"I mean, really," Pikachu said, a few minutes later, as he finished the snack Ash had fished out as a reward. "It can't identify a Caterpie?"
"I know," Ash admitted. "I might need to ask Professor Oak about it when we get to Pewter… and it means I can't check Caterpie's moves either. You might be able to learn that electric one!"
"Ooh, good point!" Pikachu agreed, his ears perking up.
Misty shook her head. "I guess maybe he only included good Pokémon."
"Hey!" Ash protested. "That's my first captured Pokémon you're talking about there! I wouldn't be rude about… um… whatever your first captured Pokémon is," he finished, a bit lamely.
"Nice," Pikachu sniggered.
"Anyway, we can just ask," Ash said, opening the Pokéball, and Butterfree emerged in a flash of light.
Misty, Ash and Pikachu looked at the Butterfree.
Then each other.
Then the Butterfree.
It giggled.
"That's got to be a record," Misty said. "Most Pokémon take ages to evolve, and I know Bug-types evolve faster but not that fast."
"Well, I guess maybe Butterfree wanted to get to the point it could battle as well as possible as quickly as possible," Ash replied. "Oh, actually, Butterfree, are you a boy or a girl Pokémon? Or do you not really prefer either?"
"I kind of prefer both!" Butterfree trilled. "It depends how I feel which I'll use, but just say either, I won't care!"
"Gotcha!" Ash nodded. "So, I got a Bug type, next up is a Flying-type!"
"Isn't Butterfree a Flying-type?" Pikachu asked.
"Well, yeah, but she's also a Bug type," Ash answered. "And I'm pretty sure the next gym is a Rock type gym, so having mobility is good but it'd also be good to have a Pokémon that's not super weak to Rock."
That made sense to Ash, anyway. Butterfree had a bit of a fit of the giggles over it though.
"So how are you going to find a Flying type that isn't also a Bug type?" Misty asked. "Oh, maybe Butterfree could fly up and look?"
She crossed her arms. "And while she's at it, she could find us a way out of this stupid bug infested forest!"
Much to Misty's pleasure, Butterfree did in fact find them a way out of the stupid bug infested forest.
The only downside was that it took so long that they had to spend another night there anyway.
"I'm kind of amazed your mom managed to fit so many packed dinners into your bag," Misty confessed, as Ash began sharing the food around. "How did she do it?"
"Some kind of weird Mom ability or something," Ash replied, shrugging. "I kind of did my best to learn, but it's really hard… actually, Pikachu, Butterfree, how good are either of you at cooking?"
"I'm not exactly very good," Pikachu said. "Depends what you think of scorched berries."
Butterfree flapped into the air, turning through a complete slow roll so he was upside down half the time, and considered that carefully.
"So, this 'cooking',"he said. "How do you do it? I assume fire is involved."
Ash tried not to laugh. "I… yeah, I guess that means it's me or you cooking from now on. Or we buy something in Pewter City?"
"I guess so," Misty said. "Like, just a suggestion here, a bike."
"Ouch," Ash winced. "Point taken…"
There was a sharp cry overhead, and something flitted through the darkening sky.
"What was that?" Misty asked, her hand going to her belt. "That might be a Flying-type, but if it is then we could be in trouble – it sounds big."
Pikachu was on alert as well, and Ash shook his head. "Don't worry, Pikachu – Misty. That's nothing to be worried about."
He looked down at his packed meal, then picked out a skewer of dango. "Hey, down here!"
"Ash, what are you doing-" Misty began, then chopped the words off in astonishment as a yellow-and-black Zapdos swooped low overhead.
The big Legendary banked around, flaring its wings to slow down, and hovered for a long moment before touching down just next to Ash.
"It's been a while, huh, girl?" Ash asked. "Nearly three weeks!"
Zapdos nodded, crooning, and Ash gave the Flying-type a scratch behind one of her spines.
"...three weeks is a long time?" Misty asked. "For… I mean, what?"
"I'm as confused as you on this one," Pikachu said.
Misty didn't understand him, but at the same time – on a deep, fundamental level which transcended language – Misty understood him.
"Want some dango?" Ash added, and Zapdos nodded before delicately taking one of the offered pieces of dango.
Then she looked at Pikachu, and Butterfree, and cawed a question. "Are they your team?"
"That's right, I'm a proper Pokémon trainer now!" Ash agreed. "I've got my starter Pokémon, and another one too!"
"And have you got more dango?"
"No, sorry," Ash apologized, letting Zapdos have the last two off the skewer. "Not after that… I might be down to store-bought too, even after we resupply in Pewter City."
"What is happening," Misty inquired. "I mean, what?"
"In that case, I'll just have to make sure you don't forget to buy some," Zapdos decided. "Store bought might be worse than your mom's, but mochi is mochi and this way I can get some every day."
"You mean-" Ash began.
"Of course I do," Zapdos interrupted. "Come on, get a Pokéball and let's get this sorted out!"
"So, how was your first week with your trainer, Pikachu?" Pikachu asked himself, as Ash got out a Pokéball and expanded it out. "Not bad, really. My trainer's got three Pokémon so far and one of them's a Legendary."
That sent Butterfree into another giggling fit, which lasted all the way through Zapdos vanishing in a blaze of white light.