Chapter 23: The Egg Hatches! Mystery of the Missing Oddish!

Mike and friends are now traveling through a thick dark forest on their way to the next gym. "Guys, I'm so tired, can't we just make camp?" Jeff complained. "No, we're making good time. If we keep going, I could be getting my fourth badge by the end of the week." Mike replied. "Ugh, I hate you!" Jeff roared. Amanda felt her backpack move a bit more then usual. "Maybe we should stop for the night. This egg could hatch any minute." Amanda replied. "Well fine!" Mike said smiling. "Oh so you'll stop for her, but for me it's all no Jeff, I want to make good time to the gym, I don't care about you, I only think with my di…" "Shut up Jeff!" Mike interrupted.


The group stopped in a very small clearing surrounded by trees on all sides. Some Pidgeys flew in the canopy above. "It's getting a bit cold outside." Amanda said holding herself. Mike pulled the egg from her backpack. "Got to keep this baby warm." He said. Amanda nodded and grabbed it. She then grabbed the blanket from her back and wrapped herself and it in it. Jeff was already asleep. "Well, time for bed I guess." Mike said. "Yep!" Amanda replied.


Suddenly, Jeff woke up screaming. "Aipoms, Aipoms everywhere!" He yelled. Mike began to shake him. "Jeff, you're having a nightmare!" He yelled. Jeff looked around. "No I wasn't." He replied. "Yes you were, you were screaming about Aipoms." Mike yelled. The two began to bicker when they were interrupted by Amanda. "Guys look!" She screamed. They turned to see her egg was starting to glow.


Amanda watched in aw as the egg took the shape of a Pokemon. "Oddish!" It said happily looking up at her. "Aww, I can't eat a vegetable!" Jeff roared. Amanda shot him a look. She then turned back to it. "Aww, it's an Oddish! How cute!" She said petting it. Mike pulled out his Pokedex. "Oddish; the weed Pokemon. During the daytime, Oddish buries itself in soil to absorb nutrients from the ground using its entire body. The more fertile the soil, the glossier its leaves become." It muttered.


Amanda pulled out her pack and took the Pokeballs from them. She released Ralts, Skitty, and Mudkip to meet their new friend. She then pulled out another Pokeball to catch it when the time was right. Skitty sniffed at it a bit, and then purred. "This is our new friend guys! Say hello!" She smiled. The Pokemon all let out cries. After a bit, the group finally got to sleep. Amanda held Oddish in her arms.


Morning came and Mike was the first to awaken. He stretched and got up. With a break of the back, he headed towards the nearby lake. "Carvanha, how about a morning swim?" He said tossing the ball in the lake. Carvanha surfaced seconds later. It then proceeded to swim around. Mike bent down and began to wash his face. He looked out over the lake and spied an Ursaring on the other side. "Whoa, Ursaring are in this area. That can't be good." He remarked. Carvanha was swimming right to it. "Carvanha come back!" Mike roared. He knew bears love fish, and this Ursaring would be no different.


The bear Pokemon wandered to the edge of the lake and began to swipe at the water. Carvanha swam closer and closer. Ursaring soon noticed it and licked its lips. It pulled back its claw and prepared for a slash. Suddenly, Taillow was pecking away at its head. "Taillow, wing attack!" Mike yelled. The tiny bird pulled back, and then smashed its wing into Ursaring. The bear tried to fight back, but Taillow was way to fast for it. After some time, it gave a large roar and ran off into the woods. "Great job!" Mike yelled as Taillow landed on his shoulder. It smiled and began to peck away.


Carvanha continued to swim around as if nothing happened. Suddenly, Mike heard Amanda scream. He ran back to camp as fast as he could. When he made it back, Jeff was squinting and holding his ears and Amanda was searching the bushes. "Geeze, it was like a siren! I won't hear for a week!" Jeff yelled. "Where could it have gone too?" Amanda said while frantically searching. "What happened?" Mike asked. "Oddish is gone!" She said without turning around. Mike looked around the camp, but she was right. Oddish was no where to be found. "Calm down, we'll find it!" Mike said. "We'll?" Jeff shot him a look while still holding his ears. "Yes, all of us!" Mike replied and gave him a look.


Taillow continued to peck at Mike's head. "Taillow, go find an Oddish!" He informed it. "Taillow smiled, gave him a final peck, and then flew off." "Come on out guys!" Mike then said releasing his Pokemon. Combusken, Electrike, Aron, and Tangela appeared yawning. Electrike ran around as if it was on fire. "Electrike, stop for a second!" Mike yelled. The Pokemon looked up and smiled. "I need you guys to go searching for an Oddish. Here, this is a picture of it." Mike said showing them the Pokedex entree. The Pokemon studied it, and then ran off.


Mike then turned to Jeff. "Yours too!" He replied. "I Know, I know." Jeff said pulling the balls from his belt. "Treecko, Nuzleaf, Poochyena. Go find Radish!" The Pokemon appeared. "That's Oddish!" Amanda said glaring at him. The Pokemon took off into the forest. "I'm sure they'll find it." Mike said. "Sure, that is if a farmer didn't make it his cash crop yet!" Jeff grinned.


Electrike wandered through the forest sniffing the ground. It came upon some grass sticking out of the earth. It began to bark, and soon Oddish surfaced. It smiled and Electrike sniffed it. After some time, it turned and ran off. Oddish then dove back into the ground. Mike looked around the bushes when Electrike approached. "Did you find Oddish buddy?" Mike asked. Electrike nodded and began to run. Mike followed it, but Electrike went no where near the place Oddish was.


After a bit of running, Electrike lead Mike to a clearing and barked ahead. Mike came out thinking Oddish would be there, but there stood Ursaring. "Uhh…" Mike said scared. Electrike barked at it and the bear roared. "That's not an Oddish buddy…" Mike said backing up slowly. The bear began to charge. "Run!" Mike yelled and took off into the forest. He turned back to see Electrike hadn't moved. "Why do you run every second of the day except when it is most needed?" He yelled to it. Ursaring was almost on it, but Electrike let out a thunderbolt. The bear backed off as the attack struck it. With a yelp, it took off into the forest.


<Meanwhile, Bonnie and Clyde watched the Pokemon search from the trees. "So, they are searching for that little baby Oddish now?" Bonnie grinned. "O! I love babies!" Clyde said happily. "Good, then you'll love to go find one!" Bonnie said and shook the branch he was on. "What are you doing?" He yelled. "Someone has to find Oddish and someone has to play lookout. You volunteered for search." She grinned. Clyde tried to decline, but was suddenly falling from the tree. He hit the ground face first. After some time, he stood up and dusted himself off. "But what if I meet those morons' Pokemon? Slugma can't handle them all!" He yelled up. Suddenly, a lure ball smacked him in the face. "Take Lombre if you're so worried!" Bonnie yelled down. "But it hates me!" Clyde replied. "So do I!" Bonnie yelled back. Clyde sighed and headed off into the woods.


None of Mike's Pokemon had any luck finding Oddish. After an hour of searching they were exhausted. He recalled them all to their Pokeballs. Jeff's Pokemon had yet to return. Amanda was also missing. "Dude, if my Pokemon get lost because of a radish incident, I'll have Amanda's head!" Jeff lazily said. Mike rolled his eyes and sat down. "Where the heck could a newborn baby have gone too in one night?" He asked. "Babies R Us? I hear babies love that place!" Jeff replied. "Sure Jeff, because there's one around here…" Mike replied.


Treecko and Poochyena were hot on the trail. Poochyena sniffed the ground and had caught Oddish's scent several minutes ago. They finally found the familiar green leaves sticking from the ground. Treecko nudged Poochyena, signaling for it to stay and it ran into the woods. Poochyena barked back, then sat down and watched the leaves. Amanda was now exhausted, but she still couldn't find her Pokemon. Treecko suddenly leaped from the foliage and began to yell. "What is it?" She asked. The Pokemon pointed towards the direction it came and leapt up and down. "Not now!" Amanda said loudly. Treecko became agitated and grabbed a branch from the tree. It drew a picture of Oddish in the sand and a big arrow. "You found Oddish?" Amanda asked in shock. Treecko rolled its eyes and signaled for her to follow.


Amanda emerged from the woods to see Poochyena sniffing some weeds sticking from the ground. "That isn't Oddish!" Amanda said angrily. Poochyena barked and nudged the leaves. Seconds later Oddish popped out. "It is Oddish!" Amanda grinned. She picked her Pokemon up, but suddenly Clyde was in front of her. "Give me the baby and no one gets hurt." He grinned. Amanda pulled it away. "Not on your life!" She replied. Clyde rolled his eyes. "What is it with you guys and always picking the hard way?" He yelled. With two throws, Slugma and Lombre appeared. Lombre turned to see Clyde behind it, and it immediately squirted water at him.


"Not me idiot, get the girl!" Clyde roared. The Pokemon turned back and Poochyena and Treecko leapt in front of Amanda. "Slugma, use flamethrower!" He yelled. Slugma let the flaming stream loose, but the Pokemon dodged. "Lombre, use fury swipes!" Clyde yelled. The Pokemon laughed and sat down by the tree. It began to sleep. "You stupid Pokemon!" Clyde yelled. Poochyena and Treecko easily smashed Slugma back. Oddish leapt from Amanda's hand. With a swish of its leaves, a cloud of stun spore struck Clyde and Slugma, and they couldn't get up. "Let's go!" Amanda said picking up Oddish. The group headed into the woods. "I…can't…move…go…get…Bonnie…you…stupid…duck!" Clyde muttered. Lombre laughed and released a water gun, dousing Clyde and Slugma. With the pollen off, Clyde got up and began to chase it.


Amanda emerged from the forest with her Oddish in hand. "Jeff, thank you so much! Your Pokemon found Oddish!" She said happily. "Where was it?" Mike asked. "Buried in the ground like the Pokedex said!" Amanda laughed. "All in a day's work!" Jeff grinned. He recalled his Pokemon. "It's morning, and I say we head out!" He then replied. With a quick grab of his pack, Jeff was walking down the road. He seemed please with himself. "It's going to his head." Mike laughed. Amanda and Mike grabbed their backpacks and followed. "Now don't run away from me again!" Amanda said looking at Oddish. The Pokemon smiled and she caught up with Mike.


Bonnie looked down to see Clyde soaking wet. "I hate your duck!" He yelled. "No Oddish?" She yelled down. "No fricking Oddish queen!" He yelled back. "Lombre, do what you want with him!" Bonnie yelled. Clyde turned to see a massive grin on Lombre's face. "Not again!" He yelled as it prepared to douse him.


Next Chapter: Chapter 24: Zangoose Vs Seviper! Protect the Garden!
Mike and co stumble upon a farm where a Zangoose is protecting the house from a Seviper. After Bonnie and Clyde enter the fray, can Mike and co help the farm from a whole mass of Seviper?