No Silver Lining - Part 1: The Foundling
Ash had been surprised when Sicora had invited him to stay at the Gym for a while. Pikachu looked better but still tired, so Ash carried him up the huge spiral staircase. Sicora explained that it went all the way to the top of the Gym, and that she lived most of the year on the top floor.
"Where else do you go ?" Ash asked.
"A couple of weeks a year I take off and go up to the mountains. I do this all year -- I need a break sometimes." Sicora answered, pushing open the doors. A tawny coloured bundle of energy flung itself at them. Sicora caught it, swung it around once, and settled it into her arms, laughing. Ash got a good look at it.
It was an Abra, and a really tiny one at that. It clung to Sicora like a lost child and exclaimed, "Raa-ra-raaaa." which Ash found odd because most Abra's usually didn't say anything. He opened Dexter, his PokéDex, and pointed it at Abra.
"Abra. The Psychic Pokémon. Abra are shy, and has powerful psychic abilities, and are often difficult to catch. It relies on Teleport to move itself to safety."
Ash dubiously put Dexter away. This was, quite possibly, the smallest looking Abra he'd ever seen (not that he'd seen many of them, they were notoriously elusive) and it must have showed on his expression because Sicora chuckled.
"She's still very young." Sicora said, and then peered at the jacket pocket that now held the PokéDex. "That's one of Professor Oak's inventions, isn't it ? How did you get one ?"
"He gave it to me when I first became a trainer," Ash answered.
"That's right, you did say Pallet Town. Now I know who you are. You're the one who helped Sabrina, aren't you ?"
"I… guess so." Ash said, confused. "I battled her, I mean, but -- hey, how do you know about that ?"
"Oh, Sabrina and I are… friendly rivals. We keep in touch." Sicora said. Ash wondered just how friendly this rivalry was. Neither one seemed like the pen-pal type to Ash. "Would you like something to drink ?"
"Yeah, that'd be great." Ash said, perking up. Pikachu, tired of being carried around, squirmed until Ash set him down on the table.
"Pika-pika. Pikachu." The Pokémon said, apparently feeling recovered. Ash absently scratched him behind the right ear. When Sicora disappeared into what Ash assumed to be the kitchen, with the Abra still clinging to her, he took a moment to look more carefully around the room.
There were tall, ovaline windows set a few meters apart, casting bright spots of light on the floor. High above him, in what must have been the crest of the enormous PokéBall, there was a huge skylight, which filtered down sunlight and brightened the room considerably. The main room, where he stood, seemed to double as both living room and eating area. There was a fireplace on the far wall, with pictures on the mantle. Interested, Ash took a look at them. Most of them were pictures of Abra's, all wild, and then there were a few at the end of the mantle of people Ash didn't recognize. There was also a strange looking trophy -- at least, Ash assumed that's what is was.
"Here we are." Sicora said, re-appearing with a tray, which she set down on the table. The Abra she had carried was nowhere in sight.
"Where'd she go ?" he asked. Sicora pointed at the floor near his feet. He looked down but saw nothing. Tentatively, he reached down and patted the air around his leg. He encountered something solid, and then the Abra re-appeared with a pop and went scampering back to Sicora, crying, "Raa-raaaaa-raa-ra-raaaaa."
Sicora just laughed and handed Ash a cup filled with steaming tea. He took it, blew on it to cool the liquid, and took a sip. The Cobalt City Gym leader offered Pikachu a PokéSnack, which the Pokémon took with a happy exclamation, apparently feeling much better.
"Did you take these pictures ?" Ash asked, after he had taken a sip. He indicated the wild Abra's in the photographs.
"Yes, I did." Sicora answered as she poured herself a cup of tea. "It may surprise you to find that I did not always aspire to be a Gym Leader. When I was much younger, I wanted to become an Abra trainer. I spent a whole summer away from home, on my own, looking for Abra's by wandering around the mountains. The Alakazam I have now is the very first Pokémon I ever had." She smiled fondly. "And it was about that time when I discovered I had similar psychic abilities."
"Sabrina discovered hers when she was a little girl." Ash recalled, from his visit to Saffron City.
"Well, Sabrina had a family that encouraged it." Sicora responded. She reached down and scratched the young Abra's ear. "And as you can see, I still have a soft spot for them."
"What about that trophy ?" Ash asked, pointing to the specified object.
"That, I won at the Misao Competition." Upon seeing his blank look, she added, "It's a special gathering for psychic trainers only. I go every year, and so does Sabrina."
"Does that trophy mean you won ?" Ash inquired.
Sicora chuckled, "No -- I placed, but I didn't win. Beat Sabrina, though, she wasn't too happy about that. There are trainers a lot stronger than I am competing there." For a moment, her expression turned both wistful and lonely, but she forced a smile and added, "But maybe one day."
"What about your Ghastly ?" Ash asked.
"Ghastly took to haunting my Gym shortly after I moved in." Sicora answered wryly, "And was determined not to leave. So we came to the arrangement that we would help each other out. And besides, he's good company. Now… tell me about yourself, Ash-Ketchum-from-Pallet-Town…"
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Chansey was making it's afternoon rounds as usual, checking the Pokémon's charts, refreshing blankets and bandages as needed. There were not many Pokémon at the Hospital at the moment. Several trainers had come to collect their Pokémon this morning, leaving only a handful left. "Chansey, chansey." It trilled, looking into each room. Other than a snarly Growlithe, there had been nothing to warrant any concern.
"Chansey, chansey !" The nurse Pokémon chirped, peeking into Meowth's room. Then it chirped, "Chansey ?" in confusion, because the bed was empty. It trundled into the room, lifting the blankets. The bandages were there, albeit sliced. It was clear how they had been taken off. "Chansey, chansey," It repeated, checking the whole room to no avail. Then it hurried off to find Nurse Joy.
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A full pot and a half of tea later, Ash and Pikachu had recounted a brief narrative of their adventures. Sicora seemed especially impressed when he'd told her that they'd advanced to the Third Level of the Pokémon League. There were 3 rounds in each Level, 4 Levels. Ash had nearly come face to face with the two best trainers before being eliminated.
"Sounds like you've become quite the trainer, Ash." Sicora said. Abra had returned and was sleeping quietly on the couch, curled up in a ball, which Ash thought was deceptively cute. In the span of a few hours, he'd watch the Pokémon teleport a number of knick-knacks around the room, including the entire tea set. (Sicora had drummed her fingers on the table until it had been sheepishly returned.)
"Maybe this year, we'll win." Ash answered enthusiastically.
"That League doesn't commence for almost another year, isn't that right ?" Sicora asked. Ash nodded, and she continued, "Then I suppose North Isles will be good practice for you."
"North Isles ?" The teen repeated.
"That is why you want my badge, isn't it ?" Sicora replied, "Don't you know ?"
"Know what ?"
"Ohh..." Sicora said, as if finally understanding. "So you don't know. Well, that explains it, then. The 'North Isles' is a Gym League in the Zephyr Islands." She stood and went to one of the ovaline windows in the room. From this height, the coast was visible. "See that little dark patch over there ?"
"Yeah." Ash answered. Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder.
"That's Aamrus Island. Here, it's on the map." Sicora said, and opened one of the desk drawers. She rifled around in it for a moment, and then pulled out a folded, poster-sized map and spread it on the table. "Here we are."
It was, Ash noticed immediately, a section that was on his map, right up in the northwest corner. But on his map, the circle of islands was tiny, almost not noticeable. Now he could see them clearly. A rough circle of 6 islands, grouped around a larger landmass, and nothing else in any direction for miles. Sicora traced a line back to the mainland from the closest island. "Here, that's Aamrus, that we can see from the window."
"Pika-pi ! Pikachu !" Pikachu added empathetically. Ash was beginning to get excited as well. A Gym League ? Right here in the area ?
"When does it begin ?" he asked.
"North Isles commences at the end of the summer -- a little more than 2 months from now." Sicora answered. "But..." she cautioned with a smile, "You'll need MY badge to get in. An entrance test, if you will. Which means, Ash Ketchum -- you'll be wanting a re-match."
"You bet I will !" Ash said. Sicora just smiled knowingly and took the tea set back into the other room.
"You'd better get back to the Pokémon Center," she said when she returned. "There's a nasty storm on the way."
Ash looked incredulously out the window. "But there's not a cloud in the sky !" he protested. And there wasn't. It was looking to be a beautiful night.
"I know," Sicora answered.
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Ash stared glumly out the window of the PokéCenter at the pounding rain outside. The storm had rolled in shortly just as he had returned, large drops splattering on the ground as he had hurried inside. Now it was raging full force, precisely the 'nasty storm' Sicora had predicted.
He had looked up North Isles League when he'd gotten back. There were 6 islands circling the large one, and the whole thing was referred to as the Zephyr Islands. Each small island was the home of a different Gym, and then the League itself was held on the main island at the end of the summer. The information he'd found was very vague, though, probably to prevent trainers from having too much of an advantage. But in several places he'd looked, he found that the North Isles Gym League was sometimes called the Elemental League.
"So what do you think, Pikachu ?" Ash said, and the Pokémon had looked up from his snack. Ash had already eaten, food courteously provided by the PokéCenter.
"Pika ?" The electric Pokémon answered.
"This North Isles League. I don't know if I want to stay in the area until the end of the summer." A few years ago, he would have jumped at the chance. A lot had changed in only a few years.
"Ring-ring-ring ! Ring-ring-ring ! Phone call ! Phone call ! Ring-ring-ring ! Ring-ring-ring ! Phone call ! Phone call !"
The mechanical voice of the videophone interrupted their conversation. Ash walked over to the desk and pushed the answer button. Nurse Joy's face appeared on the screen. She looked worried.
"What's wrong, Nurse Joy ?" Ash said.
"I'm calling to let you know," Joy answered, distressed, "That the Meowth you brought in earlier has disappeared. Chansey and I think he may have run away."
A crash of thunder momentarily flickered the connection, and Ash looked outside at the storm. It was a terrible night for anyone to be out, human or Pokémon.
"Thank you, Nurse Joy." Ash said slowly.
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The Meowth in question was huddled under a small bridge just outside town. The bridge had been designed to allow travelers to cross the creek that ran parallel to the town, but they hadn't built it high enough and every time it rained, water washed all over it and so no one used it. They used the bigger bridge further downstream, because it didn't flood.
"I hate water ! Especially wet water !" Meowth complained loudly, but unlike every other time he made this protest known, Jessie and James weren't around to tell him to be quiet (James) to grin and bear it (Jessie), to stop-whining-before-Jessie-hits-you-with-a-fan (James) and to be hit with a fan (Jessie).
Instead, he was answered by a crash of thunder and another douse of very wet water from the swollen creek. He sighed. He would not cry, he would not.
And he didn't.
But that didn't seem to help.