Chapter 22 is here! I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Ash stood in front of the largest scientific building in Kanto. The Silph Co. The giant building loomed over Ash, casting a shadow over the young boy and his Pikachu. Ash had to at least go inside the building. The Silph company was known for so many scientific achievements. This company mass-produced the very same poke balls that carried Ash's team inside of them. There had even been rumors that they were creating a poke ball that would catch any Pokémon without fail. Ash doubted it. There was no way that a perfect poke ball could be created, not even in the wildest of dreams. Ash looked at Pikachu. "Let's go inside." Pikachu leapt off Ash's shoulder and bounded to the doors. Ash smiled and followed the mouse, pushing the doors open.
The room inside was huge, but didn't seem to have too much inside of it. There were a few people in lab coats, and a few fossils that were inside glass boxes for view. Ash walked around the room, skimming over the various fossils, TM's, and a few held items that Pokémon could use in battle.
As Ash loomed over a Helix Fossil, he heard someone ask, "Can you please turn around?" Ash found the request rather strange, but did as he was asked. It was, unsurprisingly, a scientist he was looking at. As Ash watched the scientist, the man's face started to form a wide grin. "It is you!" the scientist exclaimed. Ash's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. The scientist was vaguely familiar, but Ash wasn't sure where he had seen the scientist.
Noticing Ash's expression, the scientist kindly smiled. "Remember Mt. Moon? I was the scientist you helped out against those ruffians. "he explained. That was all Ash needed to remember. There had been Team Rocket grunts when Ash was trying to reach Cerulean, and he had decided to check it out. That was the first time he had met Proton. The Team Rocket executive had been trying to steal fossils from this very same scientist.
"Well, anyway, the Silph Company is very grateful to you for your efforts to save the fossils. They are extremely rare, nearly the only ones of their kind. Thanks to your reputation, the company would like to ask one more favor from you. Of course, it is your choice. Of course, for doing us this favor, the Silph Company will do you a favor, within their power. "the scientist explained.
Ash looked on curiously. "Can I know what the favor is first?" Ash didn't mean to come across as rude, but didn't want to make a decision without knowing what he was doing.
"Follow me." The scientist said. Ash followed the scientist to a door and watched as the scientist unlocked the door, pushing it open. Inside was a tall glass cylinder that reached the roof of the room. There was a table as well, with ten seemingly carved rocks on top. The scientist came to a stop in front of the table and indicated to the rocks with the wave of a hand. "These are fossils of prehistoric Pokémon. None of the species of Pokémon that come from these fossils still exist. The very same fossils that you protected from Team Rocket, actually. What the Silph Company would like to ask of you is to choose one of these fossils and raise the Pokémon. The fossils will be reanimated into life here, in this cylindrical tube we have here. While you raise the Pokémon, we would like you to take notes on its behavior in this modern society. "the scientist explained.
Ash grinned widely, the smile on his face nearly splitting it apart. "Of course I will!" he exclaimed. A chance to raise a rare and most likely powerful Pokémon? What type of trainer would he be if he turned down the offer?
The scientist nodded. "I thought you would. Choose any one of the fossils you see here. The first fossil is the Dome fossil, which would regenerate into the Pokémon Kabuto, which would evolve into Kabutops. The next fossil we have is the Helix fossil, which regenerates into the Pokémon Omantye, which then evolves into the Pokémon Omastar. These two fossils were found in Kanto. The next two fossils were located in Hoenn. The first of these fossils is the Root fossil, which regenerates into Lileep, and will eventually evolve into Cradily. The other fossil originating from Hoenn is the Claw fossil, which will reanimate into Anorith. Anorith eventually evolves into Armaldo. These next two fossils are from the Sinnoh region. The first of these two fossils is the Skull fossil, which regenerates into Cranidos. Cranidos eventually will evolve into Rampardos. The second of the Sinnoh fossils is the Armor fossil, which regenerates into Shieldon, which then evolves into Bastiodon. The next two fossils we have are from Unova. One of these fossils is the Cover Fossil, which would be reanimated into Tirtouga. Tirtouga eventually would evolve into Carracosta. The second fossil is the Plume Fossil, which will become the Pokémon Archen, which eventually evolves into Archeops. The last two fossils we have are all the way from the Kalos region. The first of these fossils is the Jaw fossil, which will become the Pokémon Tyrunt. Tyrunt eventually evolves into the Pokémon Tyrantrum." Now that one, Ash remembered. Back at the tournament on the St. Anne, one of the competitors had used a Tyrantrum. "The last fossil we have to offer is the Sail fossil, which regenerates into Amaura. Amaura will eventually evolve into the Pokémon Aurorus. "
Ash looked on at the fossils dumbly, shell-shocked beyond relief. Any one of the Pokémon in front of him were nearly as rare as a legendary Pokémon! "Can I get a second to choose?" Ash asked.
The scientist nodded again. "Of course! If you go to the computer on your left, there is information on the computer. Don't bother using your pokedex," the scientist mentioned as he saw Ash make a move for the informational device. "Your pokedex will most likely not have information on fossil Pokémon because it never had the chance to scan them." Ash bobbed his head in response. He pulled up to the computer and turned it on. Then, Ash started to scroll through the pages on the fossil Pokémon. There was a lot here. Pikachu jumped onto the table holding the computer and curled up, clearly uninterested in the fossils.
It had been almost half an hour since Ash was offered one of the fossils, and he only now had decided which one he wanted. The whole half hour he had been researching the fossil Pokémon on the Silph computers. Pikachu quietly snored away on the table without a care in the world. As Ash stood up, the scientist looked at him. "Chosen one, have we?" he asked.
Ash nodded. "Yeah. I want the Skull Fossil. " he informed the scientist. It had been a hard decision, and the sheer amount of options hadn't done any favors either. In the end, Ash had been enticed by Rampardos's sheer power. Rampardos could overpower even Tyranitar and Dragonite. That's how powerful it was. Besides, Ash didn't have a powerful physical attacker, excluding his new addition Hitmonlee.
The scientist nodded. "I see. A great choice." The scientist slid open the glass door protecting the fossils and picked up the Skull Fossil. The scientist then walked over to the glass tube and opened it. He placed the Skull fossil inside and closed the door. The scientist moved to a small control panel that Ash hadn't even noticed existed, and hit a few buttons, pulled a lever, and did a few other intricate moves. Suddenly, the fossil started to glow. It wasn't the same glow as one that was seen from an evolution. The glow, while still white, was tainted and dimmer than one Ash saw in evolution. As the light faded away, a Pokémon was revealed. Cranidos. The Pokémon stood on two legs, and was hunched over, ready to attack. The Pokémon was entirely blue or grey, with the exception of its white horns. Cranidos's tiny tail was blue, but the rest of its body was grey. Near its skull, though, the skin had been encased in a light blue shell. Cranidos's skull was apparently harder than steel.
The scientist looked at Ash. "Would you mind bringing a Pokémon out to defend yourself and I? I don't know how Cranidos will react to its new environment." Ash nodded.
"Gabite!" The dragon stood in the lab and cocked its head at Ash, confused. Ash angled his head at Cranidos. "The Pokémon over there might go on a rampage. Can you make sure that doesn't happen?" Gabite scoffed. Of course he could! Ash looked at the scientist and nodded. The scientist slowly opened the door, and Cranidos dashed out headfirst at Gabite. "Don't aim for the head! Dragon Claw!" Ash commanded. He didn't want Gabite to aim for Cranidos's head because that would hurt Gabite more than Cranidos, due to the thickness of the latter's skull. Gabite weaved around Cranidos's clumsy dive and struck the other Pokémon's underbelly.
"Cran!" Cranidos complained as it lowered its head, preparing for another run. The scientist had ducked under a table and wrapped his arms around the leg of the table, scared of Cranidos.
"Gabite, pin Cranidos down!" Ash yelled. Gabite, once again, stepped left to dodge Cranidos's run and fell on top of the fossil Pokémon. Ash's mental gears were already turning, thinking about how he would train Cranidos. Ash planned to get Cranidos as fast and strong as possible. The Pokémon could already hit like a truck. What Ash wanted to make Cranidos was a bullet. Ash snapped back to the present, looking at Gabite's arms pin down Cranidos. In a position like that, there wasn't much the former fossil could do.
Ash bent down to look the struggling Cranidos in the eye. "I'm Ash Ketchum. I plan to become the strongest Pokémon trainer in the world. That's one of my Pokémon, Gabite. If you join my team, I'll help you get stronger. "Ash offered. Cranidos looked at Ash, but with less of the murderous glare it had once carried. Ash nodded to Gabite. "Let Cranidos up." Gabite raised its arms off the fossil Pokémon, letting Cranidos stand up. Cranidos stood up, but didn't charge, which Ash took as a good sign. Slowly, and reluctantly, Cranidos nodded its head, showing that it would accept becoming Ash's Pokémon. Ash raised a poke ball to Cranidos's head. "This will make you my Pokémon." Ash informed the fossil Pokémon. Ash touched the poke ball to Cranidos's head, and the ball sucked Cranidos in. It didn't show any signs of a struggle, and clicked successfully. As Ash moved his hand to pick up Cranidos's poke ball, it suddenly shimmered and faded away. He already had six Pokémon on him, Ash realized frustratedly. Cranidos's poke ball was transferred to Professor Oak's lab.
The scientist suddenly popped his head out of the table, looking around nervously. When he couldn't find Cranidos, the scientist came out from under the table. "Well, I see you had that covered. Now, onto the next order of business. What favor would you like from the Silph Company?" the scientist asked.
Ash wanted something that money couldn't buy. Ash could get Ultra Balls and TM's. He had the money for them. The incident on Cranidos had just solidified what he wanted. Besides, if Ash was able to train all of his Pokémon at once, they would be much stronger for when the league came around. "I want to be able to carry more Pokémon with me than just six. At least ten." Ash told the scientist.
"I see. A good choice. Most trainers would have asked for Ultra balls or some other fancy item, but I suppose you are a smarter trainer than most. Follow me. " The scientist commented. Ash followed the scientist as he walked up the Silph Company stairs. "Wait here." Ash was told by the scientist as they neared a room. Ash nodded and watched as the scientist walked into the room. Ash slumped against the wall and tapped his feet against the ground impatiently. Many other Silph Company hires looked at him curiously as they walked through the hall. After what felt like an eternity, the scientist came out of the room.
"Done!" he exclaimed. "You are now able to now carry up to twelve Pokémon at any time, the equivalent to an Ace trainer. You must know, you will not be able to use more than six Pokémon in a battle. " Ash grinned and said his thanks to the scientist. After that, he was quickly ushered out. It wasn't meant to be rude, but there was quite a bit of stuff happening in the company which Ash wasn't supposed to know about. Ash started to walk to the Pokémon center. He needed to get on a call with Professor Oak.
"Hello, Professor. How have you been?" Ash asked. He was on a call in the Pokémon center with Professor Oak so that he could get his Pokémon sent to him.
Professor Oak smiled. "I've been just fine. Now, let me ask a question. How have you been obtaining all these rare Pokémon, for Arceus's sake? First a Gible, then a Deino, and now a fossil!" the professor cried out.
Ash grinned. "Just luck, professor."
"Now, I assume you've called me for your Pokémon? I saw that your Trainer Card was updated, and can now carry up to twelve Pokémon. I had half a mind to deny the increase, but I know you have the money to properly feed your Pokémon due to that St. Anne tournament. I expect that you will be feeding them properly." Professor Oak commented.
Ash nodded. "Of course I will."
"I'll be sending the Pokémon over now." Professor Oak told Ash. Ash simply bobbed his head in return.
Professor Oak then sprang another question at Ash. "So, what is your plan now?" A poke ball suddenly shimmered into existence on the table. Ash picked it up and latched it onto his belt, which was getting quite full by now.
"I'm going to head down to Lavender Town. After that, I'll go to Fuchisa City, take on Koga, and explore the Safari Zone. After that, I'll challenge either Blaine or Sabrina. "Ash told the professor.
"I see, I see. That's a good plan. Well, I don't want to keep you busy. " With that, Professor Oak hung up the call.
Ash picked up the remaining three poke balls from the table and juggled them in his hand as he walked out of the Pokémon center and onto the training field.
Everyone on Ash's team looked confusedly at Hitmonlee and Cranidos. Hitmonlee was by far the most confused, having no idea at who Ash even was. "Okay, guys. These are our new team members, Hitmonlee and Cranidos. Oh! And, now, I can carry around all of you guys during the trips! So, no rotations to the professor's lab." Ash informed his other team members. Every one of Ash's Pokémon, excluding Hitmonlee and Cranidos, looked at each other excitedly. "I'm going to talk to Hitmonlee for a second. You guys chill, but don't do anything dangerous. "Ash told his team. Then, Ash motioned to Hitmonlee. The lanky fighting-type strode over to Ash in a few long steps.
"Hey, Hitmonlee. Do you want to become stronger?" Ash asked. Hitmonlee nodded without hesitation.
"Good. I'm your new trainer, Ash Ketchum. If you work with me, I'll make sure you become stronger. "Ash promised the fighting-type.
Hitmonlee's eyes narrowed, not dangerously, but deep in concentration. After a few seconds, Hitmonlee nodded, just like Ash had expected. All Pokémon wanted to get stronger. It was in their genes.
"Okay, Hitmonlee. I'm going to check out your moves. This is the pokedex. It will let me scan your moves. "Ash told the fighting type. Hitmonlee nodded, but shivered when Ash touched the cold metal of the pokedex to Hitmonlee's head.
Hitmonlee, the Kicking Pokémon. This Pokémon is a level 30 Male Pokémon and knows the moves Low Kick, Double Kick, Brick Break, Blaze Kick, Revenge, Mind Reader, and Endure.
Ash slightly smiled, impressed by Hitmonlee's moves. Ash had expected the Pokémon to only know attacking moves, considering it came from the dojo, but Hitmonlee had a diverse moveset. Blaze Kick was also a pleasant surprise.
"Cool! Do you know how to use the moves?" Ash asked. Hitmonlee nodded. "All of them?" It was impressive that Hitmonlee had mastery over all of its moves, especially Mind Reader. The other moves came somewhat naturally to a fighting-type like Hitmonlee. Again, Hitmonlee nodded.
"Awesome! You know, Hitmonlee, could you help out Pikachu with Brick Break?" Ash asked. Hitmonlee nodded and stretched its lanky legs in the direction of Pikachu, walking away. Ash believed that Hitmonlee would have total mastery over Brick Break, and could help Pikachu out on the move. Also, it would help Hitmonlee get to know the rest of the team.
Then, Ash called Cranidos over. "Cranidos!" Ash yelled. The rock-type lumbered over to Ash, looking at him expectantly. "I want to find out what your moves are. If I touch this to your head," Ash waved the pokedex, " I can find out what moves you know."
Cranidos, the Head butt Pokémon. This Cranidos is a level 20 male Pokémon. It knows the moves Headbutt, Focus Energy, Scary Face, Assurance, Take Down, and Pursuit.
Ash nodded. He would definitely have to teach Cranidos more rock-type moves, but other than that, Cranidos knew a fair bit of solid moves. "Let's go meet up with the rest of the team." Ash told the former fossil. Then, he walked up to the center of the field, Cranidos trailing.
"Come over here!" Ash yelled to his team. The group of Pokémon was slow to come over to Ash, especially since they had gotten into their favorite resting positions. "It's about the next gym." Ash told the team, and they snapped to life, nearly teleporting to Ash.
"Our next Gym leader will be at Fuchisa City. We'll go to Lavender Town first, and we'll be at Fuchisa next. For the Fuchisa Gym, I'll be using Hitmonlee, Gabite and Exeggutor. For the rest, we'll have to see." Ash told the team. His choice of using Hitmonlee might be doubted by others, but Ash knew that the fighting-type was already a strong battler. "For now, Sceptile, can you have a practice battle against Hitmonlee?" Sceptile seemed a bit surprised by the question, but nodded. Ash knew that Hitmonlee tended to be fast Pokémon, just like Sceptile. All of Ash's Pokémon quickly cleared the field, leaving only Hitmonlee and Sceptile.
"Go!" Ash cried. Both Pokémon unfurled into action like bullets. Sceptile was the first to attack, swinging a quick Leaf Blade down on Hitmonlee. Hitmonlee was quick to respond, and brought a Blaze Kick to counter. Both attacks clashed midair, neither Pokémon giving ground. Hitmonlee was slowly overpowering Sceptile, and the gecko noticed. It leapt away and got ready for another clash.
Both Pokémon started to circle each other, walking slowly around the field. Suddenly, Hitmonlee's right leg stretched across the field and flew towards Sceptile's gut. Ash had thought the move made direct contact, but when Hitmonlee's leg was mere inches away from Sceptile, the gecko disappeared. Ash and the rest of the Pokémon, including Hitmonlee, stared around the field looking for Sceptile. In the blink of an eye, Sceptile leapt out from behind Hitmonlee to send the fighting-type reeling. Just as Hitmonlee was about to counter, Ash heard a voice behind him. "Looks like your team is pretty strong. Want to battle?" the kid asked. He seemed to be a fair bit taller than Ash, and also older.
Ash grinned at the other boy. "Sure! By the way, what's your name? My name's Ash."
"My name is Alain." The other boy said.
Ash nodded and walked to one side of the field. Then, he waved Hitmonlee and Sceptile off. "How many Pokémon?" Ash asked.
"How about a two vs two without substitutions? I would ask for a longer battle, but I don't have much time." Alain said.
Ash nodded. "Okay. Cranidos, you're up first." The rock-type eagerly ran onto the field. Ash wanted to test out how strong the rock-type was, and the best way to do that was through battle.
"Let's battle, Pawniard!" Alain yelled. Pawniard was a Pokémon Ash had never seen before. It was red and black, but adorned in silver metal. The ends of its arms were sharp metallic blades. Pawniard wasn't very tall, only up to Ash's hips. On top of its head, a sharp horn made out of steel spiked out. "Use Metal Claw!" Alain yelled. Pawniard leapt at Cranidos, its right arm starting to glow silver.
"Shield yourself with your skull!" Ash commanded. Cranidos's skull was harder than steel. Metal Claw would bounce off uselessly at best. What surprised Ash was Cranidos ignoring his trainer completely and charging at Pawniard head-on. Ash frowned, but Cranidos's tactic worked. Pawniard couldn't stand up to Cranidos's brute force and was tossed back.
"Scary Face! Metal Sound!" Alain said. Knowing that Pawniard couldn't overpower Cranidos in a battle of strength, Alain resorted to weakening Cranidos. Pawniard's face contorted into a menacing snarl, and Cranidos uneasily took a few steps back. Then, Pawniard brought its arms together and scraped the blades together loudly. The screeching of the metal made Ash flinch, as did Cranidos.
"Pursuit to get near Pawniard, and use Headbutt when close!" Ash yelled. This time, fortunately, Cranidos listened to Ash. Cranidos suddenly was covered in a black sheen and it speedily dashed towards Pawniard, knocking the steel-type multiple steps back. The rock-type quickly followed up with a Headbutt to slam Pawniard into the ground, kicking up dust.
"Pawniard, Brick Break!" Alain instructed. Pawniard groggily stood up and ran at Cranidos, one arm prepared to attack.
"Cranidos, use Scary Face!" Meeting Brick Break head on would be a dangerous move, because if the move connected with anywhere other than Cranidos's skull, the game would be near over. Much to Ash's dismay, Cranidos had other ideas. The rock-type ran straight at Pawniard, head lowered for a charge.
Unfortunately, Alain was expecting it. "Pawniard, duck!" As Cranidos closed onto Pawniard, the steel-type ducked under Cranidos and slammed a Brick Break into the rock-type's exposed gut. Cranidos was pushed into the air and its legs wiggled around uselessly. As Cranidos clumsily landed, Pawniard slashed at the fossil Pokémon with numerous Metal Claws. Cranidos, who was on his side, could do nothing as it was barraged. The battle was over the moment Cranidos had fallen onto its side. Cranidos's head went limp as its head fell to the ground.
Ash returned the Pokémon wordlessly. He'd need to have a talk with Cranidos about what had happened on the field. But, Ash also felt bad about giving Alain such a poor battle.
Alain nodded to Ash. "That Cranidos is a new Pokémon, isn't it? Rock-types tend to be hard Pokémon to raise, as their name suggests. I have a rock-type. He barely listened to me until I had him for a month." Alain told Ash. That made Ash feel a little bit better. It wasn't just a problem with him as a trainer. "Let's get on with the battle, shall we?" Alain suggested.
Ash nodded. "Gabite!" The dragon toothily grinned and ran onto the field.
"Metang!" Alain tossed out an Ultra ball, releasing a metallic, hovering Pokémon. Its body was made entirely of steel. Its main body was like a hover board, while two arms jutted out. Each arm had three spikes at the ends. Ash believed this Pokémon was the evolution of Beldum. "Use Metal Claw!" Alain commanded. The steel-type flew at Gabite, one arm prepared with a steel claw to slash at Gabite.
"Counter with Dragon Claw!" Ash said. Gabite's claw turned into a glowing purple just in time to stop Metang's arm. The two Pokémon met at a standstill, neither able to overpower each other. "Drop and Sand Tomb!" Alain stared, surprised, as Gabite dropped its arm and rolled under Metang's Metal Claw. From under the steel-type, a light vortex started to twist around Metang, engulfing it with sand and dust.
"Bullet Punch out!" Metang stuck out an arm and dashed out of the vortex, which shattered without anything to revolve around.
"Dual Chop!" Ash yelled. Gabite leapt at Metang, both claws prepared to strike.
"Agility followed with Zen Headbutt!" Gabite only ran its arms through the air as Metang dashed to behind the dragon-type. Then, Metang speedily slammed into Gabite, tossing the dragon back multiple feet.
"Sandstorm!" Ash commanded. He needed to get a lead in this battle, and Sandstorm was the perfect way to do it. Dust and sand particles kicked up, spinning around the field. "Dragon Claw!" Unseen in the sand, Metang was slammed with a sharp claw that tore through the top of its metallic armor easily. Then, Gabite broke away, disappearing into the sandstorm.
"Earthquake followed with Flash Cannon!" Metang slammed both arms onto the ground, quaking it. Gabite felt the tremors and fell to its knees, trying to avoid falling over and making the dragon vulnerable. Ash realized what Alain had done only when Gabite roared in pain. Then, a beam of pure metallic energy sent Gabite reeling, but the dragon was far from over.
The same couldn't be said for Metang. "Dragon Claw!" Ash commanded. The dragon-type quickly got to its feet and slammed a claw into Metang's main body, sending the steel-type into the ground, knocking it out.
"Good battle." Alain said.
Ash nodded. "Yeah, it was. By the way, I have a question. How many years are you into your journey?" Ash asked.
"This is my second. I started my journey late. Before that I was helping my uncle out at Kalos in his lab." Alain replied.
"Cool. Well, I'm going to heal up my Pokémon. After that I'm going to Lavender Town. You?" Ash said.
"I'm challenging Sabrina with some of my stronger Pokémon." Alain replied. Ash simply nodded and returned all nine of his Pokémon. Ash had come a long way from just him and Charmander.
Chapter 22 is done! Ash has started to get a lot of Pokémon on his team, and I saw a few comments saying that it was hard to remember all of Ash's Pokémon. You can find what Pokémon Ash has on my profile page. I hope you liked the chapter!