Rain, Showers
Chapter 3
By Vaporeon86

Showers walked around aimlessly. He just couldn’t get his thoughts together. It seemed to him that something had happened, but he didn’t know what. After walking a little while, he laid down in a small pond, and began to think clearer. The water always made him relax. Now he could think. However, there was one thing, still tugging at him, at the back of his mind. Something was wrong, but he could not but his paw on it. Eventually, Showers decided that he would travel with the Ash, as long as he did not have to say in those accursed pokéballs. He hated them. He liked walking around much better. So after taking a short rest, Showers got up and went back in the direction of Ash and Co.

Ash sat on the rock, looking down at the ground. “That wasn’t an ordinary Vaporeon,” he thought. “I wonder how he got out in the wild like that. A Vaporeon like that wouldn’t just learn those moves out in the wild. There must be something I don’t know…”

While Ash was trying to comprehend this, Showers came out of the bushes in front of him. Ash looked up at Showers, and hung his head back down again.
Ash: “Haven’t you made enough of a fool of me? You don’t need to humiliate me again!”

Showers ignored his muttering, and walked over to Pikachu.
Pikachu: “Back so soon?”
Showers: “I have nothing better to do, and if you tell the truth about Team Rocket following you, then I will come with you. However, as soon as we find Team Rocket, it is my fight. Understood?”
“Sure, whatever you want. I don’t really mind. It would be glad to have someone else do the fighting for once. Personally, I’d like the break.”
Pikachu started to walk over to Ash, but Showers stopped him.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m just going to tell him that you’re coming with us.”
“Why? He can’t understand you. No one can.”
“Oh yeah? Just watch!”

Showers knew that no pokémon knew English (except for that Meowth), and that Pikachu would just be embarrassing himself. Pikachu walked over to Ash, who was still hanging his head down, thinking, and Showers decided to have a good laugh.
Pikachu: “Hey! Showers is coming with us!”

Ash just heard a bunch of “Pika”s, and tried to decipher what his pokémon was trying to say.
Ash: “What’s the matter, Pikachu? Hungry?”
“No, I’m not! Showers is coming with us!”
“Okay, let me get you something to eat.”

Ash got up, and went over to make something for himself and Pikachu from the supplies. Pikachu just stood there while Showers walked up to him.
Showers: “I’d hate to say it, but I told you so.”
Pikachu: “I don’t understand it! Why didn’t he understand me?”
“Because all he can hear is either ‘Pika’, ‘Chu’, or ‘Pikachu’. You know that.”
“But he has understood me before!”
“I doubt it.”
“You wouldn’t know! You don’t have a trainer that you share a link with! You have no one!”

Showers seemed to take in what Pikachu was saying, and froze. Pikachu jut then realized what he had said.
Pikachu: “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way.”

Showers seemed to ignore him, but in reality, his brain was being flooded with those images he hated so much. Small fragments flew by in his head. He tried to get rid of them, but he couldn’t. They seemed to drain the energy from him. Images of his former master, his brothers, all-peaceful. Then images of the fire, every hallway, scorched in flame. No way outside. He was trapped. No way to survive… Showers collapsed in a heap on the ground, unconscious from all the bad memories.

When Showers finally woke up, he was on a soft bed of grass, with Pikachu at his side.
Showers: “What happened? Where am I?”
Pikachu: “You knocked yourself out. You’ve been out for about 3 hours. What happened?”
“Oh, nothing you really need to be worried about.”
“Listen, I’m sorry about what I said earlier…”

Showers just stared at him.
“Yeah.”

After that, Showers followed Ash and Co. around. They fought some battles, talked to people, but Team Rocket never seemed to show up. Showers had begun to get doubtful. After about a week, they decided to stay at a Pokécenter, because they were getting tired of sleeping in a tent. Ash was tired after all the battling they had done that day, so he went to sleep almost immediately. Pikachu and Showers weren’t tired, so they decided to explore the center a bit. Pikachu went into the ER recovery to check if there was any pokémon he knew, but Showers just waited by the door. He didn’t care to see anyone, because he knew he wouldn’t see anyone he knew. While he was waiting, though, a Growlithe walked up to him.
Growlithe: “Showers! I didn’t think I’d see you again!”

Showers knew he looked familiar, but he could not think who this Growlithe was. Showers: “Um… who are you?”
“You don’t remember me?! C’mon! You know me!”
“I can’t say I do.”
“It’s me! Dash!”
“DASH?!?! Glad to see you, buddy!”
“Now you remember me!”
“Thank you for saving my life. I never got to thank you.”
“Hey, no sweat, buddy. You take care, it’s getting late. Go to sleep, we can talk in the morning.”
“Take care. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Pikachu came out of the ER recovery, and they went to bed. However, it was a restless night for Showers. He tossed and turned on the floor. He looked around. All the others were fast asleep. “It’s probably just me,” he thought. He laid his head down, and eventually got to sleep. But that night, Showers had the worst dream possible…
END OF CHAPTER 3