The breeze of the ocean was soothing upon his skin, almost enough for him to yawn. As Ash leaned agaisnt the railing of the Ferry-boat, he appreciated the setting sun. The five day trip was due tomorrow, when they would reach Melemele Island, and the tranquility of it was a bit jarring for him.
Ash could complain all he wanted about the universe throwing curve balls at him, but in the end he'd always enjoy the challenge that was bound to come following such moments. He looked up, seeing the crow-nest, and smiled a bit. Charizard decided to accompany them at least until they reached mainland, the trainer not really being able to dissuade the worries of the flying flame lizard. The Fire-type had been taking care of guard watch, ensuring that in the rare chance of the boat meeting a agressive wild mon, it would stay away from the boat.
Normally the captain's own pokemon would take the shift, but Ash asked for Charizard to cover it. So far no incident had happened, so the captain had been overjoyed. It was usual to see at least one or two attacks happening, a wild pokemon thinking it had stumbled upon a full course meal. When none came to bother the boat four days in the journey, the captain of the "Mighty Kingdra" was overjoyous, going so far as to offer a job for Ash as a permanent spotter.
He laughed to himself at the comical face the captain made when he was rejected. Vacations, sorry.
The trainer digged into his baggy short's pocket for a few seconds. He looked around him to make sure neither Pikachu nor his mother were close before he pulled out a cigarrete pack. One of the few "bad" habits Ash had picked on Kalos was of hitting the smoke when nothing was going on. He, by nature, was a action-oriented teen and all the peace and quiet was hitting a nerve with him. Not that Ash wanted conflict, but a little event would be appreciated.
He put the cancer stick on his lips and dug into his pocket to get a lighter. He lit the cigarrete, taking a slow drag and filling his lungs with smoke before slowly letting it out. An annoyed squeak came from the corner, his yellow partner complaining about the habit. Ash gave a slight head bow, but otherwise continued smoking. It helped him relax.
Pikachu shook his head sideways, making his way over to the shoulder farther from the smoke trail. The rodent nuzzled into Ash, making some static to call the trainer's attention. His objective complete, the mon pointed to the crow-nest, where Charizard's tail lightened the surroundings.
"Sure, let's see the big guy." Ash stored the pack and lighter into his pockets, walking towards the stairs that would take him to the top. On his way, many waved or nodded to him, the teen giving aknowledgement of his own. Tourists came in all times to Alola, so even during the "weak" season, there were many faces from different Regions. A few came to talk to him, many recognizing him from his recent stunt in Kalos.
He had to dodge a few, excuses such as "I just really look like that Ketchum fellow", or "I take inspirations from him" were just get-out cards, seeing as if he confirmed his identity, the League would be on his neck in a day or two.
A trainer with black hair a Pikachu on his shoulders, while oddly specific, wasn't that uncommon.
Ash Ketchum, however, was a whole other story.
Ash finished his ciggar, throwing the butt-end into a close by bin, and headed into the crow-nest. Charizard looked up from his curled position, cracking open one lazy eye to confirm his trainer's presence, before closing it again and huffing out some smoke out of his nostrils. The trainer laughed at the behavior, pulling another cancer stick and using the conveniently lit tail to light it. Pikachu complained once more, using his paws and tail to beat Ash over the head.
Charizard wasn't really bothered by the smoke; in fact, the fire lizard was glad his trainer had picket on the habit, seeing as that made him closer to the fire-type. Ash sat down and leaned against the warm scales of the dragon's powerful body and relaxed against the body heat.
"Heya, Char char." Ash called teasingly. The response was only a light movement of the reptilian's wing coupled with another smoky huff. Pikachu called out to both, pissed off at the "smoke-stackers". Ash simply let out his own smoke-filled breath, the rodent emitting into a dangerously high pitched noise. "Watch out, watch out! Can't piss Pikachu off! He spent all morning getting his fur into prime condition. You bet he has a few young-ones out there, what'cha think Char?"
A soft growl let his throat and a smirk settled into the lizard's maw. Pikachu waved off the teasing, making a posse as if to say, "Can't help I'm so good with the ladies!". Ash scratched under the rodent's chin, the mouse letting out a pleased noise. Another smug expression became fixated on Pikachu's face as the mon pointed at Ash and did a few gestures, some not entirely decent. "You could get lucky, not like there was much in your way."
Ash scoffed. "You know it doesn't work like that!" A pause for another exhale of smoky air. "I was focused on other things, and it was not like I could simply stuff it in the girls with everyone around. Pretty embarrassing to wake the camp if I pulled some moves. It's not like I could pull a 'Pikachu' and duck into some bushes for half-hour and come back like nothing happened."
Pikachu tried to make another point, but Ash cut him.
"In Kanto, Brock was with us 24/7, right next to our sleeping bags. Misty was not the silency-type when talking, imagine it during the deed. We had a few chances during the Orange Islands, but Tracey hopped along right up and someone," Ash patted the Orange scales of Charizard, "was having an emo phase. Johto was the same as Kanto; In Hoenn, the crew became bigger with May and Max, and I wasn't about to nail his sister with him so close by, just one call away from Norman. I still like my balls where they are Pi, I was kinda hopping to have them for a long while."
The yellow mon was short of arguments. The other journeys had also something to add on to his trainer's plate. Sinnoh had been a bag full of trouble, that with meeting the Literal God, Arceus, and dealing with Team Plasma, there was little time to diddle with Dawn. Besides, the bluenette was something of a begginer with everything related to traveling and pokemon, so helping her getting her bearings was the priority instead, not bedding the girl.
Unova...
Well, we don't really talk about Unova. Iris was alright, but her constant nagging and patronizying of him was really annoying. Added on that was Cilan and his...flamboyant tendencies, and mustering any libido was definitifely not a high priority in Unova.
Kalos had also been like that, Clemont and Bonnie being nice companions, but their adition to the group meant he had to cut short any intention on more mature interactions with Serena. Her farewell kiss was a reminder of his stressful situation.
These vacations were a blessing, where he could kick back and relax, not having to deal with anything like that for a while.
Ash patted Pikachu on the head and finished his second smoke. "A little help here Pi? Mom doesn't really like the smell too." The rodent shook his head sideways, the patronizying type, before he waved his tail around, building some electricity around it. Soon the smoke-filled air was cut by the sharp smell of ozone.
The following day came fast. The tourists were just like angry Beedrill, buzzing about and anxious to get into land. Melemele could alredy be seen, the boat not having any bothersome stops due to wild attacks. Ash came to the deck, his mother just behind him.
He was dressed in simple blue beach shorts and his usual hat, Pikachu as always hitching a ride on his shoulder. Delia was dressed in a bikini, many men oggling at her toned body. For a housewife, Delia was extremely fit. Not that he was losing in the body department, seeing as his seven years uninterrupted travels gave himm a physic that attracted many glances from some of the females.
Many small scars littered a few places, proof of his travels and preferred pokemon training method, hands-on the job. He wondered if he should scare away the inevitable annoyances that would follow up whenever his mother decided to dress up, but the woman herself decided to cut short the trouble. She latched into his free arm, careful that they were simply linking arms. Enough to dissuade any pushy idiot.
"Shall we enjoy the day, Mister Trainer?" She teased him. He returned a smirk of his own.
"By all means, please."
The boat soon reached the dock, Mimey coming out of his mother's cabin with her luggage. As the docking finished and the passengers were freed to climb out, the Ketchums made their way into the local inn. Of course Ash could use the local Pokemon center, his license would get him top rooms, but he hoped to lay low and that meant not using his trainer I.D.
The international bank guaranteed his privacy when it came to his location, so there was no money problem for him. League related facilities, however, were out of the equation for now.
Their luggage properly stored away, the family went to enjoy the day at the beach. Delia was beyond delighted when she found a nice, shaded spot to relax, sun-bathe, read a nice book and drink some pina collada. The tropical trend of the place was relaxing and animated, local music played constantly by various stalls hoping to attract customers.
Ash sat by her side, also sporting a drink, and watched the rush as many people made themselves comfortable on the sand. Pikachu was lazying about, curled into a ball over the towel extended for him atop the sand and under a parasol. The atmosphere of Alola was one of fun all around.
There were some stalls close to the water, many tourists chatting close by it.
"Mom." She merely dropped her sunshades, trying to do a cool look. "Pikachu and I are going to look for something cool to do, you'll be fine?" He glanced around, trying to find Mimey. The pyschic was close, lying under a parasol. Close to him was a cooler full of icecreams, the fairy-type already enjoying one. Not much in the department of personal protection.
"Go on darling, Me and Mimey will be fine. Go have some fun, you deserve it!" Ash looked over them for a few seconds before he knelt down to grab his bag. He took a worn looking pokeball and a few bills in cash. He dropped the pokeball in Delia's hand, making the woman look up to him.
"If you need it, just in case." He said, turning to leave. Charizard decided to stay for a while, grumbling and huffing smoke. Ash wanted to release his partner, but one thing was letting the dragon out in the boat; it was a completely different story if he let the draconic lizard out in a public beach like that.
*Release*
Immediately, Delia had pressed the release trigger, allowing the orange dragon out. A wave of heat washed over them and anything in a 50 meter radius. Many curious onlookers wanted to know what had done that, many regretting their curiosity as they found the draconic menace looking curiously over them.
"MOM!"
"Oh shush now! What is the matter? Let Charizard stretch his wings and relax too!" She chastisided him, not paying atention to the onlookers and the currently Officer Jenny running their way. He could get charged if the Jenny decided that letting out Charizard like that was dangerous, especially in a populated zone like this.
He sighed, looking squint-eyed to the dragon in question. Charizard merely curled into the spot, hopping to avoid any fallout coming his way. Delia looked around, feeling a bit ashamed by the many onlookers.
"What in bloody Distortion do you think you are doing?! Letting out a A-Class pokemon like that! What if it had-" Ash tunned out the string of harshly spoken words, looking over to the stands for something to entertain himself. As he found a sign with "Sharpedo Rush!", he made to walk that way. Unfortunately, the Jenny tagged him as the trainer, seeing Pikachu on his shoulders.
"YOU! What type of trainer-"
"Officer." His tone changed from easy-going to serious in an instant. "My mother and I are on vacations over here. She doesn't know Pokemon related laws when dealing with high crowds, seeing as she is a civilian. I allowed the release of my pokemon and can assure you that Charizard won't misbehave. His training is top notch. There will not be any incident, stand at ease." The woman blinked when she realized she had saluted him, almost as if talking to a high ranking officer. She looked conflited, seeing such a powerful pokemon just appear like that.
There were many regulations when it came to dealing with pokemon inside cities and highly populated areas. Especially if they belonged to B-class and above.
Charizard was classified as a A-class pokemon, which meant that he was undoubtely powerful, and could have a temper. For someone who didn't look important to just release such a monster close to civilians, that could have gone rather badly.
Ash supressed a groan. He went back to his bag and pulled his trainer's I.D. Jenny's eyes read the paper and she paled. Shouting at someone of high-rank could have her demoted for insubordination. Staining the name of the Jenny clan was something that could not happen. She prepared to apologize in her knees when the teen in front of her waved his hands.
"Don't worry about it, it was my fault for not warning mom beforehand. We'll be more careful from now on, so plese let me slide this one?" He said with an eased tone. The Jenny, eyes already polling with tears, nodded rather fiercely. "Great! I'm sorry to disturb your job ma'am so please let me make it up for you."
"N-no don't w-worry about it. I should have been more undestanding before simply yelling your way." Both gave a timed head bow. Ash waved goodbye at the Jenny as she made her way into one of the stalls, instantly sitting over a stool and slumping over the balcon.
The trainer sighed and looked at his mother.
"I'm sorry?"
Ash enjoyed the rushing wind and water passing over as he sped away. Pikachu, safely holding on his shoulders, squeaked excitedly at their high speed. The duo was atop a Sharpedo, the Water/Dark type being the provider of the high speed fun they were having.
One of the attractions Ash found at the beach was this ride. There were other people around, many opting for the calmer Lapras ride. Ash understood that such adrenaline filled ride was not for those faint of heart, so he merely nodded at the Trasportation Pokemon, being reminded of his own friend. He didn't allow the melancholy get to him and proceeded to continue his fun.
"Let's go Sharpedo! Let's aim to brake any previous speed record there was before!" The shark pokemon snarled positively, speeding away to avoid disturbing the calmer waters alloted for Lapras ride.
There were some locals who also were enjoying Sharpedo runs, but none were confident they could follow the tanned trainer. He rode confidently, allowing Sharpedo to easily reach and maintain top speed as he followed every move the pokemon made. The waters were split apart, splashing and rising as a hypnotic rythm of wild moves were performed.
The owner of the Sharpedo Rush was staring at the trainer, eyes and mouth wide. Not even the locals attempted to ride Sharpedos in top speed for long, lest they either be thrown off or mess their position, ruining aerodinamics and losing speed. It was hard to bred and train Sharpedos to calm down and swin at reasonable rates; it was in their nature to rush out and swin the fastest they could. Their Dark-type enforced their agressive nature and made calming them all the more difficult.
Yet a foreign tourist was giving one of his fastest Sharpedos the time of its life, matching shark as no one else could. It was all kinds of impressive. It was ludicrous, and he'd likely not believe anyone that told him such a tale if he wasn't seeing it display right in front of him.
Ash, on his part, was just havving fun, allowing the earlier stress to dissipate. Later he would make sure that the Officer Jenny wouldn't alert the League of his presence here. Nothing dramatic for sure, he would merely call out to her and ask her not to mention it. He'd hate to have to pull rank on her, and honestly hoped to not have to do so.
As he continued his wild spins and moves, Ash was called by Pikachu. He looked at where the pokemon pointed and he felt the air shift. It was something quick and no one would really notice, but Ash was more sensitive to abnormal events. He asked Sharpedo to slow down, the pokemon saddening at the prospect, but obeying the fun trainer. As they slowed to a more normal speed, Ash let his eyes roam and search for anything out of the norm.
The trainer closed his eyes and focused, his life-force calling his atention towards something. Melemele Island was calm and enjoyable, the ambience was wonderful and the people were friendly. Yet, there was something wrong with the aura of the place. It felt like it was rushing to stitch itself together, as if something had ripped the fabric of space, but realized the mistake and was doing some sort of patch job to fix it.
Aura Sight activated and even with his eyes closed, Ash could see. See the cracks in the aura of Space. Something happened to Palkia?
As he stopped pumping aura into his eyes, his vision returned to normal. Even so, now that he was aware of it, he could still see it. Thin, just like hair, lines atop the sky over the island. Something wasn't correct here.
*SWWWWWOOOOOOOSHHHHHHHHH*
Pikachu's head snapped into the direction of the noise, Ash following just after him. They didn't capture anything within eye sight, but the lingering power could be felt. Ash could almost taste the electicity in the air. A new creation of Arceus? He wouldn't create a new Legendary for nothing. Unknown species maybe? Or a legend I haven't heard of.
Ash shook his head. "Don't worry about it Pi! We came here for vacations, so let's enjoy the hell of out this vacation!" He announced with child-like joy, procceding to shout for the shark pokemon he was riding. "Come on Sharpedo! Let me see your real speed! Do you know Extreme Speed?" The Dark-type shook his head, excited for the prospect of gaining speed once more, but a bit dissapointed for not knowing such a speedy sounding move. Pikachu squeaked for the sharp, gaining its atention with a few sweet sounding words. The shark pokemon maliciously smirked at the idea, and waited a new command from the trainer of the yellow rodent.
"How about Agility?" A positive nod this time. "Great. Now let me thing about how we're doing this." Ash poundered for a few seconds, some ideas forming on his mind."Hey, you wouldn't happen to also know Aqua Jet, would you?" The Brutal Pokemon caught the idea quickly. Shining as he gathered energy for Agility, the shark was also focusing on the water surrounding him. Soon, the trio was covered in a watery veil as Sharpedo accelerated much to fast.
Speed bluring his sight, Ash and Pikachu held on tightly on the rough skin of the shark, laughing manniacaly, as the watery torpedo that was the group rushed closer to the beach. They kept far enough to not disturb anyone, but much closer to civilian eyes. Many were trapped by the sight of the trainer riding the shark, now doing flips and even wilder moves.
Fueled by adrenaline and wishing to not be bothered, Ash shouted excitedly. Pikachu chittered and followed him, shouting and gathering atention as they rode the Sharpedo, doing more and more stunts. Many awed looks stared at them, and that day the businesses working by the beach boomed with tourists, many wishing to see the expectacle that was happening there.
Soon, many tourists went to Sharpedo Rush, hoping to do the same thing. Many hoped that the trainer, whom they didn't know, was a native willing to teach or at least take them on such a fun looking ride. The owner looked a bit overwhealmed at his sudden new public, many tourists holding fat pokedollar bills that he definitifely wanted in his wallet. Many had already nicknamed him the ride "The King of the Seas".
Oh how unknowningly right they were about that.
A body fell on the bed of the inn with an audible "Thump", the teen groaning pleasantly at the tired feeling his body had. How long had it been since he felt so carefree?
"Someone had fun today!" Delia entered the room, drying her hair with a towel. Her statement was answered with another groan, this time coming from the yellow rodent at the teen's side. The duo had spent much a relaxing and fun day, the mild annoyance during the Sharpedo rush forgotten in favor of his time spent enjoying himself.
"I'll let you boys relax. If you need me, I'll be in my room Ashy." She had used such an old nickname of his that he couldn't help but stare at her with eyebrows raised and retort. "What, you impersonating Gary know mom?"
She smiled and drapped the towel over her dainty shoulders. "Come on Ashy, it's such a cute nickname. I think it suits you rather perfectly!" The sweet way she said that made him close one eye, letting the other stay half-lidded. If only she knew that the yougner Oak only called him that way to berate him in their younger days. Now it was more of a tradition between them, but it felt weird being called something he hadn't heard in about five years.
Delia made her way out of his room and waved at him by the door before she exited it. Ash laid still in his bed for a few minutes, enjoying the softness of the mattress for a while. Eventually, his impatience won and he rose from it. Pikachu laid still, too tired to follow his trainer. He mumbled "Lazy furball" under his breath, but a few sparks of lightining told him that the rodent had heard him. He smirked.
The trainer left the soft comfort of his bed and headed to a window. He searched his pockets for the pack of cigarets, and took one of the cancer sticks, lighting it up and taking a deep breath. Smoke filled his lungs as he leaned on the window, letting the smoke flow outside his room in favor of not disturbing his partner.
He pondered a while, considering what to do the following day. Repeating the day's activities would take the fun out of it, so he wanted to opt for something different. Exploring the island sounded nice, maybe he could strike up some friendship with the local pokemon. Alola had its' fair share of unique pokemon, so he felt compeled to adventure. Old habits die hard, seeing as he almost reached for his belt, not unlike he was about to pull out a pokeball to try and capture a new partner.
He chuckled, remembering that Alola didn't had a official League, hence why he chose the place for vacations in first place. The trainer took another puff of his cigarette, wondering what he was to do. For now, he secured the cancer stick in his lips, using his hands as support to jump off the window. Bendind his knees to absorb the impact, he walked over the soft sand, going to the closeby Pokemon Center. He left Charizard there to rest and do a check-up, seeing as he would let the draconian fire lizard go home. The Fire-type already had done enough in escorting and staying with them. Besides, the teen bet that Charizard was already missing Charla, his female companion.
Yeah, Charizard wasn't Ash's strongest pokemon as a joke. He had become the leader of Charicific Valley, proving to be the currently strongest Charizard there. Being able to face a Entei wasn't something your run of the mill Charizard could do, so the alpha position had been his for the taking.
Ash once more smirked, imagining how Charizard'd have challenged just about every oponent after they stopped the Unown, back when he was about 11. Fun times!
He reached the center quite fast, the center of the city shining with light. Even during the high hours of the night, the tourists were still out, seeking amusement and fun that Melemele Island could provide. There was music playing, a more casual beat, befitting of the time. Hula-hula and fire dancers presented their shows, combining efforts with local pokemon to appear even more intertaining. There were matching birds, their color their only difference, that were dancing together. It was impressive, seeing all these different and unknown pokemon made Ash want to pull out a pokedex and research them.
He felt his mouth water at the prospect of battling, or even simply meeting and getting to know these pokemon, but he controled himself and focused on his objective. As he passed by a clearing, oddly like a battle arena, he spotted a powerful looking man. He was dressed like a local, had a deep tanned skin and a weird bracelet on his wrist. The locals were very respectful of him, and tourists hardly approached him, so being cautious, Ash followed their example and stayed clear off the man.
The trainer spotted the Pokemon Center and quickened his step towards it, finishing his smoke and throwing the butt of the ciggar into the nearby trash bin. He felt eyes settle into his back, and ever his discreetly, the teen looked over his right shoulder. The tanned man, appearently a "Kahuna" (if he heard correctly the nearby questioning tourists), was staring straight at him. Ash ignored the look, continuing to make his way into the Center.
"Good Evening! Pokemon Center, how may we help you?" The pink haired woman manning the counter asked, her voice a perfectly business-like tone.
"Uh, yeah, good evening. I left my pokemon here earlier for some rest; came to pick him up." He answered, pulling the receipt he received earlier. He hadn't given them his Trainer I.D, so he had to pay up in cash. At least they didn't question him about his ownership of a Class-A pokemon. People in Alola were either careless, or too free-spirited; both very convenient for the trainer in his current predicament.
"Of course, right this way sir!" She smiled and signed for him to follow her. They walked into a near room, the double doors parting to reveal a sauna-like space, where lots of Fire-types were relaxing. It was the dry type of sauna, so there were no cranky pokemon inside. He immediately spotted Charizard, the dragon being the biggest pokemon there. The girl stayed by the door, smart, considering the typing of the pokemon inside the room, hence a rather high temperature.
"Heya, big guy!" Ash called the atention of his mon, the fire lizard looking at him with lazy eyes. A small gout of flame exited his mouth, Charizard lifting himself from his curled position and slowly stomped his way towards Ash. The other fire-types didn't stood in his way, none willing to piss off the stronger mon.
The trainer pat the dragon on the belly, the scales truly warm to the touch. Charizard merely continued his way out, yawning and showing the pearly white fangs inside his maw. As trainer and pokemon left the sauna, the pinkette following behind them, their way was stopped by a rather familiar looking man.
Ash double checked, making sure that the man in front of him was not Professor Oak. He looked a lot like him, but there were subtle differennces between the two men. The eyes were the most obvious, whereas Prof. Oak had experienced and firm eyes, this man had warm and innocent eyes. The hair-do was also a sure difference.
"Oh, hello there! That's a fine and strong lookin' pokemon there fella!" The man exclaimed,approaching them with a quick step. Charizard eyed the newcomer, rapidly deciding the man was no threat to his trainer but still, the fire dragon kept his guard up.
"He enjoys the compliments, don't let the grumpy face throw you off." Ash joked, pointing to the fire type. The man closed in, circling the duo and nodding to himself a few times.
"It sure looks like that! I haven't seen many pokemon exude such lifeforce and aura, he could easily pass any island challenge. Say, young trainer, you wouldn't by any chance be someone that Professor Kukui called over, would you?" The question was a direct one for sure. Ash immediately shook his head sideways.
"Not looking for any battles right now. I'm here for vacantions, so don't worry about any challeges, I don't plan on anything like that."
The man still eyed both Ash and Charizard. The Fire-type was getting annoyed at the intrusive newcomer, and huffed smoke from his nostrils, showing his annoyance. The man backed off, seeing that he was upsetting a dangerous pokemon.
"Sorry 'bout that, many peepy teens haven been being a bother over Malie City. That kind of disburbance gets in the way of my research, so I hope you get my point. Hahahaha!" The man raised his arms and showed his hands, before booming a sort of weird laughter. Ash pursed his lips, hoping to get away from the weird man.
"Yeah, I understand. A friend on mine also complains alot about having his researches interrupted, but in his case the circumstances are different. Well, hope you have a good night sir!" The man moved and followed the duo of trainer and pokemon outside the Center.
The nurse on the side merely sighed, feeling completely ignored.
Ash, outside of the Center, moved to one of the bigger stalls. Many tourists eyes him, the big fire lizard behind him a good attention grabber. The following man also was a factor in that.
"What are you here for, young man? As I can see, you're quite an acomplished trainer, to have such a powerful pokemon follow you around so obediently. Normally, such agressive and powerful pokemon tend to avoid crowds, yet your Charizard seems to be just fine." The man continued following them, making statements as Ash sat on the nearby stool.
There was a man occuping the counter. He approached Ash and presented a colorful menu. Ash thanked the bartender, eyes skimming over the menu for a instant. Charizard settled by his side, eyeing the Aspear Berries exposed in a glass container. The duo hoped that the tanned man would leave them alone, their wish not granted as he sat on a stool at Ash's left and signed to the bartender. A few moments later, the bartender came back with a bottle holding a murky, browinish liquid. He settled the bottle between the two men, putting two cups over.
Ash sighed. He pointed to the glass container with the bitter Berries and towards his pokemon. The bartender raised his eyebrows, but Ash nodded and pulled out his wallet, settling some bills over the counter. Immediately, the container was set in front of Charizerd, the lizard thanking his trainer with a nod, before he picket a few Berries and put them in his maw, a soft glow lit inside of it as the mon softened the berries under the heat, before eating them.
"You're awfully talkative for someone that seemed rather annoyed at my presence here, sir..." He let the question hang on the air to see if the man would take it.
"Samson. Professor Samson. Researching Kanto-Alola variants." The professor took the bottle and filled both cups, offering one to the trainer.
"Right...Professor Samson. As I stated before, I'm only here for vacations. Nothing more, nothing less." Ash spoke calmly, not taking his cup, but waiting the bartender to come back. Said bartender was "busy" chatting up with a tourist, a blonde woman. The trainer sighed, scratching the back of his neck, a habit of his when stressed or embarassed. Charizard seemed content with his berries, some passing people looking and enjoying the show the Fire lizard was putting on.
The professor hummed, nursing his now empty cup. "When Ricardo starts talking with a beauty like that one he takes his time. If you're waiting to order, I suggest you take a sip with me." Samon pointed to the cup he had set in front of Ash. The teen raised his brow. Can't this guy take a hint?
Ash huffed, feeling his annoyance build up. He stood up and coughed once, making Charizard look at him. One nod and both left the bar. The professor stayed in his place, feeling rather miffed by the sharp attitude of the teen. That had been a first for sure; people usually would give anything they had to talk with a professor, even if only for a few minutes. Being in the good side of a Professor would be extremely beneficial for any trainer worth their badges. For him to be brushed aside meant that he was talking either with a fool or a veteran trainer backed by the League. No fool could control a Charizard, especially one with a white tipped flame.
It was common sense that a Charizard's tail flame was indication of their health, but a fact often overlooked was that such flame also indicated their power. Of course no sane person would be staring at fire like that, however, one only need to look at the air around the pokemon. The more distorted the air around it, the stronger it was. This was more of a general rule when dealing with Fire-types, but the lines that had fire sprouting from some body part were especially true to this: Charizard, Thyplosion, Infernape, etc.
"Red" and yellow fire meant a healthy pokemon with regular power. Blue-ish tints amoung the flames meant a step-up from the regular fire-type; White flames, however, meant that that pokemon had mastered its' Fire nature.
Samson filled his cup and downed it in one go. He hoped the trainer would let this one slide, he was merely a worried researcher, someone that loved the Alola islands, and naturally was warry towards strangers. The Professor sighed and downed another shot of his drink.
Far from the noise and drunkards, Ash and Charizard sat on the sandy grounds of the beach, apreciating the night sky. The stars were bright, like jewels that would always be outside man's reach. The trainer wondered about his luck, finding such a troublesome person right off the bat. He huffed, searching his pockets for his cancer sticks.
He used Charizard's tail flame to lit the ciggarete, blowing smoke at the draconic lizard. The mon rolled his eyes, expelling a tiny amount of oily smoke through his nostrils. Both smirked at each other, appreciating the stars. He almost forgot about the presence stalking him, but alas, his senses were sharp, sometimes more than what he would like. The draconian pokemon also knew about their "visitor", but so far was waiting for Ash to dictate any action. The trainer shook his head.
Charizard huffed, showing discontentment, but obeyed. That, however, didn't meant that he had to accept such rude behavior towards himself and his trainer.
A snarl left his throat, pearly white fangs exposed. The maw of sharp death lit with fire, Charizard fixing his gaze at their "guest". The white hot fire building inside the furnace that was his gut begged to be released, yet he held it in. Show, don't tell.
The hidden "creature" flinched, such heavy killer intent bearing over it like a physical presence; whoever it was, it undestood one thing: wronging this person meant death. No strings attached, no deals, death was bound to come. The creature opted for a non-antagonistic approach, merely leaving what it wanted to give the trainer on the ground and flying away.
Charizard stopped, his trainer patting his armored abdomen to pacify his "anger".
"Buddy."
Charizard looked over his trainer, long neck bending to allow Ash to scratch just under his jaw.
The trainer held the cancer stick in one hand, using the other to attend to his partner. ~Inhale, Exhale.
"Getting a bit cranky, aren't you? How long has it been since you've seen Charla?" The pokemon used his tail to wack the trainer over the head. The teen laughed. "I'll be fine here, bud. I got Pikachu with me; you, on the other hand, need to relax."
"~Grrrrrhhhh~" A rumbling noise left Charizard's throat. The mon's eyes seemed to talk. Can't leave you alone, there is something not right here.
Ash's muddy brown eyes flared with blue-ish light, barely enough to be registered. "I know."
Another gnarl, together with a huff of smoke. Why then? You've done enough for Them, you deserve rest!
The trainer turned around, eyes set on the horizon, where Aether Paradise Island was. High in the sky, far from normal human reach, was where the major cracks in reality were. The concentration of aura there was stronger than any other place around a 100km radius, as the surrounding aura focused there to repair the anomaly.
"I'll be fine, I swear!" Ash turned and reasured his partner. The fire lizard was still unsure, wanting to stay by his trainer, his friend. Yet, he respected this man.
"See, that wasn't hard! Here," Ash pulled more bills from his wallet and Charizard's shrunk pokeball. "Take the ferry tomorrow back to Kanto and fly back to Charific Valley. You have been at the ranch since I came from Unova, surely competition for the Alpha position must be high, right?" Ash smuggly nudged the lizard, the mon huffing at him. They smirked once more and turned to look back at the stars.
The Song of the Sea played in his head, his proximity from the ocean the major factor. The tune wasn't enough to fully calm him, but it served as a reminder that it wasn't the first time he was dealing with an event like this.
Except that whatever was going on here, it was rather big in scale.
He looked at the item their earlier visitor left, a white bracelet with multiple slots that were currently empty.
Not even a week has passed, I really hoped that I would have more time to relax...
~Inhale, Exhale~
~Inhale, Exhale~
I hope mom won't mind me staying over here to fix this...
[Information Bits]
Pokemon (in this story) have been classified in ranks. The system that regulates this takes into account a lot of factors, the most important being: rarity, common species behavior, possible moves, and potential. Some pokemon can climb in ranks, mostly due to training assistance. Ranks are:
Rank E: Baby pokemon can be ranked here. Their strength is lacking as they mostly focus on living their lives. Most don't require licenses and are commonly found as pets in households. (Non-lethal capabilities)
Rank D: Common found wild pokemon. These pokemons require a League license (trainer and others). Their moves can incapacitate and injure humans. The majority of sponsorless trainers start with Rank-D pokemon. (Mild-danger)
Rank C: First stage evolution and especial breeds. Sponsored trainers receive starters from this rank. A major step-up in terms of power, the pokemons here are capable of severely injuring, cripling and even killing humans. License required for handling.
Rank B: First stage and trained pokemon. Major potential for lethal-moves, pokemon here require high-level trainers or handlers. They make the bulk of their nation's army and can be dangerous threats for cities.
Rank A: Final evolution and experienced pokemon. Only Senior-level personal are allowed to have pokemon of this Rank. The creatures here are powerful enough to raze cities and cause countless deaths. Expect prideful, dangerous and agressive species.
Rank S: Nothing short of legendary power. Rare pokemon that are forces of nature. Flee on sight.
-Most pokemon fit in Ranks E and D. Experienced trainers are said to have teams with mostly Rank C and few Rank B. Rank A are generally pokemon belonging to gym leaders, rangers, ACE trainers, and champions. Rank S are powerhouses, rarely appear in human sight. Some pseudo-legendaries are ranked here, but there is a great power-gap between Pseudos and Legends.
