Chapter 12: Amends to Friends
When Ash stepped into view, the relatively calm atmosphere vanished in an instant. Ash's Pokemon, who had become relaxed during Tyranitar's speech, suddenly became very anxious. Charizard flexed its wings and claws, while Totodile shifted its feet trying to calm its nerves.
"Hey, guys," said Ash to his Pokemon. They were all caught off guard by their trainer's tone of voice, which was neither the sharp, caustic voice they had been hearing lately nor his old, joyous voice. Rather, it was extremely heavy and apologetic. "I know I messed up training you guys over the last few weeks. I'm sorry, I just..." He sighed, holding back tears. "I guess I just lost track of how I'm supposed to be you guys' friend too."
Gliscor suddenly interrupted, asking Ash a question in Pokemon speech. It was a hard question to answer, but Ash did his best.
"I don't know if I'll compete in the Champions' League. That's up to you guys. I was always trying to get that far, but I can't compete if you guys don't want to." Nobody said anything. Ash's Pokemon just kept staring at their trainer, still visibly nervous. "Please, guys," Ash continued, "I don't want to train you guys like I did lately. I want you as my friends more than anything." Still, his Pokemon looked anxious. Tears started hitting the ground at his feet. "I really mean it, you guys," he continued. "Please believe me." Casting around desperately for something to say, he added, "I promise I won't make you guys train anymore. If you still want to train, I'll help you, but if you don't... you don't have to. Please, guys, I'm really sorry. I just want you back as my friends." A fresh wave of tears escaped his eyes, and he stood there crying, not having anything else to say.
Suddenly, something jumped up to Ash's chest level, and he raised his arms reflexively to catch something yellow. "Pikachu!" he said, hugging his best friend. "It's great to be back!" Emboldened by Ash's friendliness toward Pikachu, the other Pokemon went up to see Ash one by one. Ash apologized to each one individually, giving his assurance that he would never push them so hard again.
Last in line was Infernape. "Infernape," said Ash, "I really need to say sorry to you. I should've seen how you were trying to show off for me. But I know you're really strong, even if I haven't been showing it." He hugged Infernape, then turned back to the group, giving a weary smile. "What do you guys say we take a break for a couple of days?" His team gave a heartfelt assent.
The apology to his Pokemon was difficult for Ash. Even though it was absolutely necessary to begin the healing, Ash was making enormous concessions by not requiring his Pokemon to train. However, Ash had other apologies that would prove just as difficult: the ones he would make to Gary, Misty, and May. After sleeping through the morning after making up with his Pokemon, he decided to head over to the lab first to say his piece to Gary. Then, he would call each of the girls, who had both returned to their homes.
After dropping by Professor Oak's lab and assuring the professor and Tracey that he was discontinuing Roger's training program, he went upstairs to talk to Gary. He knocked on his former rival's door.
"Yeah?" called Gary.
"Hi, Gary, it's Ash. Can I talk to you?"
Gary opened his door, revealing a few half-packed suitcases and boxes. "Okay. What do you want?"
"Gary, I'm really sorry about blowing you off like I did. I know you were just trying to get me away from training for a little while. It's probably what I needed too."
Gary paused. "That's okay. You went a little crazy about training. I remember being like that too."
"Yeah." Relieved that Gary had forgiven him, Ash asked, "So why are you packing?"
"Well, Ash, I'm the new Viridian City gym leader. I need to get settled in."
"Congrats! I can't stay that long, I need to call Misty and May, but good luck! Anyone challenging your gym should watch out!"
"Thanks. Good luck in the Champions' League. I won't be able to make it there, but I'll be cheering for you!"
After he and Gary had said their goodbyes, Ash headed back home to use his phone. Ash was glad that Gary was willing to forgive him, but his nerves built up again as he walked toward his house. Gary used to train something like this, so he would understand, Ash thought anxiously. But Misty and May never did. And they had to put up with me every day, while Gary didn't. What'll they say when I call them?
By the time he was back home, Ash only felt fear of the responses he would get after calling his friends. His hand shook as dialed the number for the Cerulean City Gym. He almost hoped that Misty was in the middle of a battle so that he wouldn't have to talk to her. Apparently, she was not, though, as her face appeared on the view screen, looking slightly cold.
"Hi, Ash," said Misty tonelessly.
"Hey, Misty, I'm really sorry about how I treated you lately," said Ash. "I was thinking too much about the Champions' League and beating Paul. I didn't mean to be such a jerk, especially when you came here to help me."
"That's alright," said Misty, still not smiling. For some reason, she looked nervous too. "I have a confession to make," she continued.
"What?"
"I wanted to beat Paul as much as you did for a while."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I was still really hurt from what Paul did to my sisters, so I was training all the Pokemon as hard as you were. May called me out, but it took a while for me to see that she was right."
Ash chuckled sadly. "So we both messed up, I guess."
"Yeah. How are your Pokemon?"
"Okay, I guess. I said sorry to them, but I'm not sure they really accepted it yet. I had to promise not to make them train."
"I can come back in a few days and help train your Water Pokemon."
"Really? You'd do that?"
"Yes, Ash, that's what friends are for. Besides, maybe your Pokemon would rather train with me."
"Thanks a bunch, Misty."
"No problem. See you later!"
"Bye!"
Ash gave a small smile as he hung up the phone. The talk with Misty made two down and one to go. Still, if May had been the one to set Misty straight, would she be as forgiving as the other two had been? Ash nervously dialed the number for the Petalburg City Gym and waited. A man with short black hair appeared on the view screen. It was Norman, the father of May and Max.
"Hello, what—oh, hi Ash," said Norman. He looked a little surprised to be talking to Ash. "How are you?"
"Okay, just taking a break from training," said Ash.
"Oh yes, you're in the Champions' League too. May and Max told me."
"Speaking of May, is she there? Can I talk to her?"
"Sure. I'll get her." Norman walked away from the phone, and Ash found himself crossing his fingers. After a short wait, May's angry face appeared on the view screen.
"What do you want?" May demanded.
"I'm sorry I treated you the way I did. I was so wrapped up in training, I wasn't thinking about anyone else."
"You're sorry? Sorry doesn't cut it! After the Grand Festival, I didn't go home to celebrate with Mom and Dad just so I could help you with your training. Then I had to watch you treat everyone else like crap: me, Misty, Brock, your Pokemon... and when Gary invited us to watch his battle, you ripped on all of us! It was all about you and your stupid training all the time!"
"I really sorry! I know I was a jerk!"
"You don't get it, do you? Sorry is not good enough! Goodbye!" May hung up the phone, leaving Ash devastated but not entirely surprised. Even though he'd half expected it, it was crushing to think that he might have one less friend rooting for him in the Champions' League...
When Ash announced to his Pokemon that he was ready to resume training them, he had wondered if any of them would still want training. Indeed, some of them did not. Infernape, who had been particularly affected by Roger's training program, did not wish to train hard and only risk Ash's displeasure. Torkoal, who had always had a sensitive streak, did not train either. Bayleef, who had always maintained to its closest friends (Quilava, Noctowl, and Totodile) that Ash's heart was still in the right place, preferred to spend time relaxing with its trainer. Snorlax, of course, always preferred eating and sleeping over exercise.
However, other Pokemon were much more inclined to train. Charizard and Primeape were both used to very intensive training routines, and they only took a couple of days off before starting again. Pikachu, in support of its best friend, started training right away, and worked extremely hard every day.
Most Pokemon, though, were somewhere in between. Sceptile, for instance, was averse to practicing except in sparring matches, which it used to show off its speed and power. Glalie devised its own routine, which seemed more for fun than for anything else. Bulbasaur would usually train a little bit, but never for long periods of time.
All of Ash's Water-types were busy with training, which everyone knew was because of Misty's reappearance at the lab. She took complete charge of them, training them all day, every day. The Water-types were all grateful for Misty's help, but none more so than Buizel, who would only train if it didn't think Ash was looking.
Ash, meanwhile, did not know how to solve his dilemma about the Champions' League. He wanted to compete, and every one of his Pokemon wanted a battle. However, with a few of his Pokemon not training and most of the rest training lightly or erratically, he was not even sure he would make it far enough to give each one of them a battle. Tyranitar still wanted to be in on the action too, and it trained every day, but Ash would not be moved; Tyranitar needed more battling experience before battling in an event of this magnitude.
However, even while training, the group found some time for diversions. One morning, Ash, Misty, and Brock walked into Professor Oak's lab to find the professor and Tracey watching TV. "Ah, hello!" said Professor Oak. "Care to join us?"
"Hi," said Ash. "What are you watching?" He took note of how unusual it was to see the professor in front of the TV in the morning.
Before Professor Oak could answer, however, a picture of Gary appeared of the screen, and the speakers blared, "Coming up next, we bring you Gary Oak facing his first test as Viridian City gym leader. Can the grandson of the famous Pokemon professor stand up to a tough trainer? Stay tuned to find out!"
"Wow," said Ash, "we get to see Gary taking on his first challenger! Count me in!" After Misty and Brock had agreed and sat down, Ash said, "I'm just gonna go outside and see if any of my Pokemon want to watch!"
Ten minutes later, Ash was watching an intense battle between Gary and a challenger, a girl who lookeda few years older than he was. Most of Ash's Pokemon would rather be outside than watch TV, but Pikachu, Totodile, Gabite, Gliscor, and Corphish had all joined their trainer and his friends to watch. It was exciting, but also a cliffhanger. Gary's Exeggutor went down to a Hippowdon, which Gary's Arcanine eventually manged to beat. Then, though, the girl's Houndoom took Arcanine out in a close battle. Come on, Gary! thought Ash, you can do this!
Gary, with a determined look on his face, sent out his last Pokemon. "Flygon, I choose you!" Everyone watched in amazement as the final Pokemon pelted its tired opponent with a powerful Draco Meteor, knocking it out.
The girl, however, was not about to give up. She threw her last Pokeball onto the field, calling, "Audino, you're up!" A peculiar Pokemon landed on the field. It looked like a pink pig with torn ears and a fluffy tail.
"What kind of Pokemon is that?" Ash asked.
"I don't know," said Brock, surprising everyone. "I never saw it before."
"That's an Audino," explained Professor Oak. "It's from the Unova region, which is thousands of miles away from here. It's mainly used in nursing, much like Chansey and Blissey are used in this country."
Suddenly, Audino attacked Flygon with great gusto. "Oh, my!" said Professor Oak. That's Audino's Retaliation! Gary and Flygon will have a hard time after taking a hit like that!"
Gary, however, did a spectacular job. In a couple of minutes, Audino looked completely exhausted. "Okay, Flygon," called Gary, "Draco Meteor!" Another Draco Meteor hit Audino, knocking it out.
Raising a flag, the referee called out, "Audino is unable to battle! Flygon is the winner! And the winner of this match is Gary, the gym leader!"
For the rest of the morning, the whole group celebrated Gary's first triumph as a gym leader. Brock made a special stew in honor of the occasion, and everybody had seconds and thirds. Even with the food gone, everyone sat around talking. While Misty and Tracey badgered Brock for his recipe, Ash was talking with Professor Oak about the Unova region. "So none of the Pokemon from here live in Unova too?" Ash asked the professor.
"That's correct, Ash," Professor Oak answered. "Unova is so far removed from here that the Pokemon there evolved differently."
"Wow..." Ash said. Then, turning to Pikachu, he asked, "Hey Pikachu, want to go to Unova after the Champions' League? We can see and battle all those new Pokemon, and maybe even catch some!"
Pikachu gave its wholehearted approval of this idea, but Professor Oak said, "Ash, does that mean you're not planning on winning the Champions' League? If you're about to challenge the national champion, it's not a good idea to go traveling overseas."
Ash thought about this. Finally, he said slowly, "Well, I kind of don't think I can win with all of our training being so light. So I probably won't have a choice."
"You can start training now if you want," suggested Professor Oak. "You might be able to get that choice if you try hard."
"Sounds good, Professor!" said Ash. He called out to his Pokemon, "Hey guys, I'm gonna start training! Anyone want to join me?" About a dozen of Ash's Pokemon gathered around their trainer. "Okay, Tauros, practice your Take Down," said Ash. "Gliscor, practice Steel Wing. Charizard, Pikachu, you guys can spar together―" He stopped suddenly, aware of a Pokemon nudging his side. He turned to see Gabite with a longing, almost nostalgic look in its eyes. Gabite had not trained at all since Ash's apology, but it now looked very enthusiastic about something. "Hey, Gabite, what's up?" As an answer, Gabite opened its mouth, forming a sphere of light in its throat. "No, Gabite, knock it off!" warned Ash. "You can't practice Draco Meteor here!" But Gabite stopped the Draco Meteor before releasing it, and looked at Ash again. "Hey, I get it," said Ash. "You want to really learn to do a Draco Meteor, don't you? I bet seeing that Flygon use it brought back some memories." Gabite nodded, and Ash said, "Okay, I'll set up the rest of the Pokemon here and then we'll find a place to practice."
A few minutes later, Ash and Gabite had found a nice, deserted place to practice. "Okay, Gabite," said Ash, "focus your Dragon-type power in the center of your body!" A yellow sphere of light appeared in Gabite's throat as it concentrated. "Now, take aim and fire!" said Ash. Gabite released the attack high into the air. However, instead of exploding like a firecracker, the ball plummeted, blasting a crater in the ground. Gabite cringed, expecting a tirade from Ash. "That's okay," assured Ash. "You just need to try again."
They practiced and practiced Draco Meteor. Over and over, Ash directed Gabite on how to launch the attack correctly, and over and over, a failed Draco Meteor made a new crater on the ground. Even after Brock and Misty left for dinner and Professor Oak and Tracey were putting the Pokemon at the lab back inside their Pokeballs, Ash and Gabite practiced. The sun set completely, but still, the two of them did not stop. "Are sure you want to keep going?" Ash asked his Pokemon after night had fallen. Gabite gave a determined shout. "Okay," said Ash for the umpteenth time, "focus you Dragon-type energy in the center of your body." He watched the sphere of yellow light in Gabite's throat grow larger and larger. "Now, aim and fire!" Ash commanded. Gabite released the attack, and instead of just falling down again, the ball of light burst in midair, sending many smaller pieces earthward. The smaller pieces split into even smaller pieces, which hit the ground in quick succession. Yelling with delight, Ash hugged his Pokemon. "Great job, Gabite, you were awesome! That was a really good Draco Meteor!"
Ash was happier than he'd been in a long time. He had just helped Gabite master Draco Meteor, which it had been trying to do for months. Futrthermore, he had done it without scolding or yelling at Gabite. These were the moments that Ash had always liked best, when he was the helpful friend to his Pokemon, and it felt good to finally have them back.
Author's Note: Welcome to another update that took a lot longer than I thought it would. I took my computer in for repairs, and it took a week to get it fixed. That's why I left out most of Gary's battle: I wanted to put this chapter up ASAP.
So Ash is picking up the pieces of his friendships, but some of those are missing, or just beyond his reach. May is having an especially hard time forgiving Ash. Will this breach ever be healed? Also, will the new, erratic training of Ash's Pokemon doom them in the Champions' League? And even if Ash does triumph, will he challenge Cynthia for the national championship or explore the faraway Unova region? The next chapter will be about the Champions' League itself, so the answers to all these questions are coming soon.
Finally, to all my readers in the United States, Happy Thanksgiving!
UPDATE (2/27/11): I just changed Tabunne to Audino now that the English name was revealed.
