New chapter for everyone! In this one, Ash, Dawn and Hiccup are all going to be catching a new Pokémon each. But in this case, the Pokémon Hiccup catches won't listen to him at first. But I hope you like the chapter anyway.
*Current Poll Results*
Mega Charizard X: 28 votes
Mega Charizard Y: 8 votes
*Hiccup's Pokémon so far…*
Charmander (shiny): Toothless
Axew (albino): Hookfang
Last time on Dragon Master and his Maiden: Kanto Chronicles, Hiccup made it all the way to the Kanto region and made two new friends in Ash Ketchum and Dawn Berlitz. The two new trainers registered with Professor Oak at the Oak Ranch and were given one Poke Ball each.
Inside were an electric Pokemon and a normal Pokemon with whom the two new trainers have ignited a lifelong friendship: Pikachu and Buneary.
And now, together with Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third and his own Pokemon, a Charmander with retractable teeth named Toothless, and an albino Axew named Hookfang, they will traverse the Kanto Region on their journeys to become the world's greatest Pokemon Trainers!
Even greater than the likes of trainers like Red, Blue, Yellow and Green.
Saving Aggron, Rhydon and Tyranitar!
As Hiccup, Dawn, Ash, Pikachu and Buneary walked out of the lab, they were greeted by the sight of Ash's mom along with all of her friends gathered at the bottom of the stairs. Held by two of these people was a large banner that reads 'Good Luck, Ash' in big, bold letters.
"Mom, what are you and your friends doing here?" Ash asked as they got to the bottom of the stairs.
Delia smiled at Ash and unzipped what appeared to be a fully packed backpack that was probably meant for Ash's journey.
"Well, I wasn't about to let my little Pokemon Master start his journey without seeing him off." Delia said, unshed tears building in her eyes. "You're so much like your father… I'm gonna miss you so much!"
"Aw, mom…" sighed Ash.
He understands how she feels. Not many people know this, but Ash's father is actually the Kanto Champion, Red, the greatest Pokemon Trainer that Kanto has ever produced to date. When he was a toddler, Red left home to train at Mount Silver and hasn't been seen since. It hurt his mother very much, not having her husband around, but she understood that he needed to become stronger for his family's sake.
He always writes them letters and sends them money to help them out, but it's never quite the same as having him there in the flesh. But before Red left for Mount Silver in the Johto Region, he made a promise.
When Ash comes of age and starts his Pokemon Journey, I'll return to the Kanto Region to battle him in the Pokemon League Championship battle!
That was ten years ago…
And now, Delia reached into Ash's bag… and proceeded to load a bunch of stuff that really shouldn't be able to fit in there into his arms.
"I packed your sneakers, clean pajamas, a change of clothes, extra underwear, which you shouldn't forget to change, a tent and sleeping bag, clothesline so you can do your laundry while on the road, snacks for the trip, Potions and healing items, a pair of rubber gloves, and some hot chocolate, in case you want something hot. But be careful not to burn yourself-"
"MOM, YOU'RE EMBARRASSING ME! AND IN FRONT OF ALL THESE PEOPLE!" interrupted Ash as he snatched the bag away. "I know that you worry about me, but a future Pokemon Master has to learn to do these things by himself."
That's when Delia noticed Pikachu perched on Ash's shoulder, and Buneary sitting on Dawn's head. She hadn't even noticed them because she was too busy both with traversing down memory lane, and embarrassing her son.
"Are those you kids' Pokemon?" she asked.
"That's right, Mrs. Ketchum. This is Buneary, and on Ash's shoulder is Pikachu." Dawn replied, introducing their Pokemon.
"Bun Buneary!"
"Pika Pika!"
"But don't all Pokemon usually stay inside their Poke Balls?" Delia asked.
That made Ash and Dawn ponder her words. While it is true that most Pokemon tend to stay inside of their Poke Balls, the kids can't quite imagine what it must be like staying cooped up in those things for so long. They were pretty sure that some Pokemon might actually develop claustrophobia from it.
Unsurprisingly, it was Hiccup who decided to field this one. He took out his Pokedex and scrolled through the Trainer Tips loaded into it by Professor Juniper and pulled one up.
"Here, Mrs. Ketchum, listen to this. It'll clear things up." Hiccup said.
The screen on his Pokedex lit up and revealed a picture of a standard Poke Ball with a Magikarp inside of it.
"Pokemon, when caught by trainers, more often than not remain inside of their Poke Balls until they are called out by their trainer. However, there are rare instances where a Pokemon, when caught, will remain outside of their Pokeball. Some Pokemon dislike being confined."
Ash turned to Pikachu and looked at him in confusion.
"Pikachu, is that why you don't want to stay inside your Poke Ball?" Ash asked.
"Pika Pikachu!" the mouse Pokemon answered, nodding his head rapidly.
"What about you, Buneary?" Dawn asked her own Pokemon.
Buneary looked at Dawn for a moment before hopping off of the bluenette's head and tapped the button on her Poke Ball before being turned into red energy and sucked back into the device. Dawn and the others looked astonished at that. Especially Pikachu, who thinks it's way too cramped in those things.
But, I guess that answers that question.
"Well, Mrs. Ketchum, we really should be going now." Hiccup said. "The road to becoming any kind of master when it comes to Pokemon is a long and arduous one, and she waits for no one."
Delia smiled and ruffled Hiccup's hair in response, making the boy blush in embarrassment at the motherly gesture. Growing up without his mom in his life, Hiccup has never known what a mother's love could actually feel like. Not until this moment at least.
"I understand, Hiccup. I just hope you three will be careful out there." she said.
"Don't worry, mom. Hiccup, Dawn and I will watch each other's backs throughout our whole journey." Ash said to his mother.
They were just about to walk off, when suddenly…
"Hey, kids, wait up!"
They were stopped by Professor Oak.
The old man rushed down the stairs and nearly ended up running Hiccup over. Luckily, he managed to stop himself in time. But he was holding two strange objects. One of them was a Mega Stone that was embedded in a belt that looked to be made as armor, and the other was what Hiccup recognized as a Keystone.
The Mega Stone is a cream color with a symbol in the middle that is both tan and brown in color.
"Thank goodness I caught up to you all when I did! I forgot that I needed to give something to Dawn here." Professor Oak said once he caught his breath.
It's like they always say: "loss of control is the first thing to go, Eddy."
"What is it, professor?" Dawn asked.
"Well, you see, Dawn, a colleague of mine in the Kalos Region is currently studying a strange phenomenon known as Mega Evolution, and when he heard that I had a Buneary with me, he insisted on giving me these. The first is a Mega Stone, a key item needed for the process of Mega Evolution. The second is a Keystone, which is used to trigger the ability of Mega Evolution." Oak explained.
"Mega Evolution? What's that, professor Oak?" Ash asked.
The professor gave the belt containing the Mega Stone to Dawn along with the Keystone, and began to explain things further.
"Yes. You see, most Pokemon have about four stages of maturity. The first stage is the egg, then the Pokemon's first evolutionary stage, followed by stage 2, and finally stage 3, which is the final form of a Pokemon's evolutionary branch. But in rare cases, a Pokemon that has formed a powerful bond with its trainer is capable of evolving beyond their final evolved form. That Mega Stone that I gave to Dawn seems to react stronger when it is close to Buneary, leading me to believe that it must be for Buneary's final evolved stage, Lopunny." Oak explained.
"Lopunny…?" Hiccup wondered.
He took out his Pokedex and typed in the name of this Pokemon, and on the screen appeared Buneary's evolved form.
Lopunny is a bipedal, rabbit-like Pokémon with a dark brown fur and a short, round tail. It has pink eyes with black markings on the inner edge, long tufts of cream-colored fur above its eyes, and a small, pink nose. Its long ears, which bend shortly above its head, end in fluffy, cream-colored fur. Lopunny appears to have a far more humanoid appearance in nature, making it look more anthropomorphic. Its head, body, and hips are covered in dark brown fur, while its wrists and lower legs are covered in fluffy, cream-colored fur similar to its ears.
"Lopunny, the Rabbit Pokemon, and the evolved form of Buneary. Extremely cautious, it quickly bounds off when it senses danger."
Hiccup was amazed. If Lopunny looks the way it does now, he has to wonder what happens when it Mega Evolves. He was broken from his musings when he heard Dawn talking to professor Oak again.
"What should I do with the other stone, professor?" she asked.
"Keep that stone for yourself, and have it placed in something for easier access and transport." Oak instructed.
Dawn nodded at the professor and placed the Keystone in the 'Key Items' pocket of her bag for safe keeping. At least until she can find something to place the stone in for easier access.
With that done, and Ash having packed everything back up, the three children bowed to professor Oak out of respect and began to walk along the path to Route 1. This marked the beginning of a grand adventure for our story's plucky little protagonists.
*On Route 1…*
As Hiccup and his friends made their way down Route 1, they couldn't keep the smiles off their faces. They were finally free to begin travelling with their Pokemon by their side and weren't about to let anything get them down! But they knew that even on a beginner's trail like Route 1, there's bound to be some stronger Pokemon.
Spearow are a less common and highly territorial species that don't like intruders. And if they run into one, they all know it's best to just leave it alone and back away slowly.
Anyway, both Ash and Dawn understand that the most common Pokemon on Route 1 are Pidgey and Rattata, but they really do hope to run into something like a Sandshrew or a Nidoran. It'd be pretty cool if they did. But Hiccup was searching for something else.
"Hey guys, where do you think we might find a flock of Spearow?" Hiccup asked.
"I don't know, and I'd rather not find out." Ash replied.
"Yeah, I mean, I've heard stories of trainers dying from being attacked by huge flocks of Spearow and their evolved forms!"
Hiccup looked at Ash and Dawn, and he could see the slight fear etched onto their faces. He can't really blame them for that. He knows about the fearsome reputation that Spearow, and their evolved form, Fearow, have gained just from following their more territorial instincts. But that's not going to stop Hiccup! He knows that with time and patience, ANY Pokémon can be trained and befriended. Even those with the worst reputations. And Hiccup plans to prove this to his two new friends.
But first things first, they need to actually find some Pokémon to catch. It'd be nice to catch some new Pokémon and expand his team a little bit more. Right now, Hiccup has a Fire Type in Charmander, and a Dragon Type in Axew.
But while he's at it, Hiccup is going to need to learn more about Mega Evolution as well. So far, he really doesn't know too much about it. Just what is Mega Evolution, really?
So far, the only Pokemon that Hiccup knows can Mega Evolve are Charizard, Blastoise, Venusaur and Lopunny. Just how many more Pokémon can Mega Evolve?
Hiccup suddenly stopped and tensed as he heard something big coming their way. He turned towards some nearby trees and gripped his Mega Scepter in a defensive stance. Living in a town where no one stops people from trying to physically harm you for so long will do that to you.
So he trained with Gobber in the art of self defense, and while he's no heavyweight in hand to hand combat, Hiccup is highly proficient with a Bo-Staff. As proven by how he hit Tuff and Ruff in the head so hard, they were knocked out all until the next evening.
Opelucid was actually thankful that Hiccup did that. Those two had been taking their pranks WAY too far at that point.
But I digress.
"What's wrong, Hiccup?" Ash asked.
"Pika Pi?" added Pikachu, tilting his head in confusion.
Hiccup just gripped his scepter tighter as he said a few simple words that put everyone on edge. Not that they weren't on edge already, due to Hiccup bringing up the Spearows earlier.
"I think we're about to have company."
Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder as the rustling got louder while Dawn reached for Buneary's Poke Ball. They waited with baited breath as the rustling of the trees grew louder and louder. Whatever is coming through those trees, it's big… and there's more than one.
Suddenly, three Pokemon stumbled through the trees, looking worn out and battle damaged.
"Don…"
"Nitar…"
"Ron… Aggron…"
"WHAT THE HECK?!" gasped Hiccup.
"What happened to these Pokemon?!" demanded a shocked Dawn.
"I don't know, but what I want to know right now is who the other two are. I recognize the Rhydon, but the other two are a complete mystery to me." Ash said.
He took out his Pokedex, and proceeded to scan the Pokemon known as Rhydon.
"Rhydon, the evolved form of Rhyhorn. It is known as the Drill Pokemon. Its large horn gives it formidable attack power. This Rhydon is a level 37 female and has the ability Rock Head. Her known moves are Hammer Arm, Fury Attack, Scary Face, Smack Down, Stomp, Bulldoze, Chip Away, Rock Blast, Drill Run and Take Down."
Rhydon is a large, gray, bipedal Pokémon with features of both dinosaurs and rhinoceroses. It has a cream-colored, drill-like horn on its snout, the female having a smaller horn than the male. There are other protrusions on the head as well, including a spike curving forward from the middle of its head, two triangular, points resembling ears to the sides, a wide, wavy crest under the ears, and spiky ridges on its cheeks. It has red eyes and two fangs protruding from its upper jaw. It has a cream-colored stomach and a row of spikes down its back. Rhydon has a long tail with skinny, black stripes.
"Well, that answers one question. Now, who are the other two?" Hiccup asked.
He took out his own Pokedex, knowing that it was the only one of the three tenagers' Pokedexes that could scan these Pokemon without the Pokemon needing to be from their native region. He activated it, and an image of a healthier looking version of this Pokemon appeared on the screen.
"Aggron, the Iron Armor Pokemon. The final form of the Aron evolution. It claims an entire mountain as its own. The more wounds it has, the more it has battled, so don't take it lightly. This Aggron is a level 35 female and has the ability Sturdy. Her known moves are Tackle, Harden, Mud-Slap, Headbutt, Metal Claw, Rock Tomb, Protect, Roar, Iron Head, Rock Slide, Take Down, Metal Sound and Iron Tail."
Aggron is a huge, bipedal Pokémon. It is primarily black with plates of silver-colored armor. The armor on its head has two pairs of holes with horns protruding from the foremost holes. Its forehead plating extends past its upper jaw in a small point. It has sky-blue eyes, and two nostril-like holes on the tip of its upper jaw. On the rim of its mouth are several pointed, fang-like protrusions and the nape of its neck and back have gray-silver armor sections. It has wide, blunt spikes on its shoulders, and gray-silver bands on its arms and legs. Its hands and feet each have three claws. It has a thick, long, black tail that it can swing at enemies.
And Hiccup can already tell that she's been through many battles. Her armor has small, almost unnoticeable dents in various areas and scratch marks where claw based techniques have been used. But several of these wounds were not caused by battling.
Next, Hiccup scanned the other Pokemon. This one was really different from the others.
"Tyranitar, the Armor Pokemon. The evolved form of Pupitar and a Pseudo Legendary Pokemon found in the Johto Region. The quakes caused when it walks make even great mountains crumble and change the surrounding terrain. This Tyranitar is a level 56 male and has the ability Sandstream. His known moves include Sandstorm, Screech, Chip Away, Rock Slide, Scary Face, Thrash, Dark Pulse, Payback, Crunch and Earthquake. This Pokemon also knows the Egg Moves Dragon Dance and Outrage, but they have not yet been unlocked."
Tyranitar is a large, bipedal, dinosaurian Pokémon with a green, armor-like hide covering its body. It has two pairs of pointed teeth: one in the upper jaw and one in the lower. Several spikes of varying size protrude from the back of its head, neck, and shoulders. Both sides of its chest, the center of its back, and it's knees have two triangular holes. There is a gray, diamond-shaped patch of scales covering its belly, and a smaller one on its back. It has three claws on its feet and hands. A ring of spikes surrounds the tip of its tail.
However, all of these Pokemon definitely looked worse for ware. Each of them had several bad bruises and scorch marks all over their bodies, and Aggron looked like she had several cracks in her armor. These were clearly signs of Pokemon abuse, but this shouldn't have happened to three wild Pokemon.
Unless…
"Sir, we've looked everywhere, but we can't find them anywhere!" exclaimed an irritated and raspy male voice.
Another male voice that sounded like it had this kind of western drawl to it, growled in irritation and the cracking sound of a whip was heard.
"Then keep searching! That Rhydon is easily replaceable if we go to the Safari Zone here in Kanto, but that Aggron and Tyranitar took too long and too much of our resources to catch them in Hoenn and Johto! Take some men with you, spread out and search some more! We made sure they were hurt too badly to make any grand escapes, so they couldn't have gotten far!"
"Yes sir! At once!"
Hiccup and the others looked at each other in the eyes. It's just like they feared.
These Pokemon were captured by poachers known as Pokemon Hunters!
They aren't well liked in the world except in the criminal underground of every region. Pokemon Hunters are some of the lowest scum on the planet who make their living hunting down rare and exotic Pokemon. First they catch them, then they auction them off on the black market to whoever is willing to pay the highest amount.
The police have been trying to arrest and perhaps rehabilitate as many Pokemon Hunters as they can, but it's just not enough. There are more hunters out there than they can catch. And the worst among them is a woman known as Hunter J.
Hiccup immediately took out a Poke Ball and walked towards Aggron. The Pokemon growled and readied herself to fight, despite her injuries, but was astonished when the boy just set the ball down a few feet in front of her. She looked up at Hiccup and could sense that he has a non threatening aura.
"Aggron, please… my friends and I want to help you and your friends, but to do that, we have to catch you. I promise that after we get you healed up at a Pokemon Center, we'll release you three back into the wild." Hiccup gently assured. "What do you say? Will you let us help you?"
Aggron didn't like the idea of being captured by a human again, but she didn't want to end up being recaptured by those poachers either! So, after saying something to Rhydon and Tyranitar in her native language, she took a few shaky steps towards Hiccup, tapped the button on the Poke Ball and was captured without so much as a struggle.
Hiccup picked up the Poke Ball that now contained Aggron and motioned for Hiccup and Dawn to do the same. His two friends got the message clear as day and each set a Poke Ball in front of one of the remaining injured Pokemon.
By the time they were done, Rhydon was caught by Dawn while Ash had captured Tyranitar, and the three of them were now making a beeline for Viridian City. They had to get these three Pokemon medical attention right away!
*To Be Continued…*
You know guys, now that I think about it, despite the current results of the poll that are listed above, I can't help but feel as though Mega Charizard Y might be the better choice for Hiccup in this story. Just because Mega Charizard X is part Dragon Type, like how Toothless is a dragon in the original HTTYD, it doesn't make it the ideal choice. Don't get me wrong, I like Mega Charizard X! Next to my Greninja, it was my go-to Pokemon in my Pokemon X version when I first got the game. But Mega Charizard Y has the one thing that Mega Charizard X doesn't.
Enhanced speed. Like a Night Fury, or any other Strike Class Dragon, Mega Charizard Y possesses the blinding speed that Toothless also possessed in the HTTYD franchise. And let's face it, Mega Charizard Y seems quite underappreciated. I'm not saying that I'm going to disregard the Poll on this story, I'm just giving my own opinion on the matter.
