Chapter 29: Home Again
A/N: Review replies and the like. Read & review if you fancy. Alfa19
WyldClaw: I'm genuinely confused about whether your latest review was meant to be about chapter 2 or if it was supposed to be on a later chapter because your Ch 1 review was over three years ago. Appreciate it nonetheless.
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I opened my eyes just a little, squinting as sunlight poured in the window. Rolling over in bed, I turned to look at the clock, glinting at the red numbers on the digital display. Eight in the morning. Sighing, I rolled over again and tried to stick my head under the covers and go back to sleep. To my luck, it so happened that Typhlosion had noticed I was awake and gotten up from his Pokemon bed.
I opened my eyes again to see the fire type standing on its hind legs and looking at me expectantly.
"Alright, alright." I groaned and slowly heaved myself up until I was sitting, waiting for another few moments before I got out of bed. I tugged the bedsheets straight and folded the blanket, laying at the end of the bed so that I wouldn't have to make my bed later.
I brushed my teeth and shaved, and with a quick splash of cold water, my eyes were a little red. Putting on a pair of slippers I made my way down the stairs as Typhlosion bounded down behind me. I went to the kitchen and pulled out what had been Typhlosion's old bowl as a Cyndaquil, smiling at the memory of buying it. Taking a bag of Pokemon food out from behind it, I filled it up and put it down by Typhlosion.
I flipped a switch on the electric kettle, letting the water boil as I put coffee mix into a cup. Setting it down on the kitchen counter, I walked over to the lounge, straightening the throw cushions and the board game lying on the floor in front of the couch. Fixing things up so that my mother wouldn't have to, I grabbed the remote and flipped on the news, heading back over to the island counter so I could fill Typhlosion's bowl with water and make my coffee.
Sitting down, I inhaled the scent from my mug and looked over at the TV, watching the headlines run.
"To the point as always. Back to you Will." The scene flipped to an image of a peaceful looking town with a river running through the middle and a thick tree line visible in the distance. The camera was focusing on a familiar structure, with pale yellow walls and brown tiling on the roof. Wide windows were on the sides of the plain glass doors, showing the lobby with a few people milling about it in, and the wide-open space behind it.
"Reporting live from the Viridian City Gym, we're here with Gym Leader Blue Oak to talk about the upcoming Silver League Conference! Blue, what can you tell us about the field for this year's Silver Conference?"
The man standing across from the interviewer was average height with a thin build, but unlike most people he stood straight rather than slouching at all. His auburn brown hair was mostly brushed up in a spiky mess, falling over his pale face a bit. Wearing a thick black jacket with a white over turned collar, he seemed fairly comfortable out in the cold compared to the reporter.
"Well, it's a little bit soon for that Will. Registration isn't even over yet!" Blue grinned, looking at the reporter. "We're barely into February, and registration runs till the end of March! That's a reminder in case you're watching this and forgot when it is!" Blue turned towards the camera, pointing a finger at it with a broad grin.
"Well, what do you think you can tell us about it as it is Blue? Maybe from a sense of the trainers coming by your gym?" The reporter fixed his blond hair, shuffling in the snow as he shivered slightly.
"Hm… That's a fair point. There are a lot of trainers who want to prep for the Silver Conference coming by to get in a good battle, and I think we'll see a fantastic turnout in May when we get to the Conference." Blue nodded to himself as he answered the question, looking back at the reporter.
"That's great to hear from none less than the Viridian City Gym Leader! We'll be back to hear from your closer to August's Indigo League Conference! Thank you for your time Blue. Back to the studio!"
"Thanks Will! That was Blue Oak, live from the Viridian City Gym! You heard the Gym Leader folks, registration for the Silver Conference runs until the end of March! Get to the Indigo City and register to participate!"
"That's us pal." I grinned, scratching Typhlosion's head as I watched the newscast on the TV. "Silver Conference registration…"
Typhlosion perked up, looking at the TV keenly as we watched the morning news run over recent events around the region.
"We have to be at the Vermillion ports to leave on the twenty second of February, so we should probably leave here around the twelfth or so. That way we have time to travel to Indigo City and register, then stop in Pewter and make our way south to Vermillion."
The fire type sat back down, chewing at the scraps of the food in the bowl.
"You want more?" I smiled as the fire type looked at me, then the bowl, then me again. I pulled the bag out again and half filled the bowl again, ruffling Typhlosion's fur.
"And now, Joseph Brown reporting on Team Rocket, live from Celadon City."
My eyes jumped up to the screen as the broadcast cut to the gardenlike city near the west of Kanto. The blond reporter was standing outside the bright purple building with gold supports and lights all around it that housed the Celadon Game Corner.
"Thanks John. We're live from the Celadon City Game Corner, an operation which once housed and masked the base of Team Rocket's criminal organization. The underground floors of this establishment, listed for storage and office uses back in 2012, were just that, but the stored materials included weapons, stolen Pokemon, cash reserves and documents on all of Team Rocket's targets. The offices inside housed money laundering schemes and smuggling logistics operations, rather than the offices of the Game Corner."
I poured myself a bowl of cereal and milk as I continued to watch, but the spoon never reached my mouth as I focused on the reports on the TV.
"While the Game Corner offices have been cleared out since and investigations are still ongoing, Team Rocket agents have been arrested in the vicinity and in the Celadon underground tunnels. Police officials are probing into the possibility that there are alternate exits in the main complex which may house further materials and may have facilitated the escape of high-ranking Rocket officials. More to come soon from the Celadon Police."
I clenched the spoon in my hand as the weather came on the news, predicting a cold week all across Johto. Typhlosion patted my leg with his paw, startling me with the surprisingly human gesture. I reached down and scratched behind his ears with a small smile.
"You're up early." Lucy came down the stairs, the sound of her red, fluffy slippers loud on the creaking wood.
"Meh." I shrugged, finishing my bowl of cereal and cleaning up Typhlosion's bowl.
"Lovely. Anyway, how long are you thinking of being here for?" She picked out her own mug and set the kettle going again with a glance at the TV.
"Probably close to two weeks. I need to be in Vermillion in three, and I have some things to get done before then."
"What do you need to get done at this point? You already beat eight gyms…" Lucy raised an eyebrow as she mixed her coffee, sitting down next to me.
"Well, I have to actually go and register for the Conference out in Indigo City, and while I could just fly there, I'm doing this right. Tohjo falls, then Victory Road. After that I've got an errand to run in Pewter City, and then I'll go to Vermillion and set sail for Hoenn again."
"What boat even goes to Hoenn? That's far!" Lucy looked at me suspiciously as she raised her mug to her lips with both hands.
"I'm serving on Drake's ship. From the Hoenn Elite Four."
"Isn't that treason?"
"… I don't think so?" I picked my next words carefully to avoid getting into an even deeper mess than I already was. "The league is aware of this, and I don't think it should get in the way of anything. Kind of like the foreign training Ace Trainers do on loan to other regions."
"Well. Good for you." Lily came running down the stairs as Lucy replied, running halfway to us before Lucy stopped her sternly. "Go take a warm bath and put on warm clothes Lily! Otherwise you can't go outside today. It's too cold."
Sheepishly, the younger girl slunk back up the stairs, disappearing from view.
"Wow. When did you take over?" I looked over at Lucy with a bemused grin.
"I haven't put as much into helping raise Lily since I moved to Unova, and it's kind of hit me that I should when she and mom were over with me." She admitted, shaking her head. "You've taught her a lot of good habits. A few small bad ones, but mostly good."
"Oh. Thanks." I put my dishes in the sink and sat down again. "Hey, I know we haven't talked a lot recently, but how have you actually been? How are things over in Nimbasa?"
"Oh. Well, things are decent. The turmoil didn't exactly reach there. It's been fine. I think I might step down from the runway myself soon and start directing, or working in consulting for the agencies and the brands."
"That's big. What's driving it though? You've loved modeling these past few years."
"Yeah, but I can't do it forever." Lucy shrugged.
"What's the rush though? I'm not against your planning, that's great, but I didn't expect you to switch so soon."
"I don't know." Lucy looked over at me before sighing. "People are moving forward, and I'm kind of thinking I want to move on too now. You're on the up with training, and Elesa's about to become the next Gym Leader of Nimbasa."
"That girl you introduced me to way back last year?" I raised an eyebrow, looking at her skeptically.
"Yeah, she kind of forewent the typical journeying part of training and went under the tutelage of the Gym before she was even training. She's got a level head, and she's got political clout. She'll be running the city soon."
"Look. I know you'll do well running the show, you've got the same potential to make it far. You'll make it happen." I gave her a pat on the back before moving over to the couch as our mother stepped out of her room, her hair wrapped in a towel.
"Oh, you two are up early!" She looked over at us in surprise.
"Yep. Lily's getting dressed." Lucy replied, gesturing to the staircase.
"Oh. My. Well then. What are you thinking of doing today?"
"No clue." Lucy replied, turning back to the cabinets to pull a frying pan out.
"I might go over to Professor Elm's lab and see if there's a way I can have all of my Pokemon out for a bit. Maybe you can get a brief introduction to the team."
"That sounds nice." My mother walked over to the counter where Lucy had started making breakfast as Lily ran down the stairs again, this time properly dressed in winter clothes.
"There you go Lily. Much better."
"Ethan, could you check the mail?"
"Yeah, one second." I slid off my seat and stepped out the door opening the mailbox outside and extracting the few items that were inside. Bringing them in, I deposited the stack on the table and sat back down, watching the TV without any real focus.
The majority of the morning passed in random conversation as we all hung around the house. Evidently it was a Saturday, so there didn't seem to be much work for mom to be taking caring of work, and Lucy had just come home last night as it was.
"I'm going to go to Professor Elm's. I'll be back in time for lunch. Do you need anything from the store?" I stretched my arms out, taking care not to hit anything.
"Could you pick up a loaf of bread and a carton of milk? I think we've got everything else dear." My mother checked the wall clock briefly, watching as both needles landed on twelve.
"Alright. See you in a bit. Typhlosion, come on." I opened the door and let him scamper out ahead of me as we started our walk to the Elm Lab on the other side of town, enjoying the cold crisp air. It had snowed a tiny bit the night before, and the ground was on the slicker side so I was moving a little slower than I had wanted to.
Running a hand over my belt, I felt the six pokeballs firmly clipped to it. The egg was in my room at home right now, resting peacefully where no one would disturb it. I looked up at the large two story farm house as we approached, taking in the sight of the limewashed walls where I had effectively become a trainer.
"Come on Typhlosion, let's head inside." I opened the door and stepped into the waiting area, looking around to see if anyone was there. One or two people were busy in the back of the lab, and all the way in I could make out Elm typing away at the console of some massive machine.
"Excuse me, are you looking for someone?"
I jumped as the receptionist spoke up from behind a small desk tucked into the corner of the room.
"Oh hi, sorry, I was looking for Professor Elm." I scratched the back of my head sheepishly as she looked at me with a cross glare.
"What's your name?"
"Ethan Photon."
"Alright. Wait here." She quickly got up and went into the lab spaces, making her way to the back. I stood there with Typhlosion, looking around. A few bookshelves made a makeshift wall between the small reception area and the lab spaces, filled with thick, heavy books with scientific sounding titles.
"The professor will see you." She emerged from the lab and gestured down to the computer where he was standing, pointing all the way down the room. "Why I don't know…"
The last part was more mumbled to herself, but nonetheless, I gave her an odd look before walking down through the lab with Typhlosion and approaching the man sitting in the deepest part.
"Professor Elm, hi."
"Ethan! Good to see you back! Typhlosion has certainly grown up hasn't he." The reedy, brown haired man smiled, turning around and stepping away from his workstation.
"Yeah, it's been quite the journey."
"I'm glad to hear it. So. What can I do for you?" He clapped his hands together and smiled brightly, adjusting his glasses.
"Well, I was wondering if there was a way I could have more than six of my Pokemon out at once while I'm at home?" I folded my arms as I spoke.
"Well, I can write you a permit for that and run it through the lab PC. You'd be able to withdraw them, but those permits are only valid for a day at a time, so you'd be expected to come here and put them away in the evening." Elm frowned and scratched his chin, thinking hard. "The only other ways you could get an exception for that would be from the league. It gets difficult to regulate it otherwise."
"Would it be possible for you to write the permit for a day?" I asked, waiting patiently.
"I'd be happy to, but it can't be for today or tomorrow. The paperwork has to be filed, and its currently a weekend as it is. I'll put it through first thing Monday."
"Thank you Professor."
"Of course Ethan. I know I've been the source of some difficulty for you in the past with Feraligatr, and I can't express how sorry I am that it had to go that way." The professor's tone softened as made a note and put it on his desk.
I stopped for a moment as my smile fell a little with the reminder. I sighed internally before looking him in the eye and replying.
"I understand professor. It wasn't your decision, but you were the one given the job anyway. I can't hold it against you." I admitted. It didn't alleviate all the weight of having parted with Feraligatr, but it was something. "How is he doing these days? Is he here?"
"He's out on an aquatic preservation, living in his natural habitat with others of his kind. I've heard he's been a positive contributor to the ecosystem there."
I smiled a little at the thought of Feraligatr rounding up a bunch of Totodile or Croconaw and teaching them how to do things, or shepherding them places.
"That's good to hear."
"You know Ethan, I think Professor Oak might be able to grant you a longer exception, or help you work around some of the location restrictions. He's out north of Cherrygrove right now, visiting an old colleague of his and egg expert known as Mr. Pokemon."
"You think so?" I raised an eyebrow as Typhlosion perked up.
"I need to send him some files as is, and I'm happy to write you a letter of introduction and forward my permit request to him if you want to head out there and meet him. I think it would probably be beneficial for you to meet him anyway." Elm shuffled through the papers on his desk, pulling out a thick manila folder stuffed to the brim with documents. "Would you be okay with going out there and taking this to him?"
'Well… It would be pretty cool to meet Professor Oak, and I could just fly there and be back tonight…'
"Alright. If you let them know, I can fly there after lunch." I nodded, looking at Elm with a smile.
"Oh fantastic. I'll let them know and prepare the packet to send there. Could you head out around two?"
"That sounds doable." Cherrygrove City wasn't particularly far, and Knight was fast. If I suited up properly, we could fly rapidly and make our way there.
"Alright, I'll have everything ready." Elm waved as I nodded and turned to leave.
Once we were out, I went on with Typhlosion and stopped by the store, remembering mom's groceries. I recalled the fire type and stepped through the doors.
"Hey Sal, how's it going?" I smiled at the hefty man standing behind the counter talking to the cashier.
"Ethan! Things are moving along. Same old same old. Can't complain." Sal stepped out from the counter, walking over to me and clapping me on the back. "How's our star trainer doing?"
"Star trainer?" I looked up at him quizzically. I had no doubts about my own abilities, but I didn't exactly talk about it….
"Oh sure, Lucy was telling me you got eight badges and you're going to the Silver Conference. She said you even beat the Blackthorn Gym! And your mother's terribly proud of you too!"
"Oh thanks!" I tilted my head to the side and smiled.
"Sure! We're super proud out here to see you go and show the world what New Bark Town can do."
"We'll show them out there. May can't come soon enough." I grinned and met Sal's outstretched hand for a high five.
"Alright Ethan! Take care!" Sal walked off to the back of the store, leaving me to wander down the familiar aisle and pick out the usual brands. I paid for the milk and bread, making my way home quickly.
Getting back to the house, I put the groceries away in the fridge before walking up to my room to get my suit together and check on the egg container.
"Ethan! Lunch is ready!" I heard my mother's voice from downstairs, so I quickly put a few things aside and went downstairs again, laying out the dishes as Lucy walked in with Lily.
Within a few moments, Lucy and Lily were at the table again. It looked like Lucy had been playing a lot with Lily and with Phloe. Strands of the older Typhlosion's fur were stuck to the side of Lily's sweater, the navy standing out against her red sweater.
"So, I've got to run an errand for professor elm after lunch, but I should be back quickly. I'm just going to fly over to Cherrygrove City for an hour or so and then head back." I cut a piece of the fish on the table and put it in my plate, making a few more pieces for everyone else to take easily.
"Oh, you're flying now?" Lucy asked.
"Yeah, I'm flying. Been flying for a while." I raised an eyebrow in return, looking at her.
"So, you'll be back in time for dinner?" Mom asked, catching my attention.
"For sure. It shouldn't take more than an hour to fly there and back." I nodded as Lily perked up in her seat.
"Can I fly with you?" She asked excitedly, looking at me.
"I don't have a saddle that fits two people Lily, but I can try and get one for another time." I looked at her slightly crestfallen face. "How about we play some games after lunch? I don't have to go for a while."
"Okay!"
Soon we were done with lunch, and while Mom and Lucy went off to their rooms to take care of a little work, I sat down on the floor in the lounge, putting together a board game with Lily.
"All right, let's play some games." I smiled and pulled eight scrabble tiles out of the bag, putting them in the small holder on my side.
"Alright, I've learned a lot of big words!" Lily reached into the bag excitedly, pulling out a bunch of tiles and putting them in place before frowning. "Oh. This is hard. Can you help me?"
"Okay." I laughed, beckoning her over. "Come over here and we can look for words together."
Lily put her tiles next to mine and scooted over, sitting next to me. I wrapped her in an Ursaring hug and looked over at her tiles as she giggled.
"Well, there's you can right axis with this." I put the letters in place carefully as Lily squinted at them before looking up at me.
"What's an axis?"
"An axis can be a few different things, but one of them is the line something spins around."
"Like what?" Lily frowned, looking at me confusedly.
"Well, if I take a pokeball like this one" I removed one from my belt and spun it on my finger. "The axis is like a line from the top to the bottom when it's spinning."
"Ohhhhh. I think I get it." Lily looked back at the word. "Axis. Neat."
I pulled my phone out of my pocket as it started buzzing, checking the screen. A familiar name occupied the display, with the option to accept the video call below it.
"Hey Blake." I smiled as I accepted the call and turned on my camera, pointing it at my face.
"Hi Ethan, you sleep alright?" Blake seemed to be in her room in a house I didn't recognize, sitting on her bed.
"Yeah, I think so. It's nice to be home." I pulled Lily over, showing her the camera as she half covered her face. "Blake, this is my little sister Lily. Lily, this is Blake, my girlfriend."
"You have a girlfriend!" Lily whispered, lowering the pillow from in front of her face and looking at me with wide eyes.
"No telling mom or Lucy, I want to tell them myself tonight." I looked at Lily until she nodded solemnly, before bursting into giggles.
"Aw." Blake smiled, looking at me through the camera as I refocused it on myself. "What are you doing today?"
"I've got to fly to Cherrygrove City nearby to run an errand, so mostly just that. I'll leave in a bit."
"Alright. Well I just wanted to say hi before I go to bed, so have a safe trip." Blake blew a kiss over the camera with a wave.
"Have a good night. I'll talk to you soon." I smiled and waved as she ended the brief call, before I turned to Lily again.
"I'm serious, I want to tell mom and Lucy myself tonight, so try and keep it to yourself for a few hours?" I gave her a mock stern look as she giggled again and nodded before clasping her hands over her mouth. "Alright, let's get back to this game."
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I slipped on my flight suit jacket and put the egg container in my pack, shouldering the entire thing before I headed downstairs and out.
"What is that suit?" Lucy looked at me with an eyebrow raised.
"It's for when you need to fly really fast." I replied, looking around for our mother. "Mom! I'm going! I'll be back in a few hours!"
"Be safe dear!"
I shut the door behind me and made my way to Elm's lab, walking across the town swiftly. Professor Elm stepped out the door with a packet in his hands as I approached the building, walking up to him and looking at it.
"Here, this is all for Professor Oak, and you can just tell Jeff, err Mr. Pokemon, that I said hi." Elm handed me a thick manila envelope which seemed like it contained the entire folder he had been handling earlier, and then some.
Nodding, I slipped it into my pack, checking that the egg container was secured in there as well.
"Alright Professor Elm. I'll be back by evening." I picked Knight's pokeball off my belt and released her, saddle and all.
The great orange dragon formed out of a glowing, white stream of energy pouring out the pokeball. Easily over seven foot, he towered over the both of us, antennae feeling the air as he waved happily at Professor Elm and patted my head.
"If this is the kind of progress you've made with your Pokemon since you left New Bark Town, I would really love to see the rest of your team." Elm raised an eyebrow before waving and heading back inside.
"Alright girl, let's head out." I swung myself into the saddle atop his back and strapped my legs in, hands on his back as he readied to go. "We're going fast so that we can come back by evening."
Knight crooned, lowering the front of his body and pushing his legs into the ground before rocketing off with a mighty shove from his haunches.
"Woooohoooo!" I couldn't resist the joyous yelp as we took to the skies, rising up. New Bark Town came into view below us as we rose higher and higher, trying to reach a point where we wouldn't disturb local wildlife, neither in the air nor on the ground.
"Alright, let's head west." I mumbled to myself as I fixed my goggles, gently guiding Knight with my hands so that we flew almost directly over the path from New Bark Town to Cherrygrove City.
The path beneath us was familiar, and it seemed like only yesterday that I had been walking down it with Lucario and Typhlosion on my way back to New Bark Town. My eyes fell upon the gatehouse to Route forty-six in the distance, and I realized with a start that it was only yesterday. Looking around, I could see the empty patch where I had sat while Typhlosion practiced Sunny Day, bringing warmth to the day and the surroundings.
'So, Professor Elm has stuff to deliver to Professor Oak, and Oak might be able to give me a permit to have my Pokemon out for longer than a day. And Mr. Pokemon… Well, I have no clue who that is, but maybe he's a retired researcher? This will be interesting.'
From what Professor Elm had told me, it seemed that I had to fly north from Cherrygrove City, up along Route thirty, until I reached the northern end, and I would find the house there. Despite the fact that it was out in the middle of a route, the professor had assured me that it was a completely normal place, exactly as I might expect another house in New Bark to look.
Knight's speed carried us over route twenty-nine in half an hour, emerging out over Cherrygrove City. The city limits spread west to a beach in the distance, but much of the ocean and the tide was blocked by a rough line of jagged rocks and boulders jutting out of the water. The natural structure formed a boundary with calm water inside it, stretching to the beaches of Cherrygrove and lapping gently against the sand as the stone weathered the heavy waves.
The city itself was a little bit more modern and open that New Bark Town, perhaps by virtue of the fact that it wasn't surrounded on all sides by woods. Guiding Knight gently, I turned towards the north, following the beaten path from above.
Route thirty wasn't one I was familiar with, given I had simply hopped over to Violet City thanks to my dear sister, but if I remembered correctly, I had emerged at the northern end of it from the Dark Cave a week or so ago when I had gotten lost, emerging at the intersection of route thirty and thirty-one.
A rainstorm broke out from above us as we flew, drenching us in the pouring rain. The route below us was a rough uphill trek, and I could see water pouring down it in streams. Trying to traverse it on the ground wasn't ideal in this kind of weather either. I reached into the side of my bag and carefully extracted the breathing mask that had come with the suit, one similar to the mask I had used on Mount Silver.
It looked like it was designed for high speeds, and it covered much more of my face, but the technology looked familiar. Fixing it on, I guided Knight to fly up, rising into the storm. There didn't seem to be any lightning in the clouds, and I prayed that it wasn't about to start as rain poured down on us, soaking my hair. I closed my eyes instinctively as we punctured the cloud layer, flying blind for a moment until we emerged on the other side.
Knight kept rising for a moment, before course correcting and gliding on. I opened my eyes behind the goggles and gasped as I looked. I almost wanted to laugh as the mask's fan system whirred along with my gasping breath. The sky above us was clear and blue, the sun shining off to the west as we continued to fly. Beneath us clouds blanketed the sky as far as the eye could see. A few patches of fluffy white were scattered amongst the dark grey swirls producing the downpour, but the sight was amazing nonetheless. I could see Violet City in the distance, Sprout Tower visible through a gap in the clouds.
"This is amazing." I shouted into the wind, holding on as Knight picked up speed, gliding with minimal effort. He crooned gently and almost inaudibly as we continued on over the clouds, until he plunged back through after about ten minutes.
I put a hand up to my left ear as a dull pain coursed through my head, struggling to focus as Knight lowered us back into the rain above route thirty. I cast a glance around, spotting a small house in the distance with a brown tiled roof, tucked into a corner in the mountainous walls and sheltered by an almost complete tree line.
Using the one hand, I guided Knight towards the building, slowly setting down on rain-soaked earth outside it and recalling the dragon. With one hand I knocked on the door, the other still clasping the side of my head.
A moment passed before a man opened the door. He stood an inch shorter than me, with grey hair parted down the middle and extending over his ears. He wore grey trousers and a white shirt, with a grey and red sweater vest over it. he seemed surprised to see me standing there, judging by the way his bristly gray mustache moved.
"Hi, Professor Elm sent me here to deliver papers to professor Oak." I extended my hand as the older man's eyebrows raised and a look of recognition formed on his face before he stepped aside and gestured to the hallway.
"Come in come in, please do step out of this horrible weather." I stepped into the hallway gratefully, pulling off my jacket as he handed me a hanger, gesturing to the coat closet. "Come this way."
I followed him in and entered a spacious, warmly lit living room with a fire crackling in the hearth and the news flickering on the TV. Sitting at the counter was another older man, with sandy hair with a decent amount of gray mixed into it. A hard, squarish jaw complimented the short haircut, along with kind, dark eyes. Khaki trousers and a red sweater went with a white shirt as he sat and stirred a cup of tea, looking up in surprise at the two of us.
"Are you alright my boy? You seem to be in pain." The first man looked at me with concern.
"Just a little headache from the flight here." I smiled weakly, sitting down on a wooden chair.
"Altitude sickness." The second man shook his head. "You should keep in mind that rising and descending far very quickly will do that to you. Here. Have a cup of tea, and let it settle down."
I gratefully accepted the china cup and set it down on the table, stirring it slowly.
"My name is Jefferson Brooks, although your colleague Johnston, that is Professor Elm, might have introduced me to you as 'Mr. Pokemon.'" The first man laughed lightly, sitting down and picking up a cup himself.
"Ah, yes he did call you that. My name's Ethan Photon. I'm from New Bark Town and I'm here to deliver a package to Professor Oak from Professor Elm." I frowned internally as I realized I hadn't really known Professor Elm's first name. He was just the Professor, or Professor Elm to everyone in New Bark.
"That would be me. Samuel Oak. Thank you for coming here in this weather my boy." Professor Oak sat up and stretched out a hand, which I shook firmly, before sitting down and picking up his cup of tea.
"Good to meet your Professor." I reached into my bag and pulled out the thick envelope, handing it over to the Professor across the table. To my relief, no water had leaked into the bag, and everything was still dry, including the packet and the egg container.
"Oh, you're raising an egg. How wonderful!" Mr. Pokemon clapped his hands together, leaning forward to look at it.
"Yeah, I can't wait to see what hatches from it and welcome a new member to the family." I smiled and removed it from my bag, placing it on the table so I could look at the temperature gauge.
"Oh, you mean you don't know what will hatch from it?" Mr. Pokemon seemed quite surprised, looking at me with raised eyebrows.
"I've had a few chances to find out, but I kind of decided I'd rather be getting a surprise and just let the egg hatch." I explained, scrutinizing the gauge. "Would you mind if I briefly bring out a Pokemon to stoke the heat in the container?"
"Of course, of course."
I picked Typhlosion's pokeball and carefully released it next to me, leaning down to scratch his head.
"Hey there buddy, can you warm up the egg?" I lowered the flap and Typhlosion carefully warmed up the inside of the heat compartment with a little fire, well used to it by now as Professor Oak looked on. "Thanks."
Typhlosion padded up to Oak, looking at him for a moment as he stood on his hind legs before stretching out a paw. Oak looked at Typhlosion with just as much surprise as I did, before smiling and accepting the paw handshake quickly.
"Well it looks like you've raised Typhlosion very well." Oak gave me a slight smile before returning to the packet I had handed him as he sipped his tea.
"Well I won't give away what Pokemon you'll be welcoming, but would you like to know when you should be expecting it? Eggs have been something of a specialty of mine." Mr. Pokemon sat down, brewing a cup of tea for himself as he waited.
"That would be great. I'm happy to know that." I handed the container over to him, watching as he carefully inspected it through the glass, looking at the marks and the texture of the shell without removing it from its incubation.
"I would expect it to hatch in around fifteen days." Mr. Pokemon handed it back to me, letting me carefully put the container in my bag.
"So Ethan, Professor Elm did mention your progress to me when he called ahead. He mentioned that you will be taking part in this year's Silver Conference." Professor Oak looked up at me from his alternating pattern of examining Typhlosion who was sitting patiently, and sifting through the contents of the package.
"Yes, I'll be heading to the Indigo Plateau to register soon." I smiled, thinking about the upcoming challenge.
"Do you have any plans to travel in Kanto?" Typhlosion walked over to me, sitting by my side again.
"I'll head through the plateau gatehouse and go to Viridian City. I need to check up on something in Pewter City and then I'll head to Vermillion briefly before I have to head out to Hoenn for a bit. I'm not quite sure what I'll be doing after the conference yet. We'll have to see what direction that takes."
"I must admit, I have heard of some of your exploits." Oak had put on a pair of reading glasses, which he slowly lowered off the bridge of his nose.
"Oh." I looked up at him, a little bit surprised.
"I advise the Indigo League on many matters, some of which you've been involved in." Oak's look was indecipherable as he scrutinized me, having set the papers down. "Taking on Team Rocket, trailblazing through the Johtan gyms, serving aboard the H.S. Katherine. None of these are small feats."
"Thank you, sir, but I've just tried to do my best throughout my journey."
"Mount Silver must have been something else." Oak replied dryly as I froze, looking at him carefully. "I've studied Pokemon for many years Ethan, and there are many amazing species of Pokemon out there. In fact, some of the species you were studying played major roles in the events of the Silph Co Tower three years ago."
"I… did not know that." I stopped, utterly shocked at the idea that Moltres had been involved in the Team Rocket fiasco from years earlier.
"There are good reasons why my current research is going on, and I suppose the explorations of which you are now a part." Professor Oak leaned back in his seat, shuffling through the papers.
"I understand how the information can be critical. I've had a few discussions about this with Drake and others."
"You remind me of another young trainer from a few years ago, a boy from Pallet Town." Oak stepped up and walked over to the counter, opening it and rifling about for something inside it. "Do you know who I'm talking about Ethan?"
"I have an idea Professor, but it's quite a big comparison to make." I looked over at Typhlosion, waiting patiently.
"You'll have permission to keep your entire team out for five days when this permit goes through on Monday." Oak stepped around the couch and sat down again, looking at me carefully. "Here."
He handed over a slim red device with various sensors on the back that flipped open like a diary on the front. A screen and a small keyboard occupied the inside, along with a speaker grill and a few odd bits.
"That is a Pokedex. It's a live database about Pokemon. You'll find everything from habitats, to biological data and attacks they can learn in there."
"Oh, that's interesting. My friend made an app kind of like this." I remarked, holding the red device up to the light and examining it.
"Norman Maple's son?" Professor Oak raised an eyebrow as I looked at him with surprise.
"How did you know?"
"The Maples are good friends with another colleague of mine out in Hoenn, a man by the name of Birch. Norman introduced the two and Birch passed on his research to me. He's developed some interesting insights, although some of his language is a bit… crass…" Oak scratched his chin, and looked at me.
"Sounds like Brendan alright." I smiled and held the device. "Why are you giving me such a valuable tool though?"
"It is of use to you, and the few that exist are either in the hands of authorities, researchers such as myself, or travelers who we feel can contribute to it. the many sensors in and on it will pick up data even from a run in with a wild Pokemon." Oak gestured towards the back of the device, prompting me to open it. "Extensive scanning collects more data, and it links itself to the PC network to passively gather knowledge about the species of Pokemon you have already captured. I'm sure you can understand how it might be useful for you to carry this around given some of the explorations you've been a part of."
"Err... yes, of course." I nodded, looking at him. "Thank you Professor. I'll make sure you get some useful data with this."
"You remind me of more than one trainer from Pallet Town." Oak looked at me carefully again. "You're not quite as brazen or as brash as Red, but you're not as… abrasive… as Blue used to be."
"What about Green?" I asked looking at him. Oak studied me carefully before smiling and laughing.
"Clever boy. You're nothing like Green. Green is an interesting girl, and almost certainly one of a kind." Oak wiped something out of his eye before speaking again. "Welcome to a very small group of Pokedex holders Ethan. Good luck on your journey. And if you need advice about raising your egg Pokemon when it hatches, ask my grandson if you're in Viridian, or stop by my laboratory in Pallet Town."
"Thank you Professor." I glanced out the window to see that for the most part the rain had stopped, or at least the storm had lost its strength. "I had better get going. Thank you for the tea, and for all your help. Mr. Brooks, Professor Oak."
"Thank you for stopping by Ethan. Safe travels." Mr. Pokemon nodded and walked me to the door as I collected my jacket and stepped out into the light drizzle, calling Knight out again so that we could begin our flight back to New Bark Town.
|\/|~^-_-_-^-_-_-^~|\/|
"So, Ethan, how was your day trip?" My mother asked me, passing the bowl of salad over to Lucy as she spoke.
"It was good. I met another professor and dealt with some issues to do with permits for having more than six Pokemon out." I moved a bit of food around my plate, looking at my siblings and at my mother as I ate.
"That's nice. Professor Elm sorted that out for you?"
"Yeah, he helped. I should get the permissions Monday, so I'll be able to withdraw the team for five days on Tuesday."
"Is there any other way you can do this regularly?"
"I think it's allowed inside Indigo City when you're training. Either that, or every residence has a PC. It could honestly be either." I shrugged, looking at the TV in the background. "Anyway, what have you all been up to?"
"Oh, just some housework. Lucy's been teaching Lily how to ride a bike. You could probably help with that." Mom looked at the two girls momentarily.
"Sounds like a plan." I resumed eating my food, working my way through my plate before I finally spoke up again.
"So, I did have something to tell you guys." I waited for a moment and took a breath as Lucy looked up at me. "I'm dating someone."
"Oh, honey that's amazing." Mom smiled and Lily squealed (despite the fact that she already knew). "Is it Megan?"
"What? Oh, no. It's someone from Hoenn." I replied, looking at my mother quizzically. "Why did you think it was Megan?"
"Well you two always looked so cute together." She smiled embarrassedly, looking Lucy for backup.
"Don't look at me, I tried to set him up with one of my Unovan friends, but that never happened." Lucy held her hands up and shrugged.
"What?" I raised an eyebrow, wiping my mouth with a napkin.
"I tried to foist Elesa off onto you that time I had my friends over before you left home."
"Oh. Right." I frowned, remembering the day.
"Your head was in the clouds that entire time wasn't it." Lucy gave me an exasperated look.
"Probably." I admitted, looking at Lily who was the only one who hadn't said anything. Then again, she was eight, and she already knew.
"Well, what's her name?" Mom prodded, leaning forward.
"Her name's Blake. She's Steven's friend, his fiancée's sister. The girl who was piloting the submarine Steven had last time. Blond, five nine, green eyes."
"Ohhh." A look of recognition dawned on my mother's face as she recalled the brief interaction she'd had with Blake. "Well, I'm happy for you Ethan. It's about time you had a girl in your life."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I put my napkin down and crossed my arms.
"Well, you focus so much on your training I wasn't sure if you'd ever have room for someone else while you were doing this." She shrugged.
"Well. Um." I stopped, unsure of how to respond to that. "Moving on. You'll all meet her when she comes over for the Silver Conference."
"That sounds wonderful dear." Mom smiled, standing up. "How about I make some hot cocoa and we sit and talk some more by the fire.
"Sounds good." Lucy stood up, carrying a few dishes to the sink. "Why don't I help you. Ethan, get the dishes."
|\/|~^-_-_-^-_-_-^~|\/|
Tuesday February 4th, 2016…
I stepped out of Professor Elm's lab, carrying the extra pokeballs I had withdrawn in my backpack given there was no space on my belt. I walked back down to the house, stopping to knock on the door. Lucy opened it, stepping out in her snow coat and guiding Lily out as well, Mom following close behind.
"Where are we going?" Mom asked, pulling her coat a little tighter.
"Down to the waterfront." I replied, leading the rest of them onwards.
"Why do we have to go there to meet your team?" Lucy looked at me quizzically. "None of them need to be in the water…"
"Well I need the space, and I'll probably stick around there with them for a while." I shrugged. "Besides, its only five minutes away."
Soon enough we were at the break in the forest where the lakes fed by the Tohjo Falls further down met New Bark Town. This was where I had met Scyther, properly.
"Alright, give me a bit of space." I reached for my belt and released the Pokemon two at a time.
"You already know Typhlosion, and Scyther evolved into Scizor when we got to Hoenn." My oldest two Pokemon took to the ground by the water front, Typhlosion happy to let Lily pet his head.
"Then we met Totodile, who stuck around with us until he was a Feraligatr, but he had to leave." I scrunched up my nose for a moment before releasing Specter. "We also met Specter that day. Behave Specter." I gave the ghost type a stern glare as it gave me a look of mock hurt, slinking around for a minute before playing with Lily. It was genuinely being careful and behaving though, which was a good thing.
"Lucario joined us as an egg, given to me to take care off by Steven, and you've all met him a few times in the last couple of days." I release the aura Pokemon by my side and waited.
'It is good to see you all.' Lucario nodded its head at my mother and at Lucy, before turning to Lily. 'Little one.'
"I believe the next Pokemon that joined our crew was Gliscor, but Gliscor stuck around Unova, and instead Knight decided to come with us." I tossed the pokeball into the air, unleashing the colossal dragon. "She's been a great companion since Nimbasa, so thanks Lucy."
"Hey girl, it's good to see you again." Lucy smiled and went over to hug the Dragonite, the Pokemon immediately recognizing her and crooning.
"Somehow we met Samurott in Hoenn too, back when he was a Dewott, and then we didn't meet anyone new until we came back to Johto." I tossed out Samurott's pokeball, releasing the Pokemon into the lake, where it was most comfortable.
"Rhydon and Electabuzz were the newest members of the family until last week, we met them in Cianwood City." I released the both of them and watched as the acknowledged each other before turning towards my family. "And Larvitar joined us… on the way home from Blackthorn." I finished, tossing the last pokeball into the air and unleashing the newest, small, albeit dense, member of the team.
"And we have another egg. What's going to hatch from it, I have no clue, but we'll find out in two weeks." I set the container down carefully and spread my arms, my entire team standing behind me or next to me. "This is the family guys."
"Oh wow, I didn't realize you had some of the same Pokemon your father raised." Mom looked at the team with a watery smile before nodding. "It's nice to see you're in good hands. Take care of each other."
A few minutes passed of my family interacting with my team before the three of them decided to head back to the house, leaving me on my own at the lakefront with the Pokemon. A few odd passersby would glance at us, but nobody disturbed us.
I stepped forward and scampered down a ledge until I was on a patch of ground level with the water, and a little more out of view. The Pokemon followed, taking place around the patch of ground with Samurott in the water.
"Alright you guys, firstly, its been a bit messy trying to coordinate having you all meet each other or know each other, so here. You can interact and get to know one another." I gestured around. "Larvitar is the newest one here, so be nice and help each other out."
I sat down, simply watching for a half hour as the Pokemon did their own thing. Samurott barked an exchange with Larvitar for a few moments before heading out to swim in the waters. The young Pokemon was met kindly by most of the team members. Specter wasn't standoffish so much as confused about what to do with a dark type. The ghost's brows were furrowed and its teeth were visible behind its frown as it squatted with a hand on its… chin?
Knight had picked up Larvitar, startling it as it experienced weightlessness for a moment. The big dragon had immediately taken to Larvitar, and while the dark type was a little less friendly, they seemed to be getting along. The interesting moment was when Larvitar walked over to Rhydon and headbutted its belly.
The large rock type looked down at the youngling which had moved it back an inch, before nodding at it. Larvitar proceeded to sit down by Rhydon and spend the rest of the time interacting with others from there as the bigger Pokémon's tail curled around it from the outside, providing it with something to lean against.
"Alright guys. I promised I would talk about Mount Silver. So here we are." I stood up and brushed off my trousers.
"We went there with Drake on a mission, and that mission was to find Moltres." A few eyes widened as the Pokemon recognized the name of the legendary creature, some thinking me mad to seek it out. "We didn't plan on engaging it, but through a little bit of bad luck, it woke up. Drake and I had spent days climbing Mount Silver and exploring the inside to try and find it, and we barely escaped. We were lucky to get out with our lives." I looked at them one by one. "Larvitar, you'll learn with time to not be so rash, but luckily few things are that consequential." I nodded my head at the trio of them. "I can't really judge you; I've made some rash decisions of my own."
Scizor shook its head as it met my eyes, putting a pincer to its brow. I crossed my arms and shifted my stance as I tried to change the direction of the conversation.
"Alright. Our next goal, that is our next major goal, is to take on the Silver Conference. We'll travel to Indigo City, where it takes place and we'll sign up. We beat eight Johto gyms, so we qualify." I smiled as a few of the others' expressions became more upbeat.
"Alright, so we're a team of nine, soon to be ten. We have around three months until the conference begins. Realistically, right now only eight of you are going to be taking part. I have to be honest about this because that's the only way we can properly define our path forward." I cast an eye around the group, watching them.
"Typhlosion, Scizor, you two are probably the furthest along by clinical measurements." I nodded at the two oldest members of the team. "Specter, Lucario, Knight, Samurott, you're all basically up there. It's packed pretty tightly at that level, and that's a good thing."
"Rhydon, you're next closest. It's going to take work, but you're closing in on Samurott. Electabuzz, you're a bit further behind, but we've got three months. With the two of you, I'm fully confident that you'll catch up enough to be going at it in just about every round of the conference if we use this time wisely."
Rhydon's narrowed eyes relaxed a bit as it stomped a foot into the ground, sending a small ripple through the earth. Electabuzz nodded its assent as it looked on, aware of its position as the newest aside from Larvitar.
"Larvitar pal… I don't know where we're going to get by the time the conference rolls around, but I hope we can work together for the opening rounds at least." The rock type looked up at me, a little confused but accepting. "Let's just see how it goes. And as far as the egg, well I think it's obvious that our newest member is going to be too young to really do anything at that level for a while."
"Over the next three months, we will enjoy our lives." A few of the Pokemon looked surprised at the direction that remark had taken. "But we're also going to train until our hands fall off. Sure, not many people know it, but we're representing Steven at the conference, and we're representing ourselves. And we're not going to let him down, nor are we going to let ourselves down."
"So, let's do this!" I pumped a fist into the air, looking at them with a determined grin. "When I talked to Lance, he was blunt about taking on Elite Four trainees wasn't a priority right now and he couldn't give any affirmation about it."
"We're going to go all out, and we're going to show Lance and the Elite Four exactly why we deserve that spot. We're going to show Lance what Steven taught us, and we're going to take this conference down." I locked eyes with each member of the team, taking in the excitement and determination in the team.
Typhlosion was dead set on this. Scizor was cool and collected, but he was with us. Specter was excited, the edges of his form flickering as the Gengar's grin stretched wide. Lucario's red eyes were calm, but after months of traveling together, I could feel the pick up in Lucario's aura, letting the energy soak into myself and into the air.
Knight spread his wings, flapping them excitedly for a moment and blowing a gust past me. While Dragonite by nature were gentle and friendly, I still remembered the Dragonair that felt the need to test us in battle before joining us. Knight wouldn't go down easy. Samurott was jumping around in the water excitedly. I really felt for the Pokemon as I watched it. He had been abruptly pulled out of whatever life he had been living before and dumped in Hoenn by the silvery portals, and while he'd taken to the team quickly, who knows if it would ever have happened otherwise.
Rhydon was as stoic as ever, but there was a fire in his eyes, and Electabuzz was looking like this was worth a shot. Larvitar was just happy to be along for the moment.
"We're going to make this dream a reality guys, and we're going to do it together. Now let's enjoy being home for a bit."
"You know, this is the spot where Scizor joined us. Way back before I left New Bark Town. It was the beginning of this story, this journey of ours." I leaned against the ledge, looking at them.
"The Blackthorn Clan wrote their name into the history books over and over. Steven broke records to become the youngest champion in Hoenn's history. Dad went down as a hero for all of Indigo. Red, Blue and Green from Pallet Town all forged their own paths to become some of the greatest trainers known."
"We're writing our own tale here, and its going to take time, and effort, but we're going to make it. Together we will make our own legend. We're going to go so far that we're looked up to as myth, as a bedtime story for kids who want to be trainers. When people tell our story, when we go down in the history books years from now, it's going to be the tale of a legend."