A New Journey - Ash Ketchum {2}

Chapter 73 - Type Casting

On their ways to Ecruteak City, Emma and her friends found their path blocked by a river. Ash glanced at Brock, who was holding the map, "How do we get across this river, Brock?"

Brock looked at it, "The map says there's a bridge nearby." They heard someone shouting and looked to see a crew of builders working on a bridge, so they approached the worker. "Uh, excuse me, sir," Ash said, "Is there a bridge near here?"

"It was right where you're standing before the typhoon hit last month and the river washed it away," the worker answered. Emma and her friends looked shocked. "Washed it away?" Misty asked. The worker nodded, "Yep, we lost every bridge on the river. But I got my construction team here fast and we started to rebuild this one first. We should have this one back up in about six months."

Emma and her friends weren't happy to hear it, and walked away in disappointment. "Wish we had your Gyarados here, Emma," Ash muttered. "Yeah," Emma said with a sigh, "Oh well, we'll have to find another way to cross."

"But what?" Misty asked. The male Pikachu suddenly pointed forward to the water, "Pike-Pika!" They looked to the river to see a fisherman in a rowboat. Ash smiled, "We're in luck!" They rushed up the river to get the fisherman's attention. Ash called out, "Excuse me! We're Pokémon trainers and we're trying to get across!"

"Could you take us over in your boat, please?" Emma asked. "Be glad to!" the fisherman said, "But before I do, maybe one of you trainers could catch me a Sudowoodo!" Ash blinked, "A Sudowoodo?"

The fisherman nodded, "Yes. The Sudowoodo is a very rare kind of Pokémon." he pointed behind them at the mountain, "They say you can find them up on that mountain there, but I have never seen one. Four Pokémon trainers might have a better chance catching a Sudowoodo than me."

Emma pulled out her Dexter, "Sudowoodo..."

Sudowoodo, the Imitation Pokémon. This rare Pokémon hides in trees to avoid capture.

"It can hide in a tree?" Emma muttered. "Sudowoodo looks pretty interesting," Misty said as Molly lowered Emma's hand so she could see the picture as well. 

Sudowoodo is a Pokémon that has a brown, log-shaped body with yellow spots. It has short legs with toeless feet, and thin forelegs with three green spheres at the ends of its fingers. It has a forked 'branch' on top of its head, which is shorter on the female than on the male.

Ash looked at the fisherman, "If we bring back a Sudowoodo, will you take us to the other side?" The fisherman nodded, "Yes. You have my word on it."

Ash looked at Emma, Molly, Misty and Brock, "Well, let's go find one, then." The kids turned and ran off to the mountain to find a Sudowoodo, but the search wasn't so easy as they thought.

"Sudowoodo, where are you?" Molly called. Ash frowned, "This isn't gonna be easy."

"This forest is unbelievably dense," Misty said. Suddenly, her Psyduck popped out of its Pokéball and stared with confusion at its surroundings, "Psy... duck?" Misty raised her eyebrow, "Speaking of things that are dense..."

Emma smiled down at the Pokémon, "Psyduck, would you like to help us look for Sudowoodo?"

"Psyduck."

Emma and Misty watched Psyduck ran up ahead before they turned to look around their surroundings. "Think it understands?" the redhead girl asked, and Emma shrugged.

It didn't take long for Psyduck to ran back to the girls, pointing urgently to between the trees. "What is it?" Emma asked. They stared to where it was pointing but only saw trees. 

"That's just a bunch of trees," Misty said and looked down at Psyduck with Emma, "We're not looking for trees, we're looking for a Pokémon called a Sudowoodo."