A Ketchum's Journey Vol. 4

One Journey Ends, Another Begins...

"Stout!" Stoutland said, knowingly causing Litten to groan. "Stout!"

"Hey, Stoutland, how are you?" Ash asked as he and the others ran towards them.

"(Meows)" said Litten.

"He wasn't asking you, Litten." said Hayley, glaring at the kitten who then steps back from the young girl.

Narrator: The relationship between Ash, Hayley and Litten is unusual indeed. Ash was concerned that Litten lived as a stray. He and Hayley discovered it lived with an elderly Stoutland. But Litten has never appeared to form any sort of bond with our heroes and it continues to keep its distance.

Hayley, popping up with her arms crossed: That's because Litten got away with his lunch the first time and whined to me, his only little sister about it.

"So, Litten, I guess you're practicing Fire Fang, aren't you?" Ash asked.

"Stoutland!" coughed Stoutland.

"You all right, Stoutland?" Ash asked the Pokémon.

"You don't sound too good." said Hayley.

"Lucar, Lucario." said Meeko, walking up to Stoutland.

"Stout!" Stoutland tells them.

"Huh? Oh yeah." said Ash, looking down at Rockruff. "We just bought some berries. See? How about you and us split them?"

Litten screeches as it lets out an Ember attack at Ash, who then screams in pain and puts out the fire to his face. "Stoutland!" Stoutland scolded Litten as it meows guiltily at what it did.

"You know...." said Hayley as her brother's face was in the water. "I could have done that to him on so many occasions, but I didn't. I had to do that to one of our other friends."

"Lucario." said Meeko.

"Stoutland." Stoutland said apologetically to Pikachu and Rockruff.

"Pikachu!" replied Pikachu.

"I see Litten hasn't changed a bit, huh?" asked Ash, pulling his face out of the water as he doused the fire. Rowlet hops over to Litten and Stoutland, hooting and Litten meows back.

"Stout!" said Stoutland as Litten walks away and tries Fire Fang again, screeching. "Stout? (Coughs) Stoutland."

"Ash..." Hayley said to her brother as they heard Stoutland cough again. "I really don't like the sound of Stoutland's cough."

"I don't either, Jordan." said Ash.

"Stoutland sounds horrible." said Meeko.

The sun was setting on the ocean as Ash and Hayley made their way back to Professor Kukui's house. "That's rare." said Kukui, watching the footage Rotom had recorded. "One almost never sees Pokemon of two different types practicing moves together."

"Unless you were some of our Pokémon." muttered Hayley.

"Rotom Dex? Pause that." said Kukui, not hearing Hayley.

"Pausing." said Rotom.

"Oh, see that?" Kukui asked the siblings. "Their backs are both rounded. This is what they do to build up their energy."

"Yeah. Come to think of it, they did that a lot." said Ash.

"Pika! Lucar." said Pikachu and Meeko.

"That Stoutland is taking awfully good care of its friend Litten, all right." said Kukui.

"Huh?" asked Ash and Hayley, looking up at the professor. The next day, brother and sister were on their way home. "I think we should go back and see Litten again." said Ash. "Let's bring some berries."