@Scytherwolf;

Episode 12: The Flowers of the Mountain (part 2)

Playful giggles rang through the trees as Tintri and Hana dashed through the forest, piquing the interest of the Pidgeys in the treetops or the Caterpies munching on leaves. After dashing through the grassy underbrush, Hana leaped onto Tintri, sending them tumbling down the hill, giggling all the while, until they landed in a heap of tails and leaves nearby a stream, still laughing all the more.

[That was fun!] Hana smiled as she smoothed out her leaf from their long tumble down the hill.

[I didn't expect you to pounce on me like that...] Tintri confessed as he brushed some burs from his fur. [But you got me, so you decide what to do next.]

[Rock skipping contest?] Hana suggested, picking up a rock with her leaf and heaving it across the water, skipping it twice.

[Nah...I wonder how far this stream goes?] Tintri wondered.

[Okay! Let's see how far the stream goes--and if we get lost, we can follow it back!] Hana suggested before hurrying off down the shoreline with a giggle.

[Hey, wait for me!] Tintri was not far behind.

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[You were saying about being able to follow the stream back?] Tintri asked Hana as the two Pokemon glanced around the grove of trees that following the shoreline of the stream had led them to. There was more of the shoreline to follow, but Tintri was already tired of following the winding shoreline.

[Come to think of it, I think we are lost...] Hana mused before looking up at the sky and gasping as the clouds began to turn pink as the sun prepared to set. [And it's almost sunset!]

Tintri suddenly remembered what Ethan had said. [Are we anywhere close to the Pokemon Center or Mr. Pokemon's house?]

Hana consulted Ethan's map again. [Maybe following the stream was a good idea...Mr. Pokemon's house isn't too far from here.]

She looked up from the map and noticed a small cabin on the hillside. [Let's go see if that's it!]

[Right behind you!] Tintri followed Hana up the hill to the cabin's front stoop and knocked at the door.

"Now, I wonder who that could be..." Hana heard a male voice muse before the door opened, revealing a stately man in a neatly pressed brown suit in the doorway. Tintri wasn't sure how old the man was, but the swirls of gray in his otherwise black hair were the only clue to his age.

[Are you maybe Mr. Pokemon?] Hana asked. [We were exploring the forest and got lost.]

The man smiled. "I am in fact the Mr. Pokemon you speak of...come on inside, and you can rest here while you wait for your masters to find you."

[Okay!] Hana and Tintri made their way inside, awed over the rustic decor, the paintings on the walls and the exotically designed rug on the floor.

[Don't you ever get lonely out here?] Tintri asked as he admired a painting of the hills outside Celadon City hanging nearby a window.

"Oh, not at all." Mr. Pokemon smiled. "I travel a lot in search of bettering our knowledge and understanding of Pokemon around the world--this is why I have befriended many professors across the world."

[What's the most amazing thing you've seen in your travels?] Tintri asked, his eyes shining with excitement at the stories Mr. Pokemon had to tell. If any of these stories are cool enough, I may tell Brock to write down the basics of it!

"Well...I've seen many amazing things on my travels, but if I had to choose one..." Mr. Pokemon mused before pausing for a moment. "It would be the great mountain, Mt. Coronet, which splits its home region of Shinou in half."

[Wow...] Hana gasped, amazed at the concept of a mountain that large. [I can only imagine the view at the peak!]

"As much I wanted to climb it, I am no mountain climber, and so I leave that task for those adventurous enough to do it." Mr. Pokemon replied as he settled in an easy chair and invited Tintri and Hana onto the small table beside it. "So tell me...what brought you this far into the forest?"

Hana, however, was interested in a strange white egg with red and blue triangles in an egg holder on the kitchen table. [What's that? Is what Professor Elm sent my mistress to get from you?]

"I did in fact ask Professor Elm to study that egg." Mr. Pokemon replied. It appears to be from a Pokemon family I have not seen before."

[But my master says you know almost everything about Pokemon!] Tintri protested.

Mr. Pokemon just smiled. "This egg is one of these almosts--how can I claim to know about this Pokemon family if I have not seen it before? This is the nature of true learning--it does not necessarily take place in a classroom."

[I see...] Tintri mused--Mr. Pokemon did have a point.

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"Tintri!" Ash called as he led the group through the brush. "Where are you, bud?"

"Hana!" Lyra called before spotting Tintri's and Hana's tracks by the shore of the stream. "Hey guys, I think I found where they got to!"

"That's the pathway to Mr. Pokemon's house--if you follow the stream until the path forks, you'll find it." Ethan mused as he studied the map.

"Then it was maybe at this point they realized they were lost and decided to go that way." Misty suggested. "Let's go see!"

"Lead the way." Brock smiled at Ethan. "Although they did go to one of your two designated meeting spots, so I see no reason to punish them when we find them."

After winding their way to the cabin, Ethan knocked at the door. "More guests?" he heard a voice say, but just as Mr. Pokemon opened the door, Tintri dashed onto Ash's shoulder, and Lyra bounded into Lyra's arms. "Oh, I see you found your masters..." Mr. Pokemon smiled.

[Everyone, this is the famous Mr. Pokemon.] Tintri explained, gesturing to Mr. Pokemon. [He's been to all kinds of faraway places, including a region where a mountain splits it in half!]

"Nice to meet you." Ash smiled before tipping his cap in respect. "I can't thank you enough for taking care of Tintri for me..."

"...and looking after Hana for me." Lyra agreed as she stroked Hana's leaf.

"My pleasure." Mr. Pokemon replied as he returned with the odd egg. "This is what I wanted Professor Elm to examine--I believe it to be the young form of a Pokemon family I haven't seen before."

"Lyra and I will get it there, as thanks for your looking after our Pokemon." Ethan replied as he accepted the egg holder.

"...and my friends and I are on our way to Violet City." Ash explained.

"Oh, so you're maybe challenging the Gym there?" Mr. Pokemon asked. "Your Pikachu should do just fine against Falkner's birds--but it's better to prepare too much than be unprepared."

"I'll keep that in mind!" Ash grinned as he hugged Tintri again, relieved his friend was all right...

To Be Continued...