Episode Twelve: The Squirtle Squad A Twisted Version Of Pokémon Episode 12

A colourful group of clothing made their way down the dirt road path. Ash happily marched with a wide smile on his face. His throat vibrated a gleeful signature tune known to the world of Pokémon. Daisy followed her brother's lead, the two siblings humming harmonically. Kelly stood in the back of the group adorning her typical black/gray/gray-blue headphones that blared music just barely audible for those who stood around her. Strangely enough, her usual little jig was missing from her walk; instead, her head was staring down at the ground. A slight frown curved her lips, displaying a wariness to the ground. Mistico tilted her head, noticing her friend looked awfully cautious. "Kelly, are you, like, okay? You totally seem upset about something?" she asked. Kelly nodded. "I'm fine. I'm just a bit scared about falling down another hole." SNAP The colour drained from Kelly's face, looking forward at Ash's foot. Brock and Misty dispersed to the side of him and Daisy walking in front of him, looking at the hole Ash's foot was suddenly in. After a pause, another loud snap opened another gaping hole in the ground. Possibly the fifth one they had fell into that day! They tumbled into the ditch, squishing each other awkwardly. It had been a few days since Ash had caught his Charmander. His confidence was on a high rise, catching (or rather befriended) two Pokémon only a few days apart from each other. The group had finally gotten out of the forest and onto a path through an almost wide open field, only to find a bunch of well covered pits hidden among the path. The more they fell, the more their bodies ached. "NO! Not another hole!" Misty glanced upward at the open sky above. Brock grabbed his head. "Ow, I landed on my head." "Pikachuuu..." Kelly lifted up her head a bit, before feeling the lowest layer of her hair being pulled. "Oooooooowwww!" she cried. "Can you guys get off my hair, please?!" The layer of people scrambled over each other, attempting to clear space to find ground. Eventually the six humans and one Pokémon stood up. Ash rubbed his butt, groaning from the pain. "It must be a prank," suggested Brock. "Someone has a bad sense of humour," Misty followed. "Who would play such a rotten trick?" "Team Rocket?" Kelly stood up shaking out her hair. She closed her eyes, mouthing the words "water" and "fire". A blue and orange aura flashed for a second around her body before disappearing. Just as Daisy opened her mouth to most likely let out an overdramatic rant, five light aquamarine Pokémon wearing sunglasses peered into the hole, laughing. "Who are you?!" yelled Brock. "What's so funny? We could have been hurt!" shouted Misty. "...I think they're Squirtle," mumbled Kelly. "Squirtle?" asked Daisy, looking up at Kelly. Kelly pulled off her right hand glove, tapping onto the little Pokélet screen. Blue tinted, pixelated text appeared on screen. Kelly poked the option that read Pokédex, quickly scrolling down to the Pokémon that were staring down at them. She knelt down next to Daisy, showing the younger girl the screen. Daisy grabbed Kelly's hand, pulling it closer. Her eyes scanned the Pokédex entry that laid under the image. "Ooooh," Daisy said, nodding. The gang of Squirtle pulled away from the hole, giving room for the group to jump up and climb out. "Dangerous practical jokes are nothing to laugh about!" Ash stated. "Pikachu!" The group climbed out, facing the laughing gang of Squirtle. Ash slipped his Pokédex out from his pocket, opening it up to identify the Pokémon for himself.

"Squirtle. This tiny turtle Pokémon draws its long neck into its shell to launch incredible water attacks with amazing range and accuracy. The blasts can be quite powerful."

Ash's eyes slightly gleamed, but not to the extent they had with Bulbasaur. The boy lifted his Pokédex into the air, saying his inner thoughts out loud. "With my very own Squritle, Gary will never beat me! Go Pikachu!" The yellow rodent ran forward, sending a blast of lightning towards a Squritle adorning Wayfarer-style sunglasses. Just as the lightning bolt was about to strike it, another Squritle, one of four wearing teashades, jumped in front of the middle one from the right. The turtle Pokémon yelled in pain before the electricity stopped flowing through it. It sunk to the ground, looking slightly burnt. "Squirtle, Squirtle!" said the one with the Wayfarer shades. It looked over at Pikachu, who began approaching it, repeating its name. "Pika!" "Squirtle!" The two Pokémon were locked into what felt like a Western showdown. They glared into each other's eyes, raising tension between them. They took a few steps forward, never taking their eyes off one another. They repeated their names back and forth, as if they were growling. Squritle deeply frowned, slightly sweating. A siren suddenly popped up in the distance, causing the Wayfarer Squirtle to look alarmed. It turned to its buddies, commanding them like a gang boss. "Squirtle Squirtle. Squirtle Squirtle." The three remaining Squirtle picked up their fallen comrade and the gang of Squirtle fled, leaving the group of kids confused. "Pikachu?" "That was sure weird," said Ash. "Yeah..." Kelly nodded. A screech sounded behind them. The group turned to see an Officer Jenny making a quick stop on a motorcycle. She halted several feet away from where the group stood. "Are you guys alright? Has anyone been hurt here?" she frantically asked. Ash smiled. "Officer Jenny!" He approached the police woman. "Huh? Have we met before? Your face doesn't look familiar." "We met you back in Viridian City, remember?" A smile cracked onto Officer Jenny's face. She looked down at her slim foot, fixing her position to get off the motorcycle. "Oh, you mean one of the Jenny's. My cousins." "Cousin?" echoed Ash. "My cousins are all police officers. All of us look identical, plus we're all named Jenny." She took out a photo, displaying nine police women with identical looks in everything but the emblem on their hats. The front row sat five identical women, while the back displayed four. The group exchanged slightly disbelieved looks. "Talk about family resemblance," commented Ash, smiling. A sweat drop drizzled down the side of Misty's face. She turned her head towards Brock. "At least they remember all their names." "Nnn." Kelly shrugged. Daisy's mouth gaped open in surprise to seeing the image of nine identical women. "Woooow! That's amazing! It's like you're all twins. BUT! BUT! You're not! Oh, how coooool!" Officer Jenny slightly giggled. ★★★

The group and Officer Jenny stood inside of the police box. Officer Jenny displayed a photo of five familiar looking Squirtle on her laptop. "That Pokémon gang calls itself the 'Squirtle Squad'." "Squirtle Squad?" asked Ash, Kelly, and Daisy, all in different tones. Daisy sounded curious, while Ash and Kelly sounded skeptical in their own way. "I've never heard of a Pokémon gang," said Misty. "They're all Squirtles who were deserted by their Pokémon trainers." Everyone's faces dimmed. "Deserted?" echoed Ash. "They don't have a trainer, so they just run wild and play tricks on the whole town," replied Officer Jenny. "They graffiti on walls and steal food." She shifted her head, glancing down at the computer in front of her, displaying a montage of photos of the Squritles causing problems. "It's really kind of sad, because if they had somebody to care about them, they wouldn't have turn out to be as bad as they are. It's a real shame." Daisy's bottom lip quivered. "Those poor, poor Squirtle!" She brought her hands close to her mouth, with her eyes watering. "Abandoned by their trainers who didn't care for them, causing them to do cruel tricks to passing trainers! It's so, so sad! What a tragic story!" A slight smile cracked on Kelly's lips. She did a light face palm at Daisy's overly dramatic reaction. Daisy turned, her pigtails bouncing. She gazed up at her brother and Kelly, looking quite determined. "Brother! Kelly! You two need to catch the all the Squritle!" "But I don't want a Squirtle!" replied Kelly. Daisy began tearing up again. "But...but those poor, poor Squirtle, needing good trainers...Kelly! How could you be so cruel?!" "I'm not being cruel! How am I being cruel? Ash can catch all of them if he wants, but I don't want one! I don't really like the Pokémon in the first place." Kelly flicked her hands outward, her palms facing a bit more towards the sky and her hands at about chest level. She folded her arms, glaring down at the little girl. Ash clamped his fist, looking down at his younger sister. "I'll catch one of them, Daisy! Maybe all of them!" Daisy's teary eyes dramatically disappeared as her face lit up. "BROTHER! I knew you would!" She jumped up, hugging his waist. Ash patted his sister's head before the little girl let go. "Where do the Squritle live?" asked Misty. Daisy's mouth slightly gaped open. "Yeeeaaaah. Where do they live, Officer Jenny? My brother can't go catch one unless he knows the location!" Daisy added, sounding almost desperate with her last sentence. Officer Jenny frowned. "Nobody in this town knows." "NOOOOOOOOOO!" cried Daisy. "Daisy, shut up, it's not that bad," Kelly scowled. Daisy shot a death glare at Kelly, who shot back an equally frightening one. The young girl let out an "EEP!" before retreating behind her brother. "Ash, Kelly's being mean to me!" Ash awkwardly laughed, scratching the back of his head. Daisy yanked at her brother's pant leg, narrowing her eyes. "Tell her to apologize!" "Apologize for what? All I did was tell you to shut up because you were being loud and noisy," Kelly said. Ash knelt down, facing his younger sister. "We don't know where the Squirtle are, but I think they'll show up again soon!" He flashed her a smile, giving her a thumbs up. Kelly nodded. "Exactly why you shouldn't whine about it," she laughed. Daisy glanced back and forth between her brother and Kelly, before nodding. "I guess you're right..." Her shoulders and head exaggeratedly slumped. "I'm sorry..." "It's alright," Kelly replied. Misty's lips curled. "Well, now that you're done fighting, let's get back to heading to Vermilion City!" "Alright," the group of three replied. The group of six, plus Pikachu, stepped outside with Officer Jenny following them. When they were in front of the police box, they exchanged good-byes and began heading back onto the road to Vermilion City.

*RRR*

"There, I see them! The little brats! And Pikachu's with them," a woman's voice announced, almost with a shortness to her breath. She gazed down at the group of leaving trainers through binoculars. "Do ya see a restaurant? I'm really starvin' here!" asked the cat Pokémon, looking innocently at the red haired woman. She placed down the binoculars as she lifted up a harisen fan, whacking Meowth in the face. The Pokémon fell backwards, falling onto the ground. The pretty boy with the light indigo hair to her left smiled and lifted up his finger. "But no more Pizza!" The woman instantly swung the harisen in his direction, hitting him in the face as well. He fell backwards, his legs just barely visible behind the bushes. He stood back up, his face with a large red line across it. "I'm sick of pizza every meal!" he complained. The woman stood up, yelling at him. "You'll never eat again if you mess up this mission!" The pretty boy leaned back in slight fear, before asking "Can we order Chinese food?" Meowth stood up, slightly whining. "Or maybe some tacos?" Jessie gritted her teeth, a vain popping in her upper right hand corner of her forehead. She glared at Meowth, before slamming the harisen into their faces once again. She stood heaving her breath, her arms bent outward in a tough guy position (with her fist about a foot away from her hips) and legs slightly spread. "Am I the only member on this team who thinks world domination is more important than what's for lunch?! Now, let's focus ourselves on what really matters and that's how we're gonna capture Pikachu!" she exclaimed. Suddenly, a giant rumble sounded from her stomach. She put her legs together, let down her arms, and looked at herself. Her teammates stared at her. She threw her fan, lifting up a random picnic basket. "Now my stomach says its time to eat." A smiling, almost embarrassed expression was written over her face. Her team members smiled, looking at the basket of food. "YAY! WE'RE GONNA HAVE A PICNIC!" sang Meowth, jumping with joy. "Huh?" The trio turned around, seeing five aquamarine Pokémon blocking their way out from their hiding spot. "You guys got a problem?" inquired Jessie. A Squirtle with wayfarer glasses smirked. "Squirtle Squritle. Squirtle squirtle squirtle." "Meowth, what's it saying?" asked James. Meowth looked at the turtle Pokémon with surprise. "I think it said 'give us your food or else'." "You're threatening us?" Jessie smirked. "We're Team Rocket; we threaten!" "Squirtle! Squirtle Squirtle." The wayfarer glasses glinted. Jessie and James drew out their Pokéballs. "Let's show these little creeps." "I'm game," said James. Team Rocket took a few steps forward, getting ready to launch their attack. When they hit their third step, the ground cracked under their feet. A giant ditch opened in the ground, giving Team Rocket a taste of their own traps.

*RRR*

The Squirtles sat in a bunch, all chowing down on rice balls and sandwiches while drinking lemonade. Behind the bunch, tied to a tree, was Team Rocket. "Oh no! They're eating all the rice balls and sandwiches!" cried Jessie. "And they're drinking all the lemonade!" added James. "This is cruel and unusual!" complained Meowth, kicking his legs. He was tied with a rope, hanging over a tree branch. The end of the rope was tied to a nearby bush. "Squirtle," replied the wayfarer wearing Squirtle. "Those aren't Squirtles. They're Piggles," said Jessie. Tears ran down James's face like a stream. "They're starting on the donuts!" He turned to Jessie. "We've got to do something," he said, his voice sounding desperate. Jessie's face slightly scrunched, her lips pursing and her eyebrows raising and lowering to different levels. "Hmm..." Her face lit up. "Wait!" She turned to the gobbling Pokémon. "You Squirtles, how'd you like to do a little job for us?" The Pokémon turned their heads to Jessie. Jessie looked beyond the tree she was strapped to, back at the location the group of six had left just a few minutes ago. "There's these six kids with a Pikachu. Our boss would be most appreciative if you helped us capture them." She turned her attention back to the Squritle. "He'd make it worth your while." The leader of the gang turned his attention back to the food, waving his arm at her. "Squirtle, squirtle." "What did the Squirtle answer?" asked James, looking at Meowth. "The Squirtle said 'forget it; we know humans can't be trusted'." "So make them trust us!" yelled James. Meowth smirked, his eyes lowering. "That won't be easy, but I can see what I can do." The cat Pokémon looked down at the Squirtle. "Squirtle, both of these humans belong to Meowth," it stated. James gasped. "Belong to?!" he exclaimed in anger and disbelief. "They'll never trust you two! You've got liar written all over ya! Just let me handle this!" James began fidgeting. "Oh, you little---!" he grumbled through gritted teeth. "These humans are my pets. I trained 'em, but they're pretty stupid." The leading Squirtle stood up, looking up at the cat Pokémon. It turned its head, saying its name. Meowth turned to James, looking angry at him. "Don't ever raise your voice to me again, you bad human!" He began kicking James in the head multiple times. "Bad human! Bad, bad human!" The Squirtle smirked at the sight. It nodded a few times. "Squirtle, squirtle." It turned to its gang, pointing up at the cat. "Squirtle, squirtle, squirtle, squirtle." One of the members stood up, pointing to Meowth. "Squirtle, squirtle." It ran over to the bush securing the end of Meowth's rope, letting him down. Meowth laughed. "Ha, ha, ha!" He turned to the leader Squirtle, who began untying him. "See! You guys can trust me." "Squirtle." Meowth sat down with the gang, chowing down on a rice ball. Jessie glared at the smiling cat. "Meowth, what about us? Untie us too!" she demanded. "I want a donut!" cried James. "Be quiet," Meowth said calmly. The cat stood up, hopping up onto the two human's shoulders. "We gotta keep up this act until the Squirtles trust me! And that's gonna take a little time!" he explained, before chowing back down into his rice ball. The two humans continued to glare at the cat, tears still streaming from James's eyes.

★★★

The group of six hung out by a lake. Brock sprawled out like a star, while Ash and Kelly laid down next to him with their legs bent and hands behind their heads. Their left legs overlapped their right. Kelly tapped out the beat to the music blasting from her headphones with her eyes closed. Ash's Pikachu laid above the two of them, with their backpacks next to it. Misty sat near the lake's edge holding onto a long fishing pole. Mistico sat next to her half sister, holding onto what looked like a small dark pink skirt. She took light pink thread and a needle out of her bag, stitching in a stream of hearts. Daisy walked back and forth, marching around like a wooden soldier. She stopped near the edge of the lake, before turning around and hopping up the slopped land. "Huh?" The spot around Misty's fishing pole began bubbling. "I caught something!" she announced. The three people who were sitting down next to her sat up from their positions, looking into the water ahead. Kelly slid her headphones down to her shoulders. Daisy gasped when she heard Misty, running down to the orange haired girl's side. "Ooooh! What did you----heeeeey. That looks like a Squirtle!" Feeling uneasy, Kelly quickly squished her headphones and walkman into her backpack. She turned back, seeing a Squirtle with teashade glasses lift its body a bit less than halfway out of the water. It opened its mouth, a stream of water hitting towards the shore. Reacting quickly, Kelly turned around and buried her face in her lap. The blast hit the back of her body, leaving her front almost untouched. Everyone else became soaked in the front. The blast knocked Daisy off her feet, causing her to slam her back into the slopped land. The Squirtle laughed at its trick. "I'm soaked," stated Misty, frowning. "Me too," said Ash. Daisy stood up, looking flaming angry. "HEY! THAT WASN'T NICE YOU MEANIE SQUIRTLE! Pikachu, go attack it!" she cried. The yellow mouse Pokémon hopped up, shaking out its fur. Pikachu ran down towards the edge of the lake, sending out a huge jolt of electricity around itself. Unfortunately, the thundershock attack hit the people behind the mouse, completely missing the Squirtle. The six humans began screeching. "KNOCK. IT. OFF. PI. KA. CHUUU!" commanded Ash in between his screams. The mouse stopped hearing its trainer's request. It turned around, seeing everyone fall to the ground. "Wet clothes conduct electricity," announced Brock. The Squirtle laughed once more before hopping out of the water. "Pikachu!" yelled Daisy. The little girl quickly stood up, stomping over to the electric mouse. She grabbed at its cheeks, yanking them. "You weren't suppose to shock us! That was mean of you! It's just as mean as the Squirtle for doing that!" Pikachu cringed, its cheeks sparking. "Daisy, stop!" shouted Kelly, pulling away the girl. The yellow mouse shook its head, before following its trainer up the hill onto the road where the Squirtle stood. Ash stood across from the mischevious turtle Pokémon. "I had enough of your pranks, Squirtle!" declared Ash. The rest of the gang followed up behind him, standing sort of like support. "Pikachu, it's out of the water now! Attack!" he commanded. "Pika!" The determined Pikachu dashed forward, getting ready to attack. The Squirtle hopped up into the air, dipping its entire body into its shell. It threw itself across the air, whacking itself against Pikachu. The Pokémon flew backwards into the water. Ash's legs and hands moved sporatically before he leaned forward and shouted to his Pokémon. "Pikachu!" Suddenly, a Goldeen dove up from the water, splashing back down. Misty nervously placed her hand near her worried face. "It's a Goldeen!" she yelled. "Look out for its horn!" "Why is no one..." ...helping Pikachu?! Kelly thought, finishing her fading sentence inside her head. The mouse rose up from the water, shaking its head. It furiously began looking around. "Pika pi?" "Swim to shore, Pikachu! Hurry up!" commanded Ash. The Pokémon began using its short limbs to swim through the water. "Faster, faster!" The Pokémon swam for a few more seconds before a large stream of water went flying through the air. Once it cleared, everyone saw a Goldeen smashing its horn into Pikachu's back, causing the electric mouse to scream in pain. Everyone gasped. "Pikachu!" exclaimed Ash, once again sporadically throwing his limbs about before dashing towards it. Before he could reach the creature, a lasso looped around him, Misty, Brock, and Mistico, just barely missing Kelly and missing Daisy completely, considering the young girl's height was about half of the rest of the group's. "That got us," mumbled Ash, turning his head to see three Squirtle. Kelly jumped, seeing her friends being wrapped up beside her. Staring at the catch completely dumbfounded, she froze. Her mind was blank for a moment, before the single question of What should I do? passed through her mind. Before she could even answer it for herself, three of the Squirtles made their way around Ash, Brock, Misty, and Mistico, dragging Kelly into the mix. They tightened the rope and added a few more, before tying it. While Ash, Brock, Misty, and Mistico all stood back to back, Kelly's back was facing outward, squishing her front between Ash and Misty. She slightly blushed, squirming a bit. Daisy frowned. "Everyone!" She glanced at the tied up group, before changing her gaze to her brother's hurt Pikachu. Her eyebrows narrowed as she began rushing over to Pikachu. Before she could reach it, another lasso looped around her, pulling her back. A Squirtle ran around her, tying the rope tightly around her. "HEY! Let me go!" she yelled. "This is so mean! Cruel! Why are you doing this?" she shouted with teary eyes. The Squirtle in charge of her slightly laughed, holding the back of her rope close. "Let me go!" She began swinging her legs backwards, in attempt to kick the Pokémon away. The wayfarer glasses wearing Squirtle stood near some trees, overlooking the scene. It laughed, before turning to another laughing Pokémon. A familiar cat appeared from behind a tree. "You're not gonna Squirtle out of this one!" The group look dumbfounded. "It's Meowth," announced Misty. "Meowth?!" exclaimed Ash almost angrily. "Wait, did he make the Squirtles do this?" asked Kelly to no one in particular. "Now, take 'em back to headquatahs!" said the cat Pokémon. "Huh?" Three members of the Squirtle Squad lifted up the first lassoed group, carrying them down the path. The fourth one dragged Daisy, while the Wayfarer wearing Squirtle picked up Ash's Pikachu. ★★★

Somewhere, quite a ways down the path was a mountain with a cave. Tied up against a large rock was Ash, Kelly, Misty, Brock, and Mistico. Tied to a smaller rock was Daisy, who was squirming around quite a bit. Ash's Pikachu was placed inside a small cage. Meowth stood up on a flattened rock, that was nearly the same height as the captured group. "I'm the Pokémon in charge here! Just wait until my human pets get back." The cat took its tail, shoving it in Ash's face. "Nah, nah, nah-nah-nah!" the cat teased. Ash growled, before chopping down on that cat's tail. "MEOOOOWWWWTTHHHH!" it cried, flying into the air. Ash smiled. He turned his attention to the gang of Squirtles sitting in front of him. "Don't believe him, Squirtles! Meowth's a big liar! Those humans aren't Meowth's pets. Team Rocket's just trying to trick you all into doing their dirty work." "Squirtle?" "QUIET, HUMAAAAAAN!" yelled Meowth, slashing its claws across Ash's face. The boy stared off, blinking multiple times, dumbfounded from the attack. It stood back on its pedalstal, waving its finger. "Who are ya gonna believe? This human or a fellow Pokémon?" "HEEEEYYY! NO ONE HURTS MY BROTHER!" yelled Daisy, kicking around. "LET ME OUT! This is so meeeeaaaaannnn! So cruel! I can't believe you're doing this! Squirtles, please let us go! Meowth is just a nasty Pokémon whose part of Team Rocket! Please, oh please! Don't be so cruuuueeelll!" "Quiet little girl!" commanded Meowth. "I'm not gonna be quiet! So there!" Daisy stuck out her tongue at the cat. "Let us out! How can you be so cruel to us when we've done nothing! My poor brother was only trying to defend himself!" "Squirtle, Squirtle, Squirtle!" Brock looked over at Ash's Pikachu, who looked completely worn out in the cage it laid on. "Ash, Pikachu's in bad shape!" "Huh?" Ash turned over, looking at his starter. "We've got to do something," said Misty. "We've got to heal Pikachu with a super potion before its too late!" "But we don't have any super potions! What can we do?" "A shop in town sells it." "In town!" Ash looked completely worried. He turned back to the Squirtle in front of him. "Squirtle Squad, please, you've gotta let me go into town! If I don't get the medicine, Pikachu's in a lot of trouble." The leader Squirtle shook its head, sounding sure of itself. "Squirtle, squirtle, squirtle, squirtle." "They know you humans are just tryin' ta getta away!" announced Meowth. "MY BROTHER WOULD NEVER ABANDON HIS POKÉMON!" Ash frowned even more. "Please trust me - I won't run away. As soon as I buy the medicine, I'll come back. I promise!" "Squritle." Meowth smirked. "Squirtle says promises are cheap," he explained. Ash began tearing up. The rest of the frowning group began looking on with equally upset eyes. Kelly squished her eyelids down as hard as she could, trying to deviate her own oncoming tears. "Please, I'm begging you. Please trust me," cried Ash. Tears began streaming down his cheeks, hitting the dirt floor of the cave. "Please, oh please let my brother go!" begged Daisy. "You've made my brother cry! My usually strong brother crys because he's so worried about his Pokémon! Please let him go so he can heal Pikachu! Pikachu could die if he doesn't." Tears dripped down the girl's eyes. The leading Squirtle glanced over at the hyperventilating Pikachu. "PLEASE LET MY BROTHER GO! Please let him go to town..." Squirtle turned to his members, speaking to them. One of the Squirtle's went behind the rock, slightly loosening it. "Squirtle, squirtle." The leader beckoned Ash to come forth. The boy slipped under the loosened rope. His hat popped off his head as he did so, causing him to pick it up off the cave floor. He walked a bit towards the cave entrance, before turning back to everyone else. "Squirtle, Squirtle, Squirtle, Squirtle." The leading Squirtle spoke, pointing in the direction of Daisy. "Squirtle says if you're not back here tomorrow, the little girl over there's gonna die," translated Meowth. A shiver ran down the spines of everyone. A major look of fear began writing itself over the faces of Ash and Daisy. "...they're...going to...kill me?" Daisy asked, her voice sounding as if it was coming from inside a small box. "Daisy, I'll be back before noon tomorrow! Don't you worry!" "Brother, you better! Otherwise, I'll be haunting you from beyond the grave!" she responded, her voice slightly quivering. "How could you hurt a little girl like that?!" snapped Misty. "Squirtle?" The Squirtle glanced up at Misty, before pointing at her. "Squirtle, squirtle, squirtle, squirtle." The Squirtle then proceeded to point at Kelly and Mist as well. "Squirtle, squirtle, squirtle squirtle." Meowth looked surprised at the Squirtle, before smirking. "Squirtle also says if you're not back by nine in the mornin', the red headed girl here gets her hair dyed purple." Misty cringed. "PURPLE?! WHY YOU MANGY LITTLE FLEE TRAP! WHEN I GET OUT OF THIS, I'M GONNA WRAP---" Kelly's lips pushed to the side of her mouth. Her eyes glanced up towards the cave ceiling. "Misty, I think you'd actually look good with purple hair." Misty glared with a mighty pout. "Why yooooouuu---" She kicked her leg forward. "Mist, kick her for me, will ya?!" Mistico giggled. "I'm sorry, I totally can't do that." Misty growled. The leading Squirtle began looking over at the two remaining girls, pointing at them. "Squirtle, squirtle squirtle, squirtle. Squirtle, squirtle, squirtle." Meowth's smirk grew larger. "Squritle's sayin' the girl with the light orange hair is gonna get her hair dyed green if you're not back by ten and the long haired girl will get her hair shaved off it you're not back by eleven." "Eek! Green?! Gag me with a spoon!" exclaimed Mistico in disgust. Kelly cringed at the thought of herself bald, before realizing she wouldn't be bald for more than a second. A grin broke out on her face. She casted her gaze to the ground of the cave, before looking over at Ash. "You...go! Now. You're wasting time." "Waaah!" Ash jumped. "Yeah, you're right...So long! Be back in a flash!" He ran out of the cave, not looking back. "Good luck," said Misty quietly. "BE CAREFUL!" shouted Daisy. ★★★

Ash dashed down the sloping hill, running at his top speed. Just hold on a little longer Pikachu - I'll get you that super potion! Just as he finished his thought, he tripped over a rock. He flew forward, sliding on the ground. He lifted himself off the ground, his face twitching. Images of his Pikachu flashed in his mind, causing him to regain his strength. "I've got to keep going. Pikachu needs me to get that medicine," he told himself. He began running again. After a few minutes of dashing, he came to wooden bridge with clearly rotten planks. He gulped. "Just don't look down," he told himself. He began carefully crossing the bridge with almost no trouble. However, when he hit the middle, the plank he had been standing on snapped in half, falling into the rushing river below. "Waah!" He grasped onto the ropes at the side, pulling up his dangling right leg. He breathed a sigh before continuing forward, carefully inching across the left side of the bridge. Another plank broke, leaving Ash dangling on the bottom rope of the bridge. He stared down. "Man, that was close!" Just as he spoke the words, the side of the bridge closest to him snapped, causing him to fall into the river below. Just as he hit the water, a Goldeen poked his butt with its horn, causing him to yelp in pain. Ash fell back into the water, rushed down it, and eventually pulled himself out on a low piece of land. He dragged himself up its slight slope, crawling towards a forest. He looked around, spotting a broken tree branch, that looked just big enough to support him. He grabbed a hold of it, using it to lift himself up. "I've got...to get to town..." He finally stood up, using the tree branch as a walking stick. He walked for about an hour, before reaching a line of wild western styled buildings. He eventually spotted a teal coloured store with an orange sign reading "SHOP" on the top of it. He stopped for a moment. A smile cracked on his face. "That's it! That's the place!" He ditched his walking stick, casually walking up to the door. As he reached towards the door knob, the door flew open, whacking him in the face. "I...beg your pardon..." he mumbled, before falling backwards. He was knocked out.

★★★

The Squritle chatted amongst themselves, occasionally glancing back at the tied up humans. "Can you please let us out now? These ropes are getting itchy!" whined Daisy. "Please, please let us out!" "Squirtle, squirtle." "Squirtle." One of the teashade wearing Squirtles stood up, shooting a less forceful water gun at Daisy. The girl gritted her teeth as the water hit her. Once the stream of water disappeared, she shook her head. "HEEEEY. What was that for?! Do you really hate me that much?" she cried. Kelly let out an annoyed sigh. She turned to Mistico. "Hi." "Hello," returned Mistico, flashing a nervous smile. "Oh, my brother...when will he be back...?!" "He just left," Kelly stated. "I knoooow, but I don't want to diiiieee!" "Daisy, you're not gonna die," Kelly replied, staring at the cave walls. "How do you know?! The Squirtle said they were going to kill me..." Kelly attempted lifting up her arms, even though she knew they were bound. "Because Ash told you he would be back before noon." Kelly leaned forward, flashing Daisy a smile. Daisy frowned. "But it's my brother!" "Exactly. It's your brother." "Huh? What's that suppose to mean?" Kelly shook her head. "Noth---" "OH! OH! OH! DOES THAT MEAN YOU LIKE HIM?!" "Only as a friend," replied Kelly. She grumbled, having an idea of what was coming next. "Well, you are my brother's girlfriend, after all!" "You wish," Kelly responded. "I know..." Daisy slumped, before regaining her life. "My brother better come back soon!" "He will! He will," Kelly replied. "There's no way Ash would leave Pikachu behind," added Brock. "Right," said Misty. One of the teashade wearing Squirtle went of up to Kelly, curiously looking at her. "What?" Kelly stared down at the turtle Pokémon. Another Squirtle stood next to its fellow member. The two began exchanging conversation, before the one who had first approached her began touching her hair. Her eye began twitching watching the two Pokémon discuss something, most likely her hair. She chose to ignore the Pokémon, turning her attention to the rest of the people kidnapped with her. "So, how long do you think it will take him to come back?" "Two hours," guessed Brock. "A day," replied Misty. "An hour and a half," said Mistico. The colour drained from Daisy's face. "..." "Is something wrong?" Misty asked, seeing the young girl looking frightened. "...I have this feeling something went a bit wrong with my brother just now..." Silence fell in the cave. "..." Suddenly, Daisy began crying dramatically, water spilling from her eyes like a hose. She began kicking around. "WAAAAAH! MY BROTHER'S NOT GONNA BE BACK BEFORE NOON! I'M GONNA DIIIIEEEEE! STUPID BROTHER! I'M GONNA HAUNT HIM FROM MY GRAVE FOR PUTTING ME IN DANGER!" cried Daisy. "Oh my gosh, Daisy! Shut uuuup," whined Kelly, leaning her head back against the rock. She flexed her hands, attempting to control the anger her annoyance was causing. She let out a deep breath, slightly fidgeting. The two Squirtle, who were practically playing with her hair, weren't helping her angry mood either. She glared down at the two Pokémon, asking them "Could you please stop touching my hair?". The two Pokémon looked up, before going back to tugging at her hair. Kelly tightened her muscles, trying to control her anger. I'm fine, I'm fine. I'm not annoyed, I'm not annoyed... Suddenly, one of the Squirtle grabbed a lock of hair and pulled it forward, causing Kelly's head to move back and to the side. A crackling sound flew threw the air. The people next to Kelly jumped. "What was that?" asked Misty. Mistico's lips twisted in an uncomfortable way. "I think, like, that might have been Kelly's patience snapping..." Daisy, Mistico, Misty, and Brock exchanged looks, before watching Kelly as the long haired girl yanked her head forward. "Could you please stop bothering me?!" she shouted through gritted teeth as she leaned forward. A faint white aura flashed around her for a split second, before the rope around her snap and she went falling forward, onto the dirt ground. "Wah..." Mistico, Brock, and Misty sighed, feeling themselves free once more. They exchanged grins. Kelly blinked for a bit, before standing up. She placed out her index finger in front of her. "I...didn't mean to do that." "Heeeeey! Let me out too!" Daisy kicked and squirmed, as Brock went behind her and let her loose. "SQUIIIRRTTTLLLEEE!" exclaimed the Squirtle Squad in fear. Kelly glared at the two Squirtle who had been bothering her. She dipped into her pockets, drawing out two Pokéballs. She slid them into her hands, drawing them out. "You two!" Kelly pointed at the turtle Pokémon. "Squirt?" The two froze. "Battle me, now!" Kelly clicked the front of her two Pokéballs, revealing Sparkle and Spearow. "Pika!" "Spearoooowwww!" "This isn't the time for a battle," said Brock. Kelly turned to him. "But I want to battle them! They were annoying me." "But---" "Squirtle." The leader Squirtle stepped in front of Brock, as if he was holding him back. "Squirtle, squirtle, squirtle." "Squirtle says the battle is fine," translated Meowth. Kelly smiled, punching her fist into the air. "Okay, so where should we do it?" "Squirtle." "Squirtle says outside." Kelly nodded. "Okay." She looked down at her two Pokémon, who gazed at their surroundings. "Pika...PIKA!" Sparkle's eyes widened, seeing its friend in a small cage, on the verge of fainting. It dashed up onto the rock, tapping the cage lightly. "Pikachuu..." Kelly approached her Pikachu, patting its head. "Pikachu will be alright. Ash is on his way to town to get it some medicine." She gave it a smile. "Pika..." Kelly put out her arm. "So in the meantime, let's battle those stupid Squirtle, shall we?" "Pika?" "Because they were the ones who put Pikachu into the cage in the first place." "..." Sparkle pursed its lips with sparks flying from its cheeks. "Piiiiikkaaaaaaa..." The Pokémon ran up Kelly's arm, placing itself on Kelly's shoulder. Kelly's Spearow flapped its wings, placing itself onto Kelly's other one. Kelly placed one foot forward, with a hand on her hip. "Ready?" "Squirtle!" "This wasn't part of ta plan!" complained Meowth. "Shut up," snapped Kelly. Without even looking at the cat Pokémon, she snapped her fingers and pointed at it. Sparkle's cheeks sent a bolt of electricity towards the cat Pokémon, knocking it off of its pedestal. "Meeeooowwwthhhh!" the Pokémon fell off, clunking its head. "And I thought only the twerp's Pikachu would eva thundershock me!"

★★★

Kelly, Sparkle, and Spearow all twirled in unison. As Kelly lifted up her arm, her Pikachu dashed under one Squirtle, while her Spearow pecked another from under its head. "SQUIRTLE!" they cried, getting smacked several feet back from where they had been standing. Spearow stood on the ground, following Kelly and Sparkle's leads. They strolled forward in a long, exaggerated way, almost like a runway model. As Kelly clapped her hands together close to her chest, Sparkle and Spearow followed in their modified versions. Kelly then clapped lower once, with her Pokémon doing the identical move. The two Squirtle quickly stood back up, after shaking back and forth on their backs for a bit. They leaned backwards, before shooting a water gun towards the Pokémon. Kelly gasped, quickly twirling to the right. Her Pikachu managed to make it out of the way of the water gun, but her Spearow fell in the way of the one to its right. "Shoot!" Kelly shouted, having her bird Pokémon get blasted into her chest. She grabbed a hold of it, seeing it looking worn out. "Waaah! Spearow!" "Spearow..." it cawed. The Pokémon hopped out of her arms, leering at the two Squirtle in front of it. "Okay, Squirtle Switch! Spearow, you take that one. Sparkle, you take that one!" Kelly commanded, pointing to each Squirtle her Pokémon were to attack. Kelly and her Pokémon hopped forward, before taking a jumping twirl dive into the air. "THUNDERSHOCK, PECK!" she commanded. As she landed, she touched the ground on knee and one hand, while her Pokémon dove down into the Squirtle. Sparkle's thundershock struck the water Pokémon a bit over to its left side, still doing a good amount of damage to the Pokémon. Spearow, on the other hand, barely hit the Squirtle at all! "...okay. That's it. Straight on battle!" Kelly declared. She thrusted her hand forward, shouting out her commands. "Sparkle, thundershock! Spearow, Fury Attack!" Her two Pokémon nodded, dashing forward to whack the Squirtle one more time. The two opposing Pokémon shot out their own attacks, one shooting a water gun, with the other shooting a bubble attack. "Pi. Ka. Pi. Ka." Kelly's Pikachu ran through the bubbles, popping them as it did. It eventually hit the Pokémon with a direct thundershock. The Pokémon screeched before clearly fainting. Kelly coaxed her Pikachu back to her side. She pet its head. "Nice job!" "Pika!" the Pokémon cheerfully responded. The two turned their attention back to Spearow, who had successfully dodged the oncoming water gun attack (just barely though) and knocked the Squirtle off its feet once again. Kelly clapped once, before pointing forward. "Peck!" The Spearow slammed its beak into the Squritle's face, causing it to squirm in pain. "SQUIRTLLLLLLLLLE!" After a few seconds of screaming in pain, the Pokémon's voice faded out, leaving it completely knocked out. Spearow flew back over to Kelly, landing on her shoulder. Kelly pet it with her opposite arm, giving it a smile. "Pretty good. But we gotta like...practice more on my technique thing, don't we?" Spearow pouted. "Spearow..." "Don't worry though, you'll get it." Daisy clapped, running up to Kelly and her Pokémon. "That was really good! Really cool! Are you gonna catch 'em now?! I think you should because you'd be such a great trainer!" "...no. I told you, I'm not a fan of Squirtle." Daisy folded her arms, pouting. Kelly rolled her eyes, before taking out two Pokéballs. "Sparkle, Spearow, return!" The two Pokémon disappeared in red light. Kelly minimized the balls, placing them back into her pockets. Feeling completely relieved, a soft grin appeared on Kelly's face. "So what should we do now?" The leading Squirtle leaned its head to one side. "Squirtle. Squirtle, Squirtle." "Squirtle says just ta wait here," translated Meowth. Kelly nodded. "Okay." "I wanna go find my brother! We can bring Pikachu to town now, right?!" exclaimed Daisy. "Squirtle! Squirtle, Squirtle, Squirtle!" "Squirtle says no you can not!" Meowth said. Daisy stomped up to the Pokémon, leaning into its face. "Well, why not?! You're friends with Pokémon, aren't you? Do you really want to see another Pokémon suffer? If you do, that's cruel! It's no different from how you see humans, you stupid Squirtle." The Squirtle stared at Daisy for a moment, before blasting her face with a water gun. The little girl fell backwards, onto her back. She quickly stood up once the attack was over, stomping her foot down in front of the Pokémon. "THAT WASN'T NICE! WHY DID YOU DO THAT TO ME?!" she began grabbing at the Pokémon, before being pulled back by Brock. "Daisy, stop trying to attack the Pokémon." The little girl pulled out of his somewhat light grasp, turning to him. "But it attacked me!" "Daisy, just let it go," said Misty. Daisy frowned. "...I wish I had a Pokémon." She slouched, dragging herself over to a flat rock, quite a bit away from the group. She bent her knees, bringing them somewhat near her chest. Her elbows rested near her lap, with her chin in between her bent fists. "And I wish my brother was back already...stupid Pokémon...I want Pikachu to be alright...it's not fair," she mumbled. "We should be allowed to go into town now and heal Pikachu..." Mistico looked at Daisy, seeming a bit worried. "Is she gonna be alright?" Her right hand was placed near her cheek, with her left hand placed near the middle of her legs. "Yeah..." Kelly responded. She glanced at everyone before approaching Daisy. She sat down next to the murmuring girl, who seemed to be cursing everyone and everything. "Daisy?" "What?" the girl snapped. Kelly took a deep breath, trying to push away her buzz of irritation. "Why did you want to travel with your brother in the first place?" Daisy turned her head at Kelly, tilting it. "Why did I want to?" "Yeah." Daisy glanced down at the rocky seat, before looking up into the twilight sky. "Because I thought it would be fun traveling around with my brother. He's a stupid idiot, but he's my brother. I wanted to be there while he went for his dream. He's wanted to be a Pokémon master from even before I can remember and I wanted to see him achieve it." Daisy's eyes began to glitter. "I thought he would be having really fun adventures and I wanted to have them too!" "Has this been a fun adventure for you so far?" Daisy looked at Kelly, her lips slightly grinning. "Yeah." "That's cool." Kelly glanced up into the sky, looking at the stars. "What we're doing right now is part of the adventure, huh?" Daisy looked into the newly formed night, nodding. "Yeah, it is!" "Including the fact we were kidnapped and threatened by a bunch of Squirtle," Kelly stated, slightly letting out a giggle with the last few words. "That sounds silly." Daisy tapped her cheek. "I guess it does. Pokémon kidnapping humans? That's silly, but it's happening to us right now!" "Yep..." Kelly let out a sigh. "But I guess that's why we can't leave to go help Pikachu. It's part of our adventure." "Yeah!" Daisy turned to Kelly, smiling. Kelly nodded. "Feeling better now?" "Huh? Oh, yeah! Much, much better! I'm feeling really good now, even though I still feel bad we can't go heal Pikachu ourselves! It's so horrible..." Kelly nodded. "Yeah...well, let's hope Ash gets back soon, shall we?" Daisy nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Let's. I just hope my brother's alright! What if he fell off a broken bridge into a raging river and died?!" "..." Kelly, completely unsure what to say, turned her attention back to the stars popping up over her head. Daisy slid off her rocky seat, going over to her brother's Pikachu. She opened the cage, taking out the Pokémon. She brought it back with her to her rocky seat, petting the panting Pokémon. "Pikachu, don't worry! I'm sure my brother will be back soon."

*RRR*

"Alright, freeze!" commanded a woman's voice. "These are ice packs we're gunning - er, I mean ice guns we're packing!" announced James. "It's Team Rocket!" exclaimed one of the store customers. Jessie held a bazooka over her shoulder, pointing it at the store's inhabitants. The customers and the clerk looked at the two, quiet frightened. "Cool. We're just like those super villains in the comic books, except better looking," said Jessie. "And even meaner," added James. "Listen up! We want all the flash powder you got." "And a large role of dental floss!" "What do you need them for?" asked the clerk. "You want to get rid of the Squirtle Squad, don't you? The flash powder will scare them out of town! The floss is for our teeth," replied Jessie. "Ciao for now," said James as he and Jessie exited the store. He carried a box that read "Dangerous" over the front of it. "Farewell," said Jessie, before shooting off her ice bazooka. The two villains ran off, heading back to their balloon.

★★★

Ash blinked his eyes a few times, before fully opening them, hearing two familiar voices. "Listen up! We want all the flash powder you got." "And a large role of dental floss!" "What do you need them for?" "You want to get rid of the Squirtle Squad, don't you? The flash powder will scare them out of town! The floss is for our teeth." Ash's eyes opened wide. "The Squirtle Squad!" He stood up and ran onto the porch of the store, seeing a familiar Meowth-shaped hot air balloon flying away behind the town's buildings. "It's Team Rocket!" he gritted his teeth. "I gotta get back before they get Pikachu!" He turned to run back to the cave, but switched directions once he remembered his original purpose for going to the store - to get a super potion. "Super Potion, please---waaah! Oh no!" He held up his hands as guns were pointed directly at him. "No, I don't...needa...new gun." Looking troubled, Ash said, "Don't shoot me, please! I'm not---" "STOP!" shouted a voice of a woman with footsteps shortly behind. Officer Jenny ran through the open door. "Drop those! He's not with Team Rocket!"

★★★

Ash sat behind Officer Jenny. "Step on it, Jenny! I gotta get there by noon, if not sooner!" "Just hang on, Ash," she said, before gasping. She pushed down the break on her motorcycle, stopping in front of the broken bridge. "A dead end." She turned her motorcycle to the right and drove off in a different direction. After riding around for a few minutes, they stopped in front of a small entrance. "Here's a secret entrance to the cave," said Officer Jenny. "Gee, there's not much room." "The passage way is too narrow for an adult, but maybe you can squeeze through." Ash turned to the officer, smiling. "I can do it." He ducked in, walking into the cave. "Be careful, Ash," Officer Jenny said, almost in a whisper. Ash walked through the small entrance for a while, before the light from the outside disappeared. He looked around. "It's too dark to see in here...Hey! I know!" He reached behind himself, pulling out a Pokéball. "Charmander! I choose you!" "Char! Char!" "Charmander, lead the way!" "Charmander!" Ash followed his fire Pokémon through the cave until they hit a spot in the wall with a loose rock. Ash withdrew his Pokémon, pushed the rock, and knocked it out of place. He hopped through the hole, greeted with a sight he wasn't expecting - no one was in the cave. There was an empty cage and broken rope, but no sign of life anywhere. "They're gone! Pikachu!" he yelled. A shiver of fear ran down his spine, as he imagined his younger sister plummeting down a deep hole. "Daisy!" Completely worried for both the life of his Pokémon and his sister (and completely ignoring the minor issues of hair being changed on the three remaining girls), Ash dashed outside of the cave. He ran up to Meowth and the Squirtle Squad, looking angrily at them. "What have you done? I told you I'd be back before noon and I am! What did you do with my friends?!" "Yo," Kelly said, waving at him. Misty placed a hand on her hip, her face frowning. "We're right here." "BROTHER!" Daisy ran up to him, giving him a hug. "Huh?" Ash looked over at his group of friends, looking no different from when he left them. "Where's the super potion for Pikachu?" asked Misty, approaching Ash with Brock near her side. "Um, h-here," he replied, pulling it out of his jacket pocket. "Hurry! Let's spray it on Pikachu," said Misty, she and Brock kneeling to the ground to spray the Pokémon. Ash leaned over, slightly surprised at nothing being changed, while watching Misty spray Pikachu with the super potion. "So Misty, your hair isn't purple." He looked around, seeing Mistico and Kelly with their usual hair. "And Mist's hair isn't green and Kelly isn't bald." "Nope, I'm still a red head." "And I'm still crème orange, tee hee," replied Mistico. "Haha, they didn't do anything. Even if they did, my hair probably would be at this length regardless..." "The Squirtle Squad was bluffing," said Brock. "They play tricks, but they would never change a girl's natural hair colour," assured Misty. "...unless the girl wanted it to be changed," Kelly threw in. "Hm?" Ash responded. The Squritle Squad began laughing. Suddenly, a giant blast came from the side of the mountain. Ash turned over his shoulder. "That blast! It's Team Rocket!" Quickly, everyone turned their attention over to the blasting area and the giant Meowth balloon flying in the sky. “To protect the world from devastation!” “To unite all peoples within our nation!” “To denounce the evils of truth and love! To extend our reach to the stars above!” “Jessie!” “James!” "Squirtle Squad, it's payback time for insulting Team Rocket," announced Jessie. "Bombs away!" the two Team Rocket members said, chucking two bombs overboard. They hit the forest and mountains, causing major explosions. Jessie threw down a rope ladder, calling for Meowth. "Meowth, carry Pikachu up the ladder!" "And the rest of you are in for a real blast," said James. "Get it?" "Meeeooowwwth." "Pikachu!" shouted Ash. Once again, the two chucked bombs overboard, this time closer to the group of six and the Squritle Squad. Rocks rained down on all of them. "Quick, run for cover! Head for the cave!" commanded Ash. "Hurry!" yelled Misty. "Squirtle!" Ash turned around, seeing the lead Squritle struggling on its back. "Squirtle!" Just as two bombs were once again thrown overboard, Ash shouted "HERE I COOOOOOMMMEEEE!" He leaped to the Squirtle, quickly getting ready to help it. He landed on top of it, shielding it from the debris. "No, ASH!" shouted Misty. "BROTHER!" cried Daisy. "Ash!" Kelly yelped. "Oh my!" exclaimed Mistico. Under the flying dust, Ash looked over at the Pokémon under his arm. "Hey Squirtle, are you okay?" "Squirtle," the Pokémon replied, its voice quivering. Jessie and James dropped two more bombs overboard. "Here comes two more!" warned Misty. "Save yourself Squirtle; run for it," said Ash. The Pokémon stared at Ash for a moment, before lifting the boy of the ground with crying eyes. "SQUIRTLE!" "WHOA! SQUIRTLE!" The turtle Pokémon carried Ash through the falling bombs quickly, successfully missing all of them. It leapt up in the air, towards the group that stood at the cave's entrance. "LOOK OUT!" shouted Misty, before the entire group got pummeled by Ash and the lead Squirtle. The entire group went tumbling backwards into the cave. Team Rocket smirked, looking down at their damage. "No more Squirtle Squad!" said Jessie. "The town's gonna give us medals and we'll be heroes!" "Not so fast!" yelled Ash. Team Rocket turned their attention to the direction of the voice, seeing Ash and the lead Squirtle standing on top of the cave area. "Weren't they---?" "Didn't they---?" "How did they---?" "Squirtle, water gun attack, now," commanded Ash, smirking at his new friend. "Squirtle!" The Pokémon sent a large blast of water at the balloon, ripping it a nice new hole that needed to be patched. The balloon violently swung, causing Pikachu to fall out of James's arms. "Come back here!" James yelled after the falling Pikachu. Ash dashed down the side of the mountain, shouting his beloved Pokémon's name. He leapt off the edge, into the air, just catching Pikachu in time. He hopped, landing on his knees. "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off agaaaaaaaaaaaaaain!" Once Team Rocket soared off into the atmosphere, everyone in the cave ran out, witness some horrible damage - a forest fire had begun. "A fire! The blast must've set it off!" suggest Brock. Officer Jenny pulled up behind everyone, adding in her own information. "If it keeps burning, the whole town could go up in smoke!" Ash gave her an assuring grin. "Don't worry Jenny, I've got an idea!" "Huh?" Ash turned towards the Squirtle Squad. "Listen, if you Squirtles work together, you can combine your water guns to put out the fire." The Pokémon nodded in response. The turtle Pokémon rushed up the sloped land, heading up to the fire. They all blasted their water guns towards the blaze, quickly putting it out. Everyone stood in front of the burnt area, relieved it had not spread too far.

★★★

"And so, we gratefully award this certificate to the Squirtle Squad. Thank you for saving our town from the fire! Because of your skill and bravery, we proudly appoint you the town firefighters," announced Officer Jenny, handing the Pokémon their giant certificate and putting robes onto them. The squad stood in their usual formation. The leader crossed its arms, saying its species name.

★★★

The group of six and Ash's Pikachu began traveling once again, heading to Vermilion City. The group walked as they normally did, exception to Pikachu who was almost prancing. It looked as if it was pretending not to notice something. Misty looked behind her, noticing a familiar Pokémon. "Hey Ash, that Squirtle is following us." The group stopped, turning to the Pokémon following them. "Squirtle! Squirtle!" "Would you like to come along with us, Squirtle?" asked Ash, letting it roll off his tongue like he knew it was coming. The Squirtle said its name, before removing its sunglasses, revealing its huge, reddish brown eyes. Its eyes gleamed, expressing its extreme happiness to finding a caring trainer. Ash knelt down, holding his hands out, while laughing. Squirtle ran forward, saying its name, jumping into Ash's arms. Ash hugged his new Pokémon. "Welcome to the team, Squirtle!" "Squirtle!" "Guess I've got a new Pokémon!" "Pipikachu!" "Caught?! What do you mean 'caught'?!" asked Misty. "Oh, what's the difference? It's on our side now!" "Right!" Daisy said, agreeing with her brother. Kelly nodded. ...I need to catch some more Pokémon. She took out her three occupied Pokéballs, sighing. But I don't want to look like a copycat! She let out a sigh, placing her Pokéballs back into her pocket. ☆ End Of Episode Tweleve ______Authors Notes:

What...what's this?! An..an edited version of episode 12?! Does this mean...yes! It must mean that! It must mean I have finally edited all the KJ episodes up to date and can FINALLY start on episode 13! I know, I know. All of you are clapping because it's so exciting. Unless you're reading this after episode 13 has been posted...then just ignore this?

This was a VERY good episode! It was actually a pretty quick read, which I thought would happen considering this is probably my favourite episode out of the three parter of catching the Kanto starters in the anime. It wasn't a bland episode in the TV series, so the KJ version wasn't bland either. I actually really like the parts I wrote in that imagined what went on with the hostage group. We never got to see what Brock and Misty were doing in the anime during the time Ash was heading to town, so I imagined it here because I wanted to know.

I think this is the first episode where Kelly didn't come off as a complete jerk to me! Wow. Yeah. Pretty exciting news to me!

There's a reason why Kelly's so dead set against herself catching a Squirtle, but the reason won't be revealed for quite a while. It will definitely be revealed though.

Oh man, I can't believe how many times Daisy got water gun blasted in her face! I laughed every time! Erm, edit-wise, most of it was fine. I did remove a few sentences or rewrote them to make them consistent with the rest of the story as well as fixed words and things that had things missing (like "the" where it should have been "they"). Not really much was edited though.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know I did!

Thanks for reading!

If you find this fanfiction/rewrite anywhere than the following links listed, then, chances are, the fanfiction was stolen: http://trainerkelly.deviantart.com/ http://kellys-journey.deviantart.com/ http://www.trainerkellysnetwork.com/kj/kj_index.html http://pokemonoc-club.deviantart.com/ http://pokemon-oc-adventure.deviantart.com/ (Must be posted by me!)

Kelly, Daisy © to TrainerKelly/Kelly J. G. Mulry Ash, Misty, Professor Oak, etc. © to Nintendo, Game Freak Inc., TV Tokyo, etc. Most of the lines canon characters say © to 4kids Entertainment Inc. Lines are from “Episode 12: Here Comes the Squirtle Squad!”