A New Journey - Ash Ketchum {2}

Chapter 62 - Hour of the Houndour

After traveling safely through the Onix Tunnel, Emma and her friends have decided to take a lunch break before continuing on to the Gym in Goldenrod City. They were all in a small park in a town, and had released their Pokémon to have lunch with them.

While Misty and Brock were setting the table for themselves and their friends, Emma and Ash were setting the picnic blanket for the Pokémon to all be comfortable on the grass.

Togepi walked closer to its parents, "Togy, Togepry." Emma looked at it with a smile, "Don't worry, Togepi, we're gonna eat soon."

"Hey, Emma, did you return Poliwrath to your parents?" Brock suddenly asked as he looked around the Pokémon. "Yep," Emma answered, "But Murkrow is still there too." Cyndaquil ran closer to its trainer, "Cyndaquil."

"What's wrong Cyndaquil?" Ash asked and Cyndaquil held its paw, showing a scratch. "You got a little scratch huh?"

"Cynda."

"Don't worry, Cyndaquil," Emma said as she pulled her backpack to her side and dug inside. None of the kids or the Pokémon noticed a pair of red eyes watching them from the bushes.

**

After lunch, Emma was going to grab a bunch of apples with the help of the Pikachu and Bulbasaur so she could make dessert. "We should pick a lot so there could be plenty for everyone," she said.

"Pika-chu."

"Bulbasaur."

As they were picking apples, the Pikachu stopped and moved their ears, hearing movements. "Pika?" the male Pikachu asked. "What is it?" Emma asked when she and Bulbasaur turned to them.

They heard rustling behind them, and Emma turned quickly around. She frowned and took a step forward. "All right, who's there?" she asked as the Pokémon stood by her side.

She blinked when she heard growling and took a step back. Suddenly something jumped in from the bushes. "A Houndour!" she said as she stared at the Houndour which had also two scars on it.

Houndour is a quadrupedal, canine Pokémon with short, black fur and a red underbelly and muzzle. Its ears and tail are both short and pointed. Two fangs protrude from its upper jaw, and its triangular nose is black. There are white bands on its ankles and rib-like ridges on its back. Houndour appears to have a simplistic, stylized skull on its forehead with the eye orbits creating eyebrow patterning above its actual eyes. It also has circular, red paw pads on each of its three-toed paws.

Four more Houndour approached and surrounded Emma, the Pikachu and Bulbasaur. "This is bad," Emma muttered. One of them used Smog, with the rest followed with a combined Smog, covering them with smoke.

The last thing Emma saw was the one with the scars jumped toward her, and it hit her.

"Pikachu-Pi!" the female Pikachu called as the smoke slowly cleared. The female mouse looked around worriedly for her trainer, "Pikachu-Pi!"

The pack was gone, but so was the girl.

**

Emma woke up and opened her eyes, blinking. She quickly sat up when she remembered what happened and froze when she came face to face with a pack of five Houndour. Four of them growled at her until the one with the scars barked at them, making them stop.

Emma glanced around to see she was brought to a cave. "What?" she asked quietly herself before spotting her backpack near. "My backpack," she said and looked to the one with the scars who was apparently the leader when it barked.

It moved away to show a smaller Houndour laying down on the ground. It seemed sick and hurt and it had a cut on its leg. Emma let out a small gasp and immediately moved to the youngest Houndour to check it. "This little guy is in bad shape," she muttered and placed a hand on its head, "And it's burning up with fever."