A Ketchum's Journey Vol. 4

Rising from the Ruins

As Ash tries to pick it up, Rockruff jumps away and growls at him. "Rockruff...." said Hayley, causing it to growl at her too.

"Huh?"

"Pika!"

"Cario!"

"Rockruff, you've got to get to a Pokémon center." Ash tells it. "You need help from Nurse Joy."

Rockruff shakes its head as it barks and howls into the night. "Rockruff," said Hayley, reaching for the puppy. "you need to go to the Pokémon center right now! No exceptions."

"Rockruff!" barked Rockruff and bites Hayley hard in her hand.

"Ah!" Hayley cried out in pain, pulling her hand back. "That hurts!"

"Cario!" said Meeko, rushing over to Hayley.

"Rockruff." said Ash, holding Hayley against him.

"Pika." said Pikachu when scales floated down. "Pi? Pika? Pika!"

"Ash?" said Hayley, looking at the scales that fell from the sky.

"Wait, could this be....huh?" said Ash with his hand out. "Where do you think you're going?" Rockruff growls and barks at Ash before tackling him to the ground.

"Ah!" said Ash as both trainer and Pokémon rolled around until Rockruff bites Ash in the arm. Ash screams and Rockruff whines, realizing that it has done it again. It looked over at Hayley, who was holding her hand and sniffling a bit. Meeko was at her side, rubbing her face against her trainer's.

"Lucar..." said Meeko.

Ash groans as Rockruff walks out of his arms. "Hey Rockruff!" Ash called out after it went into the bushes.

"Pika! Cario!" said Pikachu and Meeko as they and their trainers went after Rockruff. The next day as the sun shines over the ocean, everyone was looking for Ash and Hayley. "Find them?" Mallow asked Lana.

"Uh-uh." said Lana shaking her head.

"Nothing?" asked Lillie.

"Gone without a trace!" said Rotom.

"I checked all over Paniola Town, but I didn't have any luck." said Kiawe.

"So where could they have gotten off to?" Sophocles asked about the siblings. Rowlet trills and Litten meows as they worried about the siblings as Kukui and Olivia walked up to the group. "Professor?" asked Mallow as he sighs and shakes his head.

"Oh, Ash! Hayley!" said Olivia as she looks behind them.

"Where?" asked Kukui.

"Huh?" said the others. They see Ash and Hayley walk up with the youngest grumbling and muttering. "Pikachu! Lucario!" said Pikachu and Meeko, both looking like their trainers.

"I am never doing something like this ever again." Hayley tells Ash.

"You mean we, right?" he asked, looking at his sister.

"You got it. You know me so well, Ash." said Hayley, looking up at her brother as he gave her a tired smile.

"Pika. Cario." said Pikachu and Meeko as the siblings groaned and fell to the ground.

"Look! Wandering off in the middle of the night is inexcusable!" Kukui said to the siblings.

"Uh, yeah, Professor. You're right. We're sorry. Rowlet." said Ash as Hayley starts to nod off. "Rockruff disappeared and I was really worried, so I woke Hayley to go after it."

"Huh?" they all said.

"Please don't lecture us right now." said Hayley, opening her half bleary eyes. "There's two of us who are already tired and cranky as it is. I'm not even in the mood to argue at this point."