My god... This chapter fought me. It doesn't help that a few pages in, my laptop that I write this on decided to die on me. Thankfully the issue wasn't in the hard drive, so when I got my new laptop a few days later I was able to transfer everything all right. But by that point, I had lost my original flow, and came up with a few ideas I wanted to include as well. So that made several parts a touch awkward to write. This is also my longest chapter yet by a good margin, as I want to get started on the Viridian Forest next chapter. Speaking of, by an overwhelming 6 to 1 vote, Ash's next Pokémon will be a Murkrow! In all honesty, it was what I was leaning towards in the first place. But my last playthrough of Pokémon Platinum I raised a Zubat to be a pretty badass Crobat, so I decided to give it a chance. A fair warning, my portrayal of Giovanni in this chapter will be a bit unusual. I ask that you bear with it, I do have my reasons. So without further ado, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
"You know Ash, I don't mind seeing you again. But I thought it'd be a bit longer before I had to heal your Pokémon again." The Viridian City Nurse Joy said, a teasing smile on her face as she set the tray containing Ash's pokéballs on the counter.
After Ash's and Salmissra's battle with the Seel, Ash had immediately taken the two back into the Pokécenter to get healed, much to the combined amusement and irritation of the local Nurse Joy.
"Sorry about that." Ash said sheepishly, grabbing the pokéballs and putting them on his belt. "The Seel refused to accept me unless I defeated it in battle, and it was surprisingly mobile for a Pokémon that's supposed to have difficulty moving on land."
The Nurse Joy nodded in acceptance of the explanation. Many Pokémon gifted to rookie trainers by their experienced counterparts would often refuse to obey commands unless they were beaten in battle. This was to prove to the Pokémon in question that the trainer had the ability to properly train it.
"Speaking of, it kind of messed up the training field out back." Ash said, gesturing in the direction of said training field. "Do I have to pay for damages?" It'd hurt, even with the market voucher he still had from the Chief Jenny, but he could probably cover it and not be too far in the red.
"No need to worry Ash." The Joy said, waving his worries away. "Our training fields are repaired nightly by a service paid for by the league, so long as the damage isn't too bad. Speaking of, what kind of damage are we talking? Out of curiousity."
"Small trenches from the Seel's Water Gun, small craters from it charging all of the place, and mud and ice aplenty." Ash said, giving her the short version.
The nurse thought about it before a small lightbulb seemed to go off. "Let me guess, used the Water Gun to wet the field and then froze it to slide around?"
Ash smiled, impressed at the deduction. "It used the mud to slide around initially. But yeah, how'd you guess?"
"I don't look it, but I initially wanted to be a trainer." The Joy said, looking off into the distance wistfully. "Even spent a year on the road. But then I ended up sheltering in a small village during some wicked thunderstorms. So small it didn't even have a doctor, much less a pokecenter. No money, so I bartered medical services for food and shelter. By the time the weather cleared, I knew what I had to do. There's a reason most Joys become nurses, it's in our blood."
Ash stood quietly, absorbing the Joy's story with fascination. He knew that not all Joys or Jennys followed their family path, but it was still interesting to hear even a snippet from one who had attempted to forge a different path. "Do you still have your team?" Ash asked curiously.
"A couple." The Joy nodded. "Half of them chose to go back to the wild when I made my decision. One I gave to a friend since they wanted to continue battling. One's my Chansey, a traditional starter for the Joy family no matter what their path, and the last is a Vulpix. She's a spoiled little thing, and stays at home when I work."
"Uh…" Ash began, unsure of what to say.
"I do have a home separate from the center." The Joy said with a small giggle, guessing Ash's confusion. After all, he had met her originally late the night before, and she was working again in the morning. Plus, there actually were several Joys in smaller towns that lived out of their Pokécenters. "I work the morning shift anyways, I was doing my aunt a favor and covering the evening shift so she could spend some time with my visiting cousins."
"…Working in an industry dominated by your family, who are also identical to you in almost every way must be very confusing." Ash said. "Certainly hurts my head."
"It helps when it's what you grew up with." The Joy said with a smile. "Plus, growing up with identical relatives makes it easy to spot certain things. Small muscles twitches, slight discoloration, and body language. It's part of what make the Joys and Jennys so great at their jobs. Keen observational skills."
"I see." Ash nodded thoughtfully. It was indeed a striking insight into what life was like for one of the most famous families in all of the known regions. "I would honestly love to stay and chat, but I still have to officially incorporate the Seel into my team, and then we need to train. I'll see you later Nurse Joy!"
"See you later Ash! And make sure to bring your Pokémon by to get healed after training!" The Nurse Joy called back, waving good-bye to Ash as he headed out to the still partially-frozen area he had battled the Seel in earlier.
The second Ash was outside, and standing near one of the few patches of ground that was still unfrozen, he released Salmissra. The poison-type wasted no time butting her head up against Ash's leg. Ash obliged her, leaning down and picking her up, stroking the area just above her yellow stripe as he did so.
"You did good Salmissra." Ash praised her. "That Seel was a tough one, and it freezing the field put you at a big disadvantage, but you still pulled through and won."
Salmissra's expression was a bit difficult to decipher, but Ash could tell without a doubt that she was very pleased with herself.
"Now it's time to see if the Seel will honor our deal. You ready for it?" Ash asked. While fully healed, he didn't want to put Salmissra in a potentially hostile situation if she wasn't feeling 100%.
"Ekans!" Salmissra hissed, a touch indignantly. As if she couldn't take down Seel again now that she knew his tricks!
"Heh. I should've known better than to doubt you." Ash said fondly, giving Salmissra's neck one last stroke before setting her down. He then grabbed the Seel's pokéball, giving it a quick toss in the air before chucking it onto the field.
In the usual burst of red light, the Seel took form. Like last time, it shook its head for a few seconds as disorientation faded. It wouldn't last long. And Ash knew that with a few more releases and returns Seel would no longer be affected by the stasis of the pokéball. After it got its bearings, it spotted Ash and Salmissra. Like last time, it tensed up. Unlike the previous time, however, it didn't attack. Instead, it eyes the pair wearily.
"Wasn't more than half an hour ago we initially met on this very field." Ash said, looking the Seel in the eye. "We made a deal, one battle. If I lost, I'd release you at the nearest body of water. If I won, you joined my team." Ash gestured to the field. "We battled. It was close, I'll admit. But we won. Will you honor our deal?"
"Seeeeeel…" The Seel growled lowly, giving a sharp nod. It seemed to be angry about something, though it took Ash a second to figure out what.
"Heh. Angry I implied that you'd go back on your word?" Ash asked, making a mental note on that character trait for future reference.
"Seel!" The Seel barked out, slapping the ground with its tail.
"My apologies then." Ash said sincerely. "I should not have doubted you."
The Seel didn't verbally respond, but it inclined its head and its demeanor seemed to relax.
"Then allow me to formally introduce myself. I'm Ash. And this," Ash indicated his Ekans. "Is Salmissra. I'll admit, I have no ultimate goal for my journey. But in the short-term, I'm aiming for the Indigo League championship. In order to be able to compete in that, I'll need to turn you into an absolute beast of a Dewgong. Would that be acceptable to you?"
"Seel!" The Seel barked, clearly please with that idea. It desired strength, after all. Almost all wild Pokémon did. But this Seel felt the need a bit more keenly than most. It wanted to be the absolute master of its domain, lord of all it surveyed. It didn't want to live its life in the usual endless cycle of hunting and defending its territory. It wanted to rule. It wasn't quite satisfied with Ash's proclaimed lack of goal, but this Indigo League sounded like a good challenge. It would stick around and give Ash a chance.
Ash smiled, not quite sensing Seel's intentions, but definitely feeling its determination. "Then glad to have you aboard!" Ash then pulled out his pokédex and held it out. "This is a pokédex. I'm going to use it to scan you, and it'll give me an idea of what you can do."
The Seel snorted, not impressed by the device. It knew what it was capable of. But it had consented to follow Ash, so it allowed the pokédex to scan it.
Seel, The Sea Lion Pokémon
Seel hunts for prey in the frigid sea underneath sheets of ice. When it needs to breathe, it punches a hole through the ice with the sharply protruding section of its head. In daytime, it is often found asleep on the seabed in shallow waters. Its nostrils close while it swims. Although it can't walk well on land, it is a graceful swimmer. It especially loves being in frigid seas. Covered with light blue fur, its hide is thick and tough. It is active in bitter cold of -40 degrees Fahrenheit.
This Seel is male and knows the moves Headbutt, Growl, Water Sport, Icy Wind, and Water Gun. It possesses the ability Thick Fat.
Ash looked at the brief blurb of information, and then back at the Seel. Then back at the info. "His fur looks white to me, not blue." Ash thought. "Maybe it looks blue when it's in the water? Color reflecting off its fur?"
Dismissing the fur color as unimportant, Ash focused on the move list. The Seel had actually demonstrated all of the listed abilities during its battle, except for Growl and Water Sport. Though there was that one point of the battle where it had seemed to secrete water from its body… Maybe it modified the move? Regardless, it looked like a pretty solid starting set.
"I must say, you look pretty good move-wise." Ash told the Seel. "Only thing I didn't see you use in our battle was Growl, and that's one of those ones where it either works, or doesn't. And from what I've seen, you have your current set pretty much mastered. Only thing I need to test is your accuracy with Water Gun."
"Seel!" The Seel barked, taking a ready position. He'd show this human how good he was!
Ash look around for a bit, trying to spot some good targets. Back in the woods with Salmissra, he had pinecones and plenty of them. Here in the city though, was considerably slimmer pickings. With a sigh, Ash withdrew an empty pokéball from his belt.
"I'm going to throw this in the air, you shoot it down." Ash said, explaining the basic principles of the test. "Salmissra, you fetch it when it comes down. And Seel?" Ash looked meaningfully at the Pokémon. "Please remember this is a test of accuracy, not power. I don't want to have to replace this pokéball."
Salmissra hissed in confirmation of her orders, and the Seel just nodded its assent.
With both of his Pokémon understanding their roles, Ash began to throw his pokéball. Much like with Salmissra, Seel seemed to be very accurate. Each shot was a bulls eye, though testing for rapid fire would have to wait.
"Very impressive." Ash complimented Seel, who puffed out his chest in pride. "I'm going to have you do some basic strengthening exercises like Salmissra, but I think I can go ahead and start you on a new move. But before that, would you like a name? Salmissra's name is the same as a great queen of a culture that revered snakes, I figured you'd enjoy something similar."
Seel thought about it. It honestly had no use for a name, and was about to reject the offer. But then Ash mentioned the origin of Salmissra's name. And that made Seel pause. The snake was named after a queen, why couldn't Seel do something similar? Have a regal title instead of being just another Seel in the ocean?
At Seel's hesitant nod of assent, Ash began trying to find a good name. He first tried some powerful water-based ones, like Tsunami and Surge. Seel considered them, but ultimately rejected them. Same with Iceburg and Glacier. Ash threw out 'River' as a joke, and got a weak Water Gun to the face for his trouble. After a good ten minutes, Seel growled in frustration and pointed a flipper at Salmissra.
"What? You want Salmissra's opinion?" Ash asked, confused.
The Seel shook its head, and pointed at Salmissra again.
"You want her name? I can't have two Pokémon with the same name."
Both Seel and Salmissra both felt the second Water Gun to Ash's face was well deserved.
"I don't get it Seel!" Ash growled in frustration, wiping his face. "What do you-" Suddenly, the lightbulb went off. "I'm an idiot." Ash groaned. "You don't want Salmissra's name, you want one with a similar meaning don't you? Salmissra's a queen, and you want to be a king."
The Seel nodded, giving a small bark of confirmation, both to Ash's realizization and his statement of stupidity.
"Then let's try these…" Ash listed out the names of several kings from Kantonian history, and as Seel rejected each one he branched into those he could remember from other regions. Finally, Ash had another lightbulb moment.
"How about Neptune?" Ash asked. "It's an old legend, Neptune was the king under the sea, and all life under the waves was his to command. And even above the waves he was revered and feared, as he could create massive storms with no effort to sink the ships of those that angered him."
Seel barked excitedly. Now THAT was a name! It commanded both power and respect, and it was a nice ideal to live up to and ultimately surpass.
"Then it's decided, welcome to the team Neptune!" Ash said, smiling down at his newly-named Seel.
For the next two days, Ash focused on training his two Pokémon. Salmissra resumed her current regime, while Ash designed a new one for Neptune. Ash had his new Seel do laps around the training area, both with his usual quick movement tactics and without. Ash also salvaged some of the debris that had yet to be removed from the Pokécenter lobby to use as makeshift targets for accuracy drills, and even set up a rudimentary obstacle course that both of his Pokémon ran.
Move-wise, Ash had Salmissra continue to practice her Iron Tail. It already looked incredibly polished, only a few slivers of Salmissra's purple tail peaking through the metallic glow. Deciding that Iron Tail was close enough to completion to split her attention on it, Ash decided to have Salmissra start learning Acid. It was a good basic poison-type move, allowed Salmissra another ranged attack as well as some field control, and the mechanics of it would later pave the way for more advanced moves.
As for Neptune, Ash had him start on Aqua Ring. The basic mechanics of it were actually incredibly similar to the way that Neptune had altered Water Sport, plus the ability to heal oneself in battle was incredibly useful, even if it was only under specific circumstances. Neptune was actually doing so well with the technique, Ash also had him working on Ice Shard. It was a quick-hitting ice-type move that would do wonders for Neptune's offense.
Not to slack off, Ash also did some training in between supervising the two. Ash was no stranger to hard work, he often assisted at Oak's lab as part of his pseudo-apprenticeship. Still though, walking from Pallet Town to Viridian showed Ash that he needed some training of his own. Endurance for the long walks between town, strength for various obstacles (not to mention setting up the makeshift courses for his team), and good cardio couldn't hurt.
So while Neptune would do laps, so would Ash. While Salmissra would practice her Iron Tail, Ash would be doing pushups and situps.
It was exhausting keeping up with his Pokémon, but it gave Ash a sense of accomplishment to work as hard as his team. And it raised their respect for him, witnessing that Ash was unafraid to train himself alongside them.
And so, two days passed.
By the time that Giovanni had requested to meet with Ash came, Salmissra was able to produce small dribbles of corrosive poison and Neptune was able to spit out small pebbles of ice. Both moves were far from completed, but they had made incredible progress for only working on it for a couple of days.
Ash was incredibly proud of his teamed as he retrieved their pokéballs from Nurse Joy, one last post-training healing session before his meeting.
"Have fun Ash!" The pink-haired nurse said as he turned to leave. "And don't let that tough act fool you, Giovanni actually loves meeting new trainers. He would've invited you to talk even if the… event never happened."
"Really?" Ash asked, intrigued enough to pause.
"Really." The Nurse Joy confirmed. "Loves giving advice to new trainers. He even volunteers to lecture at the local schools on occasion."
"Huh." Ash said, a bit surprised. All of the rumors he'd heard of the Viridian City gym leader painted him as the ultimate hardass. But Ash supposed that he really only looked into his prowess as a trainer, not how he interacted with the city he managed. "Thanks for telling me that. It actually does make me feel a lot better."
"Anytime Ash!" The Nurse Joy said, waving her hands at him in a 'shooing' motion. "Now go! You might not be in trouble, but it's still poor manners to be late."
"Right! See you later Nurse Joy!" Ash said, departing the Pokécenter and heading towards the gym.
"Fancy." Ash muttered to himself, impressed as he gazed upon the Viridian City gym.
The gym was huge, about three stories tall from what Ash could see, and almost as wide. It was mostly made up of pristine white brick, but the upper levels were painted a shade of bronze that glinted in the noon sun. Even the area surrounding the gym was ostentatious. A fountain sat between two staircases that led to the area in front of the gym. A trio of pillars on both the left and right side framed the path to the door, and the mansion-like building was surrounded by a small woods' worth of trees.
"Glad you like it, almost makes it worth the ungodly amount of maintenance to keep everything clean an in order." A voice said behind Ash.
"Gah!" Ash shouted, spinning around while his hand flew to his belt before he relaxed.
The person who spoke appeared to be a gardener. About average height, with sun-kissed skin and shaggy-looking brown hair. He wore a dark hat, though it appeared faded from exposure to the sun. He was pushing a cart filled with a variety of gardening tools, as well as what looked to be some cleaning supplies. Maybe for the fountain?
"Sorry to startle you there sir." The man said, letting out a laugh as leaned on his cart. "Just good to know someone appreciates my work. You need help or you just gawking?"
"Oh. Uh… I have a meeting with Giovanni?" Ash said, a bit unsure of himself as he felt a bit intimidated by the clearly rich environment.
"Doubt it's for a gym battle, otherwise you'd just be walkin' up to the place." The man said, a bit amused by Ash's hesitancy. "Just go on in kid. If the boss man's expecting you, the secretary'll give you no trouble."
"Oh. Ok. Thank you Mr…?" Ash said, realizing the man had never introduced himself.
"Jonah." The man said, tipping his hat. "Glad I could help. But that's enough chit-chat for me, I got work to get back to. Place doesn't maintain itself."
With a wave the man left, pushing his cart along while whistling a merry tune. This left Ash all alone, feeling more like he was about to invade a millionaire's summer cottage than meet a gym leader for a meeting.
Deciding that he was being ridiculous, Ash sighed and walked up to the building. As he approached, Ash noticed two guards by the door, wearing old-fashioned bronze armor and carrying spears. Ash eyed them wearily as he approached, but other than a quick glance at him as he passed they didn't so much as twitch.
The inside of the gym was as grand as the outside. White stone slabs made up the floor, while wide pillars of what looked to be marble towered into elegant archways. The walls were painted the same shade of bronze as outside, completing the medieval majesty that the architect of the gym seemed to have been going for.
"May I help you?" An amused voice rang out from Ash's left.
Turning, Ash found a receptionist desk. It was made of wood, but it was painted in such a way to blend in with white stone and bronze that seemed to dominate the gym. It was staffed by a woman in blue business clothes, a silver necklace graced her throat and she stared at Ash through dark brown hair, amusement clear in her eyes. Compared to the grandeur of the gym, she seemed almost out of place. Ash had honestly begun to think that white and bronze were the only colors allowed in the gym. Even Giovanni wore a suit of similar color.
"Hi there!" Ash said, trying to banish his earlier nervousness as he approached the desk. "My name is Ash Ketchum. I was told to meet Giovanni here today?"
"What time?" The receptionist asked, turning to a computer on her desk and typing, presumably opening up a schedule.
"Um…" Thinking back, Giovanni had never actually given him a time. Just a date. "I don't know? He just told me to show up today, he never mentioned an actual time."
The receptionist frowned at this, and clicked through a few files that Ash couldn't see from his side of the desk. "I think I found you…" The receptionist muttered. "Are you 'Boy with Ekans in way too far over his head'?"
Ash blushed and sputtered incoherently for a bit at what was apparently written about him in the planner, before he coughed and regained his bearings. "Yes, that's me."
The receptionist just stared at Ash, amusement in her eyes as he grew flustered from the scrutiny.
"S-So can I see Giovanni?" Ash asked, uncomfortable under the receptionist's gaze.
"Of course." The receptionist says. "You're to be shown in whenever you arrive, according to what I'm seeing. But just so you know, now I'm curious."
"You'll have to stay curious." Giovanni's familiar voice rumbled across the lobby. Startled, both Ash and the receptionist turned to look at him. "It's a good thing I was returning from some training. Otherwise I probably never would have seen Ash today, knowing your propensity towards interrogating people for gossip Mara."
The receptionist, now known as Mara, smiled at Giovanni. "But if I didn't interrogate people, who would supply you with juicy knowledge to hold over people's heads?"
"Is that what you call your ranting at me whenever I come out of my office?" Giovanni asked, a touch of amusement in his voice. Before Mara could reply, however, he held up his hand. "Much as I enjoy our banter, I really do need to speak with young Ash. As you were."
"Meanie." Mara pouted before turning back to the computer, presumably doing receptionist things as Giovanni took Ash by the shoulder and led him further into the gym.
"You'll have to forgive her." Giovanni said, voice as stern as ever but body language just the slightest bit sheepish. "She actually is invaluable in informing me of the comings and goings of the city, but the price is that she practically interrogates everybody who walks into the gym."
"I-It's fine sir." Ash said. "I wouldn't have minded talking with her for a bit, except for the way she was looking at me…"
"Like a Houndoom would eye a nice, meaty bone?" Giovanni guessed, voice echoing with what could only be experience.
"Exactly!" Ash laughed.
"Like I said, despite certain… Habits, she's invaluable." Giovanni said, stopping in front of a door. "But our discussion needs to stay private, which is why I intervened. And I shall inform you now that any information regarding the incident of two nights ago is now classified to any League personnel below Rank C."
"Yes sir." Ash nodded, countenance serious. After all, even the smallest bit of information could be insanely dangerous if put into the wrong hands. And there were unfriendly ears in all sorts of places.
Giovanni studied Ash for a moment, before nodding and opening the door, gesturing for Ash to head in. Giovanni's office, since that was the only thing this place could have been, was remarkably different from the rest of the gym. The walls were a dark maroon, though it was still bordered by white. A massive wooden desk was positioned near the back, behind it was a dark leather chair that almost looked overstuffed. On the wall, a tapestry depicting the Viridian City crest was positioned in the center, flanked by two portraits. One of them looked to be of Giovanni and his team, and the other was… A Persian? Two carved wooden chairs sat in front of the previously mentioned desk, not nearly as stuffed as Giovanni's own personal chair, but still adequately padded. And finally, dotted along the walls were various framed pictures and papers.
"Please, sit." Giovanni said, gesturing to the two chairs in front of his desk.
As Ash sat in one of the chairs, and Giovanni sat in his own, Ash noticed something. It was subtle, but Ash's chair sat lower than Giovanni's. This gave the illusion of Giovanni towering over Ash. Ash had to hand it to him, it was an effective illusion.
"Now then, I may have cleared today for our meeting, but that doesn't mean I don't have things to do." Giovanni informed Ash, folding his hands on his desk. "So please, the events of two nights ago, from your perspective."
Ash nodded, took a deep breath, and talked. He explained how he had just gotten into town and headed for the Pokécenter, and how it blew up as he reached. How he went in to offer aid, only to encounter Team Rocket. How he had intervened to save Nurse Joy, and how he had turned down their recruitment offer. Their trying to steal his Ekans, and how not long afterword Giovanni himself had come in. Ash ended the story there, since Giovanni knew what happened next from his own experience.
Giovanni stayed silent throughout the tale, a stern look on his face as he looked Ash in the eyes, possibly trying to determine if Ash was lying or stretching the truth anywhere.
"So they actively tried to recruit you?" Giovanni asked, the first time he spoke since Ash began his tale.
"Yes sir." Ash nodded. "They were giving me a real hard sell too, and the Rocket member known as James even specifically mentioned that if they killed the Nurse Joy, there would be no witnesses to my decision as they had disabled security. He mentioned that he had done something similar."
"James…" Giovanni mused, before turning to the computer on his desk. Tapping on the keyboard for a few minutes, Giovanni then turned the monitor to face Ash. "Is this him?"
Ash looked at the screen, and instinctively flinched back. It was indeed James on the screen. But this one almost seemed different. In this picture, the pure malice was gone. In its place was what could only be described as vague amusement as James brandished not a pokéball, but a glass of wine. Gone was his white uniform and in its place was an expensive black suit. But there was no mistaking him, not after that night.
"That's definitely him." Ash said, voice practically arctic as he looked upon the picture.
"I thought so." Giovanni said, turning the monitor back towards him. "James Lewis, member of a rather influential family, with connections in multiple Leagues. Was involved in a scandal several years ago where another young man the James had been known to have trouble with turned up dead. Case was discarded due to lack of evidence, and a solid alibi. Though many suspected the alibi was bought."
"Maybe that's why I thought he was familiar?" Ash wondered. It hadn't been bugging him, but it was definitely a question on the back of his mind.
"Most likely." Giovanni responded, typing into his computer again. "I'm honestly surprised that the Team Rocket management would allow him to be an active field agent. He'd be much more effective behind the scenes. Anyways, is this the woman?" Giovanni once more turned the screen towards Ash.
The woman on the computer was so identical to Jessie that Ash almost said yes instinctively, but something held him back. Leaning closer for a better look, Ash spotted several subtle differences. The hair was a couple shades darker, and her eyes had more blue than green in them. But the likeness was still uncanny.
"…No." Ash said slowly. "She's very close in appearance, but that's not her."
"Hm…" Giovanni pondered, turning the screen back. "Jessebelle Lillis, known fiancé to James Lewis. Though it's rumored that he opposes it. I'm surprised though, from her appearance and name I'd have thought she'd be his partner."
"Maybe a relative?" Ash spoke up. "The resemblance is too uncanny for there not to be some kind of familial connection. The Jessie I met was almost identical, but her hair was a slightly brighter shade of red, and she had more green to her eyes. She also wore her hair in a long ponytail."
"We'll have to look into it." Giovanni said, typing on the keyboard for a minute before once again giving Ash his full attention. "That said, I wish to thank you Ash. If nothing else, we've identified someone who's likely one of their major backers."
"No need to thank me, sir." Ash said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I was just in the right place at the right time. If anything, I should be thanking you for saving me."
"Be that as it may, thanks to you we now have some very valuable information." Giovanni stood up. "And regardless of your feelings on the matter, I wish to offer you a reward as an official representative of the Indigo League."
"Th-There's really no need…" Ash began, before Giovanni interrupted him.
"There's plenty of need." Giovanni said firmly. "Because of you, a life was saved. And since Nurse Joy had contacted me to tell you that you were in the loop, I'll also mention that you prevented a powerful Pokémon from falling into Team Rocket's grasp. And finally, you positively identified someone who's likely a major backer, and gave us a lead on his partner to boot. You've earned a reward young man. Now stop arguing and just accept it."
"I…" Ash started, only to be stopped short by Giovanni's glare. "Yes sir."
"Excellent!" Giovanni said, as if he hadn't just strong-armed Ash into accepting a reward despite his protests. "I will give you three options. The first is the most basic, a substantial cash reward. The second would be more useful to a trainer like you, a small selection of TMs. Reusable, of course. The last, is a Pokémon. One I can guarantee will be useful to you. I shall say now, that the TMs and Pokémon will be of my choice. You'll have to take a gamble on them."
Ash was, to be honest, stunned by what Giovanni was offering. Cash, he had expected. It wasn't uncommon for trainers to be rewarded money for providing useful information to the League, though that was usually more in line with reporting dangerous Pokémon near habitated areas.
But TMs? Reusable ones at that? Those weren't cheap. And Giovanni was offering a selection of them. Granted, Ash wouldn't be able to choose them, but even if none of his current Pokémon could use them, that didn't mean a future capture couldn't. And that Pokémon…
Ash hadn't been particularly thrilled that his second Pokémon had been a gift, preferring to earn his Pokémon through battle. He had accepted it though, partially because Misty hadn't given him time to say no, and partially because Seels were powerful water types and would be useful against Brock. He didn't want to have his third Pokémon to be just given to him as well, but he also couldn't deny that any Pokémon given by a gym leader was likely to be strong.
"…So no hints on the TMs or Pokémon?" Ash asked Giovanni.
"Not even considering the cash, are you?" Giovanni laughed. "I knew you were a trainer to the core! As for your question, no hints. This one's a leap of faith."
Ash went quite as he pondered. Giovanni was correct when he said Ash hadn't even considered the cash option. While it would be useful, TMs were too useful to pass up. And while Giovanni had offered no hints on the Pokémon, it was likely to be powerful.
Ash was torn between the two. Potentially powering up his existing Pokémon? Or getting a potential powerhouse? Either way, as Giovanni said, it was a leap of faith.
"…I'll take the Pokémon." Ash said after a moment of hesitation.
"Oh? Mind explaining why?" Giovanni asked.
"I didn't know I had to defend my decision!" Ash said, going a bit on the defensive.
"Calm yourself young man, I'm just curious." Giovanni reassured Ash.
"I see. Well…" Ash close his eyes as he thought. "TMs would be incredibly useful. Reusable ones even more so. But there'd be no guarantee that I could even use any of them with my current team. And whatever Pokémon you decide to give me, I doubt it'd be something that would hinder my team. As the old saying goes, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. I'd rather a definite and useful addition to my team, than a potentially useful upgrade to my existing members."
"Sound reasoning." Giovanni agreed, walking around the desk to approach Ash. "Well thought out too, most people would go for the money or the TMs. Their loss though. And it just so happens that I have the Pokémon I wish to give you right here, so you don't have to wait in anticipation." Giovanni digs his hand into his pocket and withdraws a pokéball, reaching out and offering it to Ash.
"So, still no hints?" Ash asked, grabbing the pokéball.
"Well why don't you open it and see!" Giovanni laughed. "It'll fit in here, I assure you."
Ash grinned and tossed the pokéball into the air. From it emerged the familiar burst of crimson light that signified a release, but nothing came out. Ash looked around, but saw nothing except Giovanni's grinning face. Ash was about to accuse Giovanni of playing a prank on him, when ghoulish laughter filled the air. Wisps of purple appeared out of nowhere, coalescing into a ball. The purple wisps turned black as they condensed into an orb, though a miasma of purple still surrounded it. From the blackness, two holes appeared, white as bone and staring with an intensity that could pierce you to the core. A void appeared on the bottom of the orb, blacker than black, but with fangs as white as it eyes gleaming in the light of the office.
"Gastly!" The Pokémon screeched as it fully materialized.
"A… Gastly?" Ash asked, stunned. And for good reason too. Ghost types were hard to train, and only learned a few attack moves naturally. But through TMs and tutors, a ghost type was incredibly versatile. And even without them, its natural moveset could prove devastating. Confusing enemy Pokémon, causing paralysis and poison, inflicting curses, a properly train ghost type could take on Pokémon twice its strength and win.
"Indeed." Giovanni nodded. "Normally, I would offer a ground type as a reward as it IS my gym's specialty, but this one had come into my possession recently." Giovanni's expression instantly went stern and serious. "But be warned Ash, this Pokémon is as much a test as a reward."
"W-What do you mean sir?" Ash asked, confused by the sudden tone shift.
"I captured this Gastly two nights ago, after it blew up part of the gym." Giovanni revealed.
"W-What?!" Ash gasped, eyes darting to the Gastly, who grinned maliciously back at him. "How? Nothing a Gastly could learn should be able to do that! And besides, it's a Rocket Pokémon! Is it really safe to give out?!"
"To address your questions in reverse order," Giovanni began, holding up a hand to cut off Ash. "While this Gastly was indeed previously in the possession of Team Rocket, it hasn't received the typical brainwashing that their Pokémon receive. Its entrance is proof of that. I believe it was coerced into attacking the gym."
"I… I can accept that." Ash said, still a touch nervous but reassured at Giovanni's words. It was true, while the Gastly seemed to enjoy Ash's initial fear, it had done nothing but casually bounce in the air since its dramatic appearance. "But still, how could it blow up your gym? It doesn't learn any moves anywhere near that destructive!"
"It can learn one, and only through TM." Giovanni said. "Explosion."
Ash paled a bit. Explosion was incredibly powerful, as strong and destructive as a bomb. Only a handful of Pokémon could learn it naturally, and it was incredibly damaging to them. TMs of the incredibly destructive move did indeed exist, but were highly regulated and restricted to League personnel.
"To forestall any upcoming questions, we have no idea how they came across the TM to teach this Gastly explosion." Giovanni said, gazing at the ghost type as it grew bored hanging in the air and began to literally bounce off the walls, imitating a pinball. "Only 3 copies of that TM exist in Kanto. One is in the Silph Co. headquarters, guarded by obscene amounts of security. The second is secured in a hidden vault in the Indigo Plateau itself, and the third is carried by the Champion himself. Any of the three options are worrying, for reasons I assume you can fathom."
"Indeed, sir." Ash said, mind whirling at the implications. But he forced his mind to still, while Giovanni was telling him this, Ash still couldn't talk about it. This entire conversation was classified at a level that you had to be a gym leader, minimum, to talk about it.
"Good, now that that's out of the way, let us get to the meat of the discussion here." Giovanni's eyes followed the Gastly as it bounced around the room. "For all of the damage it can do, Explosion is a normal type move. Gastly, like all ghosts, are immune to normal type moves. Can you make the connection?"
Ash was confused for a second, before his eyes widened, and his gaze flickered from the Gastly to Giovanni. "I… But…" Ash sputtered as his mind stalled. "I can't accept this Gastly, sir!" The logic that Giovanni was hinting at appeared clear in Ash's mind. Gastly were immune to normal type moves. Explosion was a normal type move. The only reason most Pokémon who could use the move didn't, was because of the damage it did to the user. But if the Pokémon was immune to the power…
Gastly was a Pokémon who could use explosion at will, and suffer no harm from it.
"I already gave it to you." Giovanni said, a small grin quickly appearing over his stern features before it flitted away. "But that aside, this Gastly needs a trainer. With that move, we can't release it into the wild. I've already contacted the other gym leaders, and none of them will take it. Agatha is the final option, but she's in Unova at the moment, so I can't contact her. But you've already proven to be brave, as well as honest. I will grant you that it is still a gamble to leave it in your care, but I'm trusting my gut on this one."
Ash fingered the Gastly's pokéball nervously, before clutching it resolutely.
"I'll try not to let you down, sir." Ash said, looking Giovanni in the eyes.
"I know you won't." Giovanni said, reaching over and patting Ash on the shoulder. "Now then, Gastly is completely in your care. Train him as you will. But Explosion is restricted. No using it in battles, and you can only train it while under the direct supervision of a gym leader. The only other time you may use it is in extreme circumstances when your life is in danger. Do you understand?"
"Yes sir!" Ash said, nodding at Giovanni. "You have my word on that."
"Good!" Giovanni said, sternness melting away. "Now then, I believe it's time for you to go. Don't let me keep you from your journey any longer."
"One last thing sir." Ash said to Giovanni, before turning to the Gastly. "So Gastly, you've heard everything right? Are you ok joining my team?"
"Gastly…" The Pokémon moaned out, twisting its body from side to side.
"On the fence huh? I guess I can't blame you for that." Ash sighed. "But are you at least willing to work with me?"
"Gastly!" The Pokémon exclaimed, this time bouncing up and down.
"Excellent!" Ash said, relieved that the ghost type wasn't too resistant to the idea of being trained. "One last thing, would you like a nickname?"
"Gaaaastly." The Gastly groaned, before nodding its head.
Ash thought about it for a moment, before an idea struck. "Certain legends claim that ghost types come from some kind of dark abyss in between realities. I don't know if that's true, but I kind of like the sound of Abyss, how about you?"
"Ga-Gastly!" The Gastly said, bouncing up and down.
"Then Abyss it is!" Ash said. "I'm going to return you to your ball for now, but I'll let you out in a bit, ok?"
The Gastly, now named Abyss, said nothing this time, but nodded its consent.
"This has certainly been a day of surprises, but regardless of the circumstances it was nice to meet you sir." Ash said, returning Abyss as he faced Giovanni.
"Likewise." Giovanni said, holding out his hand, which Ash gladly took. With a firm shake, they parted as Giovanni made to sit back down at his desk and Ash made to leave. "I'll be keeping an eye on you young man, I hope to hear great things about you."
"I'll try not to disappoint!" Ash called back, opening the door and stepping through. He needed to stop by the Pokécenter one last time to grab his things, and by the Pokémart to redeem the voucher he had gotten from the Chief Jenny, but then it was on his way out of Viridian City, and off to Pewter City!
As Ash left through the door, Giovanni reached for his phone and pressed the button to connect him to the lobby. "Mara, Ash is leaving now. Please refrain from speaking to him, otherwise he might not leave until nightfall."
"You're no fun boss!" Mara's voice sounded through the intercom. "Just a little conversation?"
"No Mara. What he knows doesn't need to be spread around." Giovanni said firmly, before hanging up. He then pulled up the security cameras in the lobby, watching intensely from the second he spotted Ash. Thankfully, aside from a quick goodbye (there was audio as well), there was no interaction between Mara and Ash as he left the building.
Giovanni sighed in relief. Mara was indeed a capable secretary. Able to quickly and efficiently file paperwork, schedule his appointments, and manage the day-to-day running of the gym when he had to travel. She was also a high-ranking member of Team Rocket.
Giovanni hated holding such a viper so close to his breast, but it was necessary. His job, as given to him by the Champion himself, was to worm his way into Team Rocket as a benefactor. To provide them with information and resources in order to gain their trust, and in turn hopefully gain the information to one day take them down for good.
It was part of why he had been so generous to Ash, giving him a rare Pokémon with such a powerful move. It was Giovanni who had leaked that Lance's Dragonair would be at the Pokécenter, at Lance's own order. It was a huge gamble, but if this new intel panned out it would have been worth it. Thankfully, the explosions that rocked Viridian City had incurred no casualties. Many injuries, and plenty of destruction of course, but no deaths. And Giovanni made certain that all construction/medical bills were paid for by the League.
Despite the heavy weight on Giovanni's shoulders, today was a bright day. He had met a promising young trainer, and had gotten the identity of a high-level Team Rocket benefactor and agent. And a lead on another high-ranking agent.
"Hopefully with this, this game of cloak and dagger will end soon." Giovanni murmured to himself, closing his eyes as he allowed himself a brief moment to compose himself. With a sigh, he opend his eyes and straightened up. Time to summon Mara to his office, and continue this delicate game of information and misinformation. Giovanni allowed himself a small smile as an idle thought entered his head. "No rest for the wicked." Giovanni chuckled as he reached for his phone.
So, how did you like it? Good, bad? Let me know in the comments! Yes, I went for a Gastly. I initially wanted to give Ash a ground type, but I was going through my planned list and realized that almost all of Ash's current Pokémon and their evolutions along with the ones I planned on adding were specialists. Even with TMs, they could only learn one or two moves outside of their typing. Speaking of, did you know that damn near every Pokémon can learn Rain Dance and Sunny Day? I didn't. And it's useless for them as it apparently only exists to set up the terrain for another Pokémon. But yeah, I was going to give Ash Gastly anyways, but he needed a member with better versatility in his team. So he got it sooner. And I have plans for Explosion, but Ash isn't going to be spamming it to win battles. He can't anyway, not without the League cracking down on him. And as for Giovanni himself. Surprised? This was actually an idea given to me by a reviewer, a good guy Giovanni. But I associate Giovanni too closely to Team Rocket to untangle him from them completely, so now he has his secret job as a spy. Not much else to add, other than I really hated working on this chapter. Reading it over, it looks awkward as hell to me. But I honestly can't think of how to rework it without leaving out certain ideas I wanted included. One last thing before I move on to the review replies. The next chapter might not be for a while. I was on a roll with this and the last few chapters. But then my flow was interrupted when my laptop died. That's part of why this chapter was so awkward to write. I won't say it'll be a full year before I update again, but don't expect one for the next few weeks. Anyways, delays and lack of drive aside, here's the review replies!
Monxu Aki: Not much to respond to, but more of a shoutout. Thanks for giving me the idea for Giovanni! You also gave me another idea I'll implement later, but I don't want to spoil it for other readers.
Silverleone: Another that's more of a shoutout. I'm glad that some people actually check out the story recommendations I post! If I help any one of you find at least one more story to enjoy, I feel like I did my job well.
mermizle: I'm glad you're liking the idea of Ash having Ekans as a starter! I have, in fact, seen the idea done before though. It's what inspired me to start this story. I'm going to list it as my recommended story for this chapter.
And that's it! Haven't been getting many review lately, probably because of the short intervals in between the last few chapters. So like I mentioned earlier, next chapter likely won't be for a while as I search for my muse. But to tide you over, here's Misfits by A Wordsmith! As I mentioned in one of the review replies, this story is what inspired me to begin writing Et In Spiritum. This is one of the very few stories where Ash has an Ekans on his team, and the only other one besides my own where he has one as a starter. Sadly, it's no longer updating. The author didn't like the direction the story was going, and decided that reworking it wasn't feasible. Still though, it's an engaging read that I hope ya'll enjoy! Anyways, that's all. LordTicky, signing out for the time being. Hopefully I'll be back in a few weeks with a brand new chapter!