The next morning, Ash woke up with a big yawn as the sun crept into his room. Pikachu was still curled up on a pillow next to him and sound asleep. Ash smiled at his best friend and scratched behind his ear. Pikachu purred in his sleep and began to gently stir awake.
"Morning bud." Ash greeted him.
"Good morning." Pikachu yawned. Ash got up and stretched out his limbs as a knock sounded from the front door. Curiously, Ash looked over at the door and saw a silhouette waiting on the other side in the morning sun.
"Who is it?" Ash asked.
"It's just me. Good morning." Akari's voice answered him.
"Oh. Good morning Akari." Ash replied.
"About ready to go to headquarters?" she wondered.
"I just need a minute to get dressed." He informed her.
"No worries." She nodded. Ash and Pikachu took a few minutes to freshen up and get into a new pair of clothes before Ash headed out to meet Akari and Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder.
"Sorry for the wait." He apologized.
"No problem. Did you sleep ok through that lightning storm last night?" she questioned him.
"There was a storm last night? Guess I must have slept through it entirely." He shrugged.
"Wow. Must be quite the heavy sleeper." She giggled.
"Heh. So I've been told." He chuckled.
"Well anyway, ready to go?" She grinned. Ash nodded and the two of them headed toward the entrance to the large building. They went straight into Cyllene's office and found the older woman already working through a mountain of paperwork. Upon hearing their footsteps, she looked up from her work and nodded in approval.
"Glad to see you're both prompt." She greeted them.
"Good morning Captain." Akari replied politely with a proper salute. Ash awkwardly followed suit as the Captain's gaze rested on him.
"I'll get right to your exam Ash. With Akari as your partner, you're going to go out into Obsidian Fields and catch a Bidoof, Starly, and Shinx for the Professor. Complete this task by the end of the day and you will be accepted as a full member of the Survey Corps." She explained.
"Understood." He nodded.
"Good. Then both of you are dismissed." She said before getting back to her paperwork. Ash and Akari both saluted and left the office. As they were walking through the lobby, a familiar voice called out to them.
"Ash! Akari!" both young adults turned around and spotted the Professor walking over with Cyndaquil and Rowlet following at his feet.
"Professor?" Akari questioned him. "What's going on?"
"Sorry for the abrupt holler, but before you go, Ash, I have something for you." Laventon explained.
"Really?" Ash wondered. Professor Laventon nodded and continued his explanation.
"Akari's Oshawott was one of the Pokémon I brought here when I moved here. Cyndaquil and Rowlet are the others. Since everyone out there is much safer if they have two Pokémon as Akari does, would you be willing to take one of them along with you?"
"Hmm..." Ash thought to himself. He really hadn't planned on catching any Pokemon while he was here to help protect the timeline, but having more Pokemon on him would help make sure Pikachu didn't become too hurt or exhausted while they were there. After weighing his options for a moment, he made his choice. "Sure thing. I'll take Rowlet."
"Row!" Rowlet cheered with a flap of his wings. Ash smiled back at the little Pokemon as Professor Laventon handed over Rowlet's pokéball.
"Well then, now that that's all settled, shall we all head to the gate to go out?" the Professor suggested.
"Yeah, we should." Akari nodded. "We'll let the Security Corps take us to the base camp."
"Sounds good." Ash agreed as he recalled Rowlet to his pokéball. With that, the group headed towards the East gate. However just as they were about to exit, a tall blonde-haired man walked in the gate from the outside. When he spotted Professor Laventon and Akari he stopped and smiled, giving them a wave.
"Well hello Professor, Akari." He greeted them.
"Oh, Volo. Welcome back to the village." The Professor greeted him as Ash's eyes widened. The man was the spitting image of the Sinnoh Champion he knew.
"Whoa! The resemblance is uncanny…"
"Back from your travels again huh?" Akari smiled at Volo, seeming to not notice Ash's surprise.
"Sure am." Volo chuckled. "Even a wanderer like me needs to come back to civilization once and a while." That was when he seemed to notice Ash and raised a curious eyebrow. "Oh. Who's this newcomer?"
"Oh! Sorry about that. I'm Ash." Ash stated as he tried to shake off his initial surprise.
"Ash huh? Nice to meet you, I'm Volo. What brings you to town?" Volo wondered with a smile.
"Well…" Ash stalled, trying to come up with a reasonable excuse. However, Akari misread the reason for his hesitation and jumped in for him.
"Ash actually came here through the rift!" she exclaimed, making Ash's eyes widen in shock. Volo's eyes widened in a similar vein at the revelation.
"You came through the rift?" he asked. Ash sighed, knowing he had to do some damage control now.
"Yeah…" he confessed.
"Incredible. Tell me what's it like on the other side?" Volo wondered.
"I…I honestly don't remember…" Ash lied.
"I see. Interesting…" Volo commented. At that moment, a thought crossed Akari's mind and she smiled at Ash.
"Hey, Ash! Volo travels all over Hisui with the Ginko Guild. Maybe he's seen your friend." She suggested.
"You're missing a friend?" Volo wondered, his interest again seeming to be raised.
"Actually yes…she came with me to Hisui. Have you seen anyone that seemed…out of place?" Ash asked with a hint of hope in his voice. Volo put a finger to his chin and thought for a moment before shaking his head.
"I'm sorry Ash but I haven't."
"Oh…"
"Sorry. But I'll definitely keep my eye out for her on the road." He promised.
"I'd appreciate that Volo. Thank you." Ash nodded. Volo smiled back and then seemed to take notice of Pikachu on Ash's shoulder.
"So you know how to use Pokémon huh?" he wondered.
"I sure do. Pikachu here was the first Pokemon I ever became friends with. And I always love meeting new ones." Ash replied.
"Tell me, have you ever had a battle before?" Volo asked with a small smirk. Ash smiled with a hint of excitement at the idea of battling again.
"I sure have. Some people have called me a natural at it." He grinned.
"Pika." Pikachu nodded in agreement.
"Such confidence. Well then, would you like to face me? I'm always up for a good battle." Volo offered.
"You're on!" Ash accepted. Ash and Volo moved back to create a makeshift battlefield between them as Akari and Professor Laventon stood back and out of the way to watch. Volo took out one of his own pokéballs and threw it, releasing a Togepi out onto the field.
"Toge!" the baby Pokemon chirped. Ash glanced at Pikachu with a small smile.
"You up to a battle bud?" he asked.
"You bet!" Pikachu smiled as he jumped off Ash's shoulder and took his place on the field.
"Togepi use Tackle!" Volo called the first move. Obeying the order, Togepi ran quickly towards Pikachu.
"Dodge and use Thunderbolt Pikachu!" Ash countered. Pikachu nodded and jumped away as Togepi was about to make contact. While in the air, he fired off a Thunderbolt and it connected with Togepi before she even knew where he had gone. She screamed out in pain until Pikachu stopped his attack. She fell backward onto her back, revealing she had fainted from the single attack. Volo's eyes widened in surprise, as did Akari's and Professor Laventon's as Ash began to realize he might've overdone it.
"Incredible…" Volo whispered.
"Heh...I had Pikachu for a long time...sorry…" Ash apologized as he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. Volo recalled Togepi to his pokéball and flashed Ash a smile.
"Very impressive. You two make quite a pair."
"Thanks."
"Are you planning on working with the Galaxy Team Ash?" the merchant questioned him.
"Yeah hopefully." Ash nodded.
"Well, first he has to pass today's entrance exam." Akari reminded him.
"I see. Well, good luck to you. You got me in your cheering section." Volo smiled.
"Thank you, Volo. For everything." Ash smiled back.
"See you all." Volo gave them all a wave and then headed off to the Ginko Guild stand near the Galaxy Team barracks. Ash smiled as he watched Volo leave and Pikachu hopped back onto his shoulder.
"That was amazing Ash." Akari smiled as she ran over, her eyes glistening with admiration for him.
"Thanks, Akari." He replied with a small smile.
"I quite agree. Seems you have a knack for battling as well." Laventon commented.
"Heh. I guess so." Ash replied as he tried to brush it off.
"Well then, shall we finally head to base camp?" the Professor suggested. Ash and Akari nodded and the three of them went out into the wilds of Hisui.
Soon, the group was escorted to the Galaxy Team base camp by the Security Corps. Ash looked at the sprawling greenlands and forests before him and it left him near breathless. He's never seen Sinnoh's nature completely untouched like this before. It truly looked like a completely different world from the one he knew.
"Whoa...!" he gasped. Akari smiled at him as she stood beside him.
"Welcome to Obsidian Fieldlands." She announced.
"Why is it called that?" Ash genuinely wondered. Jubilife Village was easy enough to piece together, but he didn't remember anything with a similar name from his own trip through Sinnoh.
"The obsidian rocks around here are rich in vitamins and other minerals that cause the plant life to grow vibrantly, creating this lovely grassland." Akari explained.
"I see. That's really cool." Ash smiled.
"Alright, good luck you two. I'll be here at base camp if you need anything." Laventon informed them.
"Thanks, Professor." Akari replied as she held Ash's hand and began walking out into the fields. "Let's go, Ash."
"Uh…right." Ash nodded, following her despite feeling a bit odd holding her hand.
"So to pass the test you need to catch a Bidoof, Starly, and Shinx right?" she looked to confirm.
"Yeah, that's what the captain said." He nodded.
"Alright. So probably the easiest to find is a Bidoof. So let's start there." She informed him.
"Sounds good." He agreed. Akari smiled at him and then pointed to a small group of Bidoof just ahead.
"There they are."
"Perfect."
"Bidoof are pretty mild-tempered Pokémon. You should be able to just throw a Pokéball at them without issue." She explained. "Go ahead and give it a shot."
"Right." He answered as he cautiously moved towards the Bidoof while Akari watched him from behind. One of the Bidoof noticed Ash and looked at him curiously. Taking the opportunity Bidoof's curiosity provided, Ash suddenly threw a pokéball at him and landed the hit. Bidoof was sucked inside the ball and Ash watched it shake with bated breath until finally, it sent up a firework.
"Nice work." Akari smiled.
"Thanks." He replied as he picked up the pokéball.
"Well how about we try Starly next?" she suggested.
"No argument here." He answered.
"Well then, you should know they're a little different from Bidoof. They're quite skittish and will flee at the first sight of a human." She informed him.
"Really?" he wondered.
"Oh yeah." She nodded. "But if you hide in the tall grass they won't be able to see you as easily."
"Oh, I see. That makes sense." He decided. After hearing that, Akari smiled and took his hand in her own again. She led him over to a patch of tall grass and began showing him how to crouch down with her, purposefully allowing their bodies to remain close as she did and softly blushing all the while.
"Just like this..." she whispered. Ash blushed slightly as the uncomfortable feeling he was experiencing began to grow.
"Uh…I see...ok…" he said as he pulled his hand away from her and began sneaking over to a Starly, who was eating a berry that had fallen from a nearby tree. He moved as close as he could to the Flying Type while still being concealed by tall grass, then threw a pokéball before Starly knew he was there. The ball hit Starly in the back of the head, startling him as he was sent inside the ball. A few shakes later and another firework shot off. "Yeah!"
"Nice work!" Akari cheered. "Now only one left."
"Right. Time to catch a Shinx."
"Don't get ahead of yourself. Shinx are incredibly tricky to catch." She hinted.
"Tricky how?" he wondered aloud.
"They're very violent. And that makes it difficult to catch them when they attack." She informed him.
"Okay then. Does that mean I have to battle them?" he asked.
"Yup." Akari nodded. "It's the only way to get them to lower their guard if they spot you."
"I got this then." Ash smiled as he ran off towards a Shinx he had spotted earlier. Akari stayed hidden in a patch of tall grass as she watched him. As Ash cautiously approached the Shinx, the Electric Type was licking his fur and minding his own business. Grabbing a pokéball from his pack, Ash threw out Rowlet who appeared near Shinx and startled him.
"Shin?!" Shinx gasped.
"Row!" Rowlet chirped, ready for a battle.
"Rowlet, use Leafage!" Ash called out. Rowlet obeyed the order and fired off several sharp leaves at Shinx by flapping his wings, easily landing the attack on the startled Pokemon.
"Shi!" Shinx cried out. He dug in his claws and regained his balance and then quickly fired a Thundershock, hitting Rowlet and causing him to cry out in pain.
"Rowlet!" Ash gasped.
"Row…" Rowlet said weakly as he struggled to stay in the air, clearly having taken a lot of damage from the attack. Taking the opportunity, Shinx charged in towards Rowlet and used Bite on Rowlet's wing, earning another yell of pain.
"Hang tough Rowlet! Use Leafage again!" Ash ordered. Rowlet turned and tried to fire Leafage again, but missed with his beaten-up wing, giving Shinx a chance to fire another Thundershock and score another hit.
"Rowlet no!" Ash grit his teeth. Before he could even try to come up with a plan to win the fight, he suddenly heard Akari scream from behind him, drawing his attention from the battle.
"Akari?!" his eyes widened in horror as he saw Akari stumble out of the tall grass, holding her side with blood dripping through her fingers. Two more Shinx were behind her and were closing in fast. "Oh no! Pikachu use Thunderbolt on those two Shinx quick!"
"On it!" Pikachu nodded as he leaped from Ash's shoulder. He fired Thunderbolt at the two Shinx that attacked Akari. He hit them and did good damage, but it wasn't enough to knock them out. Akari used the opportunity to stumble over to Ash, still holding her injury in an attempt to stop the blood flowing from the wound.
"Shinx always hunt in packs! I never heard them coming!" she quickly explained.
"Just stay close! I got this!" Ash promised her. Seeing that the two Shinx he had Pikachu attack had taken more damage than the one he was battling, he quickly made a plan. "Iron Tail Pikachu!" he yelled as he threw a pokéball at one of the two Shinx. The pokéball hit and the Shinx was sent inside as Pikachu hit the other with Iron Tail. The pokéball caught Shinx and Iron Tail knocked out the other Shinx. "Nice work bud-"
"ROW!" Rowlet cried out in pain, drawing their attention back to the Shinx he was still fighting. Rowlet fainted from another Thundershock and the Shinx suddenly pounced towards Akari.
"Look out!" Ash gasped as he quickly tackled her out of the way. Akari landed on her back and yelped in surprise as Ash landed on top of her and looked toward Pikachu. "Quick Attack!"
"Right!" Pikachu obeyed as he ran and knocked out the last Shinx with Quick Attack effectively ending the pack's attack. Ash sighed in relief and smiled at his partner. "Great job Pikachu."
"Um…Ash…?" Akari squeaked from below him. Ash looked down at her and blushed heavily as he realized their current position and saw her already blushing a bright red.
"Oh um…y-you alright?" he asked as he quickly got off her and helped her onto her feet.
"I-I think so...except..." her voice trailed off as she glanced at her side, which was still bleeding quite a bit.
"Right…just hang tight we'll get you some help." Ash promised as he recalled his Pokemon and then gently supported her body with his as they began the walk back to the base camp.
"Thank you for saving me Ash..." she whispered as she rests her head against his shoulder a bit.
"It's no problem..." he answered, doing his best to ignore the uncomfortable feeling as they soon arrived back at the base camp. As they approached, Professor Laventon spotted them and was quick to notice Akari's wound.
"Oh my! What on earth happened?!" he gasped.
"While I was battling with a Shinx with Rowlet, two others appeared and attacked her..." Ash informed him.
"Apparently we walked right up to a pack without realizing it..." Akari added.
"I see...Well bring her inside the tent and let's see what we can do about those injuries." The Professor informed them.
"Right." Ash nodded as he walked Akari over to the tent and helped her lay down on the available cot as Professor Laventon got out the camp's medical supplies. "Sorry that this happened..."
"It's ok..." she answered with a small smile. "It comes with the job sometimes…"
"Alright let's take a look." Laventon announced as he brought the medicine over to Akari.
"It's on my side..." she commented as she carefully took off her top. Ash quickly looked away, determined not to look at another woman that way no matter what the circumstances.
"I see." Laventon nodded as he began treating her injuries. "Don't you worry. It doesn't look too serious."
"Thank you…" she answered, wincing at the sting of her wounds and the medicine. He continued treating her and Ash continued to look away until he was suddenly called upon.
"Ash I need a hand here." Laventon summoned him.
"S-Sure..." Ash answered as he nervously walked over, still trying to not look at anything May would not approve of. Once he was there, Professor Laventon moved to the side slightly to give him room to come down next to Akari's body.
"I need to you hold this gauze to her skin while I clean the area." The Professor explained.
"Sure thing..." Ash gulped as he held the gauze to Akari's ribs. Even he couldn't prevent a blush from creeping along his cheeks as he prayed the professor would hurry. Professor Laventon cleaned another rag and got out some bandages.
"Is something wrong Ash...?" Akari suddenly asked after noticing the nervousness on his face.
"N-No…" he stammered as he quickly tried to cover. "I'm just sorry that this happened..."
"I told you it's ok...I'll be fine..." she promised him with a gentle smile.
"That's good-" He failed to finish the sentence as Akari gently placed one of her hands over his, deepening the blush across his cheeks.
"There we go." Professor Laventon announced as he tied off the last bandage. "That should do it. You'll be just fine Akari."
"Thank you both so much." Akari smiled as she sat up with a bit of help.
"No problem…but you might want to…" Ash stumbled as he gestured to her top.
"Oh right." Akari remembered. She proceeded to put her top back on and then smiled at Ash. "Well anyway, you certainly passed the entrance exam with flying colors."
"Oh yeah." He realized. "I guess I did."
"Congratulations." She smiled.
"Really? You've caught all three Ash?" Laventon asked.
"I sure did." Ash nodded.
"Wow! Most impressive!" the Professor exclaimed.
"Thanks, Professor." Ash chuckled.
"Let's get this data back to Captain Cyllene and seal the deal." He suggested.
"Sounds good to me." Akari smiled.
To be Continued...