Ash's Just Reward Chapter 11
"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.
"Entire sentence." = Psychic talking.
"Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.
'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.
Looker was nursing a double scotch on the rocks while flicking through the notes that had been obtained about the latest Ultra Beast incursion, and all he was feeling was frustration.
According to these notes, the incursion had been brief; a short attack on a trainer staying with the regional Professor where they were beaten back, presumably by the Professor. After that, they retreated back into their wormhole and closed the breach. End of story.
And that was what frustrated Looker the most, because he knew that this was probably a one-time thing. A brief appearance which will cause a lot of stir in the scientific community and leave him on a wild goose chase for the next month or two making sure it wouldn't happen again. Although, knowing his luck, he'll have to deal with this again in another couple of years.
He could only hope he didn't end up with another Anabel.
Speaking of Anabel, Looker spared a glance toward her in the other end of the plane cabin, where she sat alone and isolated from the other agents. She seemed to be focusing on her Espeon, gently caressing its fur in a slow, calming motion. It would seem she was as on edge as he was about the whole ordeal.
"Don't assume that we have share the same concerns, Looker." Anabel drawled, not even looking up from her Espeon.
Half jumping out of his seat, Looker cursed under his breath as he spilt his drink over himself. Once he had thoroughly wiped down his shirt with napkins, he looked back up at Anabel with a quizzical look.
"And what do you mean by that, hmm?" Looker questioned, giving Anabel an odd look.
All Anabel did was shake her head and sigh heavily however, looking somewhat disappointed.
"What I mean, Detective Looker, is that you're bothered more by the prospect of having to do work which doesn't benefit you, only the people. I however, am more bothered by the fact that the very same creatures that tried to abduct and/or kill me could very well be on the loose right now." Anabel retorted with a stern look on her face.
Deciding that he wasn't in the mood to argue with her, he just raised his hands in defiance and walked back to where he was sitting with the other agents, who were simply sitting there enjoying the show.
"Whatever you say Anabel, so long as you do what you're supposed to do, I couldn't care less what reasons you have for caring." Looker drawled, downing the rest of his drink as he sat back down.
Not interested in retorting, Anabel simply returned to stroking her Espeon. Espeon had been one of her first Pokémon and was the one she felt most in-tune with. Simply being in her presence was enough to calm her nerves.
Because truthfully, Anabel was terrified of what she could be potentially facing. Her last encounter with the Beasts had almost taken her life, and the prospect of facing one of them again was honestly, the most terrifying thing she could imagine.
"Attention all passengers, we are about to land on Melemele Island, please return to his seats and fasten your seatbelts."
The sudden voice over the intercom caused Anabel to jump suddenly, causing her Espeon to power up a psychic attack, ready to attack anyone who dared to threaten her trainer.
Taking a deep breath, Anabel gently stroked Espeon's back, starting at her neck, going all the way down to her tail.
"It's ok Espeon, I was just spooked. We'll be ok." Anabel soothed, though she seemed to be talking more to herself than anything.
"Here we go again."
"I have a Lugia…"
Ash was in complete and utter shock over this newest development. Even all the strange happenings that had happened to him over the weekend couldn't have prepared him for this. One of the eggs he had been given, and entrusted to by the Legendary of Life, had hatched into a Lugia.
Speaking of the Lugia, it would seem the young Legend was looking around curiously, taking in the local surroundings with wide eyes. It had a body which was roughly a meter long, with a neck which added another half a meter to its length, and a tail which was just under a meter long. And its wing-span, even when folded up, looked absolutely massive.
And the scary thing was, Ash knew from experience that this was nowhere near as big as they could get. Not even close.
But it would seem that the baby Lugia had just spotted Ash, as the young Sea Guardian's eyes lit up as they landed on Ash.
Which was the warning that Ash got before the (not so little) baby Legendary punched on him, bowling him over and proceeding to nuzzle his cheek.
Misty, noticing the commotion, decided to come over to see what shenanigans Ash was involved in now.
"Ash, what are you doing? Come on, we all want to talk to, oh my Arceus! IS THAT A LUGIA?!" Misty finished with a screech, her voice raising by several octaves as she recognised the baby Legendary.
Ash tried to respond, but was promptly glomped again, with the only verbal response for Misty being a content coo as the little Lugia continued to show its affection for Ash.
This caught the attention of everyone else, who had been in the middle of bombarding Paul with questions, so they began to make their way over to where Ash was. Only to see him on the floor with some strange Pokémon on top of him.
Kiawe was the first to react.
"Hey, is that another Pokémon from Ash's eggs? Can't say I know that type of Pokémon honestly, Professor?"
But Kukui was too pre-occupied, as he was one of the few Alola natives who recognised the incredibly rare and powerful Pokémon that was currently nuzzling Ash like a parent. And the sight made his throat dry.
"…Lu, Lugia…" Kukui eventually stammered out, leaving his students especially confused.
"Lugia?" Lillie asked somewhat worryingly, not liking the fact that the Professor, their main guide on foreign Legendaries apart from Ash, was completely in shock. And that Misty, an old friend of Ash's, was also standing there with her mouth hanging open like a Magikarp.
After a minute of being practically squashed by the Diving Pokémon, Ash was able to sit up enough to answer her.
"Lugia is the Legendary guardian of the sea, or at least that's their main job. I've met a few at this point."
This caused the Alola crew's eyes to widen, as they realised that they were in the presence of another Legendary. Even Paul, who was somewhat aware of the fact that Ash had a history of dealing with Legendaries (and having not bat an eyelid at his use of Latias in their battle), was gobsmacked at the sight of the dinosaur-esque Pokémon.
Just what kind of life did this guy live?
But as they stared in shock, Ash managed to lift up the Lugia with both of his arms (which somewhat added to the shock of everyone watching, since the baby wasn't exactly a small or light looking) and turned to address them.
"Hey, I'd hate to be awkward, but can we heard somewhere to get Lugia checked out? We were at the lab when Absol was born so it was alright, but I just want to get..." Ash started before stopping himself when he thought to himself briefly.
"I don't even know what gender this Lugia is." He muttered to himself, before carrying on what he was saying to the others.
"I just want to get Lugia checked out at the PokéCentre real quick." Ash summed up. And with that, he turned and began to carry the Lugia to the PokéCentre, with Pikachu and Absol following closely behind.
Smiling to herself, as she realised that Ash had managed to take a Lugia being hatched without so much as a second take and was more concerned with its health than anything else, Misty just chuckled to herself before breaking out into a jog.
"Oi, wait up, you can't just walk away from us with a baby Legendary like it's not a big deal! Oi, KETCHUM!"
And with that, everyone was knocked out of their stupor and were soon running after Ash with smiles on their faces.
Afterall, for Ash, this was just another weekend.
Arceus was currently overlooking the Alola region from her throne in the Hall of Origin, taking in the sight of the four Islands. And they were beautiful.
Arceus had always been somewhat proud of the work she put into Alola, as it was a beautiful region. Watched over carefully by the Guardian deities, and guarded by the Cosmic duo, it served as a paradise to many Pokémon.
But there was a dark secret about the Alola region, one which only the Legendaries of the world who were charged with its protection knew. And even then, some of the more inexperienced ones such as the joyful Latias of Altomare weren't filled in on this.
And if Arceus had any say in the matter, it would stay like that. The last thing she needed was someone like the Chosen One finding out. There was too much at stake for him to be involved.
Not this time.
Arceus then sensed a presence behind her, but she didn't address them at first, instead choosing to collect herself before speaking.
After a brief moment of calming herself, something she rarely had a chance to do during these chaotic moments, she finally addressed the presence behind her.
"Salutations, Yveltal. I trust you are well?"
Yveltal, the Legendary embodiment of death and the Destruction Pokémon, was simply standing there with his wings folded inward, looking stoically towards the Alpha Pokémon.
"Indeed, I am well. I also came as ordered, what may I do for you today?" Yveltal addressed politely, bowing slightly as he spoke.
"I was wondering if you could update me on the situation with the Chosen One. I understand that he was recently visited by your sister, yes?"
Yveltal nodded before he spoke again.
"Indeed, she was the last one to give him a gift yesterday, if I recall correctly. She gave him a bunch of eggs as his gift, to represent new life. Or something like that, as I'd imagine she'd say."
Arceus nodded to herself, pleased with this.
"You wouldn't happen to know what Pokémon were in those eggs, would you? I'm curious to see what the next generation of champions for the Chosen One are." Arceus admitted.
But to her disappointment, Yveltal shook his head.
"I'm afraid I do not, for my sister is often vague and elusive with how she thinks. All I know, is that all the Pokémon within those eggs are blessed to be naturally stronger than most Pokémon."
Arceus looked thoughtfully to herself, then nodded her approval.
"Good, the Chosen One will need more powerful champions in the future," Arceus stated before chuckling slightly. "But knowing the Chosen One, he wouldn't care either way."
Finally turning to face Yveltal, she carried on.
"And what of the status of other gift bearers?"
"I believe that the Chosen One's day has started with the Lake Trio delivering their gifts. And as far as I know, they have given him blessings based on their main attribute. The specifics I am not aware of. Also, I've been informed by Rayquaza that he going to be in the Alola region today."
This caught Arceus by surprise, causing her to raise her brow slightly.
"I was not aware that Rayquaza had already prepared his gift." Arceus said thoughtfully, as she tried to recall the progress that the Sky-High Pokémon had made in his gift preparation, only to be interrupted by Yveltal.
"He hasn't, or at least not yet. He's going there to act as a mediator for Groudon and Kyogre, while they deliver their gifts." Yveltal corrected quickly.
Satisfied with this, Arceus then proceeded to look Yveltal in the eye.
"And what of YOUR gift? How are the preparations coming?"
This caused Yveltal to shift slightly uncomfortably, putting weight on each foot and then alternating to the other.
"Its… coming along. When you asked me to do this, I had to admit, I was shocked. It was certainly an… interesting request. I hope you know that I'm only agreeing to this because it is for the Chosen One." Yveltal reported, while also occasionally glancing away from Arceus' stern gaze.
"And it will be done within the week, like we agreed?" Arceus asked again, not letting up her gaze.
Yveltal just nodded, still avoiding her intent gaze.
"Yes, it will be done. Even though I am still somewhat opposed to breaking the rules of nature again. Even when I ran it past the Dusknoirs responsible for helping me arrange this gift, they were strongly opposed to it. I hope you know what you're doing."
Arceus nodded again, before turning back to where she was gazing over the Alola region.
"I hope so as well. But the Chosen One must be taught. The Chosen One must be protected from what's to come."
And with that, she tightly closed her eyes.
"He must be protected… from them!"
Ash was waiting patiently in the PokéCentre while his team of Pokémon and his baby Lugia were checked over by the Nurse Joy.
He was currently chatting with Misty and catching her up with all the things that he had done since he last saw her, and the reason for his current stay in Alola. He also filled her in on what had happened over the last few days, from the appearance of his Pokémon in Alola, the sudden Legendary appearances, and even the specific reasons for why he was being visited by these various creatures.
Everyone else was also listening intently, enjoying hearing Ash recall the recent events in a somewhat exaggerated manner, when he was suddenly called by Nurse Joy.
"Mr Ketchum? Your Pokémon are ready for collection now."
Getting up with Pikachu on his shoulder now, and followed shortly by Absol, Ash went over to the counter of the PokéCentre where seven Pokéballs now resided.
"Hey, so how is everyone?" Ash asked when he got to the counter, his concern bleeding through into his words.
"Well, your main team is mostly fine, just a little tired. So long as they don't have any more big battles today, they should be perfectly fine."
"And Lugia?"
This caused the Nurse to hesitate somewhat, before she composed herself and carried on.
"As much as I'm not an expert on the Legendary Pokémon, I did what I could, and I can tell you the basics. This Lugia is a female, has the ability Multiscale, and is in perfect health." Joy informed, with a reassuring smile.
Satisfied by this, Ash collected the Pokéballs and put them back on his belt before walking back to the others. But before he could reach them, he was cut off by a small explosion, causing smoke to fill the communal area.
"Prepare for trouble."
"And make it double."
"Not this again…" Ash muttered to himself. He was too use to this by now, that it wasn't even funny. That was when he came up with an idea. So, with a smirk, he turned towards Pikachu.
"Hey Pikachu, why don't we show them your new powers, eh?" He whispered, causing Pikachu's face to light up, and then turn into an evil looking smirk.
But before either of them could put their plan into action, Absol leaped forward, charging up an attack on her horn. Not wasting any time, not even allowing Team Rocket to finish their motto, she unleashed the Night Slash attack into the smoke, resulting in an explosion followed by a satisfying yelp from the bumbling trio.
"Hey, we didn't even finish our motto you damn brat!"
"Yeah, at least respect the motto!"
And with that, they started shouting obscenities, while Misty made her way over to Ash.
"These idiots still follow you? It's been five years, when will they give up?" Misty asked with a gobsmacked look on her face.
"Honestly, I've been thinking the same thing for a while now. I think I'm never gonna be rid of them."
Pikachu however, was feeling very proud. His little girl had just jumped in and shut the Rockets up without hesitation. And it was done so well, he so was proud. He was feeling a little emotional.
But that happy feeling was suddenly shattered when a Shadow Ball suddenly flew from the smoke, smacking Absol in the chest and sending her flying back.
And Pikachu saw red.
As Mimikyu strode forward, with the intent to kill Pikachu and all those who tried to stop him, Pikachu suddenly darted forward from Ash's shoulder, charging up an Iron Tail and shattering the floor where Mimikyu was just standing, who only just managed to avoid it.
Mimikyu then took this opportunity to launch another attack, but Pikachu batted it aside with an aggressive swiss of his tail.
Now thoroughly angry, Pikachu began charging up an attack. He was not letting anyone, least of all this crazed Pokémon, from hurting his child and get away with it. And with that, he launched a supremely powerful Thunderbolt which caused the very ground he stood on to crack under the force of his own power.
The Thunderbolt smacked into Mimikyu, forcing him back into the Rockets before the powerful blast exploded, sending them all flying into the distance.
"Well that went well."
"Better than our last attempt."
"That's not really saying much."
"But still, at least this time we have some dignity while we shout:"
"WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"
And with that, Pikachu took a deep breath of relief. Being an overprotective parent was tiring.
But before he could relax, he and everyone present, from Ash, to Misty, to Paul, to the Alolan crew, was startled by the sudden sound of a lot of people running around in terror.
Walking around outside, they saw that the entire town was in an uproar, running around in a crazed panic. Apparently, something was happening today. And chances were, it had something to do with Ash.
Paul, not being one to beat around the bush, stepped in front of one of the panicking citizens.
"What's going on?"
"There's a bunch of Legendaries on the beach! It's the end times!" The citizen screeched in hysteria, before running off again.
Turning to Ash, Paul pointed a finger towards him.
"I think they're here for you Ketchum." Paul drawled, apparently already use to this madness.
Ash, however, could only chuckle.
"Never a dull moment." And with that, he ran off to the beach, to try and placate the Legendaries before they came looking for him.
Hey everyone, TWoS here.
Sorry for the somewhat shorter chapter, I've not been feeling as productive recently. I know that this is a pretty bland chapter, but one which was quite necessary. There were a few story elements that I needed to include to push the plot forward, as I needed to set up a few important things. Hopefully you enjoyed it anyway, and that it successfully sets up some hype for the future events in this story.
I know there wasn't a gift this chapter like I promised, but I felt that the story needed a moment to take a step back to collect itself, especially with the story elements I pushed forward. But I promise, the next one will start with a gift right off the bat. You can probably guess who's making an appearance, but what will their gift be? And who will appear next? As always, I'm eager to hear from you lot. Leave a review or send me a personal message, whichever you prefer, and let me know what you want to happen. Whether it be what Legendary appears, what gifts they bring, what character makes an appearance, or whatever; I'm eager to hear it.
As always, much love – TWoS.