Chapter 37

Disclaimer: moi-moi819 does not own Pokémon, or any of their titles therein. This is a nonprofit fan fiction. No copyright infringement was intended.

Moi-Moi: Congratulations to Rihimesama, hector4349, Optimus Prime's daughter, MysticRyter, bootskitty328, and Oh my Batman is that Spitfire for getting the riddle right! It was Seviper!

?- this Pokémon is the natural predator of Durant

~:~

"Remember to call me once you land."

"Catch lots of Pokémon!"

"Enjoy your old man's home. Unova's a beautiful region."

"I will…to all of them," I said to my parents and Vicky. I had changed my outfit to a light yellow and white striped tank dress that stopped at my knees and a black, leather jacket. A pair of black, ankle boots adorned my feet and a kit cap covered the top of my head. I still wore my thunderbolt necklace. The friendship bracelet Dawn and I wore was still around my wrist.

Infernape stood at my side with a small smile. We were all standing at the Sandgem Seaport. We had driven here from home and now I was getting on a flight for Driftveil City in western Unova. Luckily, we hadn't garnered too much attention from others in the airport. The last thing I needed was a paparazzi mob. "Wish me luck!" I called out and dashed onto the port. Infernape followed after me inside the air-conditioned seaplane.

I had decided to make the trip with Infernape, Dragonite, Luxray, and Lucario. All my other Pokémon were with Grandma and Grandpa. Apparently leaving my Pokémon with them was helping their business. Apparently, everyone wanted their Pokémon to be raised at the Day-Care that raised the Champion's. I had one suitcase as well as my trusty, yellow backpack. I had had Prof. Rowan update my Pokédex with Information on Unova Pokémon. I had a map of Unova as well. I was more than ready.

"Dad said we should visit Nimbasa City and Castelia City for sure. I found some things Dawn would love to do in Nimbasa. This is going to be awesome. We'll be just like tourists!" I said to Infernape. She smiled as we found our seats. We were on the top deck of the sea plane, in the most reclusive area. Being Champion also meant the royal treatment. It wasn't like I needed it. The cash prize from winning the Sinnoh League left me with enough money for ten lifetimes. After that, sponsors were lining up for me to endorse their products. Also, being Champion meant receiving a monthly pay check from the League. I could start my own League if I wanted!

It made me wonder how much money Cynthia had racked up over the years. She had her own sponsors who still sponsored her. She had published books. She had made lots of investments. And she had several pieces of property all over the world. I frowned. What would I possibly do with all that money? It's a good thing my parents managed my accounts until I was old enough to do it and old enough to know what I wanted to do with it!

~:~

As the plane touched down in Driftveil City, I couldn't keep from hopping in my seat. I could tell that Infernape was fighting a smile at my behavior. I loved to travel and see new places. If being Champion meant that I could do this all the time, I'd suffer through Rhonda's interviews a hundred times over!

Once we stepped off the seaplane, my eyes widened in glee. "Wow…" I said in a dazed voice. Driftveil City was amazing! Unova was amazing! The Pokémon! The foods! The people! I could barely keep a straight, thought process!

It was nice and cool this time of year in Driftveil City and everyone was moving about. Grabbing Infernape's hand, I pulled her over to where people where selling fresh produce from carts. This must be the Driftveil Market. "Xtransceivers! Get your very own Xtransceivers here! Reinvent the way you call!"

I looked over to see a plump man a suit holding up a wristwatch. I approached him slowly. People were gathered around him and trying on the wristwatches. He looked down from the crate he was standing on and smiled at me. "How would you like to redefine the way you call, Miss?" he asked.

"Um, sure?" I answered.

"Then here! Have a complimentary Xtransceiver!" he said and handed me a yellow wristwatch. It looked like a Pokétch. I slipped it onto my wrist. There were several buttons on the face. "Call up to three people at a time using video calling! Keep in touch with everyone!" the man went on.

Slowly, I went back to Infernape's side. Infernape was smelling some flowers when I got back to her. "Look Infernape! I got an Xtransceiver. I wonder how it works," I mumble. I press the "Call" button and the device came to life. I smiled at it in awe. I had used it to call home. Everyone was more than happy and relieved to see that I had arrived safely.

After the call, I turned to Infernape. I grabbed her hand again, tugging her away. She 'eeped' in protest before following behind me clumsily. "I've got to catch a new Pokémon!" I declared. I was so happy to simply be walking around with Infernape. There was finally nothing to do. So, I would do everything.

We were moving in the grass near the Cold Storage that was south of Driftveil. I had seen so many new Pokémon, I had decided to just keep my Pokédex out. It was a hassle to keep taking it out to scan every new Pokémon.

Zebstrika, the Thunderbolt Pokémon and the evolved for of Blitzle. They have lightning-like movements. When Zebstrika run at full speed, the sound of thunder reverberates.

"Infernape, use Flamethrower!" I commanded. Infernape sprang up into the air over the clearing where Zebstrika had been grazing. Zebstrika was startled and stared up in shock at Infernape. At the last second, it was able to dash out of the way. "Wow. That's fast. Close Combat!"

Infernape moved faster, changing direction and launching herself at Zebstrika. She kicked and punched at Zebstrika knocking it back. I saw Zebstrika go down. With a triumphant smirk, I tossed my empty Pokéball. Infernape picked up the Pokéball once it had stopped wriggling and brought it over to me. I smiled widely at her. "I love the Unova region…" I mumbled happily.

~:~

I sighed and checked the time on my Xtransceiver again. This must have been a really slow seaplane. I was waiting for Dawn in Nimbasa City. She was taking the seaplane from Olivine City to Nimbasa. I waited with Infernape at my side. She was currently trying to keep herself entertained by standing on her hands. After some time, she let out a sigh. "I know. I'm bored too," I commented.

"Gabi! Over here!"

With high hopes, I turned to see Dawn jogging towards me with Piplup in her arms. I ran towards her quickly, taking her in a hug. Piplup had left her arms to greet Infernape. I held Dawn to me happily, her blue hair tickling my face. When we pulled apart, I smiled widely at her.

"Long time no see. Huh?" she said.

"No kidding. I've really missed you Dawn," I answered. Piplup and Infernape were greeting each other happily. Piplup waved and held out his wing while Infernape offered him and friendly punch. Unfortunately, the punch knocked Piplup into the ground and a large bump formed on his head. Dawn fretted over Piplup while Infernape snickered. "Come on Dawn. We've got a lot of catching up to do. Since your Mom sent your stuff over, they're waiting at Cynthia's summer home for you."

"That's good news. I can't wait to relax on the beach," Dawn says with a sigh. We walked out of the airport side by side, Piplup in her arms and Infernape at my side.

"Sure. But first, we have several stops to make in Nimbasa City," I said with a wink.

Dawn gave me a puzzled expression. "Stops? To where?" Dawn asked.

Twenty minutes later, we were riding down on the fastest roller coaster I had ever been on. Dawn was screaming loudly in my ears while I cheered with both hands in the air. Piplup was holding on to Dawn's head for dear life, blocking her vision. Dawn clutched the handlebar tightly, too afraid to let go. Infernape cheered next to me and let out a blast of fire upwards.

Once we got off the ride, I leaned into Infernape for support. My legs felt like jelly and my stomach was lost somewhere in my body. Dawn moaned lowly and looked a mess. Her hair was ruined, her cap was half on her head, and Piplup seemed frozen to her head. She slumped her shoulders and groaned. "Let's go again!" I cheer. Dawn glared at me.

"You can go by yourself this time…" Dawn moaned.

~:~

After our day of fun in Nimbasa, we were headed on a seaplane for Undella Town. Dawn was still starry eyed after witnessing a Pokémon Musical and Elesa's fashion show. After that, we had gone to the Nimbasa Gym to meet Elesa as my idea. I was amazed by her Pokémon. I had given her Volkner's number so they could exchange strategy. She seemed happy to meet him…a bit too happy in my opinion. Dawn thought that I was being paranoid. But if Volkner ended up introducing Elesa to the family at dinner, I was saying "I told you so".

"So the World Tournament Junior Cup is a pretty big deal huh?" Dawn asked me.

"Yeah. Contestants are competing for a chance to battle Alder, the Unova Champion. I've met him once before. He kind of reminds me of Crasher Wake," I explained.

"Now, I want to enter!" Dawn exclaimed. We were on a night flight so the others on the upper deck with us were already asleep. Piplup and Infernape were dozing quietly. It was only Dawn and I still up. I usually couldn't sleep on planes so Dawn had suggested to stay up with me.

"You should. It'll be fun," I say.

"Hey Gabi… Have you heard from Ash? I can never get in touch with him. The last time I did, he was is Striaton City," Dawn informs me with a sad look.

"I get my Ash updates from Professor Oak. He says that Ash was on his way to get his eighth badge and that was a couple days ago. I'm not sure where he is now, but he's probably on the road. But I do know that he's somewhere in Unova. I'll try to get in touch with him tomorrow after we get back from the beach," I say. Dawn nods in acceptance before looking out the window at the night sky.

The Unova League wasn't for a little over three months. Ash was making great time. I felt some pride at that. I really hoped I could get in contact with Ash tomorrow. I would call all the Pokémon Centers in the region to see if Ash had passed through. Hopefully, he would be at one.

Once the plane had landed, we were met at the port by Cynthia's butler, Jervis. He was an aging man with gray hair with two, curled, teardrop-shaped tufts of hair as a mustache. He wore a maroon suit, black, leather shoes, and white gloves. He led us to Cynthia's car before driving us to Cynthia's villa.

This was my first time being in the villa. I was busy travelling all over the region by ferry and seaplane. At one time, the idea of travelling through a region by seaplane everyday seemed ludicrous. But, now it was time saving.

"I'm going to bed Gabi. Good night," Dawn waved to me.

"Good night, Dawn," I waved. She took the stairs slowly with Piplup dozing on her head. I retrieved a bottle of water from the kitchen before making my way upstairs. I passed Dragonite and Luxray snoozing. I was starting to miss Zebstrika as well. But once Dad heard that I'd caught one, he'd wanted me to send it over as soon as possible.

Once I got to my room, I saw Lucario meditating by the door. "Good night, Lucario. Good night, Infernape," I say. Lucario grunted his response while Infernape 'eeped' her goodnight. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out.

~:~

"Ta-Da! Undella Bay," I proclaim. Dawn gasped at the beautiful sight. The sun was high in the sky, shining down beautifully on the sparkling, sea water. Luvdisks were floating about in the sea while Wingull were flying above them. The beach was rather empty today and we were grateful.

I laid my white and yellow striped towel out on the sand. Dawn was resting down her pink towel as well before laying on it. Piplup laid on a smaller, blue towel next to her. Dawn wore a pink, frilly two-piece and was applying suntan lotion. She still had her two-bead bracelet as well as our friendship bracelet. I wore a two-piece as well, but mine was a black and yellow bikini top and shorts. I place my yellow-framed, black shades over my eyes.

With a smile, I released my Pokémon. "It's time to have some fun everybody!" I call out. I grabbed a Frisbee from the beach bag and moved away from Dawn. Lucario and Infernape faced me. With a smile, I tossed the Frisbee as hard as I could.

We went on like this for a while, the Pokémon running and splashing about happily with Dawn eventually joining in. Until I heard it. "Look! It's the new Sinnoh Champion!" Every muscle in my body tensed. I contemplated for a second pretending not to be who I was and running off, but thought against it. I turned slowly, the red Frisbee still in my grip.

"It's really you! I can't believe it!"

It was just a group of kids. I nearly breathed a sigh of relief. There were only four of them, about my age, all dressed in beachwear. I smiled at them. "Hi. Nice to meet you. I'm Gabi. This is my best friend, Dawn," I said. They all waved happily at us then.

"Hey. I wanna have a battle," a boy said. He had an arrogant smirk on his face that had me raising a brow. "I just got my eighth Gym badge and I wanna see if I have what it takes to beat a Champion."

The other kids were 'ooh'ing now. I gave the boy a small smile. "What's your name?" I ask.

"Jake."

"Well, Jake. I accept your challenge. But, if you don't mind, could we make it one-on-one?" I start. Jake raised a brow at me in question. "You see, I came here to have fun with my Pokémon. I'd really like to spend the day playing with them."

"Sure. I don't need a full battle to beat you anyways," he says and waves me off. I reared back. I felt my natural, competitive instincts rise up. I could also feel Infernape's rise as well. She'd want this battle for sure. "I'm going to go with Pignite. How does that sound?"

"Sounds great. I'll use Infernape," I say. Dawn and the other kids gathered at the side of our makeshift field on the warm, white sand. My other Pokémon stood at the side too and began cheering with the kids and Dawn. "You can have the first move, Jake."

"Sure thing. Pignite, use Tackle!"

Pignite ran at Infernape then, its feet sinking into the sand slightly. I folded my arms. Infernape crouched and waited. Once Pignite got close, Infernape stepped to the side, but left her leg out. This caused Pignite to trip up and fall face-first into the sand. Infernape began laughing loudly, but Pignite didn't look amused.

"Pignite, Flamethrower!" Jake commanded. Again, I said nothing. Infernape smirked and stood still. He had just unknowingly activated Infernape's Ability Flash Fire. Jake looked confused. "Why didn't you dodge?"

I smirked. "Infernape, show them a real Flamethrower!" I yelled. Infernape let the power of Pignite's attack boost her own as heat began to radiate off her. She reared back her head and let out an all-consuming blast of fire.

"No! Pignite!" Jake cried out. He went to his unconscious Pokémon, holding it dearly. I approached him slowly.

"Your Pignite is very well-raised. I'm impressed. I'm sure you'll do great in the Unova League after you train up a bit," I saw with a wink. Jake looked up at me and nodded once before recalling his Pokémon. He stood and bowed to me once. I bowed back. "Well, let's get back to the fun!" I say. I look over to the kids. "You guys want to join us? We were about to play volleyball, but the teams are uneven," I hinted.

We had spent the rest of the day playing on the beach before the kids had to go back home. It was a lot of fun. I had never seen my Pokémon so relaxed. While Dragonite gave rides around the beach and Lucario and Infernape raced with the kids, I never once saw them frown or look bored. Luxray chose not to play with the kids for obvious reasons and stayed by my side. Piplup was more than relaxed after getting a chance to show off his Contest moves for a willing audience. It was the perfect day of relaxation.

That night, I had started calling the Pokémon Centers. Ash was nowhere to be found. It had been days since any Nurse Joy had seen him last. I suppose it was a dead end. I sighed.

"No luck?" I heard Dawn's voice question me. I turned to her and shook my head. "No need to worry. If we're lucky, Ash might just turn up at the World Tournament Junior Cup."

"Sure. You're right Dawn," I said. "By the way, I'm going to Virbank City tomorrow. Wanna come?"

Dawn started to yawn and covered her mouth. She waved me off. "No thanks. I'm going to sleep in tomorrow."

"Well, have a nice sleep," I smile. She sent me a wink before stretching and making her way up stairs. I yawned as well and started the lay down on the light green couch I was sitting on. I was starting to slip away when I felt someone pick me up. I smiled when I noticed that it was Lucario. Infernape was waiting to turn out the lights. "Thanks guys," I say with a yawn. They grunted and eeped in welcome.

~:~

After breakfast, the next morning I took a seaplane to Virbank City. I had heard about the recent Film Festival that was taking place as well as the famous Bearticones the city sold. It made me wonder if they would be as good as Castelia cones. I had no other reason for being in Virbank City. I just wanted to fully experience Unova as much as possible.

With Infernape at my side, I approached the ice cream vendor. I tapped my finger against my chin slowly. The ice cream vendor smiled at me patiently and Infernape stood at my side. I could hear her bored sighs. I waved her off. I just couldn't decide! There were so many flavors! After some time, I could tell that Infernape had walked away. With a sigh, I tried "Eeny-Meeny-Miney-Moe". "I'll take a Nanab cone and a Vanilla cone please," I said to the vendor.

"Of course, miss," the vendor replied and scoops out two cones. As he handed them to me, I handed him the money. I began licking my cone happily. Bearticones were delicious. Dawn was missing out. My eyes closed in sweet pleasure.

"Gabi!" I heard. My eyes opened at the sound of my name being called. I turned in the direction where I heard my name being called. My eyes scanned the faces in the crowd for anyone I knew. I noticed Infernape walking towards me with a large grin. "Gabi, it's you!"

My jaw dropped. "Ash?!" I exclaimed. Infernape stood next to me with a smile. I handed her the cones before approaching Ash and pulling him into a hug. I couldn't help it. It's been so long. I knew Ash wasn't the "hugging" type, but he did his best. I pulled away before he got too uncomfortable. I noticed the yellow mouse at his feet. "And hello to you too, Pikachu. You're looking as handsome as ever," I said and lifted Pikachu into my arms. I scratched behind his ears and he let out a pleased "cha". I giggled at the cuteness and realized that I had yet to stop smiling.

"I can't believe it! What are you doing here?!" Ash went on with wide, excited eyes. He was still the same, old Ash.

I kept scratching at Pikachu's ears and he snuggled to my side. "Getting a Bearticone. You want one? They're really good," I said and point to the vendor behind me.

Ash gave me a dry look before grinning again. "I mean, what are you doing in Unova? I thought you were still in Sinnoh."

"I'm on vacation," I shrugged. I finally noticed the boy and girl standing behind Ash and smiled at them pleasantly. "Hello there."

"Oh. You guys, this is my friend Gabi. We travelled throughout Sinnoh together. She's also the new Sinnoh region Champion," Ash introduced me. I gave them a small wave, temporarily taking my hand away from Pikachu's ear.

Their jaws collectively dropped. They stared at me with wide eyes before their cheeks started to grow red. "You're the new Sinnoh Champion?!" the boy with the green hair asked. He wore a white button up, a black vest, black slacks and a green bowtie. "Hello! I'm Connoisseur! I'm a Cilan!" he then exclaimed.

I raised a brow at him in amusement. "Well, Connoisseur, it's nice to meet you," I smiled. Infernape snickered next to me. I turned to her to see that not only had she finished her Bearticone, but she had eaten mine as well. I gasped. "Infernape, you ate my Bearticone!" Infernape made a show of sucking her fingers with a sly look. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"My name's Iris. It's nice to meet you," the girl said then. I looked away from Infernape to smile at Iris. The girl with outrageous, purple hair wore a loose, beige top with pink trim, a pink sarong, and beige leggings.

"You're on vacation, Gabi?" Ash asked.

I nodded at him and allowed Pikachu to scamper back onto Ash's shoulder with a relaxed sigh. I turned back to the Bearticone vendor. "One more vanilla please," I asked him. "Why don't you guys get a Bearticone? We can talk then."

~:~

"The Junior Cup World Tournament What?" Ash asked with a lost look. I shook my head at him with a smile. Definitely the same Ash.

"The World Tournament Junior Cup," I clarified. "It's a competition being held in Lacunosa Town. The winner gets a chance to battle the Unova region Champion, Alder. I'm taking part in an exhibition match there. I figured that I would arrive early and take a break. Things have been pretty hectic the last few months. I guess you can say that I ran away from my responsibilities for a while," I said with a wink. "I've been staying in Cynthia's summer home in Undella Town. It's so beautiful."

"Wow. I want to enter the Tournament too!" Ash exclaimed.

"Sure. Be my guest. I know it'll only be more interesting if you do enter," I replied.

We were sitting on benches in the park near the Bearticone stand. Ash and I sat on a bench while Iris and Cilan sat on the bench next to ours. Infernape and Pikachu were playing off in the distance, but well within our line of sight. We had already finished out Bearticones and were now just relaxing.

"I'm sure Cynthia wouldn't mind if you all stayed at her home with me. We can stay there while we wait for the tournament to start," I said. Ash grinned at that as did Iris and Cilan.

"What a deliciously, marvelous taste! Staying in the beautiful Undella Town right on the bay!" Cilan exclaimed. I stared at Cilan weirdly as he gained a dreamy voice and clasped his hands in delight. I chuckled nervously. At least he wasn't drooling over a pretty girl…

"I can have a taxi take us back to Cynthia's summer home. Just let me make a quick call," I say and begin dialing away on my Xtransceiver.

"What's that?" Ash asked with curious expression.

"Ash Ketchum, you've been in Unova longer than I have and you've never seen an Xtransceiver?" I asked with a knowing look. Ash gave me a nervous chuckle and scratched the back of his neck. "Some things will never change. If it doesn't have anything to do with Pokémon, Ash Ketchum will never know about it."

~:~

Moi-Moi: I like my reunions with extra flavor and a sweet aroma of reminiscence! ;)

Next Time: ?

Edited: 12/2/13