacks just like it had earlier. Just when Ash began to smile, Sandslash finally made contact with Cyndaquil, and gave a powerful strike to its stomach.

"Cyndaaaa!" the Fire Pokémon screeched as it flew through the air.

"Cyndaquil!" Ash yelled in horror. A tree cut Cyndaquil's flight short, and it slammed into it before sliding down the bark and onto its backside. "Don't give up hope! You're much faster than that Sandslash is! Just stay one step ahead of its attacks!"

"Cynda?" The Fire Mouse Pokémon pulled its head up and looked at Ash through its narrow eyes, but a hint of curiosity colored its face.

"Sandslash, finish it with Fury Swipes!" Koji commanded. Like it had many times before, Sandslash closed the distance and swiped a claw forward, but it was obvious to Cyndaquil and it leapt high into the air. Unfortunately for Sandslash, from the angle that it was going in at, Sandslash's claw was buried deep in the wood of the tree, and it seemed to be struggling to get it out. It struggled hard and from different angles to attempt to free itself to no avail.

"This is your chance, Cyndaquil!" Ash told his Pokémon. "Tackle it!" Cyndaquil curled its body while in the air and used gravity to its advantage to quicken its descent, and it slammed its body into the top of Sandslash's head. The force of the collision pulled Sandslash's claw free, but it danced around as though it were dizzy, and collapsed against the tree with swirls in its eyes even before Cyndaquil landed back on its feet. "Yeah!"

"Cynda! Cynda!" his Pokémon cheered along with him, a big smile obvious under its long snout.

"Great job, Cyndaquil," Gary congratulated.

"Chikori!"

The only one who didn't seem happy was Koji, and he recalled his Sandslash back into its Poké Ball. "Return!" he spat, and once it was back inside its Poké Ball, he reached into his backpack and replaced the red and white sphere with a small brown tube. With a press of a button on its side, a net unfolded from the top and bottom of the tube. "I'm gonna get that Cyndaquil and none of you can stop me!" Like his Sandslash, he bounded at Cyndaquil and swiped with the net, but Cyndaquil jumped easily out of its reach and landed in front of its new Trainer.

"That's cheating!" Ash said angrily, his brows colliding underneath the brim of his hat.

"Who asked you?!" Koji retorted, once again leaping at Cyndaquil with the net at the ready. This time, Cyndaquil decided to counterattack. It threw its head back and let out a loud yell. Suddenly, flames erupted from the red spots on its back that covered it in its entirety, and it threw its head back and let out a breath. A huge stream of red-yellow fire billowed out from the back of its throat and completely enveloped the older Pokémon Trainer. The flames rushed past him like a tunnel of fire, and when they faded, his clothes and skin were charred, and the net disintegrated in his grip. Discarding what little bit of it he had left, he spun on his heel and escaped into the woods behind him.

"What a sad excuse for a Trainer," Gary sighed with a hardened look on its face. But Ash could only look down at his new Pokémon with a big smile on his face.

"Know what you are, Cyndaquil?!" he asked it, and bent down to pick up the Fire-type, but his hands brushed against the flames that were still burning brightly on its back, and he quickly recoiled and danced from foot to foot while airing out his palms. "Hothothothothothot!"

"Cynda?" the Fire Mouse Pokémon questioned, the flames disappearing upon hearing Ash's screams, and it twisted its head up with a curious look. Ash chuckled nervously at the Fire-type, and then pulled himself back up with his arms open.

"Just come up here," he said. A wide grin replaced the wonder on its face, and Cyndaquil leapt up and was caught by Ash, who hugged the Fire-type tightly in his grip. This didn't sit well with Chikorita, however, and the Grass-type Pokémon jumped up and slapped Cyndaquil in the back of the head with its leaf. The strike wasn't enough to hurt, but hard enough to knock the Fire-type out of their Trainer's arms and make it fall onto the ground. Ash opened his mouth to scold Chikorita, but was interrupted by the Leaf Pokémon snuggling up against his chin.

"Chika..."

"Good job, Ash. Not a lot of people can win a battle with a Pokémon they just caught," Gary complimented.

"Thanks," Ash replied, and with Chikorita now sitting gracefully on his shoulder, Ash bent down and picked up Cyndaquil once again. The Fire Mouse Pokémon seemed confused as to what had hit it, but this dissipated from its face when Ash held it in his hands and looked in its face. "I'm gonna be counting on you a lot from now on, Cyndaquil!"

"Cyndaquil!" it nodded.

And that was all the confirmation he needed. Holding the Pokémon higher in the air, he grinned as wide as he could. "I caught a Cyndaquil!"

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, Leer, Take Down, Fury Attack

Chikorita (Poké Ball)

Moves: Razor Leaf, Tackle, Vine Whip

Cyndaquil (Poké Ball)

Moves: Flamethrower, Tackle

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, Harden, Seismic Toss

Hoothoot (Poké Ball)

Moves: Foresight, Peck