TMWTM Chapter 2. It's been a good minute since I've updated this challenge story and personally it has to be done. I promised it would but also even I was interested to write out the next part. You guys have no idea how engaged I was when making the prologue. I mean…to all of you that writes you ever began to write and then the story starts writing itself? Yeah, that's what happens to me…like all the time. Aaaand some of you have questions! Surprise, surprise.

trebeh, I have no intention of Meowth evolving. He'll be like Pikachu and just not do it. Doesn't mean he's gonna stop gaining strength sooner or later. Plus I REALLY want him to fight Tyson's Meowth. That'll be one of the best battles ever! UGH! Hoenn is SO far away!

Cheetachan, There's….more than likely going to be a Pokémon to be a replacement for Team Rocket. I'll just need to properly confirm it with mellra since I actually forgot. I think we agreed on it…but I don't remember the Pokémon. (Many months later) There is a CONFIRMED new Pokémon that'll replace Meowth! An awesome one! But…it's not going to be shown until Hoenn since I can at least say it'll be a Hoenn Pokémon.

Oh yeah. Since Meowth's going to be joining up with Ash and everything you can expect a few changes here and there in some aspects. Some minor…some major and maybe slight others just to give you the heads up.

Settling In

Meowth grumbled in his sleep, as something very bright was shining through his closed eyelids. He placed his paws over his face to block out the light yet to no avail. Growling in irritation he turned to his side and drew his paws from his face, finding solace in a bit of shade that he managed to roll in. Though something was compelling him to get up from the hard space he was laying on. Rubbing his eyes of sleep and then get out the rest of the previous light he moved his arms down and slowly opened his eyes.

"Hm? Whuzzah…?" He couldn't form a proper sentence as he sat up and stretched. He could feel the bones in his back crack a few times before he gave a relieved sigh of the feeling. He gave a big yawn and rubbed his right eye one more time. "Geez. What da' heck just happened? Can barely remember anyt'ing." He removed his paw from his eyes and looked around. "Where 'da heck am I anyway?"

The sights he was seeing wasn't much. He was currently in what appeared to be a small lot that seemed to be pretty near-barren of nature, except for some old patches of grass that were randomly placed about, and the tree he was sitting under for the previous shade. He saw the sun shining overhead meaning that was the source of irritating light waking him up. There were many forms of litter ranging from old, eroding or crushed tin cans to week old food scraps. There was a broken down car with deflated wheels to the back of the area, against the wooden fence that was placed around it. Looking overhead past that he could see a few buildings. One was behind him or better yet behind the fence that was in a square format of the area.

"Not…one of 'da most glamourous places to find yourself in. Looks like some people need a lesson in recycling." He said in a deadpan. He slowly got up to his feet and rested his back against the tree, taking a few deep breathes in a fit of unknown fatigue. He unconsciously moved a paw to his chest as if to grasp at a pain that wasn't there. "Somet'ing….somet'ing happened to me. I know it did. I don't remember bein' here before. It was somewhere else. But where?" He looked past the fence towards all the buildings again. "Matter of fact…where's 'tis place?"

Meowth walked out from under the tree into the sunlight. He rose an arm in front of his face to block out most of the rays, until his eyes were able to properly adjust to them. He walked over to the old car and jumped onto its hood before moving to the top. He sprung from the car and grasped the edge of the wooden fence before hefting himself up and over it. He dropped into a dark and dank ally way that slightly reeked of the dumpster that was a few mere feet behind him.

He grimaced at the less than desirable smell before walking towards the exit. Coming out of the alley he gazed around the city like area. People walked around and cars road by left and right. A sense of recognition could be seen in his features. "Hmm. 'Tis all seems kinda familiar." He walked onto the sidewalk making sure to not bump into any people. The entire time he was still gazing around the city taking all the details in everything, something clicking in his head each and every time of an immense case of déjà vu. Every building, corner, alleyway, location, he even could've seen some familiar faces. The more he recognized the more his heart began to race.

He didn't even know that he had begun to run. A voice telling him where he was though he didn't want to believe it. He couldn't. This place wasn't what he thought it was. At least he didn't want it to be. Yet when a blimp that was unavoidable to anyone's sight flew over head with a single word in neon lights with all the letters capitalized his heart dropped.

"H-how? No way. I…I left tis' dump! Why da' hell am I back in Hollywood!?"

He took a few tentative steps back before falling to his rear. Flashes of events running through his vision. These events bringing a set of memories to the forefront of his brain. He saw himself leaving the city, surviving in the forests with nothing but rations and will to keep him going. The few days he went hungry to preserve the little had had left. The battle with that Spearow. Being attacked by his flock. And then finally the confrontation with Fearow before being blasted head-on with Hyper Beam. When the blast connected all he could see what white in his vision before he came back to his senses. He was breathing hard as his paw found its way to his chest again, feeling the phantom pain of the destructive attack. There was no injury yet his chest began to ache without pause. As if someone took a mass of needles and drove them all into his chest at once. Yet as quickly as it came it was gone again.

"I…I remember now. I was…I was…" As his senses came back and his vision cleared he took a notice to a drastic change around his surroundings. The lively city was now barren. No one walked the sidewalks and no automobiles drove through the streets. Even the blimp that he had seen minutes prior had vanished. Meowth got to his feet and took some steps forward. "Huh? H-hey! Where'd everybody go!?"

His ears twitched when he heard the sound of humming. He turned around in confusion wondering where it was coming from. "Now who's doin' 'dat? Hello!?" He called out as he began to walk to the source. Making sure to use his ears to tell what direction to head towards. Before long the humming grew louder making Meowth's ears perk up. He crossed his arms in thought. "Wait a sec….how come 'dat voice sounds familiar," his eyes widened, "wait…is 'dat who I t'ink it is?"

He slowly walked around the corner of a building and something came into view. He looked to a building right across from him and gasped. His heart began beating rapidly and his eyes were on the verge of popping from his head. He shook it to the side rapidly before rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Right there, sitting on that very same window sill to that very same clothing store. She sat on her haunches as she hummed a soft tune, slightly tilting her head from side to side in a slow rhythm.

"M…M…Meowsie…?" Meowth said breathlessly. She stopped her humming and looked over to his direction. He yelped in shock and turned tail to get out from her line of sight. Instead he appeared right in front of her instead of his place on the other side of the street. He gasped when she looked to him with that same smirk of superiority that she looked at him with before. His nervousness slowly being replaced as those memories began to surface as well. A bubbly cesspool of negative emotions slowly being brought to their peak. He balled his paws into fists, continuously clenching and unclenching them as he got his breathing under control.

("Well, well. Look who decided to show their face around here again. I thought you were long gone street Meowth.") She said, even sounding superior to him like before. Meowth hated it. He hated it so very much. He looked down to the ground and grit his fangs.

'Tis….'tis can't be happening. I shouldn't be here! She shouldn't be here! I left…I left because of her! It's not real…it's not real…' He began to tell himself over and over. Yet no matter how much he said that to himself all he could focus on were the memories. Even worse that she was sitting right in front of him.

"M…Meowsie. I….uh…."

("Just what do you think you're doing? I already said that I don't want anything to do with you. Just leave me alone and go crawl back to that filthy pack of other trash eating Meowth.") She said in a snarky tone. She turned her head to the side and had a smirk on her face. Meowth was clenching his fists entirely now. His gritting fangs now visible for all to see, though he tilted his head down. His paws shook slightly; the rage curdling inside. ("Let me guess. You still think you can make it with me, don't you? Look, I've already said before it won't work. Not with your stature.")

"Meowsie….why?"

She slightly turned her head to him. You could see a hint of curiosity in her features. ("Why what?")

"Why!?" He yelled to her. He raised his head to face her completely as his eyes were narrowed. His pupils growing slimmer but tears also streamed down his face in anger. He threw his arms to the side yet kept his fists curled up. "Why are you so cruel!? Don't you have any form of sympathy!? What's 'da matter with you!?"

Now Meowsie seemed pretty surprised from the outburst. She didn't think this Meowth had a back bone with how he came sniveling up to her all the time. Not to mention his expression at the moment left a lot to be desired. ("I have no idea what you're talking about. Cruelness? Sympathy? For what?")

Meowth shook his head violently and glared. "Don't pretend like you don't know! You're mean to every other Pokémon 'dat's not living 'da life you live! You talk about us like how we're just garbage to be tossed away! And it's your fault 'dat I'm…'dat I'm…like 'tis!" He exclaimed using his arms to gesture to himself.

Meowsie huffed and closed her eyes. ("Now you're just being ridiculous. It's not my fault that you made yourself out to be a freak. I don't ever remember telling you become the weirdest of weirdo's I've ever seen. Even by Pokémon standards. You have no one to blame but yourself. Blaming me is just being petty, street Meowth.")

Meowth gasped and audibly growled. He stomped onto the ground hard. "YOU SEE!? RIGHT D'ERE!? 'DAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! I'M LIKE 'TIS BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU'RE 'DA ONE WHO SAID YOU LOVED HUMANS AND D'EIR MONEY! YOU'RE 'DA ONE WHO SAID 'DAT YOU'D RATHER PREFER IF I WAS HUMAN INSTEAD OF A STREET MEOWTH! I KNOW I CAN'T BE A HUMAN! BUT I DID MY BEST TO BE FOR YOU! DON'T YOU GET IT, YA' SPOILED, HEARTLESS, BROAD!? I FREAKIN' LOVED YOU! I ONLY WANTED YOU TO ACCEPT ME! YOU WOULDN'T FOR THE NORMAL ME SO I DID 'TIS TO MYSELF INSTEAD! AND 'DEN YOU JUST….YOU JUST…."

In that instant Meowth lost himself to his anger entirely. He became feral as he took a tentative step to Meowsie who was cowering against the glass, not having anywhere to go. She mewled and whimpered, trying to get Meowth to stop advancing but it was too late.

"GRAAHHHH!"

He sprung from his position to her with his right paw drawn back. He sent a punch flying towards her face intent of making her look as bad as she claims all other Pokémon forced to live in the slums are. Instead his fist had impacted the glass, destroying it like before. Many pieces broke into the store and out onto the sidewalk, with him standing on the window sill. He jumped down and looked around frantically, searching for her. She was nowhere to be seen and the alarms from the broken glass was firing off again. Yet this time there was no woman to chase him away, as the city was void of people. Meowth let more tears fall as he fell to his paws and knees. His shoulders shook as drops of tears fell onto the pavement in near silent splashes. He could hear Meowsie's words echo back and forth. Not only in his head but even all around him in a continuous mantra.

("You're not human.")

"Dammit. I wasn't…I'm not but…I tried. I did…"

("You're not rich. I can have anything. What could you give?")

"What you'd need. 'Dat's what. Someone…who cares about you….for you! Not your money!"

("Lowly street Meowth")

"I'm…I'm not! I can be more 'den 'dat!"

("You did it to yourself. Not my fault you're a freak.")

He began to slam his fist into the ground, breaking more of the broken glass. "It is. It is! It's all your fault! Why!? Why be so cruel!?"

("Freak.")

Meowth shook his head. The world around him starting to loose color and grow dimmer. "No."

("Nothing but a freak.")

"I'm NOT! Stop it!"

("Who do you think you are anyway!? A Pokémon trying to act like a human!?")

He held his head tightly and closed his eyes with the same intensity. "Not 'dat Spearow twoip, too! It wasn't my fault! IT WASN'T!"

("Thieving, cheating freak!")

"Stop it. Stop it! STOP IT ALREADY!"

The world around him was now entirely void of color. Everything was just a big blotch of gray with him being the only thing with pigment. He slammed his fists into the ground breaking it with each hit. "I'm not a freak! I'm NOT a freak! I'M NOT A FREAK! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

With the final impact onto the dangerously cracked ground his world literally shattered into pieces before the gray was consumed by an engrossing black. Meowth was quickly swallowed into the abyss as he fell. His state of mind being too exhausted to keep him conscious, letting the feeling of nothingness overwhelm him. He didn't know how long he lost consciousness. He just knew that he had and for a bit of just being away from it all, deep in the recesses of his mind, was more than what he needed at the moment. Reality or dreams; both were just too much for him to handle at the moment. Here he could just be by himself where no one would spite him with cruel words. Hurt him with hostile actions or emotional distress. But it was short lived as he felt himself slipping from his subconscious. As much as he tried to grab hold of it and stay longer into the peaceful darkness he had to face facts that he couldn't stay sleep forever.

Slowly his eyes fluttered open again. His vision once again blurry but fading quickly. Especially since he wasn't interrupted by any form of bright light. No, in fact…he was staring right at a white plaster ceiling in a mildly lit room. He blinked multiple times to get his bearings of where he was at now. Not able to tell at the moment if he was still dreaming or if he had truly woken up. Though he could tell he was lying on something very soft and comfortable.

"Mmmm. Ugghhh. Now where am I?" He groaned again and put a paw to his head. "Geez, my aching skull. Feels like…I was kicked by…a Tauros and 'den got run over by it." He realized that he had been sweating in his sleep from the feel of wetness on his paw. His wiped it from his forehead and dropped his paw to his side and grasped the material that he was lying on. It was light and slightly fuzzy. His head was also lying on something cool and puffy. He tilted his head down to find himself lying under some blankets on a bed. He then looked up to find pillows. The room around him didn't have much of anything in it. A dresser next to a slightly open door and a table to the far left, where a window was. Sunlight flittered through the slim opening in the blinds.

Meowth blinked and tried to sit up before a stinging pain shot through his chest. He winced badly and laid back down. "What da' heck?" He pulled the covers down slightly to show that his chest was covered in many bandages. His wound began to throb slightly making him lightly touch the gauze. "Stupid Fearow. Stupid Hyper Beam," he winces again, "stupid Spearow twoip for gettin' me in 'dat fiasco."

He could've pouted for a long as he wanted but he knew that it wasn't going to get him anywhere. He was in an unfamiliar place, in an unknown environment. Yet he was in a nice bed and someone treated his wounds. He needed to get out of here and get some answers. He turned his body slowly to the right attempting to get out of bed…except he didn't expect to some face to face with someone. A young boy with wild black hair and zigzag marks under his amber colored eyes, with a yellow shirt with red stripe and blue shorts. He stared at Meowth with a look of absolute amazement and shock while Meowth was just startled and scared. They both blinked simultaneously before doing it again seconds later.

'…HAS 'TIS KID BEEN HERE 'TIS WHOLE TIME!?' The boy that was staring back slowly adopted a very big smile. The smile unnerved Meowth, making him lean back a bit. He didn't know what to do to get out of the current situation. 'D-don't tell me 'tis kid…was listenin' to me.'

"Whoa! A talking Meowth!? No way!" The boy exclaimed in a tone of utter disbelief. Meowth jerked backwards in shock onto his back, from the outburst. He winced again as his chest began to throb more, forcing him to hold it. The kid leaned over the bed, with his eyes sparkling in excitement. "Can you do it again? Say something else!"

'Aw crap. Guess I can't play 'tis off like he was hearin' t'ings.' Meowth sighed as he slowly sat back up. The boy was looking at him with such a star-gazed expression that Meowth felt a mix between being uncomfortable and being embarrassed. He decided to open his mouth to speak; a bit reluctant at first but words begin to form in his thoughts before he managed to speak them. "Um…uhh…h-hey d'ere kid. I bet 'tis is pretty new to ya', huh?"

The boy gasped and drew in a bit more, though not much since his chest came up to the bed. He'd have to get on himself if he wanted to be closer. "How can you do that!? I didn't know Pokémon can talk!" The kid kept exclaiming. Meowth decided that the boy wasn't going to do any harm to him in any way, making him relax. Maybe still a bit tense from his startling wake-up call in a totally different area in front of a little boy but it could've been much worse. He shuddered at the thought of being in that Fearow's talons.

"I guess I'm just…uh…gifted." He drew the word out, as if it was hard for him to say. "Any who…do ya' mind telling me where I am? And what's your name anyway, kid?"

"This is Professor Oak's lab! He said he found you hurt very badly and he healed you up. Well…not all the way but you look a lot better! And my name's Ash Ketchum!" The now named Ash had explained. Meowth though about what he said and thought back to what happened after he got attacked. He fell into a river and lost consciousness for who knows how long. Though there was a faint remembrance of hearing some man saying something to him and probably carried him off somewhere. That had to have been this Professor Oak that Ash was talking about.

"How long was I out for?" Meowth asked the young boy. Ash looked up in thought and made a humming noise.

"About…one week from what the professor says."

Meowth gave a big gasp and leaned forward. "D-did you just say a week!?" He rubbed his bandaged chest. "Man…to t'ink I was so close to bitin' 'da dust like that. Kinda makes me feel sick."

"Oh, you feel sick? Do you want me to get you some medicine?" Ash suggested but Meowth shook his head.

"Nah, don't worry about it. I-I'm fine. Just…shocked, I guess."

Meowth gripped the sheets and his eyes fell a bit. He felt that all of these experiences were just coming on too fast for him to keep up with. Nothing in his mind told him that he'd ever imagine being at death's door so early in his lifetime. Not even Hollywood was that dangerous. But out there in the wilds, in the world, it was something else altogether. He'd never stand a chance out there by himself. He could barely beat a brat Spearow for Mew's sake and you can forget him coming up against a battle hardened adult Pokémon. Just one full power attack from a random Fearow and he's basically been put near comatose. The thought positively frightened him and he began to lightly shake.

'I-I'm not cut out for all 'tis. I thought I left all 'dat baggage behind me when I left the city but now I see 'dat I'm lugging a crap-ton of it around on my shoulders. Meowsie's now in my head insulting me and crushing my self-esteem and if any other Pokémon know about 'tis…'tis isn't at all how I expected this journey to go. Why am I always being picked on like 'tis? It isn't fair!"

Meowth's eyes were closed tightly and he was visibly shaking now. Both from anger, fear and disappointment with himself. The first two being self-explanatory but the third was from how powerless he realized he was. Not just physically but emotionally and mentally as well. He could've just walked away from Meowsie when he had the chance and looked for some other dame who could've accepted him as he is. He could've found himself an actual family with a nice family of humans instead of just blowing off the entirety of their species and hanging around with those street Meowth's and their Persian leader. He didn't have to leave Hollywood. Not when he didn't even try to make his life there any better than what it was. But he didn't. He just ran away from his problems and he ran away from Meowsie. His encounter with that annoying bird flock showed that he was most definitely not capable of defending himself in any form if he ever had to do so. These issues, while not initially problematic at the beginning, now hung themselves over his head like a bad rain cloud. A rain cloud that poured nothing but words of how much of a failure he really is and he had more than half of a mind to believe all of these things and just live his life as one of those Pokémon who just couldn't make it. One who wasn't happy with the way life was but had no means to change it. To throw caution to the wind and let that be his basis to wherever that might lead.

'It's not like I have any other choice. I'm sure I'll be on my way once I'm able to get on my feet.' He opened his eyes and found something was wrapped around his body. Something bigger than him, heavier than him and had a strong scent of the outdoors that was tied with it. He didn't feel himself shaking anymore either. When he shifted his eyes around he found it was actually Ash who was hugging him. The sudden contact stopped any and all negative thoughts that were running through his head and he couldn't help but gain the faintest hint of red in his cheeks.

"Uh…Ash? What are you doin'?" He asked. Ash didn't stop hugging but he answered back.

"I'm hugging you. That's what."

Meowth rolled his eyes slightly. "I know 'dat kid…but why?"

"Well…you looked like you needed one. You were looking sad and you started to shake too. So I'm hugging you to make you feel better. Mom always said that hugs can do that." He said with a smile.

Meowth blinked at Ash's words not knowing what to do. A human never gave him this kind of contact. Actually as far back as he could remember this was seriously the first hug he's ever gotten. His first form of physical condolence was being given to him right at this instant and by a little boy. A boy that was actually concerned for him and Ash didn't even know anything about him. But Meowth couldn't help but to just accept it. The hug, strangely, seemed to be the thing he needed for the tormenting thoughts that were plaguing him. Maybe not fully closure to his self-imposed failures but it was close enough. His arms slowly rose before he began to hug back, allowing Ash to hug him even tighter. Meowth closed his eyes and sunk his head against Ash's small shoulder.

Ash smiled as he felt the cat Pokémon return the hug. Ash rubbed his back slowly. "There. Feel better now?"

Meowth slowly nodded his head. "Y-yeah, actually. I do. Thanks. I t'ink I really needed 'dat."

"Anytime Meowth." Ash said in a happy tone before he broke the hug. "See? Hugs make everything better."

Meowth smirked. "Well…I don't' know about everyt'ing but it did make me feel better though. I just…I got lot of t'ings on my mind is all."

"Things like what?" Asked Ash.

Meowth just gave a lazy wave with his right paw. "Aww, it's nothin' you should be worried about. Just some stuff. But I'm good now." He said with the most believable tone he could muster. He realized he didn't have to try so hard when Ash just nodded to him almost immediately. "But, uh…could you do me a favor? Can you not tell anyone 'dat I can talk?"

"Huh? Why's that?" Ash's look became one of confusion. Why wouldn't a Pokémon want to know that it could talk to people? It seemed too useful to be kept a secret.

Meowth faced the bed and gripped the blankets a bit before letting them go. "Sorry kid…but it's a personal matter. For now I just want people to t'ink I'm a normal, everyday Meowth. So…please?"

Still not understanding Meowth's reasons Ash could see how important this was to him. If he wanted to keep his secret then Ash would be willing to help. Ash nodded a few times making Meowth give a bit of a smile. He didn't at all feel comfortable with other people knowing that he could talk. He was only talking to Ash by a mere coincidence of the boy being in his room just as he woke up from his nightmares. He was nearly startled when he heard another voice outside of the room.

"Ash? Where have you gone?" The tone of voice came from an older sounding male.

Ash looked towards the door and smiled before getting out the bed. He moved over to the door and leaned against the right wall, looking out into the hallway. "I'm in here professor! Meowth finally woke up!"

Meowth watched silently as Ash pulled back from the doorway and as he thought, an old man walked around the corner. This was the Professor Oak that Ash talked about. A small memory came to his mind of seeing this same man carrying him before he lost consciousness again. He looked genuinely like a nice man though, with that smile he wore. Meowth also seemed to only be picking up good vibes from him as he walked in and looked over to Meowth.

"Well I'll be? You really gave us quite the scare Meowth. You've really had some serious injuries that had to immediately be taken care of. I may not be Nurse Joy but I know my way around Pokémon medication. I can only imagine what you've had to go through to get a wound like that." He said as Meowth's mind went back to that. He slightly shook his head and tried to forget that moment. Who'd wanna remember getting shot point-blank by a Hyper Beam anyway? Not exactly a fun little mishap to talk of with your pals.

"Professor? Is Meowth going to be okay?" Ash said, walking over to the bed and giving Meowth another very concerned stare. Meowth smiled a bit at the boy's worry for him. Gave him some kinda fuzzy feeling he didn't know ow to describe. The professor cupped his chin in thought.

"Hmm. Well I can't be too sure." He kneels down to Ash's level and gives Meowth a warm stare as well. "How do you feel Meowth? Is your wound bothering you at all?" Meowth wished that he could say that he was fine but his fear of not knowing how the elder male would react to him speaking stopped him from doing so. After all it's be counter intuitive to speak after he had Ash promise to not reveal his secrets. So he did the next best thing.

"Meowth!" He exclaimed with a nod. Now he knows that he just said his species name and not an actual word in Pokéspeech but he didn't feel the need to do so. After properly comparing English and Pokéspeech he realized that there'd be no point to saying anything in his native language at all. It'll all just sound like the same gibberish to humans anyway. Just him saying his name and he's still Pokémon enough to know how to use his own language if need be. Oak smiled and rubbed Meowth between the ears, right behind his charm. Meowth, against his will, began to purr as he leaned more into the professor's hand. He never experienced being petted before and he had to say that the feeling was just absolutely phenomenal.

"I can only imagine what you had to go through. Good thing I found you when I did. Are you sure your wound is alright? Even just a little bit?" He asked Meowth again, after pulling his hand away. Meowth looked down to his bandages and rubbed them, while giving a small nod. Professor Oak nodded as well and stood back up. "Well then I think the best course of action right now would be to tend to it once more. I'll go get some medicine and some food. You must be starving after all."

Meowth's stomach chose that time to grumble loudly. He blushed in embarrassment, showing that Professor Oak was right. Ash laughed a little from the noise. Professor Oak looked down to Ash. "Do you want to help me get Meowth treated, my boy?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah! I really wanna help Meowth!"

"Then come along. I'll get the medicine and you'll get the Pokémon food from the kitchen." With another nod from the 8 year-old they both left the room leaving Meowth by himself for a few minutes. He had to admit that Professor seemed alright to him. He may not know a thing about the guy but he'd do anything to be scratched like that again. Not to mention that he's been healing him all this time, too. Now he was sure that if he was left alone he wouldn't have made it. Not at all. It made him wonder just how bad his injuries had to have been. He wanted to remove the bandages to find out but was a bit worried about what he'd see. It was inevitable though as Oak was going to have to do it to apply whatever medicine he was going to use. He lied back down and waited.

After a few minutes his ears twitched as he heard two sets of footsteps coming in his direction. He sat up in the bed, watching as Ash and Professor Oak came through the door. Ash carrying a bowl of Pokémon food that had bits of blue in it and the professor carrying a tray of things. As he sat the tray on the table Meowth saw it was a purple spray bottle, some kind of container, a towel and fresh bandages.

"Alright Meowth. Consider this as your proper check-up." Oak said as he grabbed the bottle and pulled up a chair next to the bed. "Is it alright if I apply the medicine first? I warn you, it might sting a tiny bit." Meowth gulped a little. He was never a big fan of any type of pain but if it would help him get better then he'd just grit his teeth and bare it if he had to.

"M-Meowth." He said with a little nod.

'I wonder what he's saying.' Ash thought with slight tilt of his head, as he placed the food down on the bed too. Professor Oak meanwhile moved his hands to Meowth's back and began to undo the bandages. Meowth had to raise his arms a little bit so that the man could properly unwind them. As they came apart his gasped and opened his eyes as he finally gazed at his chest. Ash was surprised to see it too. A very big and nasty brown scar was at the center of his chest and covered a good deal of the top of his stomach. There were a few scabs along the wound, mainly at the edge of it yet no trace of his cream fur.

"Yes. I was shocked when I saw it too. I'm sorry but I don't think that is going away." The professor said with true sincerity and he began to spray the Potion along the wound. Meowth gasped in pain this time and gritted his teeth from the singing sensation across his chest. He gripped the covers and did his best to power through it.

'Scars don't heal after all.' Meowth thought to himself. In his case he was speaking physically and emotionally. Which one he hated more? Now that was something that was up to debate. Oak stopped applying the Potion and placed the bottle back onto the silver tray. He then grabbed the container and undid the lid. He dapped two finger into the yellowish goop and scooped up a small glob of the stuff.

"This ointment should do the trick." He began to slowly apply the ointment to the wound. The cool feeling that it gave allowed Meowth to relax and sigh in content from it. The true opposite to the stinging feeling of the spray. "If you let this set in for a day then you shouldn't be feeling anymore pain." Oak promised as he finished lathering the scar with the cream. He twisted the lid back on and wiped his hands on the towel, getting any remainder off. He sat the towel down and applied the new bandages. Meowth had to admit that he was feeling better already. But he wasn't going to try and push himself until he knew he wouldn't pull anything. After all that medicine was just applied after all.

"Professor? How long until Meowth is going to be okay?" Ash asked as Oak was finished tying the last knot on the bandages.

"If Meowth can let that ointment sink in for about a day, as well as after you feed it, then I'd say that if you give it about a day Meowth will be fine." He said, getting up and picking up the tray. Ash took his place on the seat and brought the food to Meowth. "Go on and eat that, Meowth. I made sure that Oran Berries were thrown into the mixer to help aid in the healing process. That's what the blue stuff is." Professor Oak said.

Ash pushed the bowl closer to him. "Go on and eat up Meowth. It'll make you better."

Meowth looked at the food for a while. His sensitive nose picked up on the scent it gave off and he had to admit it smelled pretty good for just brown and blue spotted blocks of food. He's never really had Pokémon food before. Just human food but right now he couldn't be picky about what he ate. He should at least show hospitality to these people for saving him the way they did. Meowth reached out with his right arm and grabbed a single piece of the food.

"Hmmm…." He grumbled before he popped it into his mouth. His eyes were closed as he chewed. In the span of a few seconds his eyes shot open as he chewed more and more. He grabbed more Pokémon food and ate it with gusto. His eyes began to shed anime tears as he placed his paws against his cheeks.

'Wowzers! 'Tis has got to be some of 'da best chow that I ever had! Much better 'den some week old fish!' He wanted to just out-right give his thanks to both of the humans but he had to keep up his act around the professor. But if he grows to like the guy enough then he might be allowed to get in on his little secret. As another way of showing his gratitude he began to eat more and more of the food happily. Ash and Oak laughed at his eagerness to eat.

"Is it good Meowth!?" Ash asked in an excited tone. Meowth only nodded as he kept stuffing his face.

"I can bring you some more if you like." Professor Oak suggested. Meowth stopped eating and then looked to him with a big smile.

"Me-owth!" He said with two nods.

"Alright then. I'll be right back." He said as he left him and Ash alone in the room together. Just as he did Meowth had finished with his Pokémon food and gave a sigh of relief. He was still very hungry but that was more than enough to tie him over for a bit until he got his second helping.

"Man! 'Dat was tasty!" he exclaimed as he laid back on his paws. Ash kept up his smile as he laid his elbows onto the bed.

"You didn't eat for a week, right? So it make sense." Ash said before he adopted a curious look. "Hey Meowth? Do other people know that you can talk?"

Meowth's smiled dropped as he looked to the boy's curious gaze. He thought about it for a bit before answering. "Nope. You're 'da only human who knows. I mean…d'ere are some wild Pokémon who know but I'm more 'den sure I'm never gonna see any of 'dem again. At least I hope not."

"Why? Were they bad Pokémon?"

"Tch. Yeah. As bad as you can t'ink. I mean one of 'dem got his family to attack me. 'Dat's how I got 'tis scar. 'Da other one…well…'dat's personal. A story for another time, kid." Meowth stated as he glanced away a bit.

Ash lifted up his forearms and rested his head on his hands. "Okay. I won't ask again then. So…does it hurt?"

Meowth smirked and pointed to his chest. "What? 'Tis? Maybe a tiny bit but not anymore. I mean it hurt when I got hit…but that Oak guy knows his stuff. I barely even feel it now. But I'll feel better once I get more food in my stomach." Meowth proclaimed making Ash smile some more. Though if Meowth had to be honest his scar was beginning to itch now. That ointment was kinda messing with his scabs and it was killing him to not scratch at them. Though he was sure that would just make it worse. He hoped that he'd heal up soon real fast.

"Where's your home? I mean you had to come from somewhere."

Meowth cringed a little bit. "You know you ask a lot of questions Ash."

"But I want to know! I mean I don't EVER get to talk to Pokémon! I've always wished that I could but now I'm actually doing it! So…please tell me." He begged. Meowth could see the anticipation in Ash's face and his eyes were still sparkling with that same excitement he held when they both started to talk. If Meowth thought about it from a human's perspective he realized that humans would never be able to get a chance to actually talk to a Pokémon.

Again…Psychic-types be damned with that Telepathy.

And this boy has only thought of positive things about Meowth and thinks of him as some amazing wonder of the world. It made the Scratch Cat Pokémon feel a certain bubbly way that he just couldn't put into words. With a shrug he decided to continue with the answers. Nothing personal though. Just giving the kid what he asked for.

"I…I had a home…I guess. But it wasn't a very good one. I mean I didn't exactly live 'da good life. I lived on 'da streets with other Meowth and a Persian leader. I didn't like 'da way things were going for me so I left. And like I said before. I got attacked by other Pokémon and now I'm here."

They both heard footsteps coming in their direction. Already knowing who it was they didn't acknowledge them until Professor Oak came into the room with Meowth's second helping of Pokémon food. "Here you go Meowth." He said as he laid the second bowl in front of him, after taking the previous one. Meowth gained a happy expression and began to eat once more. It may not have been ice cream, fish or chicken but if there was such a thing as getting addicted to Pokémon food then he was certainly hooked. It had an extra tinge of sweetness to it thanks to the Oran Berries that were mixed into it, which was probably the reason why he loved it so much.

"Hey professor?" Ash asked as he looked up to the man. Said man looked down to him in return.

"Do you think that Meowth can stay here with you and the other Pokémon? That question caught the professor slightly off guard but Meowth even more so. His eyes shot open and he nearly choked on a pieces of his food if he didn't stop himself from swallowing it. He chewed the piece before he did and looked to Ash confused. "I mean…I don't think Meowth has a home to go to so having Meowth around could be really cool! That was he'd have a home and we can always play together!"

Professor Oak cupped his chin in thought. Meowth looked up to him for a few seconds before looking to Ash and blinking. Before he could think of anything he felt the professor's hand on his head and scratch behind his ears once again. A tingle ran up his spine as the pleasurable feeling returned and he began to purr.

"I don't see why not. There's always enough room to make a home for Pokémon here. Meowth can even make some new friends and won't have to worry about running into any hostile wild Pokémon. We don't want another incident like before to happen again." He said with a grin. Ash gasped and got up from his seat with a big smile. He gave Meowth a big hug as he started to rub his head in place of Oak's.

"Yay! This is so cool, huh Meowth!? Now you have a home and I can visit you every day!" Ash yelled happily but not too loud thankfully, since he was near Meowth's left ear. Meowth just couldn't believe what Ash had done. He…he had a new home? He gets free food and treatment and now he's going to be living here with these guys? He was so sure that they'd have him be on his way once he was well enough to move on his own but it seems that isn't the case. Now the professor is saying it's because it'll be for his safety to not be on his own.

Professor Oak kneeled down to the pair and gave Meowth a bright smile. "What do you think, Meowth? Would you like to stay here in Pallet Town with us? I can assure you won't go hungry and there are many more Pokémon living here in case you wish for some company. Not to mention Ash has taken quite the shine to you."

Meowth stayed silent for a while. His head was tilted down as he buried his face into Ash's arm. He began to shake a bit catching their attention.

"Meowth?" Ash said with concern. He tried to pull away but found the Meowth was hugging him back very hard. He could feel a wetness on his upper arm and sniffling coming from the Pokémon as he literally cried on his shoulder. Meowth's sobs became more and more audible as the seconds passed. Ash pulled him closer and began to rub his back soothingly. Oak gave a soft smile and began to rub Meowth's unoccupied other side. He had no idea what had come over him. But for some reason this was just too much to take. For so long all he's been shown nothing but the worst of things. Ever since his kitten years to just a week ago today. Now he's being bombarded with doses of kindness at each turn from these people. These people who just met him. Oak, who saved and healed him. Ash, who loved his speaking ability, openly spoke with him and fed him…who wanted to give him a home.

A real home.

'A….a home. I….' The three just sat there and let Meowth have his moment. This was the start of a very big turning point in the cat's life. He could feel it. He didn't know if it would be for better or for worse…but he did know that however it turned out it would be a much better outcome then what would've happened if he had never met these people.

For the first time in his life he was eager to see what the future had in store for him.

The next day Oak and Ash were back in the same room where Meowth was currently staying. Oak was removing the new bandages that he placed on Meowth to see how well the wound that healed up. After having taken the bandages off he nodded in satisfaction at the appearance of the scar. Meowth was glad to see that there were no more scabs along the edges of it and that the shade of the scar had been reduced a little. Heck, he didn't even feel sore anymore.

"That's much better than yesterday. Seems like it healed up very nicely. Now you should be back to 100% again." Professor Oak said with a smile. Meowth wore a smile himself. He was still giddy about the events that transpired yesterday. He practically sprung from his bed onto the ground and rose his arms into the air with a cry of his name again. The action alone surprising the old man a little bit. "Well I'll be? You can walk on your hind legs. That's very impressive Meowth."

Ash laughed to himself. He thought Meowth walking on his hind legs was cool? Just wait until he learns of what other special talent he has up his sleeves. He wonders how much the professor is going to flip once he hears Meowth say something. But that's going to have to come a lot later. Even so Meowth blushed a bit at the praise and rubbed the back of his head with a smile. They followed the professor out of the room into the hallway, to which Meowth couldn't help but notice the change from carpet to marble on his toes. They passed by closed doors to open ones that showed other researchers working at computers, labs or even other Pokémon treatments.

"Meowth, now that you're feeling better how about I leave you in Ash's care for a bit?" He said surprising them both a little bit.

"Meowth and me? How come?" Ash asked him. Meowth wanted to know why as well, but for the moment he wasn't all for talking.

"Well I can see that you two have bonded a bit. I can see it, you know? So I think that you could show Meowth around the place. You're familiar enough with it to do so." He rubbed his head with a nervous smile. "Not to mention I'm going to be a bit busy today. I'm grateful that I have other colleagues here to help with any other projects that I can't do myself."

Ash gave a big smile and rose two fists near his face. "Don't worry professor. I'll take care of it."

Oak closed his eyes and smiled. "I knew I could count on you Ash."

"But…can me and Meowth do something though? Maybe something to help out?" Ash suggested.

Oak opened his eyes and stopped walking. He looked down to Ash and Meowth, who stood near the black haired boy. "You wish to help me out?" He smiled again. "Well I guess that it'll be alright. I can use all of the assistance that I can get. Now what is it that you wanted to do Ash?"

Ash seemed a bit hesitant at first but he adopted an excited look. "I want to help out the Pokémon out back! Please!? Can we!?" He asked hoping the man would say yes. Oak was slightly caught off guard from the request but he should've know better. The boy's always been in love with Pokémon for as long as he could remember and he knew that it was only a matter of time until he was going to ask to do anything Pokémon oriented.

With a smile Oak said, "Sure. I think it will be a very good experience for you Ash."

Ash gasped happily. "Really!? You think so!?"

"You bet I do. I'm sure that you can't wait to become an official trainer in the next two years. So I think that if you learn to interact more with Pokémon then you can be a bit wiser when it's your time to travel the world and encounter many other kinds of Pokémon." Oak explained. He looked over to Meowth as well. "Meowth, I believe that you'll do your best at assisting Ash here, won't you?"

"Meowth!" He exclaimed with certainty as he stood at attention and gave a solute with his right paw. Whatever it was he'll for sure do his best to assist his new friend and hopefully he'll get to meet some easier to handle Pokémon. He might have a heart attack if he comes across any Fearow though so he'll make sure to steer clear of any if he could help it.

"So what should we do professor?" Ash asked. Oak rubbed his chin as he tried to think of a task regarding his two charges. With a silent gasp he lightly placed his right fist into his left hand.

"Okay. I have an idea. I'm not sure if there are any specific tasks that you can handle aside from feeding the Pokémon but how about I leave that up to the two of you? If you both can find any problems among the Pokémon that you believe need fixing then come to me right away and I will make sure that me and some others will take care of the problem immediately."

Ash and Meowth nodded to the man. That seemed simple enough. Finding problems and playing with the Pokémon at the same sounded like the dream job Ash had always wanted. Though being a Pokémon trainer came first always. After that Ash and Meowth ran off while the professor went off to his lab. Ash had led Meowth out the backdoor of his lab and they were now standing out in Oak's Pokémon Ranch. Meowth's eyes adjusted to the sunlight after two whole days of being cooped up inside. His toes clenched and unclenched lightly at the feeling of the soft grass tickle underneath them. Nothing like the rough grass and dirt terrain of the forest that he was treading a week ago. Looking around he could see how the whole area was just brimming with nature. There was a brown picket fence that stretched a good margin from the side of the building. More than likely to keep all of the Pokémon, or at least the small ones, inside. Trees were also very apparent along with just a mass of field, where Ash and Meowth saw that a multitude of Pokémon were mingling, playing, sleeping, eating, etc.

"Geez. D'ere sure are a lot of Pokémon out here. Are they friendly?" He asked Ash with a bit of uncertainty. Ash smiled and walked over towards all of the lounging 'mons.

"Yeah. Real friendly. I made friends with a bunch of them too." Ash replied as he knelt near a Slowbro and began to rub its back. It gave a happy sign before it drifted off.

"F-friends, huh? Well they all seem alright." Meowth gathering the courage to speak to Ash in front of the Pokémon present. Some Pokémon noticed Meowth's special talent and moved over to the two of them. Two Oddish, a Caterpie, a Weedle, a Vulpix and a Sandshrew. They began to speak to both Ash and Meowth with the latter being the only one to understand all of the Pokespeech that was being spoken. Ash just loved the instant company they received and looked to all of them with a big smile.

("Hey Mr. Meowth! Did you just talk!? Like how humans do!?") The Sandshrew asked excitedly.

("That's so cool! Can you teach me!?") This time the Vulpix asked as she hopped in place a few times.

("Us too! Come on!") Exclaimed one of the Oddish.

("At least show us how you did it!") This time from the other Oddish.

If Meowth was expecting something it sure wasn't the reactions that he was getting from the children Pokémon. It honestly shocked him to his core. His obvious initial thought was that the Pokémon here, while probably not hostile, would want to keep their distance away from him with the best of it. After all the only thing he's ever been called by the only Pokémon he's been in contact with that knew of his talent was a freak, and not even a good one at that. His skill at speaking English instead of Pokespeech was most definitely not something a normal Pokémon has ever been documented to be capable of doing. But out of nowhere, he's not only gathered himself a little fan-club, but is being complimented and admired just for saying a simple comment. He couldn't help but begin to blush at the praise and rub his head, not really knowing what to actually say for once.

"Uhh…well shucks guys. I don't know what to say." He said in a bashful manner. The Pokémon all gasped and jumped for joy at seeing Meowth speak again. They all moved in closer and began to talk excitedly again. Ash noticed that Meowth was speaking between all of the Pokémon but was still talking in English as he did it. Not Pokespeech.

"Wow, Meowth! You can talk to all of them even if you talk like a person!?" Asked Ash. Meowth stopped conversing and looked to Ash.

"Of course I can. I'm still a Pokémon too, you know? Why?"

Ash grinned as he grabbed Meowth's paws and his eyes sparkled with the insight of an idea. "I just thought of the perfect idea! You can tell me what the Pokémon are actually thinking!"

"What d'ere t'inking?" Meowth questioned with a tilt of his head.

Ash nodded. "Yeah! Like, you can talk to 'em and then tell me what they want! We won't have to guess things to make them feel better and we can help out the professor even more!"

"A Pokémon Translator, huh?" Meowth said to himself though at the close proximity of Ash the boy heard it. Ash gave a "Yeah" at what Meowth said before the cat shrugged and nodded himself.

"Eh. Why not? It sound like it'll be fun. And we did promise we'd help out 'da old guy, right?"

"Great! Let's go!" Ashe exclaimed. He let go of one of Meowth's arms and began to drag him to a random location. Meowth wasn't exactly expecting to get practically dragged like this. His legs began to feel a little tingly as blood pumped through them after a week and 2 days of no forms of strenuous activity on them. But soon he managed to pick up his pace a bit and run with Ash. Ash lead them into an area of the ranch where it was more forest than field but it wasn't very thick. That allowed them to navigate through it pretty easily. Ash then began to slow down his run to a walk. Meowth had to thank all of those years of doing nothing but running from angry people after he stole food from them. Like in the forests he's been walking through for a week straight his didn't even feel partially winded after the run.

"So where are we headed again?" Meowth asked while they were walking through.

"I think we're already here. There's a Rhydon I know that's been feeling really grumpy lately and I want to know why?" He said. Meowth lightly gulped a bit. He's seen a Rhydon in person before back in Hollywood. It belonged to a random human of course but he could still remember how tall and how burly those things were. He was getting nervous once again. It came back full force when he and Ash spotted the Rhydon that Ash was talking about. Lying against a tree with its arms crossed and looking, as Ash put it, grumpy. A bowl of Pokémon food was near it but doesn't seem as if Rhydon even touched the stuff.

'Aw geez.' Meowth thought to himself, not wanting to get on this guy's bad side.

Ash walked up to Rhydon without any fear and with a smile as well. Rhydon took notice of it and turned to Ash with the faintest hint of a smile. He enjoyed the boy's company quite often when he came to visit, which was practically all the time. He then noticed Meowth who walked up next to Ash. Rhydon could tell that he was nervous so he smiled a bit at him too to show that he wasn't in any danger. Meowth noticed and sighed in relief.

"Hey Rhydon. How ya' been?" Ash said in a gentle manner.

("Not too bad, I guess.") He said though all Ash heard were some growls and grunts. Not Meowth though obviously.

Ash looked to the bowl of Pokémon food and then back to the Rock and Ground-type. "You're not eating your food again. Is something wrong?"

Rhydon growled as he turned his head to the side. ("I can't eat that stuff. Whatever the hell is in it makes it taste like crap for one and for the second I can't even digest it properly. I get stomach aches each and every time.") He said though out of reflex. It was only after he stopped talking that he remembered that Ash had no clue what he just said but he wasn't aware of a certain talking Pokémon.

"Meowth, what did Rhydon say?" He asked the cat. Rhydon got a confused look wondering why the boy was asking another Pokémon about what a Pokémon had just said. Imagine his surprise when Meowth actually began to speak the human language.

"Well besides some t'ings he said 'dat I can't repeat, he's basically sayin' 'dat 'da food doesn't taste good and 'dat it gives him stomach pains." Meowth explained. Rhydon then gave him his full attention.

("Wait, you can speak the way humans can!?")

Meowth nodded and smiled a bit. "Yeah, I can. It's a…it's a gift." This time the word wasn't so hard for him to say. The way Rhydon exclaimed his surprise was one of a relieved tone and he still couldn't get those kids out of his mind who thought him taking was cool.

"Rhydon," Ash said before placing an arm around Meowth, "this is Meowth. He's a Pokémon that Professor Oak rescued and he's going to be staying with us and helping us. And since he can talk he can tell me what you guys need to feel more comfortable around the ranch." He said making Rhydon get up to his full height and smile down to them.

("Now that is really convenient!") He looks to Meowth. ("Will you really do that for all of us?")

Meowth gave Rhydon a thumbs-up. "Of course I can do 'dat for ya'! I promised I'd help Ash help you guys out as much as I can. T'ink of me as your personal Pokémon Miracle Worker. Is there anyt'ing specific you wanna munch on?"

("I want nothing to eat but a bowl of Pecha Berries. Not any of that nasty stuff they've been trying to feed me.")

"So 'freshly picked from 'da trees' Pecha Berries, huh? Sure. We can do 'dat." Meowth said confidently.

Rhydon gave him a bigger smile and a nod, feeling pretty giddy at actually having his request being put through and not have humans guess what he wanted. Meowth and Ash left a while after that, but not before taking back the bowl full of Pokémon food. He let some of the other Pokémon they passed by eat it instead as to not waste food. With a quick jog to the lab Ash placed the bowl on a table and they both entered Oak's lab. They opened the brown wooden door to the top floor, which was really a big metal staircase, with three big windows in the back. The room was relatively big and seemed to have been a cross between a lab and living quarters. A massive computer to the right with a Pokéball transporter was hooked up to it and a bookshelf in the far left, under the stairs. A wooded desk was to the side of the stare case with a brown couch in the middle of the room. A water container and some other tech was across room against the wall. A giant lamp hung from the ceiling.

When Meowth was done observing the place he followed Ash down the stairs who walked towards Oak, sitting in a blue rollie chair at the computer.

"Professor Oak." Ash said getting the man's attention. He stopped typing and looked to see the yellow and red shit boy.

"Why hello Ash. Meowth. So how has progress with the Pokémon been?"

"Cool. But that's why we're here. We found out the problem with Rhydon and why it's not eating." Oak's ears slightly perked as he turned around in his chair giving Ash his full attention.

"Really? That Rhydon has barely been eating a thing that we've given it for the past couple of weeks. It's not healthy. Exactly what's wrong with it?"

"Well…it's because Rhydon doesn't like the food. It tastes funny and it gets a belly ache." Ash explained remembering what Meowth had said about Rhydon's problems.

Oak placed a hand to his chin. "Bad taste and belly aches? Well then what would Rhydon prefer to eat?"

"Pecha berries!" Ash exclaimed with a smile, feeling so happy knowing that he's actually personally helping a Pokémon get its problem solved. And right from the Pokémon itself too! It just makes him feel even more special on the inside. Oak stood up from his chair and smiled.

"Is that right? Well then let's go see." He said wondering if the boy had actually been spot on with that stubborn Pokémon. After 15 minutes of gathering Rhydon's bowl and filling it with Pecha Berries they were back at the forest where Rhydon was located, having not moved from his spot. Rhydon noticed that Oak was with them and holding a bowl of what he requested. He jumped up with a gasp and stalked over giving his thanks in Pokespeech. Oak smiled and rubbed his head.

"Rhydon, is it true that the food that you were being given placed a bad taste in your mouth and upset your stomach?" Oak asked him. He gave a curt nod. "And you wished to eat Pecha Berries instead?" Rhydon gave another nod and made a reach for the bowl. Oak gave it to him as he gave his thanks again before he began to eat the berries.

("Ahhhhh! This is SO much better! So soft! So ripe and juicy! I just love Pecha Berries!") He declared as he ate them one by one, making sure to take his sweet time to enjoy them.

Ash grabbed Meowth's paws and began to lightly spin the cat around to which Meowth couldn't help but enjoy the childish action. "Alright! We did it Meowth! We helped our first Pokémon!" They both began to cheer, but with Meowth making sure to switch back on the Pokespeech with Oak in their presence. Oak looked to the pair with a bigger smile than before. He's been trying to give Rhydon many different combinations of Pokémon food that he hoped the guy would eat but with how picky Rhydon was at what he ate Oak just couldn't find out exactly what his personal preference was. Yet he just couldn't believe that this boy and this little Meowth who had literally drifted into their lives had managed to solve an issue it took him weeks to try and solve. And he was the Pokémon expert here. He felt a mass of pride overcome him and he looked at the boy who he saw as a second grandson and his newest and probably his soon-to-be faithful companion.

The two stopped pinning and looked to Oak with the same expression. Big smiles on their faces and a big sense of accomplishment in their chests. "So what should we do next!?"/ ("So what should we do next!?") They both asked simultaneously.

Oak couldn't help but rub both of their heads and lightly laugh at their enthusiasm. "Alright then. Since you handled that issue masterfully then how about something a bit tougher."

Ash and Meowth nodded their heads, being ready for anything. Whatever it was they knew that they could get the job done together. Unknown to the two of them this was the start of one of the closest bonds that could ever possibly seen between humans and Pokémon. For Meowth he was now eagerly anticipating what the future had in store for the start of his new life. All he knew was that whatever it was he was going to welcome it with open arms, no questions asked.

And to think none of this never would've happened if he never left Hollywood.

Been a long time coming but here it is. Up next...THREE...count them...THREE...I kid you not...TTTTTTHREE...BACK TO BACK CHAPTERS...OF WORLD'S APART! Since you are all so thirsty for it. And other things too. Now it's 6:25 AM...I'm going to sleep.

Rest In Pieces, bitches.