Ash's Arc

Chapter 3 of 14

The wild Pokémon lowered its head and charged. Ash's fire pig stood between them, legs shaking, its tail ember down to a spark. It had nothing left. One hit from that shaggy giant would break it. Ash grabbed the pig and rolled, and the big Pokémon crashed past them into the dirt. Ash scrambled up. His pig lay panting in the grass. It looked at him, not away this time, waiting for him to do something. Ash had no other Pokémon. He had no potion. He had only his own two hands and a partner too tired to run. Then a yellow shape shot out of the trees. A small Pokémon with pointed black-tipped ears skidded to a stop between Ash's pig and the ringed beast. Its red cheeks crackled. It bared its teeth at the giant and would not move. Ash knew that Pokémon. He had seen it that first morning at the research lab, darting across the counters while the scientist recommended the stronger choices. The little mouse had watched him pick the reject pig. Now it had followed him here. The wild Pokémon swung one black arm, the cracked ring glinting. Ash acted on instinct. "Thunder!" he shouted, though the mouse wasn't his and owed him nothing. It listened. Yellow light burst from its cheeks and tore across the grass. The bolt slammed into the ringed beast's chest. The giant froze, smoking, then toppled backward into the trees. It thrashed once, staggered up, and crashed away through the brush. The red eyes were gone. Silence. Ash's ears rang. His pig lifted its head and blinked at the yellow mouse. The mouse blinked back, cheeks still sparking, then turned to face Ash. Ash crouched slow, the way he had knelt for the pig in the battle. "You came out of that lab," he said. "You didn't have to help me." The mouse tilted its head. It stepped closer and sniffed his hand. Ash understood then. This was a wild one now, loose and following him because it chose to. He pulled an empty ball from his belt. He didn't throw it. He held it flat on his open palm and waited. The mouse looked at the ball. It looked at the exhausted pig, who gave a soft, welcoming snort. Then it reached out and tapped the button itself. The ball opened, pulled it in with red light, shook twice, and clicked still. Ash let out a breath he'd been holding. Two Pokémon now. One he had chosen, one that had chosen him. But the ringed beast had run, not fallen. It had a trainer's metal on its arm, and someone had cracked that ring loose. Ash stared at the broken trees where it fled. Whatever had marked that Pokémon was still out there. And it had seen his face.