Ash walked along the forest, taking in the view. It was not a very big forest nor was it too dense - that honour belonged to Viridian City's forests, one of the thickest forests in Kanto as well as being home to the largest amount of bug Pokemon in the country. Oak had grumbled a few times to him about the amount of bug catchers that lined the route because of that.
But for now, Ash was just walking along route one, seeking to get to Viridian City. In all honesty, he wanted to get far from Pallet Town to feel like he had properly begun his journey as well as a few other things. Whilst he had all the necessities, there was a few other things that were limited in Pallet Town that he would be able to buy in a city, as well as he had to get to a Pokemon Centre to register for this year's Kanto League. Whilst it would still take another day and a bit to reach Viridian, he had a week before the deadline. So, Ash could take his time.
Silver was trotting happily alongside him, the aloof and serene Pokemon helping himself to any of the berry bushes that grew all along the route. After passing yet another Oran berry tree and having to stop for a moment to throw one at the steel-type, Ash consulted his Pokedex to sate his curiosity.
"Please select a specific inquiry about berries." The Pokedex questioned, making Ash scroll along a menu of options before he spotted his exact inquiry. "The abundance of berry agriculture in both the wild and farms is largely down to their nature and the high demand for them across the continent. Berry trees and plants have a high tolerance for most environments, and will thus happily grow across most routes. It is a tradition and helpful gesture for a lot of trainers or otherwise to plant their berries across the continent, as well as actually being a scheme of the Pokemon League to make sure every route has compatible berries growing along it for the Pokemon living along said route. As such, whilst not typically the original environment, every route at least now has a variety of berries along it."
Ash gave a small hum before tucking away his Pokedex and looked to Silver, his Aron. "You hear that? Every route has berries along it."
Silver just looked coolly back at him. "Works for me." The Pokemon responded.
Ash just glanced to his Aron for a second before readjusting his mask. "Of course it does." He muttered to himself in slight amusement.
AN HOUR LATER.
"Stop right there!" A teenager suddenly shouted out to Ash, making him halt in his tracks and look over inquisitively to the trainer that had emerged from the other path at the crossroads. Wearing a white t-shirt, carrying a net as well as gripping a Pokeball in their other hand, recognition dawned on Ash as to what this new arrival wanted. "I challenge you, sir, to a battle!"
Ash looked at the person who was waving their net around like a maniac to punctuate their speech, before shrugging. "Sure." Ash responded, before tilting his head towards Silver and urging him forward slightly as he himself put space between them to enable enough room for the battle. "You're up, Silver."
"Oh, is that an Aron?" The bug catcher looked enthralled at the steel-type, before looking to Ash. "Damn, I've never seen a non-native Pokemon before. But never mind, go Parasect!"
The teen lobbed their Pokeball into the air, causing it to split open and divulge the Pokemon from within, revealing a very short Pokemon. It had the body of an orange crap with wide, white eyes - which disturbingly enough didn't have any irises. Two large pincers jutted out, as the creature had a large purple mushroom completely covering its body and only just letting its eyes, pincers and legs be seen. "Parasect." It spoke, in a deep yet slow tone of voice.
"Let's start things out, Parasect!" The bug catcher shouted out as they pointed to Silver, who stood a few metres from the mushroom Pokemon with a tense and awaiting posture. "Use leech life!"
Ash took in that information before looking to his own Pokemon. "Use dig to avoid it, and then come up right underneath Parasect using bite." Ash mentally commanded his Pokemon using aura.
"Er, are you not gonna do anything?" Ash's opponent spoke then, as Parasect threw a large seed projectile in a graceful arc towards the steel-type, but it was avoided quickly as Silver burst into action. Splitting the soil apart, Silver quickly disappeared into the ground as the seed past the vanishing Pokemon overhead - missing.
"Dang!" The bug catcher cursed, before pointing to their Pokemon. "Parasect, they used dig! Move about so they can't target you!"
Sure enough, the crab Pokemon began scuttling about the small battle site, and fooled Silver who burst up too slow from the ground, a metre behind the scuttling opponent.
"There it is!" The bug catcher shouted. "Use slash to inflict some real damage whilst it's emerging!"
Parasect charged forth then, pincer held aloft which glowed a bright white - but the crab Pokemon was not built for speed, and so reached Silver just as he finished getting out of the ground.
"Metal claw to block the slash, then use bite to counterattack." Ash ordered, before locking eyes with his opponent.
Sure enough, Silver completely blocked the high damage-dealing normal type move with a steel-type move, before the stubby Pokemon then lunged forth across the small gap with his wide jaw opened to its fullest extent. The move was successful, as Silver's teeth completely closed down upon the soft flesh of the mushroom body, and began to inflict more damage as Parasect frantically moved to shake Silver off, and Silver himself twisted his mouth to make sure more flesh was torn apart in his jaws.
"Parasect, use stun spore to confuse Aron and knock him off!" The teen across from Ash ordered, getting a chitter from Parasect in response as a green, glittering cloud emerged from beneath the mushroom. This was right in Silver's face, who correspondingly breathed in a large amount as he tore at his opponent's mushroom.
Ash shook his head at this. "Foolish." He spoke aloud, making his opponent confused. "Confusion is an inflicting status that only works when choosing a new move to use, which would then correspondingly cause self-damage to the inflicted Pokemon. It doesn't work for a move already being used." Blinking and adjusting his mask a little, Ash then spoke to his Pokemon for the first time that battle. "Silver, don't let go."
Silver, although affected by the status, did as his trainer ordered as his claws dug into the ground, teeth digging in deeper as the steel-type applied even more pressure, causing the crab Pokemon to cry out in pain.
"Parasect come on-" The teen tried to encourage, but was interrupted by Ash.
"End it." Ash demanded. "End the battle and surrender. You don't know how to get your Pokemon out of this, and at this point all you're doing is letting it suffer more."
The bug catcher seemed struck by indecision, before sighing and nodding as they withdrew a Pokeball and recalled Parasect into it. Ash gave a whistle and a beckoning gesture to Silver, who happily trotted over, basking in Ash's praise for their first victory on their journey as he reached down and petted his Aron.
"Here, eat up. It'll get rid of the confusion." Ash informed as he pulled a Persim berry from his backpack and gave it to the steel-type.
Silver snatched it out of Ash's hands, and demolished it in under a second. "Cheers." The Pokemon thanked, making Ash pat his head again before he stood up and moved over to the bug catcher.
"Congrats on the win." The bug catcher stated, before they waved a Pokedex at Ash which they then slipped in their pocket. "You'll have your winnings when I get back home."
"Thanks." Ash responded. "That was a good battle."
"Not really." A new voice sounded out then, making both teens look over to the intruding person. "The bug catcher couldn't even land a single hit. Aron dominated that fight."
The teen with the net seemed remarkably put off by that information, as Ash just looked inquisitively at the boy who had been standing in the trees, watching the battle. The figure stepped out then, revealing another person their age standing in the sunlight.
Purple hair was the first thing that stood out to Ash, medium-length hair that framed a naturally dispositioned face of a cold expression. Black eyes glanced disdainfully at the other two, as Ash regarded the teen before him. Dressed simply, the teen wore a dark purple zip-top as well as carried a black rucksack.
Regarding Ash then with some interest as they completely disregarded the bug catcher, the newcomer spoke. "I challenge you to a battle." They stated simply.
Blinking as he cocked his head slightly as he regarded what this newly arrived trainer had just come and requested, Ash narrowed his eyes slightly. "And who might you be?" He challenged back.
The trainer looked a bit more approvingly at the challenging tone. "Paul." They responded. "Paul Shinji."
Ash seemed to scrutinise Paul before sticking out a hand to the purple-haired trainer. "Ash." He offered himself then. "Ash-"
"Ketchum." Paul finished for Ash then, making Ash look to him with a curious eye. "Apprentice to Lance the dragon master. Anyone whose done their homework basically knows who you are, Ketchum." He looked down slowly to the offered handshake then, before reaching out and grasping said hand. "A pleasure."
Ash's expression never changed except for a glint of amusement entering his eyes. "I look forward to battling you." Ash responded as he shook Paul's hand firmly, making the other trainer smirk as his challenge was accepted. The bug catcher looked on, put out slightly yet watching as the two trainers greeted each other respectfully, then split apart to form a battle space between them. Ash looked down as Silver began to move forth, and then whistled at him - making the stubby steel-type look to him. "Not yet, Silver. Let's see if he does the honours of releasing his Pokemon first."
Sure enough, Paul looked at Ash, before grunting and enlarging a Pokeball in his hand. "Pidgeotto, stand by for battle." The Pokeball sailed through the air and opened, expunging a mass of red light which quickly took the shape of a small flying Pokemon. The bird was covered in prominent feathers, detailed with a cream underside with a light brown on top - black highlights around its small eyes as it released a caw. Red feathers plumed above its head as well as being a part of the tail.
"A flying type..." Ash muttered to himself. Truth be told, he had always found flying types one of the most difficult to deal with, given that they had some of the highest speed stats among Pokemon - the combination of flight gifting them with great dodging and weaving abilities that few other Pokemon could match. As such, they made tricky opponents for Pokemon with few long-range techniques and abilities, making it a good thing that Ash had held Silver back. He needed an electric-type Pokemon to combat such threats in future.
Synergy was just overkill to be using in such situations, and it felt remarkably unfair.
Plucking out his own case of Pokeballs and selecting the device to the right of the ultra ball, Ash put away the case as he tossed the Pokeball into the air. "You're up, Peeper." Ash stated as from out of the flash of red light came the blue serpentine Pokemon.
Paul raised an eyebrow at the sight of the Dragonair before him, a rare Pokemon by all accounts. Eyeing the bird beside him which remained stationary in the air, beating its wings as it awaited his command, Paul reflected on the power differences between the two Pokemon. Undoubtedly, the serpentine would have a lead on attack and defence stats, but the one area Paul had the edge in was speed. However, he would have to be wary - the Dragonite evolutionary line was well known for having a large variety in their attacks.
Directing his hand forth, Paul went first. "Quick attack." He commanded, getting a squawk from his Pokemon who then was covered in a white sheen as they rocketed off.
Glancing at Peeper as she tensed upon hearing a battle start, Ash spoke mentally to her. "Get flat to the ground." Looking back up, Ash saw the bird rapidly closing in - and then diving past as the bird completely overshot their projected target who had pressed their body completely against the ground.
Seeing his quarry dodge the attack with good enough speed, Paul gave an approving nod before moving to speak again - and Ash worked out what he was up to. "Gust." He calmly ordered, already working out that given the nature of how his opponent could move to dodge such attacks, he needed to change up the scenario.
Sure enough, Pidgeotto halted mid-air and began rapidly beating its wings to send strong gusts of wind towards the ground, kicking up a torrent of dirt and dust which covered the immediate vicinity. However, its more prevalent effects were seen as the wide-sweeping attack hit Peeper full on, dealing a modicum of damage.
To Ash however, it was an opportunity. "It's stationary. Hit it with as powerful a thunderbolt you can muster." Ash ordered as he looked over to Paul. The trainer said nothing, but Ash saw from his eyes that he was wondering why he was visibly doing nothing.
Causing Paul to become a bit shocked as Peeper let out a small cry as electricity flickered into life above her head before a full course of yellow streaks of energised matter flew towards Pidgeotto. As stationary and pre-occupied with their attack as they were, the bird couldn't move away in time to avoid the attack and so let out a pained shriek as the super effective landed.
Paul scowled as he saw the last of the attack fade, leaving a heavily panting bird behind. "Aerial ace!" He snapped out then, whilst they were closer to one another and the attack would wrk better.
Ash frowned as he heard that - a highly damaging move that was said to be so accurate it was like it never missed. But the downside to it was that it always took a couple of seconds for the flying-type user to build up enough speed to pull off the move - something Ash proceeded to capitalise on.
"Do a quick smokescreen, and then use protect." Ash spoke mentally, approving of his Pokemon as she never affirmed to her trainer but rather just carried out his orders. Black smoke quickly created a dense cloud surrounding Peeper, completely vanishing the serpentine from view in a second. Thus hiding the translucent green screen that sprang up before the Dragonair.
The whistling air that surrounded the Piedgeotto as it dived at throttling speeds completely dispersed the smoke before it as it descended at high speed into the cloud, but it was far too late to pull out when it saw the Protect screen. Letting out a panicked screech, the native Kanto bird ploughed fully into the green screen which held firm against the recoil of the move.
Ash gripped his hand tight into a fist as he finished the battle. "Thunder wave into wrap." Ash's voice sounded in Peeper's mind, who let out a trill as the green screen before her fell instantly and instead electrical discharge sparked into life before her mouth. Fired off right as Pidgeotto was recovering and beginning to flap its wings and try and move off, the bird let off a caw, free from pain this time as the electrical technique washed over its system - and immediately paralysed it.
Taking immediate advantage of that, Peeper seized hold of the bird as it literally fell into her grip - tightly wrapping the end coil of her body around the Pokemon and squeezing it in a crush-like vice, raising it to eye level to look directly at the struggling bird. It was soon taken from her, however, as a red beam hit the bird and caused it to be recalled into the outstretched Pokeball in Paul's hand.
Looking to the device for a second, Paul frowned before tucking away the device and pulling out another. "What do you say for another round, Ketchum?" The purple-haired trainer challenged then.
Considering it for a moment, Ash nodded as he spoke. "Just one more though. I would like to get travelling again soon." Standing straighter, Ash gestured to Peeper to remain so as to return the earlier favour of displaying the Pokemon he'd use this round first. "Though you always planned to have another round, didn't you? You were just testing me with the Pidgeotto."
Looking approvingly at Ash, Paul tossed the Pokeball onto the makeshift battlefield. "Grotle, your turn."
Ash eyed the new Pokemon aprasingly, and saw how much stronger it was than the Pidgeotto that Peeper had defeated with only a bit of damage to herself. The turtle Pokemon that appeared was obviously a grass-type, with three small bushes growing out of its yellow hardened shell that covered the entire length of its body, only allowing a stubby tail and small face to peek out from it. The Pokemon was low-lying to the ground yet obviously very heavy, a defensive Pokemon with high health yet a low speed. It happily announced its name with the gormless expression on its face that it seemed to usually wear.
Ash started the battle this time as he pointed to the left. "Begin moving and stay moving. A lot of Grass-types ranged attacks go in the direction they're facing, so don't keep in view of it." With a trill, Peeper obediently carried out his command as she began slithering off, darting round the left of the Sinnoh turtle who soon lost sight of it as the Dragonair was much faster than it; even as they began to turn.
Paul seemed to know that Ash would use speed however, and so upped the stats that he found favourable. "Grotle, use curse." He ordered, receing an affirmative cry from his Pokmon as dark wisps of energy began to emerge from its shell, before it let out a grunt of pain from the use of the ghost type move.
Ash narrowed his eyes as Paul's strategy was laid before him - he wouldn't even try to keep up with his Pokemon's speed, but rather counteract it with a higher defence and attack stats. Helped along by the use of the ghost-type move, which from being used by a non ghost-type, inflicted stat changes on Grotle - raising its attack and defence at the cost of speed.
"Flamethrower." Ash spoke mentally, as Peeper worked all the way round to the back of Grotle who was furiously turning as the last of the dark wisps floated off its shell, signifying the completion of the move. Not emitting a single noise, Peeper spat out a torrent of flames at Grotle's side as the turtle continued turning - catching Paul slightly unaware as he was unused to this silence from his opponent.
"Protect, Grotle." Paul spoke quickly as he swiped his hand down in a gesture to signify his urgency - which luckily worked as a green, translucent screen popped up before the turtle which blocked the worst of the flames. However, not all of the flames were blocked as Grotle had still been turning and had left a small portion of himself undefended - which quickly got damaged by the spewed fires, causing a cry of agony from the turtle.
"Don't just stand there, Grotle!" Paul's voice cut through then as the flames died down. "Use leech seed!" Grotle quickly spat out a brown bullet at the serpentine, before wincing as orange wisps of fire appeared along its body - signifying the inflicted status of a burn upon the Sinnoh Pokemon.
"Move." Ash ordered, luckily having jolted his Pokemon into picking up her speed again as the seed projectile slammed into where she had been, beginning to move round the turtle once more.
Paul, however, realised he couldn't let that continue. "Earthquake." He ordered, recollecting his calm as he put the battle back on track. With a short roar, Grotle heaved itself up with its front two legs - before poising them to strike the ground as it fell.
"Jump and use iron tail on its shell." Ash instructed via the aura bond so as to both save his Pokemon and inflict damage. Although it wouldn't do much against such a hardened surface, some damage was better than no damage - especially as Ash was avoiding his opponent's move at the same time.
The entire clearing in the forest shook as Grotle slammed down with a cry, cracking the ground slightly as he used the heavily energetic move to affect the whole battle site - but Peeper had already coiled her body and sprang upwards as he did so. The dust and dirt raised by the earthquake move blocked Grotle from view for a few secnds, but not of the serpentine as shge flipped in the air with a tail that quickly transformed into a gleaming silver. Just as Grotle winced again from the burn inflicting further damage to him, he only just saw by lifting his head the blue serpentine striking downwards upon his shell with a metallic glowing tail.
A grunt of agony sounded out then from the double doses of damage dealt to the Sinnoh Pokemon, but Paul saw his chance to turn the tables - literally. "Buck, and use bite." Paul commanded to his Pokemon then. "Then absorb if you can."
Grotle reciprocated perfectly as Peeper let out a trill as the shell she had landed on dipped forwards alarmingly - Grotle having lowered his head and jolted his hind legs up. As the serpentine tried to roll and regain her bearings from being tossed off, Grotle darted froth with an opened mouth towards the Dragonair that landed before him.
The attack was a success as Grotle's jaw closed down with great strength upon Peeper's midsection, gripping tightly the scales with sharpened teeth as he clamped down, and getting a cry from Ash's Pokemon. Furthermore, the bushes on Grotle's back lit up slightly as he absorbed some health from the Dragonair, somewhat negating the damage from Peeper's earlier strike.
However, the ball was placed firmly back in Ash's court as the burns played up once more across Grotle's shell, ruining the regained health and causing his jaw's grip to loosen as the turtle winced in pain. "Now, Peeper! Iron tail to the face of Grotle and break free!"
Peeper stopped her thrashing about as she received a coherent instruction tell her what to do rather than the panic the serpentine had been feeling from being trapped with the pain in her midsection. Flicking out her tail and making the metallic sheen appear once more, in the same second Dragonair had slammed it down upon the top of Grotle's skull - getting a roar of pain from the turtle who was forced to let go.
Paul wasn't about to just let Ash's Pokemon go, though. "Use giga drain in a wide sweep before you Grotle!" Paul detailed with a firm, instructing voice so he ensured his Pokemon knew what to do. Fortunately for Paul, his Pokemon quickly shook off the pain and immediately started the process - with no actual need for aim as the green essence that appeared in the environment before Grotle being drawn to him doing the work for him.
Neither could Ash let this just happen, as he realised just how tired Peeper would get from such a move - slowing her down which would be a big no-no if he wanted to win. But neither could he just keep dodging this wide-spread attack, for if Peeper just dived to the side, then all Grotle had to do was turn to bring her back in view. And Paul would undoubtedly have an answer to Ash racing around Grotle to stay out of view, having done it twice already.
There was still time to dodge to the side, though, as an idea occurred to Ash. "Dodge to the left out of the way, then dive under Grotle."
Grotle quickly swung his head left to direct his attack as his opponent slithered out of view - but then let out a surprised cry as the serpentine slithered right under the space between the Pokemon's legs, making Paul's eyes widen.
There wasn't enough time to react in both cancelling the current attack and starting a new one for Grotle and Paul as Ash ordered his own. "Point blank flamethrower." Ash commanded mentally with a smirk, clenching his fist as Paul narrowed his eyes at Ash's victorious stance. It confirmed that the dragon master's apprentice was definitely the one coordinating his Pokemon - somehow.
Flames spewed out from all four sides from beneath the turtle Pokemon, who let loose his loudest roar yet in agony as the fires scorched his weakest, undefended side. Thrashing about and stamping around in agony, Peeper quickly slithered away from her heavily damaged opponent who continued moving about in pain.
Ash was honestly impressed with the Sinnoh Pokemon's resilience as he watched Paul regard Grotle and move to command the still-standing turtle - before burn came back into play. Further strands of fire raced along Grotle's shell as he cried out once more as his heavily depleted health took another hit - before slumping forth onto the ground with swirls in his eyes, firmly defeated.
Paul seemed slightly gobsmacked as he viewed his defeated starter, before pulling out the Pokeball and recalling Grotle. Staring at the device for a few seconds, he put it away then as he looked back up to see a happy-looking Dragonair receiving praise from the masked trainer before him. The blue serpentine had extended her body up further for Ash to properly pet the side of her face, cooing as Ash himself looked happily to his first ever Pokemon.
Ash blinked and looked round however as he heard Paul approach him, stopping a metre from him as the guarded trainer looked for a second at him - before holding out his hand first this time. "Good battle." Paul grunted out. "You certainly know how to counter what I did."
Ash chuckled slightly as he took the handshake and shook it. "It was my pleasure." He responded. "That was one tough turtle of yours."
Breaking off, Paul then pulled out a green Pokedex from hsi own pocket, beginning to input into the keypad onto it - before looking back to Ash. "How's $500 pokedollars?" Paul asked then with an apathetic tone as he slipped into a business-like state.
Ash raised an eyebrow at that, not having expected so much money from a couple of battles with one trainer which would be enough to buy at least a week's worth of supplies. "More than enough." Ash responded simply, leaving it open for negotiation.
"Good." Paul remarked simply, not bothering to acknowledge Ash's attempt to allow him to bargain and just entered the command into the Pokedex before snapping it shut and tucking it away. "Thank you for the battle, Ketchum. It will help me in future."
"No problem." Ash responded, already getting insight into Paul's personality. Paul was a man looking to become strong, and obviously respected those who had power. What he couldn't purview was just how guarded Paul was - he was speaking friendly to Ash in a courteous manner, polite - not because he was friendly.
Ash gave a grunt as Paul looked like he was about to move, and couldn't help but try to talk to sate his curiosity. "Where are you headed to now, Paul?"
Paul raised an eyebrow at Ash's address to him, seeming to consider whether he should properly answer or not before responding. "Viridian City. I need to register at the closest Pokemon Centre in order to take part in this years Indigo League."
Ash raised an eyebrow himself, his face hidden behind his mask as he looked to Paul. "Me too." Ash replied, making Paul look interested. "It looks like we'll see each other at the Plateau."
Paul considered that before smirking. "I look forward to it." Paul stated, putting his hands in his pocket as he committed his victorious opponent to memory. "That's if you can get past all the gyms, of course."
Ash smirked himself then. "Given how strong your Grotle there was, you'll steam roll Pewter City's rock gym. Given how much time you'll have between then and after, you'll definitely get all eight badges." Ash deliberated then, Paul continuing to smirk slightly at Ash's approving appraisal of him. "As for me? Well, I haven't been training for seven years of my life just to lose to the gyms."
"Intriguing." Paul commented, before shrugging. "You seem to be an interesting trainer, Ketchum."
Ash chuckled slightly, before posing his question to Paul. "Thanks. Anyway, did you want to head down to Viridian together?"
Paul looked a little surprised at that, before responding with a question of his own. "Why would you want that, Ketchum?" He asked with a level tone. "What could you possibly want with me, or what could I possibly want with you?"
Ash considered that for a moment before looking to Paul with an expression that said - 'Why not?'. He spoke then. "Since we're both headed the same way, why not?" Ash directly posed what he was thinking. "I was interested in your battling style and techniques anyway, I've never seen someone go so directly forward with power like that. You wouldn't mind talking about it, would you? Besides, where's the harm?"
Paul seriously considered that - not really because his mind didn't agree with Ash, but because it went moderately against his nature. He'd always travelled alone, training his Pokemon and seeking to be the strongest in terms of his own strength and efforts - if only to prove his brother wrong.
But on the other hand, he definitely saw the benefits of agreeing at least to talking with a fellow trainer for a night. Even his stubborn mind knew that opportunities like the apprentice of the second strongest champion wanting to discuss Pokemon battling with him didn't happen every day. And, there was that nibbling concept - why not? He'd be a fool to turn down such exchange of knowledge to better himself, and he was trying to prove his brother the fool of them.
"Alright, Ketchum." Paul answered after his deliberation. "At least to Viridian."
Ash smiled then for the first time that battle. "Cool." Ash responded, before pulling out a Pokeball and recalling Peeper. Beckoning Silver to follow him with a flick of his head, Ash then looked round. "What happened to the bug catcher?"
Paul gave a small, cursory look himself before shrugging, bored. "Must've slunk off. I couldn't care less either way."
THAT EVENING.
The two boys had made camp in a small space only just big enough for the two of them with a small fire and two bed rolls laid out. Ash was busy hooking up the tarpaulin sheet into the surrounding small trees to spread it out over the space. He had done exactly as Synergy had instructed him throughout his many lessons with her, keeping the sheet low to the ground - thus preserving heat from the fire for longer in the environment and giving rain less space to drip in through.
The problem to Paul however, was that he was forced to sit under it rather than have some freedom of movement. "Is this thing really necessary, Ketchum?" He spoke his dissatisfaction aloud. "It doesn't even look like it's going to rain."
"Oh, it will." Ash stated with certainty in his voice as he finished tying the last corner of the sheet securely to a branch.
Paul looked to Ash with slight inquisition on his normally stoic face. "And how do you know so surely, Ketchum?"
Ash slumped down under the canvas sheet and sat cross-legged on his own bed roll, adding a few stones around the fire to keep it small and controlled as he spoke. "See those grey clouds over there?" Ash gestured behind him with a backwards pointing thumb.
Paul nodded slightly, seeing the clouds his temporary travelling partner had pointed out - but far off in the distance. "Yes, but they aren't anywhere near us. They could be over Viridian for all you know."
"No, I do know." Ash countered then, looking to Paul amusedly as the purple-haired trainer just glanced back with an awaiting expression. "The wind is blowing towards us, and the grey clouds clearly haven't begun raining yet - there's no refractions in the dusk light, see?" Ash gestured back towards the clouds then. He paused as he added a metal base over the fire with a steel mess tin over that. "Anyway, it's coming our way, and it's not started over there. That means it's most likely going to start in the next few hours, by which time it will definitely be closer to us."
Paul considered that, giving voice to more of his inquisitions. "Where did you learn all that?" He asked, rather straight-forward in his manner.
Ash looked amused once more. "Either you've been very lucky with when you've been staying out in the open, or you've spent most of your journey in Pokemon centres." He commented then as he added a tin of soup to the mess tin. "But to answer your question, I learned those sorts of things from Lance. He knows a lot about the world, which is rather surprising for a few topics, but given how often he's flying about; he's quite educated on the weather."
"The champion Lance?" Paul questioned then, making Ash pause in stirring the soup as he looked up inquisitively, before nodding to confirm Paul's desire for clarification. The purple-haired trainer looked very interested then, making Ash expect a few more questions - which he soon asked. "What's the dragon master like?"
Ash had to consider that for a moment before chuckling. "There's a lot to be said about that man." He started, glancing back to Paul bemusedly, who was listening raptly. "But I guess where I would start is with varied - he's a man of many talents. To those he's familiar with, he's a welcoming figure who can be the entertainment of the gathering. He has certainly given me more than I can ever repay, teaching me for so long and helping me to understand what it is to be a trainer."
"However." Ash continued. "He's also a man with another face. Although I've never really seen it, I've certainly heard that he can be serious. A champion who regards everything with careful analysis and then acts accordingly with his own interests and responsibilities. Lance doesn't take too well to people or things that go against him in such ways - well, that's pretty visible in his animosity against the Sinnoh champion, Cynthia."
Paul twitched slightly then at that, making Ash consider more upon the boy opposite him - most likely he was from the country of Sinnoh, where he had used Sinnoh Pokemon and showed familairity with the name of the Sinnoh Champion. Given how he doubted Paul had met her, that therefore meant she was his champion.
"What about his battling, though?" Paul asked, diverting the conversation towards what he really wanted to discuss. "How much can you tell me?"
"I won't be telling you all about his Pokemon, because a lot of that is public information and I won't breach his trust by discussing what isn't." Ash stated. "But his battling style itself revolves all around the characteristics of the dragon-types, he almost exclusively uses dragon Pokemon. Lance favours a style of high attack damage combined with high amounts of speed, or manoeuvrability. This may seem a bit odd, given a few of his Pokemon like Gyarados, but you should see that thing move on telly. This can lead to some protracted battles, but Lance is all about hammering home the final blow when he sees the opportunity."
Paul appeared contemplative at what Ash had said, mulling over what he'd learned about a champion, and how he could use it to help himself. Further research was required of course, but Ash had put it into a definite perspective that Paul could use to zoom in on when finding out more.
"Is Lance the strongest champion then?" Paul asked, and was actually a bit surprised when Ash shook his head.
"No. He's the second strongest." Ash corrected his fellow trainer. "The honour of being strongest champion belongs to Blue Oak."
"The Kanto Champion?" Paul stated rhetorically, but received a nod from Ash anyway. "Interesting. Perhaps I'll try and see him sometime in person."
"You can." Ash responded, drawing Paul's interest. "Blue almost always starts off the beginning of each Indigo League with a speech, some kind of tradition of his. You can see him and judge him then. Perhaps you'll be lucky and they'll put on an exhibition match like they did a couple of years back."
"It would be compelling to see that." Paul stated with a level tone as he thought on the matter. "Anyone could learn a lot from the strongest Pokemon trainer."
"No." Ash repeated again as he once more corrected Paul - but what really caught Paul's attention this time was just how quietened Ash had become - and that he wouldn't even look at him. A swing in behaviour that made Paul raise an eyebrow. "Blue Oak is not the strongest trainer there is. Far from it."
"Oh?" Paul let out now in confusion. He may have known Ash for only a few hours, but this was a sudden change for anyone. "Then who is?"
Ash looked at Paul very seriously now, not being able to find the topic any other way. "Surely you know what the title of 'Pokemon Master' is, Paul." Ash spoke then in a tone devoid of any of his usual guarded but easy-going nature.
Paul looked contemplative as he remembered then. "Well, yes, now that you say it." He remarked, before continuing the conversation himself this time. "It was recently on the TV. They commemorated the longest time for anyone having held the position of strongest Pokemon trainer, of twenty years belonging to Red-" Paul stopped mid-sentence then as he thought over just what he was about to say - then looking scrutinisingly over at Ash as he let out the last word. "-Ketchum..."
Ash just matched Paul's staring for a moment before returning to attending to the soup. However, he nodded to Paul's unspoken question. "Yes. Red Ketchum has been the longest recognised holder of the title of strongest trainer." Ash spoke musingly before his eyes flickered back up to see Paul, who looked astonished - though his natural disposition served to hide this a bit. "He happens to be my father, yes."
"What the fuck, Ketchum." Was the first thing that came out of Paul's mouth, making Ash raise an eyebrow at him. "You've got a Pokemon master for a father and a champion for a mentor?"
"Ah, yes, it's really great, you know." Ash responded sarcastically to that. "I've got a father who appears as often as Clefairy does, and the public pressure to perform well as the apprentice of the dragon master with everyone knowing my name. It's all sunshine and roses."
Paul just look completely unconcerned in the face of Ash's withering sarcasm. "I was just surprised, Ketchum. I never said I cared for those facts."
Silence reigned for a moment as Ash's face was hidden by his mask, but Paul was slightly amused by the awkwardness protruding from the boy. Turned away from him and checking the cooking again, Ash happily diverted the topic. "Soups ready." He announced, splitting the food between two bowls and handing one over to Paul.
He may have been a miserable sod to many, but Paul Shinji was not without manners. "Thanks." He responded before picking up a spoon and beginning to eat.
"So, what about you, Paul?" Ash asked then, making Paul look up from his soup inquisitively. "What can you tell me about yourself?"
Paul grunted, before deciding that fair was fair. "I received my starter Turtwig from Professor Rowan in Twinleaf Town, Sinnoh, where I started my journey after being one of his students for five years. That was last year, where I partook in the Lily of the Valley Conference. I managed to make it to the last 64, but lost in the commencement of the 6v6 Pokemon matches." Paul informed Ash.
Pulling out three Pokeballs in his hands, Paul gestured to them before tucking them away once more. "This year, I'm going to use the mistakes from last year's conference in order to try and win, or get as far as I can into the Indigo League. I took two Pokemon including my starter with me and caught a Pidgeotto on my way up through route one before I battled you." Paul stated, before quipping sarcastically himself. "That is the exciting summary of my journey so far, Ketchum."
Ash made a considerate face as he nodded to Paul. "Cool."
Paul snorted before questioning Ash again. "What Pokemon was your starter?"
Ash thought on that before answering. "Well, what with Lance taking me on as an apprentice, I didn't really get to be a part of the whole normal process of receiving a starter Pokemon right before my journey." Ash replied, taking out his case of Pokeballs and picking out one of them. "I instead got Peeper, the Dragonair, from Lance seven years ago."
"You got a Pokemon of the Dragonite line from Lance?" Paul questioned, getting a nod from Ash. "Lucky."
Ash gave a small smile at that. "Round 'bout that time was one of the luckiest and worst periods of my life."
Paul looked at Ash who wasn't looking at him as he said that, and didn't pry. Instead, he eyed the case of Pokeballs in Ash's hand and questioned him once more. "I suppose. But what about those other two Pokemon you have? You've got a Dragonair and an Aron, but I'm interested to see what other ones you have."
Ash looked at the Pokeballs in his hand, before a challenging look appeared on his face as he pointed at the ultra ball. "I'm afraid the yellow ones a trade secret, but I tell you what - I'll you who the other one is if you tell me who your third Pokemon is."
Paul nodded as he accepted that. "Fair enough." Paul answered as he held up a Pokeball himself in the light of the fire. "On the way up to Kanto, I passed by an ice environment - and caught myself a Snorunt."
"Snorunt, eh?" Ash mused as he thought on that - Snorunt had two different evolutions open to it based on their gender, and provided a variety of options that could suit a host of strategies. "Well, my third one here is Riolu."
Paul looked at Ash with a bit of appreciation at that. "The canine Pokemon is one of the highest rated species in my region. You did well catching one."
Ash shrugged at that, and worded his dialogue ambiguously. "Not caught per se, more like made friends with him."
Paul grunted, but didn't inquire as he wasn't really interested. Instead, he took another look at the ultra ball as he considered its place on Ash's team - given how the boy had just started his journey today, that was likely to be all his Pokemon. Plus, as it was in a ball meant to offer higher catch rates for those powerful Pokemon more tricky to catch as compared to the rest of his team, it was also likely to be his strongest.
"Are you sure you won't tell me whose in the ultra ball, Ketchum?" Paul asked, making Ash cock his head a little at Paul's inquisitiveness. "I would like to know."
"Sorry, Paul." Ash replied. "But there's a bit more to this than just wanting to surprise you in battle, trust me."
Paul smirked a little then. "I could always just beat it out of you, then."
Ash remained unflappable. "I thought we already saw who the victor of our battles was, Paul."
Paul continued smirking. "You've yet to see my main team that I left with my brother, Ketchum." He reminded. "Besides, I could always beat it out of you without Pokemon."
Paul became startled when Ash suddenly burst out laughing, a deep fit of humour-filled amusement that didn't seem to be directed at him, but rather because Ash found the statement itself to be funny or absurd.
"What's so funny, Ketchum?" Paul asked then. "I was joking, but I have been about longer than you have."
Ash paused in his laughter, still chuckling, as he answered. "Paul, I don't think you could take me on any day, mate."
Paul just narrowed his eyes slightly at the challenge, but for some reason it was like he knew Ash meant what he said.
THE NEXT DAY.
Paul and Ash had fully packed away their camp and had made good time on the path to Viridian for several hours now, so much so that it was now the afternoon and only a couple of hours remained before they reached the city. Ash had managed to jostle more conversation out of Paul, noticing how that when the boy had his mind fixed on something, he generally became unresponsive.
"Come on Paul, we're almost there." Ash stated as they walked along. "Liven up."
Paul threw a look towards Ash, and then spoke. "I would quite like to get there within good time, Ketchum." He spoke then as he looked back towards the road. "I wish to get a good rest at the Pokemon Centre in Viridian, and to get supplies at the city in the morning. Then be on the road in the afternoon to Pewter. I will not have my schedule impacted just because you wish to talk all the way there."
Ash snorted at Paul's regimental thinking. "Pewter City? I'm going to head up there after stopping in Viridian."
Paul nodded, still not looking at Ash. "It typically is the first gym anyone fights first before any other, or so I've heard about Kanto."
"Yeah." Ash confirmed what Paul stated. "Brock the gym leader is the weakest of the eight. Barring using his main team, of course."
The two had come upon a river just before the outcrop of the hill overlooking Viridian, Ash consulting the navigational software on his Pokedex to ensure they were still on track. Finding that they were, he tucked away the device and strode a bit faster to fall balk in line with Paul - crossing over a wooden bridge across the river.
"Hey! Hey!" A couple of shouts suddenly carried across to them then, making both Ash and Paul look down the side of the bridge to the bank of the river where it had come from. Below the bridge, stood an orange-haired female with a bobble hair cut and yellow shirt. A fishing rod laid on the river bank next to her as she waved up at the two trainers. "Can you help me a second?!"
Ash glanced at Paul who looked very disinterested - and thoroughly unconcerned in acting like a Samaritan. He looked back to the person at the river bank as he responded. "What with?"
"My lure - it's gotten lost-" The girl began, but was rudely interrupted.
"No." Paul finished it right there and then, with an abrupt tone that the absolute majority of any population would consider very rude.
Indeed, the girl looked very taken aback at that, shocked that someone had been so rude to her when she'd requested help. Ash looked a little shocked at that as well, having not known that Paul could be so abrupt in his mannerisms, before looking to the orange-haired teen with a pitying expression and a shrug. Before walking off quickly to catch up with Paul who had proceeded forth right after he had forcibly ended all conversation.
VIRIDAN CITY POKEMON CENTRE.
Viridian City was the largest city in Kanto, and the main economic hub of the region - the richest on the continent, in fact. It was dominated with skyscrapers at its centre, tall rising buildings that many companies used as their executive and business headquarters. The two trainers had already passed by the main shopping street, most of it having closed already at that time in the evening - but it was a sight dominated with plentiful advertisements, and large stores sandwiched up against one another with the occasional smaller shop.
The largest airport in Kanto, Lidopol, sat just outside the city and provided constant overhead noises and visual distractions in the form of both short-haul flights from across Kanto to the larger jumbo jets that flew in between the regions. Combined with that the heart of the railways system linking every city in Kanto to Viridian along with a variety of other services, Viridian was also the transportation hub of the country.
It was no wonder that the city was the capital of the region.
The Pokemon Centre within the city centre had no less splendour than the rest of the buildings around it, being the largest in Kanto. Set in a semi-circle and made out of polished white brick, it was brightly lit up with a few outdoor spotlights in the darkening evening. Well-maintained bushes and plants surrounded the entrance , making Ash look around as he entered through the automated doors. The entrance lobby was polished and spotless, with a wide and welcoming decor of furniture about. The tiled floor had a large Pokeball design etched into it as the two trainers walked up to the broad reception desk, where a woman in a nurse outfit stood behind.
"Welcome to the Viridian City Pokemon Centre!" The woman greeted in a chirpy tone that denoted her obviously happy nature. "How can I help you boys today?"
Paul raised an eyebrow at the sheer divergent nature of the nurses' personality, but nonetheless carried on. "I'd like my Pokemon being taken care of, please."
"Mine too." Ash spoke, as both trainers put their Pokeballs onto the desk, Ash making sure to reclaim the ultra ball from the case before he set the remaining three on the reception desk.
"As you wish." The nurse replied, before turning to her left towards a 'staff only' door set near the reception area. "Chansey! Come through, if you please."
A couple of seconds passed before the staff door open, and a Pokemon stuck its head through. It was a short, round and visibly chunky Pokemon that walked on through the open door, a light shade of pink to match its obviously friendly nature. Three hair-like extensions went down each side of its head as it bumbled over to the nurse, stubby arms reaching up to grab the tray they offered to the Pokemon.
"Chansey, please take these Pokeballs to be examined in the medical room. If everything's fine, please bring them back - otherwise call me!" The nurse instructed and called out to the Chansey who chirped at her at the door before moving back through it with the tray of Pokeballs. The nurse then turned back to the two trainers with a smile. "Can I help you boys with anything else?"
Ash cocked his head slightly at the nurse in thought, before it dawned on him. The nurse was dressed in a pink outfit, with a distinctive, pink hair style. "Would you happen to be part of the Joy family, nurse?" Ash inquired out of curiosity.
The now recognised Nurse Joy beamed at that. "Why, yes! How did you know?"
Ash shrugged slightly. "It's like the Jenny family in the police. Plus, Oak raves about your family all the time for your world-renowned medical services."
Nurse Joy gave a nod at that, before a thought struck her. "Professor Oak? Does that mean that you're Ash Ketchum?"
"Yep." Ash nodded in answer.
"Oak?" Paul asked then, as he was a bit confused at the names being exchanged here that he was failing to recognise a few of. "Am I supposed to know him?"
Nurse Joy laughed then. "Why, most people would, yes! He's Professor Oak, the regional Professor of Kanto and inventor of the Pokedex!" Joy stated in a short list of Oak's crowning accomplishments. "He was even champion of this country a couple of decades ago."
"Oh, the Professor." Paul remembered then in a recognizing tone. He then looked at Ash inquisitively. "How would you know him, Ketchum?"
Ash waved dismissively at Paul as he replied. "I'm his adoptive son."
Paul looked a bit stunned then, before his mouth got the better of him. "What the fuck Ketchum-"
The purple-haired trainer was rapidly cut off as a couple of adults behind him loudly announced their presence.
"Prepare for trouble!" Came a boisterous, feminine shout from behind Paul, making him and Ash turn around as Nurse Joy looked ahead of them and gasped as she recognised their uniforms. Ash in particular groaned as he saw that both the man and woman before him were dressed in white uniforms with a large red 'R' on the front, signifying their allegiance to Team Rocket.
The woman of the two had long red hair and wore a prideful smirk on her face, as the man had short, cropped blue hair and had a calculating expression on his. "And make that double." The man spoke calmly.
"And don't forget about me!" Came a high-pitched shout from behind the rockets, as in came scampering a feline Pokemon. The cat had cream coloured fur all over it, except for the back paws and tip of the tail which were a chocolate brown. A gold koban coin lay attached on its forehead, as the cat funnily enough then stood up on its hind legs between the two rockets and looked at the three before it with gleaming, human-like intelligence in its eyes. "Meowth!"
Paul took a step forth then, as Ash pulled out his Pokegear and Nurse Joy was already on the phone to the police. "And who the fuck are you?" Paul demanded then, not impressed in the slightest at the theatrics put on him before him.
The blue-haired man gave a small laugh, before speaking in a level tone. "Jessie and James, as well as Meowth, members of Team Rocket - here to put a dampener on your day."
"Team Rocket?" Paul stated incredulously, fully recognising it - and still not being impressed in the slightest. "That lunatic asylum gang of Pokemon thieves?"
"Only the greatest criminal organisation on the planet!" Jessie barked out then in slight anger, before pointing at Paul. "Now hand over all the Pokemon, brat!"
Paul looked even more incredulous as he shook his head slowly. "No." He stated firmly.
James smirked then as he pulled out a Pokeball, followed closely by Jessie. "Then I'm afraid you've left us no choice, chump." He spoke, before throwing his Pokeball up along with Jessie.
In a flash of red light, two Pokemon appeared. One was a short snake Pokemon, coloured a rather poisonous purple with a cream yellow underbelly and tail tip. It had luminescent yellow eyes and a wide maw that it used to hiss with. The next Pokemon was a floating, dark purple Pokemon that was spherical in shape, and had lots of protrusions along its skin that it occasionally released gas from. Below its happy looking face was a distinctive yet simplistic skull and crossbones marking.
"Now, hand 'em over!" Jessie demanded then as she confidently stood behind her Pokemon, the purple snake.
"Ekans!" The named snake let out in a deep hiss as it backed up its master's demand.
"Koffing!" Came a shout from the levitating Pokemon, a more lightened tone than the deep hiss of its criminal counterpart.
"Never!" Nurse Joy shouted out then as she slammed down the phone, very angrily. "Come on, boys! Quickly!" She urged as she gestured to Ash and Paul whilst backing up to the staff door.
However, Paul shook his head and gestured back to her. "Go and make sure the Pokemon are safe! We'll hold them off." He stated back, and then scowling as she looked like she was going to argue. "Go!" Joy looked heavily hesitant, but then backed through the door, the audible click of a lock turning in the door.
"Very good." Ash finished his own call as he flipped the Pokegear closed and saw that Joy ahd gone, Paul looking at Ash as he realised he had no idea who Ash had called since Joy had called the police.
"Hold us off, eh?" James spoke then, before laughing. "How about we make this your final warning - we know you handed over all your Pokemon to Joy, leaving just one in possession of you, the masked brat. Act nicely, and just hand over the Pokeball and step out of our way."
"Alright." Ash placated with an empty hand gesture - before reaching down as he looked to Paul. "Tell me, Paul, can you keep a secret?"
"Secret?!" Paul hissed at Ash, getting angry as he himself was caught flat-footed without Pokemon and Ash seemed to be worrying about trivial things in the face of this situation. "You're worried about keeping your Pokemon's identity secret now, Ketchum?!"
Jessie, James and Meowth seemed amused at the exchange, and allowed it to continue as Ash seemed to be cooperating - before everyone's emotions turned to shock at what Ash yanked out from under his hoodie. Paul in particular stumbled a bit as his anger instantly evaporated, eyes bulging in shock at something he'd never even considered much of. The trio of criminals and their Pokemon were also immediately silenced as Jessie and James' faces paled to the extreme - fear in their veins feeling like their blood had turned to ice.
"No." Ash stated as he flicked the safety off the deadlock pistol in his hands and aimed the barrel squarely at the previously arrogant woman, who was now trembling slightly. "It's more the fact that I'd earn more jail time for possession of a firearm than these clowns would for Pokemon thievery."
Silence remained as Ash shifted his grip slightly, eyes darting to Paul who remained stunned before flicking to the corner of his eyes - where he knew the camera to the front entrance was. Angling the gun to better shield it from view with his body, Ash then turned his eyes back to the criminal gang who hadn't moved or spoken since he'd pulled out the pistol. In fact, Ash smirked as he saw that he'd firmly turned the tables in this situation.
"Recall your Pokemon." Ash made the demands then as he took control of the situation, receiving hesitant movements from the Rockets as they remained scared and spineless in front of the weapon. "NOW!" Ash shouted firmly at them, having been taught such a way by his father - and receiving instant results as Jessie whipped out her Pokeball so fast and shakily that she almost dropped it.
Once both Pokemon were stowed away within their Pokeballs, Ash nodded satisfied before he began speaking again. "Good." He started simply, keeping his tone level. "Now, I'm going to ask you a few questions for a minute. What I do after is down to how honest you are. Understand?" He accentuated this by gesturing forward slightly with the gun.
The two human criminals nodded, still too fearful to speak properly.
"Good." Ash repeated. "Now, what were you here for?"
After a second of further silence, Ash turned the gun to James and looked him solidly in the eyes. Getting the message, James took a moment to try and get over his fear, clear his throat - failing on both accounts, and then speaking. "To steal the Pokemon in the back room of the centre." He spoke quietly.
Tightening his grip on the aura rod somewhat, Ash asked another question. "And what next?"
"Take them to headquarters." James replied in the same quiet tone.
"Which is where?" Ash demanded.
James considered that for a moment before looking to the gun in Ash's hand. "The Pokemon day-care centre in Viridian." He replied more hesitantly.
Ash narrowed his eyes before then nodding, and changing the line of questioning. "Now, who's the boss of Team Rocket?"
James looked still hesitant somewhat, whether because of the gun or giving up details of hsi organisation - Ash didn't know, but the man spoke after looking at Jessie. "We don't know. None of us grunts know, really. Only the executives and that do."
Pausing for a moment, Ash took that in before accepting the answer. "Right. How about Team Rocket's operations? What are they doing at the moment?"
James spoke again a bit more confidently this time. "Like we said, us grunts don't know much. But the organisation is mainly about taking Pokemon-"
"Shut up." Ash hissed at James then, the man immediately complying and falling silent, as Ash felt the Pokegear in his pocket vibrate - signifying a new message. Looking back up, Ash wrapped up the situation. "Here's what going to happen now. You're to leave the city as fast as you can. Do not contact anyone from your organisation, or do anything along those lines. Once you're out of the city, start walking away from Viridian. Understood?"
Another gesture of the gun had all three Team Rocket members rapidly nodding, before Ash just made a dismissive gesture with his free hand as he pointed the gun barrel away from them. "Good. Then fuck off now."
In just a few seconds, the trio had darted off out of the Pokemon Centre, whether to comply with what Ash had said, he didn't know. But it was out of his hands now - as he tucked the gun away out of sight once more and instead, gripped Synergy's Pokeball as he turned back into view of the front desk camera.
Flickering his eyes to Paul who looked to be getting his bearings back now that the situation had been resolved, Ash spoke once with a steel-edged voice to let the purple-haired trainer know he would accept no compromise. "If you want answers for what just occurred, Paul, then stick around tomorrow and we'll speak in a more private location." Ash informed the boy who looked scrutinisingly at him with a serious complexion. "Otherwise, that never happened. You can go about your life pretending you saw nothing but Team Rocket be chased off. Perhaps it would be better for you that way - there are forces at play here that even Lance would shudder at."
Staying silent then, Paul looked grimly serious before inclining his head. "I want answers, Ketchum. You can't just wave a gun about and then expect me to act like I saw nothing." He stated. "But, I'll keep your secret, as you say."
Looking considerately at Paul, Ash nodded as he smirked a bit. "Good. Then stick aroudn tomorrow."
Marching over to the staff door and feeling Paul continuing to bore his eyes into his back, Ash knocked heavily on the door. "Nurse Joy? It's me, Ash. Team Rocket are gone."
It took a second, but the door then clicked open and slid open ajar slightly, letting Ash see the nurse's eye peek through to validate the truth. Seeing it was so, Nurse Joy opened the door and stepped through along with her Pokemon Chansey behind her, before consulting Ash. "Ah, thank you! I don't know how you managed to beat both at once, but that must be a strong Pokemon of yours!" She praised Ash, who nodded back at her. "If there's anything I can do to help you, please let me know!"
Ash looked thoughtful at that before affirming that. "Actually, Nurse Joy, me and Paul here need a place to stay for the night. And is there anywhere to get food?"
"Of course!" Joy stated as she went back to the computer and began typing into it. "Whilst the cafeteria closed an hour ago, I'm sure for your actions I can have food delivered up to you in the Centre with no charge. The only question I have is would you like separate rooms or to share?"
"To share." Paul stated over Ash then, making him look at the neutral-faced trainer.
"Alright." Nurse Joy replied as she finished typing and handed over a key. "Room 317 is available for the night. I'll post the food up to you shortly. And thanks once again for your actions!"
Ash was a bout to move off when he turned back to Joy. "What about the police, Nurse Joy?" He asked.
"Oh." Nurse Joy let out, before answering. "Well, I suppose they're still on their way, but you chased them off so quickly they haven't arrived yet. But don't worry, I'll answer any questions they might have."
Thanking the nurse in turn, the two trainers made their way over to the stairs as Ash spoke then. "To share, Paul?" He inquired.
"You're not slipping away from me that easily, Ketchum." Paul answered as he looked at the raven-haired trainer. "I still have answers I would very much like to know."
Ash grunted at that, before he looked seriously to Paul. "Why would you want to know so badly about something that doesn't concern you, as well as could potentially endanger your life if you dug too deep?"
Paul gave a slight chuckle at that then. "Well, I guess we've both got things we can tell each other tomorrow, then."