A Journey Together

CHAPTER 5: Protecting like a family

CHAPTER 5: Protecting like a family

Days after Ash won his second gym badge in Nacrene City's gym, they went to the next city for another gym badge. Before the second badge, Ash received a Pokémon egg from a breeder as a thank you gift for solving with his friends an issue with a kindergarten. They took the egg until it eventually hatched e, that was inside an incubator. After winning the second badge for Ash, they noticed that the egg was shining, it was going to hatch very soon.

Later, the egg finally hatched, and from there appeared a Scraggy. Everyone was happy by his birth. One problem that they had was that the Shedding Pokémon was quite aggressive with everyone. He attacked with Headbutt at all that was in his path. Ash had the idea of him fighting against his Pikachu would calm his spirit, but Scraggy was too weak for being a newborn.

Ash wanted that all of his Pokémon said hello to Scraggy, but the Pokémon still continued being aggressive with his teammates. He attacked some ones with Headbutt, Pidove got altered, Oshawott got angry and wanted to attack him, they tried to separate him, but he returned to attack him. The fighting-dark-type Pokémon also attacked Tepig and he got dizzy by so many headbutts that he did. He also went after Snivy, but she used Vine Whip not to come closer to her, and he ended tired.

Hours later, everyone was dinning, however, Scraggy didn't want to eat his food and walked away. Night fell, the Shedding Pokémon was still awake and left from there for some reason. Iris's Axew noticed that and went to tell it to the others about that the newborn Pokémon had left, and everyone went to look for him. They could find Scraggy, but he was badly wounded for wanting to attack a tree that was a nest of Galvantula, he received the attack from the EleSpider Pokémon and fell badly wounded and paralyzed. Ash and his friends decided to pick him up and go where they were sleeping. Fortunately, Iris knew how she could heal his bad condition, and went to look for medicinal herbs so the fighting-dark type could get better.

The next day, Scraggy got better, but he wanted to challenge the Galvantula that attacked him the previous night. He went to the tree and he gave headbutts. From there it didn't come one, but four Galvantula that wanted to attack him. Luckily, Ash and his friends and Pokémon went to help to defeat the bug-electric Pokémon. After defeating them all, they returned to where they were before. Cilan advised that Iris's Axew and Scraggy were training partners, for being Pokémon that weren't prepared for a real battle. Once the battle was over, that was a tie, Scraggy decided to go with Ash and was caught by a Poké Ball, joining the team. They continued with their path to the next gym badge for Ash.

The next day since Scraggy decided to belong to Ash, in middle of the rest, all the Pokémon had free time to do whatever they want. Snivy walked away as usually to rest alone, Oshawott in that occasion wanted to talk about something with her. After coming closer, they greeted each other:

"Hello, Snivy, how are you?"

"Hi, Oshawott, I'm fine for now."

"How good."

"What do you want to talk with me this time?"

"It about the new partner that we have."

"Do you mean Scraggy?"

"Yeah, the same, what do you think of him?"

"Well, I think that, until now, it's a rather rebellious and very troublemaker boy."

"Yeah, I think the same."

"Look how many troubles Scraggy had gotten days ago, and we don't know how many more he will have later on."

"Yeah, I understand how you feel. Didn't you see how he gave me a headbutt when I wanted to say hello to him?"

"With only seeing how he attacked Pidove, I got the idea of how that boy was. I only dedicated myself to walk away and not see that would happen later, I had no interest in that moment."

"Well, it would be difficult to cope with that type of behavior in the team, but he'll soon become calmer with us, isn't it right, Snivy?"

"I suppose that I will be like that. In any case, since he is a partner of our team, we had to protect him from any danger or menace."

"It'll be a little difficult for how Scraggy is, but what all of us as a team did in that occasion to protect him from some Galvantula wasn't bad at all, don't you think?"

"Yes, but you almost were attack by one of them and I took you out from there with my vines."

"Yeah," while he felt embarrassment, "now I remember it."

"For the next time you have to be more careful with your surroundings."

"I'll keep it in mind."

There was a moment of silence until Oshawott commented to Snivy:

"Snivy, I don't know how to feel after Scraggy was born and became part of our team. It's like Iris's Axew, but more aggressive with the others."

"Yes, Oshawott, I know, but he is our teammate, as well as Axew, we have to protect them from trouble and hazards that could happen in our journey."

"Protect them... as if we were parents? Something like that?"

That question made the grass snake very uncomfortable, to think that they would take care of the youngest Pokémon of the group, as if it were of parents that take care of their children, made her feel embarrassed. She tried to keep the composure and not to show discomfort in front of Oshawott, but he noticed that something strange happened to her because he saw her blush for a moment. The Sea Otter Pokémon asked her:

"Snivy, are you okay?"

"Y-yes, Osh-Oshawott, I-I'm okay. It just that... you freaked me a little for what you said previously."

"About protect Axew and Scraggy as if we were parents? What's so strange about tha...?"

Oshawott later realized what he made Snivy to think, he blushed a lot for that. He said very embarrassed:

"Oh, no, no, no, no! Oof! I-I'm sorry for making you think on that, Snivy. I didn't th-think that you would have that idea for what I said. The thing is... y'know... is as if... we... started our own family... and such..."

"W-we? Starting a family, the two of us?" Snivy asked already showing embarrassment to Oshawott.

"No, no, no, I didn't want to say that! I mean to take care of them all together, as if we were a big family."

"Ooooooh! That... Now I understand." While Snivy stopped to feel embarrassed.

"Yeah," leaving aside the embarrassment as well, "Axew and Scraggy are the youngest Pokémon of our family, so to speak, and you said that we must protect them from any menace. That's why I thought that all of us would have to take care of them as if we were parents."

"Yes. All of us have the duty to protect them until they be strong enough to fight in real battles. It's going to take some time, but at least we will able to see them grow up and strengthen training over the days."

"Right, I don't imagine how Axew and Scraggy will be when they be stronger and be participating in important battles. It gives me goosebumps just to think it, but at the same time proudness to see them that strong."

"You're quite right, Oshawott."

"Yeah, sorry for having you to think that after what I said to you previously. I'll have to watch my words that I said for the next time."

"Well, that happened already, and don't tell it to anyone or I give you a beating, did you hear me?"

"Yes, Snivy. But... it wouldn't be bad, for me, having to take care of another one, as if it were to have a child and be a parent, so to speak. I'd feel it very adorable and I'd be happy. What do you think about that, Snivy?"

"Oshawott, you're still very young to think on that kind of stuff."

"You're also young as me, just more grown up and mature. Oh well, it's a feeling that I had for an instant and that's it."

"Right. Oh! It seems that the others finished to rest, it better to come back with them."

"Okay, until next time, Snivy."

"See you later, Oshawott."

And the two came back to the trainers and the other Pokémon. Once they rested, they resumed with their trip.