Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Was scratching at her neck scales* Ahhh, it's nice to finally have that collar off. Who knew it was as simple as hacking into the collar in order to trigger the electronic lock?
Mew: So you finally took your collar off? I was wondering how long it would take for you to figure it out~ Where did you put it?
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Oh, I threw it into an unstable wormhole and it was disintegrated.
DarkFoxKit: So… does this mean you're not going to do chores and such anymore even as Onyx?
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': I'll still do the chores, do not worry, Lady Fox.
Mew: Her doing the chores wasn't solely dependent on the collar, Foxxie. When she's Onyx, it's a part of her very being. She is our Dragoness Maid after all.
DarkFoxKit: Where are you in your Assassin's Creed game?
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Oh, I haven't played it since you turned me into Onyx. I have been much too busy around the castle to play any games.
Mew: So that means you'll be Onyx for a while. :3
DarkFoxKit: We should probably get to the chapter soon. Hey Onyx, I picked some strawberries for you.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Strawberries? What for?
DarkFoxKit: For you to eat, what else?
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': I thought you meant you would like me to make you something with the strawberries like a tart or a cake and put the strawberries either in it or on it.
DarkFoxKit: You can do that if you want. But this is to thank you for all the hard work you've been doing.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Oh, then thank you, Lady Fox. Now, we should allow the readers to get onto the story.
Chapter 36: Preparing for the Pokemon League
Ash was looking nervously at Mew as she stared at him. Ash didn't even want to know what was going on in his Memma's head right now, but he's sure he'll find out soon.
Suddenly a single laugh came from Mew's mouth, then another, and another, and then it became a full on fit of laughter.
Ash frowned, "It's not funny, Memma! I don't know when the pink will wear off!"
"Hahahaha… haha… ha… You're right, Ashy, it's not funny," Mew said with a smile.
"Thank yo-" Ash started to say.
"It's hilariously adorable! You look like a smaller version of me!" Mew said, interrupting Ash before she went back to laughing.
Ash grumbled, "I'm going to use Transform to change my color until this pink wears off! Besides, Zach and Storm are also pink, why aren't you laughing at them?"
"Because most of our pink wore off already, and you really do look like a smaller version of Mew," Storm pointed out.
"That and because she probably knows I suffered enough when you made me suddenly naked in front of Officer Jenny," Zach grumbled.
"That was an accident!" Ash pouted.
Mew picked up a camera from her toy pile and snapped a picture of Ash. "I'm keeping this picture, Ashy~ This is one of those rare moments where I truly feel like I'm human mother, because human parents love taking pictures of their children."
Ash glared, "Why must I suffer so? I thought you were letting us take a vacation, not have me turn pink so you can take a picture of it!"
"Well that was the plan, I didn't plan for you to land on Pinkan Island," Mew chuckled. "Sometimes the best things come from things you didn't plan for."
"Hey, Mew, have you turned Terra back to normal yet? Cause if you haven't, I would rather you not turn her back to normal until the pink in my hair fully goes away," Zach said.
"Zach?" A normal Terra voice said from behind him.
"Oh come on… the universe hates me…" Zach mumbled to himself before he turned around with a forced smile. "Hey Terra."
Mew was giggling, "I turned her back to normal so I could use her Pokegear. I couldn't use it while she was a plushy after all."
"You used her Pokegear?" Ash said.
"Of course, how else was I going to tell Zach and you that the Pokemon League got moved up a few months. It seems most of the trainers recovered more quickly than expected. So instead of waiting a whole year they decided to host it in a month and a half from now," Mew responded."Thankfully the badges you earned on your journey last year will still count."
"You could've just told me with telepathy," Ash said.
"True, but I decided I would use Terra's Pokegear instead," Mew said.
"Welcome back, everyone," Terra said with a smile. "Oh and Zach, cute hair color, are you going to keep it that way?"
"Definitely not," Zach responded. "When I get home I'm dying my hair blue again."
"Awww but you look so adorable with your mostly pink hair," Terra said tauntingly.
"Sometimes I really hate you, Terra…" Zach grumbled.
"You don't mean that, and we both know it," Terra responded with a smile.
"You should've seen him when his hair was bright pink," Storm said with a smirk.
"Storm, say another word and I swear I'm going to use Origin Pulse on you," Zach said as he stared at the Pikachu.
Storm was still smirking at him, "I don't have to say anymore. Because I wasn't there when Ash turned you into a dress up doll."
Storm's smirk disappeared when he saw a ball of water starting to form next to an angry looking Zach.
"Zach, I would appreciate it if you didn't hurt my Pokemon," Ash said.
"I would appreciate it if he could keep his mouth shut," Zach said, making the ball of water disappear. "Next time he runs his mouth, I'm not going to stop because you ask, Ash."
"That's just how he is, Zach, don't try to kill him for that," Ash said.
"Zach is pretty sensitive," Terra said. "So try not to make fun of him too much, especially since it seems he's been through a lot."
"Mainly in the past twelve hours," Zach said before he sighed a little. "I think I'm gonna go take a walk to cool my head…"
"That must've been some vacation if it stressed Zach out," Terra said as she watched Zach walk away.
Ash sighed as he said, "Well, it wasn't much of a vacation for him since he had to babysit me. And I'm pretty much a trouble magnet, even more so since I became a Mew."
"That, and the fact that you forced him to wear tons of different dresses and also the whole Officer Jenny seeing him naked thing," Storm said.
"Wow… maybe I should go talk to him," Terra said.
Ash sighed as he said, "I'm going to talk to Mira now. She was a young Lapras I didn't intend to catch."
"Alright, Ashy," Mew said with a smile. "I'll be nearby if you need anything."
Ash flew down to the base of the Tree of Beginning and Storm hurried after him. Ash transformed into his human self, his hair still pink. Once he found a nice large lake of water, he took out Mira's Dive Ball that he had kept with him. He moved it around in his hand for a few moments before he pushed the button in the center of it, causing it to expand. He then tossed it out and released the young Lapras onto the water.
Ash had to deactivate one of his other Poke Balls since he didn't want the Dive Ball to transfer to Prof. Oak. He did this by putting Storm's Poke Ball into Ash's pocket dimension, which is where everything he had on him went when he transformed. The pocket dimension kept it so the Poke Ball didn't send out the signal that he had more than six Pokemon on him since it was an entirely different dimension.
Mira opened her eyes and looked around.
"Hey Mira," Ash said. "I'm sorry it took so long. The whirlpools around the island made it too dangerous to release you on the ocean."
"Woah… where'd that ocean go?" Mira asked as she looked around. "There were no predators in sight that I had to worry about."
"Ocean?" Ash asked. "Mira, don't you remember what happened? We got caught up in a whirlpool and… I had to… do something to save you. Do you remember?"
"Oh right, yeah I do remember that," Mira responded before she noticed the Dive Ball in Ash's hand. "Did you have to use that magical sphere in order to save me?"
"Yeah," Ash said. "It's called a Dive Ball, it's usually meant for Pokemon that live in water like you. I didn't know how else to save you. I'm still a young Mew, so I didn't have enough power to lift you from the whirlpool, so putting you into this Dive Ball was the only thing I could think of. If you want, I could release you back into the ocean. But we'll have to say goodbye… I need to get back on my own journey, but maybe I can find someone who can help you."
Mira looked at Ash and smiled. "Thanks for saving me, but I don't want to say goodbye. You've been such great friends to me, you, Storm, Kooper and Zach… And Kooper promised that he could show me some tricks too, tricks I could show to my Memma when we find them."
"You've really come to see Kooper like an older brother, huh?" Ash said with a small smile.
"Yeah," Mira said. "... So… would it be alright… if I could stay a little longer?"
Ash blinked as he looked at Mira, then at Storm who was looking back at him. Storm gave a shrug that said 'Hey, if she wants to stay, let her.'
Ash looked back at Mira and gave a smile, "Heh, well if you want to stay, that's fine by me. Maybe Kooper can help make you stronger too while we're here."
"Yay!" Mira cheered. "Now, can you tell me where we are?"
Ash smiled as he said, "Welcome to the Tree of Beginning, Mira. A place where all Pokemon can live in peace from humans… well, most humans."
"Memma! Memma you're back!" Ash smiled when he heard a familiar young voice.
Mira, Storm and Ash turned to the side to see a Togepi riding on a familiar pink Bulbasaur's head. Bulba was smiling as she ran towards Ash with the smiling Angel on her head.
"Angel!" Ash said, surprised to see her riding on Bulba.
"Why's there a pink Bulbasaur here?" Storm asked.
"Heh… well, Bulba here wanted to see what's out there, so I had Memma teleport her here," Ash said.
"It's great here. I met this Togepi who loves playing with me," Bulba said. "But I didn't see any other Bulbasaur around here."
"Oh right," Ash said. "Maybe Konoha can teach you a few things."
"Konoha?" Bulba asked.
"He's an Ivysaur," Ash explained. "Here."
Ash took out Konoha's Heal Ball and popped it open, releasing the Ivysaur. "Konoha, I like you to meet this pink Bulbasaur. She doesn't know a lot about being a Bulbasaur, so I was hoping you could be her mentor."
"I know next to nothing…" Bulba said.
Konoha looked at her and said, "You're from the pink island?"
"Uh… yes?"
"Alright then, I guess the pink is okay. Well, then I got a lot to teach you, young Bulbasaur," Konoha said.
Ash then looked up and said, "Storm… do you think it's time I go back to Pallet Town?"
"Why do you ask?" Storm asked.
"Professor Oak is probably wondering what happened to me," Ash said. "And… if I want to prepare for the Pokemon League, I'm going to need to train everyone."
"Well you could prepare here," Storm said. "I mean there are so many great environments in the Tree that you can use for training."
"Yeah, I know," Ash said. "But I don't want to train too much here. The Pokemon that live here want to be in peace, not have to worry about someone trying to hit them with an attack. Maybe I'll train in the Tree's underground with the Regis if they'll let me. But I also have to let Professor Oak know I'm still alive and if I could switch out some of my Pokemon to train."
"Maybe you could do that, and put some of them into that pocket dimension of yours, so they don't get transported," Storm said.
"That's actually a really good idea," Ash said. "It would be like having my own PC wherever I go. But I won't keep all of them in the pocket dimension. They won't have their freedom if they're forced to stay in their Poke Balls after all."
Storm nodded, "Then only keep them there if you plan to use them often."
Ash was sitting next to the pile of toys Mew always kept. He was still in his human form, and Storm was chewing on a Pecha Berry beside him. Mew was listening to the music box she always treasured.
"So do you think it's okay if we went back to Pallet Town for a bit, Memma?" Ash asked.
"Of course, it'll also give me a chance to check in on my Plushy Collection~" Mew said with a smile.
"I thought you brought most of them with you here," Ash said.
"Not all of them, just what I could bring in one trip," Mew said.
"Heh, I wonder how many plushies you would have if you ever decided to celebrate the Princess Day Festival," Ash said. "There's nothing but dolls, clothes and plushies for girls and woman on that day."
Storm looked up at Ash, "Isn't there a boy version of that day?"
Ash shook his head, "The closest to a 'boy version' of the Princess Day Festival I can think of is Kids Day, but both boys and girls can celebrate that."
"Hmm, then maybe we'll have to start a Prince Day Festival," Mew said.
"But that's a human event, we don't even celebrate most of those events," Ash said. "And that's not important right now. I wonder if Gary is back in Pallet Town yet… he seemed pretty disturbed after what happened in the war."
"He and most of the other humans and Pokemon that were at the war are probably traumatized," Mew said. "So many died…"
"So what do you think will happen to Gary?" Storm frowned.
"Well… I guess we'll find out," Ash said. "Memma, can you teleport us back to Pallet Town?"
"Right now? Don't you want to talk to your other friends and let them know where we're going?" Mew asked. "Like Pudd and Pyra?"
"I wasn't planning to stay long," Ash said. "I'm just going to visit Professor Oak."
"Oh, so we're not important enough anymore, is that it?" An all too familiar grumpy voice said.
A 'puddle' pulled out from under the pile of toys and stretched up to reveal a blue Ditto. "Kids, once they grow up and think they don't need you anymore, they go off on their own and forget about you."
"Aww, come on, Pudd," Ash said. "You know that's not true."
"You were just about to go off and leave us behind without saying goodbye," Pudd said.
"It was just going to be for a quick visit," Ash said. "And besides, I thought you said you didn't care if I said goodbye or not."
"Hey, just cause I don't care doesn't give you an excuse to be impolite," Pudd said. "Besides, did you even say hi to Pyra since you came back? I might not care, but she does."
"Hey, I just got back, give me a break," Ash pouted.
"Where is Pyra?" Storm asked.
"She's probably near the base of the tree with Regigigas," Pudd said.
"Okay, then we'll say hi to her before we go to Pallet Town," Ash said. "By the way, hi Pudd!"
"Whatever…" Pudd said. "So, did you have to transform when you were on your vacation much, and did you have any trouble?"
Ash thought back about the forms he had taken on during the vacation. "Well, I did have trouble moving around as a Ditto."
"What do you mean?" Pudd asked.
"I mean I wasn't able to pull myself together like you do," Ash said. "I was a pancake for the entire time I was a Ditto."
"You're probably not used to a Ditto's molecule structure. We can work on that later though," Pudd said. "For now how about you go say hi to Pyra?"
"Okay," Ash said. "Thanks, Pudd."
Ash and Storm were looking around the base of the tree.
"How hard can it be to find a giant Regigigas?" Storm grumbled.
"Well in a place this big with all the roots and hills and everything, it could be just around the corner and we might not see it," Ash responded.
"Then how do we plan on finding it now?" Storm asked.
"Hmm… well, Pyra liked crystals," Ash said. "Maybe they're in a place where the most crystals are growing from?"
"So everywhere here?" Storm said. "Maybe we should try to go to a place where there are large crystals, or more of them."
"I know there are some pretty large crystals growing near the waterfalls," Ash said. "Let's go there."
"Alright, lead on," Storm said from Ash's shoulder.
Ash walked to the waterfall next, seeing a lot of Pokemon just relaxing and playing in the area. There he saw large crystals growing around, and he smiled when he saw Regigigas there with Pyra. Pyra's red crystals were hard to miss.
"Hey Pyra!" Ash called.
Pyra turned towards Ash and smiled. "Hi young one… er I mean Prince Ash! Welcome back home! … Don't be rude, Regi, say hello to Ash."
The Regigigas that Pyra called 'Regi' started to make beeping noises as the colors on its body glowed in sync with its beeping. Ash frowned as he still couldn't understand the Regis.
"Uh… hello to you too, Regi," Ash said. "I'm sorry, but I still have trouble understanding you."
"Oh, well he said 'Hello, My Lord, it is nice to see you safe and sound.'," Pyra said. "Don't worry, young Prince, it took me a while to learn Regi's language too when I first met him."
"Why is it so hard to understand him?" Storm asked.
"I think it's because the Regis were human made back in ancient times," Ash said. "So their dialect is different from most Pokemon."
"If you want, I could try to teach you," Pyra said, "Though, I'll only do it if it's okay with Lady Mew… I wouldn't want to overstep my place."
"Thanks, Pyra," Ash said. "It would be much appreciated. I'm sure Memma wouldn't mind since she let Pudd teach me how to transform, and he's an old grump."
"Oh, how did that go?" Pyra asked. "I am guessing fairly well, since you are not currently in your normal form."
Ash blinked as he realized something, "Oh yeah, you've never seen me in my human form, have you? How did you know it was me?"
"I saw your aura and your soul," Pyra responded. "I have been able to see the soul and aura of beings ever since I became a Diancie. At first I was confused by it, but I got used to it. It really helps in remembering or recognizing someone. When you called out to me, I knew you were someone I knew, so it was easy to recognize your aura and soul."
"Wow, that would come in handy," Storm said.
"Heh," Ash chuckled. "Well, it's good to see you're doing well here, Pyra. I'm glad you and Regi can hang out again. I also wanted to let you know I'll be going back to my home town for a bit to visit an old friend."
"Oh, well have fun then. I'll be around here when you get back in case you want me to read you another story or if you want a lesson in how to understand Regi," Pyra said.
"Thanks, Pyra," Ash said.
Ash was walking through the Tree and Storm, who was on Ash's shoulder, said, "So why are you just walking around the Tree of Beginning instead of just flying?"
"I need to get used to walking again," Ash said. "I don't want to always just be flying everywhere, or that would ruin the point of a journey."
"Oh, when are you gonna ask Mew to teach you how to turn invisible?" Storm asked. "Cause that could be really useful."
"Hmm…" Ash thought about it. "Maybe after the Pokemon League. Right now, I want to focus on training once I get everyone together."
"Hello, Prince Ash, what are you doing down here?" A familiar gray Kangaskhan said. She had Angel the Togepi in her pouch.
"Hey Anima," Ash said. "I was just looking for someone. I see you're still caring for Angel."
"Of course I'm caring for Angel, that is my job after all," Anima said with a smile. "Are you taking care of yourself, Prince Ash?"
"Yeah, he's taking care of himself about as well as a-" Storm began to say before Ash glared at him. "... well, as well as he can."
"I'm actually going to go back to Pallet Town to visit Professor Oak," Ash said. "Let him know I'm doing okay and see if I can still use my other Pokemon for the upcoming Indigo League."
"Ahh, will you also be visiting your home while there? Or will you be coming directly back here?" Anima asked.
"I might stop by my home, see if there is anything there that I left that I want to bring back here," Ash said. "While I'm there, is there anything you want? Or do you have everything you need here?"
"I believe we have everything we need here," Anima responded. "But thank you for the offer, Prince Ash."
"Memma, are you leaving again?" Angel frowned.
"Don't worry, Angel, it's only for a little while," Ash said. "I'll come back soon."
"But Memma's always away," Angel said, still frowning. "Memma barely spends time with Angel anymore."
Ash frowned too, "Well, Angel, that's because Memma has things he has to do. He would love to spend more time to play with you, but there are things he needs to get done that are important to him. Do you understand?"
"Yes… I understand… Memma is busy," Angel responded. "But Memma should spend more time with Angel, watch and help Angel grow."
"When I get back I will make sure to spend some time with you, Angel," Ash said. "I'll make sure that I spend some time with you every day, when I'm not training my friends, to help you get stronger. That way you can eventually join me on my journey."
Angel perked up at that, "Yay! Memma is going to spend time with Angel!"
"Remember Angel, you're supposed to say 'me' instead of your name," Anima said.
"You've been teaching Angel proper grammar?" Ash asked the Kangaskhan.
"Of course, it's not like I can train her how to battle," Anima responded. "I'm Angel's caretaker and teacher, not her Trainer."
"I wonder how strong a Togepi can get?" Storm said aloud.
"I promise I'll start training her once I get back from my visit. I'm sure Angel can become really strong," Ash said.
"Good, now you should probably get going," Anima said. "I am sure Lady Mew is waiting for you."
"Bye bye, Memma," Angel said with a smile. "Ang- I love you!"
Ash smiled as he said, "Bye Angel, I love you too. Bye Anima, thank you for taking care of Angel for me."
"Goodbye, Prince Ash, have fun visiting your hometown," Anima said.
"Okay Memma, I'm ready to go back to Pallet Town," Ash said when he and Storm finally reached the pile of toys where Mew was waiting.
"Alright, are you going to bring Konoha with you? Or are you going to leave him here with Bulba?" Mew asked. "Because if you are going to leave him here you might want to put his Heal Ball in your pocket dimension."
"Yeah, I'll let Konoha spend more time with Bulba," Ash said. "I'll be training with him once I come back." Ash picked up the Heal Ball and let it disappear in his hands as he transported it into his pocket dimension.
"You ready now, Ashy?" Mew asked.
"Yup," Ash said. "Unless there's anything else I'm missing."
Storm sighed, "Come on, we're wasting chapter spaces here."
"What?" Ash asked. "What are you talking about, Storm?"
"Oh, nothing, let's just move on," Storm said.
Mew smiled as she transformed herself into Delia, whom she renamed to Delilah in her form, and teleported herself, Ash and Storm to Pallet Town.
"Home sweet home, Ashy," Delilah said. "You go say hello to Professor Oak, I'm going to go home and start Teleporting my plushies to my pocket dimension just for plushies."
"You made a pocket dimension for plushies?" Storm said. "... Remind me to never become a part of your collection."
"You don't have to worry, Stormy~" Delilah said with a smile before she gave Storm a serious look. "Well you don't have to worry as long as you don't get on my bad side."
Storm gulped, "D-duly noted."
"I've been a plushy before," Ash said. "It's really not so bad, as long as it's not permanent."
"I'd rather not take that chance," Storm said.
Delilah started walking to her house, "Alright you two, I'll see you in a bit! Have fun at Professor Oak's!"
Ash gave a small chuckle as he walked towards Prof. Oak's house. It's been so long since he's been in Pallet Town that it felt nostalgic to be back, and not much of it had changed either. Ash walked up the stairs leading to Prof. Oak's door, before he knocked on it.
"Come in!" Ash heard Prof. Oak yelling from inside.
Ash opened the door, surprised to see it wasn't locked. "Professor Oak?"
"In here!" Prof. Oak yelled from another room.
Ash walked through the lab and head into the living room. He saw Professor Oak there, talking to Gary on the couch.
"Gary, we'll continue this conversation later," Prof. Oak said before he turned to Ash. "Oh Ash! Welcome, welcome. How have you been? Where have you been? Have you been training your team?"
"Hey Professor Oak, it's good to see you again," Ash said. "I've been fine, I was just recovering somewhere safe. How've you and Gary been?"
"I've been fine, but I'm worried about Gary. He has been different ever since he came back from that tournament that he went to," Prof. Oak said. "He doesn't even want to continue his journey anymore."
Ash looked over at Gary, who was sitting on a couch, looking at the floor and appeared to be deep in thought about something.
"... Professor Oak, is it okay if I talked to him?" Ash asked.
"Of course, Ash," Prof. Oak said. "I'll go round up your Pokemon so you can see them."
"Thanks Professor Oak," Ash said as Prof. Oak stood up from the couch and left them alone.
Storm frowned as he said, "This could get awkward."
Ash sat down on the couch with Gary and said, "Hey, is everything okay?"
"No… of course it isn't…" Gary said. "... I still remember their faces… right before they… I watched people and Pokemon die, Ash… I'm lucky I'm still alive… but I have nightmares every night and anytime I close my eyes… I see one of the people who died while I just watched…"
"... So you're thinking of quitting your Pokemon Training career?" Ash said.
"How can I continue?" Gary asked. "I just stood by as people died… I don't deserve to be a Trainer."
"Do you really believe you could've done something to prevent their death?" Ash asked.
"... I don't know… but I didn't even try…" Gary responded. "... Gramps doesn't want me to give up on my adventure… but I don't see how I can go on an adventure like this… What kind of Pokemon would accept a weak Trainer like me?"
"Wow, sounds like he was really badly shaken up from that war," Storm said.
Ash frowned as he said, "You shouldn't blame yourself for something that was out of your control, Gary. You talk big a lot, but you are also still a child. Things like war or disasters like what happened on the island will always have casualties. We're not used to being thrown into something like that, being scared is only natural, it's what makes us human."
"Except you're not technically a human anymore," Storm commented.
Ash gave a small glare that said 'not helping'.
Storm sighed, "Okay, okay, shutting up now."
"... how did you overcome it… you know… being one of the survivors?" Gary asked. "A fifth of the people at the tournament didn't make it… a freaking fifth…"
"I guess it's because I didn't see any actual deaths while it was going on," Ash said. "We got separated."
"You really are lucky…" Gary said.
"Well… to be fair, I was in the air a lot," Ash said. "And I went directly to the source of the fighting. I saw a lot of humans and Pokemon hurt, many probably on the brink of death. I wanted it all to end."
"... you know… when you didn't return to Pallet Town… I thought you…" Gary said before he turned and looked at Ash.
"... Ah, sorry," Ash said. "A lot of things happened after that whole thing. I wasn't able to come back to Pallet Town for a while. But… Gary, are you really going to quit being a Pokemon Trainer?"
"Probably…" Gary said.
Ash gave a small, humorless chuckle, "So the great Gary Oak decided to throw in the towel over a single event? You always called me a loser and a coward, so why are you being one now?"
Gary turned and glared at Ash. "Maybe because I WATCHED PEOPLE AND POKEMON DIE!"
"Yes, so?" Ash said, facing him. "People and Pokemon die all the time, you're just going to quit because you saw it happen?"
"... what do you suggest I do?" Gary asked. "Get over it? Accept it?"
"I suggest you keep going despite what happened," Ash said. "The best way to do that is to face up to it, and defy it. Don't quit your journey because something had shaken you up, it will only make you regret it. You wanted to be a great Pokemon Trainer, didn't you? Well, to be a great Pokemon Trainer, you have to keep going despite what happened, it'll make you stronger and your Pokemon will respect you for it."
"... easy for you to say," Gary said.
"Gary… I actually almost died on that island," Ash said. "I ran into two psychic attacks and was turned to stone from it. That would've been more than enough of a reason for me to want to quit my journey, but I didn't. If I can do it, couldn't you?"
"... maybe you're right… I'm gonna go to my room and think about what you said," Gary responded. Ash is right… I can't just keep sitting around… when did he become so strong?
"Okay," Ash said. "The Pokemon League is a month and a half away, I hope to see you there."
"...yeah… sure…" Gary said as he got up before he walked away.
"Do you really think he'll be able to recover from this?" Storm asked.
"Yeah, I think so," Ash said. "He may be a pain in the neck sometimes, but I know Gary can be strong when he needs to be." And I'll be sure to be ready when you come back stronger, Gary.
That one guy named me: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Well this was mainly to introduce Tracey as a character. We will be seeing more of him later on.
Aren serathy: DarkFoxKit: What are you planning to do with that Kool aid? Zach and Ash are Pokemon Trainers, they should know how to handle their Pokemon in different situations. … seriously what are you planning?
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': I believe last chapter he said he would give us two Lemonades if Zach would end up alright. So he is probably going to use Kool aid to technically fulfill his promise.
blur36: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': … alright, bring the popcorn over so we can watch some Discovery Channel. We can watch Deadliest Catch…
Luktopius: DarkFoxKit: Tracy's memories aren't going to be erased. He only drew the Mew, not take a picture of it. Anyone could draw from their imagination or from another source.
Psychic Nature: DarkFoxKit: Well, you're not wrong. Poor Ash is never going to live that down. XD
xbluenwhitex: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Well… you should do other things. I'm glad you enjoy this story, but your life shouldn't be all about waiting for an update.
Mew: They didn't mean literally, Onyx
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': … oh.
DarkFoxKit: I can understand the feeling though. When you read a really good fanfic and you find out it updates weekly, it's really hard to wait, but it's still worth it.
thor94: DarkFoxKit: I've never played the ranger games, but I do love the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series. Well, the gameplay does get tedious after a while, but it's known for its story and characters. Well, we won't be showing the Pokemon Training since that would mean more 'filler' chapters, training will either be a montage or just skipped over entirely.
ChildOfAnUmbreon: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Oh dear, I hope that you have since recovered. And wow, you must truly be dedicated to reread the entire series. Yeah, he's gonna have a fun time with that. And Tracey probably knows what a Mew is because he is a Pokemon Watcher. And he probably studied with professors at some point. As well as he probably studied legends about Pokemon never seen before. In a way, he is kinda drawing his own version of the Pokedex. And yes, We didn't notice that error and corrected it quickly thanks to you readers.
DarkFoxKit: Heh… well, funny thing about Aliana the Dragonair, neither me nor Onyx named her. She was named by another co-writer before Onyx came along. I probably would've called her something else. You say you suck at reviews, but yours was pretty entertaining to read. Autocorrect, probably does more harm than good. ^^'
KaliAnn: DarkFoxKit: Ash is getting better with his powers, but he is still technically a baby, so he's limited to what he can do right now. Ash himself isn't going to fight in the League, he's just going to command his Pokemon to battle in the League. ^^' But you're right in saying Ash needs to keep his guard up.
Jewel moonstone: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Congratulations to him. But you don't need to be in a relationship to be happy. I'm in my mid 20s and I'm single but I'm still incredibly happy. You don't need someone else in your life to achieve happiness. Some people say you do, but that works for them. Not everyone is the same… wait when did this become an advice column? I don't mind, I just realized that this seems like just that.
DarkFoxKit: We're not that big in romantic relationships. And also, if this girl isn't a Christian, that's her choice, you can't force someone to be a Christian. You can try to talk to her though, especially if you feel that strongly about it, just don't shove it in her face. That's the mistake a lot of Christians do, and all it does it push people away.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': I'm not Christian and Lady Fox doesn't try to push her ideals onto me. In fact we usually talk about religion a good bit. We both have ideals that we follow, and we respect each other… and again this has become an advice column… *Sighs*
DarkFoxKit: Heh, it doesn't hurt to help people once in a while.
secret: DarkFoxKit: That mirror of ice reminds me of Haku from Naruto. Heh, Ash turning pink was an idea we wanted to try, hence the Pinkan Island chapter. XD Well, Ash is still young, he's bound to make mistakes like that. At least this Ash is believably naive and not downright stupid. Jessica didn't ask about the pink Piedgeotto because it more than likely flew away, and she had more pressing matters to attend to than some random Pidgeotto. Heh, I hope you and the others enjoy the Kanto League. Onyx and I have poured our passion into the battle scenes to come.
NazhRomar: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': We quickly fixed it. Thank you to all the readers who help point out spelling errors like that.
delta4phoenix: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': First off, how would we see a giant invisible floating laboratory if it's invisible? And Aloy is probably back in her game taking our giant robot dinosaurs. We had one spelling mistake which was corrected quickly with the help of our reviewers. And yeah, we wanted to show that Ash doesn't have full control over his powers yet. He is still a baby after all.
DarkFoxKit: And it's best to have the main protagonist be limited to what he can do, otherwise he'll be regarded as overpowered and/or a Mary Sue. I don't think I need to explain what that is, do I?
The Moonfox Collective: DarkFoxKit: Well, the whole Lapras migration was to get Ash onto Pinkan Island. I've always planned on Ash getting Mira as part of his team. I always use a Lapras myself as my go-to Water type, so I know how reliable they can be. Heh, Onyx and I were pretty excited to get on with the Kanto League ourselves, which is why we didn't spend too much time on the Orange Islands here. I'll let Onyx say her part.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': The reason I am so formal with Prince Ash is because I am a humble servant who addresses his betters properly. That is why I say Lady Fox and Lady Mew, instead of referring to them without the title.
DarkFoxKit: Heh, I consider myself as a Pokemon nerd, because I know a lot of things about Pokemon. But I'm not a nerd at like say math. ^^' Don't ever ask me to calculate anything. I still use my fingers to count for crying out loud. Being a plushy can be seen as a bad or good thing I suppose, it all depends on perceptive. Heh, Fyre appreciates that you still remember him, he's always so worried people will just forget about him, but he's too busy to come on the ANs anymore. Hmm? … Is that fandom… Night in the Woods? It sure sounds like it.
DiamondFury99: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Huh, that's a strange feeling to have. I guess only time will tell.
DarkFoxKit: :3
giratinafan129: DarkFoxKit: I don't do fourth wall jokes too often, my co-writer tends to get mad at me if I do. ^^' Oh, I'm very sorry about your nana, I pray that she's in a better place.
ST4RSK1MM3R: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Well if you want, you can consider the Pokemon League to be a part of the 'war'. And we are starting to get closer to the end, but not for a little bit longer.
SCP-715 Abyssus-Dark-Nightmare: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': I don't think any amount of preparation could help Prince Ash. So what's with the name change? Didn't you used to be Abyssus-The-Dark-Nightmare? And no, I haven't listened to Beethoven's virus. I personally listen to EDM. In fact, while writing this review, I am watching the video from Hardwell at Ultra Music Festival in Miami this year.
the hidden bird: DarkFoxKit: Thank you. Hope you continue to enjoy it.
Guest: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': There is nothing you need to apologize for. And we felt that this length was a good enough vacation for Ash before he got to training for the Pokemon League. And it's okay that you're reviewing as a guest. If you're talking about your review, it's also fine.
The Shiny Vulpix: DarkFoxKit: What are you apologizing for? It's fine, we rather reviewers didn't do skits in the reviews since it makes it difficult to answer their actual review to the chapter.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': If you would like to do a skit to show us, we would prefer if you just PM-ed us.
DarkFoxKit: Yeah, doing skits in reviews makes it really hard for us to know what to answer on and what not to answer on. Anyways, don't worry, if people think you stole it, let them know I gave you permission. Or I'll say it in the AN if I have to. But it's flattering to know I have such loyal fans.
Darkhawluchaknight: DarkFoxKit: Yeah, I thought after Dustin came in, it felt like the story would be much better. It had its own plot now instead of just borrowing plots from the anime itself. But I guess the 'original fans' left because they only wanted Ash to be the Child of a Legendary Pokemon. I guess some people are just too picky. *shrugs* Oh well, it's their problem if they choose to miss out on the story.
Vulpixlover261: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': No problem. He probably should've added that he had permission to repost. Thank you for saying we do a good job with this story. As for this originally being a filler for you, I'm glad it became more than a filler. Also, this isn't the true canon universe. So if we really wanted we could say that those two could mate. Don't you agree, Lady Fox?
DarkFoxKit: Heh, I was actually wondering if anyone would bring up the whole Nidoqueen can't breed mechanic. I don't know why in the games Nidoqueen, or Nidorina for that matter, can't breed, apparently there was some difficulty in the original second generation games so they made it that Nidorina and Nidoqueen can't breed, though strangely enough Nidoran female can. But this isn't the same as the game universe. Heck, if we had a Kangaskhan egg, would you expect it to hatch into a fully grown Kangaskhan with a baby in its pouch? I wouldn't think so. Just know that not everything is like the game mechanics, so in this story, Nidoqueen can breed.
ShyOtakuKitten: DarkFoxKit: Key left because he lost motivation to write anymore, and I can't force him. For a while, I've been drifting with different co-writers, trying to find help to continue this story. Most of the time, I plowed on alone. Then Dragon came along, he's been a big help to me since… oh, I'm sorry, she's Onyx now. XD But yeah, if it weren't for Onyx, there wouldn't be a weekly update, heck it would be lucky if this story got a monthly update. Don't expect Key to come back any time soon. And yes, Angel the Togepi is going to make an appearance, she is part of Ash's team after all, or she's going to be anyways.
ArceusnMew: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': If we decide to add more Children of Legendaries we will decide when to introduce them. Not having a lot helps us a load because then we don't have to remember each of them and their personalities and their Pokemon and their Pokemon's moves… let's just say every added character makes it harder for us to keep it all correct. That and it takes longer with every character added. So please don't beg, we will introduce any new Children when we decide the time is right.
DarkFoxKit: As we've stated in our previous answers to these types of questions, we are not taking OCs anymore. I've never planned on Regigigas to have a child, mostly because it makes no sense lore and context wise. And another reason is if a human child did turn into a Regigigas, they most likely would not be able to turn back to human due to the nature of that Pokemon.
REALUnicornia Co: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Yup.
GhostofTime: DarkFoxKit: Uh… hi Ark. ^^' Ash is still a baby Mew, but he is trying his best to learn. Since Ash is a main protagonist, I'm also trying to keep a limit on him so he's not too OP or becomes a Gary Stu. And as for Mew embarrassing Ash… we'll let you decide how much she did. The Kanto League is starting soon. If you mean the 'arc' of the Kanto Pokemon League, it's starting in the next chapter.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *The scales on her cheeks turned pink a little* I wasn't watching How to Train Your Dragon! Also, I haven't watched Pete's Dragon. I have watched Alpha and Omega though, which I found interesting. And like said in the AN, I am no longer wearing that permanent collar… but my neck feels empty now so I might wear a less permanent one or maybe a scarf, until I get used to not wearing a collar 24/7 anymore.
DarkFoxKit: Well… that's a little hard to say. I'm a big fan of dogs and wolves in general, if done right. I'm not a big fan of muscular human-like werewolves for example. I'd say I really like Arcanine, but I also love the Rockruff line, both of Lycanrocs forms (though I do prefer the midday one a little bit more). I also really like Houndour and Houndoom, as they resemble demon dogs, how cool is it to have demon dogs as your partners in battle? So yeah, that's not an easy choice for me. ^^' It'd be cool if they made a cerberus-like legendary dog Pokemon one of these days… that could've been Houndoom's Mega Evolution, too bad it wasn't. *sigh* You asked why Mew hasn't put a collar on me? Why would she? This Mew is a part of me, so if she puts a collar on me, she'll feel the effects herself.
Lieutenant2014: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': I wasn't watching How to Train Your Dragon! *Plops down and grumbles*
Mew: Of course you weren't, Onyx *Pets Onyx's head* As for your idea, I like it, but I won't do that to Ashy. He would get mad at me, and that's the last thing I want. Besides, if he ate enough Pinkan berries it could become permanent, and I definitely don't want that for Ashy. As for the Pinkan berries affecting hybrids. It affects them because they are part Pokemon. Foxxie didn't have to specially make it affect them.
DarkFoxKit: I think the Pinkan Berries might be able to affect anything that eats it. We just never saw any human eat it in the anime, so who knows if it only affects Pokemon or if it can affect humans too. … Um… Onyx, doesn't that feel weird? Having someone hopping into your shadow?
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Moves out of the way* No, they just faceplanted into the ground.
Mew: Ouch, I'll send them to the hospital! *She teleported the unconscious reviewer out of the room*