Without even thinking Ash broke his nose again causing him to howl and drop Charmanders ball. Grabbing the man's hand he twisted it causing him more pain. Picking up the ball with his other hand he forced it into the mans and he pressed the button until it glowed blue. Directing it at Charmander he clicked it again. Ten seconds later the ball cracked open signalling it was no longer in use. Picking up the still in shock Charmander he carried it back to the Pokémon centre. Walking in he passed him to Nurse Joy who took him back to the incubator. All the while Charmander said nothing.
Half an hour later the man came storming into the centre demanding to Nurse Joy that the police be called. Ash walked out and saw what all the ruckus was about. "Oh, It's you"
"You!" he said before shouting at Nurse Joy "I want him arrested for assault and theft".
"I'll tell you what, I'll call Officer Jenny myself shall I?" Ash said taking out his Pokégear and dialling her number. It gave three rings before it was picked up.
"Hello Ash" Jenny said, "what can I do for you?"
"Hi Jenny, can you do me a favour and ring the nearest police station to the Pokémon centre on route 5 please?"
"I can yeah, what for?" Jenny asked.
"I have a man here demanding I be arrested for assault and theft. So, I thought I'd save the poor Nurse Joy here some earache and do it myself" Ash said still looking at the man.
"That's a bit unusual. You want to turn yourself in for assault and theft?" Jenny asked confused.
"I do yeah. Well, the assault part anyway. I have no idea what it is I stole" Ash said.
"You stole my Charminder" the man said spitting angry.
"Well Jenny will be there in the next fifteen minutes Ash" Jenny said hanging up.
Sitting down very unconcerned Ash and Joy talked quietly.
"Ash what are you doing? Why are you turning yourself in" Joy asked worried.
"Because he's messed up. And should it play out the way I think he will he'll never be able to have a Pokémon again. I just need you to play a small part, you'll know when to step in. Trust me. Just deny Charmander is here if she asks" Ash said and then did the zipped mouth sign.
Ten minutes later Jenny walked in to find Ash sitting talking to Nurse Joy and a man with a clearly broken nose and blood on his face glaring at them. Seeing her the man stood up "There! Him! I want him arrested for assault and theft!"
"Ok, settle down or I'll arrest you. I'm not in the mood for nonsense today so, explain to me what he's supposedly done." Jenny said making him sit down.
"He stole my Charminder and broke my nose, twice" the man said frothing at the mouth.
"Is this true?" Jenny asked Ash.
"I broke his nose once, the rest I have no idea what he's on about" Ash said shrugging his shoulder causing the man to stand up and begin shouting about him lying.
"Alright enough" Jenny shouted pinching the bridge of her nose "we'll soon sort this out. Who are your sponsors?"
"Professor Oak" Ash said.
"I don't have one" the man said.
"So, if I ring Oak and ask him if you have a Charmander what will he say?" Jenny asked Ash.
"He will tell you that at the moment I do not have a Charmander on record as being caught. I have 4 Pokémon registered to my trainer ID and I have no others anywhere else. Here" Ash said handing her his Pokédex. Pressing a button Dexter blared to life "My name is Dexter and I am the identification for Junior Professor Ash Ketchum, trainer number AK191298. Currently Ash Ketchum has four Pokémon caught on record. In order Pikachu, Cleffa, Eevee and Bulbasaur."
Handing it back to Ash she nodded to him. "Professor Oak won't lie for me Officer and I have no reason to lie either. I broke his nose last night because I wouldn't sell him Pikachu and he threatened to kill me and steal him while I slept. My Pokémon are like my family, and I will defend them to the last."
"Ok, Ash" Jenny said "well that will have to go on your record that you have a charge of assault. It will disappear after two years of no further infractions. Until then though it will be hanging over you. Now for you" she said turning to the man "What is your name, and can you provide me evidence that you had a Charmander and that it belonged to you?"
"I told you, I ain't got a sponsor" the man said sourly. "The name is Damian."
"Then you cannot prove a Charmander has been stolen" Jenny said, "nor can you prove you own any Pokémon."
"About that" Ash said leaning forwards "I read an article recently that without proof of ownership you're not an official trainer. Is that right?"
"It is" Jenny said "Any Pokémon caught by an unsanctioned trainer cannot be legally theirs. There is an exception though, those Pokémon must be identified as pets but even then they need ID stating that."
"So theoretically" Ash said, "what would happen if I knew of an unsanctioned trainer that had a bag full of Pokémon in Pokéballs?" causing the man to pale.
"They would be confiscated and assessed for abuse by a sanctioned Nurse like Nurse Joy here" Jenny said puzzled "and only with her say so can the person petition for their return."
"Interesting" Ash said looking at Joy. Seeing her blank face, he nudged her with his foot and looked at her sternly.
"Oh" she said suddenly "well that trainer brought in a bag full of Pokémon last night that show signs of abuse and malnourishment. His Pokémon had signs of forced evolution, extremely poor conditioning, and signs of battling with broken bones. I hate that I cannot do anything about it due to the laws that rule the Pokémon centres as safe spaces."
"Did he indeed" Jenny said standing up "hand them over."
Looking around furtively and sweating Damian lunged for the door. He only went two steps though before Jenny was on top of him, pinning him to the floor and in one fluid movement had him handcuffed. Whistling Ash said, "that's the first and only time I will consider messing with a Jenny" as she loaded him into the back of the van. Picking up his bag he handed them to Jenny. "they're all in here. If you need help distributing them then ring Professor Oak. I'm sure he'll happily help you take them to various nature preserves when they're healed."
"I know how to do my job young man" Jenny said taking the bag "speaking of, I'll let the assault charge slide just this once. Do not make this a habit though and I will be asking my sisters and cousins to keep an eye out for you" she finished sternly before climbing into the van and driving off.
Walking back into the Pokémon Centre Ash steeled himself for what he knew was coming. Walking past a smiling Nurse Joy he said "little victories" before carrying on into Charmanders room. This wasn't going to be easy.
"Hello Charmander" Ash said sitting down making it look up looking confused "My name is Ash Ketchum. I'm sure right now you're feeling overwhelmed at what happened. I rescued you last night because you needed saving and I rescued you before for the same reason. And right now, you need saving again. I won't beat around the bush. I want you as my Pokémon. I know there is a fantastic and strong Pokémon inside of you. All you need is training. I want to be your trainer, but more that I believe you will be a fantastic edition to my family. So, I will leave you to decide. You have until this evening because that's when I will be leaving and if you choose not to then I will wish you all the best Charmander and I hope someday we will see each other again."
Standing up Ash left the Pokémon centre and trained in its practice fields. Bulbasaur had still not gotten used to the weights just yet so for now Ash had him hop on the spot, twisting in mid-air to use Razor Leaf at the random Aura and Lightning Spheres Ash and Pikachu shot at him. Eevee was busy doing sprints around the field, occasionally stopping and digging and coming up using Iron Tail as she did. She was getting really good at that. Pikachu had learned Light Screen in the last few weeks, but it needed perfecting. Unfortunately to the moment he didn't have a special attacker to use with Pikachu to test it.
Charmander had heard a ruckus outside and wondered what was happening. Looking out his window he saw the trainer who had rescued him chatting and training alongside his Pokémon. It was a startling contrast to his old one who seemed to expect a Pokémon to already know the moves he wanted to be used. And if they didn't they were denied food, kicked and punched and outright abused. Charmander knew that Damian left him there to die. He had hoped that staying on the rock would prove he was dedicated to be a good Pokémon for Damian, it wasn't his fault that he was taken to a Pokémon Centre and he returned to the rock as soon as he could. Damien clearly didn't think so and had made a point of telling Charmander that he was pathetic. But what choice did Charmander have? Damian had caught him. He had to obey Arceus' law. It was just really bad luck that had happened.
And then the trainer arrived and rescued him, and his world changed. Charmander knew instantly that he was special and he was clearly one of Arceus' chosen. His aura was visible for everyone to see and he wanted Charmander to join him? He didn't even know why he was thinking about it really. He had been told by the nurse that he was in need of a lot of mental healing more than physical healing. What if this guy turned out to be just as bad as Damian in the long run? He doubted it but then again, the doubts were still there. Walking back to his bed he grabbed his tail and stared at his flame. Last night it should have gone out, and he was prepared to let that happen but he had been given a second chance, escaped the miserable situation he was in and then offered a spot on the Chosen Ones team. This could only be a gift from Lady Arceus. He was still angry with her for the life he had been forced to lead so far but maybe this was her way of making it up to him. The decision had been made the moment he was asked really.
Packing up Ash walked out of his room to say goodbye to Nurse Joy and to thank her for what she had done. Smiling she accepted his thanks and told him Charmander wanted to see him before he left. Nodding Ash walked in the back to his room and walked in
"Well Charmander, I'm about to leave" Ash said, "have you made a decision?"
"I have reservations" Charmander said "I will not put up with abuse again. I'm still unsure if this is Arceus' blessing or a curse she has placed on me but for now I will come along with you. I reserve the right to change my mind though."
"Very well" Ash said taking out a Pokéball and placing it on the bed "but be warned, I tolerate no disrespect to either myself or my Pokémon family. You will not be abused in retaliation, I will never strike you or withhold food as punishment, but you will be disciplined, as the rest of my Pokémon will be. So far, we've not needed to do anything like that but know this, should you fully accept being in our little family we will defend you to the death if need be. Training will be harsh at times, but you will get used to the standards I have set for everyone and in doing so will become great. So, the choice is yours."
Standing up Charmander touched the ball and disappeared inside. "It seems we have another family member Pikachu. Let's go"
Leaving the Pokémon Centre Ash followed the signpost that said 'Vermillion 20km'. Walking down the path Ash mused on how radically life had changed in the past month. He had caught three new Pokémon, admittedly one was for his mother but still, he was well on his way to building a team. "Do you ever think Pikachu that Arceus is placing these Pokémon directly in our path?"
"What do you mean Ash?" Pikachu asked confused.
"Well, I've not exactly made it a secret that I will only have a team of six" ash said thinking out loud "and I've been pretty vocal that three of our team will be the Kanto starters. And in the space of a week, I have two of them. One could be played off, two is awfully coincidental don't you think?"
"I see what you mean" Pikachu said nodding "At the moment I'd say no, to me it is coincidental. After all we chose to walk into that forest and find Bulbasaur, he wasn't given to us and we were already going down this route when we found Charmander."
"Yeah that's true" Ash said "but we were given the chance of rescuing them both all the same. In fact, every Pokémon I have I've rescued. You when you were a Pichu, Cleffa from Team Rocket, Eevee from A.J, Bulbasaur from being abandoned and now Charmander from that prick Damian."
"Again, that's undeniable" Pikachu said "but you've chosen to rescue them. You didn't have to, you weren't made to. You chose to because it was the right thing to do. And you've been rewarded for doing so. You have two of your three desired team".
"Three out of Four" Ash said correcting him "I always wanted you as my starter ever since I met you. There was something about you that resonated with me from the very beginning. I was offered a Pikachu by Sam but declined it because I knew it wouldn't be you. I see your point though. I still believe this was all set up though, I just took advantage of the situations."
"Which is what happens with life in general" Pikachu said shrugging "Life is all about choices, decisions not made and the consequences that come from the decisions that are."
"When did you get so philosophical?" Ash asked surprised laughing as they carried on down the route.
"I will say though Ash that should we find a Squirtle soon then I may have to agree that this has been one big set-up." Pikachu said after ten minutes of silence.
"Oh, why did you have to say that?" Ash said shaking his head "you know that we will find one soon now."
"Are you seriously complaining about completing the team you known you wanted?" Pikachu asked.
"Yes" Ash said laughing "because then what will we catch? I still have no idea who I want as our last two members and at least with Squirtle still out there I can focus on finding it and not have that worry"
Pikachu slapped Ash on the back of the head with his tail "Were you dropped on your head as a child?"
"Shut up." Ash said laughing.
Setting up camp later he called everyone out. "Guys I'd like to welcome Charmander to our little family. He has decided to join us, so I'd like you all to make him feel at home. Chatting to Pikachu earlier I realised something. All of you have been rescued, you all seem to have a traumatic past so to that end I would like to schedule at least once a month where it's just the two of us for the day to talk over any issues you may have, whether you feel you're not settling in, any issues from your past you may want to talk about etc. There's no pressure here guys. And this is a safe space for you to talk should you want to. We will always listen, Ok? Eevee you obviously can talk to my mum, but should you need me I'm always a phone call away and my mum will help you.
Now, onto the next few weeks. We're still around 15km from Vermillion City but I've promised Professor Oak that we'd make a detour to a man called Bill who lives just outside it. He's apparently a terrific researcher so it should be interesting. Bulbasaur, we're going to try and teach you Sludge this week. I had an idea on how we may do it as normally you can't learn it. Your egg move though suggests you can. Pikachu, now we've got Charmander we can try and perfect your Light Screen by having him use Ember. To that end let's have a look at you Charmander." Taking out Dexter he pointed it at Charmander. Bleeping to life it said
"Charmander Pokédex Number 4, The lizard Pokémon. This Pokémon is male and has the ability Solar Power. The flame on its tail shows the strength of its life force. If it is weak, the flame also burns weakly. This Pokémon has a Mild nature and knows the moves Scratch, Ember, Smokescreen and Growl. It also has the egg move Outrage but it has not yet been unlocked."
"Well, that's a good start but there's loads of things we can improve upon. I think for starters we will start by having Pikachu teach you Brick Break and Metal Claw while we have you target him using Ember to help his Light Screen. Building up your inner fire reserves are going to be what we primarily focus on so we will be exhausting you daily to build up your stamina and expand your core. We've been in need of a special attacker like yourself. As I told the others I will be helping you as much as I can by providing vitamins in your food that will help you build up your body. Your defence is your weakness due to your nature, so we'll start by building up those. For the next month I'm going to be feeding you Iron and Zinc in your food. I want it to get to a point where you can take a water move head on and not even flinch which I fully believe is possible. We start tomorrow. For now, let's chat about anything and everything."
Charmander looked around and wondered just what he had gotten himself into. The group seemed like a very strange but happy one but hearing Ash's words about building him up though relaxed the little lizard. He had made the right choice. He just knew it.