Chapter 3: Meetings of portent

“I can’t believe you would just leave someone behind like that.” Ash said angrily.

“She’s fine.” Red repeated. “Look, I’d know if something happened to her.”

“All right…so where do we go from here?”

“What do you think? We train.”

The next day…

Ash soon discovered that Red’s training included not only the pokemon, but the humans as well. As he made his way for the fifth time that day through the obstacle course, complete with quicksand pits, falling logs, insane Zubats, and teetering bridges that could break at any time, Ash decided he knew why Red was in such good physical condition.

Red was running laps around a track with his pokemon when Ash made it out of the maze.

“It took you twenty-eight minutes this time. Two minutes faster.” Red said. “Try again.” He was still running while saying this; his pokemon that could run were following him.

Ash collapsed in a heap on the floor. “Now I know why you’re in such good shape…” Pikachu gasped from atop his head, tired from keeping the Zubats away.
Red laughed lightly. “I know this is hard for you, but think of what we’re going through.”

“I know, when we hit Lavender I’ll be glad we did this.” Ash said a bit sarcastically.

“Right.”

“Can’t we take a break?”
“Well, it has been four hours. All right.”

Ash gulped water from his sports bottle gratefully, willing his heartbeat and breathing rate to slow down.

“Let’s try a 2x2 battle again.” Red said.

Ash paled. They had only done it twice before, but he had gotten whipped each time.

“All right…”

Red tossed Ash a few bottles of potion, and Ash rejuvenated his pokemon and himself slightly, Potion didn’t work as fast on humans, but it still helped a lot.

“I’ll choose first.” Red said. “Give you a bit of an advantage. Donphan, go!”

“Ground/rock type, right?” Ash said. “Okay then. Wartortle, go! Hydro Pump!”

Ash’s wartortle cracked his paws and prepared for the water attack.

“Donphan, use Earthquake!”

Donphan hit first, sending Wartortle flying back to Ash’s feet. However, Wartortle righted himself and Hydro Pump knocked out Donphan.

“Hmm, not bad.” Red said.

“What do you mean? I won!” Ash said.

“Yes, but you could have lost, if it weren’t for Wartortle’s high defense.” Red told him. “Hydro Pump is also not the most accurate of moves. Surf or Bubblebeam would have been a safer way to win.”
Ash gritted his teeth, but accepted Red’s logic.

“All right, Gyra, let’s try you next!”
“Then I’ll use Pikachu of course!” Ash said. “Thunder!”
“Gyra, Hyper Beam!”

Gyrados’s Hyper Beam sent Pikachu soaring through the air, but there it gathered up clouds and used Thunder again.

Gyrados wailed in pain, but spat out an Ice Beam, narrowly missing Pikachu.

“Um, try a Thunderbolt this time, Pikachu!”

“Gyra, Agility!”

Gyra managed to evade the Thunderbolt and a Blizzard attack froze Pikachu solid. Ash gasped and ran over to it.

“I’m so sorry, Pikachu, I thought you’d win…”

“Here.’ Red said, handing Ash an Ice Heal. “That went pretty well. Gyra hasn’t really been beaten before, and you came very close. If it weren’t for the Focus Band he was wearing, you might really have won.”

“Really?” Ash said, feeling a bit better.

“Yep. But don’t get overconfident yet.” Red said. He quickly whipped up a fast lunch, which they ate, before they returned to the arduous training.

Seven days later, Ash was, to his surprise, making it through without much trouble. Red said that they were running low on supplies, so they would be visiting the next town.

Ash nodded his assent and yawned.

“It’s only a few miles to Wisteria Town.” Red said. “It’s small, and last time I checked, was uninhabited by rockets.”

“Cool.’ Ash said. “Let’s go.”

Red smiled at the naïveté of his counterpart.

It was a brisk walk through rocket-free woods. Soon, they reached the town. There were kids playing in the streets, adults chatting, and even a small pokemon center.

The two of them got their pokemon healed at the center, and then walked around, asking for news.

There was none, except for an isolated incident.

“This kid’s Charmander was stolen a week ago.” A six-year old girl said, pointing to a boy no more than nine.

“Was there anything special about it?”

“Well, I’m not supposed to tell, but it could suck in air and turn bigger, like a Jigglypuff.”

“Thanks.” Red said, handing her a dollar. “Go buy yourself some candy.”

“What’s so special about that?” Ash asked as they headed for the small inn.

“Well, from the other comments I’ve heard, the Charmander could fly. Wouldn’t you want a pokemon like that?”
“I see…”

“So are we going to rescue the Charmander?”

Red shook his head. “We’re in a war, right now, we don’t have time for these trivial matters.”

“But…”

“No buts. After Team Rocket is gone, it will be easier. Now let’s get to the inn.”

The inn was dimly lit, and Ash could see a rocket skulking in one corner, but he didn’t say anything. Red’s poke belt was well hidden by his cloak, but Ash could not persuade Pikachu to go inside a ball.

Red ordered hamburgers and soda for them both, and they ate quietly.

They were on their way out when the Rocket made his presence known. “I’ve seen your pikachu boy, you’re obviously itching for a battle. Well, I’ll give you one.”

“Outside.” The innkeeper hissed.

The rocket made an obscene gesture but consented.

“Pikachu, go!” Ash said, as Red sighed to himself.

“Phanpy, go!”

“Pikachu, Agility now!”

“Phanpy, Rollout!”

Pikachu managed to evade all of Phanpy’s moves, before it lashed out with a Hydro Thunder attack, a water version of flaming thunder. Phanpy dissolved with a squeak.

“Phanpy, Return! You just got lucky, kid! Arbok, go!”

Pikachu shrugged, and a Thunderbolt later, Arbok was no more.

This time, the Rocket angrily advanced on Ash. However, a few feet away, he suddenly fainted.

Ash looked at Red, who shrugged his shoulders, then at Charlotte, who had mysteriously appeared out of nowhere, carrying a flaming mallet.

“Did you miss me?”

End Chapter 3

Created 5/23/03, completed 6/10/03