THE POKÉMON PHOTOGRAPHER; TODD!

A week after the Princess Festival, saying goodbye to Misty, who had to leave because she had a boat to catch.

The gang plus Volkner and Flint were now in a forest, having a little mock battle.

Brock was making a little snack for them, while the rest battles.

Takato and Mairin were playing ball with the Pokémon, passing it to each other.

Ianthe and Säbel were resting up a tree together, ash found out that they are mates

Korin and Yukimi was playing carefully with Rafa who was chasing after their tails.

ash and Volkner were having a mock battle between Volkner's strongest Pokémon; Raichu and one of Yuna's strongest Pokémon; Lightning.

The battle was intense from the all attacks head to head and electricity happening.

Volkner was impress that ash 's Pikachu was able to keep up to his Raichu, after he was his starter as Pikachu. He was glad to have someone who can keep up to his level, even Alain can give him a battle he wants. Not many people was able to give him the battle he wanted for a while.

Alain and Flint were having a little battle of their own, Alain's Axew wanted to trained and evolve into his next evolution, he was battling against Flint's Flareon who was the youngest in his group.

After ten minutes of non-stop battle...

"TIME!" Brock voice was heard.

"Pika?"

"Rai?"

Both Electric-type spot in there tracks as their tails turned back to normal.

"Cew?" Axew blinked.

"Flare?" Flareon stopped his attack.

"Thats it." Flint said.

Alain nodded.

"Cew!" Axew glowed and began to grow, as the light died down revealing a bipedal, draconic Pokémon with long, gray tusks with red tips protruding from the sides of his mouth and he has dark red eyes with red irises. A gray face, a cowl-like feature of green segments on his head, neck, back and chest, his arms have three red fingers and it's lower body is gray with red speckles on the underbelly, he has red toes and a red tip on his tail.

"Fraxure!" The newly evolved Pokémon roared.

ash looked when she heard a new voice and smiled, "Ah, it's a Fraxure!" She pulled out her Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon.

[Fraxure, the Axe Jaw Pokémon. The evolved form of Axew. Fraxure clash in intense battles over territory. After a battle is over, they always remember to sharpen their tusks on smooth stones so they'll be ready for the next battle.]

Alain patted his Fraxure, "Congrats on achieving your goal and now just one more, but we'll work on it."

Fraxure smiled and nodded.

After the mock battle, the gang were tucking into Brock's delicious rice ball.

They all happily chatted while eating about random things that Takato and Mairin asked.

RUSTLE!

"Rai?"

"Pika?"

"Arf?"

RUSTLE RUSTLE...

Three Pokémon ears perked up and looked at a certain bush area.

Volkner notice his Raichu was staring at something, "Whats wrong Raichu?" He asked.

"Light?" ash questioned her Pokémon.

"Raichu Rai Rai Raichu. (There is someone in the bush.)" Raichu pointed at a bush.

Light nodded, agreeing.

"Raichu said that there is someone in the bush." ash translated.

"Really?" Takato sent out his tiny turtle Pokémon, "Hydro, Water Gun!" He pointed at the bush.

"Squirtle!" Hydro launched a stream of water towards the bush.

When the Water Gun hit the bush, teenage jumped out from the bush.

"AHHH! What are you trying to do?! Drown me?!" The boy shouted.

Alain raised a eyebrow, "Drown you? Highly impossible. But if it's a stream," He pointed at the stream near them, "than that's possible."

Brock snorted.

"What are you doing in the bush anyway? Spying?" Flint asked.

"I wasn't spying on you." The boy protested, "My name is Todd Snap and I love taking pictures. I was trying to take pictures of your Pokémon's."

"Pikachu? (Pictures?)" Korin blinked.

"Togi Togeprii. (Pictures of us.)" Rafa repeats.

"And..." Takato trailed off, knowing there is more to his introduction.

"And you see... I'm the No.1 Photo Master!" Todd said proudly.

"Photo Masker?" Mairin misheard him.

"It's Master Mairin." Volkner corrected the young Sycamore, amused.

Mairin gave a sheepish smile in return, "My mistake."

"Photo Master huh?" Alain said.

"Impressive, but it would be better if you ask us instead of spying like that." ash said.

"Ahhh, but I like taking pictures while hiding, it makes my photos more exciting that way." Todd stated, happily.

The gang sweat dropped.

"... We see..." Brock said.

"Makes sense as well. You know how painting pictures capture the emotions of anyone painted? That's what Todd is doing but it's different." ash explained.

"Now that you mention it." Flint said.

"Oh... I don't get it." Mairin said.

"When Todd takes pictures of the Pokémon he captures his pictures display a memory of the past, something you'll always remember." ash explained more.

"Oh..." Takato and Mairin nodded, understood it now.

Todd nodded, agreeing with all of ash 's explanation, "Thats right. Taking Pokémon naturally is a perfect way to display a Pokémon and when I stumbled upon your group with various of Pokémon." Todd explained, excitedly, "Like the white Vulpix, those two Pokémon who were sleeping under a tree and the green dinosaur like Pokémon. I've never seen them before, so I had to take some!"

"How about we explain our Pokémon while we have lunch, you can join?" Brock offered.

"That'll be great!" Todd agreed.

✿ ---- ⇒ [Break Scene] ⇐ ---- ✿

Todd and the gang had pancakes for lunch and during lunch, Todd showed off all his pictures he ever took so far.

"Wow, these are very good pictures Todd." ash complimented, looking at each pictures.

"Thanks. But this one is one of my best shots." Todd said and showed them a picture of an Aerodactyl.

ash looked and winced at the memory of being captured by its claws.

"It's ash 's Aerodactyl." Mairin said.

ash nodded.

"Seriously? Explain, please?" Todd asked, shocked by this.

Brock explained to them about the incident they had a Grampa Canyon.

"Man, talk about a lucky call." Flint whistled, "But seriously Team Rocket are dumb."

"Dynamites at Canyon is plain stupid." Volkner added.

Takato laughed, "I said that to Team Rocket as well."

After finishing their lunch, the gang continued on their way.

Todd was with them, he was fascinated by the Pokémon the gang had and he wanted to take more pictures of them.

But, what they didn't know was that they were heading for trouble, a hole that is.

Team Rocket was on their tail and had set up a pitiful trap for them.

"AHHH!" The gang and Todd fell right into it.

"Okay... where did this trap come from?" Flint groaned, as he felt that someone was on his back.

"... Ow..." ash winced, she landed on top of Alain and Volkner, "Oops..." She got off them.

"Pikachu!" Light and Korin said.

"Ow..." Mairin groaned as she got up.

"Ahahahahaha!" A familiar laughter was heard and the motto was heard.

"Team Rocket." Takato said.

Zack growled at the them.

Brock got up, "Should've known it was them."

"What do you want now?" Alain demanded, seriously.

"We want all the Pokémon the kid has." Jessie pointed at Todd.

"Wha-?" Todd blinked, confused.

Volkner got up and turned towards the photographer, "You have Pokémon on you?" He asked.

Todd shook his head in negative, "No, I don't." He replied.

"What?!" Jessie and James exclaimed and then looked at the scratch cat Pokémon for an explanation, "Meowth!"

Meowth quickly explained that he seen an article about Todd, "It even says that you have capture hundreds of a Pokémon." He explained, "So, we want all your Pokémon."

"About that. I don't own any Pokémon at all. I do capture Pokémon but only on my camera." Todd said.

Meowth still had the article on him.

"Meowth, show me the article." James demanded.

Meowth hand the article page over.

James took a good look and read it probably, "He's right. It says that Todd is a Photographer and captures Pokémon on film." He read.

Meowth had a sheepishly expression, "Hehehehe, I must've miss that part." He laughed.

"Idiots." ash said.

The gang chuckled at that word, which was true.

WHACK!

"Mewouch!" Meowth held his busied head.

Jessie had whacked Meowth on the head because of his stupidity, "No matter. We'll just got the old way of grabbing the twerps Pokémon instead." She said.

ash sighs, she tossed a Pokéball into the air, "Yuki, Ice Beam!" She called out and out came her Alola fox Pokémon.

"Vul~" Yukimi fired an Ice Beam at Team Rocket, freezing them.

"Nice work." Flint climbed out of the hole, along with Brock.

One by one they both pulled out the others, while Team Rocket is still frozen in ice.

"Light, Korin, Thunderbolt them!" ash ordered.

Both Pikachu's launched an Thunderbolt, towards the ice and break it and blasting Team Rocket away into the sky.

"TEAM ROCKET IS BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" They screamed out.

"Chespin Ches Chespin. (They will never learn.)" Chespie shook his head, as the thieves were blasted away.

"Vulpix~~" Yukimi said.

"Wow." Todd said in awe as he looked at the white Vulpix, "So this is an Alola Vulpix up close. So beautiful."

Yukimi smiled, "Vulpix. (Thank you.)" She said.

ash chuckled, "She appreciated the compliment."

Todd took a beautiful photograph of Yukimi and last he took a picture of himself with the gang, as a remembrance that he had great friends.

✿ ---- ⇒ [Break Scene] ⇐ ---- ✿

One picture is worth a thousand words but a new friend is priceless.