Work Text:
Ash's legs felt like jelly as he plodded through the streets of Viridian City. Although he'd rested after the encounter with the Spearow flock, he doubted that it had done him any good. Still wiped out, he was carrying his equally exhausted Pikachu, looking for the Pokémon Center in town.
Finally, Ash found what he was looking for: a glass-fronted building near the middle of town with a large "P" over the door. Despite his tiredness, he made a beeline for the door. It opened automatically, and he walked inside.
"Hello?" Ash called, running into the lobby. "I have a Pokémon that needs help, stat!"
Some hurried footsteps answered Ash. A pretty woman with pink hair jogged up to the counter. She was wearing a pink and white nurse's outfit, and was accompanied by a pink, egg-shaped Pokémon with what looked like a large white egg attached to its front. "What's your emergency?" she asked.
"It's my Pikachu," said Ash. "It got attacked by all these Spearow."
The nurse inspected Pikachu on the counter. "Yes, young man," she said, feeling the small Pokémon's cheeks. "You were right to bring it here. It appears that Pikachu's voltage has dropped to a dangerously low level. And it seems like it's been underwater as well. That can't have helped."
"Will Pikachu be okay?"
"Since you brought it here, yes." The nurse turned to the Pokémon by her side. "Chansey?" Chansey nodded in acknowledgment. "Please take Pikachu into the operating room right away. Begin treatment with a jump start, and I'll be right in." Chansey placed Pikachu on a tiny stretcher, and carried into the back room. "So, young man, what's your name? So I can call you when Pikachu's ready."
"It's Ash," said Ash. "Thank you so much, miss -"
"Nurse Joy," said the nurse. "And it's my pleasure." She turned to follow Chansey and Pikachu.
"Wait, Nurse Joy," said Ash.
Nurse Joy stopped. "Huh?"
"Do you have a phone I can use?"
"Yes. Right there." She pointed to the far corner of the lobby, right next to the door to the waiting room.
"Thanks again, Nurse Joy."
Nurse Joy gave Ash the thumbs-up and walked into the back room, leaving Ash to use the phone. Hands shaking, he dialed his mom's number.
Ash's mom's face appeared on the screen. "Ash!" she exclaimed. "Thank goodness you're okay! You worried me by running out of the house like you did. Professor Oak explained that he gave you a Pokémon, but then I heard about the electrical discharge between here and Viridian City. Are you alright?"
"Hi mom!" said Ash. "I am... but Pikachu's not. It's being treated at the Pokémon Center now."
"Pikachu? So that's the one Professor Oak gave you? I have to have a word with him over that. Giving a trainer a Pikachu as a first Pokémon is dangerous and irresponsible. I have to have a talk with him."
"But Nurse Joy said Pikachu's gonna be fine. And I'm okay."
"Still, it could've been much worse. By the way, which Pokémon Center are you at?"
"The one in Viridian City."
"So you're there already? I'll be sure to tell your father and grandfather."
"Thanks, Mom. How are things at home?"
"The restaurant's keeping me busy. Always lots to do there. By the way, I need to get ready to go in there now."
"Alright, Mom. Bye!"
"Bye, Ash. Stay safe. And remember to change your underwear every day."
"MOOOM!" But Ash's mom had already hung up the phone. Ash rolled his eyes, annoyed. His mom could always say the most embarrassing things. Anyone in the lobby could have heard her reminder that Ash should change his undergarments, and sure enough, two teenaged trainers snorted with laughter as they walked away from the waiting room door.
After taking a deep breath to calm himself, Ash picked up the phone again, this time to call Professor Oak, but before he could dial the number, he heard an earsplitting scream in his ear. "HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"
Ash whipped around in his seat. There, standing right in front of him, was the redhead girl from the creek, holding the charred remains of her bike. Gone was the towel that she'd hastily wrapped around herself at the water's edge. Instead, she was wearing very short blue jean shorts held up by red suspenders, as well as a yellow cutoff tank top that left her midriff bare. And even in her incensed state, Ash could feel his face blushing and his stomach lurching for a reason completely separate from her yelling. "C-can I help you, miss?" he stammered.
"The name's MISTY!" shouted the girl. "And look at this! You completely fucked up my bike! How the hell am I gonna travel now?"
"You can... walk?"
"Quit it with your shitty jokes! That bike cost a lot of money! It's the most expensive thing I've ever owned!"
"Yeah, well, I was just trying to save Pikachu! And if you wanna know how Pikachu's doing, just ask Nurse Joy!"
"Still, I no longer have this very expensive bike because YOU took it. Now, I can go to the police right now, and report you for stealing and wrecking my bike, and invading my privacy. But instead, I'm just gonna follow you around until you replace my bike."
"I told you, I was just saving Pikachu! And what were you doing, taking your clothes off in a place where people travel?"
Misty's voice dropped to a furious hiss. "Not so loud! What the hell is wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with ME? You're the one who's yelling at me in the middle of the Pokémon Center!"
"Alright, fine." Misty was now speaking in a normal tone of voice. "Still, my point doesn't change. If you want me to leave you alone ever again, I'll need a nice new bike."
Ash smirked. "Deal."
Just then, the shattering of broken glass made both Ash and Misty look towards the outside. Two bricks had just smashed through the windows, and now, each was being followed by a Pokéball. Two Pokémon emerged from the Pokéballs: one long and snakelike with thick stripes of purple and yellow along its body, and the other purple and spherical with raised openings all over its levitating body. They were then followed by two people, apparently in their mid-twenties: a young man, hair dyed purple, and a young woman with a massive hairstyle in an unnatural shade of red. Both were wearing off-white uniforms with red "R's" emblazoned on the fronts. Lastly, a third Pokémon followed them: a bipedal, off-white, feline Pokémon with a disproportionately large head.
"Who are you?" bellowed a dark-haired man in the lobby, the sleeves of his dark green shirt cut off to reveal heavily muscled arms. "You're really looking for trouble!"
"No," said the female burglar smugly, "it's YOU who should prepare for trouble."
"And you'd better make it double," said the male burglar. The muscled man pulled a Pokéball from his belt.
"Uh-uh," said the female burglar.
"Koffing, use Smokescreen," said the male burglar. Suddenly, thick, black smoke poured out of the openings on the levitating Pokémon, choking everyone in the room.
Ash coughed hard as the smoke filled his lungs, and he heard Misty doing the same. He buried his head in the side of his jacket, managing to filter out most of the smoke. "Misty!" he called through the fabric. "Come here! Breathe through the other side of this thing!"
Eyes squinting and a hand over her nose and mouth, Misty stumbled forward, burying her head in the free side of Ash's jacket. Despite the smoke that continued to billow around them, Ash couldn't help noticing that Misty's body was pressed against his. The developing curves of her torso... the softness of her skin... her warmth... Ash was very aware of all of these things. His heart rate quickened, and he started to feel a stirring below his belt....
As the smoke started to clear, Nurse Joy's voice blared over a loudspeaker. "Ladies and gentlemen, due to the infiltration of this Pokémon Center by criminals, we are now going into lockdown. Nobody comes in or goes out, and the police will be on the scene shortly. Everyone, please remain ca-"
Nurse Joy's voice cut out just as all of the lights in the lobby went off. Several people screamed. Sirens could be heard in the distance.
Ash pulled his head out of his jacket. Breathing was still difficult, but at least bearable. He looked around, and saw no sign of the crooks or their Pokémon. "Pikachu!" he yelled. "What's happening to Pikachu?"
Just as soon as it had gone off, the power came back on. "Like I was saying," Nurse Joy continued over the loudspeaker, "please remain calm. We lost power for a little bit, but our backup generators are up and running. We will notify you of any situational changes."
Ash paced back and forth, fists clenched, as the police sirens grew louder and louder, and the flashing lights on the cars came into view. Finally, the two criminals and their Pokémon burst through the doors from the back, a full sack on each of their shoulders.
Several people in the lobby, including Misty, pulled out Pokéballs and faced the crooks. "Stop, thieves!" ordered the muscled man from earlier. "Party's over!"
A blue-haired woman in a police uniform ran into the Pokémon Center, a tiger-striped, canine Pokémon by her side. "Drop those sacks!" she commanded. "You're both under arrest!"
"I'll only do one out of two!" said the female thief.
"Koffing, Smokescreen!" said her male counterpart again.
"Growlithe, Flamethrower!" commanded the police officer to her Pokémon.
"Ash, duck!" said Misty frantically, pulling him to the ground as Koffing's and Growlithe's attacks converged. Everyone else in the room was doing the same, and not a moment too soon. The Smokescreen and Flamethrower collided in a fireball that engulfed everything higher than two feet off the lobby floor.
When the smoke cleared, the crooks and their Pokémon were gone. The sacks of loot, however, were lying on the floor. The tops were completely disintegrated from the explosion, with Pokéballs littering the entire lobby.
Ash got up and looked at Misty, seeing that her eyes were as wide as he suspected his to be. "Just when I thought my day couldn't get any crazier," he said.
"I know," said Misty.
"Ash?"
Ash turned to see Nurse Joy pushing Pikachu's stretcher toward him. Pikachu, however, was not laying down on it, but standing up by the head. "Pikachu!" Ash called out. "How're you feeling, buddy?"
Pikachu gave a fist pump and a triumphant squeak.
"Your Pikachu is really a fighter," said Nurse Joy. "We'd just gotten done treating Pikachu when those two crooks reached its room. Then, it insisted on joining the fight alongside our security Pokémon."
"You did that, Piakchu?" Ash asked. "You're the best!"
"At this rate," Misty put in, "you can win the Pokémon League in no time."
"Yes!" exclaimed Ash.
"And then, you can buy me a new bike with your winnings."
***
After giving their statements to the police, Ash and Misty were ready to leave.
"So I'm going to Viridian Forest," said Ash.
"What? No!" Misty exclaimed, horrified.
"Why not? What's wrong with Viridian Forest?"
"Too many creepy crawly things. Why don't we just go back to the creek? It leads to a river which will take us to the bay. That's a lot better than a bunch of bugs."
"No thanks. I've had enough of running into Spearow."
"It'll be fine if you don't piss them off."
"I told you, no. You can go back to the creek, but I'm going into Viridian Forest."
"Oh no you don't! Don't even TRY getting out of replacing my bike!"
The bickering continued as the two walked out of the city, with Ash making a determined way northwards, and Misty trying unsuccessfully to dissuade him. As the two of them reached the first trees of Viridian Forest, their arguing started a small Pokémon in the tall grass.
"Wait, Misty," said Ash quietly. "What's that?" He looked, seeing a caterpillar-like green Pokémon, its body thickest at the head and tapering all the way to the tail. Ash took out his Pokédex and scanned the new Pokémon.
"Caterpie," said the voice of the Pokédex, "the Worm Pokémon. The suction cups on its feet allow it to climb any surface."
Ash grabbed a Pokéball from his belt. "Lemme show you how it's done, Misty!" he said.