Chapter 33: 33. If You Don’t Love, Please Don’t Hurt
"I... I didn't hurt it..."
Seeing Ash let Caterpie out again, Misty immediately tensed up, but she felt a little guilty when Ash spoke, murmuring with her hands behind her back.
"Pokémon also have feelings, and they can understand you when you say that," Ash said lightly, looking at Caterpie in front of him.
Caterpie, who had just been caught and was still a little confused, raised its head slightly to look at Ash when it heard his words. Its bulging black eyes trembled slightly, as if very touched.
"Caterpie, please teach me more in the future! I'm so sorry about earlier!"
Ash closed his eyes slightly, trying to connect his power with Caterpie. The surroundings seemed to turn into a dark space, leaving only him and Caterpie in it.
A stream of red light was slightly introduced into Caterpie's body from Ash's hand above its head, gradually creating a connection.
Momo~~~
After a while, Ash opened his eyes, and Caterpie hummed in response.
In fact, Ash had Pikachu hold back. Pokémon at Caterpie's level are relatively easy to subdue. Without Thunder Shock, Caterpie wasn't seriously injured.
"I'm Ash, this is Pikachu, and that's Misty over there. We'll be friends from now on!" Ash looked at Caterpie's response and introduced Pikachu and Misty with a smile.
Caterpie seemed to like Misty, but when Misty saw Ash mention her and saw Caterpie looking over, she suddenly showed a fearful expression and took a few steps back, very scared.
Momo~~
Caterpie looked a little disappointed and lowered its head in frustration. Misty couldn't bear it when she saw this, but she still couldn't get over her fear.
"Don't worry, as long as you work hard, I believe that one day, everyone will like you."
Ash gently touched Caterpie's head to comfort it, and then took out a healing spray from his backpack. These were prepared before their departure, and now Ash was much more careful than in the anime.
Whoosh! ! !
Gently spraying the healing spray on the spot where Caterpie had taken a Tackle, he then gently massaged the wound. Caterpie enjoyed the rub from Ash's hand.
Misty watched this scene. Although she was very afraid of Bug-type Pokémon, it still warmed her heart, and she felt a little less scared.
"Ash is right, don't hurt even if you don't love," Misty encouraged herself in her heart.
"Okay, let's go back to the Poké Ball to rest first!" After helping Caterpie with its injury, Ash touched its head again, then took out the Poké Ball and lightly tapped the red Y-shaped horn on its head, recalling it.
"Let's go!" After dealing with Caterpie, Ash packed his backpack, then greeted Misty and continued on their journey.
Misty followed Ash, sneaking peeks at him from time to time. She hesitated for a while, then lowered her head and spoke in embarrassment.
"Ash, are you angry?"
"Huh? No! I know that everyone has their likes and dislikes."
"You're afraid of Caterpie, but you shouldn't be afraid of Butterfree, right? You may dislike it now, but when it evolves, you might judge it differently."
Ash didn't mind. In fact, he wanted to keep Caterpie outside for a while to strengthen their bond, but he also knew Misty would be uncomfortable.
Everyone has something they're afraid of, and Ash understood. Misty's attitude towards Caterpie in the anime was wrong, but when Caterpie evolved into Butterfree, her attitude changed immediately, which was even more frustrating. Still, she was just a 10-year-old girl, so it was understandable.
"Okay! I'm sorry! Don't be mad at me anymore," Misty puffed her cheeks, admitting her mistake a little aggrieved.
"Don't apologize to me; you should tell Caterpie. But it's okay, take your time, and talk to it when you're not so afraid."
In the anime, Ash didn't understand Misty's fear of bugs and forced her to accept Caterpie immediately. That was wrong too. They were both kids, acting on impulse. Now, as an adult, Ash knew better and decided to let her accept it slowly. Seeing Misty admit her mistake, he didn't push her to accept Caterpie right away.
Misty felt slightly relieved. She could try to accept it afterwards but was still worried that Ash might make her accept it immediately.
"Understood!" She realized Ash was giving her time to adapt, thinking he was still very caring, and stuck out her tongue cutely in response.
Ash smiled helplessly and didn't say anything. The two continued forward, and Misty seemed less afraid that a Bug-type Pokémon would appear at any moment.
After catching Caterpie, they continued on their way. Ash was familiar with the route through Viridian Forest, so they headed north. But the Viridian Forest was much larger than the jungle on Route 1, so it would take a few days to traverse it.
They walked until they reached the center of the forest, and the sky began to darken. Even though the Viridian Forest itself blocked the sun, they could still feel the onset of night. Ash found a river and set up camp.
"Is there enough firewood, Ash?" Misty asked while gathering wood.
"That's enough! I'll light a fire; you can rest for a while."
Ash asked Misty to rest and then went to the firewood to start a fire. The fire was lit quickly, and the surrounding area brightened. In the forest, the firelight provided a sense of security.
"Everyone, come out!" After setting up camp, Ash released Caterpie and Magikarp. Magikarp landed in the river, and Caterpie settled next to the fire.
He didn't advocate keeping Pokémon in Poké Balls all the time. It was known that free-range Pokémon were the strongest.
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