Chapter Text
Chapter one
Ash watches Harrison celebrate his win with his Blaziken, picking up Pikachu and moving to join Charizard on the battlefield. Ash holds his starter to his chest and strokes the fire dragon on his back, waiting for his pokémon to look at him.
Charizard groans awake and turns to face his trainer, with regret in his eyes. Ash smiles in sympathy with pokémons feelings. “We still have a lot to learn, right, buddy?” He says, looking to his pokémon.
Pikachu and Charizard share a look and turn to their trainer with determination in their eyes in unison. “Pika-pi!” “Zard!” They agree.
Ash laughs, shaking his head fondly. He returns Charizard after one more pat and steadies Pikachu on his shoulder once he stands up. Ash turns to face the waiting Harrison, who smiles at the younger trainer.
“That was an amazing battle! You almost had me there at the end!” Harrison says when he sees that he has Ash’s attention.
Ash nods in agreement with a bright smile on his face. He holds his hand out for a handshake and congratulates Harrison. “You have trained your pokémon to be awesome. I hope we can battle again, one day. I want you to see my pokémon at their best as well!”
Harrison looks at this young up-and-coming trainer and knows he will be a force to be reckoned with in the future. Ignoring the hand, Harrison hugs the kid, being careful of Pikachu on his shoulder as well. “We will meet again and make that battle happen. Take care of yourself, alright, Ash?” Harrison pulls back to maintain eye contact with the shocked boy and pokémon.
“You will go on to do amazing things. I can feel it... right here.” Harrison points to his chest while speaking, and the duo are confused but are uplifted by the comforting words. They share an excited smile with each other before turning back to Harrison.
“Absolutely! You just watch!” Ash exclaims and punches his fist forward for a fist bump from Harrison.
Harrison laughs at his excitement, nodding and returning the fist bump. “I look forward to it!”
The crowd cheers loudly at the display of sportsmanship from the two trainers, and they both look around in shock at the loud clapping. Ash laughs and holds Harrison's arm up for the crowd to cheer louder for the winner.
Harrison is shocked by the actions of the other trainer but laughs with Ash as well and begins waving to the crowd as they both walk off the battlefield together, the cheers following them into the tunnel.
“That shocked me. I wasn’t expecting them to still be watching us at all. There were still battles going on.” Harrison remarks, rubbing the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed at the attention.
Ash shrugs casually, scratching Pikachu on the cheek idly. “You’ve watched other battles, right?” Harrison nods, confused at the question. “Of course.”
Ash nods and continues to his point. “Well, everyone likes it when there are no hard feelings between the opponents at the end of the battle, right? Regardless of who wins, everyone watching can see that both parties enjoyed the battle with no regrets. We’ve just shown them that that was what happened for us.”
Harrison looks at the kid next to him with an impressed expression before nodding in agreement with his statement. “You’re right, Ash. Those are always the best battles, too.” Ash smiles in acknowledgement at Harrison, and they continue towards the healing stations, Harrison thinking about strategies for his battle and Ash deep in thought about what he will be doing next.
Both trainers hand their Pokémon over to the Nurse Joy on duty before sitting down to wait for them to finish healing their Pokémon. The TV above the front desk was announcing the last battle of this round and showing the trainers for the next round.
Harrison looks up to see his opponent and hums in thought. “Jon Dickson...”
Ash looks up at his mumbling and follows his line of sight to the TV. “Hmm... Do you know what pokémon he has used so far?” Ash asks Harrison, and he shakes his head in denial, standing and walking over to the computers. Ash follows along with him, keeping an ear out for their names to be called from the desk.
Harrison is searching for the trainer's name on the computer and clicking through the information listed on his profile.
Ash watches the older trainer with interest, taking in the new information about the other trainer. Harrison pulls out a notebook and begins writing down the opponents' pokémon, strategies and which pokémon he will use against Jon.
“Do you have any other pokémon you could use?” Ash questions the other, and Harrison hums in acknowledgement. “I do, but I want to continue using this team.” Harrison answers, and Ash hums in thought.
“Ash Ketchum!” Nurse Joy calls, and Ash turns to the desk. Nurse Joy is looking at the pair, holding a tray of pokéball and Pikachu standing on the desk waiting. “Your pokémon are fully healed, you can collect them now.” She continues, and Ash nods, moving closer to collect them.
Once he is close enough, Pikachu jumps onto his shoulder and nuzzles his cheek in affection. “Cha!” Ash laughs at his starter's excitement, patting him on the head in response and picking up his pokéball, nodding to Joy in thanks before returning to Harrison's side.
“What type of strategies are you thinking of using?” Ash asks as he pulls one of the other chairs closer to Harrison, sitting down next to him as the older boy looks over him.
As the pair of trainers sit, talking about Harrison's next battle, Misty and Brock join them and watch the relaxed interaction with wonder. The two gym leaders exchange a surprised look, not expecting this outcome after their heated battle just 15 minutes ago.
They both check on their companion to see how he's faring with his loss. Still, while he seems slightly preoccupied with his thoughts during the conversation, they know he is in good spirits by the speed at which the pair of trainers are speaking with each other.
The pair doesn’t even notice that Nurse Joy has finished with Harrison's pokémon as well, and Misty goes over to the lady to grab them from her for the trainer. Brock sits next to the preoccupied pair and joins them once he understands what they are talking about. Misty places Harrison's pokéball down in the trainer's arms and shocks the group out of their discussion for good.
Harrison looks to the girl, to the pokéball and back before his thoughts catch up. He thanks the girl profusely and stands up, waving to the group. “I’m going to check in on my pokémon and try out my thoughts for the next battle. Wish me luck!”
“Good luck!” The trio all call out to him, watching him walk out to the practice field before looking back at each other.
“How are you feeling, Ash? It was a really close match.” Misty says, and Brock nods to the girl's words, watching the younger boy's face. They both see the disappointment on his face, before it gets overtaken by the thoughtful look again.
“What are you thinking so hard about, Ash?” Brock presses and Ash sighs, looking to Pikachu, who tilts his head in confusion back at his trainer.
“It was a really close match... My pokémon all did their best and followed my instructions to the letter as well... Harrison is, of course, powerful as well. This battle has shown me that we still have a lot to learn about the world of pokémon.” Ash explains.
“Of course, you still have a lot to learn. This is only your second proper tournament you have entered, but don’t disregard the hard work you and your team have put in already.” Brock states, shocked by Ash’s thoughts.
“Yeah! You have time between now and your next journey to learn more.” Misty agrees and continues to say.
Ash looks at his friends in bafflement as he answers.
“I know that, I was going to ask Prof. Oak to give me some lessons when I got back to Palet town. It will be a few months of training before we move on to the next region.” Ash states to the others' relief, Pikachu gets a fired-up expression on his face while listening to his trainer's plans.
“That’s good that you have a plan. Do you know which region you want to go to for the next journey?” Brock praises before probing for more information, Misty looks to Ash for his answer.
“Hmm... How do you feel about the Hoenn region, buddy?” Ash asks Pikachu sitting in his lap, and Pikachu tilts his head in consideration, before nodding in agreement. “Pi!” Pikachu cheers, and the group laughs at his answer.
The group stands up and heads to the practice field outside, where they see Harrison engrossed in his practice. They leave him alone and go to the open side, Ash pulling out his team and releasing them onto the field.
“Hey, guys!” Ash calls to his team, but most of them are disappointed with themselves about the loss and only mutter in response. Charizard looks at the others with a confused face before sending a Flamethrower at his trainer in greeting. Ash chuckles at his friend's unique greeting before focusing on his team properly.
“I’m not going to ask why you are all so down. I already know and understand how you feel. I’m sorry to have let you all down once more, but this just means we will have to work harder from now on!” Ash announced to the crowd, and they all looked up in surprise at their trainers' words.
Charizard, Pikachu and Tauros all look understanding at Ash’s statement, knowing it to be true but also knowing that they were all too weak still.
“Bay! Bayleef bay leef bayleef!” Bayleef defends Ash fiercely, even from his own words. No! You did nothing wrong! Totodile and Heracross both nod in agreement with her words. Even Snorlax appears frustrated rather than drowsy or asleep.
Ash is heartened by their trust in him, but he knows that this is a growing moment for all of them.
“There is a lot we have all learnt from this loss. When we get back to Palet town, we will be having a training camp for the coming months in preparation for the Hoenn region!” Ash announces, and his team all finally look spirited at his words.
They all cheer in response and jump on top of the boy to celebrate. Ash laughs at their excitement and lets them have their fun for a moment.
“I have one more announcement for you guys before you can rest.” Ash informed the pokémon, and they all quietened down for him to speak.
Ash looks at them all before maintaining eye contact with Tauros.
Tauros tilts his head at the intensity of his stare.
“Tauros. This decision is a very difficult one to make, but I feel it was needed for the others to grow. I’m thinking of trading your herd.” Tauros’ eyes widen in shock before he sighs in understanding, while the rest of the group looks between the pair in shock.
“They aren’t being utilised to their best ability, and I know they don’t get to see much action as there are too many of them for me to rotate through the party effectively. I will make sure they all go to reliable trainers, and we will keep in touch with them all the time as well.” Ash hurries to explain and reassure his friend, and Tauros huffs at his fretting before moving to put his head in his lap in comfort.
Tauros has been expecting this to come about since they had all been caught. There are too many in his herd for Ash, and they all knew they wouldn’t be used as much as he was, but they were happy with their trainer, who loves them anyway.
Ash looks at his pokémon in shock at how easily he accepted it, but he pets him on the head in comfort anyway. “We have to make sure they are all the strongest they can be, before they go, right? We’ll spend the first month of training preparing them for anything coming their way.” Ash reassures the group, and they all surround their trainer to comfort each other.
When Ash notices that all of his team is asleep, he returns them to their pokéballs to rest. He stands to go back inside the Pokémon Centre with Brock and Misty silently following.
“Have you called home yet?” Misty asked quietly, keeping in mind the sleeping mouse in Ash’s arms.
“I haven’t. I should do that now. Can you hold Pikachu?” Ash answers, holding out his partner, and Misty gently takes the mouse from his arms, moving to sit on one of the sofas with Brock following.
Ash makes his way back to the computers and puts in his house's number first. The line rings out, and Ash hums in thought before putting in Prof. Oak’s number instead. The call is answered in four rings, and Prof. Oak greets. “Hello! This is Professor Oak’s lab. Who is this?”
“It’s Ash.” Ash answers, and the call is quickly switched to a video call. Prof. Oak appears on the screen, accompanied by Delia, who is holding Bulbasaur and Squirtle in her arms. “Hey, Ash! We were beginning to get worried when you hadn’t called. How are you doing?” Prof. Oak asks.
“Hey, Ashy! I’m so proud of you! You made it to the top 8! That is amazing!” Delia praises her son after the professor speaks. Ash smiles at his Mother in thanks before looking back to the professor. “Hey, Mum! Hey, Prof. Oak! Thank you! We are all a bit disappointed, but Harrison was strong, and he really showed us what we need to work on.” Ash answers back to them both, and they both look to the boy in surprise at his mature answer.
“Yes, the boy was powerful, and the match was very close as well. It is always hard to lose, but it is the best motivation for growth as well. It is a hard lesson for anyone to learn, but I am relieved that you have taken it so maturely.” Prof. Oak monologues and the two Ketchums share indulgent looks at the man's antics.
“Yeah... Prof., would you be able to teach me more about being a trainer during the break between now and the Hoenn tournament? Mum, would you be able to teach me to cook for my pokémon as well? I can’t keep relying on Brock for it all; they are my pokémon, and I need to be able to care for them myself.” Ash requests, and the adults are shocked once again by the boy's words, but are quick to agree.
“Of course!” Delia answers cheerfully.
“It would be my pleasure to help, Ash.” Prof. Oak smiles at the boy in pride. “Delia has been taking care of your finances for you, as well. That should be something you learn about as well.” Prof. Oak looks to Delia in confirmation, and she nods in agreement.
“Finances?” Ash blinks in confusion, and they both laugh at his expression.
“Yes. Finances. You have won numerous competitions and battles, and you receive compensation from them at the end. Why do you think you have to scan your pokédex at the beginning and the end of the events?” Prof. Oak asks, a little exasperated with the boy. “You can check it on your pokédex.”
Ash looks to the man sheepishly. “Well, there can’t be much, right?” Ash pulls out his Dex and nearly chokes at the amount listed. How is there that much? Ash looks to the screen with horror on his face.
“Well, you enter a lot of competitions, have won the Orange Island challenge, and you have been helping me with my papers with all the new information you get on your journey.” Prof. Oak answers the expression, and Ash sighs at the information.
“What should I be doing with it?” Ash asks, slightly overwhelmed with the new information.
Delia laughs at his distress, and Ash shoots her a betrayed look. She smiles at her son fondly before she answers. “There are some gadgets that you should buy before you leave for Hoenn, like an extranciever from the Unova region and a dexnav from Hoenn, but I can explain more later.” Ash sighs in relief at the instructions before looking back at Prof. Oak with a serious expression.
They both straighten at his look.
“Can you look for trades for the Tauros herd? All except the leader.” Prof. Oak and Delia both flinch in shock at his request.
Bulbasaur and Squirtle shout at the turn of events and share looks of confusion, before looking to their trainer, knowing he wouldn't do this without a reason.
“What brought this on, Ash?” Prof. Oak quickly asks for more information.
Ash sighs, his shoulders slumping with the weight of his decision. “I know that they are all happy to be my pokémon, but they aren’t being used to their best potential, and I know they will be amazing pokémon for any trainer to have on their team. I won't be able to push them enough with just myself.”
Prof. Oak watches this trainer once again make the hard choice with his pokémons best interests in mind. His chest fills with pride, and he looks to Delia to see her with the same look on her face. “I understand. I’ll make sure they are all trustworthy people for the trades. I’m proud of you, Ash.” Prof. Oak reassures the boy, and Ash smiles in relief at the man.
“Can you set them for a month from now? I want to spend time with them and train them for their next adventure before they go.” Ash asks, and Prof. Oak nods in agreement. “Alright! That is everything. We should be back in two to three days. We’ll be hanging around until the end of the competition. See you soon!” Ash waves, and they wish him goodbye as well.
Ash sighs in relief, stretching his arms above his head, before heading back to the others. He looks back at his pokédex and the money in his account, sighing again. Brock and Misty turn to the boy at the uncommon sound coming from him. “What’s the sigh for?” Brock asks, and Misty hands the boy, Pikachu, waiting for his reply.
Ash hands Brock his pokédex in answer, and Misty looks over Brock's shoulder in confusion. “What’s wrong with it? I don’t see anything out of the ordinary.” Ash looks at the girl in confusion. “The amount of money? Why didn’t you tell me about the payments if you knew about them?” Ash urges.
Brock shrugs at his question. “We thought you knew about it. You never acted any differently, and we were sent allowance from you throughout the whole journey to help with buying supplies.” Ash is shocked, but Misty and Brock share a look before humming in unison. “Although that should’ve told us it wasn’t you managing it. Too orderly. Definitely, Ms Delia.” Misty comments with a snarky grin on her face, and Ash sputters at the teasing, Brock laughing at them.
“We should head to sleep, it’s been a long day. I’m sure we are all exhausted.” Brock suggested, and the pair both nodded in agreement with him, standing up to go to their room to sleep.
~*~
The trio is on its way back to Palet town after the tournament, and they have been discussing training and grooming tips for Ash to try with his pokémon in the coming months.
“You should teach your pokémon a larger variety of moves. You usually stick to damaging attacks, but you don’t realise how handy it is to use status moves.” Brock suggests just as they get to route 1. Ash hums in thought.
“I thought there was a limit to how many moves a pokémon could learn...” Ash trails off at the horrified looks from his friends. “Check Pikachu’s move set on your pokédex! It shows there what moves they have ever learnt and can use.” Misty demands, and Ash is quick to comply.
Pikachu
The electric mouse pokémon
This Pokémon has electricity-storing pouches on its cheeks. These appear to become electrically charged during the night while Pikachu sleeps. It occasionally discharges electricity when it is dozy after waking up.
Ability: Static
Move set:
Tackle, Tail Whip, Thunder Shock, Growl, Quick Attack, Charm, Thunder Wave, Agility, Thunderbolt and Thunder.
Egg move: Volt Tackle.
This move has not been unlocked yet.
“Whoa! Buddy, you are so...” Ash can’t think of how to describe this situation. Pikachu puffs his chest in pride at the amazement in his trainer's eyes.
“Your Pikachu is great, but there are still a lot of other moves he can learn to be truly amazing.” Misty continues after seeing Ash lost for words. Brock holds his hand out for Ash’s pokédex, and Ash happily hands it over to him. Brock clicks a few buttons, then hands it back. “Read. This is all the moves he can learn.”
Ash and Pikachu both descend on the Dex to look at their options. That is how they continue on their way to the Ketchum residence. Ash is checking through all his pokémons move sets and listing them all down, Misty is listening and interjecting with her opinion, and Brock is writing everything down.
Misty pulls them both to a stop so they don’t walk right past the house and leads them to the door, knocking and walking in straight after. “We’re back, Ms Delia!” Misty calls to the house, and Delia comes into the hallway to meet them at the front door.
“Welcome home, everyone!” Delia rushes to give them all hugs, and they all sink into the comfort before she pulls away and guides them into the living room. “Sit! Sit! You all have to be so tired!” She flits through the three of them, and they all smile reassuringly at the woman. Delia scratches Pikachu between the ears, and he positively melts at the attention.
By the time she is finished, Pikachu is fast asleep. They all laugh at the mouse and take a moment to rest on the couch, while Delia goes into the kitchen for food and drinks for them all. She sets the sandwiches on the coffee table in front of them and comes back with four glasses and a jug of orange juice.
They all thank the woman and dig in once. Delia laughs at their eagerness and begins questioning them on their journey. They spend the afternoon together before going to the lab to see Ash’s other pokémon.
They all walk into the lab and find Prof. Oak checking on Cyndaquil’s condition. They immediately greet the man. “Hey, Prof., we’re back in town!” Ash greets the man, and Prof. Oak looks up to greet them as well, Cyndaquil happily waiting to finish his check-up. “Welcome back! Let me just finish with Cyndaquil, and we can move outside.” Everyone nods in agreement and looks around the lab, looking for something interesting to pass the time.
Misty notices Tracey sketching the pokémon outside and moves to speak with him for a bit. Everyone follows behind the girl and sits watching the boy make his drawings, asking about his work so far. Tracey happily hands the group his spare sketch book, and they go through all the new pictures, while Tracey explains the stories behind them.
Prof. Oak joins the group, Cyndaquil jumps on Ash, and they all move out to the farm to find the other pokémon. Ash releases his party, and at the sound of his pokémon roaring as they come out of their pokéball, all of his pokémon are racing towards the group and stampeding them, with the other people waiting a respectable distance away, so they don’t get caught up in the chaos.
Once they have settled down on the ground in one big pile of pokémon, Ash explains the situation to them. “Hey, everyone. This is serious, okay?” Looking around and seeing them all nod in assent, with a few giving him understanding looks, Ash begins his speech.
“I will be trading the Tauros herd, but only in a month. We will all spend that time becoming stronger, and I am making sure you all get as much experience with me as you can, to make up for lost time and let you all be as prepared as possible.” Ash finishes with a sad smile on his face while looking at all of the Tauros.
They all bellow in response, knowing their trainer made this choice for them. They look back at their trainer with determination in their eyes, for their new adventure may take them away from their family. Still, they were all going to make the best of all their new trials. They were also excited about this new training Ash was talking about.
Ash smiles blindingly back at his family and pulls out his pokédex to review the moves they'll be working on to add to their arsenal. They all listened to their trainer talk with rapt attention and resolve to master all the new moves to make their trainer proud one last time before they leave.
The other people let out their pokémon to mingle with each other. At the same time, Ash excitedly explains his training schedule to them. He stops abruptly when an idea comes to mind. Ash turns to look at the Prof. “Prof! Do you have any idea how Pidgeot is doing?” All of his pokémon turn to stare at the professor as they hear Ash’s question, waiting for his response.
Prof. Oak looks over the group before answering. “She seems to be training the other Pidgey and Pidgeotto to keep control of the Spearow and Fearow flock.” Prof. Oak smiles at the young trainer’s relief from his report.
“Do you think she is ready to come back now?” Ash asks with a hopeful glint in his eyes, and the silence in the clearing is so profound that it's as if a pin has dropped, waiting for Prof. Oak's response. “I think the only way to know would be for you to visit her to find out.” Prof. Oak gives such a non-answer that everyone groans at his words while Prof. Oak grins, enjoying their fluctuating emotions.
“Well, since you won’t give me a straight answer, let's make a trip to Route 1, right guys?” Ash stands up, and all his Pokémon follow behind him, along with the others. Prof. Oak and Delia murmured behind the herd of pokémon walking through the town, their faces set in determined expressions.
The townspeople all move out of the way of the group, smiling indulgently at the Ketchum boy and all his pokémonn who help them with their problems. They call out a greeting to the group before moving on with their lives, used to all of their shenanigans.
When they reach route 1, everyone looks to the skies for a sign of either a Spearow or a Pidgey and manages to spot a massive Pidgeot efficiently handling five Spearow. They watch the fight with interest, and once they notice it winding down, they approach the bird when she lands. As they get closer, Ash’s face brightens, and he starts running towards the bird, calling out to it so she can notice and not attack him.
“Pidgeot!!” Noticing the same thing as their trainer, they all follow along quickly, excited to meet one of their oldest friends again or for the first time.
Pidgeot looks over with a glare in her eyes before realising who exactly is running at her, and she races to meet them all halfway and swoops down to land on all of her friends in her excitement. The others in their group all watch them end up in a dog pile once more, watching them with fondness coming off of them in droves.
Before they all get carried away, Pidgeots flock join them, immediately taking a defensive position, thinking their leader is under attack. Once Pidgeot notices, she gets between the groups, tells the flock to stand down, and introduces them to her family. The flock immediately calmed down and looked to the group with interest on their faces as well.
“How have you been doing, Pidgeot? You looked amazing when you went against the Spearow before!” Ash exclaims, and Pidgeot fluffs up at the compliment from her trainer, to the amusement of the crowd. “Pi-Pidgeot! Pidgeot pi geot Pi-Pidgeot.” As you saw, I have a handle on the Spearow flock now.
Ash and his pokémon all nod in agreement, looking over at the downed Spearow with pride. “So... Does that mean...?” Ash trails off, watching Pidgeot nod and turn back to the flock to announce she will be going back to her family, now that they are all strong enough to protect themselves from future enemies.
She points to one of the Pidgeots at the back of the flock and declares it the next leader, to the concession of the others in the flock. They all fly off together, and Pidgeot turns back to Ash with a satisfied expression on its face.
“This is amazing! It’s so great you are back now!” Ash cheers and hugs the big bird tight in celebration, to the cheers of his other pokémon. Pidgeot folds her large wings around her young trainer and preens his hair in answer. Ash laughs at the affection, nostalgia making the action even sweeter, before pulling back from the hug to begin making their way back to the lab for a more in-depth conversation.
~*~
Pidgeot POV.
On the way back to the lab, they caught up with Pidgeot on the changes she's going through. She is sad to have only a month left with the Tauros herd after returning, knowing they'll soon be doing amazing things with their new trainers.
We have a lot of lost time to make up for. I will make sure you are all whipped into proper shape before you leave! Pidgeot grins sharply at the Tauros herd, and the Tauros all snort in agreement, excited to fight against her.
Bring it on! We’ve been waiting for a chance to fight! One of the Tauros answers for the group, and they all run straight for the lab, uncaring of the other people they are stampeding past. Noctowl shakes his head at their behaviour and follows after them to keep them out of trouble.
Pidgeot chuckles at their excitement before moving to join Ash at the front of the group of pokémon.
So? How did the Johto League go? Pidgeot asks while side-eyeing her trainer and his partner. Ash’s smile dims slightly at the reminder, but he is still smiling, so she takes that as a good sign.
“We got to the Top 8 this time, we lost to Harrison. He is from Hoenn, and he has pokémon we have never seen before on his team. Even with that advantage, it was a very close match. We can rewatch it so you can see what it was like, and we can learn from it as well. We did manage to beat Gary, though!”
Pidgeot lets out a happy trill at the last comment, but is overall proud of their accomplishments, even if they know their trainer and family are all disappointed to lose again. I’m proud of you, Ash! We hadn’t managed to beat Gary yet. How did he take it? Ash smiles at her words and hums in thought of his rival's reaction to losing.
Pikachu is the one who answers the question, though. He took it surprisingly well, all things considered. Very calm. Pidgeot warbles in shock but nods in recognition of the other boy's growth.
It seems this tournament was beneficial for growth, both for us and for others. Pidgeot looks to Ash to see his reaction, and all she sees is satisfaction at their new road ahead. Well, let us hurry before the herd breaks the lab when they get impatient with our slow pace. She shoots into the sky before either of them can react and heads straight for the lab with Charizard and Heracross following close behind.
3rd Person POV.
The rest of the group speeds up their pace to get to the lab faster as well. When they arrive at the lab, they find the Tauros have knocked down part of the fence since their return, and Gary is surveying the damage with a bemused expression. Hearing all the noise, he turns to see the group racing towards him and quickly moves out of the way of impact.
When the group all fall over each other once they get to their clearing, they hear a snickering coming from behind them and find that Gary had followed them into the pasture. “I should’ve known it was you guys, destroying things and making a ruckus.” Ash scratches the back of his head, sheepishly at his words.
“We had to get here quickly, or who knew what Tauros were going to do while they waited for us. We’ll fix the fence for you, Prof.” Ash answers, finishing by looking over Gary’s shoulder to the older man. Prof. Oak waves him off, knowing it would be put back together by the end of the day. Ash turns back to his rival and asks. “When did you get here, Gary?” Gary shrugs while shoving his hands in his pockets, appearing very casual in a way he hasn’t been in years.
“Just this afternoon. I wanted to speak with Gramps here about some stuff.” Gary pointed to Sam and waited for the older man to respond. Prof. Oak raises his brows in surprise but motions him to follow him back to his lab for their chat, leaving the others in their clearing to their own devices.
The group all share confused glances before shrugging it off and focusing on their pokémon instead. “Let’s search for all the moves you can learn and find out where to start for training, alright? We have just a month to make you all incredibly powerful. Let’s work extra hard!” Ash announces, and they all surround the boy and his pokédex to research. In contrast, the others leave their pokémon in the clearing before making their way back to the Ketchum residence.