Chapter 10

Having made it past the rich neighborhood of Palm Hills, Ash and Gary made it to the more affordable part of the town. While there weren't mansions around every corner, the commercial part of the town was still flourishing with life, and seemed to bleed money. It was certainly extravagant, and Ash and Gary found themselves passing through a beautiful park that had been laid out in the town's center. Trees and bushes surrounded the area, giving relieving shade to those passing through the part from the sun above.

A concrete walkway laid out a path before them, and it seemed to curl around a man-made pond in the center, whose fountain in the middle of the glistening water hummed a sweet, bubbling tune. But despite all this wonderful scenery laid out around them, it seemed like Ash and Gary were the only ones here. Not that that mattered to them, as it made for a quiet walk on top of saving them some time. "If we cut through here, we'll get to the center of town in no time," Gary explained as he pulled his eyes up from the guidebook.

Ash didn't give forth a reply, and only took in the Vitamin D the sun was offering. It was a wonderful feeling of warmth that wasn't too hot, nor too cold. But the sound of rustling bushes to their left snapped Ash out of his blissful state, and he turned his head in the direction of the sound and stopped in his tracks. "What is it?" Gary asked.

"I thought I heard something," Ash replied, stepping a bit closer toward the edge of the concrete. Just then, what looked like a pair of large eyes peeked out from atop the foliage. The soulless black pupils stared at them and gave Ash an unnerving feeling. "Look at the size of those eyes!"

"Those aren't eyes," Gary corrected, which only made Ash's eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"What?!" he asked rhetorically, and leaned in closer. "If those aren't eyes, then I must be seeing things." The leaves rustled a bit more, and soon the 'eyes' rose up, and it turned out that Gary was right: they weren't eyes, but antlers. They were sticking out of a brown Pokémon's head, and the Pokémon let out a shrill, faint cry as it looked upon them cautiously with its real eyes. "Let's check it out." And with that, Ash fished out his Pokédex from his jacket pocket and scanned the creature.

"Stantler, the Big Horn Pokémon. The eye-like shapes at the base of its horns produce a pleasant odor, and has a bewildering effect on anyone who smells it. It can also create startling realistic illusions by shaking its horns. Stantler form herds and live in mountainous terrain."

"Mountainous terrain? But this is the middle of the city," Gary mused as his traveling companion put away his Pokédex. "It looks really young, though."

"You mean it's a baby Stantler?" Ash asked.

"Or at least not fully grown."

Ash smiled as he looked at the Big Horn Pokémon. The Pokémon's royal blue eyes were sizing them up, and though it was the one that had revealed itself, it seemed hesitant to come further out of the bushes. "C'mon little guy. We won't hurt you." The Pokémon Trainer hunched himself over just a bit, and held his hand out with his palm facing up and slowly took a step further, but the Normal-type Pokémon gave a whine. Just then, a faint, lilac smog poured out of the orbs on its horns and drifted past their noses. The sweet smell instantly made Ash and Gary relax, and Ash's eyelids fluttered as they threatened to close. "That smells good..."

When the pleasant aroma passed and Ash opened his eyes once again, his body froze at what he saw. "Hey... Gary..."

"I... see them..." Gary whispered. From seemingly out of nowhere, it seemed like the young Stantler's herd had showed up, and every one of their eyes were locked on the duo. "Just... stay... calm." The lead Stantler dragged its hoof on the grass intimidatingly, and it shook its head back and forth as if getting ready for a fight.

"It's an awful lot of Stantler antlers..." Ash moaned, taking a step backward. Once he did, the Stantler broke into a run. Ash and Gary both let out screams and immediately whipped around and ran as fast as they could. The sound of tons of hooves beating against the cement followed in their wake.

"The whole herd's after us because they think we were trying to hurt the younger Stantler!" Gary yelled over the commotion behind them. Ash only yelled in horror as a response, and they ran as fast as they could. They ran until the tar was gone and they had dirt and grass under their feet, and kept going until their muscles and lungs burned. Finally unable to keep going, they stopped and rested their hands on their knees while they tried to catch their breath. When Ash looked behind them, there was nothing there.

"I guess we outran them..." he commented. "You think we're safe, Gary?"

"Maybe..." Gary puffed out, and turned fully around with a cocked eyebrow. "But they were right behind us just a second ago. How aren't there any at all?"

"You know what they say: out of sight, out of mind," Ash said with a grin. Gary gave him an annoyed look, but soon the bushes to their left began to rummage once again. Fearing the worst, they both tensed up. "Must be the Stantler!"

"Is everyone all right over there?" a voice asked, and from out of the bushes, Officer Jenny walked out with a smile on her face.

"Yeah, we're just fine," Gary answered her. "Just a little winded. We got chased by a herd of Stantler just now." A curious look crossed the police officer's face, and she stepped out of the bushes.

"Would you mind coming with me?" she asked. "I'd like you to come down to the station so I can fill out a report." They agreed, and let her lead the way.

o 0 o

In the more commercial part of the town, Officer Jenny led them to the police station. It was much smaller in comparison to the buildings around it, which spoke wonders for the crimes of the area. As they walked in and sat down at a small table in the middle of the station, Officer Jenny opened a folder with hand-written reports inside, and pulled a new note from the pad nearby. They gave her a rundown of what happened in the park – finding the young Stantler, and then encountering its herd and being chased by all of them only to lose sight of them all completely. She jotted down the report quickly, and sat back and sighed. "Usually that park is full of families on vacation," she explained to them. "But recently out of nowhere, a huge herd of Stantler moved in and scared everybody off. Now no one wants to go anywhere near there."

"That must be the same herd that chased us out," Ash surmised.

"How strange that they would appear in a park," Gary mused quietly, looking down at his lap while he thought. "Stantler usually live in the mountains, and aren't fond of towns and cities."

"Exactly," Officer Jenny nodded. "I just don't understand why so many Stantler would suddenly appear in the park the way they have recently." A silence fell over them, but then Gary spoke up again.

"This is crazy, but maybe they weren't there..."

"Of course it's crazy! If they weren't there, then what were we running away from?" Ash argued.

"They certainly seemed real, but can you explain how that whole herd of Stantler disappeared without a trace?" This stumped the younger boy, and he frowned and looked down at his hands resting on the desk.

"Uhh... not exactly..."

"It is strange," Officer Jenny agreed. "The Stantler always disappear as suddenly as they appear." But, with nothing else to report on the situation, Officer Jenny gathered up everything and placed it back in the folder. "Well, either way, thank you for taking the time to speak with me. In the meantime, I'm going to go back to the park and investigate."

"Would you like us to help?" Ash offered. "We'd be more than happy to assist you in any way we can." The police woman thought for a moment before a smile stretched across her face.

"Sure, Ash. That would be great." The three all gathered their things and stepped out the front door of the police station. But they didn't make it very far before a strange, sweet aroma wafted past their nose. None of them said anything about it, just assuming that it was a smell coming from a local restaurant, but it did make Ash feel a little light headed. His eyelids drifted dreamily for a split second, and then, suddenly, the sound of hooves clopping against the cement road brought him back to full awareness.

His eyes widened when he saw that was coming down the road. It was the whole herd of Stantler from the park, and they were coming down the road straight at them. It was almost surreal seeing the same herd in such a different environment. What would they be doing in the middle of the town? The road that the police station was on was fairly secluded, so it wasn't as busy as a main road, and luckily, there wasn't anyone else on the street. "Hurry! Get inside or we'll all be trampled!" Officer Jenny shouted. The two Pallet Town Trainers didn't need to think twice, and quickly ran back inside through the open door that hadn't even been closed shut yet.

Thinking fast, Officer Jenny and Ash flipped the table they had been using on its side as more protection in case any of the Stantler decided to come in through the open door, and all three of them ducked behind it. The sound of hooves got closer and Ash peered over the top to see the herd stampede by. "Ash! Be careful!" Officer Jenny warned, having to shout over the commotion that was going on outside. And Ash, heeding her advice, went to dip down behind the table, but then something caught the corner of his eye and made him stop.

The Stantler herd seemed to be disappearing.

He froze in place, his brain hardly believing his eyes, and he blinked to make sure he wasn't seeing things. But like a ghost or a mirage, the Stantler seemed to be drifting into thin air. And soon, not even the dust that their hooves were kicking up could be seen. "What..." he began, but before he could say anything more, something much smaller stumbled into view. It was the young Stantler from the park.

It didn't know that Ash had caught view of it yet, and was slowly hobbling its way down the street. From the way it was limping, it looked as though it had hurt its front leg, and looked to have been hurt for some time. "Gary, look!" Ash breathed, and his rival peered over the desk.

"It's hurt!" Gary realized. As soon as he said that, the Stantler turned and looked in their direction, but the action seemed to have taken the last of its strength, and its ankle buckled under the stress and it collapsed in the road.

"Oh no! Stantler!" Ash cried, and rushed around the desk and out onto the road.

"Ash, wait! Don't get too close!" Gary warned him. "Now I know what has been happening: that Stantler has been using its Hypnosis to trick people into seeing a herd when it's really all alone. If you get too close, it will use Hypnosis on you again!"

"But we can't do nothing!" Ash argued back. "We've got to get Stantler to a Pokémon Center!"

"But there isn't a Pokémon Center in this town," Officer Jenny told him with a frown. Ash and Gary exchanged glances, both of their minds running to try and decide what to do.

"We could always have Grandpa look after it," Gary suggested. "He would know what to do."

"You're right!" Ash said, his face lighting up. Turning toward the Stantler, he pulled out a Poké Ball from his belt and pressed the button in the center to make it larger. "Poké Ball, go!" The empty Poké Ball soared from his hand and tapped against the Stantler's head. It opened, and converted the Big Horn Pokémon into red energy before drawing it inside and clattering against the cement. The red and white ball rattled back and forth as Stantler attempted to fight against the capture device, but it was ultimately too weak, and eventually, the ball stopped and rang as it locked shut. "Perfect!"

"Officer Jenny, do you have a telephone we can use to call my grandfather?" Gary asked her.

"Yes, right in the back," she told them. After Ash picked up the Poké Ball and they fixed the table back to its original position, the police officer directed them to a video phone. Ash sat down and punched in the familiar number before bringing the receiver to his ear.

After a few rings, the screen lit up, and Professor Oak's smiling face appeared on the monitor. "Hello! Professor Oak speaking!"

"Professor Oak! We have an emergency!" Ash cried, making the professor of Pokémon jump back just a bit in shock.

"What's going on?"

"We found a young Stantler that's been hurt, and this town doesn't have a Pokémon Center," Ash explained, holding up a Poké Ball to the camera. "Could I send this Stantler to you and have you take care of it?"

"A hurt Stantler, huh?" the older man repeated, running a hand through his short gray hair. "Well, I can't turn away from a hurt Pokémon. Send it over." Both Ash and Gary let out a sigh of relief, and Ash smiled and placed the Poké Ball on the transfer station beside the phone. He pressed the button, and white beams of light shot down and enveloped the Poké Ball. After a few seconds, the Poké Ball disappeared. The image of Professor Oak disappeared on the screen, and arrows pointing from left to right appeared and slowly made their way across the black screen. Finally, after a few moments, Professor Oak's face appeared back on the screen, and he held up the newly-received Poké Ball. "Stantler has arrived safely, Ash."

"Thanks, Professor. I know you can help it more than we can," Ash said, exchanging a smile with Gary.

"I'm no Pokémon Doctor, but I will most certainly do everything I can for this Stantler," he assured them. "Talk to you two soon." And with that, the screen went blank.

"I hope Stantler will be okay," Ash said, swiveling in the chair and staring at the ceiling.

"If anyone can help it, Grandpa can," Gary guaranteed.

"Well, it all makes sense now," Officer Jenny added. "That young Stantler must have gotten separated from its herd and got hurt here, and attempted to ward off anyone that tried to get close by using its illusions and making people think a whole herd of Stantler were chasing after it."

"But why did it come into the town, I wonder..." Ash muttered curiously.

"Think about it," Gary told him. "When we saw it in the park, you talked to it and tried to show you wanted to be its friend. That was probably the most friendly act a person had done for it in a while. It still got spooked by nature, but followed us out of curiosity."

"Either way, the town will be happy to know that its park is once again safe and able to be visited once again," Officer Jenny said, and saluted the pair. "Thank you for your efforts, Ash and Gary."

o 0 o

Back on the road, the pair were traversing through a mountainous road. A steep incline of the path led higher and higher, and a beautiful backdrop of snow-topped mountains was painted out for them to stare at. With each step up the winding, upward path, the temperature also seemed to drop. While it wasn't absolutely freezing – as of yet – it was enough to make Ash shiver slightly. But it was nice to see snow during the Christmas season. "Hey, look at the snow!" Ash pointed out with a wide smile. "That's cool! It must be just like winter over there! Why don't we go see if we can ski?"

"I don't think that's part of the resort," Gary told Ash. Their destination was a cabin high in these mountains. Professor Oak and Ash's mother both chipped in money to rent a cabin for their traveling boys to stay in during the upcoming Christmas holiday.

"Well, forget skiing," Ash suddenly piped up, and gave a smirk to his traveling companion. "I found something that's even better." He pointed across the way. "Just take a look over there." Gary's eyes followed Ash's finger, and he found what Ash had been referring to. Almost blended into the trees and on the grass next to the path and not far from some bushes, a lone Chikorita was laying on its stomach with its leaf raised in the air. The Pokémon looked to be sunbathing, and taking in as much sun as it could to keep warm. "It's a Chikorita!"

"That's a rare Pokémon," Gary mused, and then sniffed the air. "It certainly has a sweet aroma."

"Yeah, that's the smell that comes off its petals," Ash told him. Then, he took out his Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon.

"Chikorita, the Leaf Pokémon. Chikorita emit pleasant aromas from the leaves on their head, and they love to sunbathe."

As Ash put his Pokédex away, Gary pulled out a Poké Ball. "It isn't often one comes across a wild Chikorita."

"Hey, finders keepers!" Ash retorted, and knowing Gary's underhanded methods, hurried forward. "I'm gonna catch this one!" The commotion woke Chikorita up from its slumber, and it quickly opened its red eyes and jumped to its feet.

"Chika!" it cried, swinging the leaf on its head back like a girl would fling her hair back.

Ash stared at it and smirked, and then looked around and cupped his hands around his mouth. "If this Chikorita belongs to anybody, tell me now!" Gary was so thrown off by his sudden announcement that the youngest Oak fell onto his backside. "If you don't, I'm gonna capture it!" Even Chikorita was thrown off by the proclamation and furrowed its brow. "Don't say I didn't give you fair warning!"

"You idiot! If you yell that, you're gonna scare Chikorita away before either of us have a chance to capture it!" Gary told him. But much to his surprise, the Leaf Pokémon narrowed its brow and swung its leaf around and around while glaring daggers. "Uh, maybe not..."

"If you ask me, there's nothing sweeter than capturing a tough one," Ash said with a smirk, and pulled out a Poké Ball. "I choose you! Bulbasaur!" The ball burst open in the air, and his Grass Pokémon came flying out from inside and landed on the ground.

"Bulbasaur!"

"Don't let this one fool 'ya! It looks nasty!" Ash coached his Pokémon, who turned its head and nodded.

"Bulba-saur." While the Grass-type turned its head, Chikorita took the opportunity and charged forward.

"Chika-chika!"

"Go, Bulbasaur! Grab it with Vine Whip!" Bulbasaur reacted swiftly, and sent out two vines from underneath its bulb. The vines struck Chikorita and sent it flying back as it gave a howl of pain, but it bounced off the grass and back onto its feet. Swinging the leaf on its head, it sent out a pair of leaves sharp as scythes out at the Grass and Poison Pokémon.

"It's using Razor Leaf!" Gary called.

"It's not gonna beat Bulbasaur that way!" Ash declared with a finger pointing forward. Bulbasaur smirked as well, and sent out a Razor Leaf of its own. The two leaves collided and sliced into each other, canceling out both attacks.

"Bulba!" the Seed Pokémon said with a big smile on its face.

"Bulbasaur, use Tackle attack!" The great and confident mood that Bulbasaur was in made it jump into action, and it charged at the other Grass-type with a spring in its step. Chikorita gasped in surprise, and didn't have any time to dodge, and let out a cry as it was slammed into and thrown backwards. The Pokémon bounced off the ground and landed on its stomach. His fingers itching for an opportunity, Ash saw his chance and grabbed an empty Poké Ball. "Okay, Chikorita! Now I'm gonna capture you!" He tossed the red and white sphere forward, but Chikorita quickly jumped back onto its feet and swung its head, and the leaf batted the Poké Ball away and sent it back into Ash's open palm. A confused gaze crossed his face as he looked down at the spunky Grass-type. "It's tougher than I thought..."

"Chika!" Chikorita shouted, and two of the buds around its neck extended out and snaked their way toward Bulbasaur, who had been watching the Poké Ball in Ash's hand.

"Hey, look out!" Ash attempted to warn his Pokémon, but when Bulbasaur looked back, Chikorita's Vine Whip struck it in the forehead and leaving a red welt.

"Saur... bulbasaur-saur..." the Seed Pokémon muttered, holding its head in its paws.

"Unprepared as usual," Gary mocked. "That Chikorita might be too good for you, Ash. Why don't you let a real Trainer show you how to catch it?"

"I'm not out yet!" Ash yelled back, and pulled out Bulbasaur's Poké Ball. "You did a great job; you deserve a rest." Once Bulbasaur was safely inside its ball, his eyebrows fell over his eyes and he looked back at Chikorita. "You may have gotten lucky against Bulbasaur, but your luck's about to run out, Chikorita!" Pulling out a new Poké Ball, he reared his arm back and threw the new ball forward. "I choose you! Charmeleon!"

In a flash of light, the red Flame Pokémon appeared on the grass across from Chikorita. "Char!" it seethed, and smirked at the Grass-type before it. But Chikorita didn't seem intimidated in the slightest, and only glared with a fire in its eyes.

"Chika!"

"Let's win this one, Charmeleon," the dark-haired Trainer said, and Charmeleon let out a small flame from its mouth.

Chikorita jumped into action right away, and charged forward before leaping at Charmeleon with a Tackle attack. The attack made a direct hit, but Charmeleon only skidded backwards atop the grass. "This one's pretty tricky, Charmeleon! Use your Flamethrower attack!" Charmeleon opened its mouth and took in a deep breath, and just then, Chikorita smirked. Suddenly, a pair of vines extended from the bud necklace around its neck and quickly tied themselves around Charmeleon's ankle before jerking them backward and taking the Fire-type off its feet. Before it knew it, Charmeleon was on its back and sending out its Flamethrower, but now it shot its flames out at Ash instead of Chikorita.

Once the flames faded, Ash blinked which knocked some soot off his eyelashes, and raised one of his burnt eyebrows. "Hey! Don't use it on me!"

"Char...?" his Pokémon apologized, scratching the side of its head with a white claw as it got back onto its feet.

"Ka!" Chikorita cried, which brought both of them back to the battle. They both turned just in time to see the Leaf Pokémon swing its head, and sending a Razor Leaf out at Charmeleon.

"Burn those leaves with your Flamethrower, Charmeleon!"

"Charrr... meleon!" This time, the attack wasn't interrupted, and it sent out a stream of orange flames from the back of its throat out at the spinning leaves, and Chikorita only glared as the crisp remains of its attack fluttered harmlessly to the ground.

"Now, finish it off! Slash attack!" Upon his command, Charmeleon dropped its arm and its claws began to glow white, and it charged at Chikorita. Without even batting an eye, Chikorita shot out its Vine Whip once again, and this time they struck it directly in the forehead, same as Bulbasaur.

"What a hit!" Gary commented with his mouth wide open. The glow on Charmeleon's claws disappeared when the attack was interrupted, and it slapped the hit area and winced in pain, and once again, Chikorita smirked and charged forward.

"Charmeleon! Pull it together!" Ash yelped. "Flamethrower attack!" Charmeleon managed to peel its hands away from its forehead, and with one of its eyes shut in pain, it took in air through its nose before sending out a blast of flames from its mouth. Chikorita reacted quickly by diving to the ground, and for the most part, it dodged the Flamethrower attack, but once the flames dissipated, the leaf on the top of its head was on fire. It glanced up and realized this, and ran around in circles trying to get it to go out. "Now's our chance! Finish this up with Skull Bash!"

"Char!" Charmeleon declared, running forward with its head lowered. Just as the flame atop Chikorita's head went out, the Grass-type Pokémon looked back at the makeshift battlefield to see Charmeleon rush up to it and ram its head into it.

"Chikaaa!" Chikorita yelled, and skidded against the ground.

"Now's our chance! You're mine, Chikorita!" Ash yelled, throwing his empty Poké Ball once again. The ball spun past Charmeleon and this time, made contact with the Leaf Pokémon. Converting its physical form into red energy, it opened and sucked Chikorita inside before falling to the ground. The ball shook back and forth, and everyone waited in silence as Chikorita attempted to break out from the inside.

A groan of disappointment escaped Ash's throat when the ball leapt into the air and opened up, releasing Chikorita and sending it spiraling back into the owner's hand. "You've got to be kidding!"

"I've never seen a Pokémon so stubborn!" Gary gasped, and Chikorita swung its head, sending out a Razor Leaf that slashed across Charmeleon's shoulders. The Fire-type cried out and stumbled backwards, and its opponent leapt forward and plowed into its stomach with a Tackle attack. This one had a lot more oomph than before, and Charmeleon went sprawling onto its back. But it wasn't there for long, as Chikorita extended its vines out and wrapped them around Charmeleon's leg before throwing it backward.

"Charmeleon!" Ash cried with his eyes widening. He gripped the empty Poké Ball in anticipation, and finally, his Pokémon flipped in the air and landed on its feet. "Charmeleon, we've got to finish this, and I know how! Wrap this up with Fire Spin!"

"Charrr-meleon!" Ash's Pokémon took in one last breath before sending out a stream of fire from its mouth at Chikorita. The Pokémon once again ducked under the flame, but this time, it didn't matter. As it reached Chikorita, it curled around the Grass-type. The Pokémon blinked in shock and whipped its head around to try and follow the flame with its eyes. Soon, the fire curled around Chikorita and enveloped it in a fiery twister. This spun around for a few moments before the flames disappeared, and Chikorita was laying on its stomach and its whole body browned.

"Now we've got it! Poké Ball, go!" Swinging his arm once again, the red and white ball sailed through the disappearing flames and tapped Chikorita on the forehead. The ball sucked the Grass Pokémon inside, and clattered to the ground. As it had before, the Poké Ball rocked back and forth as Chikorita struggled inside. This seemed to go on for an eternity, and Ash let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding. Seconds became hours to him, and his teeth gnawed at his bottom lip in anticipation.

Finally, the ball stopped shaking and a ping rang out from the device. Chikorita had been caught. "Yes! Chikorita's my new Pokémon!"

"Well, congratulations, Ash," Gary stated with his face a blank slate. "But maybe we should take it to a Pokémon Center; it seemed to have gotten pretty burnt from the battle."

"Yeah, maybe you're right..." Ash murmured, glancing down at the Poké Ball that was now in his hand with a frown. Placing it on his belt, he held up Charmeleon's Poké Ball. "You were great. Return!" Charmeleon grinned as it was pulled inside, and with it gone, the pair headed off toward the Pokémon Center at the base of the snowy mountain ahead.

o 0 o

The Pokémon Center was a small log cabin that didn't seem to be used much, and Ash wouldn't have even known it was a Pokémon Center from the outside if it weren't for the sign with the large 'P' on the front yard. They were the only ones in the center when they arrived, and Ash gave Chikorita's Poké Ball to Nurse Joy right away. "I just captured this Chikorita, and it got really hurt," he told her. She nodded in understanding, and took it.

"I'll do what I can," she assured him, and disappeared into the urgent care room, leaving Ash and Gary to sit and wait. Their eyes were glued on the glowing red box above the entrance that Nurse Joy disappeared through. Once that was turned off, the treatment would be complete. But now all they could do was let the time pass them by.

And the time dragged on, and though it seemed like days went by, only a couple of hours had passed before the light turned off, grabbing their attention and bringing them to their feet. Minutes later, Nurse Joy came out from the double doors with her hands interlocked in front of her apron. "How's Chikorita?" Ash asked, running up to the Pokémon nurse.

"Chikorita will be fine," she said with a smile.

"That's great," Ash sighed with relief, and placing a hand over his beating heart.

"While I have some time, why don't I take a look at your other Pokémon as well," she suggested. "I'm sure Chikorita wasn't quite cooperative."

"How did you know that?"

"I've seen lots of Chikorita just like this one. The Chikorita from around here are famous for being stubborn and battling bigger, stronger opponents even when they know there's no way of winning. They just battle until they can't battle anymore; it's really very sad. You'll definitely have your hands full with that one, Ash."

"You don't have to worry. It sounds like you just described Ash. They'll be like two peas in a pod," Gary joked.

"You have to kind of admire its spirit, though," Ash said, glancing up at the unlit box over the urgent care doors once again. Chikorita would be one Pokémon that would take training, but once it grew accustomed to him, he knew they would make a great team.

Ash:

Party:

Blastoise (Poké Ball) (m)

Moves: Skull Bash, Dig, Hydro Pump, BubbleBeam

Bulbasaur (Poké Ball) (m)

Moves: SolarBeam, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Tackle

Charmeleon (Poké Ball)

Moves: Flamethrower, Fire Spin, Skull Bash, Slash

Heracross (Poké Ball) (m)

Moves: Horn Attack, Tackle

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

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:

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: Strength, 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: