Minutes passed quietly, the peace only broken by the occasional breeze or the soft sound of Misty's fishing line in the water. That is, until her fishing rod suddenly jerked in her hands.
"I've got something!" she exclaimed, starting to reel in whatever had taken the bait.
Expecting another Water-type Pokémon to emerge, I was shocked when a drenched, disoriented figure came tumbling out of the water instead, splashing onto the bank in front of us. To my surprise, it was none other than Ash Ketchum, clutching his Pikachu.
"Ash?!" I blurted out, genuinely shocked to see him here.
Wow. The events really are playing out as per the canon timeline.
Misty looked at me, confused. "You know this guy?"
"Yeah, we met at Oak's lab," I explained, helping Ash to his feet. "What happened to you?"
Ash coughed, wiping water from his face. "It's a long story," he panted, barely able to catch his breath. "But Pikachu's in bad shape. I need to get him to a hospital, fast."
Misty said with concern in her voice, "There's a Pokemon Center not too far from here, you got to get moving now!"
Ash stood up holding Pikachu in his hands, "Can you tell me which way do I go?!"
"That way.", Misty pointed toward the direction of the Pokemon Center.
Suddenly, the screeching of a flock of spearows could be heard from afar.
"They are coming back, RUN!!", Ash screamed glancing around frantically, and his eyes landed on Misty's bike. Before either of us could react, Ash grabbed the bike placing Pikachu in the basket..
"Sorry!" he yelled over his shoulder as he hopped on and pedaled away. "I'll bring it back someday, I promise!"
Misty stood frozen for a moment, staring after him in disbelief. "Did... did he just steal my bike?!"
"Yeah... sorry about that," I said, suppressing a chuckle. "He's in a bit of a rush."
Misty's jaw set, her gaze fixed on Ash's receding figure. "I'll get my bike back, and I'll make sure he knows not to mess with me again."
---
We chased after Ash, following his trail along the riverbank. The air grew heavy, as though something ominous was building up. Before long, we spotted Ash in the distance, struggling to fend off a flock of the angry Spearow. His Pikachu, draped limply over his shoulder, was clearly too weak to fight.
"Those Spearow are relentless!" I shouted, already reaching for Ace's Pokéball. "We've gotta help him!"
Without waiting for Misty's response, I released Ace into the air. My Pidgey darted forward, wings spread wide.
"Ace, use Sand Attack!" I commanded.
Ace flapped his wings furiously, sending a cloud of dirt and sand into the eyes of the Spearow, blinding them and throwing off their attacks. The Spearow screeched in frustration, but I could see their movements growing more erratic as they tried to shake off the sand.
Misty joined in, sending out her Starmie to assist. Together, we fended off the remaining Spearow, forcing them to retreat.
Ash, clearly worn out from the ordeal, grabbed Pikachu and once again sped off on the bike. "Thanks! I'll see you later!" he called, disappearing into the distance.
Misty clenched her fists. "That guy... I swear, if I don't get my bike back, he's going to regret it."
—
End of Chapter 12.