Sorry for the wait, but welcome to chapter 7. I'd also like to apologies for the vague way I ended the last chapter. I've since changed the words a bit to make the ending a little clearer. At any rate I hope you enjoy the chapter. Have fun reading.
The group couldn't believe what they'd just heard.
"What? But you said you believed me. You said you believed I was innocent," said Ash.
"I do believe you're innocent kid that hasn't changed," said Professor Gidyea.
"They why does Ash need to surrender the pokémon that were drugged?" asked Clemont.
"Because using them to battle in this region would still constitute as cheating," stated Professor Gidyea.
"But I wasn't the one who drugged them," said Ash.
"I know and I'm truly sorry this has to happen, but I've studied the rules thoroughly and talked to a number of different officials. To use them in any official battle would count as cheating through the use of drugged pokémon," said Professor Gidyea sadly.
Ash's head fell. Even though it wasn't he who drugged his pokémon they were still going to be taken from him.
"Look I know it seems unfair, but I swear on Arceus himself that you can trust me. If I wanted I could've denied you asylum and sent you right back to Kanto the moment I saw some of your pokémon were drugged. But I didn't because the evidence tells me ya innocent and I believe you deserve the freedom to prove it," said Professor Gidyea. "But surely you can see that it would be unethical for you to use the drugged pokemon in an official pokémon match. It would be unfair to the other trainers."
"Guess I can't argue with that logic," said Ash.
"Look, it's not forever, I just have to keep a hold of them until the drugs disappear from their system," said Professor Gidyea. "Once they're clean you can have em back."
"How long will that be?" asked Brock.
"Hard to say really. It'll be different for each pokémon, but I estimate they'll all be clean within a year," said Professor Gidyea.
Ash thought hard about this. He didn't want to surrender any of his pokémon. He needed them now more than ever. Then again, Professor Gidyea hadn't given him any reason to not trust him. Despite all the evidence against Ash, Professor Gidyea had believed he was innocent based solely on the fact that a small number of Ash's pokémon were clean. Ash also knew it would be unfair to use drugged pokémon against other trainers, especially while the drugs were still in their system.
"It's only temporary right?" asked Ash.
"Yeah mate, as soon as they test negative, I'll send em right back. Promise," said Professor Gidyea.
"Ok, you can have the pokémon that came back positive," said Ash.
"Ash you can't be serious?" asked Dawn.
"What other choice do I have? This is the only way they'll grant us asylum and it'll probably look better if we show we're willing to cooperate. Besides, I still have a few pokémon I can use, which will be more than enough to keep me going until I can catch some more," said Ash.
"Ash's right, it's the best way for us to show we can be trusted," said Clemont.
"Alright," said Dawn, though she still thought it was unfair.
They waited for Nurse Joy to finish her examination of the pokémon. Once the tests were complete, Ash immediately surrendered all the pokémon that had tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. Or he would've but they then realised they still hadn't determined which pokémon was in which pokéball. They went outside to release them all, allowing them to determine who owned each pokémon. After Ash returned the pokémon that tested positive, he willingly surrendered them to Professor Gidyea.
"Please take care of them!" stated Ash sadly, as they put the pokéballs into Professor Gidyea's bag.
"I will mate I promise," said Professor Gidyea.
"You know this might not be too bad. I usually start each region with only Pickachu by my side, and I've still got a few more pokémon because they tested negative. Together we can take on this region and its trainers," said Ash confidently.
"That's a good attitude to have mate. I see a bright future for ya here," said Professor Gidyea. "But as a sign of good faith, I'd like to give ya something to help ya on ya journey."
"Really, what?" asked Ash.
"Come by my lab first thing tomorrow and I'll show ya. I think you'll appreciate it, specially considering I've been forced to confiscate most of ya pokémon. In the meantime, try and get some rest. Your journey in the Stralia Region is only just beginning," declared Professor Gidyea.
The group decided to follow Professor Gidyea's advice. They killed some time in the afternoon by training with their pokémon. Ash got particularly excited during this because it gave him the opportunity to use Lapras, Pigeot and Primeape in battle, something he had not gotten to do in a long time. Dawn also took the opportunity to practice some old contest moves, while also showing off some new ones she'd developed during her travels. While Ash, Brock and Gary were all impressed by what Dawn had developed, Clemont and Bonnie were completely blown away. They'd seen a Pokémon Performance, but never a contest so this was a whole new experience.
After they'd finished training, they decided to have an early dinner and go to bed. They woke up the next morning feeling completely refreshed. After a quick breakfast they headed for Professor Giyea's lab. Ash was leading the way, when Bonnie noticed the large in-door pokémon habitat Ash had seen the day before.
"Wow, look at all the pokémon," said Bonnie excitedly running inside.
"Bonnie wait! Professor Gidyea might not want us going in there," said Clemont, but it fell on deaf ears.
Clemont had no choice but to follow his sister. The rest of the group followed suit. The creatures inside were spectacular. Some were big, some were small, but all of them looked exceptionally powerful.
"Look Clemont, a Stralian Kangaskhan. Like the ones we saw the night we arrived," said Bonnie, pointing at the large reddish brown pokémon.
"Wow they look even tougher up close, I didn't think that was possible," said Clemont admiring the large pokemon.
"Hi I'm Bonnie," said Bonnie to the closest Kangaskhan.
Despite its size, the creature seemed frightened by the young girl and took off.
"Aww," said Bonnie sadly.
"That's probably for the best. I was told the Kangaskhan here are fighting types, so we probably don't want one to attack us," said Ash.
"Yeah, I have a feeling they'll cause a lot more damage then the ones back in Kanto," said Gary.
"Ash look, those must be the Stralian Sandiles we read about," said Brock pointing.
Ash looked to where Brock was pointing and saw a small light blue coloured pokémon playing in a nearby pond.
"Wow you'd never see a Sandile do that in the Unova Region. Being in water would hurt them greatly," stated Ash.
"Well they evolved as water types down here, so being in water is probably normal for them," said Brock.
"Normal is an understatement," said a nearby voice. "They and their evolved forms make many beaches in this region unsafe. You're lucky you didn't get attacked by a Krokorok or Krookodile while you were heading into the beach."
The group turned and saw Professor Gidyea.
"I had a feeling you kids would head here so I came over just to be sure," said Professor Gidyea.
"Professor Gidyea, we're sorry we're in here. Bonnie saw some of the pokémon and she couldn't help herself," said Clemont.
"Nah don't worry about it mate, I was gonna show ya this habitat anyway so you could see the types of pokémon you'd be seeing in this region. No time like the present and honestly, it's way more interesting than me boring old office," said Professor Gidyea.
"So, what did you want me to have exactly?" asked Ash remembering why they were there in the first place.
"All in good time Ash, how's about I show ya some of the native pokémon here first?" asked Professor Gidyea.
"Really?" asked Ash. "That'd be awesome."
"Yeah, it's always a treat to see new pokémon," said Brock.
"Alright, follow me," said Professor Gidyea. "The Stralian Kangaskhans you've already met."
"Yeah, but it's so incredible to see one up close," said Dawn.
"Well, these are real beauties to have in a battle. Incredibly strong and spread across the entire region, but if you don't attack them, they won't attack you, so they're safe to be around. They'll leave you alone if you don't antagonise them. Usually," stated Professor Gidyea.
"Is it true they're considered symbolic to this region?" asked Gary.
"More or less. Nearly every trainer in this region has caught one, but that's just what makes them so special and iconic," said Professor Gidyea.
While they admired the Kangaskhan, Ash spotted a large, black feathered bird like pokemon with a long blue coloured neck and head, along with a long helmet on its head. Ash remembered reading about this creature while they were in lock up.
"Professor is that a Cassawar?" asked Ash pointing.
Professor Gidyea looked to where Ash was pointing and smiled.
"Yeah, isn't she a beaute," said Professor Gidyea. "Cassawar come over here, I've got some new friends for you to meet."
The pokemon approached timidly.
"Go on give her a pat, let her know ya friendly," insisted Professor Gidyea.
The group was hesitant as they'd read Cassawar's could be quite deadly when hostile. Bonnie nevertheless put on a brave face and gave the pokémon a pat.
"Hi, I'm Bonnie, nice to meet you," said Bonnie happily giving Cassawar a pat.
The bird warmed up to her quickly. The rest of the group also felt less intimidated by the powerful looking creature, and each gave her a quick pat, causing her to be a lot more friendly.
"They're a lot shyer than I was expecting they'd be," said Clemont.
"Well they're pretty shy creatures by nature, but trust me you don't want to get on their bad sides, you may not live to regret it," said Professor Gidyea.
"They're flying-fighting types, correct?" asked Gary.
"Yup, unsurprisingly they can't actually fly, but they more than make up for it with incredible running speed and extraordinary attack strength," stated Professor Gidyea.
"Do you think I could catch one one day?" asked Ash.
"Maybe, but like I said they're pretty shy creatures, so you'd have to be pretty lucky for one to approach ya and that's just the easy part. Catching them's the hard part, because they don't go down without a fight and they put up one hell of a fight," said Professor Gidyea.
"That just makes me want one more," said Ash, causing Professor Gidyea to smile.
"What's this cutey?" asked Bonnie picking up a brown coloured rodent like pokémon with long ears, a long nose and tail.
"Hey be careful with that," demanded Professor Gidyea, taking the pokémon from Bonnie.
Bonnie felt like she'd done something really bad.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to cause it any harm," said Bonnie tearfully.
"Don't worry ya didn't. And I'll admit I overreacted a little and I'm sorry for that. But these guys are considered endangered so ya have to be careful with em," said Professor Gidyea, giving the pokémon a pat.
"What is it?" asked Dawn.
"It's called Billburrow, they're normal-ground types that generally live underground and usually only come out at night. I have a feeling this little guy was curious about the new arrivals," said Professor Gidyea putting Billburrow on the ground, letting it run off.
"Why's it endangered?" asked Gary.
"Habitat loss mostly, but also competition with other pokémon," said Professor Gidyea.
"Reminds me a little of Buneary," said Dawn.
"Funny you say that. Many foreign travellers mistake it for the regional variant of Buneary or Bunnelby. Then they're surprised to find out they're an entirely different species," said Professor Gidyea.
"Ash told us that Buneary's and Bunnelby's aren't looked upon fondly, because they're considered introduced pests," said Clemont.
"Yeah, that's the main reason for it," said Professor Gidyea.
"You also told me that despite them not being native pokémon, the harsh climate has caused them to evolve differently," stated Ash. "Doesn't that sort of make the Bunnelby's and Buneary's regional variants?"
"I guess it does in a way, but they're still not looked upon fondly," said Professor Gidyea.
"This might sound like a silly question but do you have any regional Bunnelby's or Buneary's here?" asked Clemont. "My guess is no because you've devoted your life to studying the native pokémon of Stralia."
"While that's my main focus, I've nevertheless been fascinated by how the climate of this region has affected introduced species," stated Professor Gidyea.
"So, you do have Buneary's and Bunnelby's here?" asked Dawn.
"Yeah, but I keep the introduced species in a different part of the habitat, especially considering they're the main reason the ecosystem's been damaged over the years," said Professor Gidyea.
"Could we see them?" asked Dawn.
"Sure, they're over here."
They followed Professor Gidyea to a door that read 'introduced species'.
"They're right in here," said Professor Gidyea.
The professor led the group into another large habitat.
"Be careful, these ones are quite feral, and you'll get hurt if ya not careful," said Professor Gidyea, pulling a bag of baby carrots out of his jacket pocket.
"Buneary's, Bunnelby's! Feeding time," called Professor Gidyea shaking the bag.
Small separate herds of Buneary's and Bunnelby's ran towards them. The Buneary's looked like regular ones but their fur was black instead of brown and their cream fluff was dark blue instead of yellow. The Bunneby's were also black, but with small bits of red instead of brown.
"Woah," said Brock fascinated by the new creatures.
"Yeah, despite being pests there's a certain beauty to em," said Professor Gidyea, as he threw the carrots towards them.
"They're dark-types, right?" asked Ash.
"Yeah, and much more hostile than the ones you're used to," said Professor Gidyea.
"What about their evolved forms?" asked Clemont.
"Well, a Lopunny remains purely a dark type, but Diggersby gains the ground typing like other ones do," said Professor Gidyea, continuing to throw the pokémon carrots.
The Professor explained how the Stralia Region had affected Buneary's and Bunnelby's when a large pig like pokémon, with tusks and a thick coat of black fur came into view and started charging towards them. Professor Gidyea knew he needed to do something before the situation escalated.
"Platipes go," said Professor Gidyea, throwing a pokéball and releasing the strange creature that had accompanied him on the night they arrived. "Water gun."
"PLATIPES," yelled Platipes, as it shot a long stream of water at the pig like pokémon.
The pokémon received a great deal of damage from the attack, stopped in its tracks and whimpered a little.
"Grumpig, what did I tell you about attacking guests?" asked Professor Gidyea. "Now get."
Grumpig did as told and ran away.
"That's a Grumpig?" asked Brock surprised.
"It looks nothing like the ones you'd see in the Hoenn Region," said Gary.
"That's because they've also changed since being introduced to the Stralia Region," stated Professor Gidyea.
"Are they still psychic types?' asked Ash.
"Nah, they've changed into ground types and extremely dangerous ones at that. Normally I'd have recommended making a run for it if you ever saw them in the wild but you've got quite an army of water pokémon so you should be fine," stated Professor Gidyea.
"I think we've seen enough," said Brock.
"Alright let's head back," said Professor Gidyea.
They made their way back to the main habitat.
"Having seen all this are you sure its ok for us to keep Buneary and Bunnelby with us?" asked Dawn.
"Yeah, you're allowed to have one if you're an official Pokémon Trainer, so you and Clemont are still following the established laws of the region," said Professor Gidyea.
"Actually, I'm not technically a trainer, I'm a coordinator. Will that be a problem?" asked Dawn.
Professor Gidyea stopped in his tracks.
"I was afraid you'd ask that. Truth is a little, because we haven't started doing contests in this region yet. So technically coordinator isn't an official title here yet!" explained Professor Gidyea.
"Meaning?" asked Dawn.
"Meaning your official title's gonna have to be Pokémon Trainer but think of it this way, we haven't had many coordinators visit this region due to lack of contests, so maybe ya could help establish the Stralia Region's first grand festival," suggested Professor Gidyea.
"I'd be honoured," said Dawn.
"Good, but for now your official title will be trainer. Is that alright?" asked Professor Gidyea.
"Yeah, that'll be fine," said Dawn.
Ash then realised something.
"Professor Gidyea, you still haven't told us why you asked us to come over," stated Ash.
"Hmm, ah right yeah, we'll have to go to me office for that, but I want to show ya one more thing before we do," stated Professor Gidyea.
"What's that?" asked Ash.
Professor Gidyea put his fingers to his mouth and whistled.
"Raichu, come here for a second," ordered Professor Gidyea.
The ground beneath them shook a little and out of nowhere a small hole opened a short distance away. They saw a mouse like pokémon climb out.
"Raichu what have I said about digging inside the habitat?" asked Professor Gidyea angrily. "I know ya like to dig, but this habitat's for everyone.
Ash was very familiar with Raichu's as they were the evolved form of Pikachu. But this one looked very different. It was a dark brown colour instead of orange, its cheeks were green instead of yellow and instead of a lighting bolt on the end of its tail, there was a drill.
"Is that a Stralian Raichu?" asked Ash.
"Yup, because of the vast amounts of desert in this region they've evolved as exceptional diggers over the years, allowing them to be ground types in addition to already being electric types," stated Professor Gidyea.
"Cool," said Ash.
"I guess that means they'd wipe the floor with regular Raichu's?" asked Clemont.
"Pretty much because they can generate just as much electricity, while also being unaffected by electric attacks," stated Professor Gidyea.
Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder to talk to the new arrival.
"Pika?" asked Pikachu.
"Rai, Raichu," said Raichu.
"Pika," said Pikachu holding out its paw, which Raichu shook.
"Well, I think ya Pikachu just made a new friend," said Professor Gidyea.
"Yeah, he does that a lot with different pokémon," chuckled Ash.
"Anyway, day's a wasting, I'd better show ya why I asked ya's to come over," stated Professor Gidyea.
They left the habitat and headed to Professor Gidyea's office. Inside they saw three pokéballs on his desk. Professor Gidyea threw the balls into the air releasing the pokémon. The pokémon that appeared before them included a Platipes, which they'd already seen a few times, a red coloured pokémon that looked similar to a Sandslash, but it walked on four legs, had thinner spikes and a longer nose, and finally a green and brown coloured pokémon that looked similar to Kangaskhan, but was much smaller, had a long tail, small arms with sharp looking claws, a long face, long ears and legs that looked built for jumping great heights.
"These are the starters we offer to new trainers in the Stralia Region," stated Professor Gidyea. "Platipes you know, the red one with spikes is called Echidflame and the one with the deadly looking claws is Wallaleaf!"
"They all look so cute," stated Bonnie admiring the starter Pokémon.
"They might look cute, but I assure ya they're tough, very tough," stated Professor Gidyea.
"Professor why are you showing us these?" asked Ash.
"You've been very mature about the conditions ya have to follow to get asylum in this region, no matter how unfair they seem. You've proven time and again that I can trust ya to not only look after your own pokémon, but others you may catch while travelling this region. Furthermore, since you've been forced to surrender most of your pokémon, I'd like you to take one of these starters," said Professor Gidyea.
"What?" asked Ash, unable to believe what he was hearing.
"I mean it, take one," offered Professor Gidyea.
Thanks for reading. Please let me know what you think.
I know I've also ended this chapter a little vaguely and I apologise for that, but I have a reason for it. I'm leaving it up to you to decide which starter pokémon Ash chooses from the Stralian starters. I've even created a poll for it, which can be seen on my home page. I'll accept votes from both the poll or review, either is fine.
