Ash and Nessa

Chapter Six -- Ash Encourages Nessa

It didn't take long to walk from the Pokémon Centre through the tree-lined streets of the city to the outskirts of the Viridian Forest. They left the road and proceeded slowly through the bushes and trees. After a couple of minutes, Ash noticed a small bird pecking at the grass in a clearing.

He motioned Nessa to be quiet. "How about that Pidgey for starters?" he whispered.

Nessa pulled out a Poké ball and was going to throw it at the Pidgey, but Ash reached out his hand and stopped her.

"Before you can catch a Pokémon," Ash explained, "you have to weaken it. Send out Pikachu and thundershock it."

Nessa nodded and began to follow his instructions. "Pikachu, thundershock that Pidgey," she whispered upon releasing it.

Pikachu crept closer to the small, wild Pokémon. It tensed its face, priming its electric sacs for a quick strike. It crept just a little closer. Then... crack! It stepped on a fallen twig. The Pidgey instantly turned its face towards the sound of the snapping wood, flapped its wings briskly and flew up into the air. Pikachu shot out a blast of lightning, narrowly missing the now moving target, and struck some bushes at the far end of the clearing. Everyone's attention was on the Pidgey, so they didn't notice the bushes rustle.

The Pidgey fought back, beating its wings harder and harder. A strong wind swept Pikachu off its feet and sent it rolling back in a tangle of fur, twigs and leaves. Ash and Nessa covered their faces with their arms to protect themselves from the flying dust and forest debris.

Suddenly, from out behind the bushes burst out a large pink monster with a horn on its head, looking very angry. It paused and looked around. Seeing Ash, Nessa and her Pikachu, it wasted no time and began to charge.

"Quick, up a tree," cried Ash when he noticed their peril. The Pidgey now forgotten, Pikachu got to its feet, bolted to the nearest tree, and easily climbed up. Ash and Nessa hastily followed. Ash gave her a boost.

The fierce poisonous Pokémon was almost upon them. Ash knew now he wouldn't make it to safety on time. He turned to face the creature, his body tensed, ready to battle it bare-handed if he had to. But he didn't get a chance to fight. All of a sudden, he saw a blinding flash of light, felt all his muscles spasm at once, and then, darkness.

When he woke up, Ash was lying on his back on the ground. He opened his eyes and saw someone trying to rouse him. It took him a few moments to recognize it as Nessa.

"Ash, are you OK?" he heard her repeat a few times.

He struggled to regain his senses. "Urrh... I think so. How long was I out for?"

"Only a minute."

She helped him up. He dusted his clothes and tried unsuccessfully to comb some twigs out of his hair with his fingers.

"I guess your Pikachu just learned thunderbolt attack," he said. "Hey, where's the Nidorino?"

Nessa pointed to an unconscious beast lying on the ground.

"Capture it!" said Ash.

"What!?" Nessa replied, her eyes and mouth wide open.

"Your Pikachu knocked it out. Catch it with a Poké ball before it comes to and charges us again."

Nessa's eyes lit up at the thought of capturing her first Pokémon. What had happened was a little unusual for a new trainer's first catch, but as Ash had said, a Pokémon's a Pokémon.

She took out an empty Poké ball. As she held it, Ash noticed her hand tremble slightly.

"It's OK Nessa, just throw it."

Nessa did as she was told. The Poké ball flew towards the Nidorino, struck it, bounced off and hinged open. While still in mid-air, the Nidorino's body glowed pink and appeared to be sucked up by the Poké ball in a flash of light. The ball fell to the ground, wobbled once, twice, then stood motionless. The Nidorino was caught!

"Yes!" exclaimed Nessa, jumping with glee. She picked up her prize, ran up to Ash and gave him a squeeze around the waist. She turned to Pikachu.

"Pikachu," she announced happily, "we've caught us a new Pokémon!"

"Pikachu!" replied her little friend with its one-word vocabulary.

"A Nidorino's a tough Pokémon," Ash warned her, "so make sure you're firm with it."

"OK, Ash. I'll try to remember that."

"Now, how about looking for a Caterpie?"

"That's a bug type," repled Nessa in disgust.

"Sure. But you can raise it, and it'll grow into a Butterfree. Don't you like Butterfree?"

"Well they look sweet, I guess. But I thought it was hard getting Pokémon to evolve."

"It can be a lot of work, looking after them and training them, but they evolve when they're ready. Anyway, raising Pokémon's the best part. You get to know each of your Pokémon, what it's like, how well it does each of its attacks."

Nessa listened to what Ash was saying. There was something about what he said, and more than that, how he said it. Something clicked in her heart. Getting to know each of her Pokémon...enjoying raising them...understanding each of them individually. Ash's enthusiasm infiltrated her mind and gripped her heart. It was as if a secret was revealed to her. Yet it was not something to keep secret, but something she felt like sharing with everyone. Her uncertainties departed. She felt ready to embark on the journey to become a Pokémon master.

"Hey Nessa." Ash interrupted her thoughts. "I just realized, we better get back to the Pokémon Centre. I've got to pick up my Pokémon in time for my next match."

"That's OK, Ash. Can we come back for a Caterpie tomorrow?"

"Sure," Ash replied, and with that, they turned back towards Viridian City.