Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Curse of the Were-Chu ❯ Instincts... ( Chapter 3 )

Calm. Peaceful. Quiet. Relaxed. All of these described Ash Ketchum's state of mind. It was funny. He had to be in possibly the worst fix in all recorded history. Turned into a pikachu by a bunch of poke-gods. Left in the most secluded forest he'd ever seen. Stranded with little hope of ever getting out.

But Ash wasn't bothered by any of this. In fact, you could say he was enjoying it. The boy turned pokemon was lying in the cool grass, letting the afternoon sun warm his furred hide. It was so pleasant here. Now as a part of nature, Ash was now aware of so much more. Every blade of grass, every strip of bark, every footprint in the soft earth had a story to tell. The forest was so alive, and he felt as though he belonged there. His instincts were yelling that at him as a matter of fact.

"You belong here. This is your home. Except it. This is your home…"

His mind had been fighting his instincts for much of the day. Each side of his mind was presenting its case:

If you stay here, you'll be free. No responsibilities. No worries. Just living a simple life as a simple animal.

On the other hand, Ash's human mind fought back.

You can't be serious!! Stay an animal!? I'm a human being! Not a pokemon! I have a life!

Human thought was a strong thing. It could override everything else your instincts told you. Even where or what "Home" was.

Ash started to walk around, just wanting to forget his plight. He knew that he couldn't just stay here. He refused to betray his friends and himself. The boy just wanted to get back to where his life had been yanked off course. He was suppose to be in the middle of a torment! Not running around on all fours! Ash just wanted relief from the combat in his mind. He walked around, blocking everything save nature herself. He followed his nose around, letting it lead him where it may. He didn't care. He stopped and felt a sudden rush of relief. He grinned slightly, not caring where it had come from.

"ASH!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!"

Ash was snapped out of his relief by Pikachu's sudden appearance. The pokemon had been trying to plot a way back to civilization, and had left Ash on his own. The boy had failed to notice his reappearance.

"What!? What is it?" Ash snapped, having been yanked out of his relaxation. Pikachu gave the boy a sort of amused, but sad expression. Ash had no idea of what he had done. The smell came to his nose. Not just a smell: a scent. His scent. Ash then realized he had his leg lifted in the air. He was hiked up next to a large oak. The fact that he had just peed wasn't what bothered him., it was the reason. He had just marked his territory. He had just marked a tree!

More from fear than anything else, more urine sprinkled the tree trunk…

***

"Come on Ash. We need to get going. It'll be dark soon…" Pikachu squeaked, not really expecting a response. Ash was rather mortified by the "Territory" incident, and hadn't spoken a word since. It was late afternoon now. The sun was a few hours from setting. A pleasant rainy smell was in the air, and the forest was rather active now. Pikachu realized that he had missed the wild. He'd been with Ash for so long that he had forgotten how peaceful it was. The pokemon sighed a bit, not wanting to leave, but knowing he had to. If they stayed here too much longer, Ash might get worse…

The pikachu pushed that from his mind and trotted over to Ash's clothes, now set out in a rather neat pile. Ash had rummaged though them earlier and had cleaned them up a bit after the tree. Pikachu guessed that doing a human thing like folding clothes could be helpful. If you were loosing your humanity that is. Pikachu, having obviously never experienced that, could only guess what was going though his partner's mind. Ash still had his pokemon's interests in mind though. The boy had taken all of his poke balls and set them inside his upturned hat. Even with all this having happened, he still didn't forget about his pokemon. Pikachu smiled and griped the hat by the rim, pulling it along, dragging the cargo.

"Ash!" he yelled with a question on his mind. "What are we gonna do with these?"

Ash walked up slowly, his head low, his ears, and tail in the same manner.

"Think about taking them to the city…drop them off at the poke center…I can't take care of them like this…" he mumbled. Pikachu's smile left and was replaced by a scowl.

"Getting depressed over this is not a good idea," the pokemon scolded, dragging the hat and walking past his friend. "Besides, if you get mopey, then I'll get mopey." he continued. He shot a grin at Ash, " Remember, I'm the certified pikachu here. Don't even think about take'n my job Ash." he chuckled. Ash gave a half smile in response and followed his friend as they started the long trek back to civilization…

***