Ash, Leaf, and Gary stood at one of the training fields the Pokémon Centre sported.
"So, how are we going to do this?" Leaf was the first to speak up.
Gary shrugged. "Maybe a little rock, paper, scissors? Winner and second place fight first."
They all seemed to agree with that, so they conducted their mini-tournament. Ash and Leaf were going to battle first, much to Gary's dismay.
Ash laughed. "It was your idea, and you don't even get to fight first! Talk about irony."
Gary punched Ash in the arm.
"Hey!"
Soon after, Leaf and Ash were standing across from each other on the battlefield. Gary took his position as referee.
"This will be a one-on-one battle, whoever gets knocked out first, loses. Ash vs Leaf, begin!"
They both sent out their Pokémon at the same time, Tempest appearing in front of Ash, and a Metapod in front of Leaf.
Leaf grimaced at the sight of Ash's Pidgey, but knew that the only way for her Metapod to get any experience was to fight, so she started the match.
"Metapod, use Harden!"
Ash, not wanting to lose the upper hand, called to Tempest.
"Fly in quick, and use Peck!"
Tempest flew in to peck at the bug, but it didn't do much; the Metapod had already hardened his shell.
Leaf pumped her fist, and yelled to Metapod.
"Keep using Harden, then use Tackle!"
Ash groaned, then called to Tempest. "Try picking up Metapod, and fly him up to the sky!"
Tempest grabbed the hard shell of Metapod, and flapped her wings to carry the bug up past the trees.
"Drop him!"
Tempest unhooked her talons, which sent the bug went into a brief free fall - Ash didn't want to kill the Pokémon, and neither did Tempest - and Metapod crashed into the ground, unconscious.
Leaf sighed at her loss, she really hoped to stump Ash with Metapod's defenses. She returned the bug, whispering to the ball that he did a great job.
Ash congratulated his bird and promised a treat for her later, then returned the Pidgey to rest.
"Well, Ash. That was a good match. I was hoping to win, but don't we all?"
Leaf stuck out her hand. Ash paused, then took it.
"True, but you almost had me trapped with Metapod's defense. If Rai had been on the field instead of Tempest, I probably would have lost."
Leaf smirked, and put her hands on her hips. "Probably? Ash Ketchum, I would have creamed you."
Ash shrugged, grinning widely. Then he turned to Gary. "Well bud, looks like it's you and me, now."
Gary crossed his arms with a smirk. "Seems to be that way, Ashy-boy. Leaf will you do the honors?"
Leaf shook her head with a smile, and started the match. "This will be a one-on-one battle, whoever gets knocked out first, loses. Gary vs Ash, begin!"
Ash sent out Raiden, and Gary sent out an Eevee. Leaf and Ash stared.
"Woah! How'd you get an Eevee? Aren't they really rare?"
Gary smirked. "Gramps knows a guy. They go way back, apparently. That's just the way it is, I suppose. Too bad for you guys."
Ash grinned. "Yeah, too bad, I guess."
Raiden pounced at the Eevee, and bit the fox. Eevee howled with pain, and Gary snapped back to the fight.
"Eevee! Damnit, Ash! Eevee, use Bite!"
The tussle between the two Pokémon intensified as Eevee bit down on Raiden's shoulder. However, Raiden channeled some electricity from his fur, and shocked the Eevee off of him.
Both Pokémon bounced back, and locked gazes with the other, growling.
"Raiden, good work! Use Spark!"
Raiden growled, and leaped at the Eevee, and assaulted the Eevee with the electricity from his fur once more.
Eevee was on its last legs, and Gary was getting desperate. "Eevee, use Hyper Voice!"
Eevee hesitated, then took a large breath, and exhaled a loud shout. It wasn't perfect, but it did its job of getting the Shinx to back off.
Ash shook his head to gather his thoughts, and called out a command to Raiden.
"Bite!"
Raiden ground his teeth together and lunged at Eevee for the last time, biting the fox hard on the shoulder, felling him in an instant.
Both Ash and Gary returned their Pokémon to rest, then turned to face each other.
"Could've sworn you would have sent out your Squirtle."
Gary shrugged. "I wanted to use Eevee against your monster of a Shinx, to see how he would fare."
Ash crossed his arms. "So you tossed out a chance of winning?"
Gary smirked. "Now, Ash, I didn't say that. Someone's getting arrogant."
Ash playfully punched Gary in the shoulder. "You're one to talk. By the way, I didn't know Eevee could learn Hyper Voice. Although, it didn't look like he had much control over it, but it spooked Raiden a little."
"That's thanks to Gramps' breeder friend. He tutored Eevee to learn, but it didn't all stick. We're working on it." Gary paused with a thoughtful look crossing his face. "To be honest with you, that's the best Hyper Voice I've seen out of Eevee."
"Could have fooled me, but damn I'm jealous."
Leaf cut into the conversation at this point. "Now that's all well and good, boys, but I'm due for a match with Gar-bear, right? For second place? Right. Come on."
The boys looked at each other and shrugged, going to their places on the field.
Ash started Leaf and Gary off with the same words they used for his matches. "This will be a one-on-one battle, whoever gets knocked out first, loses. Leaf vs Gary, begin!"
In the end, Leaf triumphed over Gary. However, both boys were expecting it. Leaf and her Bulbasaur were a beast on the field. Ash got chills just watching them, but Gary and Squirtle were no slouches either, they just didn't have enough power to defeat Leaf. Although, Gary will claim it was because of her advantage.
Ash looked up at the dark sky, then he turned back to his friends. "What time is anyway?"
Leaf looked at her watch, then turned her attention back to Ash. "Half past midnight. You really slept the rest of the day away, Ash."
Ash groaned, there was no way he was going to be able to sleep until morning, not unless he wants to sleep until noon the next day.
Gary sighed, also a little displeased at hearing just how late it was. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why did we decide to have the battle right away, and not wait until morning."
In response, Ash and Leaf sighed. There was a collective shrug from the group, but there were no hard feelings amongst the trio. Each friend knew that they all had a part in their shared competitiveness.
Leaf yawned, and declared she would be heading to bed after healing her Pokémon. Gary decided the same thing, and soon, only Ash remained out on the field.
Ash sent out his Pokémon, who were a little roughed up, but were generally in good shape.
"Alright guys. Those battles were good, but I think we can do better. How about it? Up for some training?"
Raiden and Tempest both chirped and Ash grinned widely.
"Rai, we need to work on Ice Fang bud, maybe Night Slash," Ash paused, thinking. "Actually, I have no idea how dark energy works, so maybe another time."
Rai chirped, happy with that. Ash nodded, turning to Tempest. "As for you, I'd say we try to work on Quick Attack and possibly Whirlwind."
Tempest chirped as well, satisfied with the plan.
Ash nodded, then clapped his hands together. "Alright, let's get down to business!"
"Phew! Okay guys, I think we've earned ourselves a break!"
Ash wiped the sweat from his brow, still a little red from running laps around the practice fields. His Pokémon were in no better shape, exhausted from using power they weren't quite used to yet.
Raiden had gotten better at controlling the energy for Ice Fang, but it still made his teeth chatter. He also managed to grasp an idea for dark type energy from his Bite move, but it was hard trying to channel it to his claws instead of his teeth. Overall, he made quite a bit of progress with his egg moves.
On the other hand, Tempest had mastered Quick Attack, speed came naturally to the large pidgey. Although, Whirlwind was giving her a bit of trouble. Tempest had a hard time trying to stabilize the winds she had gathered, so it ended up just being a bigger Gust attack. Overall, Tempest made big progress with her moves.
Ash was proud of both of his Pokémon, calling them back towards him.
"Okay guys, who's hungry? I think it's been a couple hours since Leaf and Gary went inside, so let's grab ourselves a midnight snack!"
Raiden and Tempest both replied with relieved chatter, having worked up quite the appetite in their training hours.
Ash beckoned them inside with him, not bothering to return the Pokémon into their balls. It was nighttime, people could deal with it.
Unbeknownst to the trainer and his team, a pair of eyes watched them leave, glinting in the pale moonlight.
When Ash and his team made it into the cafeteria, they found only a few trainers within. Which was understandable, of course, it was three o'clock in the morning, after all.
Ash waved politely to trainers that looked their way, heading straight to the food counter. He grabbed some worms for Tempest, some red meat for Raiden, and a sandwich for himself. He sat down with his Pokémon, ready to eat his fill.
After he was done, he returned his Pokémon and headed to the reception desk. He placed the balls on the desk, causing the nurse to look up at him.
"Hello nurse, I would like to have my Pokémon checked out for healing."
"Not a problem, Ash."
Ash blinked, a little surprised. "How'd you know my name?"
The nurse, Hope, smiled sadly. "Dr. Dawson told me what happened to that Houndour you brought in. She told me to keep a lookout for any more infected Pokémon in the south-western area of Kanto." She tapped her finger as she talked, a little nervous. "The doctor also told me to tell you that she would like for you to do her a favor."
Ash nodded to show he was listening, Nurse Hope lead him to the medicine wing of the building, grabbing the pokéballs that his Pokémon were in. As they were walking, the nurse continued.
"After you left Viridian, Dr. Dawson had more trainers coming in with Johto Pokémon, claiming they were sick when they found them in the wild." Hope wrung her hands together, hesitant to go on. "...none of the Pokémon survived treatment from the doctors in Viridian."
Ash was silent, shocked with this information. Viridian City was famous for their top-of-the-line medical treatment, many famous doctors found their roots in Viridian at one time or another. For even Viridian doctors to fail a treatment... something really, really bad must be going on in Kanto.
The nurse rested her head on her hand, choosing her next words carefully. "One of the Pokémon was exceptionally violent and too far gone with rabies. Ash, can you guess where this Pokémon was from?" She shifted her eyes to look over at the teen, waiting for his response.
Ash swallowed heavily. "Either Johto or Kanto, right?"
Hope shook her head, shifting her focus onto the door they stopped in front of: Emergency Transfer Ward.
"Sinnoh."
Ash peered through the tiny window, looking at the one Pokémon left inside. The crazed gaze of one Luxio met his, and it started to go berserk, likely not for the first time. Ash quickly turned back to Nurse Hope, fear along with confusion growing inside him. It reminded him too much of Raiden and his mother.
"How? Sinnoh is on the other side of the world. Two seas and an ocean separate us from them."
Hope shook her head, she didn't quite know either, looking at the pacing cat. "The only thing we know for certain is that it is not a trainer's Pokémon. Despite being so far gone, we could tell that the Luxio had no shots that would indicate that it had been in a Pokémon Centre at least once. Not to mention that a medical visit is required for non-native Pokémon." She turned her head back toward Ash, eyes downcast. "This just doesn't make any sense. It's as if they are popping up out of the ground, feral and rabid out of their mind."
Ash didn't really know how to process this information. It's one thing if the Pokémon didn't have a record of shots, it's another thing entirely if the Pokémon didn't have a trace in it's blood. The medical shots are supposed to ensure that diseases don't spread, but they also serve as insurance. Microscopic nanobots flow in the bloodstream of every Pokémon and they serve multiple purposes: to heal, to track, and, if necessary, as a last resort, under dire circumstances, to kill their host.
If this Luxio had none of those shots and injections, Ash pondered, then that would mean...
"This Luxio, it doesn't have any record at all? None? Nada? Zilch?"
Hope nodded, knowing what conclusion the teen was trying to reach. "That's right. This Pokémon is completely off the grid and dangerous until it calms down enough for us to humanely euthanize it or..." Nurse Hope looked into Ash's eyes once more. "Nature runs its course to the bitter end."
The moment Hope stopped speaking, the rabid Luxio foamed, then shot off a Thunderbolt at the door, causing the door to shake wildly. It held firm, however.
Nurse Hope shook her head and led Ash away toward the general check up rooms. "Now, back to business. Dr. Dawson would like you to do her a favor."
Ash nodded to show he was listening, still quite overloaded with the new information.
"Dr. Dawson would like for you to rehabilitate a Pokémon she has healed. It has suffered quite a bit abuse, but she thinks you'll be able to help it get back on its feet, so to speak." Nurse Hope smiled at Ash, although it did look a bit grim.
"I mean, I'll do it. But I have one question, why me? I met the doctor once, and you know those circumstances."
Nurse Hope nodded, figuring he'd ask this question. "Dr. Dawson believes your spirit will help this Pokémon." Nurse Hope paused, and her nervousness returned. "Although, there is a condition to this."
Ash stopped walking, looking at the nurse a little skeptically. "What is it? Something bad?"
Nurse Hope tilted her head in thought. "Depends on your definition of 'bad.' You see, the Pokémon can't leave the Centre because of an autoimmune disorder he has. There is no clear sign if he will get better, but Dr. Dawson hopes your influence will help motivate the little guy."
Ash looked a bit worried. "He's not contagious is he? Would exposing my team to him be fine?"
Nurse Hope nodded. "Both him and your Pokémon will be fine. His disorder is caused by an increase of cell growth. His cells grow so fast that he gets sick because of it." Nurse Hope paused, thinking for a moment. "I believe this is what you would call cancer."
"What?! The Pokémon has cancer?"
Nurse Hope nodded, a little hesitant. "I wouldn't blame you if you don't want to help anymore. Daily life in a hospital can seem a bit dull, especially for a young aspiring trainer such as yourself. I would understand if you just want to have fun on your journey."
Ash nodded absentmindedly, lost in the shock of the news. What did Dr. Dawson even see in him? They only met for three minutes, he barely remembered her name. Ash looked at Nurse Hope, who was smiling sadly. He quickly looked away again.
This Pokémon... would Ash's presence really help him? Had the Pokémon already accepted his fate? Did he know he had a high chance to die? Ash didn't know much about medicine, but he knew that cancer was hard to beat, even for a Dragonite.
Ash smiled grimly. His journey took a sad turn real quick. He threw his hands in the air, giving up the war in his mind.
"To hell with it. Nurse Hope, I accept your offer. Er, Dr. Dawon's favor, that is."
Nurse Hope looked pleasantly surprised. "Really? You know you and your team would have to stay here for a week or two, right? It might take a while for him to get used to you and for you to rehabilitate him to a decent condition. Right now the poor little guy can't even walk, and that's what Dr. Dawson wanted your help with."
"All right Ms. Nurse, I'll help the guy get back on his feet." The nurse nodded and turned away to go heal his Pokémon.
I know I'd want someone to do the same for me...
"I don't understand why you wanted him to do it, sir. He's a fledging trainer, practically still a child."
Giovanni turned to look at the doctor who requested his presence, amused with her reaction.
"You see, doctor. That boy is someone special, more than you could ever know. He needs to experience mortality if he ever wants to survive in a world like this one."
"Why should a thirteen/fourteen-year-old have to deal with mortality? He's practically a kid! I think it's too early to introduce him to this."
Giovanni sat down and leaned back in his chair, looking down on the doctor standing in the battle field. His eyes glinted with something dangerous, his Nidoking and Persian shifting to growl. The hulking menace behind and the silent danger in front of the gym leader caused the doctor to feel fear within her core. Giovanni smirked. "Don't question your boss, doctor. It's not good for the family."
Dr. Dawson took a heavy swallow, head turned down in submission. "Yes, boss."
Giovanni motioned for her to leave the gym. She hesitated for a minute, but quickly found her legs when Nidoking growled even louder, rattling the doctor's bones.
Once she was gone, Giovanni started to stroke his Persian's glossy head.
"That boy is someone to keep an eye on. He's the son of Delia and Flint, after all."
AN:
Whew! What a doozy. This took a while to figure out. Here we see the beginnings of a plot (wow, could you believe?). Anyway, this chapter starts fun and turns serious for good reason. Ash now is experiencing real world problems, and he has to figure out how to deal with them. Character development, baby!
No new Pokémon this chapter (and no gym battle), but that will be in the next one. This chapter deals with world building (featuring my bs medical explanations) and a little fluff before the action.
I feel like this was an appropriate stopping point for the chapter, even if it falls short by a thousand words compared to the others. (But hey, at least it's here! It's at the expense of my school performance, but it's here and thriving, baby!)
As always, please leave a comment on my work, it helps me see where I'm going good and bad, and if you suggest something, I might implement it into the story!
Speaking of, thanks to all of you who have suggested stuff so far! Great to see you guys enjoying the story. We might even see an interaction between Rai and another feline/canine soon ;), but no promises! I live for twists and turns in a story (evil laughter). Ciao!