Hey, guys, I'm back, aah, I don't really have much to say other then that, other then I'm glad you guys like this story so much to leave reviews as well as to fav and follow.
John2851: I'm glad you like it! Ash is a pretty amazing guy and I'm glad you like Vivian, or Esme, as she's called now; I'm really proud of how she turned out, personality wise.
foxchick1: Trust me, Ash will get his cannon Pokemon and then some, and I did plan to give him and Esme an Eeveelution, just not sure which one, was thinking of putting it to vote.
Whelp; onward and forward shall we?
Viridian Forest may not have been the most impressive forest in the world be it by size, the density of the trees or the unique layout or even the collection of Pokemon that can be found within its boarders. But it was still impressive for a city girl like Esme and was a challenge for any ill-equipped and unprepared rookie that strayed from the beaten path and into the deeper parts that even the Rangers don't very far in during their patrols, mostly because of the density and distance from either Viridian or Pewter cuts out the connection for most tech making it extremely dangerous even for veterans who had been stationed in Viridian Forest for a while.
Esme and Ash walked in a comfortable silence, still hand-in-hand, their PikaPals had jumped down to walk along with Diana, Vivina, Regina and Rex as share amused and knowing smiles at their Trainers' still joined hands. Zeus was also enjoying being able to experience the vast openness and fresh air and sense of freedom the forest had in spades that the Professor's corral just didn't. Nicola was absorbing the atmosphere like a yellow furry sponge, having only been to a small section of woods that weren't quite like Viridian Forest near Vermillion when Esme's cousin or/and brother would take them camping, so the experience was a warmed welcome. Vivina was also used to the open woods from similar to her family's enclouser back in Fuschia. Regina, Rex and Diana were in awe as they took in the openness and beauty of the forest.
"Have you been to Viridian Forest before?" Esme asked her traveling companion curiously. Ash shrugged a bit, "Not really, whenever I went camping, it was usually to a nearby piece of woods near Pallet close to Route One; never made a lot of sense to go across to another city just for a few days camping trip." Esme hummed with a nod at the logistics to the statement.
"I can't wait to start looking for more Pokemon to add to my team," Ash said after another moment of silence, subconsciously squeezing Esme's hand, making her blush as she finally noticed their still joined hands, "To have a new friend..."
Esme smiled softly, gently squeezing his hand back, "I know how you feel...I can't wait either, especially if I can get a caterpie," She glanced up at him, "Do you think Rex and Regina will be healed up enough to join in training soon?"
Ash shrugged again, "Soon, Nurse Joy did say to give it another week, just to be sure, though, I don't see why they can't join simple exercise, just a little run once or twice a day, maybe we can set up some large fallen branches like an obstacle course...? Let them ease into the idea of training without going too far." Esme was nodding along with a thoughtful expression, while their pikachus shared a small fond smile.
"Speaking of, we should probably find a spot to set up camp so we can let everyone out," Esme remarked as they ventured further into the forest on one of the beaten trails off the main road, wanting to take all the time they could get to train before Pewter, "And to get some practice in before looking for more Pokemon."
Ash was nodding, keeping an eye out for a nice camping spot. It wasn't long before they finally find a beautiful little glen, just big enough for their two tents with a little fire pit, it was perfectly shaded beneath a thick canopy of trees and leaves and looked picturesque, like out of a nature magazine. "Pikaaa~!" Nicola squealed with big, shiny eyes as she immediately darted into the glen, "Pi-Pika pikachuuu!" Zeus immediately followed her in after a quick sniff of the air, ears shot straight up, trying to sense any danger like nests, but couldn't detect any. Nicola climbed up a moss-ridden stump in the center of the glen with a giggle, clearly liking the space. Diana purred as she scampered around, minding her tail, whilst Vivina seemed to zoom around as if on a sugar high and Rex and Regina sniffed and chittered as they investigated.
Esme gasped in awe, "Ooh, it's beautiful!" She walked in and flattened her skirt as she knelt down to admire the cluster of colorful flowers that dotted the grass, "This place could be on the cover of Kanto Geographics*!"
Ash couldn't stop smiling as he followed them in, "Viridian Forest is always full of beautiful hideaways, it's one of its many wonders," He slid off his backpack, "I think we found the perfect camping spot, do you?"
Esme smiled back, giving nod, "Yeah, plus, I think there's water nearby..." She turned to their PikaPals, "What do you think, Zeus? Nicola?" Both pikachus raised their heads up and sniffed the air again, before perking up with smiles and excited nods, making the blonde, pink and blue-haired Performer grin, "So we could probably even do some laundry if I can find a big enough space for a cloths-line." Which would be ideal if they wanted to drag out their time out her as much as they could before reaching Pewter, especially as she had no intention of wearing the same used cloths more then three times in a row.
Ash could see the merit and blushed a bit at the idea of Esme's more private clothing hanging up to dry...and his own being hung up where she could see. He shook his head and waved it off, "We can worry about that later..." Esme smiled back with a nod, returning to looking around.
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"Oooh! Are we setting camp here?!" Vivina exclaimed excitedly as she started to practically zip across the glen, being mindful not to pass the foliage edge, and taking care to check for any hoards or nests with her antenna like her parents had taught her, relaxing fully when she sensed none, "I love Viridian Forest! There's always so many pretty and yummy flowers!" To prove her point, she promptly snapped her jaws around a bloom with a squeal at the sweet taste.
"Don't go eating them all, Vivina, they can only grow back so fast," Zeus chuckled as he joined Nicola on stump. "And it be a shame if they all disappeared..." Nicola sighed as she settled, a smile on her face, "I didn't know forests could be so pretty..." Being born and bred for several generations within a family like Esme's, the closest she ever got to nature was those camping trips close to the forest edge along the city outskirts, which was never the same.
Diana was sharing the sentiment, while the Corral was an open space with plenty of nature, it just wasn't the same as the more enclosing and difference of Viridian Forest. Sniffling the crisp pine-filled air and feeling the moist and open air sent shivers across the Fire Starter's spine, and when a dewdrop from a leaf fell on her head she jumped and shook off the water, "All the older Pokemon that had Trainers always shared stories about the outside world but...I..." She peered up in awe at the tiny streams of sunlight that shone through the canopy of leaves, "I never thought it'd be this pretty..."
"You think this is pretty, just wait," Rex** commented as he and Regina stood among some flowers, not being nearly as exuberant as their teammates, "Savoir and Angel*** are going to waaaay more beautiful places then here." Regina hummed with a smile as she sniffed one of the vibrant purple blooms, only to flinch back with a startled gasp as Vivina seemed to pop up out of nowhere and clamp her jaws around it.
"Can't wait! Can't wait! Can't wait! Can't wait! Can't wait!" Aurora enthused bouncing up and down in her excitement as she watched their Trainers begin to set up camp, "Can't wait to train! Can't wait to battle! Can't wait to make new friends! Can't wait to show Big Water!" The other Pokemon all chuckled in amusement at the youngest member of their group's enthusiasm.
"I'm excited to see what Miss Esme has planned to start getting ready for her first show," Marina remarked thoughtfully as she watched her Trainer carefully, still a bit concerned about her leg, "Now that her leg's finally healed."
"She'll have to start her warm ups first before we can start practicing anything," Nicola giggled anticipating the reactions when her girl would begin her stretches, "And that won't be until she and her mate apparent are done setting up." Her choice of words immediately drew attention of the Pokemon who hadn't been present for Lady Ho-oh's Gifting, even Vivina and Aurora gathered closer to the stump.
"Mates?!" The Nido Twins almost bellowed looking shocked, the Fire Starter's face turning an interesting shade of burnt orange in her version of a blush.
"What makes you so sure they're mates, much less mates apparent, Miss Nicola?" Marina asked curiously. "You can just call me Nicola or Nikki, if you want, Marina," Nicola giggled, "And it's a little hard not to believe that they're at least mates apparent when Lady Ho-oh herself appears overhead and presents them with gold and pink feathers."
"You really saw Lady Ho-oh?" Regina**** asked softly. Zeus nodded, "She flew overhead after Nicola and I fried those pesky spearow and fearow."
Diana nodded in agreement as Vivina bounded over, adding with her usual exuberance, "She was sooo beautiful! And she just dropped these two feathers and when they touched Ash and Esme's heads, they made them both glow! It was just...!" She shook her head/body as she trailed off, unable to find the words to describe what had happened.
Aurora turned back to look at her trainer and his apparent mate-to-be with innocent eyes as they began to set up strange soft-looking caves that were strange colors; one was a deep blue and the other a vibrant pink like a pecha berry. She watched the way the two smiled at each other, her Master's mate cleaned the strange thing she wore over her eyes before she went over to help her Master with his weird blue soft cave, and she noticed how he smiled at her and said, "I think it'd be cool if they did become mates..." She then noticed a bush moving and was immediately distracted, bouncing closer.
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"There that outta do till we're ready to move on," Ash grinned once he and Esme finished pitching their tents; his was his favorite shade of deep navy blue and Esme's was this shade of pink that made him think of a pecha berry, complete with a yellow door that had a reddish zipper and what looked like a green steam and leaf decoration in the center of the roof.
"I was thinking taking some time between your training and my practice we could take turn foraging," Esme said from inside her tent, changing so she could practice in efficient and proper clothing. Ash could immediately see where she was going with that as he began to dig a firepit with Rex and Regina's help, the Nido Twins eager to help their Savoir and Angel, and do something other then sit and watch, Vivina fetching stones from the treeline to line the pit with and the PikaPals and Diana were dragging twigs and small branches over.
It wasn't uncommon, in fact, many seasoned trainers encouraged others to forage for mushrooms, both of the edible and non-edible kind, herbs of both the medical and edible variety, even roots of similar nature, even ores and gold nuggets when in caves, for extra money. The United Regions League or URL gave all rookie trainers a two thousand PokeDollar starter loan and, about twenty years ago, the URL employed the Battle Payment System or BPS, where every battle had the loser pay the winner a small sum through the online system depending on both trainers standings, the amount of Pokemon used in the match and total sum in the losing trainer's account, which was bigger for Gym Battles and Tournaments. Give their slow pace and the fact he was the one who would be actively battling, so they couldn't rely entirely on the BPS, especially since all of their Pokemon and later additions will require more money to feed once fully evolved and bigger, Diana and the Nido Twins particularly. It was something he had in mind when he packed the botany book his mother had given him. Restaurants and stores would pay a decent sum for whatever mushrooms, herbs and roots found, same for stores and collectors for any ores, evolutionary stones, gold nuggets or even any pearls a trainer happened to find when fishing a trainer gave them.
"I was actually thinking of something similar," Ash nodded as he took the offered twigs and rocks and began setting up the pit once it was done, "Battle winnings can only go so far, especially for a fully evolved team and two growing trainers, so every little bit helllllllllppppsss..." He turned around as the zip of the tent flap signaled Esme stepping out and his voice trailed off as he did a double take, the Pokemon, minus Aurora all looked and stared in surprise.
Esme had exchanged her legwarmers for a pair of peach nude tights and exchanged her usual shirts and lively skirts for a skin-tight leotard. It was a pitch black color, the type with a rounded neckline and long tight sleeves, the kind ballerinas or gymnasts wore during practice, she was even wearing a pair of pearly blue ballet shoes with ribbon-ties that laced up her legs, matching the ribbon holding her bun in place. Ash could almost see the sparkles radiating off her, the sun made her hair sparkle like gold and sapphires, he could feel his cheeks heat up at how the outfit clung to every curve of Esme's body, from her long, lean legs to her almost dainty arms and the swell of her chest and hips.
Esme flushed in embarrassment at the look on Ash's face, fiddling with her glasses in embarrassment, feeling something in her chest skip once or twice, "What...? Nothing's teared is it?" Panic flared as she quickly glanced herself over for a possible tear.
"NO!" Ash immediately shot to his feet and felt his cheeks get redder as most of the Pokemon snickered, "I-err-I m-mean, no, no; you..." He gulped a bit, "Y-You look gr-great...h-how l-long ha-have y-you been...?" He swallowed nervously as he tried to finish his question.
"B-Been dancing ballet?" Esme finished for him and when he nodded, she answered as she fiddled with her glasses, "Since I was eight, children's bones are too soft for the strict physical demands of ballet exercies, but I've been taking musical movement classes on my mother's insistence since I was two; I can dance all sorts of dances, including ballroom, several kind of jazz and hip-hop, even latin dances like the salsa and of course professional dances like ballet...personally my favorite is ballet..." A fond smile formed on her lips, "My mom and I would dance every day if we could..."
Ash slowly calmed down and smiled back softly, before noticing one of their Pokemon missing, "Where's Aurora...? Aurora?"
A familiar call of, "Sheeelll~" Made everyone turn to see Aurora hopping out of a bush with a new Pokemon friend, who was moving much slower and shier then the Bivalve Pokemon.
It was a small bug Pokemon that resembled a green caterpillar with a yellow underbelly and a teardrop-shaped, yellow tail with matching, hallow circle marks along both of its sides, which also matching the circular markings around its large innocent, pure black eyes and bright red antenna that looked like the letter 'Y'. It was a foot long from the tip of its tail to antenna-tip.
"It's a caterpie," Ash blinked in surprise before taking out Dexter and pointed him at the little Bug Type. With a beep, Dextor opened and scanned the little bug and began to relay information;
Caterpie, the Worm Pokemon
Type: Bug
For protection, it releases a horrible stench from the antennae on its head to drive away enemies
Ability: Shield Dust
Hidden Ability: Run Away
"Making new friends already huh?" Ash asked in amusement, before noticing Esme hadn't said a word yet and seemed to be shaking, "Uh...Esme? You okay?"
"EEEEEEEEEE~!" Esme suddenly squealed making everyone Pokemon in the glen and Ash jump, only for the male trainer to jump again when she seemed to blur across the glen to the two small Pokemon, kneeling in front of the Worm Pokemon, "You are so CUUUTEEE~!" Ash nearly fell over from shock.
"Oh, yeah, you said you hoped to get a butterfree someday," Ash remembered as Esme slowly extended her hand to the timid capterie. "What girl worth her salt wouldn't love a butterfree?" Esme replied as Caterpie inches close enough to let her pet it, "Though my inner scientist has always been fascinated by the three staged Bug Evolution Lines," She gently picked up Caterpie and cradled it, cooing to the Worm Pokemon, "Such a cute little green larva; yes you are~ Ooh, I could hug you all day~!"
"Priieeeeee," Caterpie squeaked eyes watery and sparkly, he's been trying to get caught for almost a month now, but all the Bug searching trainers had already caught one of his breathen by the time he got there and weren't looking for another, and others didn't want him at all, calling him weak or disgusting, "Ca-piee-prieee!" He nuzzled the sunshine-haired angel holding him, making her giggle, maybe his dream of soaring the skies was still possible.
Esme giggled and Ash chuckled as the Pokemon all gathered around to see the new Bug, Ash remarked, "I think he likes you!"
"Me too..." Esme smiled, "I'd love to have a cutie-pie like this little guy~" She adjusted her hold on the small Pokemon, "Would you like to stay with me, Big Guy? I'm not going to be actively battling like my friend here, but...I do plan to make people smile with my Pokemon's help; I'd love it if you were apart of the team..." She gave him a gentle smile.
Caterpie's eyes were watery and sparkly again, not needing to see the encouraging looks from all the other Pokemon or their just as encouraging words, before, without hesitation, went barreling into the Angel of Arceus with a loud, happy cry. Esme just giggled happily as she easily caught the overjoyed caterpillar.
"I think that's a yes!" Ash laughed lightly. "Welcome to the team Caterpie!" Esme smiled as she held up a Net Ball. Caterpie happily tapped it's antenna against the button and was immediately captured, the Net Ball instantly dinged, Caterpie having given no fight whatsoever. Esme immediately released him and her Pokemon immediately rushed over to welcome the new addition as Esme took out Dae and scanned her new Pokemon;
This Caterpie is male and knows the moves: Tackle and String Shot
Esme smiled, "That's a really good moveset for a little guy," Caterpie preened at the praise, "Would you like a name?" Caterpie cooed with a tilt of the head.
"Chaaar-maander, char," Diana explained softly. "Priee, cat-piee-peee~" Caterpie said before nodding to the blonde trainer. "Hmm..." Esme hummed in thought, "How about...Bengino?" At Caterpie's curious coo and tilt of the head, Esme explained, "It means 'kind' or 'friendly'," Caterpie, or rather, Bengino, didn't think twice about it with a happy coo and hop, "How about just Ben or Benji for short?" Bengino nodded and nuzzled his trainer's leg happily, making her and Ash chuckle.
Ash couldn't help grinning, feeling his anticipation for his next new Pokemon burning through his veins, which further re-ignited his anticipation, clenching a fist, "Now I really can't wait to get my final sixth team member!"
"You go right ahead," Esme replied as she stood, smiling, "I gotta get started on my warm ups before I can start practicing for the Freestyle portion of the Showcase in Cerulean City," She looked down at Nicola, "Nikki, you can start explaining and demonstrating some stretches for the others to work on before move practice."
"Someone's in raring form," Ash joked as he watched her walk over to a low tree branch to likely use as her barre. "My teacher always told me, practice makes perfect and daily exercises keep you in mint condition, I've been off my feet for almost two weeks," Esme rebuffed lightly as she rose herself onto the balls of her toes, much to the watching Pokemon's awe, save for Nicola who was used to her trainer's physical feats.
"Well, fair, just don't overdo it," Ash chuckled, "Don't want to pull aaaaaaaa..." Ash trailed off as he stared, blinking as Esme began her first stretch, lifting her right leg until it was meeting the branch, resting the foot on the branch, slowly stretching her arms forward as she leaned into her raised leg, she held this for a bit before switching legs.
She then raised onto her tip-toes and leaned forward, holding the branch, raising her left leg straight up into the air, she looked over at him, not appearing to be in any pain or discomfort from her less then pleasant looking stretching, "What? Something wrong...?"
Ash snapped out of it, "No, nothing! Just..." His cheeks heated up and quickly averted his eyes, "Those...don't exactly look...the most comfortable..."
Esme chuckled, "Trust me, when I first started these, I could barely walk properly, but the flexibility was well worth it." Ash chuckled in response, he could imagine, able to remember how sore his own body was when his grandfather and aunt started to train him.
The hours trickled by as they trained and practiced. Nicola spent a good chunk of it showing and teaching Marina, Regina and Bengino how to dance, starting with warm up stretches. Ash decided he wasn't about to let Esme have all the physical training, while Zeus, Vivina, Rex and Aurora ran laps to work on their speed, he ran right along side them, doing exercises as they worked on their movepool to feel like he was doing something apart from standing there and giving orders and advice. Zeus and Vivina was getting better with their aim with Toxic as he arranged a for moving targets by hanging some rocks and branches from rope he had on him and let the wind do the swinging for him, Aurora's aim was improving too with her Icicle Spear.
He and Esme had scanned their respective Nido-Twin and had gotten interesting results.
Daze:
Nidoran, the Poison Point Pokemon
It scans its surroundings by raising its ears out of the grass. Its toxic horn is for protection.
This Nidoran is female and knows the moves: Leer, Poison Sting, Peck, Focus Energy, Amnesia*, Confusion** and Disable***
Note*: Amnesia is an Egg Move and is unlocked
Note**: Confusion is an Egg Move and is locked
Note***: Disable is an Egg Move and is unlocked
Esme and Ash had been speechless to say the least. It wasn't common to see a purely poison and often mistaken for a normal type like nidoran to have access to psychic type moves. Esme had been a little estastic since they were good moves, Amnesia was good defensively for a trainer who wasn't an active competitor like herself, and Disable was a boon as well as a disarming move, Confusion was just a bonus. It did puzzle her how Regina had them though.
"One of her parents must've been a psychic type," Ash theorized with a shrug, "I don't know much about breeding though, so don't ask me which Pokemon it could be."
Esme nodded in agreement to the theory, cause their was no other explanation apart from one of the parents being able to learn psychic moves naturally and had a lot of them. But didn't measure to the awe Ash was feeling when he had scanned Rex.
Nidoran, the Poison Point Pokemon
Its large ears are flapped like wings when its listening to distant sounds. It extends toxic barbs when angered
This Nidoran is male and knows the moves: Leer, Poison Sting, Peck, Focus Energy, Fury Attack, Horn Drill* and Take Down**
Note*: Horn Dill is an Egg Move and is locked
Note**: Take Down is an Egg Move and is locked
Rex merely preened at the awed looks the inexperienced Pokemon were giving him whilst Zeus and Nicola shared amused glances. Ash was excited, while it would be a long time running before Rex would be able to use his Egg Moves properly, likely late into his second evolution stage, it still made Ash jittery at the idea of the powerhouse Rex would become once he was a fully evolved nidoking with very little able to stand in his path with something like Horn Dill in his arsenal, especially with all the additional poisonous moves to back up the raw power.
In the mean time, Esme had suggested and lent him her TM for Dig. It was one of the easiest to learn and as a ground type move it was easily going to be Rex's biggest advantage against the Pewter City Gym since it was a mainly rock type gym, she even suggested Zeus learn it since it would be Ash's first gym the Leader wouldn't be expecting Ash's Pokemon to have a move with type advantage, much less two in Zeus' case and even offered her TMs for Protection and Iron Tail for additional support should Ash's Pokemon have the time to learn them before they reach Pewter much less decide to face the Leader.
"He won't especially be expecting moves like these from first staged 'cute stage' Pokemon like nidoran and pikachu, especially when one has a type disadvantage," Esme explained as they sat down to lunch to further expand on the advantages of the Pokemon learning these particular TMs, "Believe me Ash, the Leader will grossly underestimate you, especially once you send Zeus out."
Ash nodded, able to concede her points, no sane or unprepared trainer would send an inexperienced electric type into a rock type gym without some kind of support, especially since he wouldn't be expecting either of them to have access to so many TMs from the beginning. "What do you think buddy?" Ash asked Zeus, "Feel like putting up some extra work and give the Pewter Gym Leader and his Pokemon a real shock?"
"Pika!" Zeus grinned widely, cheeks sparking with anticipation. Esme just snorted on her sip of a thermos lid full of hot tea, "That was a horrible pun."
"I'll have you know I'm a pun master!" Ash scoffed. "Uh huh," The blonde smirked around the lid before going for a bite of her sandwich. "You're surprisingly well versed in battle strategy for someone who isn't interested in battles," Ash remarked as the Pokemon eagerly and happily ate their PokeChow. Esme didn't bat the observation an eye beyond a brief pause before swallowing, "It comes from being from a long line of competitive battlers and military men, even my mom battled in tournaments between Contests now and again, my father's family has been battling practically since Vermillion was founded, maybe longer."
Ash nodded in acceptance to her reply, after all, he too had a wealth of knowledge to strategy that came from being the grandson of not just a Gym Leader and Elite Four candidate, but also a descendant in a proud and noble family full of competitive battlers and shinobi. He then blinked when he noticed Bengino wasn't eating but was instead drawn to his friend's bag and was trying to get in it, "Is something off with Ben?"
"Huh?" Esme blinked before turning to look, "What is it Benji? You sense something in there you want?"
"Priee," Bengino nodded able to sense something so sweet and yummy inside his new trainer's bag. Esme hummed before getting an idea what he was after and rummaged through her bag and took out a jar full of amber liquid, "Is this what you smell, big guy?"
"Prieee!" Begino began to hop up and down excitedly much to everyone's amusement. "Is that honey?" Ash asked curiously and intrigued. "Yeah, I always keep a jar on hand, it makes bitter tea taste if I don't have anymore of my what I usually drink," Esme explained simply, "Plus it tastes great if you stir it in with some hot milk."
"I'm surprised Ben was able to smell it through your bag," Ash remarked as he watched her unscrew the lid. "I'm not, bugs have amazing senses, even though they can't technically smell," Esme smiled as she got a spoon and scooped some honey out and put on Bengino's food, almost immediately the Worm Pokemon began to devour his food with gusto and happy trills, making everyone laugh, "Bugs are especially fond of sweets since the scent is pretty strong." After putting the jar away, Esme smiled fondly as she rubbed her new bug Pokemon's head fondly as he ate.
Ash smiled at this as he watched, mesmerized not only be the sheer gentleness and kindness the girl showed but how warm and lovingly she stroked the caterpie's head. Most girls he had met seemed to either tolerate bugs or outright hate them, even Lucy and Annabelle to a degree. Esme was the first girl he's ever met to call them cute and hug them like they were cute plushies. It made his admiration for the blonde grow.
After they finished eating they got back to training. Esme began trying to find some sort of sync with her new Pokemon and figured the best way was through a visual example. "Just watch me and Nicola, kay guys?" Esme said gentle but firm as she set up her Pokenav to the music option. Her girls and Bengino all nodded with anticipation before she turned to Nicola, "Read Nikki?"
"Pi! Pikachuu! Pika!" Nicola said excitedly eager to dance along side her best friend.
As the music began Esme bend and twirl to the slowly building music, moving herself into a low etendre as Nicola moved up her extended arm only to leap backwards into several flips in the air and Esme began to to pirouette. "Okay, Nicola, Double Team!" Esme instructed as she finished her pirouette, as soon as Nicola's little feet touched the ground, the female pikachu created multiple copies of herself, forming a circle around the blonde as she continued to dance and Nicola and her clones began to move in a zigzag pattern towards Esme only to back flip and spin whilst mid flip, just as graceful and elegant as her trainer.
All of Esme's Pokemon were awestruck as they watched, though they felt a bit nervous at the skill being displayed and the sync between girl and electric mouse as when Nicola and her clones repeated this, they never got too close to Esme and risk her accidentally dispelling one of the clones or accidentally tripping over the real one. Bengino was especially nervous since his kind wasn't particularly known to be very flexiable much less fast.
"Now Sweet Kiss!" Esme called to her electric partner, immediately all the copies vanished as the real Nicola brought her paw to her lips and flew a large pink heart towards her trainer, a pink heart that exploded into dozens of smaller ones and swirled around the dancing blonde. Ash and his own Pokemon were mesmerized as well, watching the spectacle with awe.
Esme rose her leg up high and elegant in wide arcs, kicking the hearts away and making them burst into a shower of pinks sparks. Nicola raced to her best friend and jumped again as they finished up their impromptu performance scurrying up to her shoulder and up Esme's arm as she rose it up, holding Nicola up above her head in a final pose. Esme panted lightly for a moment to catch her breath.
"Something like that," She said to her other Pokemon with a smile as she lowered her arm, allowing Nicola to jump off, "Think you guys can do it?"
"Poliiii!" Marina squeaked with an excited jump, as nervous as she was, she was eager to try. "Nidooo," Regina said softly but also looked excited. "Char...charmander-der..." Diana said more shy and nervous then the Tadpole Pokemon but was still willing to try if it meant she could be as beautiful and graceful as her trainer and Nicola. "Pika pika," Nicola assured with a smile, after she wasn't able to get it right away when she and Esme shifted their focus from battle to performance, "Pikachu pi, chuuu pika!"
"Char?" Diana asked in surprise. "Prie?" Bengino asked also surprised being the most nervous of the four. "Hey, Nicola and I were tripping over ourselves and were like freshly hatched psyducks when we first started," Esme comforted petting her charmander and caterpie's heads, "It takes time, and we have plenty of it before the first Showcase in Cerulean," This made them both relax, "You'll likely be fully evolved by then Benji, bug types don't take too long to reach full evolution usually," Bengino perked up excitedly at that, eager to reach that final evolution, "So for now, how about we focus on some new moves and improving your speed and reflexes since we got the exercise bit done, huh?"
All five Pokemon cheered at this, eager to learn something new. Ash smiled softly at the blonde trainer, chest strangely fluttering as he watched her comfort and interact with her Pokemon. Esme glanced up and caught her travel companion staring at her and flushed at the tenderness in his expression, "What?"
Ash blushed as he snapped out of it and realized she caught him staring. He stammered nervously, "N-No-Nothing! It's no-nothing, it's just...you're a really good dancer!" He blushed a little darker as she giggled, missing her own blush at his compliment when he looked down nervously. "Thanks Ash," Esme smiled shyly.
"Pikachu," Zeus said with a dry expression. "Pi," Nicola agreed with amusement. "Pika," Zeus sighed knowing it was going to be a long trip if their trainers were going to be this oblivious to each other the entire time. "Vi! Vi! Vi! Vi!" Vivina giggled in amusement.
Night soon fell upon the small campsite. It had been a very productive day, Vivina and Zeus had managed to get the hang of Toxic, hitting the majority of their moving targets and Zeus finally got his fist to glow with fighting energy, he just had to figure out how to maintain it so he didn't hurt his paw when punching the rocks Ash had arranged for Brick Break practice. Aurora had mastered Protect, having spent a while bouncing happily within her glowing green barrier happily at her success and another while enjoying cuddles with Ash as he praised her. She had immediately set herself to learn Leer for another support move, but left it be when Ash encouraged her to work of her speed instead. It didn't take long for Rex to master Dig, not when the move was so straight forward and didn't take much ground type energy to do, so Ash suggested the next available move in his natural move pool, Toxic Spikes, which was perfect for a heavy sweeper that Rex was clearly going to be.
Esme's training yielded similar results; Marina had mastered Bubble and had her focus on Pound, a simple move poliwags could use and would get her used to multiple different energies and with it so straight forward it wouldn't surprise the blonde should the Tadpole Pokemon master it as well before the week was over, she just had to build up strength in her tail. Diana had mastered Fury Swipes, working her claws till they were sore, digging deep groves into the log she choose for her practice, much to Esme's worry but pride when her normally shy fire type proudly and excitedly showed her the mangled log and offered her a choice between Smokescreen or a TM move Will-O-Wisp. Diana was eager to learn more of her natural type and chose the TM. Regina had settled with learning Focus Energy with Rex's help and was making headway. As for Nicola, she had been helping Bengino improve his speed and agility, the poor bug was pooped by the end of it, but had felt a bit stronger for it.
After supper, which Esme surprised them with a nice soup she was able to put together after setting up a small cooking pot over a fire Ash had set up she kept with her as part of her portable camping kit, even making hot milk mixed with honey, even pouring some into a bowl for the Pokemon to enjoy, much to Bengino's delight. Esme enjoyed the quiet with one of her books until Ash broke it, "Today was a pretty eventful day, huh, Esme?"
"And productive," Esme added with a smile over her book as she turned the page, "You'll be ready for the Pewter Gym in no time Ash."
"Thanks," Ash smiled back as he brushed Vivina's fur like he did every night when she'd visit with his grandfather, "We have a new friend already and sleeping outside during a beautiful night."
"I just can't believe it," Esme admitted as she looked at her Pokemon as they licked their bowls clean and were enjoying the peace, "Actually being out here, I mean, on my way to my first Showcase with more then half a team already." She couldn't help feeling a little nervous.
"Hey, I'll be right behind you all the way," Ash smiled comfortingly, "Just like I know you'll be for me during my first gym battle; you're gonna win this Esme."
"You really think so, Ash?" Esme asked. He nodded in response with a warm, sincere expression, "I really do..." He then smirked playfully with a little bow despite his sitting position, "Kanto Queen Esme." She burst into a fit of giggles, flushing at the title and how it fell from Ash's tongue. "Thanks Ash," She smiled sweetly, "I have no doubt you're going to take the whole League by storm."
Ash flushed as well before laughing, "Can you imagine it? We'd be like...the Pokemon Master Power Couple; Ash Ketchum and Esme Surge!" He blushed a bit as he registered what he said and quickly corrected himself, "The Kanto Duo! Kanto Champion Ash and Kanto Queen Esme!"
But the damage was done, Esme's face was redder then a cheri berry. Despite only knowing Ash for a few weeks now, the idea of her and him as a couple was making her heart race like she had done several routines in a row. "Sounds like a plan to me," She giggled, "I can't wait." She then gave a little yawn and set her book back into its appropriate pocket in her bag. Thank Arceus for Silph Co. and their advancements in Trainers' traveling convince technology that was their travel bags. "Good night Ash," She bided as she crawled into her peacha berry pink tent, holding the flap open for her Pokemon, Nicola naturally being the first one in, "Come on girls, Benji; time for sleep." Her Pokemon all yawned and obediently filed inside, Esme snapping a special clear ball around the flame of Diana's tail, it had little holes so oxygen could keep feeding her tail flame, but prevent a tent fire and Diana was too tired to mind.
Ash chuckled and followed suit, holding the flap of his chesto berry blue tent open for his own Pokemon. "Good night, Esme," He returned the gesture before crawling into his tent, changing into his pajamas and snuggled into his sleeping bag. Rex and Zeus yawned as they curled up against Ash who opened the bag for Vivina to squeeze into, leaving Aurora to hop onto his chest and close her shell, immediately drifting off.
Esme likewise changed into a nightgown, braiding her hair before snuggling into her own sleeping bag, holding it open for Marina to squeeze in for added warmth. Nicola, Diana and Regina all yawned as they curled up around their trainer. Bengino looked around before crawling on top of Esme, who just smiled as she fell asleep, before curling up.
However, the poor Worm Pokemon couldn't sleep for the life of it. It just had so much in its little head. Finally, it got up and crawled out of the tent, crawling to the stump and up it and stared up at the full moon, its radiant pale glow lighting up their little glen once the embers of the campfire had burned out. Inside Ash's tent, Zeus opened his eyes a bit and saw the silhouette of Bengino in the light of the moon and became more alert and confused. Deciding to check what was wrong, Zeus got up and slid through the flap of the tent. Meanwhile, Diana had also opened her eyes and also saw Bengino outside and was immediately concerned for her new friend and got up, going out of the tent to check on him.
(Poke-Translator On)
"Hey what are you doing up?" Zeus asked as he climbed onto the stump. "I just couldn't sleep," Bengino***** admitted, "Too much on my mind, I guess."
"Fair enough," Zeus shrugged as he settled and Diana joined them on the stump, "Today was quite the day."
"Yeah, Mistress and Miss Nicola are so dimble and graceful..." Diana agreed softly as she remembered the demonstration, "I don't think I could ever move like that..."
"Its not just that," Bengino said, "Its always been my dream to become a butterfree one day and soar the skies; its why I didn't flee when Vivina found me...or put up any struggle when Angel caught me..."
"I know how you feel...sorta..." Diana softly giggled, "I always wonder what it would be like to soar through the skies like my parents as a charizard..." She blushed a dark orange, "And have someone to enjoy the skies with..."
Zeus gave the fire starter an amused look before turning to Bengino, who sighed, "But I know you're feel the air under your wings one day...I'm so weak I doubt I ever will..."
"Don't say that, Ben," Zeus shook his head, "You should follow your dreams; you'll reach the skies too one day."
"I don't know..." Bengino said dejectedly, "I can't do anything useful outside Tackle and String Shot; I heard a released Butterfree say that I could learn Electro Web, but that's only through a...what did he call it? A TN?" He tilted his head in confusion when the two started chuckling.
"It's a TM," Diana corrected gently as she and Zeus patted Bengino on the back just as gently. "Besides, I know you'll be able to do it, Electro Web or not," Zeus assured, "Esme is an amazing girl and if she's having an trouble, Ash is right there to help like I know he will; between those two, you'll be a butterfree faster then you say 'Speed Demon Jenny'."
Bengino cocked his head in confusion, clearly lost on what was obviously an inside joke, not seeing Diana look frightened and close to a panic attack as he started to ask, "Speed Demon-?"
"Ah ah ah!" Diana, in a rare display of confidence and boldness, quickly slapped her paws over her teammate's mouth and shook her head, "We don't talk about that Jenny. Ever." She spoke with such finality and sharpness that it had both males quickly nodding.
"I think I feel a bit better," Bengino said as Diana pulled away, "Thanks Zeus, Diana; I'll see you in the morning." With that, he crawled back into the pink tent and cuddled back up with his trainer, feeling lighter then he had in a while.
"Benji is so nice," Diana sighed as she and Zeus stayed out and enjoyed the fresh night air a little longer, "I hope he'll get to achieve his dream one day..."
"He will," Zeus assured with a smile, "After all, he doesn't just have two amazing trainers in his corner, now does he?" Diana giggled and nodded, she supposed not. She gave a yawn before getting up and began to head back into her trainer's tent, "Good night, Zeus."
"Good night..." Zeus called back, staring up at the moon for just a little longer before finally retreating into Ash's tent, curling back up for sleep.
(PokeTranslator Off)
Hey! I'm sorry about the long haitus! I got caught up with some projects I was working on in Ao3, god I missed !
Thanks for everyone who managed to wait this long and I hope you like my little twist, I loved Ash and Butterfree's relationship in the original, but Ash has a bug in Vivina and Butterfree is an ideal Pokemon for a Performer like Esme.
Just to over over the teams;
Ash: Zeus (Pikachu(M)), Aurora (Shellder(F)), Vivina (Venonat(F)) and Rex (Nidoran(M))
Esme: Nicola (Pikachu(F)), Marina (Poliwag(F)), Diana (Charmander(F)), Regina (Nidoran(F)) and Bengino(M))
Now onto the * notes;
Kanto Geographics*: A little reference to the real world magazine National Geographics, makes sense to me that the Pokemon World would have similar magazines.
Rex**: Imagine Rex's voice during the PokeTranslator being similar to Hiro Hamada from Big Hero 6, no real reason, just thought it would an amusing though for Hiro's voice coming out of a poisonous mouse.
Angel***: Makes sense to me that the Pokemon would have nicknames for their trainers and with how sweet and kind and gentle Esme was when she and Ash found their NidoRiends (Nidoran + Friends), angel just seemed to fit.
Regina****: Imagine Regina's voice being similar to Rapunzel from Tangled, again similar reasons to Rex's voice, just thought it'd be ironically funny.
Bengino*****: Imagine Bengino's voice being similar to Flik from A Bug's Life, seemed like a fitting match.