Cherrygrove City

After traveling through a forest, the gang arrived at Cherrygrove City.

"This seems like a good place to relax for a bit." Brock said.

Just then they heard someone shouting.

"Stop thief!"

Then a brown Pokemon with a big tail ran by them.

"What was that?" Misty gasped.

A middle-aged man ran up to them.

"Did you see a Sentret run by here?" He asked.

The gang pointed in the direction the Pokemon ran and the man continued pursuing it.

"What was that all about?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, and what's going on?" Brock asked as well.

The gang entered the city and told the city's Officer Jenny about what just happened.

"This has been going on for a week now." She said. "You see, that Sentret has been stealing food from stores and whenever someone tries to catch it with a Pokemon that Sentret easily defeats it."

Ash looked at Sentret on the Pokedex.

"Sentret, the Scout Pokemon. A very cautious Pokemon, it raises itself up using it's tail to get a better view of it's surroundings."

Brock looked thoughtful.

"Sentret are usually shy Pokemon." He said. "So it's odd for a Sentret to do something like this."

"Well this Sentret doesn't sound shy and seems rather feisty to me." Misty remarked.

"Is there a reason Sentret is doing this?" Ash asked.

"I don't know." Brock said. "But we should find out."

The gang went back to the street where they first saw Sentret outside the city and Brock placed a sandwich on the ground.

"We can use this sandwich to spy on Sentret." He said. "That way we can find out why it's stealing food."

Ash, Tomo and Misty thought that was a great idea and they all hid in the bushes to see what happens. The Sentret arrived a few seconds later, picked the sandwich up and started to run off.

"Okay let's follow it." Brock whispered. "But quietly and carefully. We don't want Sentret to know we're following it."

They carefully followed the Sentret to a clearing in the woods and there was something that surprised the gang. A deer-like Pokemon was lying down on the grass and it looked sick and injured.

"It's a Stantler." Brock gasped. "And it's a young one too."

Ash looked Stantler up on the Pokedex.

"Stantler, the Big Horn Pokemon. The curved antlers subtly change the flow of air to create a strange space where reality is distorted."

"This must be why the Sentret was stealing food." Ash said.

"Yes it did it to look after Stantler." Misty added.

Brock stepped forward to help Stantler. Sentret noticed him and got ready to fight.

"Easy Sentret." Brock said. "I'm not here to harm your friend, I wish to help Stantler."

Sentret stared at Brock and then accepted his help. Brock picked the baby Stantler up and then he and the others went to the Pokemon Center with Sentret.

After they brought the Stantler to Nurse Joy, Brock informed Officer Jenny about what they uncovered.

"I see." Officer Jenny said. "So it stole food for the baby Stantler. At least it wasn't for a selfish reason."

Nurse Joy came out of the operating room.

"Stantler is just fine now." She said. "I've given it some medicine and took care of it's leg. It just needs to rest now and then it will be right as rain."

The gang was relieved by this.

"I wonder what a baby Stantler is doing here by itself." Misty said.

"I might know." Officer Jenny replied.

She explained that six days ago an old couple that were breeders kept some Pokemon eggs. But that day they moved to another city and took the eggs with them, but what they didn't know until it was too late was that they had left one behind; a Stantler egg.

"The old couple contacted me about it and I tried to find the egg, but I never did."

"So that means the egg hatched all on it's own." Ash said sadly. "And the baby Stantler has been on it's own this whole time."

"Yes." Misty nodded. "And my guess is Sentret found the baby Stantler and decided to take care of it."

"Is Misty right?" Ash asked the Sentret and it jumped up and down to say yes.

"You're a nice Pokemon." Ash told Sentret with a smile.

That night the gang slept in the Pokemon Center. Brock stayed with Stantler just in case and Sentret did the same. The next day Stantler was 100%.

"I'm glad to see you are okay Stantler." Brock said. The baby Stantler walked up to Brock and nuzzled him.

"It seems to me that Stantler really likes you Brock." Ash said.

"I think you should keep it." Misty stated.

"I would like to." Brock admitted. "But this Stantler belongs to that old couple and it should go back to them."

Just then Officer Jenny came into the Pokemon Center.

"I just contacted the old couple I told you about last night." She said. "And they want to talk to you Brock."

Brock spoke with the old couple on the phone and then got off the phone shortly after that.

"Is everything okay Brock?" Ash asked.

"What did they say?" Tomo asked.

"The old couple said I could keep Stantler." Brock said. "I showed them Stantler over the phone and they saw how happy Stantler was with me. So they are giving it to me."

"Wow, good for you Brock." Ash said. He was happy for his friend.

"That's great Brock." Tomo said.

"You deserve it." Misty said.

So Brock caught the baby Stantler for himself.

*'I'll take good of you Stantler.'* He thought.

Ash turned to Sentret.

"Hey Sentret." He said. "I would like to battle you."

Sentret was surprised by that.

"Apart from being nice, you are also strong. I would like to have a Pokemon like you."

Sentret stared at Ash and accepted the battle. They went to the woods to battle in case doing it in the city would cause trouble. Ash sent

Ash sent out Lugia to battle Sentret.

"Okay Lugia, Headbutt." He said.

Lugia lowered it's head and charged Sentret, who dodged by jumping with the help of it's tail then it whacked Lugia with it's glowing metallic silver tail.

"That Sentret knows Iron Tail." Brock said.

Then Sentret scratched Lugia.

"That was Slash." Ash said.

"Alright Lugia, Swift." Lugia fired stars from it's wings at Sentret, doing some damage. Sentret wasn't giving up though.

"That Sentret has a lot of spunk." Ash said. "I want it even more. Lugia Swift one more time."

Lugia fired more stars, injuring Sentret more. Ash threw a Poke Ball at Sentret and successfully captured it. Ash was happy to have caught Sentret and when he checked the Pokedex he learned Sentret was female and knew the moves Quick Attack, Iron Tail, Headbutt, Swift, Super Fang and the egg move Slash.

"Wow this Sentret has some good moves." Ash smiled. "I think she will be great."

And so with Stantler and Sentret in tow, Ash and the others left Cherrygrove City to continue their journey.