Updated
Chapter 4
About an hour after leaving Viridian Forest we stood atop a hill overlooking Pewter City. It definitely deserved the name as gray was the prominent color. Muted blues and purples dotted across the roofs of houses, giving the city some more color, with the bright red roof of the Pokémon Center and blue of the Pokémart being the easiest to pick out. Pikachu and Athena were the only two Pokémon out with us, the others resting in their 'balls for the time being.
"Finally!" Ash cheered.
"We're almost there," Misty said with a sigh of relief. She was looking forward to a hot shower as much as I was.
"Hey," a gruff voice called to us, "you're standing on my merchandise."
Flint. That's right, Brock's no good dad. I had a few words for him, but first…
"Who's this guy?" Ash asked.
"You sell… rocks?" Misty asked, trying very hard to keep her voice… friendly.
"Pewter City is famous for them," Flint said. "Name's Flint, by the way. Care to buy some?"
"No thanks," Ash said. "I'm traveling to be a Pokémon Master! I can't be weighed down by useless rocks." Ah, Ash, no class…
"Why don't you two go ahead to the Pokémon Center," I said. "I want to take a look at the store."
"Store is being a little too nice," Misty muttered under her breath. Misty glanced at me, taking the look I gave her for what it was. She grabbed Ash by his jacket collar and started dragging him down to the city.
"W-wait! Misty! Cut it out!" Ash yelled the whole way.
"Interested in rocks are-" Flint cut off at my glare.
"You're a despicable coward," I said. "Abandoning your kids because you think you can't face them. You have eleven fucking kids being raised by their fifteen-year-old brother."
"I-" Flint tried to speak.
"Shut up," I snapped. "It's high time you go crawling back to your family and beg for their forgiveness. Stop the damn pity party and get moving. It's high time you let Brock go on his own journey and be the kid he is."
With that I walked away, Athena close beside me.
"I don't see anything potentially going wrong," she told me.
"Good," I said. "Brock never told him off, so I might as well. He got off way too easy in the show."
"It's still weird, thinking this whole world was a TV show for you," Athena said. "And I was never in it?"
"No, by this point Absols weren't even invented, at least not for the show," I said.
The city was bustling as we entered. Signs were posted all over directing us to the Pokémon Center, so it wasn't hard to find. We passed an old folks home on the way and I think nearly gave a few residence heart attacks.
The few that were outside went shuffling into the building, sending scandalized looks towards Athena. I realized after a brief moment that if an Absol was seen as a harbinger of disaster then a shiny one, with blood colored fur was probably horrifying. This was going to be a fun journey.
I chuckled a loud and scratched Athena's head.
Ash and Misty were waiting for us in the lobby of the Pokémon Center. I nodded to them and stepped up to the counter.
"Hello, Nurse Joy," I greeted. "Would you mind looking at my Pokémon?"
"Of course!" Nurse Joy said. I recalled Athena and passed her 'ball and Ruby's over to Nurse Joy.
"Oh, could I have a private room, please?" I asked before she left. She nodded and typed into her computer before handing me a key.
"You aren't staying with us?" Ash asked, sad.
"Sorry, Ash," I said and ruffled his hair, "but I need some adult alone time."
I heard Nurse Joy giggle and glanced back at her, seeing a faint blush on her cheeks. I gave her a cheeky grin.
"Not like that," I said then winked, "unless you're free later." Her face went from pink to red, ducking her head and hurrying to the back.
"Not like what?" Ash asked.
I placed my hands on his shoulders, looked him in the eye and said in a serious voice.
"I am not responsible for giving you that talk," I said. Ignoring his confused look, I pressed a kiss to his forehead.
"Let's get cleaned up then get lunch," I said, and kept talking before Ash could complain. "Then after lunch we can head to the gym."
"Sounds like a plan!" Misty said. Even Ash agreed after his stomach growled.
XXX
I stretched out on my bed after a long, hot shower, my skin still tingled from the heat. A part of me knew I needed to get going, but the bed was so soft and I felt so relaxed I could just…
A knock sounded at the door. I jolted upwards, wondering how long I had been out… five minutes… I drifted for five minutes. With a groan, I got out of bed and threw open the door, expecting Ash. Instead I found myself staring at the chest of a tall, lanky guy in an official looking uniform, the Pokémon League emblem on his chest.
I had to blink the bleariness from my eyes as I looked up, meeting an amused lavender eye, his other covered by wavy violet hair.
"Shit… are you Will?" I asked.
Will grinned, his eye twinkling with delight.
"Lance told me you might know me," Will said. He stepped past me, so I shut the door, figuring he wouldn't be here for no reason.
"So what brings you here?" I asked.
Will turned with a flourish, wagging a finger in my face.
"Nuh uh uh," he said. "First, tell me my future."
I snorted.
"It doesn't involve wearing that," I said, gesturing to his outfit. It was a practical outfit, but definitely not what I'd find on the psychic man. It was beige, sturdy fabric, probably good for all weather, and a lot of pockets. A Pokéball belt was clipped at his waist.
"Oh thank Mew!" Will cried collapsing on my bed, arm over his eyes. "This outfit is dreadfully dull! Alas, I must wear it until I move up in rank."
"Don't worry, it gets better," I said. "So…"
"Oh, right." Will stuck his hand into one of his many pockets and pulled out two shrunken Pokéballs and a note. "Curtesy of Lance."
I took the items, reading the note first.
Brit,
Those two rocket grunts are already doing well in the program. They wondered if they could have your number. I'll leave that up to you. The Pokémon Rehab Center was having trouble with their Pokémon, and I thought you could help. The diagnosis was depression and lethargy. If the two trainers prove themselves capable of caring for Pokémon again, then we can return them.
Keep in touch,
Lance.
Below was a number to contact Jessie, James, and Meowth. Releasing the Pokémon, Ekans and Koffing appeared in my room.
"Jessie?" Ekans said with hope until she realized Jessie wasn't in the room. Koffing just drifted low to the floor, not focusing on anything.
"Hey you two," I said, crouching to their level. "You know who I am?"
Both poison-types made noises of agreement.
"I know you both miss Jessie and James," I said, "but you'll see them again, I promise. Until then, you two can come with me."
"You mean it?"Ekans asked.
"We'll really get to see them again?" Koffing asked.
"Of course," I said. "In the meantime, I can help you train up so when you reunite you can surprise them."
Koffing floated a little higher, a smile forming on his face, and Ekans rattled her tail a little.
"Let me just…" I grabbed my Pokédex and held the scanner over their Pokéballs.
"Ekans, the snake Pokémon. Ekans can dislocate their jaws to swallow prey much larger than itself. It will sometimes eat eggs of bird Pokémon that sometimes get stuck and chokes the Ekans.
This Ekans is female with the ability Shed Skin, which allows the user to shed off status effects. She knows the moves: Wrap, Leer, Poison Sting, and Bite."
"Koffing, the Poison Gas Pokémon. Koffing's body is filled with gas that is lighter than air which keeps it afloat. The gases are highly toxic and highly explosive.
This Koffing is male with the ability Levitate, which allows it to avoid all ground-type moves. He knows the moves: Poison Gas, Tackle, Smog, Smokescreen, and Self-Destruct."
"Alright, not the largest move pool, but we'll work on it," I said and patted them both.
"Huh, that really is something," Will said. I completely forgot he was there.
"Thanks for bringing them to me," I said. He waved it off.
"Think nothing of it, I volunteered so I could meet the fabled Pokémorph," Will said. "And before you ask, no Lance didn't tell me, but he's horrible at blocking mind readers."
"I just assumed he told you, but good to know," I said. "Try not to spread it around?"
"But of course," Will bowed low, taking one of my hand's in his and pressed a kiss to it. "Until we meet again." With that, he teleported away. That, was something to behold.
"Okay, let's head out. I have a badge to win," I said and held up their Pokéballs. "Are you alright with being returned for now?" They nodded, or in Koffing's case moved his whole body, and returned without a fuss.
I opened the door to my room just in time for Ash to fall over as he didn't slow down enough before attempting to knock. I just stared at him for a second before stepping over him and greeted Misty. Ash was back on his feet in an instant.
"Come on! I want my badge!" Ash said.
"Food first, Ash," I said. Misty and I made our way to the front desk to pick up our Pokémon with Ash sulking behind us. He cheered up the moment Pikachu leapt onto his shoulder and even more so as we released all of our Pokémon to eat with us in the cafeteria. A brief introduction of the two poison types and a nice meal, which I didn't have to make, and we were off to the gym.
The gym looked just like in the anime, a giant rock building with the words 'Pewter Gym' carved into one corner… leaving the rest of the stone untouched… it bothered me even more in person than on the show.
Ash didn't even notice as he pushed the doors open and called out his challenge into the dark gym. The lights flicked on to reveal Brock sitting on a pedestal… honestly by that point I checked out. I was busy wondering about Flint and if he'd actually heed my words, but also some other matters. The whole aura thing was sorely untouched upon after the Lucario movie, minus that brief stint with a Riolu in Sinnoh, but I had no knowledge on how to teach Ash… or myself, how to harness aura.
Someone grabbed my hand and I was snapped from my thoughts. I met Brock's… closed?... eyes as he kneeled before me, my hand in his.
"Never did I think such a beautiful young woman would grace my gym with her presence," Brock said. It took everything in my power not to break down laughing, there would be plenty of time for that and really… I did not expect this.
"Thank you," I said, "but I'm afraid you're a little too young for me."
Brock collapsed fully, head buried in his arms, despair rolling off of him in waves.
"Hey! I thought we were battling!" Ash shouted from his spot in the challenger's box.
"Right!" Brock leapt to his feet, all signs of reject gone as he went back to his side of the field. The battlefield came out of the wall, rocky terrain taking over.
"This will be a two on two match! Only the challenger is allowed to substitute, understand?" Brock called.
"Got it!" Ash cheered. "Let's go, Pikachu!" Pikachu sparked his cheeks and leapt onto the field while Misty and I climbed to the viewing platform. Brock released Onix.
Pikachu scrambled backwards at the sight of the giant rock snake, begging for Ash to switch him out.
"Come on, buddy, you've got this!" Ash said. With a gulp, Pikachu nodded and faced his opponent.
"Quick Shock!" Ash called.
Misty and I both facepalmed. I made sure Misty stayed quiet. We warned Ash, now he had to learn the hard way.
Pikachu ran around the field, firing off weak Thundershocks while Onix tried to pin him down. He wasn't doing any damage to Onix, but at the same time Onix wasn't doing anything to Pikachu as the speedy mouse used the terrain to his advantage.
"Now!" Ash shouted suddenly, catching us all off guard.
Pikachu leapt over Onix's tail, landed on a rock and used the momentum to push himself off and over Onix once more. A green glow erupted over the field as hundreds of tiny Grass Knots exploded from the ground and attached to Onix as he tried to move forward. The grass-type energy dug in deep causing Onix to roar out in pain, his long body striking the ground. He opened his eyes just in time to see the glowing shine of an Iron Tail slam into his face before blacking out.
"How…" Brock stood there, stunned, as he recalled Onix.
"I have a great teacher," Ash said, puffing up his chest. My cheeks felt a little warm at that, but I definitely did not teach him that. When the kid actually took the time to think he was actually really bright.
Brock released Geodude and Ash recalled Pikachu, switching him with Pidgeotto.
"Quick Steel until it faints!" Ash called. Pidgeotto's speed, added with Quick Attack, was far more than Geodude could keep up with. Three high speed Steel Wings and Geodude was out for the count.
"I must say," Brock said, returning Geodude, "I'm incredibly impressed." He walked over to Ash and passed him a Boulder Badge. "I've seen quite a few methods used to battle me, but never a Pikachu using Grass Knot. How did you manage it?"
"Pikachu and I planned it out before. While he ran around he planted little Grass Knots that built up after a while," Ash said. He took the badge with barely contained glee before leaping into the air.
"Alright! We got… the Boulder Badge!" he cried, Pikachu and Pidgeotto joining him.
"Nice work, Ash," I said, clapping for him as Misty and I made our way over.
"It's thanks to you, Brit!" Ash said and hugged me around the waist. He jumped back suddenly.
"Oh! Your battle is next!" Ash said.
"I'm afraid it'll have to wait," Brock said. "Of course, had I known you were challenging me as well, I would've had you go first. Such a lovely lady shouldn't have to wait."
"First off, that's sexist," I said. "I shouldn't get any special treatment for my gender. Second, I don't mind waiting, we can battle tomorrow. Third, and I say this out of kindness, you come on way to strong, buddy."
I patted Brock on the arm and started to head out. Brock accompanied us to the Pokémon Center to heal his Pokémon. We chatted with him for a while, and he confessed his dream to be a Pokémon breeder to us, but he wasn't able to leave town to achieve it. He took off once his Pokémon were healed, promising me a battle tomorrow morning. After dinner, I parted ways from Ash and Misty to go to my room, releasing my Pokémon to relax with me.
Ekans, Koffing, and Ruby made peace with each other, no hard feelings felt after their last battle. The two poison types felt a little intimidated by Athena, but also apologized to her as well for the poisoning that happened before I'd met her. I sat at the desk provided in the room, scrolling through my Pokédex. There was a small computer also provided, which I planned to use in a bit for a bigger screen to read off of.
"Athena, are you able to tell if something will be a disaster farther in the future?" I asked.
"Yes, I have been trained specifically to track disasters through the river of time," Athena answered.
"I have many questions now, but I'll save them for later," I said. "For now, if we take a detour to the kingdom of Rota before Cerulean, is there anything severe that may happen?"
Athena closed her eyes in concentration.
"There is an odd spike… nothing dangerous should it be stopped in time… actually the amount of future disasters lessen should we do it," Athena said. Her face scrunched a little. "We can't take too long, however, or else a gigantic tragedy will occur. One that will have severe consequences."
"I bet that's Charmander," I said. "That's my only issue with doing so." I noticed all of the Pokémon looking at me now.
"There's a Charmander that gets abandoned by his trainer and left to die on a rock," I explained. "Ash rescues him and eventually he becomes the powerhouse of Ash's team, facing down legends. I want to make sure we make it in time to save him. If we don't get horrendously lost…"
With that, I switched to the computer, after a little searching and I managed to buy four bus tickets from Pewter to Rota, setting out the day after tomorrow. With that done, I thought I'd try to change forms again.
I sat on the floor, legs crossed and the only thing going through my mind was: Meditiate. A weird tingly feeling ran through my body and my eyes flew open in time to see a faint glow over my skin.
"Gah!" I shouted, much to my Pokémons' amusement.
"I think you just used the move Meditate," Athena said.
"Okay… well that's a step in the right direction… I guess," I said. A thought came to mind, and I was about to put it into action when…
"Don't!" Athena shouted. I changed my idea and watched her relax, receiving a small nod to continue.
Instead of attempting Ember, which in retrospect was a good call, I tried for Water Gun, repeating the word in my mind, over and over.
Water Gun. Water Gun. Water Gun. Water G-
I hacked up a glob of water onto my lap. Doubled over and coughing out a lung, I couldn't quite manage a glare at the laughing Pokémon.
"Okay… I'm done for the night," I said, once the coughing fit ended and I was able to change my pants. Ignoring the Pokémon, I got back on the computer to search, might as well pass the time.
I went about searching the web for anything weird, people saying crazy things… like being from a world without Pokémon… and eventually got lost in weird articles online until I somehow got on the equivalent of Wikipedia and was reading about the theory of legendary Pokémon dating each other. No matter where you are… the internet is a weird place.
XXX
Once again, we entered the Pewter Gym, Athena at my side, but this time the lights were on and Brock stood on the field with none other than his father. Flint paled a little at the sight of me, but he was here and that was a good sign.
"Welcome back," Brock said and smiled at us. "You're here for you badge, right?"
"Brock," Flint stepped forward. I noticed the tension go through Brock. "If you don't mind, I want to be her opponent."
Brock nodded, fist clenched, and stepped aside to join Ash and Misty in the viewing platform.
"How many badges do you have?" Flint asked.
"Zero," I said.
"But… you're like eighteen," Flint faltered.
My eye definitely didn't twitch.
"I'm twenty-four and I just started my journey," I said. "Can we move on please?"
"Um… of course," Flint cleared his throat. "This will be a two on two battle. Please step forward!"
"Rhyhorn!" Flint threw his first Pokéball and I responded with Ruby. Rhyhorn gave me a brief look of wonder before he realized he was in a battle.
"A dragon-type means nothing," Flint said. "Take Down!"
Rhyhorn charged forward while Ruby stayed still, waiting and watching until the last moment. She dodged to the side at the last moment, dragon fire spilling from her mouth that washed over Ryhorn's side. Ryhorn grunted in pain as he turned to rush at Ruby again, only to be met by a Metal Claw to the face.
He tried to push through it, only to be bathed in another Dragon Rage, knocking him out instantly.
"My journey wasn't all for naught!" Flint declared as he withdrew Ryhorn and threw a Premier Ball. A floating rock took the field.
"A Minior? Didn't expect that," I said. "Ruby, come back."
Ruby nodded and ran to my side, getting a nod of approval from Athena before she took the field.
"You've got this Athena," I said, and trusted her to battle alone.
Athena's eyes flashed pink briefly before she took off in a lope, avoiding a Rock Throw. Another Rock Throw was sent towards where she was heading, but she used Feint to dodge and slammed into Minior. The move didn't do much damage to the rock-type, but that wasn't Athena's intent.
"Iron Defense!" Flint called.
"I bet you can't win without that," Athena taunted, before Minior could perform the move. The rock-type paused to consider her words, Taunt's affect taking hold. Flint went to call for another attack, but it didn't matter. Athena's plan worked perfectly as her Future Sight struck, shattering Minior's shell. A Pursuit amped up by a Quick Attack and Minior was down for the count.
"You've proven yourself a worthy opponent," Flint said, returning Minior. "As such, you have earned the Boulder Badge." He walked over to me and presented the badge.
The feeling was indescribable. A childhood dream realized in the form of a small grey badge. I battled a gym… I won… I'm a Pokémon trainer! The excitement was too much as I twirled with a shout.
"We won… the Boulder Badge!" I declared and struck a pose. My Pokémon cheered with me.
"Alright, Brit!" Ash cheered and barreled into me for a hug. We cheered together for a moment, before someone cleared their throat.
"Hard to believe you're an adult," Misty said with a laugh.
"Oh yeah! Brit! Brock asked to come with us! Isn't that great?" Ash said.
"You bet!" I said and grinned over a Brock. "Welcome aboard!"
"Brit…" Flint's voice made me look at him. "Thank you, for what you said yesterday."
"It's nothing," I said. I extended my hand and he took the handshake. With a sudden jerk, I pulled him closer and lowered my voice to a dangerous tone.
"Ever do it again, and I'll feed you to a Sharpedo," I said then grinned, my voice raising to a sickly sweet happy tone. "Got it?"
Flint looked like a bobble head as he agreed with me, sweat beading up on his forehead. I noticed Brock trying to hide a smile.
XXX
Back at the Pokémon Center, I sat down with the kids to discuss my idea.
"I was hoping to make a detour before Cerulean," I said. Our Pokémon were out, minus Onix for obvious reasons, and chowing down on food while we talked.
"But I want to win my second badge!" Ash said.
"What if I told you this place has cool Pokémon to see," I said. Ash's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Where is it?" Brock asked. Misty looked relieved not to be going straight to Cerulean.
"Rota," I said. "It's a little kingdom just north of Mt. Moon. I have some business there and I could really use your help."
"I've always wanted to go there," Misty said. "I heard much of the city is made of crystal and you can even see the Tree of Beginning and it's just breath taking."
"Tree of Beginning?" Ash asked.
"It's a massive, living crystal formed into a tree. It's believed to be where all Pokémon came from and a Mew…" I cut myself off. Probably shouldn't just blurt out where a Mew lives. "It's amazing and worth seeing."
"When should we leave?" Brock asked.
"Tomorrow, at six in the morning. I've already got the tickets, bought them last night," I said.
"We should get another for Brock," Misty pointed out. I gave her a look and a smirk.
"How'd you know I would…" Brock started to ask.
"Brocky, my boy, it's best if you just don't question how I know things," I said.
XXX
The bus ride to Rota was long and uneventful, mostly just me scrolling through my Pokédex and tuning out the loud tourist on the bus. There was a quick stop near Mt. Moon for lunch, and Brock caught a Zubat, something struck me as off at that, but I chose to ignore it for the time. We got to Rota by late afternoon, the bus stopping just outside the city proper.
I made sure we let the tourist get ahead of us, stretching our legs and letting out our smaller Pokémon for some air. Athena and Ruby flanked me, while Ekans and Koffing hung back a little, eventually being joined by Ruby, who took it upon herself to make them comfortable. The three chatted happily, joined shortly by Zubat, who was a bit timid at first, but warmed up quickly to her fellow poison Pokémon and cave dweller.
There were guards stationed outside the city, looking rather annoyed at the flashing cameras of the last few tourist as they passed. A Furret ran past everyone, wearing a green sash, and stopped in front of one guard, a roll note in its mouth.
Ash, Misty, and Brock got ahead of me as I slowed my pace a bit. Furret looked ready to leave when she spotted me, mouth hung open in awe.
"Excuse me," I stopped in front of one guard. "I was wondering how I'd go about getting an audience with Queen Ilene?"
"Her Majesty, the Queen, has a very busy life," the guard answered. "What matters are there to discuss… with… her." His face paled when he looked at Athena, standing beside me idly.
"It involves the safety of the Tree of Beginnings and information on Sir Aaron of Cameran," I said, trying to sound confident and important. The guard quirked an eyebrow, regaining himself, before looking down as Furret tugged on his pants frantically. She pointed at me and nodded her head.
"An audience will be requested. Your name please," the guard said. He scribbled a quick note once I introduced myself and gave it to Furret. She saluted at him then at me before dashing off at full speed… I'm pretty sure she started using Quick Attack midway.
"A page will come for you at the Pokémon Center, please wait there for further instruction," the guard told me. He gave me directions to the Pokémon Center after that and I ran to catch up with the other three, returning everyone but Athena. The three of them didn't get far, having stopped to wait for me when they noticed I wasn't there.
"Sorry, just had to check a few things," I said. "Let's get a room at the Pokémon Center and some dinner."
"Sounds good," Misty said, stretching her arms up. "I could use a shower after that bus ride."
"Yeah…" I trailed off wondering if I had any nice clothes, or at least decent clothes.
"A Pokémon Center means a Nurse Joy!" Brock swooned, hands clasped together in hope. Misty grabbed his collar before he could run off.
"Who's that Pokémon?" Ash asked, excitedly. He pulled his Pokédex out and scanned every new Pokémon we passed. After his third failed attempt, since his Pokédex still wasn't updated past Kanto natives, I gave him mine to use.
XXX
It was just past five when a young boy came over to our table in the Pokémon Center cafeteria. He was dressed in a dark forest green suit, hair neatly slicked back, and a golden sash over his shoulder. He bowed to us, leaving the three trainers confused and me attempting not to laugh at their faces.
"Lady Brit," the boy said, "her Majesty the Queen will see you now. If you will follow me."
"The queen?" Ash, Misty, and Brock said to me as one, shock in their voice.
"Yup," I said. "Stay put kids, I may need you in a bit." I winked at their flabbergasted faces and followed the boy, my Pokémon joining me. I returned all but Athena, for ease, and for the fact that the dark-type made people pay attention.
I had changed out of my normal travel clothes earlier, now sporting a nice purple plaid button down and clean black jeans. My short hair cleaned and blow dried before going to eat, so now it was very fluffy and I had to fight the urge to keep running my hand through it, an old habit of mine.
The page boy led me through the city and into the castle. It was gorgeous, breathtaking, and I was sad not to have the time to take it all in. He led me down a hall, up some stairs, and down another hall before stopping at a door and knocking twice.
A moment passed before a man, clearly a butler, opened the door. The page boy bowed to both of us before leaving and the butler welcomed me in.
The room was nice, clearly meant as a sitting room with nice lounge chairs and wide windows with a perfect view of the Tree of Beginning. Seeing it from the city was one thing, but from the windows of the room…
A clearing of the throat broke me from staring and I turned to see Queen Ilene. She kind of looked like Princess Peach and Princess Zelda had a child. Golden blonde hair that fell to her waist and emerald eyes shining against fair skin. A golden crown sat atop her head, inlaid with emeralds. She was slim and graceful as she moved closer, a gentle smile on her face.
"We welcome you to our castle," Queen Ilene said.
Remembering myself, I bowed low, Athena following suit.
"Thank you, your Majesty," I said. My attention slid to the butler for a moment, Queen Ilene noticed and dismissed him.
"Thank you," I said. "If you don't mind, I'm afraid my formal knowledge of royalty is rather lacking and I want to get right to the point."
"Then let's drop the formalities," Queen Ilene said, her voice dropping an octave and her posture relaxing some. I couldn't help but smile.
"My name is Brit and I come from a world without Pokémon," I said. I raised a hand before she could say anything. "I know it sounds unbelievable, but please, hear me out." She nodded and I continued.
"In my world, Pokémon is an anime following the life of the boy I am currently traveling with. One of his journeys included coming to Rota a few years down the line. There is a lot I can go into about what happened, but to make it short, he releases Sir Aaron's Lucario, trapped within his very staff and helps to save the Tree of Beginning."
Queen Ilene looked contemplative, her Mime Jr. came over to her, from where I don't know, but he was very enthralled by me.
"I suppose it'll be easy to prove true," she said. "All we need is for your friend to release Lucario."
"I was hoping you'd say that," I said.
XXX
Ash, Misty, and Brock were sent for and soon we were all sitting in the parlor. Misty, upon my request, kept a firm grip on Brock so he couldn't propose his undying love to the queen. The butler came in with Sir Aaron's staff and presented it to Queen Ilene. I could feel the thrum of power coming from it and wanted so badly to hold it myself.
"Ash," I said, once the butler left. "You trust me, right?"
"Of course! You're like my big sister," Ash said. A warm feeling blossomed in my chest.
"I need you to hold this staff here, and whatever happens, know I'll protect you," I said.
I could see the confusion clear on Ash's face, even Misty and Brock weren't following, but none of them questioned me. Ash took the staff from Queen Ilene and studied the weapon. The clear blue crystal held his attention, his eyes glazing over as if he were trying to listen to something far away. The crystal began to glow, a blue shine formed in Ash's eyes, and a high pitched whine started up.
Athena barked a warning before the glow became too much and blinded everyone. A heavy presence filled the room, waves of rage pressed against everyone as they regained their vision.
Lucario crouched in the center of the room, eyes closed, and aura appendages raised.
"Aaron!"
Lucario moved towards Ash.
AN/ Hey everyone! So Pokémon battles, Brock, and new temporary team mates. Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think. Sorry for the cliffhanger…