A Rivalry is Forged
"No.....Ash, don't go..." Bayleef cried as the boy she loved disappeared into the darkness. Night after night, she would have the same nightmare. After her Trainer had left her behind when he began his Hoenn League challenge, Bayleef had been plagued with nightmares. She was in a constant state of depression while awake and suffered awful nightmares while asleep. Her life without Ash was a living Hell.
Her life was miserable, until the day came when her love came home. She ran out to greet him, only to watch him get whisked away by his herd of Tauros. She remembered how he embraced her when she lassoed him away from them. It was not an intimate embrace, but she didn't mind. It was the first gesture of affection she had felt in a long time. She enjoyed being with him that day, but dreaded the knowledge that he would be leaving again tomorrow for the Battle Frontier challenge. She knew that he did not intend to bring her with him.
"Ash.....stop...please...don't leave me...come back!" Bayleef awoke in a cold sweat. Tears were streaming down her face as she recalled her nightmare. She was chasing after Ash while he was embracing a young redheaded human girl. She knew who that girl was. Misty was going to accompany Ash until they reached Cerulean City. Bayleef would try her best to not appear jealous around her back in the Johto region, but she still feared that Ash had special feelings for her. Bayleef then noticed that the sun was rising. After gathering as much courage as possible, she made a dash to the edge of the reserve, jumped the fence, and dashed towards Ash's house, hoping she wasn't too late.
Unbeknownst to Bayleef, Ash, or anyone else in Pallet Town, several hours earlier, another beautiful female Pokemon was grieving over being separated from the boy she loved oh so deeply. In the city of Altomare in the Johto region, Latias was trying to stay awake, fearful of what fiendish nightmare she would experience. Everyday after Ash had departed from Altomare; she had been overwhelmed with terrible heartache. She did not eat normally and even began to lose weight. Her dreams were so horrendous, she truly wanted to end her life after each one, but managed to stop herself each time with the hope that Ash would return to her. However, on this night, she had pilfered a kitchen knife from the home of her best friend, Bianca, and fled to the secret garden where she had first revealed her true form to Ash. "No more...I can't take the pain anymore.....I love you, Ash...but I know we..."
Taking the knife in both claws, Latias angled it towards her throat. "Goodbye..." As she gathered the courage to end it all, Latias stopped at the sound of a voice she had not heard in centuries.
"Latias! Put down that knife!" As directed, Latias dropped the knife. (That voice...Uncle?!) Latias turned around and saw a Latios floating in the shadows of a large tree. When he floated forward, she recognized him immediately. "Uncle..."
"It's been too long, my little niece. You've grown into a beautiful young lady." He slowly approached Latias and embraced her, "What's wrong? Why did you have that knife?"
Latias looked into the gentle eyes of her uncle, "I just can't take the pain anymore...it hurts too much..." She sobbed against his neck. "I want to end it all..."
Her uncle whispered, "Why are you in such pain? Did someone hurt you? I can heal you."
Latias cried, "It's not that kind of wound...It's my heart. I love someone, but I can't be with him. I want to see him, but can't. My brother is gone, so I have to guard the Soul Dew in his place. That's why I could not leave with the boy I love. I love him so much, Uncle! I can't live without him!" She began to cry even harder.
Her uncle whispered, "My dear niece...go."
Latias looked up at her uncle's face with tears in her eyes, "Wha...what did you say?"
He smiled, "I came here to relieve you of your duty. From now on, I am the Guardian of Altomare. You do not have to stay here if you don't want to. I knew that you were not cut out for the life of a guardian. That is why I came here."
Latias looked at her uncle, "Are you sure you can handle the responsibility? Can you handle it alone?"
Her uncle chuckled, "I won't be alone. My two children came with me. Their asleep now, but they wanted to help me in my duty." Latias sighed. It had been so long since she last saw her cousins. They must have become very powerful by now.
"Uncle, please tell Bianca and Lorenzo about my decision to leave. I know I should tell them myself, but I can't stand being apart from him any longer." Her uncle smiled, "I understand. I'm sure they will respect your decision. I'll be sure to return the knife you borrowed, too." After giving her uncle one more hug, Latias was soon soaring through the night sky towards the Kanto region. Her destination, Pallet Town.
As the sun rose over the landscape, Bayleef dashed through the underbrush. She felt cold sweat trickling down her body as she assumed the worst. She had been apart from Ash for too long already. She would not allow herself to feel that pain again!
At last, Bayleef came to an area that she recognized. However, she could not remember which house Ash lived in. Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice yell, "Aren't you guys forgetting someone?!" The voice belonged to Brock. She wasn't too late! With hope alive in her heart, Bayleef charged down the road and turned the corner. There, she saw the boy she loved walking north with Pikachu on his shoulder. At his sides were his four human companions.
Ash was already thinking about what kinds of tough Trainers he would face at the first arena of the Battle Frontier when he heard what sounded like scream come from behind! As soon as he turned around, something tackled him to the ground, knocking Pikachu from his shoulder. "Wha?! What is it?!"
Ash managed to raise himself up enough to see that the being on top of him was Bayleef, who was crying hard. "Bayleef? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" The young female looked into his eyes. She nuzzled his neck in an effort to convey her feelings to him.
"I get it now... You want to come with me, right?" Bayleef looked at Ash with a look of hope. "Yeah, I thought so. But...I already have Grovyle in the team. If I added you, it would be unbalanced."
Brock yelled, "What's wrong with you?! Bayleef wants to come with you for a reason! Have you ever wondered what she may have felt like the whole time you were in Hoenn?!" Ash jumped at Brock's sudden outburst. He always suspected that Bayleef was female, but he was right. He never considered what his Pokemon felt about being left behind. A moment of awkward silence passed. To Bayleef's shock, she saw tears falling from Ash's eyes.
"What kind of Trainer am I? I never even considered what you or the rest thought about being apart from me for so long...I'm sorry..." Then, much to Bayleef's surprise and pleasure, Ash embraced her, "You can come. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you yesterday." Bayleef wrapped her vines around Ash, holding him tightly. No one said anything as to not interrupt this touching moment. Once Ash let go of Bayleef, he said, "Well, guess I better go get your Poke ball. Come on." Knowing that it was still at Prof. Oak's lab, Ash headed back for one more quick visit while his friends chose to wait at the edge of the town.
"So, Bayleef decided to go with you, eh? Well, take her Poke ball then." Ash took the ball from Prof. Oak, "Thanks again. I better get going. See ya, Professor!" As he approached the door, Ash spoke, "Just for you, I won't make you stay in your Poke ball unless you want to. OK, Bayleef?" Bayleef gave Ash a delighted shriek. She would never have to leave her love's side again.
After meeting up with his friends at the entrance, Ash set his sights on the first stop of the Battle Frontier challenge, the Battle Factory. However, after reaching the halfway point between Pallet Town and Viridian City, Pikachu alerted Ash to something. "Huh? What's up Pikachu?" His little pal pointed up. When the group looked skyward, they saw a small figure in the sky. It was so high up, they could not tell at all if it was an airplane, or a Pokemon.
"Huh? Is that...?" Latias looked down from the sky as she noticed a group of five human kids and two Pokemon, a Pikachu and a Bayleef. She recognized the eldest of the group as Brock, who had been with Ash when she first met him. Her gaze fell on the boy who the two Pokemon were closest to. "His clothes are different, but..." Latias gasped when she saw the boy's eyes. She could never forget those caring brown eyes. "ASH! IT IS YOU!" Ecstatic, Latias took a nose dive.
Max yelled, "Oh man, I think its hurt! What the..." Max stopped when he saw the Pokemon spiraling in a strange and magnificent manner. Ash spoke, "Wait a sec...I think that's...no way!" As if to prove him wrong, the pink and white Pokemon plunged out of the sky and changed course just before hitting the ground, slamming into a stunned Ash Ketchum, sending Pikachu flying from his shoulder. The little rodent couldn't believe that he had been knocked off of Ash's shoulder twice in one day. A dust cloud had formed from the friction of Ash's body sliding across the ground, hiding him and the Pokemon who tackled him.
"Guys! It's...!" Ash was suddenly cut off. Worried, everyone ran over to the cloud of dust, which was starting to lift. Once they could see the two, the whole group stood there with looks of disbelief. Lying on top of Ash was a Latias. But what was even more shocking was the fact that she was kissing him! Ash had been cut off in mid sentence when she sealed lips with him! Misty giggled, "Well, now we know who kissed him back in Altomare."
Ash was completely frozen with shock that he was being kissed by a Pokemon! However, no one was more shocked than Bayleef. Finally, after a moment of watching the boy she loved being kissed by another female, Bayleef's rage erupted. She blasted Latias with a flurry of Razor Leaves! The little Dragon type screamed in pain as she was blown a short distance away. Not the least bit satisfied, Bayleef charged after Latias.
Latias was shaken badly. She was far too weak to hold her own against an experienced fighter like Bayleef. She covered her face as Bayleef sent her Vine Whips lashing against her! After a few lashes, someone stepped in and grabbed both of her vines. "Bayleef, cut it out!" She froze as she saw Ash gripping both vines. A moment later, Ash released the vines, which retracted back into Bayleef's neck.
Latias uncovered her face when she felt the hands of a human cup her chin. Ash was looking down at her. "You're the Latias I met in Altomare, right?" Latias started to cry against his chest, (He remembered me...oh Ash, thank you!) Bayleef had to use every last ounce of willpower to stop herself from attacking Latias as she watched her nuzzle Ash gently. Finally, Ash asked Latias, "Why did you come here?"
Misty yelled, "Man Ash, you really are dense!" Ash cowered a little when Misty scolded him. "Think about it! Latias came all the way from the Johto region just to find you! Can you even imagine why she would leave her home to find you?!" Ash blushed at the possibilities.
Ash looked back at Latias, "I think I get what it is you're trying to tell me..." He gently embraced the surprised female, "I missed you too..." Latias closed her eyes as tears built up in them. Her search had not been a waste of time after all. (Uncle, I'm in your debt.) Bayleef gritted her teeth as she imagined some truly horrific ways to dispose of Latias.
That night, the group had set up camp not that far from Viridian City. Latias was enjoying Brocks' cooking while staying near Ash. Misty belched, "It's been too long since I've tasted your cooking Brock. Brings back memories..." Brock laughed at the fact that Misty would miss food. Bayleef however, did not eat anything that night. Her anger at Latias was so bad, it was affecting her appetite.
The five kids had set up their sleeping bags in a star shaped pattern around the campfire. Latias had squeezed into Ash's bag and refused to leave. Just after he gave up on trying to convince her out, Ash noticed Bayleef at the far side of the campsite. "Bayleef?" Ash noticed a cold look in her eyes when she looked at him, a look that brought back painful memories of when he all but destroyed their relationship just after she evolved.
Ash whispered, "Bayleef, could you come here for a second?" Reluctantly, she did as he asked and walked over next to him. "Would you like to sleep with me tonight?" Latias gulped at the request. She didn't think that they would all fit. Bayleef felt a glimmer of hope return, nodding at her love's question.
Ash raised the opening of the sleeping bag enough for Bayleef to slide in. She slowly walked in backwards so her head would rest on the pillow. It was a tight fit, but it worked. Ash was worried that he would not be able to get comfy, but sighed at the feeling of Bayleef's smooth skin and Latias' soft feathers. "Are you girls comfy?" They both confirmed it by sweetly licking his cheeks.
As they three settled in for the night, Ash spoke, "You know, I'm really glad that you both wanted to come with me. I really missed you both." This surprised his two friends as they did not expect him to say that to both of them. "Good night." Ash rested his hands on the sides of his two 'lovers' just before falling asleep. Latias laid her arm across his chest while Bayleef did the same with one of her vines. Simultaneously, they whispered in their native tongue, "I love you Ash." Having all but forgot about each other, the two females joined their crush in dreamland. However, if Ash knew what laid in store for him, he may have reconsidered leaving one of them behind!
Her life was miserable, until the day came when her love came home. She ran out to greet him, only to watch him get whisked away by his herd of Tauros. She remembered how he embraced her when she lassoed him away from them. It was not an intimate embrace, but she didn't mind. It was the first gesture of affection she had felt in a long time. She enjoyed being with him that day, but dreaded the knowledge that he would be leaving again tomorrow for the Battle Frontier challenge. She knew that he did not intend to bring her with him.
"Ash.....stop...please...don't leave me...come back!" Bayleef awoke in a cold sweat. Tears were streaming down her face as she recalled her nightmare. She was chasing after Ash while he was embracing a young redheaded human girl. She knew who that girl was. Misty was going to accompany Ash until they reached Cerulean City. Bayleef would try her best to not appear jealous around her back in the Johto region, but she still feared that Ash had special feelings for her. Bayleef then noticed that the sun was rising. After gathering as much courage as possible, she made a dash to the edge of the reserve, jumped the fence, and dashed towards Ash's house, hoping she wasn't too late.
Unbeknownst to Bayleef, Ash, or anyone else in Pallet Town, several hours earlier, another beautiful female Pokemon was grieving over being separated from the boy she loved oh so deeply. In the city of Altomare in the Johto region, Latias was trying to stay awake, fearful of what fiendish nightmare she would experience. Everyday after Ash had departed from Altomare; she had been overwhelmed with terrible heartache. She did not eat normally and even began to lose weight. Her dreams were so horrendous, she truly wanted to end her life after each one, but managed to stop herself each time with the hope that Ash would return to her. However, on this night, she had pilfered a kitchen knife from the home of her best friend, Bianca, and fled to the secret garden where she had first revealed her true form to Ash. "No more...I can't take the pain anymore.....I love you, Ash...but I know we..."
Taking the knife in both claws, Latias angled it towards her throat. "Goodbye..." As she gathered the courage to end it all, Latias stopped at the sound of a voice she had not heard in centuries.
"Latias! Put down that knife!" As directed, Latias dropped the knife. (That voice...Uncle?!) Latias turned around and saw a Latios floating in the shadows of a large tree. When he floated forward, she recognized him immediately. "Uncle..."
"It's been too long, my little niece. You've grown into a beautiful young lady." He slowly approached Latias and embraced her, "What's wrong? Why did you have that knife?"
Latias looked into the gentle eyes of her uncle, "I just can't take the pain anymore...it hurts too much..." She sobbed against his neck. "I want to end it all..."
Her uncle whispered, "Why are you in such pain? Did someone hurt you? I can heal you."
Latias cried, "It's not that kind of wound...It's my heart. I love someone, but I can't be with him. I want to see him, but can't. My brother is gone, so I have to guard the Soul Dew in his place. That's why I could not leave with the boy I love. I love him so much, Uncle! I can't live without him!" She began to cry even harder.
Her uncle whispered, "My dear niece...go."
Latias looked up at her uncle's face with tears in her eyes, "Wha...what did you say?"
He smiled, "I came here to relieve you of your duty. From now on, I am the Guardian of Altomare. You do not have to stay here if you don't want to. I knew that you were not cut out for the life of a guardian. That is why I came here."
Latias looked at her uncle, "Are you sure you can handle the responsibility? Can you handle it alone?"
Her uncle chuckled, "I won't be alone. My two children came with me. Their asleep now, but they wanted to help me in my duty." Latias sighed. It had been so long since she last saw her cousins. They must have become very powerful by now.
"Uncle, please tell Bianca and Lorenzo about my decision to leave. I know I should tell them myself, but I can't stand being apart from him any longer." Her uncle smiled, "I understand. I'm sure they will respect your decision. I'll be sure to return the knife you borrowed, too." After giving her uncle one more hug, Latias was soon soaring through the night sky towards the Kanto region. Her destination, Pallet Town.
As the sun rose over the landscape, Bayleef dashed through the underbrush. She felt cold sweat trickling down her body as she assumed the worst. She had been apart from Ash for too long already. She would not allow herself to feel that pain again!
At last, Bayleef came to an area that she recognized. However, she could not remember which house Ash lived in. Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice yell, "Aren't you guys forgetting someone?!" The voice belonged to Brock. She wasn't too late! With hope alive in her heart, Bayleef charged down the road and turned the corner. There, she saw the boy she loved walking north with Pikachu on his shoulder. At his sides were his four human companions.
Ash was already thinking about what kinds of tough Trainers he would face at the first arena of the Battle Frontier when he heard what sounded like scream come from behind! As soon as he turned around, something tackled him to the ground, knocking Pikachu from his shoulder. "Wha?! What is it?!"
Ash managed to raise himself up enough to see that the being on top of him was Bayleef, who was crying hard. "Bayleef? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" The young female looked into his eyes. She nuzzled his neck in an effort to convey her feelings to him.
"I get it now... You want to come with me, right?" Bayleef looked at Ash with a look of hope. "Yeah, I thought so. But...I already have Grovyle in the team. If I added you, it would be unbalanced."
Brock yelled, "What's wrong with you?! Bayleef wants to come with you for a reason! Have you ever wondered what she may have felt like the whole time you were in Hoenn?!" Ash jumped at Brock's sudden outburst. He always suspected that Bayleef was female, but he was right. He never considered what his Pokemon felt about being left behind. A moment of awkward silence passed. To Bayleef's shock, she saw tears falling from Ash's eyes.
"What kind of Trainer am I? I never even considered what you or the rest thought about being apart from me for so long...I'm sorry..." Then, much to Bayleef's surprise and pleasure, Ash embraced her, "You can come. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you yesterday." Bayleef wrapped her vines around Ash, holding him tightly. No one said anything as to not interrupt this touching moment. Once Ash let go of Bayleef, he said, "Well, guess I better go get your Poke ball. Come on." Knowing that it was still at Prof. Oak's lab, Ash headed back for one more quick visit while his friends chose to wait at the edge of the town.
"So, Bayleef decided to go with you, eh? Well, take her Poke ball then." Ash took the ball from Prof. Oak, "Thanks again. I better get going. See ya, Professor!" As he approached the door, Ash spoke, "Just for you, I won't make you stay in your Poke ball unless you want to. OK, Bayleef?" Bayleef gave Ash a delighted shriek. She would never have to leave her love's side again.
After meeting up with his friends at the entrance, Ash set his sights on the first stop of the Battle Frontier challenge, the Battle Factory. However, after reaching the halfway point between Pallet Town and Viridian City, Pikachu alerted Ash to something. "Huh? What's up Pikachu?" His little pal pointed up. When the group looked skyward, they saw a small figure in the sky. It was so high up, they could not tell at all if it was an airplane, or a Pokemon.
"Huh? Is that...?" Latias looked down from the sky as she noticed a group of five human kids and two Pokemon, a Pikachu and a Bayleef. She recognized the eldest of the group as Brock, who had been with Ash when she first met him. Her gaze fell on the boy who the two Pokemon were closest to. "His clothes are different, but..." Latias gasped when she saw the boy's eyes. She could never forget those caring brown eyes. "ASH! IT IS YOU!" Ecstatic, Latias took a nose dive.
Max yelled, "Oh man, I think its hurt! What the..." Max stopped when he saw the Pokemon spiraling in a strange and magnificent manner. Ash spoke, "Wait a sec...I think that's...no way!" As if to prove him wrong, the pink and white Pokemon plunged out of the sky and changed course just before hitting the ground, slamming into a stunned Ash Ketchum, sending Pikachu flying from his shoulder. The little rodent couldn't believe that he had been knocked off of Ash's shoulder twice in one day. A dust cloud had formed from the friction of Ash's body sliding across the ground, hiding him and the Pokemon who tackled him.
"Guys! It's...!" Ash was suddenly cut off. Worried, everyone ran over to the cloud of dust, which was starting to lift. Once they could see the two, the whole group stood there with looks of disbelief. Lying on top of Ash was a Latias. But what was even more shocking was the fact that she was kissing him! Ash had been cut off in mid sentence when she sealed lips with him! Misty giggled, "Well, now we know who kissed him back in Altomare."
Ash was completely frozen with shock that he was being kissed by a Pokemon! However, no one was more shocked than Bayleef. Finally, after a moment of watching the boy she loved being kissed by another female, Bayleef's rage erupted. She blasted Latias with a flurry of Razor Leaves! The little Dragon type screamed in pain as she was blown a short distance away. Not the least bit satisfied, Bayleef charged after Latias.
Latias was shaken badly. She was far too weak to hold her own against an experienced fighter like Bayleef. She covered her face as Bayleef sent her Vine Whips lashing against her! After a few lashes, someone stepped in and grabbed both of her vines. "Bayleef, cut it out!" She froze as she saw Ash gripping both vines. A moment later, Ash released the vines, which retracted back into Bayleef's neck.
Latias uncovered her face when she felt the hands of a human cup her chin. Ash was looking down at her. "You're the Latias I met in Altomare, right?" Latias started to cry against his chest, (He remembered me...oh Ash, thank you!) Bayleef had to use every last ounce of willpower to stop herself from attacking Latias as she watched her nuzzle Ash gently. Finally, Ash asked Latias, "Why did you come here?"
Misty yelled, "Man Ash, you really are dense!" Ash cowered a little when Misty scolded him. "Think about it! Latias came all the way from the Johto region just to find you! Can you even imagine why she would leave her home to find you?!" Ash blushed at the possibilities.
Ash looked back at Latias, "I think I get what it is you're trying to tell me..." He gently embraced the surprised female, "I missed you too..." Latias closed her eyes as tears built up in them. Her search had not been a waste of time after all. (Uncle, I'm in your debt.) Bayleef gritted her teeth as she imagined some truly horrific ways to dispose of Latias.
That night, the group had set up camp not that far from Viridian City. Latias was enjoying Brocks' cooking while staying near Ash. Misty belched, "It's been too long since I've tasted your cooking Brock. Brings back memories..." Brock laughed at the fact that Misty would miss food. Bayleef however, did not eat anything that night. Her anger at Latias was so bad, it was affecting her appetite.
The five kids had set up their sleeping bags in a star shaped pattern around the campfire. Latias had squeezed into Ash's bag and refused to leave. Just after he gave up on trying to convince her out, Ash noticed Bayleef at the far side of the campsite. "Bayleef?" Ash noticed a cold look in her eyes when she looked at him, a look that brought back painful memories of when he all but destroyed their relationship just after she evolved.
Ash whispered, "Bayleef, could you come here for a second?" Reluctantly, she did as he asked and walked over next to him. "Would you like to sleep with me tonight?" Latias gulped at the request. She didn't think that they would all fit. Bayleef felt a glimmer of hope return, nodding at her love's question.
Ash raised the opening of the sleeping bag enough for Bayleef to slide in. She slowly walked in backwards so her head would rest on the pillow. It was a tight fit, but it worked. Ash was worried that he would not be able to get comfy, but sighed at the feeling of Bayleef's smooth skin and Latias' soft feathers. "Are you girls comfy?" They both confirmed it by sweetly licking his cheeks.
As they three settled in for the night, Ash spoke, "You know, I'm really glad that you both wanted to come with me. I really missed you both." This surprised his two friends as they did not expect him to say that to both of them. "Good night." Ash rested his hands on the sides of his two 'lovers' just before falling asleep. Latias laid her arm across his chest while Bayleef did the same with one of her vines. Simultaneously, they whispered in their native tongue, "I love you Ash." Having all but forgot about each other, the two females joined their crush in dreamland. However, if Ash knew what laid in store for him, he may have reconsidered leaving one of them behind!
Chapter End Notes:
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended, and is applicable for all consecutive chapters that follow.