Out Of The Ashes (A Pokémon Fanfiction) ~on Hold

Chapter 5: The Criptic Message

Chapter 5: The Criptic Message

Out of the blue, a flash of extreme sadness sobered his mood. What he wouldn't give to have his mother with him right now. She probably would have gushed over the hatchling like a schoolgirl. Instead, because of Team Rocket, she would never get to see him reach this milestone in his life. Would never see any of his milestones. And she'd been so excited for him, too...

He sat down heavily, his body thrumming with all kinds of emotions.

The Aron suddenly ambled over to his lap, obviously doing his best to clamber onto Ash's legs. He curled his hands underneath the Pokemon's belly and lifted, letting out a surprised grunt at the unexpected weight. He could barely lift it, even heaving with all of his might. Aron might have been small, but his body was incredibly dense and heavy. He nestled happily in Ash's lap, right up against his stomach. His little body vibrated with the continuous growly purrs. Ash smiled weakly, angry at himself for nearly losing control of his emotions and almost ruining what was supposed to have been a thoroughly joyous occasion. He rubbed the single dull spike that rose from the middle of the Pokemon's back. Aron's noise increased in volume, and Ash's smile brightened.

Oak poked his head in through the doorway. "Okay, I've put all the Pokemon back in their stalls again. I must say, some of them looked pretty disappointed to have missed their opportunity to travel with you."

Ash directed a fond smile towards the steel/rock type happily sprawled in his lap. "I'm good with this one."

"Do you want to give him a nickname?" Oak enquired, leaning over to give Aron a gentle pat of his own.

Ash considered briefly, then shrugged. "I don't really know him well enough to give him a nickname just yet. Maybe when we start our journey."

"A wise decision," Oak praised, and then snorted. "Gary barely had his Squirtle in his hands before he was shouting something about 'Geyser', or some other nonsense."

Ash thought back to Gary's Squirtle. Though Gary had left home the very next day after receiving his Pokemon, he had left it out of its Pokeball so that it could walk around and strengthen itself. It liked Ash and had a very cheerful, bubbly personality. He was almost sort of sad that Gary had picked it... it would surely lose its bright outlook in favor of a more power-hungry, arrogant nature in the future. Pokemon, especially young ones, often picked up character traits from their trainers.

He jerked out of his reflections when it occurred to him; he needed a Pokeball to contain Aron, especially since Aron was much heavier than most starter Pokemon. There was no way he could carry the Pokemon when he got tired of walking.

"I recommend that you use the next two days to bond with him and research his line," Oak advised. "Having an Aron will save you some expense in the future due to their ability to eat minerals obtained from the soil, so at least you won't be forced to stop and replenish your Pokemon food stock."

Ash grinned. Already, Aron was working wonders in his life.

"Come on, I really did mean it earlier when I offered some dinner. I'm starving." Oak held out his hand to help Ash stand. Ash sat there, unmoving.

He looked up, smiling awkwardly. Aron's soft snores resounded from Ash's lap, where he pinned his legs to the floor with his weight. "Uh, Professor? I think he fell asleep. I can't get up."

Over the next two days, Ash became immensely grateful that he had waited before dashing headfirst off into the wild.

First, he learned not to leave anything composed of metal alone near Aron. Hungry or not, the Pokemon would scarf it down if given the chance. Ash's pens, change, and jacket zipper all met their inglorious end by way of Aron digestion. Sometimes when Ash sat down to eat a meal, Aron would sit by the foot of his chair and stare enviously at his fork and spoon. He didn't seem to need to eat too much, but was certainly gluttonous and opportunistic.