Electrical - Ash Ketchum {1}

Chapter 16 - Charmander - The Stray Pokémon

It's been almost two weeks since we said goodbye to Melanie and the Pokémon from the Village and avoid the traps she marked on a small map she gave me.

But we were still in the woods, lost again. I was lying my head on my backpack while lying on the grass, while Brock was looking at his map, Ash was watching around for Pokémon with pair of binoculars, and Misty was sitting on the ground, pouting.

"There's nothing but Spearow here," Ash said. "Well that's the last of our worried, isn't it?" Misty asked, glaring over at him. "Just because we're a little lost, doesn't mean I can stop catching all the Pokémon I can, does it?" Ash replied.

"Chu," His Pikachu agreed with a nod, sitting next to my Pikachu. "Of course not, enjoy yourself," Misty snapped and let out a sigh in annoyance, "I just can't take another step forward. We've been looking for Vermilion City for ten days!"

Brock looked down at her feet in confusion, "Uh... there's a bug right on your--" Misty screamed and quickly stood up before hiding behind Ash, "Get it away!"

Brock picked up a piece of grass, "Oh, it was just a piece of grass," He said. Misty glared at him but he laughed before she slapped him in the face hard, making the map in his hand fell from his hand and flew toward me. I grabbed the map and studied it as I sat up.

"I'm going crazy! Where are we?!" Misty shouted and I raised an eyebrow do to her outbreak. I cleared my throat as I looked back at the map, "According to the map we're standing in the middle of nowhere, but looks like route 24 can lead us right to Vermilion City."

Misty kneeled in front of me with a big happy smile, "Does this trail take us to route 24?" I smiled, "Yeah. We just need to keep going forward."

Misty grinned as she stood up and grabbed her backpack, "All right! From now on, Emma is holding the map." She started to walk forward in the trail and I chuckled before standing up. I grabbed my backpack and turned to the two boys, "Come on boys. Pikachu."

"Pi," My Pikachu said before she and Ash's Pikachu started to follow me. "Hey, guys!" Misty called and we all quickly walked toward her to see something was sitting on a big rock.

"What's that?" Ash asked before we walked closer. "It's..." I trailed off and saw it was a tiny Pokémon name Charmander. "It's a Charmander," I said. "Ch..." Charmander said quietly as Ash pulled out his Dexter.

Charmander. A flame burns on the tip of its tail from birth. It is said that a Charmander dies if its flame ever goes out.

"When I went to get my first Pokémon from Professor Oak, I was disappointed 'cause I couldn't get a Charmander, now I can catch my own," Ash said with a smile. I looked at Charmander sadly, noticing it was breathing heavily and looked weak.

"I don't know... it look like it's in bad shape," Misty noted. "Yeah, catch it and we'll take it to the Pokémon Center for help," Brock told Ash.

Ash pulled out a Poké ball and threw it toward Charmander, "Poké ball, go!" But the Lizard Pokémon used it's tail to hit the Poké ball back toward Ash. Ash looked at me and Brock, "Looks pretty healthy to me. You think I should have Pikachu battle it first to weaking it, to make it easier to catch?"

Misty smiled, "Why don't you let me catch it? My water Pokémon will be stronger against Charmander." Ash raised an eyebrow, "No way."

I looked toward Charmander, "Hold on a minute," I said to my friends, "Look at the flame on it's tail." The three of them followed my gaze to Charmander's tail. "It's small..." Brock trailed off. "Yeah, there is no way Charmander can still have the strength to battle," I said before looking at Ash, "Try the Poké ball one more time."