"Na!"
Turtwig, watching Team Rocket blast off, snorted in satisfaction. But when it turned to face Ash and his group, its gaze seemed far from friendly.
"Hey… something's off, isn't it?"
Dawn shrank back, intimidated by the power Turtwig had shown while ramming Team Rocket's robot.
"It looks like it sees us as enemies too," Brock added calmly.
"?! Is now the time to be calm? This is bad! Someone explain things to it!"
"Pika~ Pi… Pika~!"
At Dawn's urging, Pikachu stepped in front of Turtwig, gesticulating wildly to explain. But Turtwig wasn't buying it. It seemed convinced Pikachu was being coerced, having overheard talk of capturing Pikachu while napping nearby. To Turtwig, Pikachu was the one to protect, and they were the enemies.
Turtwig's personality was surprisingly stubborn. Once it decided something, it ignored all else. As it began stomping its legs, ready to attack, Ash had no choice but to pull out Aipom's Poké Ball to prepare for battle.
Sometimes actions spoke louder than words. Maybe a battle would calm Turtwig down.
"Oh my, what's going on here?"
A voice from behind interrupted their standoff. Turning, they saw an elderly woman staring at them with a curious expression.
"Na!"
Seeing the woman, Turtwig nudged Pikachu aside and trotted to her, pointing at Pikachu, then at Ash and his group, as if explaining something.
"Hm? Oh, I see… So you're saying you're protecting Pikachu?"
Somehow, despite Turtwig's vague gestures, the woman understood it perfectly. Before she could question Ash, he preemptively pulled out his Pokédex to explain:
"Wait, it's a misunderstanding. This is my Pokédex. I'm an officially recognized Pokémon Trainer by the League. Earlier…"
After Ash's explanation, the woman finally grasped the situation. With a wry smile, she approached Turtwig and clarified that Ash and his friends weren't bad people.
Perhaps because Turtwig had lived with the woman for so long, it instantly recognized its mistake—unlike its earlier dismissal of Ash's words—and bowed its head in panic to apologize to Ash.
"It's fine. You meant well. Just make sure to check things out clearly next time, especially respecting the Pokémon's own wishes."
Ash glanced at Pikachu as he said this. Though Turtwig was stubborn, it understood his point and apologized to Pikachu too.
"Well, since it's a misunderstanding, that's much better. By the way~ since we've met here, how about coming to my place for afternoon tea? I bought some delicious pastries today."
"Pastries?!"
"Let's go!"
At the mention of pastries, Ash and Dawn agreed without a second thought. Brock, always open to such invitations, had no objections since the other two were on board.
…
In front of a small wooden cabin in the forest, the steam and aroma of red tea wafted gently through the air.
Ash and his group sat at a small round table outside the cabin, sipping tea and savoring freshly baked cookies. The delicate tea fragrance paired with the soft, sweet taste of the cookies elicited long sighs of contentment from the trio.
Though their recent travels hadn't been particularly taxing, and they shouldn't have felt exhausted, the afternoon tea still made them feel as if life had been rejuvenated.
"What do you think? Does it suit your tastes? Living alone here for so long, I'm not sure if young people's preferences have changed."
"It's really delicious. Both the tea and cookies are top-notch! Neither flavor overwhelms the other, and enjoying such afternoon tea in the forest is amazing!"
Unlike Ash and Dawn, who ate without comment, Brock offered a relatively professional critique after tasting. The woman, named Yasue, gave a gentle smile, her mood as serene and soft as the tranquil forest around them.
"That's good to hear~ I have plenty more cookies. If you want more, just say so. Eat as much as you like."
Though it was their first meeting, Yasue's attitude toward Ash and his group was remarkably kind. Perhaps it was her nature, or maybe she was simply happy to meet passersby she could chat with in this forest.
"By the way, Miss Yasue, what's the deal with that Turtwig…"
Dawn, while enjoying the tea, was curious about the powerful Turtwig's backstory. After observing for a while, she noticed Turtwig didn't seem to be Yasue's Pokémon. Its personality and actions were free-spirited.
When Yasue filled its bowl with food, Turtwig ate only a little before sharing the rest with Pikachu and other nearby Pokémon. It acted more like the cabin's caretaker… or perhaps a butler was a better fit.
"Oh, that child…" Yasue's smile grew warmer as she spoke of Turtwig. "That child's more like a friend. One day in the past, I found it starving in the forest and gave it some food. Since then, Turtwig's stayed here, looking after this cabin, the lake, and even the surrounding Pokémon."
"Oh~ So that's how it is…"
Dawn said admiringly after hearing the story.
She'd assumed Turtwig was Yasue's Pokémon, guarding the area out of duty. To think it was repaying a kindness instead?
This must be the truest bond between people and Pokémon.