DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokemon or anything recognisable in this story. (Surprising, I know.)
I finally updated as well. Yet another surprise.
Finding Gary Oak wasn't all that hard. After a few minutes wandering around Viridian Forest and getting swarmed by Beedrills, Ace had the brilliant idea of calling out for Gary.
"Gary Oak! Are you there?"
This in turn prompted a swarm of Pinsirs to come looking after them, hearings, what they presumed, were female Pinsir mating calls.
"Aaaahhhh!" The two Trainers screamed as they ran. This confused the Pinsirs whose would-be mates fled, making Heracross mating calls.
Ash then had the even more brilliant idea of actually calling Gary up.
"What's up, Ashy boy?" said Gary as his face filled the screen of the Xtranciever.
"Gary! Where in Viridian Forest are you?!" Ash demanded, with his trademark subtlety.
"Uh… near the centre. You know, the clearing with all the Spearows. It's amazing! Viridian Forest has the – "Ash snapped the device shut with a click.
"C'mon, let's go. You'll have enough time to hear him blabber when you meet Oak yourself." He said, turning the other way.
"But wait!" Ace called out. 'Aren't we lost?"
Ash came to a sudden stop. "Um, yeah" He said sheepish. "Maybe we should send out some Pokémon?"
Ace's eyes narrowed. "You are Ash Ketchum? The guy who travelled to almost all the regions? And you can't navigate through a forest as relatively small as Viridian which is literally 20 minutes away from your home?"
"Yeah…" Ash said, still with the expression of a Mareep.
"Pikachu…" Ash's starter jumped out of his bag and stretched and yawned. "Pika?"
"Hello there, Pikachu. How ya doin', buddy? You won't happen to know where Gary is, do ya?"
Pikachu shrugged. Or atleast, he did a decent job of making it seem that a small Mouse Pokémon could shrug.
"I'll get you ketchup later okay?"
Pikachu perked up. He emitted a spark of electricity from his cheeks, gave a determined 'Pika!' and stuck his nose out in the air.
"I don't think that Pikachu can – "Ace started.
"Shh!" Ash cut him off. Pikachu's ears twitched and he bounded towards the left.
"I know that Pikachu can't learn Odor Sleuth and don't really have powerful noses." Ash explained as they followed the Electric Type. "Pikachu uses his ears, but, well, he just likes to play along and I try to humour him."
"A Mouse that likes to pretend to smell." Ace said, deadpan. "Sure..."
Soon, they came to a stop as Pikachu bounded towards a crouching figure with brown, spiky hair.
"Gary!" Ash called out.
"Ash." Gary said, turning around. "Oh, and uh, Ace right?"
"That's me." Ace said, shaking the Junior Professor's hand.
"I guess this is about the PWT?" Gary said, sighing. "Just make it quick, I need to be doing something else now."
"Hey! The PWT is the only thing that matters! And besides, how'd you even know? I just found out this morning!" Ash cut in.
"There's more things in heaven and earth, Ashy boy, than are dreamt of in your –"
Ash cut in again. "Yeah, yeah I get it, Oak. Spare me the melodrama."
"Uh, there's a pretty simple reason why he knows, actually. I called him before coming to Pallet."
Ash stared at Ace, who had spoken. "Whaa- ? Why didn't you just call me then?"
Ace shrugged. "Gary was already assured to be picked. His knowledge of Pokémon as well as a credible career as a Trainer was enough to get him in."
Gary smirked. "Hear that?" he gloated. "I'm officially better!"
Ace went on speaking. "Since you don't have any tournament wins –"
"Orange League! Kanto Battle Frontier!" Ash exclaimed.
"– any credible, Pokémon League- recognized tournament wins."
Gary burst into peals of laughter. Ash visibly shrunk.
"But anyway, very few get to even be on the shortlist. That's why I was sent here, actually. To evaluate you. And you've passed, obviously."
Mollified, Ash cheered up slightly. "Okay then, I guess. "
"Anyway, back to business. Here you go." Ace said, handing Gary an envelope. "Oh and one for you too." He said, flicking another to Ash.
"They're your passes. Don't lose 'em"
"Okay then. Thanks. Now if you will, Ihave work to do."
"Woah, Gary, wait up!" Ash said as he stuffed his pass into his backpack. "Whatcha doing?"
Gary sighed, and spoke in his most condescending voice "Well, Ash, when a person as talented as me gets to be a Professor –"
"Junior Professor"
"It doesn't matter! I'm researching the Pidgey and Spearow in Viridian Forest right now. Highly important business. Now run along. Shoo!"
Ash shook his head. "We wanna help! Don't we, Ace?" he turned towards the other Trainer.
Ace just shrugged in answer.
Ash continued, "And besides, my Pidgeot's here! I left him here, ages ago, to defend his flock from that Fearow…and I promised that I'd come back for him…" Ash trailed off, slowly but promptly raised his hand in the air, his index finger pointing up. "He must've gotten a lot stronger! I've gotta meet him. And if he can forgive me…take him along to Driftveil. "Ash made a fist and gritted his teeth, fingers and teeth clenched in determination.
"Pikachu!" Ash's Pokémon echoed his Trainer.
Gary and Ace exchanged looks. Ace simply shrugged again and Gary sighed.
"Fine. Whatever.
Soon enough, a positively massive flock of Bird Pokémon passed by.
"Woah!" Ash exclaimed. "I know it's been years, but Holy Ho-oh, that's a lot!"
Gary agreed. "Well observed, Ashy boy. That's a lot of Bird Pokémon." He said snarkily. "But it's fascinating!" Some faux Proffesor Gary Oakishness started to creep into his voice. "It's unique. And it's not just the Spearow…"
And then an absolutely gigantic flock of Bird Pokémon passed by.
"Holy Lugia, that's a lot, indeed." Gary spoke for Ash. "The highest population in Kanto for sure. Most likely the world, to be confirmed after Professor 's Pidove census comes in. My job is to look into the reason for this. It might be one of the largest booms in the density of Pokémon in a certain area since…I don't know, really, I'll have to ask Gramps. But anyway, I think that the rivalry between the two different species has caused advanced mating and breeding seasons, not taking into account the inter-species cross-breeding as well. As I was saying, the Pidgey have traditionally been the more dominant here in terms of number quantity as well as quality that is, the presence of multiple Pidgeotto as compared to the weaker Spearow has caused the Spearow flocks to mostly concentrate around Viridian, in particular near Route . But apparently the Spearow have gotten very aggressive recently what with some Fearow being sighted and have essentially moved into the Pidgey territory, causing a turf war and much like in any war, both sides are, let's say conscripting soldiers. What I mean is that in essence the entire rivalry is what's causing advanced mating, crossbreeding and the astronomical rates of increase in new Spearow and Pidgey." Gary stopped, and furrowed his brow. "Damn. I said that last part earlier didn't I? Gramps always says that I always do that! I'll never get my dissertation right if I keep repeating hypotheses!" Gary wailed.
"Yeah. Pidgey. Right. Sure. Yeah…" Ash's eyes had glazed over slightly. He didn't do too well with more than 50 words at a time. "I'm gonna try and find my Pidgeot."
And surely enough a blur of Bird Pokémon appeared, a swarm of yellow and brown feathers. Ash reacted quickly. "Pikachu, Electro Ball!" His Pokémon reacted quickly too, letting loose a sphere of Electricity towards the oncoming Flying types.
Cries of "Pidge-!", "-ey!" "-otto!" and even a few of "-eot!" filled the air.
"Whoa, stop what're you doing?!" the cries of Oak filled the air too. "There's plenty of baby Pokémon in there, and besides have you seen the number of Pidgettoes? We can't fend off so many, and we can't hurt them either. I think there's a Pidgeot too!"
"Exactly." Ash smiled.
"Pidgeot!" And sure enough a Pidgeot came out to answer the brash Electro Baller.
"Pidgeot!" Ash replied, because sure enough, it was indeed his own old Pokémon.
"Pidgeot!" Said Pokémon called back Tackling Ash to the ground, all thoughts of vengeance gone.
"Pika!" The assailant joined in for the group hug.
"Uh…"
"Yeah this is pretty common." Gary answered Ace. "An everyday thing to be honest. Meeting a long lost Pokémon or rival or some super rare Pokémon, catching a new one, battling et cetera. All in a day's work for Ashy boy." Gary sighed. "If not, then it's probably a filler episode."
"Uh, filler…?"
As if on cue, a mass of red and white with some brown mixed in streaked past. And collided with the stationary Pidgey and Pidgeotto. And just like that the temporary truce broke. Shrieks and Screeches, Gusts, Pecks and Tackles were rife as the Birds attacked each other, Spearow on Pidgey and Fearow on Pidgeotto.
"Pidgeot!" Ash's Bird joined the fray as well, getting accosted by a larger than usual Fearowm.
Gary groaned. "I know this would happen. You're upsetting the status quo, Ash! Nature is all about balance, the two sides are even right now so there's relative peace and harmony. You take away a leader like Pidgeot and it'll get messy."
"Huh. Okay. Let's just stop the fighting for now." Ash turned to Pikachu. "Electro Ball!"
"Pikapika!" The Mouse obliged, frying the lot of Birds with another sphere of Electricity.
"Hey, knock it off!" Gary complained. "I said no hurting the Pokémon! Stop Electro Balling everything that moves!"
Ace agreed. "Thunder Wave is a move that exists for this purpose y'know?"
But Ash's methods had worked. The flock of Flying types were subdued but not really hurt.
"Electro Ball. The faster the user is than the target, the greater the damage. Pikachu's fast, but these Pidgeys, Pidgeottoes, Spearows and Fearows aren't really slouches either. I know my Pokémon, I know its abilities. Chill out y'all." Ash waved them away.
Ace nodded. "So it didn't do much damage it just…wait for it...shocked them."
Ash ignored him. "Now about the status whatever. I want my Pidgeot back, I made a promise and I'm gonna keep it." Ash said, determined. "How can I do it?"
Gary shook his head. "Pidgeots in the wild are very rare. I'd say that this one is a very big deciding force in the Bird vs Beak turf war. Pidgey and Spearow are about even, but a Fearow is generally more powerful than a Pidgeotto…"
Gary rambled on a bit after that but Ash had already tuned out after the 40th word. Ace had too, deciding to take advantage of the temporary dazedness of the Birds and the Beaks.
"Hey Gary, how many Pokémon are you carrying right now?" Ace asked, innocently.
Gary was taken aback. Getting interrupted wasn't something he liked. After all, nobody did so when his Gramps started talking. "Just Umbreon and Electivire, why?"
"Pass me a spare PokéBall will ya?"
"I have one." Ash offered.
Ace shook his head. "Gary?"
"Uh…fine. Whatever." Gary tossed a red and white capsule over.
Ace took out one of his own, but one that contained Luxray. The feline called out its name as it came out, stretching itself.
"Hey buddy, sorry for calling on you again after that battle but could you just help me out again?"
"Ray!" It exclaimed its affirmation.
"Awesome. Now, use Shock Wave on that Fearow over there, the one that's a bit bigger than the rest, next to the Pidgeot."
"Lux!" Luxray's body was surrounded in light blue electricity as it released a beam from its body, right at the Fearow. "Fearrr!" The Beak Pokémon snapped out of the Electro Ball-induced shock.
"Huh. That's a tough one." Ace said as the Fearow attempted a Drill Peck on Luxray. "Iron Tail! Get it away from the rest."
"Luxray!" The Iron appendage swung around, batting Fearow away, towards the trees and away from its comrades, leaving it free and wide open."
"Game over. Thunder!"
Fearow was quite literally a tough old bird, but not even the leader of the Beaks could stand against Luxray's Thunder. Ace promptly chucked the PokéBall.
The Ball shook a little but soon enough, the blink of light came and the capture was signaled.
"Congrats, Junior Professor Oak." Ace picked up the ball. He turned around to face Gary. "Here ya go, a brand new Pokémon, it's even registered in your name, assuming you bought the PokéBall legally." Ace said dryly as he tossed it over to Gary.
"But…but…sta-quo…?" Gary sputtered, looking at the Ball.
Ace shrugged. "Shouldn't be too bad, I'd say that the Pidgeot and the Fearow were about even. "
Gary took a deep breath. "Fine." He kept the PokéBall in his jacket pocket. "I'll monitor the situation in Viridan for a couple of weeks more…but it shouldn't be too bad."
"Yeah! Chill out Gary! Leave the thinking to the real Professors." said Ash.
Gary scowled, and flipped the bird as he walked away, rather fittingly.
The two Bird flocks were still there, but rather confused. With a few Snarls, Growls and Howls from Luxray (it hadn't learned Roar yet, to its eternal shame) the Birds went away, presumably to have PokéElections or however Pokémon picked their leaders.
"Well that's that. I got me my Pidgeot back. Gary-o got a new Poképresent. What now?"
Ace looked at Ash, bemused by the question. "You're Pokémon Trainers…You just got two new Pokémon. You battle. Obviously."
It's been a while...
I know. I apologise. I can't promise on how soon I can update but rest assured it won't take as long as this one did.
I hope you enjoyed! Please Review!
Thanks!
