Ten chapters! Over a hundred favorites! That you so much for the support you guys have given this story! Thank you for every review as well, I love reading them! I'm sorry its been so long since an upload, but I hope you enjoy this chapter!
In this chapter we get to meet Ash's Kalos Pokemon for the first time, and I can finally start referring to the events that took place in Kalos. Pokemon XYZ was probably my favorite season of Pokemon ever, so its great to have Kalos Pokemon and their stories at the lab now!
For this chapter's POV we have Noivern, mostly because I wanted to write about Noivern... But also because KitsuneShin0bi, Cosmic Sky, and graysean86 suggested I do a chapter about Noivern.
Enjoy!
Story 10 - Daddy! - Noivern
Noivern's large bat-like ears flicked up as he was released from his Pokeball, taking in his surroundings even before he opened his bright yellow eyes. Blinking slowly, Noivern took in the wide field he found himself standing in, ears swiveling about to hear everything around him. In the distance he could see a large forest at the edge of the field, one that reminded him of the forest he had been hatched in. He twitched his nose, not quite sure of what to do.
He heard talking behind him, and he quickly turned to face the two humans standing there. His claws dug into the ground, examining the humans that were standing in front of a laboratory. One was an older man in a white lab coat, who was watching him warily, Noivern's Pokeball in his hand. The other human was much younger, a pencil furiously scratching against a notebook as his eyes observed the dragon type that had materialized before him. Noivern froze, eyes wide as he watched them.
None of them were Ash.
The dragon type took several steps back, using the claws on his wings to stay balanced. The young Pokemon didn't know what to do as he stared at the strangers; except when being cared for by Nurse Joy at a Pokemon Center, the little Noivern had never been away from someone he knew. His eyes quickly flickered towards the Pokemon near the humans: a strange little green creature next to the older man and a blue water Pokemon next to the man sketching. His scales rattled together, he didn't even know the Pokemon either!
"You know, Tracey," The older man muttered quietly, "I'm honestly not surprised that Ash got a Noivern of his own- he loved the crazy one Alexa had."
It wasn't just the lack of familiar faces, it was the fact that a certain one was missing that was driving Noivern's panic. He lashed out with his tail, wings trembling as he tried to comprehend what was happening.
"Isn't amazing, sir?" Tracey said, looking over the dragon with awe, "Such an unique example of a dragon type!" He took a few steps closer, making Noivern tense, "Why can't these be what fills the caves of Kanto instead of Zubats?"
"Stay back," The Professor said quietly, thinking back on when he meet Alexa's Noivern, "I know from experience that rushing up to a Noivern isn't the best idea."
"Yes, Professor Oak," Tracey said, falling back a few paces. Tracey's Marill stood near him, waving a friendly hand at Noivern, but wyvern-like Pokemon didn't reply. He shifted his gaze from the Marill to the green creature, eyes blinking.
'Where's Daddy?' Noivern asked the Bulbasaur, deciding that out of all the two Pokemon in the area it looked the wisest. Surely this grass type would know what was going on and could help him.
But instead the Bulbasaur stepped forward, placing a vine on its chest, 'Hello there, I'm Bulbasaur. It's nice to meet you- we have the same trainer, by the way.'
Same trainer? No- they didn't. Noivern knew Ash's team, and there was no green creatures on it. Noivern shook his head, tail flicking nervously as he stumbled back some more, 'Where's my daddy?' Noivern asked again, wariness creeping into his tone.
Bulbasaur glanced towards the Marill, who gave a small shrug. He took in a deep sigh, and came closer towards Noivern, 'Hey, just calm down kid, it's okay,' Bulbasaur said in a soothing tone, 'You're talking about Ash, right? I guess you were egg-raised...' The Bulbasaur shook his head, 'Look, your "daddy" isn't here right now, he went somewhere with his mother for a bit. He asked us to get you Kalos 'Mon settled at the lab while he-'
Noivern jumped back, fear filling his small eyes. Daddy wasn't here?! No- that couldn't be right! Daddy said he wouldn't leave without him, that he'd be there no matter what! This wasn't happening again, too many people had left! Goodra had gone back to his home, Greninja had gone with big-dragons, Serena had taken her Pokemon with her on the giant metal plane far-far-away, Bonnie and Clemont and all of their Pokemon had stayed behind in Kalos- too many people had left!
Daddy couldn't be gone too.
Tears stung Noivern eyes, claws digging into the grass. He didn't know where he was- this air wasn't Kalos-air. These people were telling him that Daddy was gone, then Talonflame and Ash weren't in sight... Had these people taken him away from Daddy and his family?! Noivern tensed, eyes twitching as he glared at the Bulbasaur, who was coming closer.
'Stay away from me you meanie!' Noivern screamed at the Bulbasaur, the green energy of a Dragon Claw forming around his claws. He may be young- but Noivern knew he could battle- his daddy had taught him after all. The Bulbasaur froze in his tracks, along with the two humans and other Pokemon. Noivern growled, stumbling away from the meanies as they went still. Good, they better stay away, they better stay back...
"Woah, it's alright Noivern," Professor Oak said, taking a few steps towards the dragon, "Just calm down, and-"
Calm down? Calm down?! When Daddy was gone?! A hiss escaped Noivern's jaws- he would not calm down! Not until he found out where these people had taken his Daddy. He feigned a swipe at the old man, which made him duck, and Noivern wheeled around. Pressing close to the ground, Noivern launched himself into the air, wide wings flapping as he lifted himself into the sky. He clicked his tongue, satisfied at the startled cries from the meanies as he suddenly flew off. Hopefully they'd stay away from him now!
'Noivern, wait!' Bulbasaur cried, running after Noivern as he sped away from the lab, 'Slow down! We're not going to hurt you-!'
Noivern closed his eyes, ears quivering as he slowly built up energy for his Boomburst attack. The pressurized sound waves slowly began building up- then he dove right at Bulbasaur. The grass type skittered to a halt, only for the attack to be released. The powerful Boomburst echoed across the field- the sound wave slamming into Bulbasaur. The blast sent the little Pokemon flying back across the field, ears ringing as the attack faded.
Satisfied that he could outpace the meanies, Noivern flew off towards the forest. His wings flapped as he hit a sudden updraft, but Noivern was able to quickly angle up his wings and catch the wind, riding it above the forest. His daddy liked forests, so maybe Daddy would be in there!
He kept his ears facing downwards, startled at the vast amount of sounds he was picking up from the woods. Clearly a lot of Pokemon lived in there- and he didn't hear anything that sounded like Daddy. But that didn't mean that he should give up, if he couldn't hear Daddy then maybe Daddy could hear him! With a happy screech Noivern swooped down towards the forest.
Noivern landed on one of the trees, which began to bend under his weight. Sometimes he forgot that he wasn't a little Noibat and couldn't sit in any tree like he use to. He liked being big now, but he did miss the way Daddy use to hold him. But now he was the one that could hold Daddy! He was also big enough to face meanies that hurt his family, so it wasn't all bad being big! Noivern leapt out of the collapsing tree, searching for something that could support him- where he could start calling for his daddy.
He swooped away from the forest- he could still hear the mean-old Bulbasaur calling to him- heading towards the hilly meadows up ahead. Noivern stiffened as the bright light of a Solar Beam flared up from near the lab - were the meanies about to attack?! Noivern put an extra wing flap to his flight, soaring faster.
Noivern quickly realized that Daddy was probably looking for him as well, so it only made sense that he'd go somewhere he could see far- like up on a hill! Up on one hill was a large mossy boulder near the edge of the hill, with a tree and a craggy rock sticking up out of it. Deciding that this was a place with a good view and that could support him, Noivern dove towards it, settling up between the rock and the tree. The young dragon paused, trying to catch his breath, just wishing he knew what was going on. Why would they take Daddy from him?
'Can I help you?'
Noivern let out a startled cry as the boulder shifted, then started talking. He leapt off of it, landing on the hill next to the mossy boulder- which was getting to its feet. The large Torterra scanned Noivern with a pair of intelligent eyes as it slowly turned to face him, and Noivern's ears went back. This wasn't a boulder- it was a Pokemon.
'I- I-' Noivern began, voice shaking, 'S-sorry I-'
The Torterra gave a small smile, 'I don't mind anyone resting on my back. If you're comfortable there that's just fine. There's no need to be scared, young one.'
Noivern sniffed the Torterra, he didn't seem like a meanie... So Noivern decided that he could talk to him, 'I'm just looking for my daddy.'
Torterra craned his neck as far out of his shell as possible, 'Are you lost? What does your father look like?'
Noivern liked this boulder-Torterra. He was nice, 'Daddy is very little, about this big!' Noivern waved his claws at about hip level, 'His feathers are so warm, though not as warm as Aunty Talons. He has wings with claws- just like me! And if you're ever hurt he'll come running and make everything better!' Noivern leaned in close to Torterra excitedly, 'Have you seen my daddy?'
The Torterra smiled sadly, 'I'm afraid I haven't, child, but if I do I'll tell him that you're looking for him.'
Noivern smiled, he liked this Pokemon! He wasn't just nice- he was very nice! 'I have to go now,' Noivern said, not wanting to waste a moment that could be used looking for his daddy, 'Before mean ones come. Goodbye Mister Boulder.'
Torterra made a noise halfway between a cough and a laugh as Noivern said this, then the dragon type ran straight for the edge of the cliff-like hill. He opened his wings as he fell, quickly gaining air. He could see Torterra watching him fly, and he hoped that he could see the Pokemon again once he found his daddy. Craning his neck to look at the landscape below him, Noivern saw the lab in the distance, and paused. He hovered in midair, thinking. Ash liked these human buildings, and Daddy liked Ash. Perhaps that's where they were- as much as Noivern didn't want to go back towards the lab, but he was sure that he could outpace the meanies. The young dragon winced as he forced himself to turn around, flying back to the lab.
'Noivern!' A voice called out below Noivern after a few minutes, and he looked down excitedly- was it Daddy?!
There was Bulbasaur, running through the fields below him as Noivern flew above, clearly the Boomburst hadn't been enough to stop him, "Noi!" Noivern let out the startled screech, flying faster. He had to find Ash and Daddy!
Noivern suddenly froze, ears up in alarm as he heard something flying towards him.
'Get down here!' Bulbasaur cried, 'You just can't-!'
"Zarwah!"
A roar filled the air, and Bulbasaur suddenly came to a stop, eyes widening. Noivern looked just as fearful at the sound- he knew what kind of Pokemon made that roar. His ears were shifting, able to hear the sound of rushing wings coming right at him. But as Noivern had turned to face the incoming threat, he had found himself frozen in fear as he watched the large orange dragon-like Pokemon baring down on him. The creature let out another roar, claws aimed right at Noivern.
Pure fear ran through Noivern as the Charizard seized him, it's Dragon Claw digging into him as he dragged Noivern down towards the earth. The Noivern lashed out, struggling, but he knew this was a battle he couldn't win. Why was there a Charizard here?! Why was it with the meanies?! It wasn't fair- Charizards were unbeatable!
A forceful Seismic Toss threw Noivern to the ground, the young Pokemon groaning in pain as he slammed into the dirt. He could hear the Charizard's mighty wings flapping after him, landing right on top on him. A pair of claws pinned his wings to the earth, Noivern struggling as a harsh voice whispered in his ears, 'Hold still, Fuzz.'
'Daddy!' Noivern cried desperately, 'Daddy help me!'
'Charizard!' A voice thundered, 'Let go of him!'
Noivern felt tears entering his eyes, now the mean Bulbasaur was here too! There was no way he could fight the Bulbasaur while pinned down, and of course no one could defeat a Charizard! More tears ran down Noivern's face, oh why couldn't Daddy be here?!
The Charizard- still pinning Noivern down- snorted, 'Maybe you should be thanking me, Trooper,' Noivern could feel the hot breath of the Charizard on his back as it spoke to the Bulbasaur. Was it going to go mega on him? Noivern knew he couldn't stand a chance against a Charizard, let alone a mega one.
'Thank you?!' Bulbasaur cried, coming to a stop as he reached them, 'Get off of him Charizard!'
Charizard snorted, 'Look, all I know is that I saw your Solar Beam signal for trouble, and I was bored so I decided fly out here- and I saw this dragon rampaging! And we all know there was no way you could have stopped it-'
'Rampaging?!' Bulbasaur cried, 'Look at him Charizard- He's just a child! He's scared, confused- and even more so thanks to you! Let go of him now-'
"Haw-lu!"
Noivern's eyes widened, hope entering his gaze as the call echoed in his ears, and across the field. He knew that cry! An red blur was speeding towards Charizard and the pinned Noivern, it's knee glowing in a bright orange energy as he glided forward. The Pokemon slammed the High Up Kick right into Charizard's jaw as he opened his mouth to continue arguing with Bulbasaur. While not-very-effective, the force of the attack sent Charizard stumbling off of Noivern, allowing the Pokemon to spring to his feet.
The Hawlucha glided back from Charizard, glaring at the Pokemon who had dared pin down Noivern. He held his breath as he watched the Hawlucha spring up, preparing a Flying Press attack. Was the Hawlucha trying to fight a Charizard?! Didn't he know that even Greninja couldn't beat one?!
'No!' Noivern cried as Charizard let out a snarl, fire forming in the back of its throat as Hawlucha came crashing down on Charizard. The Flamethrower bathed Hawlucha, the fire consuming the fighting type before the Flying Press could land. Charizard formed a Wing Attack, slashing the Hawlucha to the side as he came down.
'What do you think-' Charizard began, snarling in rage at Hawlucha as he turned to face the charred Pokemon, but he never got to finish his sentence. Noivern didn't care if a Charizard couldn't faint in a battle- he still sprang at the fire type, claws gleaming with a Dragon Claw. The Charizard staggered back in surprise as the claws sank into his back, but he only looked mildly harmed. He flared his wings open, pushing Noivern from off of his back, turning to face the new threat. Noivern's eyes widened as he watched a Flamethrower being formed, aimed right at him.
Two vines wrapped around Noivern, pulling him back from the Flamethrower as it was launched. The fire hit the ground in front of him, and Hawlucha sprang into another Flying Press, crashing down onto Charizard. The drake let out a roar, bringing a Dragon Claw down onto Noivern, sending him flying back, but the vines still had a hold of him.
"Fly Noivern!" Hawlucha cried as he struggled to his feet, but Noivern couldn't open his wings all the way- the vines were too strong. Suddenly a bright light flashed in the middle of all of the Pokemon. The release beam of the Pokeball quickly took shape in the center of the fighting, forming into a very familiar shape. It was yet another Charizard, but unlike the one that had been attacking Noivern, this looked... weak?
No, weak wasn't the word. Old was- this Charizard was old. It's scales were a dull orange, sagging against it's boney frame as it stood in front of the much younger Charizard, blocking Noivern at the same time. It pulled its lips back into a gummy snarl, flexing its stubby claws. Scars littered it's body, showing that it had lived to have seen many fights. Despite the almost pathetic appearance, the flames on it's tail gleamed bright, the same light flickering in its green eyes.
Charizard looked at the elderly Charizard glaring at him, and Noivern expected the younger Charizard to simply strike the older one down. Noivern still couldn't move, the vines were still wrapped around his wings. While not heavy enough to keep him grounded, the way the vines pinned his wings back were enough to keep him from properly flying. The two Charizards glared at each other, sizing each other up. Braced for more fighting to break out, Noivern tried to break free from the Vine Whip. After several moments of a tense silence, the younger Charizard lowered its gaze, backing away respectfully.
"G-good- j-job- B-bulbasaur!" A huffing voice called from behind them. Noivern tilted his head back to see the Professor and Tracey running towards them, Marill running with them, and a large bird flying behind them. Noivern's eyes widened- it was his Aunty Talons! She was here, and so was Daddy! Was everything going to be okay?
The Professor held a foreign Pokeball in one hand, trembling in exhaustion from the running he had just done. The two humans approached, and the Professor came stumbling to a stop, bracing himself against his own knees to stay balanced. After a moment Professor Oak aimed the Pokeball at the older Charizard, recalling it back to the sphere.
"Thank you old friend..." He muttered at the Pokeball, then he slipped it away into a pocket
"I thought the sight of another Charizard would just make Ash's want to battle even more..." Tracey muttered, tired as well from the run, though not nearly as much as Professor Oak. Hawlucha's arms were glowing green with an X-Scissor, ready to slash at Charizard if he made another move. Talonflame flew towards them, landing next to Hawlucha, placing a calming wing on his arm. Hawlucha relaxed in the slightest, but refused to take his glare away from Charizard.
"Charizards respect their elders," Professor Oak replied, "Especially a scarred one- it means it has seen many honorable battles. Bulbasaur, you can let go of the Noivern now."
The vines fell away from Noivern, and his wings were free once more. Noivern took off racing towards Hawlucha, slamming into the much smaller bird Pokemon. He scooped the Hawlucha up in his claws, bringing the fighting type into a hug.
'Daddy!' Noivern cried, tears of joy entering his eyes. He had his Daddy now!
'Are you alright?' Hawlucha asked, his voice quiet and familiar. Noivern felt all of the fear slipping away as Hawlucha's claws were ran over his face. Noivern pressed his head up against Hawlucha, tail flicking about happily. Everything was okay now!
'Wait-' Bulbasaur said, stepping forward, and a low growl entered Noivern's throat, 'You're his "daddy"?!' Bulbasaur cried at Hawlucha.
Hawlucha glared at Bulbasaur, eyes flickering defensively between Bulbasaur and Charizard, 'Yes. Do you have a problem with that?'
Bulbasaur slapped a vine against his head, 'And here I thought he was talking about Ash... Ugh, this could have all been avoided... He was asking for you, but I was telling him that Ash wasn't here at the moment...'
Noivern growled, 'Ashy is my brother, not my daddy! Now you go away meanie! Go away with your mean humans and mean Charizard!'
'Noivern, calm down,' Talonflame said in a gentle tone, perching herself on his shoulder, 'These Pokemon aren't our enemies.'
'Yes they are!' Noivern screeched, causing the humans to flinch as the noise, 'They took me away from daddy and Ashy! I'm tired of people trying to take us from each other! First the mean Flare-people, and now them!'
'They let me and Hawlucha out shortly after you took off, explaining everything to us,' Talonflame said, running a beak through mane of fur on his back, 'This was all just a misunderstanding dear- and of course Hawlucha came flying as soon as he heard you calling for help.'
Noivern gently set Hawlucha on the ground, wrapping his large wings around Hawlucha, he couldn't lose him again.
Charizard was staring at Noivern with an almost blank stare, '...Well Trooper... It looks like you're right. This dragon is just a hatchling!' His lips curled, 'Most certainly doesn't look like one,' Charizard open his wings, ready to fly away.
'Don't you dare!' Hawlucha snarled at Charizard, pushing aside Noivern's wings and charging up towards the Pokemon, 'If you think that you can just fly away after what you did to Noivern-'
Charizard swung his tail, sending Hawlucha back, and the humans tensed up again, 'There are only a few people I listen to,' Charizard snarled, spit flying from his long fangs, 'Scamp, Sparks, M'lady, and anyone who had earned that right through battle! Now maybe I'll pop in a do a few favors for Trooper here,' He jerked his head towards Bulbasaur, then glanced at the Professor, 'And even the Old Duffer here from time to time- but you have no hold over me! I don't care if you're one of Scamp's newest 'Mons, don't order me around!'
"Enough!" A voice cried, tone sharp and rigid.
The entire ranch fell silent- including the Pokemon who the yell wasn't even targeted at. The Pidgeys stopped singing in the trees, a group of Oddishes froze mid-step as they made their way across the field. Everyone went still, even Ash's Charizard fell silent.
Professor Oak wasn't one to get mad- so when he was yelling everyone listened.
The old professor huffed, looking around at the Pokemon in front of him. Marill ran into Tracey's arms and Bulbasaur stood alert. Hawlucha went still, but was still glaring at Charizard. Noivern lowered himself to the ground, attempting to hide himself behind Talonflame, who had fluttered down from his shoulder.
"Ash simply asked me to introduce his Kalos Pokemon to the lab," Professor Oak muttered, rubbing his temples, "Tracey, remind me not to take in anymore Pokemon outside of the ones I get from the trainers in my service- I can't keep up with this..."
"You promised Agatha you'd take in those Vulpixes from that illegal breeding program the league shut down a week or so ago," Tracey reminded him, and the Professor sighed.
"Hey, little Noivern," Professor Oak said, who was looking quite startled at the fact that he had been spotted from behind Talonflame, "I'm sorry, I don't know quite what scared you back there, but I suppose I could have released all of Ash's Kalos Pokemon at once instead of one at a time," Noivern wasn't quite sure of what to do with the old man. He had thought that he was a meanie, but he was apologizing, and Daddy did always say it was a good thing to say sorry...
"Vern..." He whimpered, looking towards Hawlucha for comfort.
"Ash is in town with his mother at the moment, he'll be here this afternoon again," The professor continued, "He wants you to meet the rest of his Pokemon, like these guys here," Professor Oak pointed towards Bulbasaur and Charizard, causing Noivern to blink.
'Ashy raises mean Pokemon?!' Noivern cried stumbling back. Talonflame fluttered up, landing on Noivern's broad shoulders once more.
'No,' She cooed gently at Noivern, '...I just believe we just all got off on the wrong wing, sweety. These Pokemon aren't mean, I'm sure they were just as startled as you were.'
Bulbasaur shifted, 'Yeah... Sure...' He sighed, then held out a vine towards Noivern, 'Look kid, I'm sorry. Me and Noctowl try to keep things running here at this ranch alongside the Professor, which is why I tried to stop you when you took off like that, firing attacks and all... I'm going to take blame for what happened though- since I'm the one that assumed you were talking about Ash and started with whole mess. I'm sorry for what Charizard did to you though, there isn't much logic up in that big head of his.'
'Hey!' Charizard snarled, while Bulbasaur simply rolled his eyes.
Noivern clicked his tongue uncertainly, '...They're apologizing Daddy. Should I forgive them?'
Hawlucha looked up towards Noivern, eyes gleaming angrily still at what had been done to Noivern, but he was trying to stay calm, '...Yes. Forgive the Bulbasaur and the Professor, they are good people.'
Noivern smiled, 'Okay!' He chirped, 'I forgive all of you!'
Charizard snorted, spreading his wings open. No one said a word as he took to the air, flying off towards the fire type habitat in the distance. Hawlucha watched Charizard, pressing a hand up against Noivern, 'I don't want you going near him, alright?'
Noivern blinked, 'I understand,' He said to his father, getting into a battle with a Charizard would not end well. Noivern knew that Greninja- one of the strongest Pokemon he had ever seen- couldn't even beat a Charizard. His daddy wouldn't want him getting into a fight he couldn't win, 'Thank you for saving me, Daddy,' Noivern said, knowing his father had risked a lot to fight a Charizard just to save him.
'Of course,' Hawlucha replied, looking around. The humans had seemed to have calmed down now that the fighting was done. Since they were no longer meanies and had apologized, Noivern was watching closely, to see if they could be his friends.
"Why don't we get you all back to the lab," Professor Oak told the Kalos Pokemon, "Get you something to eat before Ash gets back- then you can meet all of his Pokemon tonight.
It turned out that Ash had a lot of Pokemon.
"It's great to see you too, guys!" Ash laughed, "Ouch! Totodile, not that hard-ow! Gible! Only one Pokemon biting me at a time, alright..." Ash muttered, "Argh! ...Hi Bayleef..." Ash groaned as he was knocked to the earth by the charging grass type.
"Bay!" Bayleef cried happily, staring down at the human she had just pinned down with a Body Slam. Noivern shifted uncertainly, knowing what it felt like to be pinned to the ground, but as the Bayleef began to nuzzle his trainer he quickly realized that she meant no harm.
'Ash!' Totodile called in a muffled tone, chewing on Ash's arm. A Gible had claimed his head, gnawing away at the poor trainer, his signature red hat now on the ground. Ash managed to slip out from under Bayleef after a moment, only for a Corphish and a Donphan to come charging at him. Noivern winced, not liking the way all of these Pokemon were treating his brother and trainer. At least the force of these two new Pokemon was enough to get the biting duo off of Ash.
'Can't we help Ashy?' Noivern whimpered to Hawlucha, but the fighting type simply shook his head.
'These Pokemon are just as much his as we are,' Hawlucha said gently, 'They would never hurt him...' Hawlucha winced as Ash was suddenly hit with an Ice Beam from a Glalie, '...Um, hurt him with the intent of causing harm,' He quickly amended.
Ash had managed to pull himself away from his Pokemon, shivering from the Ice Beam. He stumbled back, a grin on his face... At least until a shadow passed overhead. Ash paled, and Noivern flinched as a Gliscor crashed into Ash from above. Ash was flattened to the ground once more, groaning as more shadows flew above. Noivern felt his jaw dropping at the number of the bird-like Pokemon that were diving down from the sky.
'Now this I could get use to!' Talonflame cried as she watched the flock of flying Pokemon land around Ash, who had managed to slip away from Gliscor. Luckily the birds didn't seem to have the intention of hitting him with attacks, to Noivern's relief. Instead they hopped closer to Ash, pressing close as he ran his hands though their feathers. Noivern recognized a Staraptor, having raced one before. The Noctowl was also familiar kind of Pokemon, though this one was much smaller and had gleaming red feathers instead of brown.
"It's great to see you Swellow! Unfezant, you settled in well while I was in Kalos?" Ash asked, turning his gaze to each one of the Pokemon that came to greet him. The Noctowl landed on his shoulder, her feathers gleaming in the sunlight as she nodded to Ash. He happily petted her, until she took to the air, shooing the Pokemon away that lingered near Ash for too long. Some gave her glares as she did so, only for Bulbasaur to drag them away with a Vine Whip- as much as he could with his smaller size.
There was such a huge variety of Pokemon, that Noivern wasn't sure of what he should do. There were small unevolved Pokemon dancing about Ash's feet, and large powerful Pokemon that gave off a powerful aura of strength like Greninja always had. He watched Ash fist-bump a Sceptile, hug an Infernape, soothe a sobbing Torkoal. He laughed with an Oshawott, gave a Buizel a grin, and waved at a Leavanny. Ash got down low to greet the smaller Pokemon, talking to them on their level, and stood tall around the larger ones that clearly admired him. Noivern blinked, Ash knew all of these Pokemon personally... He took time speaking to each one that ran to meet them, petting them in a spot that made them sigh happily, allowing himself to be pelted with attacks as they "greeted" him.
Ash wasn't the only one to receive such greetings. Everyone was crowding around Pikachu too, nodding to him respectfully, playfully shoving him aside, or giving him a knowing grin. Pikachu shocked a Donphan as she ran up to him, looking quite happy at the feel of the electricity running over her. Everyone was asking questions, calling out to Ash despite the language barrier, and rushing over to Pikachu to try to get the full details of their latest journey.
'You have awesome gym battle stories, right?' A young Scraggy called.
'Was there an evil team?' A Krookodile asked, a pair of sunglasses on his face.
'Please tell me there wasn't another abandoned fire type!' A Kingler cried, clicking his claws together.
'Did you guys meet more legendaries!?' Another voice called out, and the questions kept coming.
'How many times did Ash save the world on this journey?'
'What was the rival like this time around?'
'What was the most epic Team Rocket blast off?'
'Tell us about the league Pikachu! How far did you guys get?'
'Who's the powerhouse for this region?'
'How about companions, did Brock travel with Ash again? Did you see any old faces?'
'Where are you two going next-?'
The questions fell short as a bright Solar Beam filled the clearing, blinding everyone that stood near Ash... Which was all of his Pokemon. Noivern covered his eyes with a wing, blinking as the light faded, and everyone went quiet. All eyes fell towards Bulbasaur, who was huffing in exhaustion as the Solar Beam dispersed.
'Alright!' He cried, 'Everyone has had a chance to greet Ash, now give him a chance to breath! I'm sure all of the questions will be answered, now backup... I see you Heracross- backup!' Bulbasaur grabbed Ash's fallen hat, placing it on the boy's head, then moved to shoo more Pokemon away. Bulbasaur's eyes flickered over to the three Kalos Pokemon, 'You guys can come forward, I'm sure Ash is going to introduce you all.'
Noivern stiffened up, but followed his daddy and aunty as they cautiously stepped up next to Ash. Pikachu ran forward, jumping onto their trainer's shoulder. Ash stroked Pikachu as he pushed himself to his feet, brushing off dirt and remains of attacks, but he had biggest smile that Noivern had ever seen on his face. Noivern pressed up against Ash, not liking all of the eyes plastered on him. Hawlucha and Talonflame were standing right next to Noivern, yet he knew that everyone was looking at him, and he shifted. Did he do something wrong?
'A dragon...' A Pignite muttered.
'He has to be the powerhouse of Kalos...' A Boldore replied.
'Dang! I liked being Ash's only dragon!' Gible grumbled.
'All flying types? Is Ash trying to become a Pokemon Master or a bird keeper...?' Quilava whispered.
"Everyone, I want you to meet my Kalos team!" Ash said proudly, placing a hand up against Noivern, who pressed closer to Ash, "Well... Most of my Kalos team, a few of the others stayed back in Kalos..." Ash got a far off look in his eyes, and Noivern looked away sadly, "These three will be the ones to stay at the lab with all of you guys! This here is Noivern," He flashed a grin up at the dragon, "Next to him is Hawlucha, and that over there is Talonflame! They are all awesomely strong, and I'm sure you'll all get along just fine! So please give them all a warm welcome!"
All of the Pokemon cried out at once, making Noivern winced at the loud noise, but it seemed to be friendly.
Noivern shuffled back, ducking behind Hawlucha. He didn't like this... There were so many Pokemon... Noivern had been in large crowds of humans before, but this was probably the most Pokemon he had been around at once... And they were all watching him...
"Ah, it's okay Noivern," Ash said gently, "These guys are all my friends!" Noivern peered out over the Pokemon one more time, blinking. Any friends of Ash's was his friend... Noivern suddenly stiffened, ears flicking up as he heard something flying over head. No! He thought he was done with meanies for today! A large shadow flew over them, and every Pokemon scrambled back while Ash merely sighed. Pikachu quickly hopped off of his shoulder, as if knowing what was to come.
The Charizard dove out of the sky, plucking Ash right up in front of Noivern. The dragon stiffened as he watched the trainer he called a brother be carried off by the same Pokemon that had attacked him earlier. Seeing Hawlucha lower himself into an attacking position was all Noivern needed to see to know that they had to defend their trainer. Charizard didn't go far, just landing on the far side of the crowd of Pokemon. He set Ash on the ground, staring down at the boy for a moment, who blinked back at him expectantly. The Charizard got a gleam in it's eyes, then opened his mouth, bathing Ash in a Flamethrower.
'Ashy!' Noivern cried out desperately as his brother was attacked, yet not one of his Pokemon moved in to protect Ash. Noivern opened his wings, only to feel a small tap on his foot. He looked down at Pikachu, who was shaking his head.
'It's okay,' Pikachu said quietly, a small smile on his face, 'That's... just Charizard for you.'
"Heh... Again Charizard...?" Ash coughed as the Flamethrower died down, and the boy was now covered in soot.
The lizard grinned, 'Just a little reminder, Scamp,' He growled, though it almost seemed playful. He paced around Ash, examining him closely, and Noivern only tensed up. He didn't like this at all... He didn't like this Charizard, and he didn't like it near Ash. The lizard, sniffed Ash, 'Seems Kalos toughened you up a bit,' He muttered, blowing a puff of hot air in Ash's face as he spoke.
"Think so?" Ash asked, as if he could understand the Pokemon. Despite being burnt the boy had a huge smile on his face. The Charizard regarded him for a moment, before playfully shoving Ash to the ground, "Ouch..."
The Charizard stood over Ash, giving him a jagged grin, 'Nope! You're still the same old Scamp!'
'Hey!' Noivern cried, 'Leave Ashy alone!'
Charizard looked over towards Noivern, snorting, 'Mind your own business, Fuzz,' The Charizard turned his focus back to Ash, grabbing him by his shirt and placing the trainer back on his feet. He gave Ash a thumbs up, claws gleaming in the firelight of his tail, then turned to face Noivern. Ash's Pokemon quickly parted for the Charizard, who Noivern quickly saw held the most power around here. No one said a word around him, no one made a move against him, and no one got in his way.
Pikachu threw himself between Charizard and the Kalos Pokemon, cheeks sparking, 'That's enough Charizard.'
The lizard paused, and for a second Noivern was afraid that it was going to attack Pikachu.
'What's wrong Sparks? Don't trust me?' Charizard asked, grinning, Pikachu's ears twitched.
'I trust you as a friend,' Pikachu replied, 'But I know how you get around powerful Pokemon,' He glanced back at Noivern, 'He may be a dragon, but he's young. Just leave him alone.'
Charizard laughed, 'You think I feel threatened by Fuzz here? We met earlier, pinned him down with no problem,' Noivern's scales bristled, not liking the way the field was becoming so quiet despite how many Pokemon there were in it.
"Okay, that's enough..." Ash muttered, quickly stepping between the Pokemon, "The professor told me what happened earlier," The young boy looked towards Charizard, and then Noivern, and Pikachu jumped up onto his shoulder, "Let's just leave the past behind us, alright?" Ash gave everyone a small smile, "I'm going to be camping out here on the ranch tonight- I want to catch up with all of you! I have some stories to tell you guys!"
Noivern blinked as the tension of the Pokemon melted away all at once, all eyes now focused on Ash. Noivern tilted his head, surprised. There were so many different Pokemon here, and so many as well, but there was one thing that brought them all together- and that was Ash. Noivern glanced over the large crowd, in every Pokemon's eyes he saw a burning respect and love towards Ash. The young dragon blinked, realizing that perhaps all of these Pokemon weren't so bad after all. Besides- if Ash called them friends, then Noivern knew they'd be his as well.
Noivern looked over at Charizard one more time, and shivered as he saw the dragon's blue eyes baring right into him. The Pokemon that Noivern saw to be unbeatable gave the dragon a huge grin, before opening up his wings. Noivern shivered again- Ash's Pokemon or not- he didn't trust it. Besides, his daddy hadn't told him to forgive the Charizard... And the way it treated Ash...
Noivern knew that the Charizard was nothing but bad news.
"...And even the Pokedex didn't recognize what kind of Pokemon it was!" Ash said dramatically, and his Pokemon pressed closer, eyes wide as he continued telling the story of his Kalos journey, "And so since we didn't know what to call it, little Bonnie decided to name him... Squishy!"
A majority of the Pokemon burst out laughing, though not in a mocking way. Noivern watched from a distance, simply savoring the sight of Ash being so happy. After what Team Flare had done to his brother Noivern knew that this was a good thing, for him to remember all of the wonderful moments. The dragon yawned, not use to staying up this late.
The moon was climbing overhead, and Noivern couldn't help but admire all of the stars you could see in the small town. The dragon type flipped over onto his back, listening to his trainer talk as his Pokemon listened in a hushed silence. Ash had brought his sleeping bag out to Oak's ranch, planning on spending the night with his Pokemon. Noivern liked that a lot, since the idea of Ash sleeping far from him in his "home" he talked about didn't feel right.
Noivern couldn't feel totally at peace though- he couldn't help but wonder how Goodra was doing back at his swamp right now. Then there was Greninja, who had left to be with Squishy and Z2. As much as Noivern knew that there was little that would be able to threaten them, he couldn't help but worry. The team was suppose to stick together, and it wasn't together right now.
And then there was the fact that everyone kept talking about Ash possibly going on "another journey"- wasn't Ash done with his journey now? The idea was just of Ash leaving left a pit in Noivern's stomach.
Noivern perked up as he saw a moving light out of the corner of his eye- a shooting star? He sat up, but quickly realized that the streaking light wasn't a shooting star. The flickered too much, and moved too slowly. He narrowed his eyes, watching a shadow flying across the sky, a fire following it as it flew. Noivern flicked his ears towards it, listening to the sound of flapping wings.
Charizard.
But that wasn't all, Noivern could pick up on faint sounds coming from the flying lizard, it was almost a squeaking noise. Noivern knew that Charizards didn't sound like it, but the distressed calls kept coming. Noivern glanced around, but no one else seemed able to hear the noise. Noivern watched the shadow of Charizard fly farther, the sounds getting quieter. Noivern always knew that he had always had good hearing... better than most...
Hesitating for only a moment, Noivern opened his wings. He was on the edge of all of Ash's Pokemon, not wanting to draw too much attention to himself, so he only received a few glances as he took to the air, his black and purple body helping him blend in as he took flight. Hawlucha was fast asleep, so he didn't notice his son flying off. The night air was cold, and Noivern let out a few high pitched calls to help him navigate through the night sky.
Charizard proved to be quick- well ahead of Noivern as he followed after the lizard. Noivern soon picked up on the calls again- calls of distress coming in the same direction as Charizard. Noivern frowned, they seemed to be coming from a small Pokemon... was Charizard carrying someone?
Noivern narrowed his eyes, and continued following from a distance.
They flew over the forest in silence, and Charizard didn't seem to notice he was being followed. Sounds of bug types could be heard, singing below, and every now and then that squeak from the direction of Charizard. Noivern flicked his ears, no... it wasn't quite a squeak, it was more of a chirp. Either way, Noivern knew for sure that it wasn't the sound that a Charizard could make. Noivern kept his eyes focused on Charizard's tail flame, following him as he passed over the forest, swooping over some meadows and towards some hills in the distance. It was too dark to see properly, but from what he could gather from the moonlight these hills seemed much more rocky and barren compared to the ones Noivern had seen earlier.
Charizard swooped up, eyes scanning the rocky hills below. Noivern drew back, trying not to be spotted as Charizard went into a dive, wings open to land. Luckily the Charizard's sight was meant for the nighttime, and Noivern stayed hidden. The mighty lizard perched itself on top of the largest hill in sight, folding its wings to the side. Charizard stopped near a rock, dropping something onto it. Noivern circled in the air, not quite sure what to do. This was clearly the Charizard's territory, and the dragon in him knew better than to charge onto another dragon's turf. Clicking his tongue nervously, Noivern decided he just needed to find out what the chirping noise was, then he'd leave.
Grateful for the night cloaking him, Noivern dove down, landing a little ways down the hill, hiding behind a boulder. He could barely see the top of the hill from here, but with his big ears he could pick up on nearly everything Charizard was doing.
Noivern watched as Charizard dragged a dry log to the center of the hill, setting it on fire with a powerful Flamethrower, and Noivern shuddered. Charizard had used that attack on their trainer. Noivern froze as he heard the chirping noise again, but this time it came from a little ways from behind Charizard. The lizard bristled, looking towards the rock.
'And where do you think you're going, Pipsqueak?' Charizard growled, and the chirping fell silent. The Charizard stomped over towards the rock, plucking something small off of it. Noivern lifted his head up a bit more, eyes widening when he saw what it was.
A baby Pidgey.
The little bird couldn't be more than a few months old, several pieces of white, fluffy down feathers still clung to its body. Charizard held it between two claws, glaring at the young bird. It shook as Charizard turned back towards the fire, and Noivern's eye's widened even more. The Pidgey started letting out distressed chirps, what Noivern believed to be the bird's equivalent to a cry or a whimper.
'Oh shut up,' Charizard snarled at the little bird. His eyes were focused on the fire, and Noivern flinched as Charizard held it towards the flames. The dragon quickly built up the sound pressure required for a Boomburst, ready to swoop in. He knew that the Charizard had been nothing but bad news.
Then Charizard dropped the Pidgey.
Noivern would have cried out if he could, but the noise got caught in his throat. The dragon tried to turn, not wanting to watch the small bird fall, but he couldn't take his eyes away. The Pidgey fell, wings flapping uselessly, Noivern flinched, too fearful to burst out of his hiding place.
And the Pidgey landed in front of the fire, unharmed.
Noivern let out a sigh of relief.
The little bird was shaking with fear, feathers ruffled and sticking up in every direction. Charizard craned his head down, sniffing at the flying type. It looked up at the lizard, her black eyes confused and panicked. Charizard snorted, a bit of soot landing on the Pidgey.
'Don't even know what fire is...' He muttered, 'Never been warmed before, Pipsqueak? Not surprised after what that trainer of yours did...' Charizard let out a deep growl, eyes burning with rage, white teeth gleaming in the fire. Noivern frowned, this Pidgey had a trainer? It was so young! Then again he himself had a trainer since he had hatched...
"Pidg..." The Pidgey chirped weakly, shaking.
'Listen here Pipsqueak,' Charizard snarled, flicking his tail, 'You're going to stay right here- and you're not leaving until I say so,' He snorted, 'I don't know how much you understand, you hatchlings can be denser than a rock,' He nudged the Pidgey with his claw, making it fall onto its back, 'But no more wandering off like you did a minute ago, is that clear?'
"Gee..." It whimpered.
'Shame I didn't get to do more to that trainer of yours...' Charizard muttered, claws curling, 'Abandoning is one thing, but abandoning a hatchling...?'
Charizard suddenly spun around, claws outlined with a Dragon Claw. His talons slammed into a nearby rock, causing both Noivern and the Pidgey to recoil in fear as he scraped his claws across the stone. His eyes burned with a deep anger, whole body shaking. A Flamethrower then filled the back of the Charizard's throat, charring the slashed stone black as he released. Smoke curled up from the rock, Charizard glaring at it, huffing.
Charizard turned his head, gritting his teeth. He then stormed towards the Pidgey, leaning down and scooping it into his mouth. Noivern only started, but the Charizard's grip wasn't tight, only meant to carry- like a Furfrou carrying its pups. Charizard was looking at the dying fire on the log- which was now mostly cinders and ashes. The lizard stepped right into the cinders, sending sparks flying as he settled down into the charred wood. He arched his neck, gently setting the Pidgey between his shoulder blades. The little bird as still shaking as Charizard lowered his neck to the ground, curling up for the night.
'...I'll see if I can snag you a nest or something tomorrow...' Charizard muttered after a moment, the Pidgey crawling across his back uncertainly, 'Just stay there, Pipsqueak.'
The Pidgey didn't listen to him, waddling down his neck. Charizard stiffened, but didn't dare move in fear of knocking the Pidgey down. The Pidgey stumbled a few times, and Noivern was afraid she was going to fall into the hot log and ashes Charizard was nesting in, but soon the Pidgey reached Charizard's head. The lizard was tense as the little Pidgey shakily tottered on his head, before curling up between his two horns.
"Gee..." She cooed, tucking a head under her wing as she settled in for the night.
'...' Charizard was quiet for a moment, then he let out a puff of smoke, '...You can stay there for tonight...' He grumbled, 'Got that Pip?'
The little Pidgey was already fast asleep. Charizard blinked for a moment, then closed his own eyes.
Noivern watched the mighty Charizard for a moment longer, then quietly backed down the hill. Confusion was rushing through the dragon type's mind as he opened his wings, taking to the air.
Not too familiar with the ranch, he flew back towards where he had came from- hopefully it wouldn't be too long until he reached the field again. Cold air rushed by Noivern's scales as he flew, lost in thought. The rocky hills soon turned to meadow, and meadow to forest as Noivern flew on. He clicked his tongue, flicking his ears as his mind settled on a thought.
Perhaps the Charizard wasn't a meanie after all.
It's funny, when Ash first got Hawlucha and eventually Noibat/Noivern, I didn't really like them that much, but now they are my favorite Pokemon on his Kalos team. (I love Greninja as well! I just like these two more...) I've always seen these two with a father-son relationship- no matter how many people try to make Ash Noibat's father figure. Sorry, in my mind it's Hawlucha, he's the one that found Noivern's egg and is so protective of him.
I feel this chapter was exploring Charizard's character as much as it was Noivern's. Charizard is probably my favorite Pokemon of Ash's, so I can't resist diving into his character... And as for Noivern, I just felt like they never did much with his character after he evolved, which is why I chose to keep him in a child-like mindset. He may have evolved, but it still wasn't that long ago he hatched. Besides, it's kind of funny to have such a powerful Pokemon act like a hatchling still. :)
I know a lot of people wanted me to go against the anime canon and have Greninja at the lab, but this story is suppose to be able to fit into the canon of the anime, so Greninja stays in Kalos... Don't worry though, and have an idea for a chapter about him in the future!
This chapter turned out much longer than it was originally going to be, but I wanted to include more of Ash interacting with his Pokemon. I think there's only going to be one more chapter before Ash heads out to Alola, and I'm probably going to do a Pikachu POV for it. But still, as always, feel free to leave suggestions!