Pokemon: A different Ash

Join my p@treon for more chapters

[email protected]/Tempest_29

"What are you doing? You've been acting strange since the beginning."

After leaving Saffron City, Ash noticed Misty acting oddly as they walked down the road. She seemed unusually quiet, alternating between ignoring him and giving curt replies. She looked upset but wouldn't explain why, which left Ash baffled.

"Don't worry about it!" Misty snapped, turning her head away in frustration as she continued walking.

"Strange. Did I offend her somehow?" Ash muttered to himself, feeling confused. He glanced at Brock, who was walking alongside him. Misty had been perfectly fine back in Saffron City.

"Ah, Ash, you're great in battles, but you seem to struggle in other areas," Brock said with a knowing smile, hearing Ash's question.

"Explain it clearly."

"Some things can't be explained. You have to figure them out on your own." Brock shook his head, his expression cryptic, leaving Ash even more bewildered. Ash checked the time and decided to speak up again.

"Hey, Misty, it's noon. How about we stop for lunch?"

"I'm not hungry. If you keep wasting time like this, when will we ever get to Celadon City?" Misty retorted stubbornly, continuing to walk ahead, still fuming.

"rrrrrr"

Suddenly, a loud grumble broke the silence. Ash and Brock turned their heads toward the sound, only to see Misty standing still, clutching her stomach. Her face was undoubtedly turning red as she stopped in her tracks. The sight left Ash and Brock struggling to suppress their laughter.

Though the opportunity to tease her was tempting, Ash decided against it, respecting her mood. "Pikachu and I are starving, Brock. Let's eat!" he said instead.

"Sounds good! I've prepared some delicious rice ball bento!" Brock replied enthusiastically. They found a stone on the side of the road, sat down, and began unpacking their meal.

"Hmph! If you're hungry, just say so! That's why I stopped," Misty finally muttered, turning back toward them with a defiant look. Ash and Brock exchanged amused glances but chose to let the matter slide.

As the trio enjoyed their lunch, Pikachu's ears twitched, and it perked up, staring intently at the tall grass nearby. The sudden movement caught Ash, Brock, and Misty's attention.

"Pika?" Pikachu murmured curiously.

A rustling sound came from the grass before a strange creature emerged. Its small, round body was covered in fluffy light-yellow fur, with darker brown limbs and a long tail tipped in brown. Though it resembled a monkey, the odd pink pig-like nose gave it a distinctly unique appearance.

"This is... Mankey!" the three exclaimed in unison, immediately recognizing the Pokémon standing before them.

"Mww!" 

Mankey's sharp eyes locked onto the rice balls in Ash and his friends' hands. It inched closer, clearly intrigued by the food.

"Do you want some?" Ash asked kindly, holding out his rice ball. Mankey hesitated, stepping forward cautiously. It sniffed at the rice ball curiously, as though it had never encountered human food before.

"Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu chimed in, taking a big bite of its rice ball with an exaggerated expression of delight. The little electric mouse seemed to be encouraging Mankey, demonstrating how to eat.

"Mww!" 

Emboldened, Mankey took the rice ball from Ash. Rather than eating it on the spot, it hopped over to a nearby rock, set the rice ball down, and began munching away.

The three trainers exchanged amused smiles and returned to their own lunches, enjoying the peaceful interaction with the wild Pokémon. But the tranquility didn't last long. Suddenly, a familiar trio approached.

"Prepare for trouble!" Jessie shouted midair.

"And make it double!" James chimed in.

"To protect the world from devastation!" Jessie continued.

"To unite all peoples within our nation!" James added.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!" Jessie declared.

"To extend our reach to the stars above!" James yelled.

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!" Jessie concluded.

"Give up now or prepare to fight!" James shouted.

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Huh? Team Rocket?!" Misty exclaimed, her mouth still half-full with a bite of rice ball. She looked up to see Jessie, James, and Meowth standing before them.

Misty sighed, exasperated. "You guys just got blown away this morning. Why don't you ever learn? Can't you just stay gone for once?"

"Hmph! Giving up isn't in Team Rocket's vocabulary!" Jessie declared proudly, while the trio seemed invigorated by their own words.

Ash, still focused on his lunch, raised an eyebrow. "You're not even trying to sneak up on us this time?"

"Uh... That's right, Meowth!" Meowth admitted, scratching its head sheepishly. "We didn't have time to plan anything else after this morning's loss."

"No matter! We'll take Pikachu head-on!" Jessie announced dramatically. "If we win, you have to hand Pikachu over!"

Ash and his friends, unfazed, continued eating. "Do what you want," Ash said casually between bites.

"Hey, don't ignore us!" James protested, clenching his fists. "This is the first time we're being serious!"

"Didn't you notice we're having lunch?" Ash retorted. "We don't have time for your antics right now."

"Fine, we'll wait until you're done!" Jessie huffed. In a surprising show of patience, Team Rocket stood to the side, watching Ash and his friends eat.

Ash, Misty, and Brock exchanged incredulous looks, clearly at a loss for words. The trio made no attempt to acknowledge their opponents, resuming their meal as though Team Rocket didn't exist. Meanwhile, Jessie, James, and Meowth stood by awkwardly, hunger gnawing at them as they watched.

Gurgle~!

James's and Meowth's stomachs growled in unison. 

"That rice ball looks so good..." James muttered wistfully, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

"Meowth can already smell how amazing it is," Meowth added, drooling uncontrollably. Both stared longingly at the food, their hunger and desperation evident.

Having gone too long without a decent meal, the sight of Ash and his friends enjoying their rice balls was pure torment. Tears streamed down their faces as their mouths watered, the aroma of the meal making their hunger all the more unbearable.