Pokemon Indigo League Stories Part 2

Catching Ash part two

Gary leaned against the sturdy tree, the rough bark digging into his back as he glanced up at the sky, his arms crossed tightly. He sighed deeply, glancing at the phone pressed to his ear. "Come on, pick up..." he muttered under his breath.

After a few moments of silence, the phone clicked, and a voice on the other end finally responded. "Hello? Gary?" Professor Oak's familiar voice asked, sounding curious.

"Yeah, it's me," Gary replied, relieved that his grandfather had finally answered. "Listen, Grandpa, I need you to contact Ash. He's way ahead of us, and we've been hiking for hours. We can't catch up with him!"

There was a pause on the other end of the line as Professor Oak processed the request. "Ash, huh? I can try, but... you know how he is with his sense of direction."

Gary could practically hear the smirk in Oak's voice, and he rolled his eyes. "Just call him, Grandpa. We need him to come back to us."

Professor Oak didn't waste any time. He picked up another phone and dialed Ash's number, waiting for the connection. After a few rings, the phone clicked, and Ash's voice came through loud and clear, full of energy and slightly out of breath.

"Hello?" Ash answered, sounding cheerful as always, clearly unaware of the chaos he had left behind.

"Hey, Ash, it's me, Professor Oak," came the elderly voice on the line. "Your friends want you to come back to them."

Ash paused for a second, and his voice turned more confused than usual. "Wait, what? You want me to... do the chicken dance?"

Brock and Misty, who had been standing silently off to the side, exchanged puzzled glances. Gary sighed and muttered, "No, Grandpa. He didn't say that."

But Professor Oak, ever the optimist, continued speaking without missing a beat. "No, no, Ash, I'm saying your friends want you to come back. They're waiting for you."

Ash, however, misunderstood once more. "Oh! You're telling me there are peas in the freezer?" he asked, his voice filled with excitement, apparently thinking Professor Oak had offered him some bizarre advice on food. "I love peas!"

Brock's eyes widened. "Did he just say peas in the freezer?" he asked, incredulous.

Misty slapped her forehead in frustration. "How does Ash hear that as 'peas'?" she groaned.

Gary, feeling the weight of the situation, took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Grandpa, he's not listening to you! Just... just tell him in plain words."

Professor Oak, chuckling at Ash's confusion, finally gave up on the indirect approach. "Ash, listen carefully. Your friends are waiting for you. They're all the way back at the third mountain, and they need you to come back now."

There was a long pause on Ash's end before he responded, his voice completely clueless. "Okay! Got it, Professor! Thanks for the... uh, the chicken dance tip. See you later!"

Gary could barely hold back a groan. "Forget it, Grandpa," he muttered under his breath, clicking the phone off and shoving it back into his pocket.

Brock and Misty exchanged looks again, but this time, they couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. Misty shook her head, smiling despite herself. "I swear, Gary, Ash is the only one who could misunderstand an entire conversation like that."

Gary turned to look at them both, a faint grin on his face despite his irritation. "I guess we'll just have to keep going. No way he'll ever catch on unless we drag him back ourselves."

With that, the trio resumed their climb, determined to make it to Ash-though none of them were sure whether it was to rescue him or drag him back to sanity. As they trudged up the mountain again, the echoes of Ash's confused comments rang in their heads. The chicken dance... peas in the freezer... What was going on in that kid's head?