I do not own Pokémon. I want to, but I don't.
(*)
Pierre sat in the Pokémon Center chatting to a boy with a Lucario. He hadn't really thought beyond simple chatting, and maybe asking the boy where he'd gotten his Lucario. Watching Cynthia's in action for more than a week had certainly left an impression, and he was curious as to where he could find one for himself.
"My dad got mine from a breeder," the boy explained. "They're supposed to be really rare in the wild. Chances are you wouldn't find one just walking around."
Lucario nodded absentmindedly at being mentioned before putting a magazine down and picking up a new one.
Pierre Quirked an eyebrow at that before remembering something. "I'm sorry, but I never got your name."
"I'm Sorrel," the boy answered. Pierre's eyes widened.
"I was supposed to meet up with you! Well, someone I knew was supposed to meet up with you and then-"
"I think I get it," Sorrel cut him off. "Did Cynthia get my note?"
"She did," Pierre said. "I'm sorry, but why are you just waiting here? One of your Pokémon getting healed?"
"No, I'm waiting for"-
"ASH!"
Pierre looked away from Sorrel and saw a familiar looking girl following a boy he could have sworn he saw before.
"I'm sorry, I've got to go," Sorrel said, hurriedly standing up and going after the two who'd left, his Lucario following after him.
By the time Pierre realized he could simply ask Sorrel from which breeder he'd gotten his Lucario Nurse Joy had called him to collect his Pokémon. They hadn't come back yet and he hurried out of the Pokémon Center, hoping to find them before they left town. He followed a path through the forest for a while, eventually catching a glimpse of what looked like blue fur.
"Sorrel?" he called out. There was some rustling and then Sorrel and the girl from before were in front of him. Something clicked in his mind and he pointed to her. "You're that girl who tried to capture Entei!"
The girl nodded and her Pokémon puffed itself up. "Yes I am. So was Sorrel, so was Ash, and if I'm remembering right so were you. My name's Verity and this is my partner Piplup."
Pierre nodded. "Right, sorry. I'm Pierre, from, well, Kanto."
"I was talking to him earlier," Sorrel explained. "Was there something you needed? Sorry if my research wasn't sufficient for Cynthia, but-"
"No, no, that's not it," Pierre reassured him. "I was just wondering from which breeder you received your Lucario."
"The breeders are Sinnoh based and unfortunately they don't operate outside of the region," Sorrel said apologetically.
Pierre snapped his fingers. "And I thought I had something there. Well, what are you guys out here for, maybe I can help?"
"Thank you, that's much appreciated. We're looking for a boy named Ash, and he's got a Pokémon League hat and a Pikachu."
A cry sounded to his right and they turned to see a Pikachu running towards them.
"Please tell me it's not that Pikachu," Pierre begged.
"It's that Pikachu," Verity said simply.
Stopping in front of them Pikachu began gesturing wildly and chattering. It took Pierre a moment to realize it was trying to tell them something, but luckily the others seemed to understand it better than he did.
"Ash is nearby," Sorrel explained as they took off. "Or at least Pikachu thinks he's close enough."
Pierre nodded and they spent a while running around looking for Ash. While they looked Verity tried to make small talk to keep them from worrying, but eventually she trailed off and just focused on finding her and Sorrel's travel buddy.
After a while Pierre grew frustrated. "That's it!" he declared, pulling out a Pokéball. "I'm sending out Magmar so we can get some light."
Before he could Sorrel grabbed his hand and glared at him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. The foliage is thicker here than on the main path. I doubt Magmar would be able to stop itself from causing a fire."
Pierre was stunned but put the Pokéball away and nodded. "Alright, sorry. I was just irritated."
"It's alright," Verity said. "For now though let's keep on searching."
Pierre nodded but quickly became worried. What if they'd missed him going back or if he'd already left the area? He was considering going back to check the Center until he saw what looked like a pair of eyes peering at him from the shadows. As he watched the shadows around the eyes formed the vague shape of a face and, before he could speak, a fist flashed before him.
He yelped and fell backward, drawing the attention of the others. By the time they turned to him whatever it was had darted off and the others were staring at him.
"What was that?" Sorrel asked. Pierre told him what he'd seen and he considered it. "Maybe it was a Gengar, or a Haunter. Though I've heard the prefer licks to punches, who knows why…"
Pierre shook his head. "I've seen Gengar, and they're purpler. This was something else."
"Where did it go? Maybe it knows where Ash is," Verity suggested.
"Verity, why would a random wild Pokémon know where Ash is?" Pierre asked, getting back up.
"Better than the clues we have," Verity countered.
Pierre went quiet. "Fair enough."
With that Pierre took them to where he'd seen the Pokémon hurry off, Lucario, Piplup, and Pikachu tensed and ready in case they had to fight. Fortunately they didn't find any trouble, but thanks to the dense foliage when they stumbled onto Ash Pierre literally stumbled over Ash.
"Ouch!" Pierre muttered as he stood. "I think my hand is bleeding…"
Pierre trailed off when he realized that, despite literally falling over him, Ash still looked fast asleep. Concern on its face Ash's Pikachu hopped into its Trainers lap and began shaking him awake. Ash started and woke up, tilting his head to see Pikachu, his friends and Pierre watching him.
"Pikachu!" he exclaimed. "I'm sorry, it was all my fault. Think you could forgive me?"
Pikachu nodded and grinned happily, the sight reminding Pierre of when he'd had his own Pikachu. Great, now he felt old. On the upside now he knew for sure he'd seen Ash around Pallet Town, but then again he'd never really talked to the younger kids much.
Clearing his throat he reached out a hand to help Ash up. "Hi, nice to meet you. My name is-"
"Pierre, right?" Ash interrupted, taking the offered hand. "You live around Pallet Town. Your family has owns the land that the other kids play in."
"Wow, yeah, it's nice to see someone from…" Pierre frowned as he realized something. "Wait a minute, you guys play in my dad's forest?"
Ash suddenly looked a little nervous. "What, no we don't, shut up."
"Ash, you just said you did," Verity pointed out dryly.
"It was a joke," Ash said unconvincingly.
Pierre stared at him. "You know what never mind. What happened to make you run off anyway?"
"I lost a match against a Trainer," Ash admitted.
Pierre waited for a better explanation. "And then what?" he urged when Ash failed to elaborate.
"That's it," Verity said.
"Wait, what kind of Trainer was this?" Pierre asked Sorrel.
"The kind that dumps any Pokémon that don't meet his standards," Sorrel said, a hint of anger creeping into his tone. "Ash, you won't win every battle you go into. But whether you win or lose doesn't matter, as long as you learn something from the experience. At least that's what I think."
Ash thought about that for a moment before taking out a Pokéball and enlarging it. He looked at it and said, "Charmeleon, I'm sorry. I promise you we'll become stronger together."
(*)
Hours later they were sitting around a campfire, Pierre having tagged along when he heard they were going to the mountain. Ash had a feather he claimed was from Ho-oh, but right now Pierre was more interested in the dream he'd had.
"Wait a second, there were no Pokémon? Like, at all?"
It wasn't something he could easily wrap his head around, and from the looks on the others faces they couldn't quite believe it either. Even Ash still seemed a little confused by it.
"Yep, no Pokémon at all. There were these other things though, and one of them looked a lot like a Pidgey, but nothing exactly like them."
"Sounds boring," Verity concluded.
Pierre nodded and looked curiously at Sorrel. Noticing his glance the other Trainer asked, "What is it?"
"I'm just wondering what your story is," Pierre answered.
"Well, I guess we do have some time to kill," Sorrel said. He proceeded to tell them about his family's Luxray, the bond they'd shared and how, when they'd been caught in a snowstorm, Luxray had taken the brunt of the cold, dying to protect him.
Pierre stared wide eyed at Sorrel and the other Trainer laughed. "What's wrong?"
"No, I just… I'm surprised you can just come out and talk about that," Pierre said awkwardly. He felt bad for bringing up painful memories for the other boy, but Sorrel just waved him off.
"For the longest time I couldn't." Turning to Lucario he smiled and said, "Meeting Lucario helped me through the worst of it, but that doesn't mean I don't miss Luxray."
The others nodded and Pierre stood up and took out a Pokéball. "I'm just going to, uh, you know, train over…" he said awkwardly.
The others watched as he sent out his Raichu and Charizard, Ash's eyes widening as he did.
"Ash, you should watch closely," Pierre advised, getting into the swing of things. "You might learn something."
With that his two Pokémon began sparring, their attacks lighting up the area they were in. They had to reign in a lot of their moves, but they still put on enough of a show that they drew the attention of a few small Bug-types. They kept it up for a few minutes until they heard a rustling in the trees. Though Pierre thought nothing of it their audience scattered as soon as they heard it. Before he could tell his Pokémon to stop a Primape jumped out of the woods, an expression of rage on its face. The hair on the top of its head seemed slightly singed and there was a burnt patch of fur on its torso.
"Pierre, did you attack a Primape?" Sorrel asked as they got up. "Because once they're angry they won't stop until they're knocked out."
Ash reached for one of his Pokéballs and enlarged it.
"Please, my Pokémon can handle one injured Primape," Pierre bragged.
At that moment the trees rustled and dozens of Primape jumped from either the woods or the trees, surrounding them.
"I take it back, we need help," Pierre admitted.
Before they could react the Primape swarmed Raichu and Charizard. They fought back as best they could but were quickly overwhelmed, forcing Pierre to recall them. AS soon as the Pokémon were recalled the Primape ran over to them and began tossing them up and down.
"You know Pierre, you're right," Verity snarked, her voice shaky as they fell, "Ash does have a lot to learn from you."
They were thrown back up before Pierre could respond and he gritted his teeth in frustration. Any Pokémon I send out'll get swarmed in seconds. How do I solve this problem?
As he thought frantically about what he could do he heard Sorrel say they needed Metapod. Before he could ask why Ash had managed to jump out of the circle of Primape and had Metapod in his arms. Running around the group, he had Metapod use String Shot to restrain the Primape, stopping them without fighting back. AS soon as the Primape were too webbed up to move Pierre jumped off them and hit the ground groaning.
"Aren't you the experienced one here?" Verity asked him.
"Yes, I am, and experience says we should book it," Pierre answered, rushing for his bag, but stopping when he saw a bright glow coming from Ash's arms.
As they watched Metapod's shell cracked open and a glowing creature forced its way out. As soon as it was free it fluttered its wings and began floating, the glow fading to reveal Ash's new Butterfree.
"It evolved into a Butterfree," Ash exclaimed.
Just then they heard the webbing snap and the Primape tore it off, running towards the group of Trainers.
"They're after us again," Verity said.
"We've got this," Ash said, stepping forward. "Butterfree, use Sleep Powder."
Butterfree flew forward with a squeak and beat its wings, sending its spores flying at the Primape. Within seconds the Primape had fallen asleep, many of them dropping in midstride. Satisfied, Butterfree flew back to its trainer.
"Butterfree you were awesome," Ash congratulated as Pikachu cheering beside him.
"We should run before they wake up," Pierre suggested.
They hurriedly agreed and after a few minutes (and kicking dirt onto the fire) they'd left their campsite behind and continued travelling. Soon they came across a river and stopped.
"I'll take care of this," Verity said, pulling a Pokéball from her belt. "Now Lapras, come on out!"
As soon as Lapras materialized Pierre spotted a problem. "Um, Verity, where exactly am I sitting?"
Verity paused before looking back and forth between Lapras and the group. Scratching the back of her head she said, "Well, it's usually just me, so the size hasn't ever been a problem."
"We'll recall whichever Pokémon we can," Sorrel suggested. Lucario nodded and was quickly recalled, but Piplup was small enough that they didn't think of it as a problem.
Soon they were all seated on Lapras as it drifted across the river, the smooth, leisurely motions of its fins relaxing them.
"Anyone else want to get a stick and pretend their paddling down the river?" Pierre joked. When the others gave him blank looks he muttered, "Never mind."
(*)
The group continued down the random forest path. Pierre felt comfortable calling it that because there had been several paths and this was the one they'd picked. They paused when they heard something and looked to see a Butterfree being attacked by a Fearow.
"That Butterfree is being attacked!" Ash exclaimed.
"You're really good at stating the obvious," Pierre muttered. Out loud he suggested, "We could just keep going you know."
Ash ignored him and flung out a Pokéball. "Butterfree I choose you!"
As soon as he was out Butterfree flew forward and stopped in front of the pink Butterfree, glaring at Fearow as he did. Fearow flew forward with a caw and began tried to hit him, Butterfree barely dodging the attacks.
"Butterfree use Gust!" Ash commanded.
Butterfree faced Fearow and flapped his wings, sending a burst of air at Fearow. The powerful attack knocked it back and away, and it fell somewhere in the forest. Pierre stared after it and resisted the urge to facepalm. As the pink Butterfree thanked Ash's Butterfree Sorrel noted, "I thought it was a trick of the light, but that Butterfree really is pink."
"It's so cute!" Verity exclaimed. "I think that Butterfree's a girl."
"It could be," Sorrel agreed.
The two were circling each other now, looking for all the world as if they were dancing. Ash looked a little concerned, but Pierre couldn't tell why.
They travelled further along and finally made it out of the forest, spotting the mountains as they did. "Those are the Rising Mountains," Sorrel told them, holding up what was either a pamphlet or an info book.
Ash suddenly fidgeted and pulled a feather out of his pocket. The feather glowed as he raised it and, when he moved it in front of one mountain in particular, it shone brilliantly in the sunlight. Sorrel quickly checked his guidebook before grinning at them.
"That's Mt. Tensei, the highest mountain in the range."
"That where we're going?" asked Verity.
"Then that's where I'll meet Ho-oh!" Ash declared, taking off.
(*)
A while later they stopped at a field. Pierre had seen it from a distance, but up close it was clear the place was absolutely filled with Butterfree.
Ash took one look at the Butterfree milling around and grinned. "Alright, now it's time for you to come out Butterfree!"
Butterfree materialized on the field, but none of the others took notice of him.
"Tough crowd," Pierre noted.
As soon as he'd spoken a familiar pink Butterfree came over and began speaking with Butterfree. Verity pointed and said, "Isn't that the pink Butterfree Ash's Butterfree saved?"
"Sure is," Ash agreed.
Pierre noticed the way they were fluttering around each other and grinned. "This is the time of year Butterfree gather and head for their spawning grounds. Yours is joining in Ash."
"It is?" Ash asked.
"That is their courtship dance," Sorrel noted.
"Good for you Butterfree!" Ash declared.
"You know that if they go South together that's goodbye right?" Pierre asked.
"But-" Ash suddenly seemed very unsure of himself. "I don't want him to leave. Butterfree's one of my good friends, I don't want to say goodbye."
"It's your call Ash," Pierre said. "Do what you think is best."
Butterfree flew closer and Ash asked him, "Butterfree, is this what you want to do? Go with her, and leave us behind?"
Butterfree nodded, his expression an odd mix of sadness and excitement. Behind him the pink Butterfree seemed worried about what Ash would say.
Ash was quiet for a few seconds before deciding. "Alright well, if that's what you want you should get going. If you stay too long you'll get left behind. You're both really great Pokémon, so take care of each other."
Butterfree nodded and flew off, the female Butterfree following suit, but instead of leaving they stayed there and watched them as if reluctant to go. Ash began crying, tears streaming down his face as he called out, "Butterfree, take care of yourself!"
Pikachu shouted something Pierre couldn't understand and Butterfree nodded, hurriedly flying away. He seemed urgent now, as if worried he wouldn't leave if he stayed much longer.
Pierre chuckled and said, "Crying over such a simple thing, you really are kids."
"There are tears coming out of your eyes too you know," Verity noted.
Turning away Pierre said, "All those Butterfree flying around must have kicked up some dust."
Ash didn't hear him, too focused on the Butterfree in the distance. Once they passed over the hill though he wiped the tears from his eyes and muttered, "He's gone now."
"Trainers may raise Pokémon, but Pokémon live their own lives. I suppose that's one of the beauties of being a Trainer," Sorrel said.
Ash nodded when suddenly Pikachu started sparking. Pierre took one look at the crackling electricity and stepped back.
"I've seen what that thing can do, if it attacks I'm running," he said.
"It's not him," Ash said. Turning around he saw a large Pokémon standing on top of a large rock.
"Raikou?!" Sorrel exclaimed.
"That's even worse than Pikachu," Pierre whined.
Raikou roared, the sound vibrating through Pierre's body. In a flash of lightning the Legendary Pokémon disappeared, leaving the four travelers and their Pokémon shaken.
"Was anyone worried for a second?" Verity asked.
"No," Pierre said easily. She can never know.
(*)
"Well guys, this is it," Sorrel said, spreading his arms as they walked, "the Rising Mountains."
"…anyone else notice how angry the wild Pokémon seem?" Verity asked.
Pierre smiled. "Yep, and as soon as we're done with Ash's business this place will become my training ground."
Lucario gave him a curious look but Pierre ignored him. The mist here was incredibly thick, to the point where Pierre was seriously considering sending out his Fire-types. The shadows cast by the mountain certainly didn't help.
"The wild Pokémon here are upset because of Ho-oh, since they're all here hoping to receive power from it." Pierre looked up to see an old man with a massive grey beard on a rock. The man nimbly leapt down and began sniffing the air. "Its faint, but I'm catching a whiff of Ho-oh."
Reaching into his pocket Ash pulled out the feather and asked, "Could it be this?"
"That's the Rainbow Wing," the old man said reverently, his eyes wide.
"How do you know about it?" Pierre asked.
"I suspected as much," Sorrel said. "You're the one who wrote the book on Ho-oh. But, uh, what was your name again…?"
"You can just call me Bonji," the old man, Bonji, said amiably. "I've been studying Ho-oh for years and pulled data from enough sources that I know it's coming here."
"That's great, we can all go together," Verity suggested.
Bonji nodded. "Yes, that sounds like a brilliant idea." Peering at the Rainbow Wing he sighed and said, "This is the shine of youth. It's almost too bright for me."
As they walked Bonji talked about his research and his findings, but Pierre was too absorbed in his own thoughts to really hear him. I wonder how my mom and dad are doing. Is Amelia any closer to catching that Pokémon she wanted? Maybe I should give her a call…
He looked up when he noticed the bright flash of light, noticing Ash with his arm extended holding a glowing feather. Looking to where he was pointing the feather Pierre saw what looked like a giant chunk of ice jutting from the ground.
"When a Rainbow Flower blooms upon Rainbow Rock, Ho-oh shall appear," Bonji said.
"And all the Rainbow Hero with the Rainbow Wing needs now is a Rainbow Badge," Pierre joked absentmindedly.
"I do have a Rainbow Badge," Ash told him.
Pierre gave him a look. "What even is your life?"
"Well we shouldn't stand around waiting, let's go!" Verity exclaimed, dashing ahead.
Pierre and Bonji watched the others run ahead. Bonji sighed and said, "Time flies and rainbows fade. Very well young ones hurry on to your goals!"
Pierre and Bonji followed at an unhurried pace when Pierre grew curious about something. "Hey Bonji, what exactly makes Ash the Rainbow Hero?"
"You weren't listening?" the aged researcher asked sharply.
"I heard something about rainbows and that's about it," Pierre admitted.
Bonji sighed and explained. "Ash has a good and pure heart. That's really all it is."
"Does your heart have to be pure all the time though?" Pierre asked.
"I'm not sure why you're asking me this."
"Ash was sad when Butterfree left," Pierre explained, "and from what I can gather when I met him and his friends he was disappointed in his Charmeleon after it lost a match. But he didn't lose the wing or anything, so is constant purity required to be the Rainbow Hero?"
Bonji stroked his beard and Pierre's eyes were once again drawn to it. Had the man never shaved?
"It's an interesting question to be sure," Bonji said finally. "I wish I could give you a definite answer."
Pierre noddedand looked forward. They were close enough to see the crystal now, but instead of Ho-oh they saw Ash and another Trainer, a Charizard and another Pokémon battling between them.
"What the-?" Pierre ran forward and asked verity, "Who is that?"
"That's Cross," Verity said darkly.
"That's Cross?" Pierre asked.
The two fire Pokémon let loose streams of fire, the attacks clashing in the middle of the field. Despite the other Pokémon's efforts (Cross called it Incineroar) it was quickly overwhelmed and blasted, fainting within seconds.
The two Trainers recalled their Pokémon and Ash moved to walk past his opponent. As he did though Cross said something that stopped Ash and the two boys started speaking. Pierre couldn't hear what they were saying but whatever it was seemed to be making the red-haired Trainer angry. Suddenly Cross froze and Pierre noticed how tense he'd gotten. Suddenly he ran at Ash, knocking him down even as he pulled something out of Ash's jacket. Before anybody could do anything Cross was halfway up the crystal. Rather than concern themselves with Cross Pierre, Verity and Sorrel went to Ash.
"You hurt?" Pierre asked as he helped him up.
"No, I'm fine," Ash answered.
A cry alerted them to Cross falling from the crystal, another Pokémon quickly catching him. Their attention was almost immediately drawn to the blast of dark energy fired from the crystal. Within seconds the sky was dark and overcast, the crystal and the area around them tainted with a dark purple.
"The Rainbow Wing loses its power when touch by someone with an evil heart," Bonji said ominously.
As they watched a Pokémon emerged from the shadows and leapt onto the black crystal, taking the faded feather in hand and holding it aloft.
"Marshadow's come to set things right," Bonji said.
Pierre watched the Pokémon cautiously. The glare it sent them didn't make it seem like the friendly type. Pierre heard Cross say something before the Pokémon with him ran forward. Raising its hand Marshadow fired a blast of dark energy that stopped Cross's Pokémon cold. It turned to its Trainer and swung a glowing claw at him, Cross barely dodging.
"Marshadow's controlling Lycanroc," Bonji said, panicked. "It wants to hurt people and Pokémon."
"Pretty sure it just wants to hurt us," Pierre muttered.
Lycanroc fired a Shadow Ball at Cross, but before it landed Charizard jumped in front of Cross, taking the attack.
"Why-?" Cross asked.
"It never forgot you were its Trainer," Verity said. "It couldn't just stand there!"
"That's nice," Pierre noted. "A little naïve, but still a nice gesture."
Charizard glared at him and Pierre raised his hands with his palms facing forward. As he did though he caught sight of Marshadow sending inky black smoke towards some of the surrounding wild Pokémon. As soon as the smoke touched them the wild Pokémon tensed and glared at them as if angered by their presence.
Pierre had just about enough time to send out Magmar before an Electabuzz fired a Thunderbolt at them. Cross hurriedly dodged just as a Pidgeotto dove out of the sky, Lucario jumping forward to knock it away.
"Pikachu use Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded.
Pikachu fired the attack, but the Pidgeotto dodged it. All around them it seemed that any Pokémon that could was readying a long ranged attack.
"Marshadow is displeased with Cross's actions," Bonji told them. "Ho-oh won't appear with the way things are now."
They ran just as the wild Pokémon fired their attacks, the blasts kicking up dust behind them and knocking them off the ground. They fell and landed on something, Pierre standing up and glancing down at the drop off the mountain. A shiver ran up his spine as he saw how close they'd come to falling.
Whoever's looking out for me up there, thank you, he thought, gulping.
"Is everyone all right?" Verity asked as the dust somewhat cleared up.
"Can't we just give them Cross?" Pierre asked. When the other Trainer glared at him he defensively asked, "What? It's your fault."
"Ash, you must reach the Rainbow Wing," Bonji told the young Trainer. "If you can still get your hands on it perhaps you can fix what Cross did."
Ash paused to consider that. "Alright," he said finally, "lets go."
They'd only taken a few steps before Charizard had to use Flamethrower on two wild Pokémon. As he did Pierre stopped, staring at the horde heading for them. The others were too focused on getting to the feather, but the ones behind them looked really tough.
Groaning he pulled his remaining Pokéballs and sent out his team. "We're under attack by a horde of angry Pokémon," he explained, "and we need to stop the biggest ones from interfering."
Charizard and Raichu nodded and faced the enemy Pokémon. Gyarados growled at the lack of water before roaring at their opponents, guessing that they were the cause of his discomfort. Goomy looked a little scared, though the confidence of the others helped, and Magmar stepped forward and ran a comforting hand down his back before facing the horde.
"Don't get the wrong idea," Pierre warned. "They're under Marshadow's control. We don't have to seriously hurt them, just knock them out."
Charizard nodded to show he'd heard him before darting forward, swiping a Shadow Claw at a Rhydon. Before its companions could react Magmar and Raichu used Flamethrower and Thunderbolt to stun them. Gyarados darted to the side and picked up another one, shaking it savagely before tossing it the side.
"Restraint, Gyarados, restraint!" Pierre said, a warning in his tone. "None of them want to do this anymore than you do."
Gyarados sent him a look before hitting a daring Magmar away with Aqua Tail and Pierre groaned. That had been the worst way he could have phrased it, especially with Gyarados's temper.
His Pokémon had worked out a rhythm by now, with Gyarados and Charizard darting in to fight up close while the other two knocked any stragglers back. As soon as they seemed like they might get overwhelmed they fell back and let Raichu and Magmar take over, alternating as best they could given the circumstances. Pierre heard something explode and looked to see Ash and Pikachu battling Marshadow.
If I go over there now I could help, he thought, but considering what happened with Cross I think I'm safer over here.
A cry alerted him to Goomy, who'd taken advantage of the gathered clouds to fire a ball of water into the sky. After a few seconds rain started fell on the battlefield and Pierre grinned even as Charizard and Magmar hissed in irritation. Raichu yelled something at them and everyone moved away as Raichu's body erupted with electricity, knocking most of the horde out cold.
"Great Thunder attack Raichu!" Pierre praised. "Let Gyarados handle the Rock-types."
Raichu nodded and Pierre recalled him, but an explosion sounded that rocked the area. Stunned, he looked towards where it'd come from and saw Pikachu clutching Ash's hat. There wasn't any time to shout a warning and as he jumped behind a rock Pikachu cried out in pain, its body exploding with electricity. At this point it wasn't attacking anything, it was just venting, but that was dangerous to anyone in its range.
"Gyarados, Charizard!" Pierre called in worry, turning to his Pokémon. They'd stood between Goomy and Pikachu's blast, but they were down for the count. Pierre cursed and recalled them before running to Magmar and checking him over.
"You're badly hurt, I think you might even be paralyzed," he muttered, swinging off his backpack. "Give me a second."
He groaned when he saw that he hadn't thought to pick up any paralysis medicine and gave Magmar a potion to chug down. When he was finished he handed the bottle back and Pierre recalled him, glancing at the horde of unconscious Pokémon.
"If one good thing came out of that…" He bent to pick up Goomy before jogging to Verity and Sorrel. "What happened?" he asked.
They didn't answer and he had to ask again before they even seemed to hear him. "Ash got between Pikachu and a crowd of angry Pokémon and he…" Verity trailed.
"Did you see a body?" Pierre asked.
Sorrel turned his head to face him and asked, "What?!"
"If you don't see a body then there's still a chance," Pierre stated firmly. Glancing at the assembled horde he noted, "At least they've stopped attacking."
Even as he spoke golden glitter began dancing in front of Pikachu. Slowly, it grew until it was Pikachu's size, then Sorrel's, before seeming to settle at around his height.
"Come on," Pierre said, running forward. The others followed him and he stopped as the sound of someone panting came from the glitter.
"Does that sound like-?" Sorrel asked.
He stopped as Ash jumped from the glitter and picked Pikachu up, spinning in place before holding his partner close.
Pierre looked down at Goomy and said, "You're too slimy, forget it."
Ash greeted them before frowning and opening his hand. Inside the Rainbow Wing glittered, fully colored and looking none the worse for wear.
"Ash, you know what you have to do now, right?" Bonji asked. Ash nodded. "Then what are you waiting for?"
Pierre watched as Ash placed the Wing on top of the crystal. As soon as he did green lights started swirling around them, drifting around and sometimes through their bodies. It took a moment for Pierre to realize that Pikachu looked as if he'd been healed and, come to think of it, so did everyone else.
"Everyone's healed up," he noted.
"That's the power of Ho-oh," Bonji declared. A bell sounded and he looked up with a grin. "When a Rainbow Flower blooms atop Rainbow Mountain Ho-oh shall appear."
They all had time to look up and see the gigantic Legendary descend next to them. Pierre's breathe caught and he took a step back, awed by Ho-oh's bright red plumage and the soft golden glow emanating from its body. The fact that he'd seen, and felt, what it could do made it that much more intimidating.
Ash didn't seem to feel any of that as he strolled forward and challenged Ho-oh to a battle. It took Pierre a second for the words to register but when they did he shook his head and sighed.
He's found what he was looking for, he thought as Ash sent out Pikachu. But there were no clues to Mew's location here.
He sighed and released his Pokémon before sitting down. This time they could watch a Legendary Pokémon battle without worry.
(*)
"I guess I'll be seeing you then," Pierre said smiling softly. Charizard and Magmar we sparring against Gyarados nearby and Raichu and Goomy stood beside him.
"You're really staying here?" Ash asked.
"It's necessary!" Bonji declared. "I haven't been able to get near this location before! The scientific discoveries that could be made are too valuable. Besides, I could use someone young to help me."
"That's that," Pierre agreed amiably. "Goodbye guys."
"Bye," Verity called as they left.
"Don't get stuck in a cave!" Sorrel shouted just before they were out of earshot.
Pierre waved them off with a soft smile before turning back to Bonji and sending Charizard out. "Time to get to work," he said as they stood against an enraged Rhydon.
(*)
She read through the request without any emotion. "He had the password?" she asked finally.
The grunt nodded, the tense set of her shoulders betraying her nerves. "He seemed really nervous about it. He said he'll pay -"
"He'll pay half now and half later, once the job is done," she cut in smoothly. "I'll schedule a meeting with him to discuss the details." When the grunt just stood there as if waiting for something she raised her head and said, "That'll be all."
Eyes widening the grunt left hurriedly, slowing down just long enough to not slam the door. J smiled to herself. It was always effective for both clients and employees to know they wouldn't want to get on her bad side. Glancing down at the most recent request she quirked an eyebrow and skimmed through the next page. The client had given her a story about why he wanted the Pokémon, but he needn't have bothered.
As long as the money was good, she didn't care what the job was.
(*)
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