Long Story Short

The Black Dog

"Pika!" Pikachu licked his ice cream.

"I'm with you, buddy! It's just what we needed," Ash also enjoyed his frozen treat.

On their way to Littleroot Town to catch the ferry, they stopped through Oldale Town for lunch and treated themselves to dessert. They made the most of their time before the return to Pallet Town after the adventure with May and Serena. A calm and sunny day was the right way to close the adventure.

However, a series of unexpected events followed. "Whoa!" Ash looked down when he felt Poochyena brush past his legs. The distressed Poochyena barked when it bolted past the startled Ash and Pikachu. Unfortunately, Poochyena's sudden dash caused Ash and Pikachu to drop their ice cream cones.

Ash shed a tear for the melted ice cream on the cement, "I didn't even get to finish." He noticed the blue collar around Poochyena as it turned around the corner.

"Pikachu," Pikachu hung its head.

Ash sighed, "That Poochyena seemed in a hurry. Didn't it?"

"Chu," Pikachu agreed.

"I wonder where it went off," Ash rubbed his chin. Before the pair could make a decision, someone called out to them.

"Excuse me!" a young brunette man caught their attention.

Ash and Pikachu looked at the stranger and the young woman who accompanied him. "Did you see a Poochyena pass by here?" the woman asked.

Ash raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, it just ran past us. It headed that way." The trainer pointed in Poochyena's direction.

The woman scolded the man, "See, you scared Poochyena away with all your yelling!"

"My yelling?!" the man snapped.

"Yes, yours!" the woman didn't back down.

"What about your yelling?! If you hadn't snapped at me, there wouldn't have been a reason for me to yell!" the man argued.

"Uhhh," Ash and Pikachu didn't like the look of things. The trainer rubbed his head, "Aren't you gonna go after the Poochyena?"

The man and woman exchanged glares. They only stopped when they realized Ash and Pikachu were watching them argue. The young man cleared his throat as he recomposed himself, "Right, sorry for that."

The woman rolled her eyes, "I'm sorry you had to see that outburst." The man ignored her.

Ash tried to make the best of the situation. He smiled, "That's alright. Pikachu and I can help if you'd like."

The pair were surprised by his willingness to volunteer, "You mean that?"

"Of course. Right, Pikachu?" Ash eyed his friend.

"Pika pika," Pikachu nodded.

"I'm grateful," the woman bowed at them.

"As am I," the man bobbed.

Ash gave them a thumbs up, "By the way, I'm Ash, and you've met Pikachu."

"I'm Luke," the man introduced himself.

"And I'm Dez. It's nice to meet you, Ash and Pikachu," Dez waved at them.

"Luke and Dez, it's great to meet you both! Now, let's help you find Poochyena," Ash's determination motivated them.

They wandered Oldale Town's streets together in search of the black dog. "Pika!" Pikachu called out to the missing Bite Pokémon.

"Poochyena, where are you?!" Ash looked around.