It's a mini-chapter update for today. I'm going out of town for the weekend, so I thought I would just leave this here. There's nothing interesting going on in Sandalstraw Town, so I figured you guys would be just as uninterested to read nothing as I would be to write nothing. So, I'm going with a short little interlude chapter to bridge the gap to Snowpoint City. This will just cover where our main people are at this moment in time. Now for the good news: the next two chapters are HUGE. I've written some of Chapter 55 already since this one was so dreadfully short, and I'm still trying to figure out where to break what I'm writing into Chapters 55 and 56. There is going to be a lot happening regardless, so hopefully it goes as smoothly as I'm imagining it.
Review replies:
Pearl shipper: Don't apologize. What you're looking for is coming much sooner than you may think, I promise.
Lance Curry: Thanks so much for the praise! You have no idea how pleased I am to hear that people enjoy this story. There are plenty of times where I think what I write sucks. It's great to be appreciated. For your other questions, canonizing LagomorphShipping hasn't been something I've thought about. It's just not one of my focuses. And, I'm sorry to say, I am not leaning to a sequel at this point. I have so, so much planned for this story that thinking about a sequel is just exhausting. But a lot can change from now to the eventual end of this story. Thanks again!
DarkerMS, for if/when you get to this point: Gah, sorry. I don't even think Red crossed my mind. But he isn't a canon character in the anime, so what can you do. I do hope that you liked what you got instead, though. Thanks for reading!
Thanks everyone for continuing to read this story! I'll see you all soon with a much bigger chapter!
The Journey Continues
Chapter 54
Interlude – Sandalstraw Town
Sinnoh Region – Sandalstraw Town
3 Weeks Later
Sandalstraw Town was bustling when Ash and Dawn finally rolled into the town. October had nearly drawn to a close, and the temperature was dropping by the day. It hadn't quite been enough for the two Trainers to change into their new cold gear, but Ash had replaced his usual undershirt with a black long-sleeve. As they pushed further north, the time would come when they would need more appropriate clothes for the weather. Last time, they'd done so in Shelter Town, the final stop before Snowpoint City. For now, that seemed like a good place to change clothes once again, although the weathermen on networks all across Sinnoh had been warning about an especially cold winter for several days now.
"Well, we're in Sandalstraw Town. It's about time." Ash commented.
"Ugh, let's stop in a coffee shop or something. I could use some hot chocolate." Dawn groaned.
"I thought you'd never ask." Ash said with a laugh. They quickly located the nearest coffee shop and bolted inside, immediately feeling the warm air conditioning in the building and sighing with the utmost relief. They quickly grabbed a seat right next to the large window at the front of the building, setting their things down and taking a second to relax. Ash's natural impatience soon ended this moment of silence, and he surged back to his feet.
"Okay, two cups of hot chocolate coming right up," he declared.
"Oh, here, let me give you some money to pay for mine." Dawn offered, already rifling through her bag.
"No, no, it's okay." Ash insisted. He took a step back and slipped his wallet from his pants, "I've got it." he said before turning his back to Dawn and walking to the line. Dawn had no chance to protest, so she shrugged and sat back in her chair. That's sweet of Ash, she thought for a moment, before shaking her head to try and think of something else.
"Piplup." Dawn said, deciding to put her focus on the little water-type. The Penguin Pokémon had been resting on her head for a few hours now, but he immediately heeded her call and looked down at her from atop her head.
"Lup?"
"C'mere, you little troublemaker." Dawn said playfully. She grabbed the water-type gently and set him on his feet on the table, putting them nearly at eye-level.
While Dawn and Piplup played at the table, Pikachu gave a great yawn on Ash's shoulder. The electric-type then sagged forward, obviously tired. Ash snickered, "Yeah, I hear you, buddy. That was a long journey, and there's still a lot more to go. But we're probably going to stay the night here, and we're meeting Lester later today. He's going with us to Snowpoint City."
"Hi, how may I help you?" the lady at the register asked. Ash hadn't been paying much attention, and the line had moved quickly while he'd been zoned out or talking to Pikachu.
"Oh, um, two hot chocolates, please." Ash answered.
"Coming right up." she said, tapping the tablet screen and then moving back to pour two mugs of hot chocolate. When she returned, Ash gladly paid, collecting his change and walking back to the table to give Dawn her drink. He did so and crashed down into his own seat, taking a big gulp of the warm drink and sighing with relief. Then, he settled in for the long haul, starting off by staring into space for an indefinite amount of time.
Elsewhere, hidden deep within the mountains that cut the Sinnoh Region in two, the evil that had been cooking for months now was nearly at a boil. Only a few ingredients to the culmination of Team Rocket's scheme were still at-large, and each day that passed brought them closer. They, too, were near Sandalstraw Town at this point, covertly combing through each town on the map for a certain orb. Thanks to the Spear Key's natural reaction to the two Timespace Orbs, they knew that they were heading in the right direction. Even when a search of a town turned up empty, it only meant that they were getting closer to their prize.
Giovanni was now the one calling the shots from Coronet Base. His four trusted Executives were each an arm of his dastardly machine, working tirelessly to see his vision fulfilled. Outside of their undercover search for the Lustrous Orb, the organization as a whole was lying low. Security all across the Region was on high alert now, and it was of the utmost importance that no one slipped up.
On this particular night, Giovanni was combing through files, burning a great deal of time scanning individual file cases. There were reports on Pokémon poaching, crime statistics in the Region, the operations on the Spear Key and the Adamant Orb, and even files on each individual member of Team Rocket. The vast majority of this section of files was rather boring, 98% of the Grunts had nothing extra special on their résumés during their time in Team Rocket. Out of the few who did have some worthwhile accomplishments, there was one who stood out above the rest.
Lester.
His file was quite impressive, even if it wasn't very big. On the file sheet, circled by a bold red marker, was his finest accomplishment: locating and stealing the Adamant Orb from the Canalave City Gym. Just underneath the red circle, his personal skills were listed. The most important 'skill' was acting, according to the file. Giovanni snorted as he read. After all, it was true. Lester had befriended Ash Ketchum, chief among the thorns in Giovanni's side. The teenager had caused no small amount of problems, even if Team Rocket's progress in the Region had been relatively smooth. Fortunately, Lester's next mission came with another extra goal, and it involved Ash himself.
Giovanni smiled before sliding Lester's file back inside his cabinet. With a deep breath, he slipped out the keys to his office, leaving the large, open room and locking the door behind him. From there, he headed down to the lab. There were special experiments taking place down there at the moment, and it was imperative that Giovanni see them for himself.
The chopper produced a noticeable noise as it tore through the cold late autumn air. An endless stretch of various trees populated the northern lands as the mountains receded into foothills and then into flatlands. There were hints of frost on the ground, more or less proving the weathermen's predictions for a colder winter. The sun was about to sink under the horizon, casting an eerie orange light over the wintry forest.
Lester was staring down at the fast-passing trees as he sat in silence next to the helicopter's pilot. He ran through his orders another time. Though he was dreading having to return to the cheery farce of a character that he had put on in Canalave City, there was a hidden part of him that was almost excited to be traveling with Ash and Dawn again. It was a long journey north, and he could not possibly imagine making such a trip by himself.
"We're approaching Sandalstraw Town." The pilot droned. Lester stopped looking at the forest below him and looked ahead, seeing that the pilot was right. The trees opened into a clearing, surrounding a quaint town with a few steeples atop the buildings. Further north was more of the same, with countless trees and flat land stretching northward for countless miles.
In a moment, the pilot stalled the helicopter above a stretch of forest. Lester climbed out of his seat and grabbed the parachute bag hanging by the door, throwing it on and throwing the door open.
"Good luck, Les." the pilot said, flicking a few switches as he prepared to turn the chopper around and return to base.
Lester simply waved to the pilot and then jumped. He pulled the cord almost immediately, activating his parachute so that he could drift safely to the ground. He landed in the trees a short walk from the town, and he quickly abandoned the parachute and dropped the short distance to the ground. Lester rubbed hi wrists subconsciously, and then he started walking to the town. The Pokémon Center was one of the first buildings he saw, and he headed straight for it with a heavy, uncertain breath. For the next several weeks, he'd be eating, drinking, sleeping, and traveling with Ash and Dawn, learning everything he could about them and the places around them in the process. As they traveled, his associates would be scouring the towns and settlements along the way, exhausting any lead they could get their hands on to find the elusive Lustrous Orb. As he reached the Center, the automatic doors slid open with a hiss, and Lester heard his name being called as soon as he walked into the building. He exhaled through his nose and then forced a friendly smile.
He was now deep undercover.
