Chapter 4: Home Sweet Home

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The trip back to Pallet Town was quiet and relatively safe, much to everyone's relief. Save for an incident with a tauros pack—which Ash will forever blame Gary for-, the trip had been quiet, for the most part. Ash and the others had never been so relieved when they arrived back in Pallet Town, seeing the rolling green hills and the houses tucked away in the valleys. Ash raised his hands up in the air joyously.

"Oh thank goodness!" he praised. "Home sweet home!"

"No kidding," Brock replied. The trip had been trying on them and even though it wasn't technically his home, Brock had never been more grateful for it. He swore to burn a candle in Arceus' honor, a promise made even more prominent due to the fact that he had never done such a thing before.

Misty nodded. "Yeah, I just want a decent bed to rest in." Azurill, who was finally let out of its ball, chirped in concert. Misty was tired, haggard and recently, her dreams had been plagued by something dark. Not the battle at Rota, but like the dream she had when she brushed up against the time flower. Dreams of Ash and her friends dying.

Blaidd adjusted the voluminous hood of his cape, obscuring his lupine features even more; he didn't want onlookers gawking at his exotic features. Lucarios were not native to Kanto, save only as pokemon owned by trainers. The cloak was pulled tighter around his body, further hiding himself. "Well, as they say, as one adventure ends, another one begins. We better get going." He eased his way down a hill using his staff, the spear haft he obtained from the battle, the spear head long since removed and cleaned of blood.

Dawn slid up next to Misty as they walked. "Misty, are you okay? You look tired."

Misty flashed a smile, one that she didn't mean. "I'm fine Dawn. I'm just exhausted. It's been a while since I traveled."

"Oh, okay. That makes sense. It's just that you have these dark circles under your eyes, like you haven't slept in days, weeks maybe."

"Like I said, it's been a while since I went traveling. It can be pretty wearing at points."

"Yeah, especially if you've been traveling with Gary," Dawn joked.

Gary, who had been walking with Max, explaining the science of Nidoking and Nidoqueen, whipped his head back over his shoulder. "I heard that!"

"Of course you did! You have selective hearing!" Dawn retorted, still smiling.

Misty had to keep a straight face. "Is Dawn flirting with him? True, girls flirt with Gary all the time but still. . ." She paused, reminiscing. "I guess I have to admit, I miss traveling with everybody. I wish I could be back on the road again, instead of being stuck at the gym all day." She groaned suddenly, remembering. "Crap."

"What's up Misty?"

"I forgot about my sisters. They'll probably want me back at the gym."

Dawn pulled a face. "That doesn't sound like fun. I know I couldn't stay in one place for such a long time. Does it get boring, working at the gym?"

"All the time, but it gets occasionally marginally exciting when some ten-year-old comes in with their pidgey or caterpie and demand a match. I promptly trounce them, of course, but even then, it can get stale pretty fast."

"Have you tried a Contest? They're a blast and I bet you would be awesome with your water pokemon!"

Misty tossed her head back in laughter, this one, unlike her smile, genuine. "You sound just like May! She was trying to convince me to do Contests a loooong time ago. She gave up on that idea pretty quick."

"Well, have you ever tried it just once?"

"I don't think I'm cut out for Coordinating." Just then, the first smells of home cooking hit Misty's nostrils. "Oh, by all the Legendaries, that smells good. We must be almost home then."

"Food!" Ash ran by them at a breakneck pace down the road, nearly taking Blaidd down with him. The Lucario brushed off his cloak and thumped his stick in the ground.

"The impertinence of humans!" He growled. "It's not like the food's going to disappear by the time he gets there!"

"True," Max added. "But it will disappear if we get there after Ash has his way with the food."

Blaidd chuckled at the comment. "I'm glad that I'm no longer human." He then broke into a loping run, his footpads barely hitting the dirt road as he ran after Ash.

"Wait up guys!" Max panted

They had barely just made it to the front door of Ash's house when his mother came out the door, drying off a dish. Mr. Mime peeked around the door behind her. The smells of home cooking were even stronger now and Blaidd wondered how exactly she knew when he was coming home, but then remembered how Ash had called her in Viridian City. She swept Ash up in a crushing hug.

"Mom!" he gasped, face turning a bright shade of maroon. Pikachu had already leapt off his shoulder in an attempt to escape. "Not in front of my friends!"

"Oh, sorry hon, I'm just glad you're home. It was quite a little side trip for you huh?"

Ash adjusted his cap. "Yeah, it was."

"Well, I'm glad that everybody has made it back safe and sound." She took notice of the lucario who was standing off to the side, one arm hugging the other. He wore a large cloak the shade of royal indigo and carried a staff of a pale wood. The hood concealed most of his face, but the cloak failed to disguise the rest of himself. "So who's your new friend over there?"

Blaidd took off the hood; after all she wasn't a total stranger. He flashed a lupine smile. "Mrs. Ketchum," he greeted, tipping his head slightly.

Delia nearly dropped the plate in alarm. "It talks!"

Blaidd opened his mouth to say something else, but Ash interceded before he could.

"It's a long story Mom," he said hurriedly. "Remember Blaidd Wilson, the one who came by to take us to Rota?"

"Yes, he seemed like a very nice person."

Ash jerked a thumb back at the lucario. "That's Blaidd."

"Blaidd is a pokemon now?"

Blaidd shrugged. "As Ash said, it is a very long story."

"Well, alright. Come on in, I have supper cooking on the stove. You too Blaidd. I'm not sure what you want to eat, whether its pokemon chow or our food, but I can bet you're hungry."

Blaidd paused for a moment. He didn't encounter this problem before; traveling back from Rota, he had eaten fruit obtained along the way, with the occasional pieces of chocolate here and there. But smelling the food and hearing the eager rumble of his stomach, Blaidd quickly made a decision. "Thank you. If it's alright, may I join you at the table?"

"I don't see a problem with that. I do expect some manners though."

Blaidd saluted. "Yes ma'am!"

"Oh and Ash, Professor Oak and Tracey are here as well. You told me you wanted to talk to them, right?"

"Yeah, thanks Mom," Ash had wanted to ask Professor Oak about the Orre region. It was a region unfamiliar to Ash and he wanted to know as much as he could about it, especially if he was to end up going there.

As they went inside, Gary pulled Delia aside. "Are you okay, Mrs. Ketchum?" he asked quietly.

"Of course I am." She replied, cheerful.

"I'm not talking about today, Mrs. Ketchum. I'm talking about from, you know earlier..." he trailed off.

"Gary, don't worry about me. We're all okay now, so don't worry about it."

"Are you sure, Mrs. Ketchum?"

"Yes I am Gary and you don't have to call me 'Mrs. Ketchum'. It makes me feel old. Like I tell the other kids, you can just call me 'Mom'."

Gary hesitated for just a moment, rubbing one arm. "You know how I feel about that..."

A look of apology crossed Delia's features. "I know Gary." She placed a hand on Gary's shoulders. "I miss Lyanna and Robert too. Come on, let's get you something to eat. Your grandfather is in the living room. Tracey too."

Gary pulled away from Delia's touch and shuffled into the kitchen, thumbing his gold and green pendent as he did so. Delia went back into the kitchen, finishing off the last touches of what was to be an extravagant feast.

Meanwhile, the gang entered the living room, which was becoming very crowded. Blaidd was very quiet, feeling almost claustrophobic and paranoid, wishing to keep his cloak on and hood up, even though Brock offered to hang it up for him on the coat rack. Tracey was the first to see him as he was.

"Whoa, Ash! You brought back a Lucario!" Tracey was rapidly pulling out his sketchbook as he spoke at a rushed pace. "They're extremely rare in Kanto, almost unheard of even! How did you catch it?" He reached to remove Blaidd's hood.

"I'm not his pokemon," Blaidd growled, very quietly, his breath like sliding steel over stone. He smacked his staff, lightly, on Tracey's outstretched hand. "I am my own person, not someone's pet," he reiterated. The room fell into an awkward silence. Brock tried to alleviate the tension.

"Okay, so let's not go there, shall we?" he laughed weakly.

"Good idea," May replied.

Delia popped her head out from the kitchen. "It's time for dinner!"

Ash got off the couch as quickly as she said it, stretching. "Finally!"

"Some days Ash, I think you're a stomach with two legs," Misty sighed, going into the kitchen.

"That's not very funny Misty," Ash grumbled.

"Aw, young love," Blaidd said teasingly.

"Never let them hear you say that," Tracey warned, apparently forgetting about the previous incident. "They will inflict pain on you like you will never know."

"I'm Ash's teacher, he wouldn't do such a thing," Blaidd said. "Besides, I am fully capable of defending myself."

Tracey rubbed the back of his hand where Blaidd had struck it."Duly noted."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"...Meowth, Meowth, can you hear us? Say roger or something along those lines."

"James, that isn't very helpful..."

"Fine if you think you're so great, then you take over the walkie talkie!"

"I intend to!"

"Hey-OW! Jessie!"

If he could have rubbed his temples, Meowth would've at that moment.He was currently hiding in the honeysuckle bushes alongside Mrs. Ketchum's house. He had a walkie talkie in one paw and a small, high tech recording device in one of his ears. It looked like a hearing aid. "You know, I can't exactly hear anything with youse two arguing all the time!"

There was a slight pause. "...Sorry."

Meowth nodded. "Good, I'm glad that we have an understanding." He inched closer to the window of the kitchen, trying to get even just the smallest snippet of conversation. Giovanni had ordered them to spy—not steal, he reiterated forcibly—on the Ketchum household. Giovanni was beginning to believe that the Ketchum boy was the key to defeating Archer and reclaiming the first steps of what used to be his mighty empire. Meowth liked to believe that to, if only for the smallest hope of a promotion. Unfortunately from his vantage point, Meowth couldn't hear a thing that they were saying. He harrumphed in disgust. The plan would have been so much easier if they got somebody taller to do the task, he determined, but Jessie and James were much too conspicuous and a small, innocent-looking Meowth was more ideal to their plans. If only they knew how "innocent", he really was, he smirked. He scratched his head, thinking. There had to be an easier way. His wide eyes then spotted a rake that was lying a few yards from the honeysuckle bush, and it was more than tall enough to reach the window sill. He inched out of the bush, painstakingly slow, to grab the haft of the rake. After a few minutes of crawling to the rake, his cream hued paws grasped the rake shaft.

"Gotcha!" he crowed in delight, then froze, waiting if anybody heard him. Nobody did and Meowth proceeded to drag the rake across those few yards into the honeysuckle bush. He pulled out the recording device out of his ear and wrapped the wire around the top part of the rake, around the wood.

"I bet that Jessie and James never thought of this," he said, tying it. "I'll show him whose the top cat around here!" The recording device firmly secured, he started to push the rake so that it would be leaning against the siding of the house, with the recording device just peeking above the window sill. He had it balanced just right when it started to tip over, back into the bush with a loud crash.

"Gah!"

"Meowth!" James voice called urgently over the walkie-talkie. "We heard something loud on our end. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled. "I'm fine. Just a little hiccup in the plan, that's all."

"Oh, okay, we thought it was something worse."

"...We? Don't you mean you?"

"Jessie, you know what I meant."

"You were the one who nearly had a heart attack!"

"Did not!"

Meowth sighed and dutifully shut off the walkie-talkie. "Some sacrifices are needed in times like these,". he thought sarcastically as he pushed the rake back up. This time, he decided to brace it against the wall, to catch it if need be. He had to be careful though, for one tiny mistake could equal one gigantic blast of for him.

"...What do you mean Orre?.."

"It's what I saw. I have to go there..."

Meowth silently sang a praise to up above. The first conversations were coming in loud and clear. Giovanni would be pleased.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Professor Oak nearly spat out a mouthful of the lentil soup he was having. "What do you mean, Orre?"

Ash took a deep breath before continuing. He had never encountered this kind of resistance from Professor Oak. Normally, the older man was encouraging of Ash, telling him of new things and new sights to see. When his own mother balked on him taking on new adventures, Professor Samuel Oak has convinced her otherwise.

Now it felt like Opposite Day.

"It's what I saw. I have to go there." he paused, trying to explain the unimaginable tug he felt towards Orre, like a magnet to metal. "The vision, that's what it showed me. If I don't go there, they'll get there first."

Blaidd spoke up for him. "Ash is right. There are forces stirring in the world, ones we can't control, but if we don't do something, then things will get bleaker, much bleaker."

Professor Oak placed his spoon down, crossing his arms. "Orre is a very dangerous place. It is a frontier town essentially, constantly waging war against the desert. Orre is barren and deadly, for if the natives don't kill you first for trespassing on their sacred land, then the harsh sandstorms and dehydration will."

"I can do this Professor," Ash insisted.

Professor Oak shook his head. "I lost one too many friends out on those sands. They thought they could do it, just like you, traversing those sands, but they lost the battle. I'm not losing you too." He paused. "Friends. . .friends and family," he thought.

"Ash won't be doing this alone," Blaidd said. "I will be going with him."

"As am I," Misty said, much to the surprise of everyone."

"But the gym..." Tracey trailed off.

"Can handle themselves for a little longer." she said, almost brusquely.

Brock coughed. "I'll be going too."

"Same here," May added.

Me too," Max said.

"I guess I'll go too," Drew said with a slight smirk.

"I want to go too," Dawn said. Then she turned to Gary. "Gary?"

"...Hm?" he seemed quiet."

"Will you be going too?"

Gary paused looking back and forth between his grandfather and the others, who were looking at him expectantly, waiting for his decision. He hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath, then answered-

"Yes, I'll go too."

Professor Oak opened his mouth to say something, but shut it, reminding Ash of a magikarp or a feebas. A look of anguish flittered across the elder man's face, but it passed as quickly as it came. "Alright Gary, I'll let you go."

A quizzical look spread across Ash's face; he knew that Gary didn't ask to go, so why did Professor Oak say it the way he did? It piqued his curiosity and he realized that maybe, he didn't know the elderly Professor as well he thought he did.

The rest of the meal went relatively smooth after the moment of tension, the quiet discussion of the trip to Orre in the air. It was simple enough: they would go to Vermillion City, then from there a ship would take them to a place called Gateon Port. From there, they would take a small ferry to a place called Agate Village and they would travel westward from there, into the desert. However, it wasn't the most difficult part pf the journey, as Professor Oak was explaining. They had finished up their meal and were sitting in Delia's living room in various positions, as there wasn't enough room on the couches and chairs.

". . .While you may think that you can beat the many dangers the deserts present, it is actually the natives of the desert. They are a mysterious group of people who value secrecy and the sanctity of their desert more than interaction with the outside world. Some of the groups that wander the Orre desert might be welcoming to the outsiders, but more than likely, they will expel you, or worse, kill you, especially if they find out that you want to go see the temple. They are almost over zealous when it comes to protecting the holiest of sites for them, the temple dedicated to Ho-Oh.

"Yet, there are some things you need to know about the natives. We call them "Holohians", for their association with Ho-Oh. They eschew outside contact, for one and as they are connected to Johto, share many of the mythologies of their neighbors; however, theirs is more religious than our system of beliefs, for they believe that Ho-Oh is the creator of their being and the god of the sun. The Legendary Beasts, Entei, Suicune and Raikou, represent the deserts, the rains and storms, respectively. Their tribal organization is based off the seven colors of the rainbow, since Ho-Oh is associated with the weather phenomenon. Theyare very warrior like, so feats of strength and battle prowess are valued and revered in the culture."

Professor Oak stood up from his place in a large, comfortable chair. "Unfortunately, there isn't much more to say about the group and that is all I can give. I bid you all good night." He entered the kitchen, where he ran into Delia, who was finishing up cleaning up from the previous.

"Coffee?" she asked when he walked in.

"Considering that my nerves have been going at their maximum, I don't see how a mug of coffee would keep me any more awake."

Delia nodded and went to the coffee brewer, where a hot pot of coffee was waiting. Professor Oak noticed the half empty mug next to the kitchen sink. He took Delia's offered mug and inhaled deeply, taking in the savory, bitter aroma.

"You know," Delia began, wiping a dish clean. "Gary and Ash are much more capable than you think. They can take care of themselves."

"They don't understand the dangers that desert conceals," Professor Oak retorted, taking a sip of the mug and leaning against the counter. Delia noticed that he looked more haggard, older at that moment. "They think it's just another adventure."

"Gary isn't like Robert, you know," Delia insisted.

Professor Oak shook his head. "I know he isn't, but he still has his father's-my son-stubborn and impulsive streak. The last thing I want is for Gary to emulate Robert in more ways than one."

"I don't want the same thing to happen to my Ash any more than you do, but at this point, I've learned one thing and that's if Ash doesn't find adventure, adventure will find him, times ten."

Professor Oak let out a sardonic chuckle. "Just like his father."

Delia went back to washing the dishes. "Very much so. Coffee alright?"

"Fantastic Delia. You always knew how to make a batch of coffee to perfection."

"Thanks to my days as an intern under you. You would get as angry as a Ursaring when you didn't have at minimum three mugs, first thing in the morning."

"Only because Lyanna could never make a pot of good proper coffee." Professor Oak said as he placed his now empty mug into Delia's dishwasher. "Well," he stretched. "I better be shepherding the boys back to the lab. It was a lovely dinner Delia and thank you once again." He went out into the living room. Delia could hear him talk to Tracey and Gary. "Come on boys, time to head back. We have a lot to do in the morning."

She went back to washing the pots and pans since they couldn't go into the washer. It was a mindless task, which allowed her mind to wander. She knew Gary, nor Ash were not like Robert, or Lyanna for that matter, but Professor Oak's words lingered in her mind. "Besides," she thought. "Their friends will be coming with them. They're safer as a group, Strength in numbers, I always say." She started to scrub harder at the pot, like her outward actions would wipe away her doubt an insecurity. She paused, looking out into the distance. She knew she couldn't stop her son, but at least, she could pray for him and his friends.

Like she had always done, because while a lot of things change, not all of them have to.

Ooh, hints of a backstory and of an entire new culture, the "Holohians". I've been perfecting them for almost a year, since I started writing the last half of Revival. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have writing them and building their world.