Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ A Memorable Life ❯ Chance Encounters ( Chapter 5 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Recap: After two years of living on an island, Ash and the six Pokemon who chose to be with him went to New Bark Town. There, Ash became officially registered as a Pokemon Trainer. When it came to choosing from the starter Pokemon, there was no choosing because all three starters went with Ash. On his way to Violet City, he met a rather rude redhead. When at the Sprout Tower, Ash met the kid again, learning the kid's name. After defeating the sages of the Sprout Tower, he headed for the gym. In a very impressive battle, he came out the victor.
( ) after Pokemon talk is the translation
Italic words is psychic speech
/ is Ash mental conversation with Lugia and/or Charizard
/Italic words/ is Lugia and/or Charizard mental conversation with Ash
(' is Pokemon thoughts
' is human thoughts

& nbsp; Chapter 5: Chance Encounters

It was currently mid morning now. Ash had finished breakfast and was ready to leave the Pokemon Center. The events from yesterday were still fresh on his mind. He had gone to New Bark Town to become an official Pokemon Trainer. In a unique twist of fate, he had left with all of the starter Pokemon instead of just one because all three wanted to go with him.

Upon leaving Professor Elm's lab, he had met a possible rival. Upon leaving Cherrygrove City, he had a series of trainer battles, which gave his three new Pokemon a fair amount of experience. When he got to Violet City, he went to test his training skills against the sages of the Sprout Tower. His Cyndaquil evolved after all was said and done. Then came the awaited battle between Ash and Falkner, the Violet City Gym Leader. In a very impressive battle, Ash had come out the victor.

"Can you tell me how to reach Azalea Town Nurse Joy?" Ash asked.

"Sure. You have to take Route 32 to Union Cave. You'll exit at Route 33. Azalea Town is just on the other side of Route 33," Nurse Joy responded.

"Thanks," Ash said before leaving the Pokemon Center.

/The Ruins of Alph are along the way/ Lugia said.

/The Ruins of Alph?/

/Yes, it's where Pokemon called Unown dwell/ Lugia responded.

/What are Unown?/

/They are very unique Pokemon. You'll know what I mean when you see one/ Lugia responded.

/Sounds good to me/ Ash said. Five minutes later, he was on Route 32. He noticed what looked like a large chamber. 'Well I might as well go inside,' he thought before entering the ruins. He had let all his Pokemon out of their balls, wanting them to see the unique Pokemon as well.

Only a few minutes later, a large group of Unown had circled around him. He saw what Lugia meant by the Unown being unique. They looked like letters of the English alphabet.

"Unown (Hello)," the Unown said.

"Hi," Ash said.

"Unown un unown (You're a special one)," the Unown said.

"That's what almost everyone I've come across told me so far," Ash said.

"Well, they're absolutely right. I knew that there was something special about you the moment I saw you," Lugia said.

Then an Unown that looked like an A and one that looked like an N stopped about six inches in front of Ash. They wanted to go with him. "Un unown un unown (May we go along with you)?" they asked.

"If that is what you want, then so be it," Ash responded before throwing two empty Poke Balls at the Unown.

The Unown were caught without a struggle. Then Ash and his Pokemon bid the remaining Unown goodbye. Then Ash returned the rest of his Pokemon and left the ruins of Alph, continuing on toward Union Cave. He had battled more trainers along the way. After about the fourth trainer battle, Chikorita had evolved into Bayleef. An hour later, Ash had reached a Pokemon Center that was conveniently located close to Union Cave's entrance. He went to have his Pokemon healed. He also rested for an hour before heading into Union Cave. He had gone through additional trainer battles in Union Cave. An hour later, he had reached the exit of the cave. Upon entering Azalea Town, he saw a man dressed in a black uniform with a large red R on the shirt standing in front of a well.

'Why is he guarding a well? I don't understand that one,' Ash thought. He shrugged and headed for the Pokemon Center to have his Pokemon rested. About ten minutes later, he headed towards the gym. Upon entering, he saw a boy with spiky red hair battling with a boy that looked around Ash's age. "I wonder who he is?" Ash wondered out loud.

Several minutes later, the battle was over. The spiky-haired boy had come out the victor. The boy around Ash's age then gave the spiky-haired boy a badge, completely shocking Ash.

"That was a good battle. You train your Pokemon very well," the young boy said.

"Thanks Bugsy," the spiky-haired boy said.

'So that's the Gym Leader's name,' Ash thought.

Then the spiky-haired boy headed out of the gym. He stopped upon seeing Ash. "Hello, I don't think we've met before. My name is Gary," he said, holding out his hand.

"Hi. I'm Ash," Ash said, holding out his hand as well.

Gary then looked Ash over. Something told him that he did know the boy in front of him.

"Is something wrong?" Ash asked.

"Oh, it's just like you look so much like my neighbor," Gary responded.

"I do?" Ash asked.

"Yeah. He's been presumed dead two years ago because no one could find his body. After pirates had made off with him after robbing a cruise ship that he and I were on, the pirate ship was destroyed in a whirlpool. No bodies have been found to this day," Gary responded.

"Well your neighbor could still be alive," Ash said.

"That's what I've been hoping for these past two years," Gary said. "Well, I hope we see each other again. Farewell for now," he added before leaving the gym.

Then Bugsy came up to Ash. "You're here to challenge me for a badge correct?" he asked.

"Yes," Ash responded with a nod.

"Let me get my Pokemon healed and then we'll start the battle," Bugsy said.

"Okay," Ash said.

Bugsy headed off to the Pokemon Center. He came back fifteen minutes later. Okay, I'm ready," he said before getting on one side of the battlefield.

Ash took the other side of the battlefield. "How many Pokemon will we be battling?" he asked.

"We will use three Pokemon each," Bugsy responded.

"Okay," Ash said.

"I'll choose first, and I choose Kakuna," Bugsy said, releasing the said Pokemon.

"Let's do this Croconaw!" Ash said, releasing Croconaw.

"Croco (I'm ready)," Croconaw said.

"Kakuna, use Poison Sting!" Bugsy said.

Kakuna fired the poisonous needles towards Croconaw.

"Dodge that Croconaw!" Ash said.

Croconaw jumped, avoiding the attack.

"Now Croconaw use Water Gun!" Ash said.

Croconaw fired off the Water Gun.

Harden yourself Kakuna!" Bugsy countered.

Kakuna used Harden. The Water Gun made impact, but it didn't affect Kakuna that much since it hardened itself.

"We have a counter for Harden. Use Leer Croconaw!" Ash said.

Croconaw complied, bringing Kakuna's defense down.

"Keep the Leer going and use Water Gun!" Ash said.

While still performing Leer, Croconaw fired a Water Gun at Kakuna. Kakuna tried to use Harden, but Croconaw's Leer was too much for it. When the Water Gun hit, Kakuna went flying into a wall. The referee went to check on it and saw that it didn't look like it would be getting up anytime soon.

"Kakuna is unable to battle. Victory to green trainer," the referee said.

"Kakuna return," Bugsy said, returning his fallen Pokemon. "You did your best," he added. "Now I choose Metapod!" he said, releasing the said Pokemon.

"Metapod (Let's battle)!" Metapod said.

"Are you holding up okay Croconaw?" Ash asked.

Croconaw nodded, ready to face Metapod.

"Okay then. Use Water Gun!" Ash said.

Croconaw fired a Water Gun at Metapod.

"Use Harden then String Shot!" Bugsy countered.

Metapod didn't suffer too much damage when the Water Gun struck. Then it fired off the String Shot. Croconaw was soon entangled and couldn't move very much.

"Now Tackle it!" Bugsy said.

Metapod came charging at Croconaw. Croconaw was helpless and suffered a direct hit. The tackle had knocked Croconaw free of the String Shot. But it also knocked him out of commission because getting tackled by a hardened Metapod was like running full steam into a steel wall.

"Croconaw is unable to battle. Victory goes to Bugsy," the referee said.

Ash then returned Croconaw. "You did great Croconaw," he said before choosing another Pokemon. "Okay Bayleef, it's your turn!" Ash said, releasing Bayleef.

"Bay bay bay (I'll do my best)," Bayleef said.

"Metapod use String Shot again!" Bugsy said.

"Metapod (You're tied)!" Metapod said, firing the attack.

"Not this time. Cut it down with Razor Leaf Bayleef!" Ash countered.

"Bay (Right)," Bayleef said before firing razor sharp leaves form the large leaf on her head.

The String Shot was dissected in the Razor Leaf attack. Metapod did get hit by some but wasn't affected that much.

"Harden yourself Metapod!" Bugsy said.

Metapod used Harden, bringing up its defense.

"Bayleef, use your Sweet Scent!" Ash said.

Bayleef gave Metapod a dose of her Sweet Scent. Metapod relaxed in the pleasant aroma, leaving it vulnerable.

"Now Bayleef, use Vine Whip!" Ash said.

Bayleef lashed out with her vines, striking Metapod as hard as he could.

"Metapod (Ouch)!" Metapod cried in pain.

Then Bayleef wrapped her vines around Metapod before slamming it to the ground. Metapod looked just about done in at this point.

"All right Bayleef. Finish the job with Body Slam!" Ash said.

Bayleef used her vines to spring into the air above Metapod. Then she came down on it hard. Metapod fainted soon afterwards. Then Bayleef got off of Metapod and went back over to her side of the field.

"Metapod is unable to battle. Bayleef is the winner," the referee said.

"Great job Bayleef," Ash said.

"Bay (Yay)!" Bayleef said happily.

"Nice try Metapod," Bugsy said, returning Metapod. "You really are a good trainer. But Gary was barely able to be my last Pokemon so get ready. Scyther, let's win this!" he added, releasing Scyther.

"Scyther scy (Ready to battle)!" Scyther said; it's sword-like claws crossed in front of it.

"Start with Quick Attack!" Bugsy said.

Scyther came at Bayleef very fast. Bayleef barely knew what hit her as Scyther made impact. She was knocked down but was able to get back up.

"Use Razor Leaf!" Ash said.

Bayleef fired off her leaves.

"Cut them up with Fury Cutter!" Bugsy countered.

Scyther became a blur as it cut all the leaves to shreds.

"That was pretty good I have to admit," Ash said.

"You haven't seen anything yet. Scyther surround Bayleef with Double Team and Agility!" Bugsy said.

Scyther split itself into many and used Agility to circle around Bayleef. Bayleef looked around in confusion.

"Now use Fury Cutter!" Bugsy said.

Scyther and its copies came towards Bayleef.

"Bayleef, encircle yourself with your Vine Whip!" Ash said.

Bayleef stretched out her vines and slowly turned in place. Unfortunately, she couldn't hit the real Scyther because it had actually followed her vines around. Soon, the real Scyther had attacked. A few minutes later, Bayleef had fainted.

"Bayleef is unable to battle. Victory goes to Bugsy," the referee said.

"You did great Bayleef," Ash said, returning his fallen Pokemon. "This battle is about to heat up. Come on out Quilava!" he added, releasing Quilava.

"Quilava quil (This Pokemon's toast)!" Quilava said.

"Scyther use Quick Attack!" Bugsy said.

"Scy scyther (You're getting cut down)!" Scyther said, charging for Quilava.

"Turn up the heat Quilava!" Ash said.

Quilava ignited the flames on her head and rear. Then she quickly turned so her back was facing Scyther. Scyther couldn't stop in time and ran straight into the flames.

"Scyther, scyther (It burns, it burns)!" Scyther screamed in pain.

"Get out of there with Double Team!" Bugsy said.

Scyther jumped out of the way before using Double Team.

"Now use Swords Dance!" Bugsy said.

Scyther and its copies peformed a Swords Dance.

"Now use Fury Cutter. Make sure to watch where you aim!" Bugsy said.

"Scyther (You're done)!" Scyther said as it and its copies charged for Quilava.

Ash simply smiled to himself. 'Scyther is about to get a big surprise,' he thought. "Concentrate to find the real one. Then use Flame Wheel!" he said.

Quilava closed her eyes. She did an about face before opening her eyes and curling in on herself. Then she rolled towards the real Scyther, now looking like a fiery wheel. The fake Scyther disappeared as the real one was struck.

"Scy (Aaaaahhhhh)!" Scyther screamed in pain.

"Finish the job with Flamethrower!" Ash said.

"Quilava quil (You're the one who's done)!" Quilava said, unleashing the Flamethrower.

Scyther is unable to battle. Quilava is the winner. Green trainer wins this match," the referee said.

"We did it Quilava," Ash said.

"Quilava (We sure did)," Quilava said as Ash walked over and petted her. "Quilava (That feels good)," she added contently.

Bugsy returned his fallen Pokemon and walked over to Ash. "That was a match that I will never forget. You and your Pokemon work exceptionally well together," he said.

"Thanks Bugsy," Ash said.

"To commemorate your victory over me, I present the Hive Badge to you," Bugsy said, holding out the badge.

"Thanks," Ash said, taking the badge.

"This TM is also yours. You could teach your Pokemon how do do Fury Cutter with it," Bugsy said, holding out the TM.

"Thanks," Ash said, taking the TM.

"By the way, I didn't catch your name," Bugsy said.

"My name is Ash," Ash said.

"Well Ash, good luck on your journey," Bugsy said.

"Thanks," Ash said before he and Quilava left the gym. Then he headed for the Pokemon Center. He returned Quilava before getting his Pokemon rested and refreshed. Then he left. He went towards the well and saw that there was no one in front of it anymore. "I'm getting the feeling that I should check it out," he said.

/I sense something amiss going on down there/ Lugia said.

After hearing that, Ash decided to investigate. He let Bayleef out of her ball. "Can you use your Vine Whip to help me down the well?" he asked.

"Bay (Of course)," Bayleef responded with a nod. She then wrapped her vines around Ash's midsection. She lifted Ash over the well before gently lowering him.

The well was pretty deep. Bayleef had lowered Ash as far as she could, but he still wasn't on the bottom yet. But the area had widened out considerably so he released Charizard. Charizard soon had Ash Bridal style.

"You can let go now Bayleef. I've got him," Charizard said.

Bayleef released her grip on Ash before retracting her vines. Then Charizard landed and put Ash down before using Teleport to reappear next to Bayleef. Then Charizard touched Bayleef before using Teleport again to reappear next to Ash. Then Ash returned Bayleef and Charizard. He then heard a painful groan from behind him. He turned around and headed in the voice's direction. Five minutes later, he saw a man nursing his ankle.

"Are you okay and who are you?" Ash asked.

"My name is Kurt. I'm okay except for a twisted ankle," the man responded.

"How did you get down here anyway?" Ash asked.

"An organization called Team Rocket came and stole every Slowpoke in the town. I wanted to save them. But I ended up falling down the well. I'm very surprised and thankful that a twisted ankle was my only injury," the man said.

"Slowpoke?" Ash asked.

"Yes. Azalea Town is famous for Slowpoke. Before Team Rocket came, Slowpoke roamed free through the town," Kurt responded.

"Why do they want the Slowpoke for?" Ash asked.

"They want the Slowpoke for their tails. To some people, a Slowpoke's tail is a delicacy," Kurt responded.

Ash felt his stomach churn at that response. "We need to help the Slowpoke then," Ash said.

"Well I can't do much because my ankle is really bothering me," Kurt said.

"Okay," Ash said before releasing Bellossom. "Stay here and protect Kurt," he added.

"Bell (Okay)," Bellossom said.

Then Ash headed further down the well. Five minutes later, he had confronted the one that he saw in front of the well.

"What do you want kid?" the Rocket grunt asked.

"I'm here to help the Slowpoke," Ash responded.

"Oh yeah? Just try to beat me," the grun said before releasing a Zubat.

"I don't have time to fool around with you so I'll make this quick. Lapras, Ice Beam!" Ash said, releasing Lapras.

Lapras had fired an Ice Beam the moment she materialized. Zubat didn't stand a chance and was soon completely frozen. The Rocket grunt then lunged for Ash. But Lapras sang the grunt to sleep.

"Great thinking Lapras. Why not just sing all of those guys to sleep?" Ash said.

Lapras smiled before using Sing on the remaining grunts.

"Well done!" Kurt said, limping gently as he could. He then checked up on the Slowpoke.

"Are you sure you should be walking?" Ash asked in concern.

"I wanted to check on the Slowpoke," Kurt responded.

"How are they?" Ash asked.

"They're just fine. Their tails are starting to grow back. We should get out of this well," Kurt responded.

Ash nodded before returning Lapras and Bellossom. Then he released the Unown. "Can you teleport us out of here?" he asked.

"Unown (Certainly)," "A" and "N" responded before teleporting Ash, Kurt and the Slowpoke out of the well.

The Slowpoke then went to their favorite hang out spots. The townsfolk were overjoyed to see the Slowpoke roaming around again.

"Things are back to normal now thanks to you," Kurt said.

"It was nothing," Ash said.

"But I still feel that I should repay you for what you have done. Come with me," Kurt said, heading towards his home.

Ash followed Kurt. When they were inside, Kurt gave Ash three Fast Balls.

"What are these? They look different from regular Poke Balls," Ash aid.

"Those are Fast Balls. You can use them to catch speedy Pokemon like Pidgeot, Pikachu or maybe even Entei, Suicune or Raikou," Kurt said.

"Entei, Suicune and Raikou?" Ash asked with interest.

"Yeah, they are legendary Pokemon. But they are very fast. Some people have only gotten glimpses of them. I happened to see Suicune one day. It was quite strange really. It was as if Suicune was looking for something," Kurt responded.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"It had basically started off into the distance. I think that it's looking for a worthy trainer. From what I've witnessed about you, you just might be that trainer," Kurt responded before he and Ash headed outside.

Unknown to Ash or Kurt, Suicune was nearby. Suicune was actually just passing through when he spotted Ash. Suicune could sense something very special about the trainer before him. ('Could this be the trainer that I've been looking for?') he thought.

Uknown to him, two more Pokemon wondered the same thing. Entei and Raikou had also just happened to be passing through. They had spotted Suicune and were wondering what he was looking at. Upon seeing the trainer that Suicune looked at, they also sensed something very special about the trainer. Then Entei, Suicune and Raikou went off in different directions, all hoping to see Ash again.

"Well the next gym is in Goldenrod City. You can get there by traveling through the Ilex Forest. Then it's just a walk up Route 34," Kurt said.

"Thanks Kurt," Ash said.

His Pokegear suddenly rang.

"I wonder who that is," Ash said before answering.

"Hello Ash. I just wanted to see how you were doing," Professor Elm said.

"Oh hi Professor," Ash said before telling him what has happened so far.

"You are a special trainer indeed. Well, good luck at Goldenrod," Professor Elm said.

"Thanks Professor. Bye," Ash said before hanging up. He then headed towards the entrance gatehouse to the Ilex Forest.

"Don't go any further!" a voice rudely shouted.

Ash turned around to see Alex approaching. "Here comes the jerk," he muttered dryly to himself. "What do you want?" he asked dryly.

"I can't believe that you were able to defeat Team Rocket. They must be pretty wimpy then," Alex responded.

"If that's all you wanted then I'll be on my way," Ash said.

"Not so fast. I demand a Pokemon battle," Alex said.

/Ooh boy! This kid's asking for it/ Lugia said.

/You got that right Lugia/

"We'll use one Pokemon each," Alex said.

"Fine by me," Ash said.

"I choose Bayleef!" Alex said, releasing the said Pokemon.

"So you got a Chikorita for a starter and managed to evolve it. Fine then, I'll use a grass Pokemon as well," Ash said.

"Your Bayleef wouldn't stand a chance against mine," Alex said.

Ash could feel Bayleef's ball shaking violently in anger. He gently put his hand on the ball, calming the very angry Pokemon inside. "Don't worry Bayleef. He won't get away with that insulting remark," he whispered. "Who said I meant Bayleef? As much as I would love to have her make you eat your words, I'll let my other grass Pokemon do it. Bellossom, let's rumble!" he said, releasing the said Pokemon.

"Bellossom bell bellossom (You'll pay for insulting our friend)," Bellossom said.

"Ha, and what could a wimpy Pokemon like that do?" Alex asked smirking.

"Bellossom bell (Wimpy little Pokemon)?!" Bellossom exclaimed angrily.

The other Poke Balls on Ash's belt were shaking violently, expressing their anger as well.

/He's going to pay for that snide remark!/ Lugia said angrily.

/Ooooh, let me have a shot at him!/ Charizard said just as angrily.

"That's it! No one insults my Pokemon and gets away with it! Bellossom, show no mercy. Use Solarbeam!" Ash said angrily. 'This will wipe that smirk clean off his face,' he secretly added.

"What?!" Alex exclaimed in shock.

Bellossom gathered solar energy through the flowers on her head. A few minutes later, she fired not one, but twin Solarbeam attacks. Bayleef went down for the count as soon as the attack made impact. Alex was still in shock upon what happened but was able to return Bayleef.

Ash was the one smirking now. "What was that about Bellossom being a 'wimpy little Pokemon'?" he asked slyly.

"Bell, bellossom bello (Yeah, what what that ya jerk)?" Bellossom asked just as slyly.

The rest of Ash's Pokemon were also smirking, although it couldn't be seen because they were in their balls.

Alex regained his composure. "You just got lucky. The next time we meet, I will beat you," he said before storming off.

"He's a rude one isn't he?" Kurt asked. He had seen the confrontation. 'I don't blame Ash. I would've reacted the same way if someone were to insult my Pokemon like that,' he thought.

"Yeah and he needs to get his attitude checked. He's just asking for someone to knock him out. And frankly, I don't care if the someone ends up being me," Ash responded.

"Well, safe journeys," Kurt said before going back inside his house.

Ash and Bellossom then headed into the Ilex Forest.

"I wonder what kind of Pokemon we'll see here," Ash said.

Unknown to him, a very special Pokemon lurked in this forest. This Pokemon was the legendary Celebi. She was actually about to leave when she felt Ash's presence. ('I sense something extraordinary about the trainer that just entered. And I suddenly feel that my destiny is to be with this trainer') she thought. She concealed herself inside a time warp for now, ready and waiting to reveal herself when Ash came to the shrine dedicated to her.

Well that's a wrap here. The chance encounters aren't over just yet. Preview for Chapter 6: More Chance Encounters: While in the Ilex Forest, Ash encounters Celebi. But in Goldenrod, Ash unknowingly has another brief reunion. Who does he reunite with this time? If you're guessing, you know the drill.

For those of you who guessed that Ash would see Gary in Azalea Town, you were absolutely right.