What If Ash was in Pokemon Horizons?

Farewell, Sprigatito?

Liko and Ash watches as the adults of the RVT patch up the holes in the ship made by Orthworm. Roy suddenly rushes over to them, "Liko, we should battle again! Seeing Dot battle that Orthworm got me all fired up!"

"Okay!" Liko nodded.

"I call dibs on directing!" Ash immediately said.

The three trainers head to the Wing Deck, Fuecoco and Sprigatito stand opposite of each other. Fuecoco strikes with Ember that Sprigatito dodges. She charges forward with Quick Attack, that Fuecoco counters with Disarming Voice to blow her back. Fuecoco follows up with another Ember that Sprigatito cuts down with Scratch.

Terapagos and Hatenna wander onto the Wing Deck, having heard the battle from inside and wanting to see  the battle. Sprigatito strikes with a powerful Leafage that Fuecoco dodges, though Liko notices the Leafage is about to strike her other Pokemon and rushes to shield them from the hit. To Sprigatito's horror, Liko takes the attack and falls to the ground, landing on her wrist.

Sprigatito immediatley rushes to her trainer, meowing in an apologetic tone. "I'm okay," Liko reassured, "Really."

Ash and Roy rushed over to her, "Woah, Liko, you okay?!"

"We should get her to Mollie." Ash suggested, "She'll know what to do."

Liko finds herself being examined by Mollie, "Looks like a small sprain, nothing too serious." Mollie wrapped a brace around Liko's injuried wrist. "Just keep that on for a while."

The door opens as Hatenna and Terapagos rush in, clearly worried about their trainer. "I'm okay, guys." Liko smiled down at them, "Hey, where's Sprigatito?"

Ash walked in, "Hey Liko, glad you're doing okay. Ludlow said he saw Sprigatito leave the ship and go into some house."

Liko gasped, "I have to go after her!"

"I'll go with you!" Ash offered, "I've dealt with Pokemon running away before."

Ash and Liko head off the ship and find the house, noticng the windows look like the ears of a Sprigatito. The door suddenly opens and they come face-to-face with a woman. "Well I'll be, it's Liko from the Indigo Academy. And the World Monarch himself."

"Well, it's nice to meet you." Ash smiled, "We're looking for my friend's Sprigatito."

"Well, we've got tons of Sprigatito here." The woman said, "I'm Marnya, I'm a Pokemon Breeder that loves Pokemon like Sprigatito. I'll never forget when Pokemon leave my nest and find their partners. I work with Indigo Academy to transfer Pokemon to their campus. I remember you, Liko."

"You do?" Liko asked.

"Oh, yes." Marnya said, "When you took your interview, Sprigatito couldn't take her eyes off you. I think I spotted that Sprigatito earlier, she ran off before I could ask what she was doing here. It's a shame when Pokemon break off from their partners, it's rare to see a Pokemon and their partner not get along. Usually it means they have to stop being partners."

Liko paled, terrified at the thought of her and Sprigatito falling apart. "Well, we're not like that! I just need to find her!"

Liko ran off, "I know it doesn't seem like it. But, they're bond is just as strong as mine and Pikachu's. This is probably some big misunderstanding."

Ash runs after Liko, who's searching in the nearby woods. " I know Sprigatito better than anyone." she muttered.

"Yeah, Marnya doesn't know you." Ash added, "The Liko she knows is the shy girl from indigo Academy, not the super awesome girl you are now!"

Liko smiled, grateful for Ash's friendship, "Thanks, Ash."

"No problem!" Ash reassured, "Now, Sprigatito's partner, where do you think she'd be?"

Liko thinks for a moment, "Somewhere warm, and sunny." she concluded.

"Then let's get looking!" Ash exclaimed.

Liko's conclusion leads them to the roof of Marnya's house. They find Sprigatito there, the Pokemon spots them and begins to run away in guilt. "No, no, no!" Liko insisted, gesturing to her brace, "This wasn't your fault, it was just an accident."

Liko tries to appaorch Sprigatito and pick her up, only for her partner Pokemon to scratch her hand with Scratch. Just as she did back when they first met at Indigo Academy.

Sprigatito hops off the roof and through a window into the house, Liko begins to tear up. "Maybe Spirgatito and I aren't meant to be..."

"No, Liko! No!" Ash insisted, "She's just feeling a little guilty, I promise we just need to see her and tell her how we feel! I know you won't give up on her, right?"

"Right." Liko nodded, determined more than ever.

Ash and Liko hop down to the ground, Marnya opens to door to her house again and comes outside. "Seems like you two have been running around, perhaps you'd like to take a break?"

Ash and Liko sit inside Marnya's house, Liko sipping on some matcha tea while Ash and Pikachu gobble on some sweets. "Your Sprigatito used to make that face." Marnya observed, noticing Liko's unease.

"She did?" Liko asked.

Marnya nodded, "She used to rest on her favorite spot on the roof until she'd get bored. Unlike the other Sprigatito, she kept to herself. Until she saved one of her friends from a fall with her powerful Leafage. After that day, she played with the other Sprigatito and became quite popular. Then one day, the Sprigatito were kidnapped by a Spidops. Sprigatito managed to use Leafage to drive it off, but accidentally ended up hurting its friends in the process. After that, the other Sprigatito were scared of yours and she stayed on that roof, unable to shake her guilt."

"See Liko?" Ash asked, "Sprigatito just has a hard time letting go of her guilt! We'll make her feel better."

Liko recalls how Sprigatito struggled to use Leafage when they first met, "Sprigatito probably stopped using Leafage after that day." she thought outloud. "Making Leafage weaker over time."

Liko stood up, "I'm gonna go find her."

Ash stood up as well, "I'll help you."

The trainers search the nearby woods again and finds Sprigatito in an Oran Berry tree. Sprigatito sees the trainers and falls out of the tree trying to avoid them, Liko catches her partner and begins to tickle her. "I remember when we first met, everything seemed so scary and new back then. But I overcame all that because I had you, and I wanna face the future with you by my side."

Sprigatito smiles and nuzzles into her trainer, Liko hugs her partner close as they reconcile. Ash watches with a smile on his face, scratching Pikachu's chin. "I'm grateful for you, buddy."

"Pikachu!"

Suddenly a net made of webbing snatches Pikachu away, drawing everyone's attention to see Team Rocket standing behind them with the very Spidops from Sprigatito's past, holding Pikachu in its web. "Well hello there. Twerp!" Jessie greeted, "Do you like my new Pokemon? After we overheard that pathetic little sob story I just knew I had to have it!"

"And Your Pikachu!" James added.

"Dats right!" Mewoth exclaimed.

"Wobbuffet!"

Sprigatito growls, enraged an old enemy has captured her friend, she hesitates to strike due to her trauma. She looks over to Liko and they share a nod, "Use Leafage!"

Sprigatito uses her full power to save Pikachu and send Team Rocket blasting off. "WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"

"WOBBUFFET!"

"Woah, I don't think that was Leafage anymore." Ash noticed, "That was Magical Leaf!"

Liko hugged her partner, "Now we can go show Roy!"

Roy and Liko resume their battle on the Brave Olivine's Wing Deck, Sprigatito dodges another Ember with Quick Attack. She leaps high into the air to avoid Stomping Tantrum and strikes Fuecoco and knocks it out.

"Way to go, Sprigatito!" Liko praised, Sprigatito meowed in response, happy to have found a trainer that truly loves her.