And, we're back! Thank you so much for waiting patiently for Another Road to update! At this point, we're trying to get back to updating somewhat regularly. We can't promise the on-the-dot schedule of every other Tuesday, as we have in the past, but we'll do our best! We sincerely hope you enjoy the upcoming Grand Festival Arc, and anything beyond. We hope to hear your thoughts in the review section, as always, and appreciate your patronage! Have fun!
"Pikachu was amazing!"
"He'll let me hold him, right?"
"Watch it, you'll get shocked if you're rough with him!"
"Duh, I know that!"
"Now, Suzie, Salvadore has a point," Brock interjected. "I don't think we all want to end up well-done. Pikachu's shocks have only gotten more potent over the years; am I right?"
"Chu," Pikachu nodded absently, his head tilted halfway back. He let out a low, constant purr as Brock ran a short, coarse brush over the fur on his back. Sitting in the doctor's lap on the couch, he hardly registered the several siblings looking to see him.
"G-good point," Suzie stuttered, suddenly not so keen on handling the electric mouse.
Brock chuckled. "Why don't you spend some time with Buneary? She's not busy, and she's just as cuddly as Pikachu!" Brock shot the normal type a smirk, fully aware she'd had her eyes on Pikachu for the last while.
Hearing her name, Buneary was pulled from her trance, crossing her arms to give Brock an indignant look. "Bun," she hissed under her breath. She was not daydreaming… this time. She'd actually been watching Brock's technique to understand what made her bolt-tailed beauty happy. It was productive!
Brock leaned past Pikachu, holding a hand past his mouth to hide the conversation from the distracted electric type. "From one hopeful heart to another, you're being pretty obvious. Just go play with the others!"
Buneary huffed. Well, she didn't want to seem desperate. Nodding to Brock gratefully, she hopped down from Dawn's lap, gracefully sticking her landing on the living room floor. She even added in a twirl! "Bun-Buneary!"
As Suzie and Salvador crowded around Buneary, admiring her lustrous coat and her Dizzy Punches, Dawn looked to Brock with a sense of awe. "You got her to change her tune so easily."
"Of course!" Brock boasted. "It takes a hopeful romantic to understand another."
"Pika?" Pikachu finally came back to reality, tilting his head. What had he missed…? Well, Ash was surrounded with the youngest of Brock's siblings. "Pikapi!" He abandoned Brock, running over to check on his trainer.
"Your siblings are a handful today," Misty remarked to Brock. "More so than usual."
"They're excited to see you all. And, while my father's here," Brock directed his eyes to Flint, who was leaning back into a recliner, half-heartedly telling the kids to give Ash some space, "my mother's off traveling again, and Forrest is busy with a Gym Battle…"
"Hey, everyone!"
The front door swung open, and naturally, Forrest stepped inside. Greeted with the chaotic scene that was their living room,,a bead of sweat ran down the teen's forehead. Poor Ash was being swarmed by his younger siblings.
"...Ash!" Forrest blurted out. That's right; he hadn't seen him since…!
"Hey, Forrest!" Ash beamed, taking the opportunity to set Tilly down. "It's been a while!"
"Yeah." Forrest nodded, approaching Ash. "I was meaning to tell you… the league…" Suddenly feeling awkward, he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Pretty awesome, right!? Ash grinned. "I told you guys that I'd win!"
"Yeah. Congratulations." Forrest eased, relieved that Ash had carried the conversation. That was when his attention turned to the Electric Mouse at Ash's feet. Forrest crouched down to level with him. "And, you! Pikachu, you were way too good." He gently pet Pikachu's cheek.
"Pika!" Pikachu cooed, leaning into Forrest's hand. He'd only done his best!
"So, Forrest," Brock interjected, "you finished your match?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah." Forrest looked to Brock, before a lightbulb went off in his head. "...I remember why I rushed home, now - you have to check out the museum! They've revived a rare pokemon fossil!"
"You're serious!?" Dawn gushed, leaping right out of her seat. She was grinning from ear to ear. "Oh, I wonder what pokemon it turned out to be!"
"It's a red Cranidos," Forrest explained. "Ash, Dawn, Misty, Brock, you wanna come?"
"You guys go ahead," Misty replied absently. "I'm going to stay here with the kiddos. Someone has to watch them."
"Ah, come on! You know I'm still here," Flint interjected.
"Thanks, Misty," Brock gave Misty a look of gratitude, and stood. "I'd love to see it! I'll come, too."
"You know I've gotta see!" Ash gushed, holding an arm out for his partner. "Right, Pikachu?"
"Pika!" Pikachu hopped onto Ash's arm, scaling his shoulder. "Pika-chu!" He'd love to!
Barely seconds passed before the two eldest siblings filtered out, with Ash, Dawn, and their pokemon in tow. They chattered excitedly on the path into town amongst themselves, not quite catching the faint creak of the front door barely opening behind them.
Excited chatter filled the room, many eager eyes upon just one pokemon - a creature that ignored its surroundings. Crandios grazed quietly on berries inside his grassy exhibit, scooping the fruit up with his beak.
"Look at that helmet! What a wonderful shade of red… to think that's its alternate coloring!" Dawn cooed, practically leaning over the railing to Cranidos' dwelling space.
"That's 'helmet' is actually its skull," a tour guide supplied, gesturing to an infograph hinged on the railing, where the pokemon's anatomy was explained. "They're as tough as iron, and are capable of bringing down trees in a single Headbutt!"
"Remember Roark's Rampardos?" Ash spoke to Pikachu, stationed on his shoulder, smiling with glee. "I bet he could've done that, no problem."
"Piiika." Pikachu agreed; he'd felt that power firsthand. This little one, however, looked so peaceful and unassuming…
"Without a doubt," Brock agreed, "from what I've read, Cranidos tend to compete by Headbutting one another. But, this guy's all on his own, so, who knows what he's capable of?"
"Not gonna lie," Forrest whispered, holding his hand up to limit his confession to his immediate group, "I'm here to try and butter up the scientists; see if I can talk them into letting me be its trainer."
"I"d love to have a cool-looking pokemon like that!" Dawn gushed.
"Bun-Buneary!" Buneary rocked on her heels, paws raised. She'd love to tussle with a pokemon with that kind of power!
"Same here," Ash agreed. "Maybe one day, I'll have my own fossil pokemon."
"I'll see what I can do to help," Brock replied, giving Forrest a fraternal pat on the shoulder. "My reputation can't be much, but maybe it'll tip them in the right direction."
"You're way too modest," Forrest deadpanned. He followed Brock's lead, leaving Ash, Dawn, and their pokemon on their own.
"Let's check some of the other stuff out!" Dawn suggested. "We can come back for Cranidos later; we might as well make the best of this!" Without waiting for even an answer, she started off, gesturing to her pokemon. "Come on, you two!"
"Yeah, sounds good," Ash had agreed absently. By the time he'd turned around…
"H-hey! Wait up!" Ash sputtered, running after Dawn and her team.
"Piii-kachu!"
~Don't ditch us!~ Rosa called out, sprinting ahead.
By the time that Rosa, Pikachu, and Ash caught up to Dawn, Empoleon, and Buneary, Dawn was deep in the cultural history part of the museum. Rosa approached Empoleon as he stared at ancient spears and shields.
"Empo…" He looked from his flipper to a sword, considering the metallic qualities of both.
Rosa likewise looked at her metal bits. It was much like armor! ~Wow! We really look like warriors!~
Empoleon trilled in agreement, high fiving her. "Emp!"
Meanwhile, Pikachu sat on a barrier, looking over a display full of antique pokeball models. Buneary hopped up with him, quietly considering them as well.
"Pika." He pointed to the plaque explaining them. "... Pika!" He realized there had once been a time when no pokemon had been captured in the balls! "Pikachu!"
Buneary tilted her head. "Bun…?" She shook her head, laughing and shrugging. She couldn't read!
Pikachu's ears perked up. She couldn't?! He scooted a little closer, pointing a finger at each word as he went. "Pika… Pikachu-chu. Pi-Pika." He was pretty good at reading, so he'd help her.
Ash and Dawn, meanwhile, were horribly lost. Dawn pulled at her hair. They had just watched a video explaining the revival process, but all she had gathered was that it was very difficult. They only had enough information to do a select few species.
"... Science sure is something," Ash finally settled on saying. "Wonder when they'll be able to revive new fossil pokemon…"
"Never? Or, soon." Dawn ruffled her hair. "Gah, I couldn't make heads or tails of what that said!" She slapped the screen a little. "Be clearer!"
The alarm blared.
"Ah! No, no, I didn't mean it!" Dawn hurriedly cried, trying to fix it.
However, the museum speakers began to play a message: "Attention, museum visitors! Please exit the facility. We are entering an emergency situation. A child has entered the Crandios's containment area!"
"What?!" Ash shouted. He nodded his head before dashing off. "C'mon, let's go!"
Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder as Rosa followed behind. Dawn scooped up Buneary before she and Empoleon followed, as well. As they reached the fencing around the Cranidos's pit-like enclosure, they saw Brock and Forrest. However, judging by Brock's horrified expression, something was very wrong.
"Suzie!" Brock shouted, fretting over what to do.
Forrest looked back. "There you are!" He began to quickly explain the situation, pointing. "Suzie somehow got down in here… They're trying to distract the Cranidos by throwing rocks to get it to look elsewhere, but it's trying to get at Suzie. She squeezed in between some rocks, but they won't hold up…" Forrest gripped a pokeball. "I'd send Onix down in there to help, but I'm scared she might get hurt in the battle."
Ash frowned. "Hm… Pikachu's pretty fast. If we both went in, we could-Dawn!"
Before they could finish with their plan, Dawn was jumping down in Empoleon's waiting arms, Buneary still in her own. She set Buneary down, waving her arm.
"Heeeey! Cranidos!"
"Dawn, no!" Forrest was fretting now, too. "What's she doing?!"
However, upon seeing that she was handling it, Ash actually relaxed. He rested an elbow on the enclosure fencing, waiting with Pikachu and Rosa. "She's got it. Trust me. If there's someone you want coming in after you for a rescue, it's Dawn. Let's just be ready to help if she needs it."
Brock recalled what Ash had said about their earlier adventure. He grunted. "... I hope you're right."
Meanwhile, in the pit, Dawn was disappointed to see that the Cranidos ignored them. She frowned. "Oh well… Empoleon, Buneary, both of you use Ice Beam on the ground! I want it like an ice rink in here!"
"Emp!"
"Bun!"
In short order, the ground was frozen over. Dawn grinned, beginning to jump up and down. "Now, let's make a real ruckus! Heeey, Crandios!"
"Emp, Emp, Empoleon!"
"Buneary, Buneary!"
That finally did it. The Cranidos turned around, snorting. Dawn went to stand behind Empoleon.
"Now, use Bide!" She looked down to Buneary. "Once it starts attacking Empoleon, you use Bounce to get Suzie out of here, okay?!"
"Buneary!"
Sure enough, Cranidos attacked Empoleon with a nasty Headbutt, making the steel type slide back a little. However, due to the ice on the ground, even when Cranidos slammed into Empoleon, he just slid backwards rather than really feeling the impact. Combined with Bide, the Headbutt was rendered nearly useless!
Buneary, meanwhile, used that opportunity to speedily slip across the ice, pulling Suzie out of her hiding space. While the rabbit wasn't as strong as Brock's Happiny, she was quite powerful. "Bun!" she said, hugging Suzie close.
"Huh? H-How're we gonna get oOOOUUT OF HERE!" Suzie clung to Buneary as the little rabbit lifted her up. She screamed again when the normal type used Bounce, getting them both of the enclosure.
"Bingo!" Dawn said as she was pushed back along with Empoleon. She clung to the steel type's back. "Alright, Empoleon, release that Bide and follow up with Steel Wing!"
The steel type crouched lower, a sly smile crossing his beak. He swung his wing, releasing the meager energy he'd gathered from letting Cranidos hit him with bide. He lifted Dawn onto his back, sliding onto his stomach to swipe Cranidos with Steel Wing. "Empo!"
"Great job!" Dawn cheered as the Cranidos went down. "Now… Get us out of here with Whirlpool." She stayed on his back, letting him surf up the Whirlpool.
As they touched down outside of the enclosure, Dawn saw everyone fretting over Suzie and Buneary. She smiled, quietly happy that her second-ever pokemon was getting the praise she deserved.
Buneary, meanwhile, looked between everyone. There was so much praise; it came from Brock, Forrest, Ash, Pikachu, the scientists, Suzie, and even just other visitors! Rather than getting shy, she smiled. She did good! She was a hero! Buneary smiled so wide her eyes shut. And, then, a white light suddenly enveloped her.
Dawn rushed over, gasping in surprise. "She's evolving!" As the light faded, she rushed to hug her new Lopunny. "Oh my gosh! You evolved!" Dawn paused. "Why did you evolve?"
"Lop. Lopunny Lop."
Rosa raised a paw. ~She said she realized she was very happy with herself, with just how things are. Helping others, focusing on her career.~
"Lopunny… Pun."
~Recently, she'd been wondering if she needed to change herself. But, she realized she's just fine the way she is. So… Uh, embracing it caused the change.~ Rosa laughed, scratching behind her ear with a paw.
Lopunny nodded, flicking an ear. She flexed her arm, grinning as she saw the muscle. "Puuuunny!"
~She said her new form's badass.~
"Rosa, language!" Brock chided.
Rosa stomped a foot. ~I'm just repeating what she said!~
Ash patted Rosa's head. "Well, let's just leave it be for now. Suzie's safe and Lopunny evolved. I say this calls for a celebration. Brock, why don't you cook us dinner?"
Brock raised a brow. "... You know what, fair. Yeah, let's head back.
The path from the museum to the house behind Pewter gym was well worn. Carrying Suzie on his shoulders, Brock led the way.
Forrest, meanwhile, tossed the pokeball between his hands. In the end, the scientists had agreed that a gym leader would be the best person to raise such a temperamental pokemon. However, as he recalled how much Suzie had admired the rock type (enough to slip away from Misty's watch), he hummed.
"Hey. Suzie."
"Yeah, Forrest?" she asked, looking down from her perch on Brock's shoulders.
"I was thinking… You've still got a few years before you start your journey, but, if you want, I can raise this Cranidos to be a good starter for you. Would you like that?" Forrest looked up at her, not sure if he wanted her to be grateful or decline his offer.
Suzie gasped. "Really?! You'd let it be my starter?!"
Forrest shrugged. "Yeah, sure. You liked it."
She giggled. "That's the best! Thank you, Forrest." Suzie snuggled against Brock's head, grinning to herself. "My starter's gonna be so cool…!"
While Forrest sighed, Brock reached over, ruffling Forrest's hair.
"That's part of being a big brother, kiddo. I hope it's less stressful for you than it was for me, though. You're doin' good."
Behind the Pewter-based family, Dawn was continually admiring Lopunny's new form while Lopunny kept flexing to show off her new muscles.
"Oh, man, I'm definitely going to have to remake your vest. But, look at how strong your legs are, now! You could probably kick down a building! And, your arms!" Dawn danced in place. "Lopunny, you're just the coolest ever now! I'm so proud of you!"
~The coolest ever, huh…~ Rosa looked off, a little jealous. ~I dunno about that. I think I could still take her.~
Lopunny's ear twitched. She walked to Rosa's side, grinning. "Lopunny Lop?"
Rosa grinned, raising a fist. ~Papa, can we have a quick sparring match? Right here?~
"Right here?" Ash frowned. "Rosa, Lopunny, are you two seriously gonna battle right now? Why don't we wait until we-whoa!" Ash ducked as Rosa jumped back over his head, barely avoiding Lopunny's Dizzy Punch. The attack had left a crater in the ground. "What?! That kinda power boost?! Really?!
~Now, this'll be a challenge!~ Rosa readied her Bone Rush. ~Ready or not, Lopunny! Here I come!~
Dawn stood idly by, waiting for Ash to crawl over to where she was waiting by Empoleon, Pikachu on top of the steel type's head. She recalled the battle the two had as Riolu and Buneary. "Huh… I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same." She chuckled. "I don't think I'd have it any other way."
