Hey guys, sorry for the long wait but my exams are over and so I can spend more time on this story. I hope you all enjoy.
Slateport
The morning sun is just starting to rise in Slateport as a very energetic girl is getting herself ready for the day ahead with her Cyndaquil.
"Today's the day I get my contest dress Cyndaquil. I can't wait. What style shall I go for? What colour suits me best? Argh, there's so many variables. I hope I pick the right one." Bianca frets.
"You'll be fine Bianca. We'll all help you and I'm sure that whatever you pick will be perfect." Misty calls from the bathroom.
"You think so?" Bianca asks still unsure.
'Of course you will. I can't wait to go. It's going to be so much fun looking at all the different beautiful dresses.' Sakura giggles.
"Yes, you're right; it will be so much fun." Bianca smiles at her friend.
"We should make sure Brock, Tenchi and Ash are up so we can get going to the market as soon as possible." Misty says, walking out of the bathroom.
"Brock and Tenchi will be up but I'm not too confident about Ash being up."
"Brock will have hopefully got him up. It is a fairly big day today." Misty smiles. The three leave their room and walk a short way down the corridor to where Ash and Brock are. "Hey, are you two up yet?" Misty calls, knocking on the door.
"Hang on a sec." Was the muffled reply. There was little bit of scrambling when Ash opened the door with a towel around his waist. "Sorry, I had just gotten out of the shower."
"Where's Brock and Tenchi?"
"I think they went down to talk to Nurse Joy about the stalls in the market."
"We'll head down too." Bianca says, "Don't take too long, we're hoping to spend the morning in the market and then go to the dockyard in the afternoon."
"Right, I'll be down in five - ten minutes." Ash replies, closing the door.
"Come on Sakura and Misty, let's go and meet up with Brock and Latios." Bianca says, skipping away, dragging Sakura with her. Misty follows behind them, smiling at her enthusiasm.
"So, what do you think?" Bianca asks her friend with a sly smile.
'What do you mean?' Sakura replies, looking confused.
"I'm talking about Ash." Bianca grins as she sees Sakura blushing.
'I, I don't know what you're talking about.' Sakura replies, looking away.
"Ok, I'll leave it. For now." Bianca says, still smiling and feeling happy for her friend. The two wait for Misty at the top of the stairs and they all go down together. The reach the main entrance and spot Tenchi and Brock sitting and talking to one another.
"Hey guys, what have you found out about the market?" Misty asks, sitting down next to Brock.
"Well the first thing we found out is that despite the market being open every day, it's still a fairly busy place due to new products being imported every week." Brock explains.
'There are a lot of food stands, as to be expected in a market, but there are also many other stands like clothing, jewellery, items, berries, potions and more.' Tenchi finishes.
"Wow, that's a lot of stuff. I can't wait." Bianca says excitedly.
"Well you're going to have to for a little while longer until Ash gets here."
"And here I am Misty." Ash smiles from behind them, "Let's get going". The group all head out to the market to the south of Slateport. When they arrive, the market is in full swing with all the stalls open and full of customers.
"You were right about it being busy Brock, this place is packed." Misty says.
"Yeah, but I didn't realise how busy it would actually be. How about we split up and meet up at the beach for lunch." Brock suggests.
"That's a good idea. Misty, can you come with me and help me pick out some things for my contest?"
"Sure thing Bianca."
"Sakura and I'll have a little look around and see if we can find anything we like." Ash says, holding Sakura's hand.
"That leaves you with me, Tenchi. We can have a look around for some supplies for our journey back to Verdanturf town." Brock says.
They then all split up and find what they need.
"So what do you want to look for first Bianca?"
"I think picking out a dress will take the longest so let's start with that."
"Right, let's ask around to see where to go first." The two walk up to the nearest stall which has some seafood.
"Hello ladies, what would you like to try?" The man behind the counter asks.
"Sorry, we're looking for a place to buy a contest dress. I'm going to compete in my first one in a few days from now and would like to know where the best place to go is." Bianca replies.
"Oh, we get a few new coordinators here every week. Where are you going to compete first?"
"In Verdanturf Town."
"That's a lovely little town. The best place I can think of is just down this road and off to the left. You'll be able to find it as it is the biggest stall here as a lot of people come for dresses and tuxedos. It has a big red sign, so you shouldn't miss it."
"Thank you sir, we'll come back later to try some of your food." Bianca replies, turning to leave.
"That would be appreciated. See you girls later." The two follow the man's directions and soon come across the stall he described.
"He wasn't kidding when he said it was the biggest stall here." Bianca marvels.
"Or the big red sign." Misty smiles. The stall in front of them is more like a tent with a red curtain surrounding the big space inside. It takes up a three by three square of stall space and houses a variety of different dresses and tuxedos of all different sizes and colours.
"This is a very impressive place." Bianca says in awe as she steps inside, "It's no wonder everyone comes here to buy their outfits."
"Well now you have to decide what style and colour of dress you want to wear." Misty says.
"The fun part." Bianca smiles.
Ash and Sakura are walking through the market, admiring all the different stalls with a lot of different foods, trinkets, stones and more exotic items.
"So which stall do you want to go and have a look at first?" Ash asks, smiling at Sakura's excited nature.
'I don't know, there's so much stuff to look at.'
"What about you buddy?" Ash asks Pikachu.
"Food, of course." Pikachu replies.
"Of course we'll get food. How can we not at a marketplace?" Ash grins at his buddy.
'We should leave that until a little bit later. For now, I think we should see what items some of the stalls have. I would like to know what all of them do.' Sakura says, gazing around.
"Sure, being on Altomare for most of your life, you wouldn't get to see a whole lot of items. Where do you want to start?"
"How about a poke ball stand? There's one over on the right and it's a good place to start." Pikachu smiles.
"Sure thing." Ash replies, walking over with Sakura in tow. "So these are all the different type of balls you can use to catch pokemon. The most common being the pokeball" Ash explains, "This one is a great ball and has a higher catch rate than a pokeball. And the yellow and black one is an ultra ball and has a greater chance than a great ball at catching a pokemon."
'Oh, so each pokeball has a different rate of capture on pokemon. Does it matter what type or is it for all types?' Sakura asks.
"The pokeball, great ball and ultra ball don't take typing into account. The others that are similar in that way are the luxury ball, friend ball, cherish ball, premier ball, timer ball, quick ball, master ball, sport ball, safari ball and a heal ball."
'There are a lot of different types of pokeballs.'
"There are more than that. But first the luxury ball." Ash says, pointing to a black ball with two orange stripes, "This makes the pokemon more friendly once caught. The friend ball is pretty much the same. A cherish ball and premier ball are the red and albino looking ones. They are both to commemorate a significant event. The timer ball is the one with the orange bit protruding the top. This makes it easier to catch pokemon the longer the battle goes on. The quick ball is the opposite and works best at the start of a battle. A sport ball and safari ball aren't here as they are used for a bug catching competition and for the safari zone only. A heal ball will heal any status problems a pokemon has when recalled. Finally out of the bunch is a master ball. They are the rarest and is also not here. It guarantees that you capture a pokemon, no matter how hard they try to break free."
'Wow, you sure do know a lot. I don't like the sound of the master ball. It sounds like you could catch a pokemon against its will. Especially on one like me.'
"I wouldn't worry too much. They're extremely rare. Most people have only seen pictures of what it looks like so you'll be fine. Plus I'm here. I'll never let anyone take you away." Ash replies, smiling at Sakura.
'I know you are Ash.' Sakura replies blushing slightly as she leans her head on his shoulder. 'So what others are there?'
"Ok, we have the blue one with what looks like bubbles on is a dive ball. It works better underwater. The green one is a dusk ball and works better in caves and at night. The metallic one is a heavy ball, which seems pretty self-explanatory. The level ball is the one with the beige stripe. It works better on lower levelled pokemon compared to your one battling. The nest ball is similar but it works better the lower the level of the pokemon. The lure ball is the green with the red pattern in the centre. It works better when you use a fishing rod to find a pokemon. A moon ball works better on pokemon that use a moon stone to evolve. A net ball works better on bug and water types. A repeat ball works better on pokemon you've caught before. And finally is the love ball which works better on the opposite gender to the pokemon you've sent out." Ash finishes with a blush rising on his cheeks.
"It's also said to have another quality." Pikachu smiles mischievously, "It is said that it also brings trainers and pokemon closer together to a greater extent than friend or luxury balls do." This causes the two to blush and step away from each other slightly.
"You seem to know a lot about my wares. You must be a trainer." The man running the stand deduces.
"That's correct. I hope to compete in the hoenn league and become a pokemon master so I've got to know everything I can about each type of item." Ash replies, recovering from Pikachu's comment.
"So what would you like to buy, eh? A trainer like you would need to have a variety of poke balls if you want to be the best."
"It's alright, I'm fine with just the regular pokeballs. We need to move on as well if we want to cover everything." Ash replies.
"Well you know where I am if you change your mind."
"Thanks." The three move off and Ash informs Sakura of all the different items they pass by.
"Over there are battle items which can raise a pokemon's stats, accuracy and evasiveness. They're illegal in most competitions though so not many people buy them. Over on the other side are the vitamins like carbos and protein. They raise a pokemon's stats indefinitely."
They wondered around slowly with Sakura taking in everything she sees and Ash says.
"And lastly, we have the stones." Ash says as the stop at a stand full of different coloured rocks.
'They all look so pretty.' Sakura says, admiring the stand.
"They all contribute to a pokemon's evolution. They're all clear as to which they are. A fire, water, leaf and thunder stone all evolve pokemon in their type category. Also, Eevee can evolve using a fire, water or thunder stone and Pikachu here can evolve using a thunder stone. There is also a dawn stone, that's the bright sparkly one, dark stone, oval stone, moon stone and sun stone all evolve different types of pokemon."
'Are there many pokemon who need these stones to evolve?'
"A minority in comparison to those that evolve by levelling up."
'So why don't you evolve Pikachu?' Sakura asks.
"I like the way I am thanks. Plus I can beat any Raichu you send my way." Pikachu replies, crossing his arms.
"Yeah, he's got enough power and speed to take out any Raichu opponent."
"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you Ash." A voice behind the two says. Ash and Sakura whip their heads round and see Robby standing there, searching the stand for something.
"Oh, it's you." Ash says with a slight bitter tone that does not escape Robby.
"I see I'm still not your favourite person." Robby replies, picking up a thunder stone and tossing it in the air before catching in his hand. "I would like to purchase this please."
"That's 2,100." The woman says. Robby passes over the money and goes to turn away when ash stops him.
"What do you mean, you're not too sure that Pikachu can beat any Raichu using speed and power?" Ash asks with a demanding tone.
"*sigh* Your Pikachu has clearly been trained well and being a Pikachu, it has the speed advantage. However, if a Raichu has been a Pikachu for a long time, the speed it will have will be close to that of Pikachu's. Furthermore, a Raichu is definitely more powerful then Pikachu in a straight out fight of power. Then, there is the different moves. Depending on the Raichu in question-"
"Ok, we get the point. But my buddy here will give it his all against any of his evolutionary chain, especially a Raichu. That means that no matter the adversary, he won't go down easily." Robby looks at him for a moment before smiling.
"By the amount of faith and pride you have in your partner, I would not be surprised he could take down most Raichu's. Well, it was nice speaking with you but I must be going. I've got to get some rest before heading to Dewford tomorrow."
"You must be going to battle Brawely."
"That's right."
"I'll be going there once my friend's contest is over. We should have a battle afterwards when we next meet." Ash says with a glint in his eye.
"I'll look forward to it. See you later Ash, Sakura." And with that, Robby disappears into the crowed.
'So are you going to purchase a stone Ash?' Sakura asks, turning back to the stand.
"I don't think so. There aren't any I need." Ash replies. He was about to leave when a strange stone catches his eye, "Hang on. What's this stone? I've never seen it before."
"Ah, I see you have found my rarest stone here. It is said to have originated from Kalos."
"Hang on, is this a mega stone?" Ash asks astonished.
"That's correct. However it only works for a certain pokemon, in this case Manectric, and it's missing another stone." The lady says dejectedly.
"What do you mean a second part?"
"From what I've heard, there needs to be two stones for it to work, and one of them isn't here."
"So you can't sell it then?"
"Oh no, I wouldn't say that. If someone had the second stone, they could buy it. And if someone took an interest in it, they'd also buy it."
"I'm interested in them. What pokemon did you say it was for again?"
"A Manectric."
"Oh, I was hoping for it to be for Absol."
"I'm sorry. I don't know a whole lot about these stones so you'll have to forgive me."
"Oh, it's not your fault. It's from a completely different region after all."
'We should go and meet up with the others at the beach.'
"But first, let's get an ice cream each." Ash replies, leading the way.
I hope all you guys enjoyed this chapter and if I missed any stones or pokeballs out, please let me know. I haven't included those that you get from places like Entrée forest because I haven't known it to exist in the anime. I've had a couple of requests about Ash being turned into a Latios, and originally was against that as many fanfics are like that, but if you guys want to have him change, post it in the reviews. A second request I've gotten is to do with the movies. If you want me to write my own rendition of the movies, again please put it in the reviews. Finally, thank you all for your support and until next time. K9wolf.