A/N. Ok, so no lies. I was actually feeling pretty iffy health-wise for a couple of days, which kept me from updating, and honestly, and I am truly sorry about this. I discovered this new game on a trip to GameStop called Freedom Wars and all but drowned in it when I wasn't feeling horrendously nauseous. It's really good, so I totally recommend it for people with a lot of patience who don't mind button mashing and aren't at constant risk of an aneurism or something equally tragic and lethal and who own a PS vita and a semi-descent and totally stable internet connection. (Not that it's completely needed but it makes missions easier.). The game can be a little frustrating at times. (READ: A lot.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

EP 4: Rocky Roads Ahead

"Damn…" was the frustrated mutter that left tan lips as reddish brown eyes narrowed at the flashing screen before her, facial expression screwed in some strange emotion stuck somewhere between anger and bemused exasperation. A thumb nail was caught rather unfortunately between gritting teeth as Ashe tried and failed to glare at the electronic device the resident nurse had offered her upon request. It wasn't pleasing, and she was starting to curse out any deity that could possibly hear her and be blamed for such an unfortunate turn of events.

She'd already been in a bad mood when entering the rocky confines that made Pewter City, having almost lost to an overzealous wild pokémon that thought she'd been somehow plotting on swiping its territory, and then run into some snarky newbie trainer that had somehow gotten himself a big head and still managed to be a worse battler than she and her three, horrifyingly inexperienced pokémon were. And this new turn of events was only making it worse.

"Why, oh why, does both Vermillion and Celadon City have to be so far away?!" It was a difficult, frustrating pill to swallow. But it was true, none-the-less. She'd already wasted at least four days' worth of time getting to just Pewter City alone, and getting to even Celadon would be a tricky, and possibly even futile race against time, even more so when she'd discovered that most of the roads leading to both towns were currently blocked for some obscure reason that the map couldn't explain to her. And with a whole entire cave system and two more cities in the way, it just made everything seem more impossible than it already had.

It definitely didn't help her souring mood that one of those towns just happened to be the same city her grandparents lived in.

Yet another place someone was liable to recognize her, for the sheer fact that her grandparents on her mother's side had this horrendous habit of bragging about their own family members when talking to friends. Said bragging including everything from embarrassing stories not even her own mother would've shared, to showing off pictures Ashe hadn't even wanted to take in the first place.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit…" She huffed out, rubbing Sparkler on the chin to soothe the pokémon despite her own use of a rather vulgar, if limited vocabulary.

"Pika…" Said electric-type cooed, cheeks sparking lazily as it leaned into her touch. It pawed slightly at the screen, watching in belated wonderment at what the device could do, before allowing its trainer control of the system again. Though all it seemed to be doing in all honesty, was put her in a horrendously bad mood.

"Ah, pardon?" a voice came, unfamiliar and entirely unwelcome as Ashe eyed the newcomer suspiciously. She wound up sighing slightly in the end though, shoulders sagging in slight defeat when she recognized the speaker as the resident Nurse Joy.

It still surprised her a little to see such a familiar face, and at the same time know that this person was still a complete and total stranger to her, and knew about as much about her as some random Johnny on the street.

"I'm sorry, I'm just in a bad mood…"

"I can kind of tell. If there's anything at all you need assistance with, you know all you need to do is ask, right?" the woman said, tone gentle as she took the map from the young trainer's hands. "A Pokémon Center is there to heal one's pokémon and rest, yes. But it is also there to help trainers in need, even if all that is required is a little push in the right direction."

Ashe eyed the woman skeptically for a split second, glancing back down at the map before looking her in the eye again, and sighing as she slumped back into the admittedly comfortable chairs lining the lobby.

"I need to get to Celadon in a by Tuesday, next week. I think… There's this plane bound for the Kalos region see? But with all the roads blocked that's going to be impossible… Vermillion City is my next best bet… but again, I only had two weeks as of Monday, and unless I'm wrong it's Thursday, and I'm kind of running out of time…"

"You got this information from my sister in Viridian City, correct?" Nurse Joy asked, with a practiced level of patience that honestly astounded Ashe in ways she probably would never admit to.

"Yes."

"Well then, you'll be happy to know that that plane bound for Kalos has been delayed by quite a bit."

"What?"

"Yes, it was going to leave next week, but Kalos and the air routes in-between are currently experiencing some severe weather. So they delayed it for at least another two weeks. That gives you three to get to Celadon. Unfortunately, you're a lot less lucky on the boat matter. Even if the roads weren't clear for travel, they canceled it due to the storm, and it's been permanently bound to Vermillion Harbor until further notice. All the sea routes it would've taken are currently far too dangerous to traverse, and it's been predicted that they won't settle until five weeks from now, at the earliest."

"Well, that sucks…" Ashe commented, face twisting up in a childish grimace as she thought about how limited her options had suddenly become. 'Not that there were a lot of 'em to begin with but still…' "Um… would the roads have cleared by then?"

"No, I'm afraid not, but there are other routes to take." The woman answered, an apologetic smile on her face as she took a seat next to the trainer, map still in hand. "Though, if I might make a suggestion?"

"Yeah…"

"This is a rather basic map to be honest. Usually offered to trainers when they don't have a working Town Map of their own," she explained holding up aforementioned device. "It doesn't show every route and town that lays in Kanto, only the major ones that receive the most traffic, trainer and citizen wise. Since you don't seem to have a more detailed one of your own, I can commandeer one, but since you don't plan on staying in-region, it'd probably go to waste."

"Yeah… maybe…"

"So, here's my suggestion. Let me plot a quick course so you can get to Celadon quickly. But," she said, holding a finger up to stop the thirteen year old from interrupting her, "I need time. Not a lot, but at most two hours."

"Ok… but what am I supposed to do while I wait?"

"Well, there are a lot of things to do," Nurse Joy began again, a gentle smile on her face as she stood back up, pausing to pull out a small notepad and pen. She jotted something down quickly, before ripping out the page and handing it to Ashe. "We have a gym in Pewter City, which specializes in rock-types. The gym leader's name is Brock. While I get the Town Map ready and figure out a quick route, why don't you go and challenge him to a gym battle. You don't have to win, but it should eat up enough time that when you get back, I'll have your short cut."

"Are you sure? I mean… You still have so many pokémon to take care of and…"

"Nonsense. It's my job to help trainers and pokémon in need. Besides, compared to what I've had to do in the past, this is easy."

"O-Okay… But do you think I can handle a rock-type gym… I mean, I'm no experienced trainer, but even I know I'm at a huge disadvantage."

"Nonsense, I've seen trainers a lot worse off than you are challenge that gym and walk away with a badge. And you're charmander already knows Metal Claw. Which you puts you at an advantage compared to most others who start off with such a pokémon." Yeah, she still couldn't believe that herself. How stubborn little Sid, who apparently hated losing just as much as Ashe did, had somehow taught himself a move neither had known existed just to get the giant living boulder that had been laughing at the fire-type to stop.

The expression said rock-type had on its face had certainly been well worth the shock, but still.

"Ok." Ashe agreed finally after some thought, any and all hesitation gone from her voice as she stood up, slinging her backpack over a shoulder and making to leave the Center. "See ya soon ma'am, and who knows, maybe I'll have me one of them badges when I get back."

"Take care." The woman called, watching the suddenly confident trainer exit the building.

"Yo, Sparkler."

"Pika?"

"Remind me again how I let that lady talk me into challenging a gym of all things?"

"Pika-pi-pikachu."

"Right… Shit, I'm way in over my head on this, aren't I?"

"Pika!"

"Okay, so maybe I'm a little better off than you, Sid, and Bow, considering that I'm not the one fighting the giant moving boulders here."

"Pika…"

"Right, I just had an entire conversation with you. And you know what?"

"Pika?"

"I still have no clue what you're saying."

"Pi-pika…"

"Yep, we're royally screwed…"

A/N. Ok, so honestly, I wanted to make this chapter longer, I really did. But I was having so much difficulties just getting what I got typed down, typed down. So for now, and I'm really super sorry about this, this'll be what you get. It's probably terrible. But still, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Next up, we'll put some action in this and see how Ashe does in a high-pressure battle. Anyways, please tell me what you guys think, and see ya!

Also, so one of those problems I ran into was that in canon, Ash was registered under Prof. Oak as a pokémon trainer. Any wild pokémon he captured after reaching six, were sent to the professor's lab in Kanto. But in this story, Ashe isn't registered as a trainer under a professor. Not that that changes the fact that she technically owns those pokémon. Which she does, because if pokémon were real and you could look at the pokémon's registration forms, they are hers. Anyways, the problem here is that she isn't registered with a professor like her canon counterpart. She can't have more than six pokémon, otherwise where would they go.

It makes this a little easier on me of course, cuz I have a terrible memory and wouldn't be able to keep track of a lot of pokémon but still. At most, Ashe will have seven pokémon, maybe eight for now, until I can figure out a satisfactory way to run this so there's no plothole to fall into. So while she might be running into a lot of pokémon in this fic. Please don't expect her to catch every single last one she sees.

Now I'm open for suggestions of course, but just so you guys know. NO LEGENDARY POKÉMON. I mean it, Psuedo-legendries are ok I guess, maybe, but nothing like Diancie, or Victini, or Mew, or any of them. And please, try and keep your suggestions under six, because any more than that is a little tricky to keep track of.

Anyways, again, see ya!