WELL! People seemed to really love that last chapter. Thanks for all the great reviews by the way. Now I can't guarantee that all of the chapters will be that strong. In fact, I'm almost guaranteed to have at least one flop. Not sure where or when, but yea.
Anyways, this is the chapter that many have been looking forward to, where Ash is once again confronted by Gary and a certain yellow rat *cough*
Believe me, I have nothing against Pikachu, I just didn't think he would originally fit into the story. BUT, the public has spoken, and he's here, but with a few changes.
One: No Special treatment! He is just another pokemon. Ash may even make fun of him a bit.
Two: He will evolve, eventually. Raichu looks much more badass and intimidating then a fluffy, yellow pikachu.
...I think that's about it.. Anyways on with the show
Also... I DO NOT OWN POKEMON!
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Dun Dun Dun D-Du-Dun Dun Du-Dun Dun Dun D-Duh Dun *BREAKING NEWS* Dun Dun DUNNN
We Interrupt This Program for a Special New Report on a Developing Story...
"Good Morning Kanto, My Name is Margie Simmons and this is Chanel One News. Today we are reporting a quickly developing story from Celadon City and the building that used to be the Celadon Game Corner. Officers and Eye witnesses are reporting that this morning, an explosion rang out across the city from the Game Corner, which set the building ablaze. But the most shocking part of this story is what was revealed in that fire."
*CUT TO LIVE FOOTAGE OF THE GAME CORNER*
"Police officials say that upon their arrival, several members of the infamous Team Rocket were seen spilling out of a hole in the wall in the back of the building. Upon further investigation, it was found that there was an entire Rocket base underneath the once world famous game center. While the police are still sifting through what is left of the former base, so far they have reported finding at least two-hundred pokemon cages, one hundred-fifty reportedly stolen Pokémon, and forty-plus Rocket grunts, all who have been either arrested or taken to Celadon Hospital for severe burns."
*CUT BACK TO REPORTER*
"Another part of this story that makes it so shocking, is how the underground base was discovered. According to several witnesses, the base was exposed and possibly infiltrated by accused Pokémon thief and fugitive, Ash Ketchum." *PICTURE OF ASH IN CORNER*
"Many people would recognize Ketchum as a 10-year old boy who was accused of Pokémon theft by the Prestigious Professor Samuel Oak on the first day of his journey. According to the Professor, Ash stole at least two Pokémon, one of them a Shiny Pokémon, from his laboratory several months ago; which is why this part of the story is so baffling. Why would a supposed thief do something like this?"
"With me to help possibly explain this is Private Eye Jenny, who has been following this very case"
*Live footage of Jenny outside of Game Corner starts*
"Thank you for taking time to help us in this baffling situation"
Jenny nodded, "Thank you for giving me the opportunity"
The reporter continued "So how are you related to Ash Ketchum's case?"
"I was hired by the Oaks a few months ago to try and track Ash Ketchum down. It's a very tough and complicated case, especially since he seemed to have all but disappeared. It was only thanks to Growlithe's nose and good ol' fashion detective work that I was able to pick up a trail and find him."
"I see, and you were able to catch up to him in Celadon?"
"Yes, he entered the Celadon Tournament under another name, using the very Pokémon that he had supposedly stolen. I have to admit that he battled well, and that his Pokémon are definitely strong. I confronted him after the tournament, but he managed to slip away and disappear, despite the number of trainers after him. Now I see how"
"And what is your reaction to his involvement in the Rocket Base exposure. Any ideas why?"
Jenny looked a bit uncomfortable, "Well.. at this time we have no concrete idea why Ketchum attacked the base so fervently, although it is not uncommon to see thieves try and take out their competition...right now it is not the main issue..."
The reporter interrupted, "but we have heard from several other trainers saying that before Ketchum disappeared in a smokescreen, he said something along the lines of..'I will not stop until I expose Oak and clear my name'..What exactly do you make of that?"
Jenny growled, "Look! The point is, Ash Ketchum is still at large with an active warrant and bounty on his head! Despite whatever you may have heard, he must be brought in and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. He is being considered armed and dangerous, and trainers are advised to use extreme caution!"
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Back in Pallet Town, while many were in shock at the TV report, one woman cried with joy and relief while an old man seethed in anger.
Delia was on her knees, thanking Arceus that her son was alive. She hadn't heard anything from him in months, and had started to fear the worst. It was like her husband all over again, but on a deeper, maternal level.
Now, thanks to the news, she now knew, that not only was her son alive, but he was actively proving the world wrong and slowly exposing the Professor. She was a little angry that he hadn't tried to contact her, but her relief and happiness outran that by miles. Also, she understood. If Ash had even tried to contact home, his chances of being captured or arrested would have been much worse. At this point she was just happy that her son was ok.
On the other side of Pallet, an old man was glaring at the special report on the TV. Not only had it interrupted his favorite morning show, but it had delivered some.. complicating news..
"I hate reporters," Professor Oak said to himself, "always sticking her nose in places they don't belong.."
Now, because of this, more eyes would be on him and his connection to the Ketchum brat. It should've been soon simple.. Make him out as a criminal and throw him in Jail for a few years, after which he would be too broken to be considered a threat. But no... the boy is definitely his father's son.. determined and annoying to the end..
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
At the sound of someone at his door, the old Oak groaned and stood up. 'Who the hell could this be?'
At the door was 2 men. One was in his thirties, wearing a suit and holding a microphone, and the other was much younger, wearing a backwards cap and holding a giant camera. "Good Morning Professor Oak, my name is Charles Ryan from KB18 Kanto News, and we would like to talk to you about-"
*SLAM!*
The reporter was cut off as a door slammed in his face. Not something he wasn't used to, but still surprising..
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The Newscast played in every town in Kanto, and continued to play in Celadon way into the afternoon. In the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy could hardly take her eyes off the TV. She had heard of the young boy named Ash Ketchum from her sister in Viridian, and was very intrigued. If what her sister said was true, then this would be the at least second time that the supposed thief had messed up Team Rocket's plans.
*BANG! scratch scratch*
Joy jumped at the sudden noise coming from her back door, and hastily walked over to it, hesitant to open it "..hello? someone there?"
"yes.. please..I need help.. my Pokémon and I are hurt.." a weak, male voice answered.
Nurse Joy quickly opened the door and went wide eyed at what she saw. A young boy, around 10 or 11, was standing there in a hunched over position, with a Scyther holding his arm, an a Magmar down the alley, looking like he was keeping watch. They all looked like they had been through quite an ordeal, and it was no wonder. As Joy got a good look at the boy's face, she recognized him as the Ash Ketchum from the Newscast! Without another thought, she immediately ushered them inside.
Soon, 12 pokeballs were in the rejuvenation machine, a Magmar was in a Triage and Treat machine of his own, since he didn't have a pokeball, and a young boy with raven hair was getting his back wounds and burns treated by a very worried looking Joy.
"Your pokemon are all exhausted.." the nurse commented, "and you're not any better off yourself. What happened in there?"
The trainer just sighed and shook his head, "You don't wanna know, Joy, trust me on this one..it was complete chaos."
Nurse Joy could only smile, "I guess my sister was right about you.." she said, causing Ash to raise an eyebrow. She only smiled more, "The Joy in Viridian City is my direct sister and best friend! We were only born a year apart, so we were always very close. She told me about a young boy named Ash Ketchum who helped her out when Team Rocket attacked her Center. Imagine my surprise when that same young man is found here in Celadon city, and doing almost the exact same thing."
Ash could only smile, it was good to know he had some allies in the Joy community. That will definitely help later on. Suddenly, the trainer winced and let out a loud hiss as something cold touched his back.
Joy gave him a sympathetic look, "Sorry, dear.. but I have to make sure these wounds and burns are thoroughly cleaned. The last thing we need is for you to get an infection." she said, and Ash could only nod in agreement. Joy then continued, "I'm sorry I'm not an actual human doctor. I can only properly heal minor human wounds, so this is a bit out of my practice."
As then turned back towards her at that, "but you know as well as I do that going to see an actual doctor is not an option. They'll just turn me in," he said with a worried look on his face.
To that, Joy could only nod, "I know, which is why I will try my best here. I do recommend you find a place to lay low and rest up. Unfortunately, you can't stay here for too much longer. No doubt that the Private Eye will be on your trail soon." With that, the boy nodded, and allowed the nurse to get back to work.
\-\-\-\-\-\-\*1 HOUR LATER*/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
*DING! DING!*
"Nurse Joy!" A teal haired woman yelled as she waited at the front desk, "Nurse Joy! This is Private Eye Jenny. I need to talk to you about an important matter!"
Joy walked out from the back room, making sure it was closed behind her, before calmly walking up the counter, "why hello, Miss Jenny. How may I help you today?"
Jenny raised a brow at her. She was way too calm.. "I suppose you've seen the news, already?"
Joy nodded, putting on a small frown, "Yes, I did. Have you come any closer to catching that boy yet?"
Jenny nodded, "yes, I'm actually following some hunches now," she said with a small smirk, "You see, before he escaped again, Ketchum looked like he had been hurt during his little raid of the Rocket Base. SO, it would only make sense for him to seek out medical attention for himself and possibly even his pokemon."
Joy frowned some more and solemnly nodded, "makes sense..though I assure you he hasn't made appearance here or.." she didn't get a chance to continue as Jenny made herself comfortable in one of the empty seats around the center. "That's fine.." she says as she stretches out, "he'll come here eventually, I just know it. A detective always knows about these things," she says with a smug grin.
Joy just sighed and facepalmed, Jenny wasn't going to leave that easily it seemed. "But.." she started, trying to think of something, "what makes you think he's still in the city.. It's been hours since the incident took place.. he could be long gone by now..."
Jenny cracked an eye at her, and raised an eyebrow, "Oh that's not possible. With some help from the Celadon P.D., we have every possible exit of the city monitored. If he would have left, they would have told me."
"But, what about his Venomoth and Haunter?" Joy asked, "Surely you know how they can both put people to sleep.."
"Yes I do..." Jenny said, before sharply turning to Joy with a glare, "but the question is, how do you YOU know about them? The news reports never said what kind of pokemon he had..."
At that, Joy placed a hand over her mouth, realizing her mistake. Jenny quickly stood and stomped over to her, "Alright! Where is he?! what do you know?!"
Joy faltered, "I..umm..."
Not waiting for a straight answer, the P.I. quickly headed towards the back where the pokemon were typically kept. She banged the door open and found..
... a sleeping Magmar... who didn't appreciate all the noise as he woke up and glared at Jenny.
"Hey.." Jenny started, "Aren't you.."
She didn't get a chance to finish as a huge flamethrower headed her way, blinding both ladies. When the flames died down, Jenny was singed and covered in soot, and Magmar was nowhere to be seen...
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Our rogue trainer was now slowly but surely making his way into the forest and out of town. It was slow going since he was still in a good amount of pain, and there was no telling when a cop or someone would pop up.
The last thing he heard before his escape was that Jenny had put up monitoring teams all over the city. He had already had a few run-ins, but thanks to the previously mentioned Haunter and Venomoth, along with a little air surveillance from the silent Golbat, he didn't have too much trouble.
At this point, Ash was just wondering what to do next. Could he still continue entering Tournaments? Probably not, since Jenny is still on his trail. "Maybe I should just head home and rest.." he said to himself... just as his X-tran rang.
As he brought his arm up and answered, Ash couldn't help but smile as his friend and, in a way, savior, pops up, "Ash!" exclaimed an excited and worried looking Dr. Igneous over the video, "I just heard about the commotion in Celadon City! Are you alright?!"
The Rogue couldn't help but chuckle, "I'm fine.. more or less.. nothing some rest won't fix.." he said, slightly lying. Dr. Igneous raised an eyebrow at him, "Are you sure? it looked like you had been hurt with how you were being supported by those pokemon.." he then put on a big smile, "and I saw what you said about the old bastard, Oak. Do you have any idea how much controversy you've stirred up? Not only is the world looking at you, they're looking at the Oak family as well!"
At hearing this, Ash couldn't help but smirk, "well that's exactly what we needed right? The right kind of exposure to make people start questioning that old fart!" he said, then dropped his smile, "as for your first question, yes I was hurt, but I'm recovering just fine. Nurse Joy said I just need to rest a bit."
Igneous nodded, "very well, if you say so. I could send you some pain meds via Luca. Besides, she's been wanting to see her little boy again."
Ash, after chuckling some more, nodded in agreement, "that's a good idea, and I could use the pain pills."
"I'll send her over to you now then. Stand by for a delivery!"
A few moments later, a flash appeared, and Ash had Luca's pokeball in his hand. He immediately released the Lucario, who promptly gave him a bottle of pills, labeled 'Tramadol.' "Now Ash," Igneous warned, "careful with that stuff, it's not a narcotic but it's powerful in its own right. It may make you drowsy or give you a euphoric feel."
Ash smirked, "Is that a bad thing?"
"Ash!"
"Ok! Ok!" the trainer laughed. He then released little Riolu, who immediately yelled out in surprise in happiness when he saw him mom. The two shared a heartfelt hug as Ash watched nearby with a small tear in his eye . "Lu, Lu!" "Rio!"
The connection between the two made Ash think of his own mother, who was probably worried sick in Pallet Town, 'I need to make sure she's ok as soon as the heat dies down,' he thought to himself, 'I hope the Professor won't try anything to-'
"CARIO!"
Ash snapped his head towards Luca, who was glaring in a direction just behind him. Preparing for the worst, and to possibly run, the trainer slowly turned...
...and came face to face with a stoic looking Magmar. After blinking a few times, Ash smiled warmly, "heh.. hey Magmar. Did you follow us all the way here? I thought you wanted to stay at the Center"
The Spitfire pokemon shook his head, and instead put on a smirk and got into a fighting stance, causing Ash to share his smirk, "Ohhh.. you want a battle huh? Sure! But not here.. we'll set the whole forest ablaze." He then turned to the Lucario, "it's alright, Luca. He's a friend. You think you can help us find an empty clearing so we can battle? And I mean empty" he stressed. Luca simply nodded and took off.
A few moments later, a large enough clearing away from the trees had been found, and Ash and Magmar were standing on opposite sides of the field. "Magmar! today you're going to be fighting my fire starter and strongest pokemon! I hope you're ready!" With that, Ash threw his pokeball, and released his best friend, his black Charizard.
Upon seeing his opponent and how strong he looked, Magmar put on a devilish smirk. He was gonna have fun with this.
"Ok, Charizard. Let's start things out. Flamethrower!" Ash yelled, wanting to test the waters. He knew Magmar's was strong from its performance at the base. So he would have to be careful a bit.
Magmar quickly responded by meeting Charizard's torrent of flames with his own. The two flamethrowers met in the middle of the field, with neither looking to give an inch. The result was a small explosion from the built up of power.
Ash nodded, then continued, "Charizard, into the air! Then use dragon pulse!" Charizard took off into the air and with a roar, formed a turquoise orb in his mouth, before letting it rip towards Magmar. The grounded fire type glared at the orb before quickly jumping out of the way. He then glared at Charizard before sending a flurry of small yellow orbs at the flying fire type. One made its mark and caused the large pokemon to spiral towards the ground, landing in a heap. "Charizard! Are you ok?!" Ash asked with worry.
Charizard was able to stand again, but had a haze over his eyes as he stumbled about. "Damn..," Ash said softly, "That was confuse ray.. better be more careful.."
Magmar then flared up in flames and pounded the ground with his fist, causing several geysers of fire to erupt from the ground and towards Charizard. "That's Lava Plume... Charizard LOOK OUT!"
The warning was in vain for the still confused fire type, who was hit dead on by the attack. The good news though, was that the Lava plume was enough to snap Charizard out of his confusion. Burned and angry, the massive black beast let out an ear deafening roar, to which Magmar replied with his own roar, showing he wasn't intimidated.
Ash smirked, "we're just getting started. Charizard, smoke screen!"
The flame pokemon grunted and let out a huge veil of black smoke around himself and Magmar, making so that neither were able to see each other. The Spitfire looked around, panicking slightly from loosing visibility of his opponent. He let off some flamethrowers into the smoke, but all were misses.
"Now!" WIth that, Magmar looked straight ahead, only to be hit in the side with a dragon pulse. He fell to the ground, winded. That really hurt! The furious fire type turned towards where the attack had came from and prepared another flamethrower, only to be hit full force by a Steel Wing. "MAR!" it yelled in pain.
Ash smirked, now was his chance, "Alright Charizard, finish this up with Seismic Toss!" The flame pokemon roared as he took Magmar high up into the air, doing 3 barrel rolls before coming back down at high speed, and sending Magmar spiraling to the ground. The result was a knocked out Magmar.
"Pokeball, go!" Ash yelled as he threw an empty pokeball. And with one..two.. three shakes, Magmar was captured. "Yes!" the excited trainer exclaimed. "Thanks for your help, Charizard. We got a poweful new friend."
Riolu and Lucario clapped their paws together from the sidelines, congratulating him on the capture. Ash smiled brightly at them before calling the Doctor back.
"Ah! Ash!" Dr. Igneous said with a bright, slightly creepy smile. "I was just about to call you! Everything ok with Luca and her pup?"
"heh, they're fine. Very happy to see each other again. Thanks for the pills by the way, I can already tell they're working." Ash responded with a light chuckle, "I was gonna return her to you, but what did you want to call me about?"
"W-Well..." The doctor started, scratching the back of his head nervously, "I know you wanted to come home and rest.. but I have a favor to ask of you.."
Letting out a sigh, Ash nodded, "alright.. continue.."
The Doctor then smiled, "you see, my boy.. in about a month's time, there will be a huge excavation of an area called Grandpa Canyon. They say that there will be a huge cash crop of fossils there for trainers to dig up. Would you...mind going there and..acquiring a few fossils for my studies?"
The still recovering trainer just rolled his eye lightly with a smile, "sure, Doc. No problem...can you send me the coordinates and a date?"
The Doctor nodded, "certainly, they're on their way. This should be relatively easy for you despite the publicity you're getting. They're just going to give out a digging kit to anyone who's interested. Just have your Pokémon help you and it'll be no sweat"
"I'm gonna hold you to that, Doc," Ash said with a smirk, "'cause despite my short time here, I definitely feel like I need some time off."
He then turned towards Lucario, who gave her son one last hug, then nodded to Ash, who returned her to her pokeball. At seeing his mother disappear, Riolu whined a little and looked down at the ground. At seeing his upset friend, Ash placed a hand on the little jackal's shoulder, "don't worry, we'll see her again real soon." At that, Riolu quickly cheered up and nodded.
Soon, Luca was back home, Ash had his next destination, and they were on their way...
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A month passed by relatively quickly. For the most part, it was just spent traveling, training, and for Ash, recovering. The burns on his back, though slowly healing, still hurt like a bitch. He kept his back covered for the most part, and managed to *cough* buy a new jacket along the way. It was almost like his old one, except it was more grayish than black.
Magmar fit into the family quiet well, since he wanted to keep getting stronger. He had, unsurprisingly, developed a heated rivalry with Charizard, challenging the fire starter almost every day. Not that Charizard minded, he actually looked forward to their spars. Other than that, the only interesting thing that happened was that some of the Pokémon learned new moves. Riolu unlocked his egg move Blaze Kick, and learned Copy Cat; Onix unlocked his egg move of defense curl and learned Dig; and Haunter learned Dream Eater and Dark Pulse.
Soon, Ash found himself looking over a wide, gaping canyon that looked to go on for miles. The trainer couldn't help but look on in awe as the sunlight slowly started to cover the area. 'Beautiful..'
Around 9 am, a few hours later, a large group of trainers, including a hooded trainer in the way back, were waiting at the entrance of the Canyon. Eventually, an older looking man with a thick mustache and partially balding head, stepped forward and began to speak, "Welcome everyone to the Opening day of the Grandpa Canyon excavation! each of you will be given a set of tools to work with for the duration of your time here. You will each be allowed to use your team of Pokémon to help you, whether it be for digging or protection. Please be aware that fossils and fossilized bones are very fragile and take a gentle touch to remove them from the dirt without harming them. If you see anything that looks like a fossil, please come and inform me or one of the officials so we can examine and excavate it fully. You will be allowed take pictures of the fossils, but all findings must be turned in for study. Any questions?"
"Yea I got one!" someone said, causing everyone to turn eyes to him, including Ash. The boy immediately went wide eyed and twitchy when he saw who it was... A boy his age, with spikey auburn hair, and wearing some ridiculous looking Indiana Jones type clothes. None other than Gary Motherf****** Oak.
"As you know, my grandfather, Professor Oak, is a very influential man. We were wondering if we may be allowed to take a fossil or two for his studies?" he asked with a smug grin.
The man just stared at Gary, "while I am sure he is, and I know well of him, I cannot allow that at this time. As said before, all findings need to be thoroughly studied by us first. THEN, they will be distrivuted to museums and laboratories and such."
The answer caused Gary to glare at the man in contempt, and the rest of the crowd, including Ash, to chuckle lightly.
Still, this complicated things for the young rogue. One, how was he going to sneak out some fossils if he found some; And two, how was he gonna sneak past Gary? Would the boy be fooled by his simple but effective disguise? 'This Canyon's pretty big though, I may not even have to worry about him..'
With that thought, Ash went to the entrance, picked up a set of tools, and got to work.
\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\
After a few hours of searching a digging, Ash and his team decided to take a rest. With help from Golbat's supersonic, Nidorino's horn attack, and some bastardized digs and water guns from the others, the trainer had managed to successfully dig up a couple small fossils, small enough that he was confident he would be able to sneak it past the officials.
Right now, they were all enjoying a quick snack of fruit and pokepellets. After they were done, Ash stood up and stretch out his still sore body. He was still healing after all. He then turned to his waiting team and said, "let's move to a different location, I think this spot's cleaned out." They all nodded as he returned all but Golbat, then said to him, "think you could use your Supersonic to find us a new spot?" The bat Pokémon happily nodded and flew off, with Ash following right behind him. If they had stayed a second later, one of them may have noticed group of trouble makers snooping around the canyon.
Within a half hour, Golbat had found an empty, but spread out area that looked like it hadn't been touched yet. After observing and quickly exploring the spot, Ash nodded, "perfect, Golbat. I'll bet we'll find some good fossils here. Let's get started.."
"HEY!"
At that voice, Ash suddenly froze in place. He knew that voice, and prayed to Arceus that he wouldn't have to hear it for a while. 'Guess those prayers went unanswered..' he thought as she made sure his hood was up and on straight. Upon turning around, he came face to face with none other than that arrogant snit, Gary Oak.
The brown-haired boy just glared at him, which he hastily returned the glare with yellow eyes. Though on the inside, he was nervous, 'Did he follow me? Why is he staring at me like that? Does he recognize me? This could get bad..'
The angry looking Oak stalked up to him, pointed and said, "Yo, Kid! Listen here! This is my digging spot, alright? I called dibs! So why don't you be a good little noob and get lost!" he said in a snooty, snarky voice, now pointing the way he came from to emphasize his words.
At his words, Ash outwardly raised an eyebrow, while inwardly he was sighing in relief, 'oh thank the Legends, he doesn't recognize me.. still, is it just me or has his head gotten bigger..' At that thought, the hooded boy just crossed his arms and looked around the clearing before saying, "strange.. I don't seem to see you name anywhere..besides I got here first," he said in a low voice, to hopefully throw Gary off. It seemed to work, since Gary didn't seem any more shocked, only angrier.
"HEY!" he said, raising his voice, "don't you know who I am?" he said, pointing to himself.
Ash took one look at his clothes and smirked, before saying, "An Indiana Jones groupie?"
".. .A what!"
"A Laura Croft reject?"
"GRRRR!"
"No! Wait! I know! Dr. Deadrock!"
"Why you!..That's it! I challenge you to a three-on-three battle, right now! Winner gets this digging spot, Loser leaves with his tail between his legs," he then readied a pokeball, "So get that tail of yours ready, 'cause my Pokemon are top notch!"
"Shut up and throw your ball already!" Ash said as he rolled his eyes. It hadn't even been five minutes and he was already sick of Gary's mouth.
"Fine! Arcanine, let's go!" the auburn boy yelled as he released his fire dog, who announced his arrival with a loud bark. Seeing that damned dog made Ash glare and smirk at the same time, resulting in a truly evil looking face. It was time to pay that puppy back for that cheap shot at Mount Moon. The face he made also caused Gary to take a step back, slightly scared and wondering what he had got himself into.
"very well then," the cloaked trainer said as he held up a pokeball and released his own Pokémon, which in this case, was Riolu.
Gary blinked a few times as he looked at the little black dog, "what's that Pokémon?" he asked as he pulled out his pokedex.
"No data Available."
Ash just smirked, "Riolu here doesn't originate from Kanto, so your little Starter Dex is useless."
Gary just growled and humphed, "Whatever! That little pipsqueak won't stand a chance against Arcanine anyway!" He then pointed towards Riolu and commanded, "Arcanine, wrap this up quick, Flame Wheel!" At his trainer's command, Arcanine lunged forward at incredible speed, it's body becoming engulfed in flamed as it charged towards Riolu.
Ash watched the fire type for a moment. He had to admit, it had some impressive power... too bad it's trainer is so arrogant and hot headed. "Ok Riolu.. wait for it..." he said as he showed a steady, level hand. Then, once Arcanine was almost on his pokemon, he shouted, "Jump!"
Riolu leaped high into the air, allowing the fire-covered dog to pass under him. As soon as he landed, his trainer yelled, "Alright, now charge and use forcepalm!"
At that, the little pokemon charged towards Arcanine with impressive speed, readying his palms.
"Arcanine, turn around and use flamethrower quick!" Gary yelled. His Pokémon quickly turned his head and released a powerful line of flames towards his opponent, who instinctively dodged without the need for a command and kept going, sending Arcanine flying with a powerful Force Palm. Though, Ash soon noticed, it wasn't a clean dodge as Riolu now had a small burn on his leg.
Upon seeing his Pokémon get hit, Gary growled, "Arcanine! Get Up! quick!" In almost no time, his Legendary Pokémon was back on his feet, and he smirked, "Like I said, you're gonna have to do better than that to take my Pokémon down! Why don't you just give up now?" he taunted, still cocky as ever.
Ash just raised an eyebrow at him, " Are.. you going to call out your next command? Or are you just going to stand there and yap your gums all day about absolutely nothing!" he said, raising his voice as he went. He was quickly getting very annoyed with this battle and wanted to get it over with.
Gray just growled, his whole face becoming as red as a tomato berry, "Fine! Arcanine! Extreme Speed!"
"Riolu, match it with Copy Cat!"
Soon, both Pokémon were dashing at high speeds across the makeshift battlefield, exchanging blows as they charged head on into each other over and over again. Soon, Ash noticed that, due to its sheer size and weight advantage, Arcanine was gaining the advantage, and ordered, "Riolu, dodge the next charge and use Force Palm!"
"Arcanine, Protect!" Gary yelled, not about to let his opponent gain the advantage again.
Riolu successfully dodged upwards and was coming down with his next attack, when Arcanine summoned a shield around himself. Ash however, just smirked and yelled, "switch to Feint!"
With a quick flip, Riolu was able to successfully bypass the Protect, leaving both of their opponents in shock, and also sending Arcanine flying backwards once more. Once Riolu landed, he was panting heavil. The constant attacks back and forth was taking its toll. Ash just sighed, while Riolu was a fighter, he may not have the endurance or the attacks to right back. He couldn't use Blaze Kick, since there was a good chance that Gary blasted dog had the Flash Fire ability. "Riolu, come back and take a rest, you did well!" the still mystery trainer [to Gary] said as he recalled his Pokémon.
At seeing this, Gary started laughing hysterically, "What's the matter, figured out your weak little dog had nothing on my powerful Arcanine?"
This caused Ash to glare menacingly at him, causing the auburn-haired boy to flinch, "Only reason I called him back is because this is taking too long and I want to get this over with. So now I'm going to just destroy that damned dog and the rest of your Pokémon so I can get back to work!" He then threw out his next Pokémon, "Gyarados! To the battlefront!"
With a huge roar, the Atrocious Pokémon made himself known, then glared down at his opponents, his Intimidate ability making them both flinch in fear, with Arcanine even letting out an audible yip!
Ash could only smirk at their reaction, then ordered, "Alright! Gyarados, use Hydropump! End that Mutt!"
The large serpent roared and released a huge geyser of water from its mouth.
"Ah! Arcanine, DODGE!" Gary yelled out in desperation, although a little too late as he could only watch his Legendary be engulfed and soaked in the large torrent of water. Once the attack subsided, Arcanine was revealed, knocked out and a washed up mess. Ash only smirked and said, "looks like I win this round."
Gary merely growled as he recalled his Pokémon and pulled out another pokeball, "You'll regret that! Now both you and that pathetic snake are going to get a nasty shock!" 'I just hope it shocks them and not me this time.. or at least listens to me..' he thought to himself, as he threw his ball, "Go!"
Out from the ball came a small, yellow mouse, with long, thin ears, and a lightning bolt style tail. Ash instantly recognized it as a Pikachu, though.. from the look on its face, it didn't look like it appreciated being called out.
The hooded trainer merely watched as the electric type lazily looked over at him, then up at his Gyarados. Strange thing was... it didn't even look scared. Ash brought out his X and scanned it.
Pikachu, The Mouse Pokemon.
It has small electric sacs on both of its cheeks. If threatened, it releases electrical charges from these sacs.
"Ok Pikachu, Thundershock on that Gyarados!"
...nothing, the mouse only gave Gary a deadpan look and said "Pika.." This caused Gary to growl with annoyance, "Do as I say, damnit! Thundershock! NOW!"
This time, Pikachu did use his attack...
..on Gary..
"YAAAAAHHHH!" The young trainer cried out as he was blasted, and fried to a crisp.
Ash blinked once... twice... before busting out in a fit of laughter, "Oh this is just rich!" he said, almost dropping the deepness he added to his voice, "Tell me something Gary, exactly who is training who?"
He then looked down at the little yellow rodent, "still I admit, that attack had a lot of power. You're a feisty one, aren't ya?" The little Pikachu smirked and nodded, crossing its little arms in pride.
Gary, however, didn't appreciate the comments as he stood back up, covered in soot and red in the face. "You damned rodent, I've had it with you! If it weren't for the fact that Grandpa gave you to me, you'd be gone by now!"
That caused Ash to tilt his hooded head, "Your grandfather gave you a pokemon that hates you?"
Gary just sighed in response, "he said it would be a good test for me to tame it.."
Ash just shook his head and smirked, "seems like your failing.."
Gary shook his fist and growled at him, "Hey! No one asked for your opinion you-"
"BOOOOM! CRASH!*
Suddenly, a huge explosion rocked the entire canyon, causing a humongous dust cloud to form, and several small rockslides. Diggers were thrown off their feet and received several minor injuries. Ash and Gary managed to escape injury, and were now both running towards the epicenter to see what could have caused such a blast. What they found shocked them.
"What the... weren't you idiots in jail?" "Who are you?!" Ash and Gary yelled respectively.
'Prepare for Trouble!" the Redhead known as Jessie said
"And Make it Double!" The ..Bluehead known as James said
(skipping the rest)
The hooded Ash just sighed and shook his head, "Let me guess, you morons were the ones that caused that explosion, right?"
"That's Right!" the Meowth exclaimed, "What better way to mine for fossils than ta-"
"SHUT UP MEOWTH!" Jessie yelled like a banshee, "You're giving away our plan!"
Gary just shook his head in exasperation as he looked at the huge hole now in the ground, "I hope you idiots realize that by setting off that explosion, you may have very well destroyed the very thing you and everyone else was after.." he said tightening his fist, "Fossils are extremely fragile, and wouldn't have been able to survive that blasts."
At this info the trio blinked, "uhhh... we.. didn't think of that" The response caused both boys to facepalm.
That's when both Pikachu and Meowth's ears perked up.
"huh? Meowth, what is it?" James asked
"what is it Pikachu?" Ash asked as he noticed the Pokemon's behavior before Gary did.
Both pokeman ran over to the edge of the newly made gigantic hole. "Pika..." "Somethin's down there.. and its movin'!" Both Pokemon said in worried voices.
As everyone else inched closer to the hole, they noticed that an entire new cavern room had now been opened up.
"Woa..." Gary said in awe, while Ash just frowned and muttered, "Its getting louder..."
Next thing that was heard was the faint flap of heavy wings...
At hearing that, all but Jessie and Gary backed away from the hole. Soon, the flapping was getting louder.. and louder...
"Gary, what are you doing?! Get back!" Ash yelled, dropping his fake voice completely
"Jessie!" Both Meowth and James yelled in worry at the same time
"AAEEEEERRROOOOO!"
A gigantic, gray, flying creature then zoomed out of the hole, knocking both Gary and Jessie back about 10 feet. Jessie hit the back of her head and was knocked out, while Gary landed on his stomach, "ow..." he muttered.
His heart then stopped he felt something rough and strong wrap around his waist. He only had enough time to gasp before being pulled up into the air.
"GAAAAHHH!"
"GARY!" Ash yelled out in fear, even though he didn't like the guy, the last thing he wanted was for him to get eaten. He immediately released Charizard and took off into the air after him.
As they were chasing after the now identified Aerodactyl, its prey was now struggling in its grip. "Gah! Let me go! Come on!" Gary yelled as he tried to pry open the fossil's claws, which only led to the beast tightening his grip. "Ugh!"
"I'm Coming!" he heard a familiar voice call behind him. He turned his head and saw the trainer he was battling before the explosion, only something was different... his hood blew off, and his face was revealed! Oak knew that face anywhere, and the shiny Charizard was further proof "Ash?!"
"Aero!" Seeing that it was being followed, the rocky beast flew faster and higher into the air.
"Charizard, use dragon pulse!" The black fire type quickly formed the green orb in his mouth and fired straight at Aerodactyl, scoring a direct hit and causing the prehistoric Pokémon to drop in altitude and slow down.
The beast turned around and retaliated by sending several white orbs at his attackers. Ash and Charizard barrel rolled to the left to dodge the incoming attack, "That was Ancient Power! Charizard, use Steel Wing!"
Soon, Charizard was charging forward with metallic wings, and Aerodactyl charged towards them with Iron Head, taking a screaming Gary along for the ride. The two powerful Pokémon collided in mid air several times, head to wing, making sword-like clangs with each contact. Gary, meanwhile, was looking pretty green in the face.
After several collisions, they both backed off, and Aerodactyl let loose a beam of green flames. "Charizard, match that with Flamethrower!" Charizard immediately released his on flames, which met with the dragon breath and caused an explosion of smoke.
The Rock type glared at the smoke, looking for any movement, only to get a flamethrower to the face a second later, catching it off guard.
"AEERROOO!" it screeched out, then panicked as its wings were grabbed onto by two powerful arms. As the Fossil Pokémon thrashed around, it let go of Gary, who screamed as he started to plummet to the ground.
Ash reacted quickly by throwing out another pokeball, "Fearow! Dive down and grab Gary, quick!"
"FEEAAROW!" the Beak Pokémon yelled out, then dived bombed towards the screaming trainer, catching him with his sharp claws about 20 feet above ground.
The still airborne Ash sighed n relief, then called to his fire type, "ok, buddy, let's finish this. Seismic Toss!"
The Pokémon grunted and flipped in the air before barreling towards the ground at high speed, then with a huge thrust, slammed Aerodactly into the ground, effectively knocking it out. As soon as he landed, Ash dismounted Charizard and threw a pokeball at the Prehistoric beast, catching it before anyone could protest.
By this time, a large crowd of trainers and officials had gathered, including an officer Jenny and Nurse Joy, and had witness nearly everything from the sky battle to the rescue. As Joy tended to a still shaken up Gary, everyone else was staring at the familiar trainer, in awe at what he had just done. Not only had he saved a fellow trainer from imminent death, but he had also captured a live Aerodactyl. It was unprecedented!
Soon, Officer Jenny stepped forward and asked THE question, "I recognize you I think.. are you by chance, Ash Ketchum?"
Ash looked at the officer, wide eyed, before realizing.. 'crap.. my hood's down..' He then turned to Jenny, "I believe you're mistaken, the boy you're looking for has brown eyes, doesn't he? My eyes aren't brown," he said as he pointed towards his currently yellow eyes.
"Tauros Shit!" someone yelled out, that someone being Gary as he stepped forward, "It's you , Ash, just admit. Your shiny Charizard is a dead giveway."
"Come on, I'm not the only who has a Shiny.." Ash was cut off when the young Oak held up his hand and said, "remember Ash, you and I grew up together, so it's almost impossible for you to hide yourself from me.." he then smiled, "Although I admit, you almost had me at the beginning when I first saw you.."
At this point, everyone in the crowd was conversing in whispers. They had heard of Ash Ketchum.. from the original theft at Oak's lab, to the incident at the Game Corner in Celadon. There weren't many people in Kanto that haven't heard his name at least once.
"Though I do have a question.." Gary said as he continued..."Why did you save me anyway? You certainly didn't have to do that.. considering how much of a prick I've been to you.." he asked, mumbling the last part.
Ash just smiled, dropping the facade completely, "Like you said Gary, you and I grew up together..." he then frowned, "and in spite of how much I hate you and your Grandfather for messing up my journey, I couldn't just stand there and let you get eaten."
At that, Gary looked down, his heart for the first time full of guilt. It was at this point that Jenny stepped forward, "well Ash Ketchum, your case is a very complicated one. According to Professor Oak, you're nothing but bad news. However, since you've started your journey, we've also seen you do a lot of good, especially against Team Rocket."
At her comment, Ash went wide eyed and looked around, "That reminds me, did anyone see a red-haired woman, a blue haired man, or a Meowth? They're members of Team Rocket and responsible for the explosion."
"I can back up his words!" Gary exclaimed, "they said they were looking for fossils!"
The crowd was once again in a whirl.. Obviously no one had seen them, so the trio probably slipped away during the battle before the crowd got there. It was then that an official stepped forward, "In light of the current circumstances and the new instability of the grounds, I believe it is best to cancel the fossil digging event for now, until this mess is cleaned up." The announcement made everyone groan, but nod in understanding. The official then turned to Ash, "usually I would ask that a Pokémon so valuable as Aerodactyl be turned over for research, but I think I know where that would lead," he said as Ash frowned, "so all I'm asking you is to take care of it. Despite what I've heard, I think you're a grand trainer, and will be one of the great one day!"
"just like his father.." Gary said to himself in a soft ,sad voice. He then coughed and corrected himself, putting his cocky mask on again, "Anyway! I have better things to do then waste my time here." He then looked down to Pikachu, who had been watching the scene with Ash along with the rest of the crowd, "Pikachu, return!" he said as he aimed to ball at the electric type...
..only for the mouse to dodge the red beam at the last second..
"Huh? I said return!" he tried again.. and again... and again..only for the mouse to dodge.
By this time, everyone was watching him, and a few chuckles could be heard from the crowd. The irritated trainer noticed this and looked down in utter embarrassment.
"THAT'S IT!" He yelled out, with an anime tick mark on his face, "I've had enough of you!" He then pressed a button on the pokeball and Pikachu was covered in a blue light. "You're free to go do what you want! Just be prepared to get eaten by some predator, or captured by a trainer that won't treat you as well as I did!" he yelled, with a little arrogance slipping into his voice.
Pikachu just stared at his former trainer with a sweatdrop, before noticing all the other trainers looking at him, obviously wanting to catch the strong looking, and to girls, cute electric type. He then looked to Ash, who was talking to Officer Jenny, seemingly trying to convince her to let him go despite the active warrant.
"No one has to know it was me or that I was here.."
" this is a tough one.. there's my job, but then there's the morality.."
The small mouse then looked at his strong looking Charizard and Fearow, who were right behind him and looked ready to take off if needed.
Without another thought, and before the pokeballs could start flying, Pikachu ran over to Ash and jumped under his gray cloak.
Ash immediately froze and went wide eyed at the feeling of something crawling up his back. He slowly looked over his shoulder...
...only to find a pair of black and yellow ears.. then a pair of black eyes and a chubby yellow face..
"Oh..." As said as he relaxed, "it's you..what are you doing on my back?"
Pikachu, then pointed to Gary and the crown, then tapped on the cloaked trainer's shoulder, speaking his own language of "Pika..Pika pika...Pikachu, pika!"
"So what you're saying is.. instead of being with Gary or anyone else, you'd rather come with me?" Ash asked
"Pikachu!" it nodded in confirmation
"OH COME ON!" a voice, obviously Gary's, said in the crowd.
Ash chuckled, although a Pikachu wasn't on his list of must have captures.. he couldn't deny the little guy's spunk and power. "Alright.." he said, "BUT! you'll have to understand that no one gets special treatment, and I can be very strict with my training!" he warned. Pikachu thought for a second, then nodded. With that, the little Pokémon was promptly captured. For a moment, Ash just stared at the pokeball and sighed, "never thought I'd get a Pikachu.."
Jenny watched all of this and sighed, "Maybe.. we can let you go this once..." She then turned to the crowd, "what do you all say?"
"YEAAAH!" Everyone cheered, they liked the kid after all. At that point, no one saw the thief that Professor Oak tried to make them see. Even Gary was smiling.
Ash smiled at the crowd and nodded in thanks, then he had a thought, "Hey Gary, what are you gonna tell the Professor about Pikachu?"
The auburn just waved him off, "let me handle that. Don't worry about it," he told him, but on the inside he was worried about the same thing.
With that, Ash then turned back to Jenny, "In that case, I have to get going"
He got on Fearow's back, recalling Charizard for a well deserved rest. He then waved to the crowd and took off into the skies. For the first time since he started his journey, smoke was not needed...
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So.. Yea.. he got pikachu... the Pika Poll won.. I hope your proud of yourselves...
And I know the ending sucked, but I copped out!
MOVING ON!
Sorry for the wait on this one... baby showers suck... work sucks... people who want to take up my time with stupid crap suck...
So.. yea... hope you guys liked the chapter. Probably not the knock out the last one was, but still ca nice.. loooong one...
Next time, Ash will be back home and.. training his new pokemon, and maybe i'll put Mewtwo in, not sure yet.
Until next time!