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

Chapter 12: Hatred Against Team Rocket

Chapter 12: Hatred Against Team Rocket

The next morning, Ash allowed himself to sleep late and rise slowly, treating himself to a hot and cooked breakfast when he finally deigned to crawl from his sleeproll. The scare from last night had lost some of its terror with the coming of dawn, though he was still wary about releasing the Gastly from its Pokeball. Although he had worried that Tank would still be harboring some unease, the stalwart Pokemon proved him wrong once again; instead, the little Pokemon woke up as reluctantly as usual, consumed a few granite rocks, then began wandering around the clearing as though the events of last night had never happened.

Still, though. Ash scraped his compact metal spoon along the bottom of the ready-to-eat meal bag, gathering up the last steaming drips. His mind was working far away from his body. How would he even ensure the Gastly's obedience? It wasn't as though Tank or he could punish it if things went astray. Not that he even wanted to hurt it; despite the fright it had given him, the Gastly was just behaving as was its nature.

He could release it at noon, when it would be weakest, and make a break for it; or maybe he could simply donate it to a Pokemon shelter. And yet both options rubbed him the wrong way and put the sour taste of defeat in his mouth. After living in denial of his mother's death for months, he had promised himself that he would never run away from anything again. Not to mention, he doubted the shelter workers would very much appreciate having a wild and dangerous Gastly foisted into their hands.

So he was stuck with it.

Sighing, he cleared up his messes and scattered the remnants of the cooking fire.

Erring on the side of caution was generally a better idea; he would think about his options for the rest of the day and perhaps confront the Gastly tomorrow if he came up with a solution. Tank heeded Ash's beckoning whistle and trotted to his side, ready for a new day of walking.

Ash soon found that battling was an effective way of clearing his mind. When his pulse was racing, the worry of imminent failure sharp on his mind and the exhilaration of landed attacks warring for dominance, there wasn't time to stress over his predicament. Tank faithfully kept up his winning streak. His worst injury was one of slighted pride when Ash had to spend thirty minutes grooming the sticky silken threads of a Caterpie's string-shot from his armor.

Truthfully, Ash also didn't mind accumulating the Pokedollars in his wallet. He counted them out with reverence. Never before had he held so much money all at once. Because his mother had been a single parent, and the job market in Pallet wasn't exactly stellar, money had always been spent carefully. They hadn't been dirt-poor but Ash could remember a few instances of being envious of the other kids' brand-name clothes or toys.

Before leaving, Professor Oak had slipped a folded up catalogue of Pokemart items into his pack and so Ash took the time to plan his future purchases out carefully. A small footnote on the last page advertised a string of sales and coupon deals after subscribing, and Ash decided to mail off his subscription at the next Pokemart. After all, every Pokedollar mattered. Trainers could save hundreds of Pokedollars a year if they simply kept an eye out for the advertisements and special offers.

At the moment, it seemed that Potions and Paralyze Heals were marked down the most. Ash circled them with a black marker and tucked the catalogue back into his bag.

Feeling a somewhat-gentle nudge against his leg, he looked down. Tank was polishing his head on the edge of Ash's jeans. One eye was scrunched shut in pleasure, but the other was open and suspiciously fixed on Ash's pack, where Gastly's Pokeball had been stuffed last night. Ash exhaled heavily and thrummed his fingers on his thighs. He supposed the best time to confront the Gastly would be now, after he and Tank had slept and eaten and were at full-strength for the day. Meanwhile Gastly would feel weakened by the sunlight. And if worst came to worst, Ash could simply recall it. Now that Gastly had been captured, it could be recalled into the Pokeball at any time.