The Tale of Indigo ~ Chapter 5

Previously

“I can’t believe we’re lost again!

“Don’t look at me. Brock’s the one with the map.”

“Is it some secret guy thing, or does the testosterone interfere with your ability to ask for directions?”

“What’s test… testes…?” Ash stammered.

“Testosterone,” Brock corrected. “It’s a male hormone. It helps make us what we are.”

Misty was about to make a snide remark when she instead made a discovery: “Look! Someone set up camp in the clearing up ahead!” 


The sound of footsteps startled Indigo. She reached for a pokeball attached to the leather garter she wore around her right thigh.

“Hello?” Ash called out. “Is anyone here?”

“Can I help you?” said Indigo, in a tone that indicated she wasn’t really in the mood to help. She held up her Alakazam in preparation.

“Um, hi. Uh, whoa!” he exclaimed when he saw Indigo prepared to defend herself.

“Wait! We just need some help!” cried Misty from behind Ash and Brock.

Indigo lowered her arm. “What do you want?”

“We’re lost and we’re tired, and we were wondering if you’d mind us camping with you tonight?” Ash asked.

“I don’t know…” Because of the heat she wasn’t wearing her Team Rocket jacket (comfort before compliance was her motto), and a quick glance about camp showed no obvious signs of her affiliation. As long as Jessie and James stayed wherever they were, Indigo figured she should have little trouble sharing her space with these travelers. But before she could give her answer…

“Please! Let us stay here with you!” begged a kneeling Brock. “We won’t be any trouble and I’ll cook and clean and a beautiful young woman such as yourself shouldn’t be alone out in these woods anyways.”

“What’s up with the poster child for the Coalition Against Masturbation?” Indigo asked the others.

Misty giggled at the question, “Oh Brock, he’s always like that.”

“Frightening thought. Okay, I guess you guys can stay, as long as he behaves himself.”

“Thanks!” The trio cheered.

“By the way,” added Ash, “I’m Ash Ketchum from Pallet.”

Indigo’s face brightened. “Ash Ketchum, eh? I’ve heard of you.”

“Really?! Must’ve heard about what a skillful trainer I am!”

“Um, yes… Something like that. Uh, don’t you usually travel with a pikachu?”

“Well yeah, um, Pikachu?” Ash called, looking around for his electric rat. “Pikachu! Where are you buddy?”

“Pika-pi!”

“There he is, Ash!” Misty pointed to one of Indigo’s food storage bags. There was Pikachu, inside, munching on an apple.

“Hey!” cried Indigo. “That was going to be part of my supper!” After Pikachu jumped out of the bag she examined the remaining contents. “Damn! Your pokemon ate all my fruit.”

“Pikachu! You know better than to go into other people’s belongings! Bad pikachu!”

“Pi.” Pikachu’s ears drooped in sadness.

“We’re sorry,” said Misty. “I suppose now you’d like us to leave.”

“No,” sighed Indigo. “It’s okay. I saw some berry bushes not too far from here. I was just hoping to avoid picking them for as long as possible.”

“Sorry.” Ash repeated.

“Hey! Why don’t we pick them for you.”

“That’s a great idea, Brock!” commended Ash.

“Unless, of course, you’d rather I stay and help you cook?” Brock smiled at Indigo.

“Oh no. No, no, no. I’ll be fine. You go pick berries. Lots of berries.”


James was lost. Definitely and undeniably lost.

With Arbok and Lickitung missing Jessie was miserable and she was making sure James was well aware of it. She refused to continue with the field training, but they couldn’t go back to Headquarters, so James opted for taking her to the nearest Rocket owned cabin and dumping her there.

After an hour of listening to Jessie complain about the luxuries of life being currently absent from hers, James left the cabin in search of some indication of the path he and Jessie had taken to get there. Her complaining had distracted him from leaving markers and now he was walking along an unfamiliar road. What was worse was that he no longer had the map to work with. He hoped that if he kept walking he would eventually end up somewhere familiar.

“Hey little boy! Would you like some candy?”

James spun around to see a stretch limo pull up. Hanging out of the window was a young woman, holding out a handful of Rare Candy. It seemed obvious to James that the lady was whacked out on the same stuff she was offering. “Um, no, sorry.”

“Aw!” the woman pouted. “Can we give you a ride, then?” Her request was complimented with snickers from her traveling companions.

James looked down the road and sighed. Who knew how long it would take him to find his way back to Indigo? “Do you know how to get to Viridian City?”

“I’m your vehicle, baby, I’ll take you anywhere you wanna go.”

“Could you be any more original, Zelda?” laughed the girl in the seat diagonally across from her.

“There is no more originality,” Zelda stated. “Only creative uses of what already exists.”

“I’m not sure, I really shouldn’t take rides from people I don’t know.”

“Well, possum, you already know who I am. This is Jade,” Zelda pointed to the woman sitting next to her, “that’s Mini, Silvy and… Max. Where’s Max?”

“Hiya!” waved the driver. “Remember, Zelda? We decided to give our female driver the night off. And what with Sephiroth and the others tuckered out…”

“Tuckered out?” asked James.

“Yes,” said Mini. “We’ve been fu–“

“Sssshhh!” shushed Jade, who then continued in a whisper: “We don’t want to scare him off!”

“Um, we’ve been fu–strated due to the fact that just driving us around has exhausted them.”

Silvy slapped her forehead and groaned.

“Are you coming with us?” Zelda asked James again.

“I guess.”

“Yay!” the girls cheered as James climbed in to the limousine.

“By the way, pretty boy,” Zelda inquired as the limo pulled away, “what’s your name?”

Continue…

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