Pokemon Indigo League stories

Battle in the Freezing Raid.

" Of course, you could be scared."

" Couse I'm not! Okay, I'll go with you and you're gonna thank me fo-"

Suddenly Ash sneezed.

" Sorry, Goh, what were yo-"

Then he sneezed again.

And again.

And again.

At this point Pikachu had hopped off Ash's shoulder and watched its trainer as he wiped his eyes.

" Are you okay?" Gary asked.

Ash gave him a thumbs up, but not without three more sneezes.

Then he took a deep breath and sneezed ten more times.

" WISTY?!" He yelled. " ARE YOU IN HERE!"

" WHAT DO YOU THINK?" a distant voice yelled from Articuno's perch. 

" SORRY! I WAS JUST WONDERING BECAUSE-"

" I KNOW I KNOW!"

she slid off the perch and sighed. " Okay, Sprigatito. I think you can stop growing those flowers."

The cat looked confused.

Wisty sighed. " He's here."

Sprigatito saw the sneezing boy and gave Wisty a ' is he okay' look.

Wisty sighed. " He will be. Just as soon as I cure him of his dumbitis."

Gary snorted.

Ash heard. " WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!"

wISTY GAVE HIM A SWEET SMILE. " Payback."

Ash's sneezing fit finally settled down, leaving him red-eyed and sniffling. He glared at Wisty, still perched at Articuno's roost, her smile as sweet as honey—and twice as sarcastic.

"Payback? For what?" Ash demanded, rubbing his nose. "I didn't do anything!"

Wisty crossed her arms, one eyebrow raised. "Oh, really? You forgot about the time you 'accidentally' dropped me into the lake when we were kids? Or the incident with the Beedrill nest last week?"

Ash's face went pale. "Hey, that wasn't my fault! You know how Beedrill can be."

Gary chuckled from the sidelines, enjoying every second of the siblings' banter. "Looks like you've got your work cut out for you, Ash. Wisty's always been good at holding a grudge."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, Gary," Ash said with a roll of his eyes, trying to keep his cool despite the lingering itch in his nose.

Pikachu, who had wisely distanced itself from Ash's sneezing chaos, scampered over to Sprigatito, giving it a curious sniff. Sprigatito, recognizing a kindred spirit, batted one of the flowers it had been growing in a friendly gesture. Pikachu chirped in delight, and the two Pokémon began a playful exchange, batting the flower back and forth.

Goh, who had been silently watching the chaos unfold, stepped closer to Ash and whispered, "Dumbitis, huh?"

Ash groaned. "She just loves giving me a hard time. But I'm not scared. We're still going on that expedition, whether she thinks I can handle it or not."

Wisty's grin grew even wider, and she slid the rest of the way down Articuno's perch to stand directly in front of Ash. "Oh, I'm sure you'll handle it... if you can stop sneezing long enough to actually get there."

Ash opened his mouth to retort, but another sneeze cut him off, sending him stumbling backward. He steadied himself and shot Wisty a determined look. "I'll show you! Whatever expedition you've got in mind, I'm up for it!"

Wisty's eyes gleamed with amusement. "Oh, is that so? Well then, I hope you're ready for a real challenge. We're going to the Frost Caverns."

Gary's jaw dropped. "The Frost Caverns? That place is a frozen maze! Are you serious?"

Wisty gave him a nonchalant shrug. "What, you scared too, Gary?"

Gary's face flushed. "No! I just... didn't think you'd take Ash there."

Wisty patted Gary's shoulder. "Well, he did say he wasn't scared. Didn't you, Ash?"

Ash, still sniffling but filled with determination, nodded. "That's right. I'm not backing down."

Wisty smirked, leaning in close. "Good. Because once we're there, I won't be going easy on you."

Ash swallowed, feeling a chill that had nothing to do with the icy surroundings. But he squared his shoulders, standing tall. "Bring it on."

Wisty gave a satisfied nod, then turned back to Sprigatito, who had finally stopped growing flowers. "Alright, time to move out. Let's show them what we're made of, Sprigatito."

The little cat Pokémon meowed in agreement, bounding ahead toward the snowy path that led to the Frost Caverns. Pikachu darted after Sprigatito, eager to follow.

Gary exchanged a knowing look with Goh. "Well, this should be interesting."

Goh grinned, already feeling the excitement of the adventure. "Yeah. And knowing Ash... it's gonna be a wild ride."

Ash took a deep breath—then promptly sneezed again.

Wisty's laugh echoed through the snow-covered trees. "Let's go, Mr. Sneezes! Time's wasting!"