Just pretend Puni-chan isn't a thing I haven't watched that yet.

Ash and Co. had just arrived at the Pokémon Center in need of a rest before Ash's final gym battle. But, upon arrival, Nurse Joy had an interesting surprise.

"You're Ash Ketchum, I assume?" the Joy said when they introduced themselves by first names.

The four were taken aback, but Ash nodded. "Why?" he asked. Hopefully nothing bad had happened back in Kanto!

"I have a package for you from Mr. Oak," Nurse Joy explained, heaving a box onto the counter.

"Mr?" Ash questioned. No one ever called the Professor 'Mr.' so was this something else…?

"Oh, sorry. He said you would know him by Gary!" Nurse Joy explained. "He said this needed to get to you as quickly as possible."

Ash picked the box up and set it on the floor, surprised by its weight. He pealed the tape off, too curious about what Gary of all people could have sent that was so important. Inside sat an egg with a note attached. "An egg?" Ash said aloud in amazement.

"Why would someone send you an egg?" Clemont asked, stooping down beside Ash. Ash shrugged and picked the note up, scanning it quickly. "What's it say?"

"I don't wanna read it…" Ash mumbled.

"I will!" Bonnie squealed. She snatched the note from Ash's hand and dramatically read the note. "Ashy-boy!" she said in a low voice, snickering and looking back at Ash.

"Don't question it!" Ash whined, looking away from his friends.

Bonnie shrugged and continued, "This egg was found with your Donphan and my Arcanine a few days ago. We don't know how long they were hiding it; it looks almost ready to hatch, though. I don't have time for a baby pokemon right now, but you do! Love, Gary!"

"Who's Gary?" Serena asked, sitting down to look at the egg.

"He's my best friend. We were rivals when we traveled through Kanto and Johto, but our pokemon always got along…apparently too well," Ash said. He picked the egg up and looked it over. The egg shifted some in his hands, meaning it was very close to hatching. "Well…Arcanine was the mommy, since Donphan was a boy…" Ash said, "Which means this should be a Growlithe."

Bonnie squealed and sat beside Ash excitedly. "Can I help hatch it, Ash?! Please?!" She grabbed his arm, never taking her eyes off the egg.

"Yeah, sure Bonnie!" Ash said. The little girl took the egg and sat it in her lap, covering it with her shirt to keep it warm. Dedenne patted the egg and hopped on top to curl up.

Over an hour later, Bonnie hadn't moved. She just kept staring at the egg, willing it to just hatch already! Ash came in after a while to check on her, asking how the egg sitting was going.

"Oh, nothing's happening, Ash!" Bonnie whined. "It's moved a couple of times, but nothing else!"

"Maybe if you try talking to it?" Ash suggested. Bonnie move it out from under her shirt and leaned the egg against its box, crouching down and whispering to it about hatching. Dedenne stood beside it as well, going off in its own language about who knows what. Ash snickered, finding it too amusing how excited Bonnie was for the egg to hatch. She wasn't like this with Noibat, but maybe she just had never seen a Growlithe?

Whatever the reason, she was squealing and Ash had to put his attention on the egg.

"It's hatching, it's hatching!" she announced, jumping to her feet and cheering. The egg glowed brighter and brighter until there was a flash that engulfed everything. When it faded away, a small pup sat beside a box.

"Grooowl!" it barked. Growlithe hopped over and leaned its paws against Bonnie's legs.

"Aww, you're so cute!" Bonnie giggled and grabbed his paws. She stooped down and petted the puppy pokemon, who jumped around her in a circle excitedly. Growlithe spotted Ash and hopped over, pawing at him and sniffing his leg.

"Hiya, Growlithe," Ash greeted, laughing when the pokemon jumped at his voice. A little puff of fire escaped Growlithe's mouth as he hopped back over to Bonnie and tackled her while licking her face.

Clemont and Serena came in moments later. "Oh! It hatched!" Clemont said. That attracted the pokemon to him. Growlithe jumped and landed in Clemont's arms to lick his cheek and nudge the glasses off his nose.

"Aw, look how cute he is!" Serena giggled. She pet the Growlithe on his fuzzy head and laughed when he nipped at her fingers. Growlithe escaped Clemont's arms and went back over to Bonnie's side, rubbing his face against her legs and nibbling her bare toes.

"Ash, can I please keep him?! Growlithe already likes me best!" Bonnie asked, clasping her hands together. She dropped to her knees to beg, and Dedenne copied. Growlithe stared at them in confusion, licking Bonnie's cheek.

"Ah, I don't see why not!" Ash laughed. He stooped down and pulled out a pokeball, tapping it to Growlithe's head. The pokeball clicked once, twice, thrice, and dinged before Ash let the puppy back out. "He's all yours!"

"Yay!" Bonnie squealed, hugging Growlithe's body. Dedenne hopped up on his head and greeted his new friend excitedly. "Thanks, Ash!" Bonnie shouted as she and her two pokemon ran outside to play.

"Well, this could be interesting…" Clemont said.

"You said it," Serena agreed.

Ahem. I am totally here for more Bonnie and Ash bonding. That is all.

I may continue this if enough people are interested...I have a few ideas for mischief a little Growlithe could conjure up...