Author's Note:
Here it is, the start of our trek back towards Petalburg. This is gonna be a weird chapter, exploring some lore and setting stuff up. Along with the development of some character arcs. Just a nice fun chapter to get into the swing of the new year. I felt like a nice chill chapter was needed after the bomb shell at the end of the last chapter. So, I'll just mention it here, yes, Pikachu will be at the lab for the foreseeable future. We might check in from time to time, but I felt like this would be a good way to develop both of them. Given what's to come, I figured it made the most sense this catalyst would make Pikachu face his Pokéball fear out of anything. And yes, fatherhood is going to be his main character arc for the foreseeable future. I mean, it is a big life development. Don't forget to vote in the poll and with that, let's begin.
Chapter Forty-Two: Confessing Fossil Feelings
Pikachu sprung out of his Pokéball. Shaking his entire body, curled up in a ball. He felt his ears tremble on end. Peaking open, he stretched out of the confined position. Stood on the desk in the research lab at Oak's place, he found the elderly professor sat next to him, looking down on him.
"Ah, good to see you again Pikachu," he smiled, "now I'd understand if you wanted to see Sylveon, but Daisy and Gary are currently checking her over. Nurse Joy sent over all her statistics, but we want to ensure we're on the same page from the start. She'll be ready for visitors in a couple hours. We're setting her up in the down lounge, it should be the most comfortable area and easy for her to get too if she wishes to go outside."
Nodding in understanding, he hopped down from the platform. Scurrying across the cold metal floor, he shot to the slightly open door. Opening it, he stepped out to the wooden floor. Walking at an easy pace, he made it to the top of the stairs. Taking the first couple down, he reversed back to the top.
On the far end of the landing was a single storeroom. Hanging on the door was a sort of small pink surfboard. Smiling, he made his way over and used his tail to flick it off the handle. With a wide smile taking over his face, he picked up the board and carried it to the top of the stairs. Placing it half hanging over the edge, he climbed on. Pressing his foot on the unsupported half, he leaned down.
A rush of wind past him as he felt his gut leave his body. Squinting, his vision became nothing more than a blur of lights and colours.
Rolling onto his back, he ended up at the bottom of the stairs. Rolling around in a fit of laughter, he pushed himself up. Picking up the board, he placed it right next to the way upstairs. Next time he has to go up there, he'll remember to carry up it for sure!
Looking around, he heard the voices of the two Oak children coming from the lounge. Shaking his head, he turned his attention towards the exit outside. Last thing he wanted to do was interrupt and make things difficult for his partner. Scurrying along the floor before his head could convince him otherwise, he jumped through back door. Landing outside on the patio, taking in the sight of the over-arching ranch.
Taking a deep breath, he felt the cold wind embrace his body. While Hoenn was nice, he missed the cooler weather for sure.
"Well, well, well," a familiar voice echoed in his ear. Turning to the source, he found Venusaur standing up from a lying down position. A smile spread across his lips. From behind him, walked Houndoom, "this is a surprise. Is Ash here already Pikachu? I didn't think you'd have competed in-"
"No," he shook his head, "he only just got the fourth badge."
"So why are you here?" Houndoom asked, "I thought you was always by his side. That was your claim shortly after I joined, correct?"
"Yeah," he muttered, kicking his foot on the floor, "but... things changed. Ya know how it is?"
"Care to elaborate?" he asked.
"Not particularly," he smiled, although it fell when he saw neither of the two Pokémon with smiles themselves, "at least not right away. It's not just my news and I don't want to mess up by saying too much. 'Kay?"
"It's the best we're going to get," Venusaur nodded.
"For now," he offered, "so what can I do to pass the time? I'm not use to what goes on around here when I'm not."
"Well, we could go to the training grounds," Houndoom offered, "I'm sure more than a few Pokémon would like to see where you are in training."
"Sure," he shrugged, "I'm always up to a challenge."
Following the dark fire type across the grassy field, he took in the sight around him. High in the air, he saw Pidgeot in some sort of battle with Dragonite, the duo. Sandslash slashed away at his rock and several water types filled up the lake. The shaking ground caused him to stop, looking around he gasped.
Drake's Rapidash was running around but the thing which drew his attention was a new Pokémon. A similar body shape to the fire horse but with a black fur coat, covered by white jagged stripes all over the body. One pointed stripe extended from the nose, two elaborated stripes on the neck and chest, one zigzag stripe on the jaw, back and hindquarters. One triangular stripe on each of the thighs, and two stripes banding each of the legs. The ears are triangular with blue insides, while the eyes were blue with yellow sclerae and white eyelashes. Grey hooves galloped across the ground, as it lagged slightly behind the riding partner. A white, spiked mane ran the length of the body, beginning with two horn-like extensions on the forehead and running down the back to the end in a long tail with a starburst-shaped tip. Bolts of lightning sparking off this new Pokémon as they ran.
"Who's the new guy?" he asked.
"Girl," Houndoom corrected, "an electric type, Drake caught in Unova... Zebstrika or something. Not really spent much time with them if I'm honest."
"Interesting..." he mused, wondering if she'd be up to a sparring match. It would certainly be interesting to fight a unique opponent whilst here.
Continuing across the ranch, they soon made it over to the battlegrounds. Several Pokémon were surrounded around a circle as he noticed Primeape in a fist fight with Hitmontop. The handstand Pokémon jumped, landing on his head. Spinning with his feet aimed towards Ash's pure fighting type.
Swiping his own foot underneath, he clipped it onto the spike atop his opponents head. Knocking Hitmontop off balance as he stumbled around.
With a run up, he delivered a glowing punch straight into his face. Sending Serena's pure fighting type flying out of the circle. The crowd of Pokémon cheering as Primeape marched around, waving his arms in the air.
"And Primeape is the winner!" Tauros announced, "now our next challenger is Beedrill! Who's willing to go head-to-head with this beastly bug?!"
"Our newbie will," Houndoom barked.
The crowd stopped cheering, and all turned to see him. Serena's first caught Pokémon buzzing into the makeshift field. He took notice of several Pokémon, not just those on Ash's or Serena's team either. Many of Gary's Pokémon, like his Nidoking, Arcanine and Scizor filled the ranks. Same with Drake's, such as his Pinsir, Machamp, Snorlax and even a Mamoswine, which he presumed evolved from the Piloswine the twin had back in the silver conference.
"Erm, hi," he whispered, giving a small wave. The bug poison type buzzed something whilst gesturing for him to come and get it with his front stingers.
Smirking, he dropped down onto all four limbs. Sparking his cheeks, the crowd returned to the rowdy cheers, with Tauros coughing to clear his throat, "a new challenger has approached! Let's get ready to rumble!"
Springing forward, he noticed the poison bee Pokémon's stingers glow purple. Diving down to intercept him, he inwardly smirked.
Tensing his tail, he felt a familiar shimmer surround it. Stopping in his tracks, he spun his back overhead, bringing his tail down on the poison jab.
Leaping up in the air, he spun around, positioning himself right above the fully evolved bug poison type. Rubbing his cheeks, he felt the current surge through his body. A tingle enveloped his body as the familiar feel of electricity shot out. A large bolt shot straight down.
Landing on the ground, he shook his head and body. Looking ahead, he saw Serena's first catch unaffected. His stinger's planted into the ground.
Using the moment of pause, he closed his eyes. Focusing on the ground in front of him. Opening his eyes, he found blades of grass wrapped around his arms.
Charging forward, he gave a small leap. Spinning around, he felt the tail shimmer in metal once more. Bringing it down on his head, he leapt off.
Diving behind his opponent, he diving into the ground. As he scurried at his top speed, he smirked. He hasn't had many tough opponents since the silver conference. This is going to be a lot more fun than he originally thought... even if he'll spend most of his time looking after Sylveon
May stretched her arms up as she walked along, a light breeze blew past them, turning the sandy floor with it. Ahead her brother was running, with Brock's Vigoroth keeping him company. Shaking her head with a bemused smile, she glanced to the side and found Ash with his Togetic resting on his shoulder.
"You and Togetic sure seem close," she muttered, "I don't think he's left your side since we left Larvaridge."
"That's just because of the close bond the two of them share," Serena spoke up, "you see, he hatched Togetic from an egg. Then he raised him up until he evolved. Togetic is more like his son than just another team member."
"Geez Serena, I didn't think you'd be trying to prepare him for fatherhood this early," she smirked, the girls cheeks burning bright red, "relax. I'm kidding."
"To-ge!" the fairy flying type cried, flying over towards her. Zooming around her, she couldn't help but giggle as sparkles sprinkled. An adorable expression filled his face with wide eyes and open mouth.
"He is really cute though," she mumbled, reaching out to touch him. Scratching the side of his head, "I bet he'd be great in a contest."
"Sorry May but we're not about to start that," he smiled, "Togetic and I will just stick to regular battles. Right buddy."
"Tic, Togetic!"
"And just what's wrong with contests?" she asked as the happiness Pokémon flew back to him, landing on his shoulder.
"Nothing," he shrugged, scratching the side of Togetic's head, "I know Serena and you have come up with some really great performances. But we just aren't the type to focus on making moves pretty. It's not our style."
"Seems like a waste for such a cutie," she shrugged, "that's all I'm saying."
She turned ahead and closed her eyes. The image of her next contest played in her head. She'd be on stage with Swablu on her shoulder and Skitty in her arms, the crowd cheering with confetti falling down. Mr Contesta handing her the third ribbon for her case.
"Come on guys!" Max's voice echoed, breaking her out of the little day-dream, "we're here already!"
She saw her little brother sat on the normal types shoulder at the top of a little sand-hill. It didn't take them long to reach them, and she glanced down to see a large, outlined area. A sort of greenhouse building sat in the desert sand. Squinting, she tried to look inside and was surprised to see more of a forest environment inside. While the back of the building was a large pit with heavy machinery and people with digging equipment.
"So, what's this place meant to be again?" she asked.
"It's Hoenn's fossil reintroduction centre," her brother pipped up, "not only do they have a chances for trainers to search for their own fossils but it's a natural reserve where they have restored fossil Pokémon and re-introduce them to the modern world."
"And you wanted to come here because?" she asked, drawing out the last word.
"How are we even related?" he asked, "how could anyone pass up the opportunity to meet a real-life fossil Pokémon?!"
"Fossil Pokémon are just like regular Pokémon, Max," Ash chimed in, "they each have their own personalities and... yeah."
"Of course, you'd think that" he sighed, "you've got an Aerodactyl! By the way, do you plan on using him against our dad?"
"Wasn't planning on it," he shrugged, "how come?"
"Because our dad is the strongest trainer in the world," he replied, waving his arms for emphasis, "maybe if you used Aerodactyl, Dragonite and Alakazam, then you might stand a chance against him... if he's feeling pity."
"Right," he nodded, "I think I'll keep our strategy planning secret for now. Wouldn't want you to go giving away our tactics."
With a humph, he frowned and crossed his arms. She couldn't help but giggle at his reaction. While he always had a stubborn streak, seeing someone put him in his place was rather enjoyable. The normal type seemed shaking him around a bit, bringing a smile to his face. Leading the way, Vigoroth headed down to the new location. Shaking her head at the interaction, she followed them with their other friends.
It didn't take them long to make it inside the green-house like building, the fresh smell of water filling her nose. Vibrant green forestry coloured the area with several people dressed in lab coats around.
"Man, this place is beautiful," she uttered.
"Oh cool!" her brother gasped, "real life Anorith!"
Looking in that direction he was pointing, she saw a flurry of greenish-grey Pokémon which looked like flat bugs with a hard shell. A talk extended out from either side of the heads, with large, spherical eyes at the tips. The of the heads were black with two red, teardrop-shaped markings, and an x-shaped mouth which she saw on the underneath as a few of them stood on the hide legs. Beneath each head were two large, segmented claws, which she saw snapping on low hanging fruit for them to feed on. On each side of the small bodies were four white appendages with red tips. Staring at the cluster of fossil Pokémon, she reached into her bag and pulled out her Pokédex:
Anorith, The old shrimp Pokémon. Anorith can swim swiftly by pulling its eight wings through the water like oars on a boat. This Pokémon is believed to be one of the early cases of natural selection of Kabuto leaving the waters to live on land. Research about this Pokémon is still on-going
"Heh, they actually look kinda cute too," she mused, putting the device away, "if not a little dangerous with those claw things."
"Anorith can be very sweet Pokémon should they properly trust you," a new voice spoke, drawing her attention. She turned to see a women with a bowl-cut, long black hair, and glasses. Dressed in a lab coat, "now if you wouldn't mind. What do I owe this visit?"
"Oh erm, sorry," she shook her head, "you see. My friends and I were passing by, and my brother wanted to come and meet some fossil Pokémon. I hope you don't mind."
"Of course, not," she smiled, "we welcome all visitors. We just ask you have a guide around these areas as to not throw the Pokémon off. They aren't used to strangers inviting themselves to introductions."
"Right, anyway my name's Ash and this is my buddy Togetic," he explained, "then we have, Serena, Brock, May, Max and Brock's Vigoroth."
"My name is Professor Cara Liss, the head of the reintroduction centre," she nodded, "with recent scientific advancements in restoring fossil Pokémon, we built this place as a way to re-introduce those restored into the modern wild world. We have top of the line breeders and scientists, working to help them adapt to life alongside humans."
"Man, there was nothing like this back when we got Aerodactyl or Kabutops," the raven-haired boy sighed, "right Serena."
"Yes, well, that was an oversight with the team developing the technology," she drew their attention once more, "no-one believed it possible to restore fossil Pokémon, until some breakthrough in the cloning department made it so. Unfortunately, they hadn't properly prepared for a successful resurrection and thus couldn't safely help reintroduce the Pokémon into our new world. Luckily, we've learnt from our mistakes of the past."
"So, you've got all sorts of other fossil Pokémon around here?" Max asked, "other than Anorith, I mean?"
"Correct," she nodded, "we have several bases around Hoenn designed for differing species but this site houses both the Armaldo and Cradily lines."
"I can't wait to meet 'em!" he cheered, jumping down from Vigoroth's shoulder.
"Well before I find you a guide, I must ask if any of you are interested in searching for fossils of your own," she replied, "as you probably saw, we've an exhibition site just outside. In ancient times, this entire desert was the homeland for both species we house, and their fossils are in abundance. We allow trainers to help dig them up. Although the actual restoration takes place in Devon Corp in Rustboro. Should they find you suitable trainer's, they allow you to keep whichever fossils you find. It's all about ensuring they are with the best people to help them understand this new world."
"Thanks for the offer," Ash replied, "but I've got my fill of fossil Pokémon with Aerodactyl. If it's all the same, I'd like to use the visiting time here to train my team some."
"Your more than welcome to do so," Cara nodded, "but I'd need to ask you to leave. We pride ourselves on a safe, stable environment for the residence and having a training disrupt that-"
"It's okay, I understand," he nodded.
"It's the main reason we don't do the resurrection here," she continued, "fossil Pokémon can have differing reactions to being restored. Understandably so. And we don't fancy risking the progress of all our residence every time we restore a new one."
"You know, I think I'd like to go fossil searching," she spoke up, "thinking about how rare they are. I can just imagine the reaction I'd get by using one in a contest."
"If you head through that door on the left, you'll exit into the digging pit," she gestured to the far wall, "look for a man called Bray Zenn. He's the head of that section and will be able to get you set up with equipment and digging for fossils."
"Cool," she smiled, turning to her friends, "anyone else wants to come?"
None of them seemed too interested but given that all but Max already had a fossil Pokémon from their time in Kanto, she couldn't claim to be surprised. She quickly made her way over to the door and stepped outside into the digging pit, ready to find her own fossil.
Ash smiled as he stood on the sandy field which he turned into his training ground. While he would normally love the chance to meet some new Pokémon, given what recently transpired, he felt like time away from the others were heavily needed. He took in the sight of his current team in their pairs. The first two being his Togetic and Grovyle.
Unable to help himself, he walked over to the pair. Togetic had a ring of electricity surround him as the wood gecko clenched his fist. He punched his fist inside the ring, clearly trying to hold onto the element as he pulled the fist back out.
"How's it going?" he asked.
"We'll get it!" Togetic declared.
Unable to stop the smile from the pure happiness his little fairy flying type radiated, he watched once more as Grovyle tried to take in the element. Pulling his fist out, he winced as it dispersed from around him. His hand looked marked by the high current.
"Don't fight it, Grovyle," he instructed, "you're trying to use it in a punch, but you want to feel the energy. Learn how to harness it. Whilst you're fighting it, you can't learn to manipulate it. Obviously, you won't have Togetic to source it forever, so you'd need to learn to use it yourself."
"Can't I just wait until Pikachu's back?" he scoffed, "surely it'll be easier learning it from him."
"Actually, I doubt it would," he replied, "you see, electric is Pikachu's natural type. He never really needed to try to manipulate the element because his body is built to use it. The same way your built to use grass type. I wanted Togetic to help you because he knew the struggle of learning to use it from scratch."
"And uncle Pikachu couldn't help me that well either," Togetic added, "it's thanks to uncle Houndoom I learnt thunder wave. He knew thunder fang."
"That's no thunder wave," Grovyle muttered.
"He's right," he nodded, "when did you learn shock wave anyway?"
"After you left for Hoenn, I wanted to surprise you with a bunch new moves for the league," he replied, "Houndoom suggested working on expanding moves I already learnt. Like evolving thunder wave into shock wave. Ampharos help a lot with getting it down too."
"Can we continue trying to get this thunder punch down please," Grovyle grumbled.
Nodding with a bright smile, his fairy flying type closed his eyes. A ring of electricity expanded out of his body, orbiting around in a condensed beam.
The pure grass type clenched his fist once more, preparing to punch his way into the shock wave. Reaching out, he held the wood gecko's hand, turning it over and opening his palm. An idea popped into his head.
"Try using leaf blade, sticking it into the ground," he replied, "that way, you'll be grounded. Then you could feel the current without fear."
His middle-staged starter quickly activated a leaf blade on his right arm. Kneeling down, he stabbed the energy blade into the sandy ground. With a glance up, his happiness Pokémon floated down. Reaching up, he stuck his open hand into the electric ring.
Closing his eyes, the electric element orbited around his hand. Travelling up around his arm, he seemed to better embrace the element.
Not wanting to disrupt their training, he took his leave. Looking around he quickly saw the next pair of Pokémon off across their little training ground.
Corphish was facing off against Kirlia. He mostly paired these two up due to having more substantial pairs among the other four. His water type was running around, snapping his claws to cut up a series of magical leaves curtsy of the emotion Pokémon. He remembered seeing Misty and her Kingler handling grass types effectively, as her main counter to that weakness. He hoped to emulate a similar style in the rogue Pokémon now their gym battle was over.
Glancing upwards, he found Duskull and Taillow high in the air. He already knew he wanted to use the little ghost type in his next gym battle. Being both his first catch in Hoenn and a ghost type when going in against a normal type just made sense. He also had a bubbling strategy in mind with his line-up of his two chosen Pokémon. First, he'd need a physical beast to counter the physical strength of Slaking... which is where Granbull comes in.
Duskull, however, is far more of a trickster. Given the chance to get his moves off, he could easily help swad the battle in their favour. Which is what his current training involved. Being a force of her own, Taillow was helping him work on getting off his trick-tactics such as will-o-wisp, confuse ray, curse, and disable whilst taking on a physical force. Of course, it's not the same as training against the same species they'll face but it's a good start.
He just needed to pick his final Pokémon for that gym match. Of course, he had plenty of time before they were due to arrive, but his idea situation would be a real defensive fighter. Someone like Muk, who could just soak in hit after hit. It would make for the perfect trio to challenge Norman but none of his Hoenn line up are really defensive fighters. While he could just call over someone from the lab like Venusaur, Snorlax or even Muk himself. He promised his Hoenn team before setting foot in the region, he'd use them first and foremost. After how he handled the Johto gyms, in some cases it felt like he was cheating.
Happy with the work his team was putting in, he made his way over to a clearing. Unzipping his jacket, he slipped it off and laid it down on the ground. Lying on his back, he placed his arms behind his head and began performing sit-ups, mentally countering them as he went.
"One... two... three... four... five... six..."
As he controlled each breath with his movements, he sat up for the seventh. Blinking at the apex of his workout, the image of his starter flashed in front of his eyes. Lying back down, he blinked again, a tear threatening to escape down his cheek.
"Eight... Nine... Ten..."
Sitting back up, his controlled breathing became rugged. Planting his face in his hands, he felt prominent lines pulling his brows together with his vision becoming pure blurry. Squeezing them shut, he felt the tears escape down his cheek. Unvoluntary cries escaped his trembling lip. He sunk his teeth into it to prevent causing a scene. Wiping his head side to side on his arm, he attempted to clear himself up... but to no avail.
As he peeked through his blurred vison, he felt a weight tackle around his chest, knocking him down. Finally able to see once more, he found his fairy flying type hugging him tightly. Closing his eyes, he returned the gesture. Peeking through their embrace, he found the psychic fairy type stood over them.
"Come on, let me up," he whispered into the happiness Pokémon's ear. Pushing himself up into a sitting position, with Togetic sliding into his lap.
Zooming around, his middle staged-once-baby-Pokémon flew off. Unzipping his backpack, he pulled out a handkerchief. Handing it over, Ash used it to clear himself up. Glancing around, he noticed his other four Pokémon stopped in their movements, staring at him.
"Thank you, Togetic," he whispered. A quick glance and he saw the cloth he had been handed was none-other than the one he handed to Serena back at their first meeting, "but I'm fine now. Go on everyone, back to training."
The first to return were Taillow and Duskull. His feisty bird smacking her wing into the ghost types body, knocking him sideways. While his happiness Pokémon just swirled around in his lap, hesitation present in his wobbly wide eyes.
"I'm fine Togetic," he whispered, picking the fairy flying type up, "honest. Go on, Grovyle's waiting for you."
Floating up from their embrace, the shared a long stare. Glancing between the wood gecko and himself, he scratched his chin. Slumping slightly, he turned and flew back over to the pure grass type. He watched the two-restart training to learn thunder punch.
"You should go too, Kirlia," he encouraged, "like I said... I'm fine."
"I'm not blind," she grumbled, placing her arms on her hips, "and I can sense emotions. It's no use lying to me."
Closing his eyes once more, he leaned back as all his energy drained out of his body. Blinking them open once more, he turned to see Kirlia closer than before, her arms now down by her side and a sympathetic smile. "Come on, tell me about it. It can help to get it off your chest. Is it about Pikachu?"
"Surely you can already tell what's bothering me," he frowned.
"Firstly, never ask a question you don't already know the answer too. I can sense your emotion, doesn't mean I can see the root cause," she replied, "at least not without digging. And like I said, you should speak about it."
"Yeah then, I guess," he muttered, "I suppose it is Pikachu... It's just-never mind."
"Ashton." She tapped her foot, crossing her arms with a frown. "I won't tell you again."
"It's not how it sounds... I get why he wanted to go to the lab... and given his situation, I think I'd do the same..."
"But?" she asked.
"We've been battling aqua and magma. With the two teams active, it feels like one of them is always around the corner," he sighed, "and I've always had Pikachu ready to go. I could rush in without a second thought because I knew he'd have my back."
"Everyone here has your back, from what I know of those back at the lab, they all do," she replied, "but you already know this so what else is bothering you?"
"I guess I'm also worried about when Sylveon lays her eggs," he muttered, "I mean... raising eggs aren't exactly easy-"
"Look over there." She pointed down to one of the training sessions. Imparticular, Togetic and Grovyle working on learning thunder punch, "that right there is enough to prove you don't need to worry about raising an egg. You've done it before, and he turned out to be great."
"It's not the same," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I mean... we never knew who Togetic's parents were, and he ended up imprinting on me. I don't want it to become awkward and overstep the parental boundary with either Pikachu or Sylveon-"
"You're over thinking it," she replied, "with both parents present, it'll be obvious to them who the parents are. You can still be trainers to them, or at the very least friends. And if they were here, I'm sure both Pikachu and Sylveon would tell you the same thing."
"Thanks, Kirlia." He relaxed in place, "I guess I was also scared about needing to grow up quickly."
"Everyone is always growing up, you're probably more prepared than you know," she replied, "it's one reason I despise my brother. We're the offspring of a champion but he's too focused on dancing around instead of living up to our legacy."
"That's hardly fair," he replied, "your brother enjoys dancing as much as you enjoy battling. He has every right to pick his own path."
"See," she smirked, "ya'll are mature enough to figure that out. We'll be fine when it comes to the arrival."
Stepping outside, she found several people scattered around the muddy pit with pick-axes among other tools. She even noticed some Pokémon scattered around, mainly a few Sandslash. She remembered looking them up one night when Ash told them about his own. Although these were the first, she saw in person. Taking a few steps forward, she found a man sat at a desk, typing on the computer. He glanced up and spotted her.
With a wide expression, he jumped out of his chair. An open lab-coat barely sticking on his shoulders. She noticed his hair was in a similar messy condition to Ash's, although was a mud-brown colour. Sunglasses covered his eyes as he charged forward.
"H-hello," she gasped, as he stopped just in front of her, "I-I'm May and-"
"Your here to help us search for fossils, right?" he cut her off.
"W-well yes," she stuttered, taking a step back, "y-you see-"
"This is brilliant! The more the merrier!" he cheered, in the blink of an eye, he shot to the side grabbing a rucksack before returning right in front of her. She coughed slightly as the dust flew off him from the quick movements, "now here we have a fossil digging kit. We have a shovel for the large soil, chisels for more details removes once you find one. Walkie-talkie in case you need support and first aid kit. We also suggest you use a ground type Pokémon as they are able to sense oddities within the earth. It makes finding the fossils easier."
"I don't have a ground type," she grumbled, struggling to hold the bag up, "but what are the rules of other Pokémon?"
"Your allowed one to accompany you but we limit it to prevent the pit becoming overcrowded," he nodded, "we also have a strict, no battling rule and anyone found breaking it will be escorted out."
"That won't be an issue, mister..." she paused, eyes darting around, "sorry. I didn't catch your name."
"My apologises," he bowed, "I'm professor Bray Zenn. Head of the digging pits. Now do you know which fossil you'd like a chance to get? This site seems to be filled with claw and root fossils which can become Anorith and Lileep, respectively."
Grabbing her Pokédex, she quickly searched through the device for the other fossil Pokémon. It showed an image of a somewhat plant-like Pokémon with eight dark-tipped, pink petal-like tentacles protruding from an opening on top of the head. Inside the pitch-black opening were two glowing, yellow eyes. The remainder of the head was purple with yellow eyespots resembling targets. The head was connected to the body through a yellow stem. The body itself was purple and semi-spherical. Hitting the information button, the device read:
Lileep, The Sea Lily Pokémon. Lileep became extinct approximately a hundred million years ago. This ancient Pokémon attaches itself to a rock on the seafloor and catches approaching prey using tentacles shaped like flower petals. They are believed to be early ancestors to Pokémon live Victreebel
"You know what, both are pretty cute in a weird way, but I've already got a bug type in Beautifly," she muttered, "so I guess I'd like a Lileep."
"Very good choice," he nodded, "if you head over to the left side then. You'll find what we believe to a prehistoric lake marked out in the site. With many root fossils scattered within the area. It should serve you well."
With a smile on her face, she started to walk in that direction. Feeling unstable to the weight of the rucksack, she placed it down. Reaching to her belt, she pulled off her newest team members device and released her pure psychic type. Bouncing next to her with a smile on his face, he looked up expectantly.
"Hey Spoink, do you mind giving me a hand carrying this bag please?" she asked, "we're going searching for a fossil and this is our search kit."
"Oink! Spoink!" he cheered, a wide smile on his face. Sending out a wave of psychic type energy, it engulfed the bag, lifting it above his head.
Smiling at the ease he seemed to have, she led the way over the muddy pit. Careful not to move too far ahead due to not wanting to leave him behind. As she walked, a blue Pokémon caught her eye, which looked familiar. Glancing at the trainer accompanying them, her eyes widened, and she turned to the side.
Humming to her side, she did her best to blend into the background, not particularly wanting to get his attention. They soon made it across the pit and found a sign which marked the prehistoric lake. Finding an opening on the wall, she made her way over, her psychic type placed the bag down. Grabbing the chisel, she began working on the wall. Occasionally glancing at either Spoink or the other trainer whilst working away.
"Would you like some help?"
She froze, eye widened with a cool sweat running down her head. Looking at the floor, she slowly glanced to the side. A Marshtomp stood at the foot of the owner of the voice. She continued to glance upwards and found her suspicions correct. Brendan stood behind her with a smile on his face.
"My Marshtomp has picked up the knack for finding fossils within the walls," he continued, "it would save you time rather than searching blind."
"Erm, yeah, I guess," she stuttered, "if it's not too much trouble."
Giving his starter a nod, the water ground type returned the gesture. Closing his eyes, he reached out and touched the wall. The fin on top of his head vibrated slightly. Walking alongside the wall he made it a few paces to the right before stopping, "Marsh Marshtomp!"
"Seems like he's found something hidden there," he smiled.
"Thanks," she uttered, heading over to the spot. She quickly started using the chisel to work through the dirt. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Spoink move the rucksack with his psychic type energy. Her childhood friend slowly approaching behind.
After a few pieces of removing the dirt, Brendan coughed. Not in a sick way but more like clearing his throat. Turning towards him, her suspicions were once again confirmed. He held out a small hand shovel, "you should use this first. It's much quicker than once you hit the fossil, the chisel is for precision."
With a small nod, she accepted the tool and began removing the dirt. It didn't take long for her to hit some sort of rock. Using the brush, she swept the loose bits of earth away. A light brown soft rock revealed embedded in the wall. It didn't take a genius to work out this was the fossil.
As she worked with the tools at her disposal, she would occasionally glance to the side. Brendan was crouched down with a smile on his face, Marshtomp stood by her side. Unable to focus her gaze on the task at hand, her eyebrows wrinkled. She continued to excessively swallow as she chewed on her inner cheek, a frown covering her lips. It seemed to take forever but soon the fossil fell down from the wall, only to be caught by her newest team member.
"Thank you, Spoink," she whispered, grabbing it from the psychic field. Standing up, she turned towards the exit.
"Y-you're leaving already?" he stuttered, standing to meet her gaze. She couldn't help but notice that he was now a good inch or two tall than her and his chest seemed more buff than before. He clearly wasn't as well developed as Ash, but it was a noticeable difference.
"I only came to get a root fossil," she shrugged, "if Bray Zenn confirms this is one then why stay? Why? How long have you been here?"
"The last couple of days," he nervously chuckled, "you see, I've been preparing for my rematch with your dad. I wanted to teach Marshtomp earthquake, and this turned out to be good practise. He senses the oddities in the earth by using light seismic tremors and-"
"Real interesting," she deadpanned.
"W-well May," he stuttered, "I... wanted to apologise. Ever since we became trainer's, I've been acting horrible."
"Uh huh." She crossed her arms over her chest, pinching her lips together in a slight frown with a wrinkled nose.
"There's no excuse for it, and I am really sorry," he replied, "I'd just like the chance to explain... please."
Narrowing her gaze, she felt her frown drop further as her heart thumped against her chest. Unable to vocalise a response, she slowly nodded her head.
"W-well... I was jealous. We had planned to travelled together once we became trainers-"
Closing her eyes, she remembered a time back when they were inside one of Professor Birch's classes. The professor was handing out the essays they'd have written with a grade on them. She glanced either side, seeing both Brendan and Sawyer. Wide expressions spread across their face. She glanced at the title of what it meant to be a Pokémon trainer. A large C+ grade stamped in red on the top corner of her page.
"How did you do May?" the not much younger Brendan asked. She glanced over to see his grade which was a neutral A grade. While he was certainly smart, being the professor's son, he seemed to be judges the hardest out of the three. She didn't even need to see Sawyer's as he always got top marks, even with extra credit to boost it beyond perfect. Letting out a sigh, she reluctantly turned it towards him, "awesome! I knew you'd pass! Just think, in a few month's time we'll be here receiving our starter's! Then we can set out around the Hoenn region."
"Yeah," she chuckled nervously, "b-but I wouldn't have passed without your tutoring. I've been dragging behind you and Sawyer since the start."
"Everyone needs help sometimes," he smiled with a toothy grin, "there's no shame in sharing knowledge with others!"
"Hehehe," she giggled, noticing a tint of red enter his cheeks. She knew he has crushed on her pretty much since the day they met and over their time in class, she be lying if she said those feelings were mutual. She never wanted to take any serious step with him because her father would stop it immediately, but that could easily be dealt with once they became official trainers, "if that's the case. How about we travel together then?"
"Y-you mean it?!" he asked, his voice cracking at its peak. She couldn't help but giggle more at his clear excitement.
Opening her eyes, she felt a tear forming within them. Her chest tightened at the remembrance of their promise. Through the two years studying under the professor, he helped her and if being completely honest... she did grow to return those feelings for him, even if she never admitted it.
"-anyway. I know I behaved horribly to Ash, and when I see him, I will apologise too," he sighed, "it was just seeing how quickly and effortlessly he garnered your attention. Like the last two years never happened for us. I was angry and lashed out. I am truly sorry, May... but I do love you."
Blinking. She froze. A tingle engulfing her entire body.
He relaxed, bright red but in a much calmer position. With a visible swallow, he went to speak but no other word came out. In the end, he turned, clearly intending to walk away. She couldn't be sure what, but something compelled her to throw herself at him, engulfing him in a hug.
"I-I never expected you to react like this," he stuttered, slowly returning her show of affection, "thank you."
She waited a little bit before pulling back, seeing him with a bright red face but with a shaky smile. Watching closely, she saw his cheek slightly turn inwards slightly, clearly chewing on the inside. With a hard swallow his eyes darted around with a deep breath.
"D-does this mean-"
"Honestly, I don't know what it means," she cut him off, already knowing his question, "I-I'll need some time to think. I think I feel the same way for you b-but... I'm not sure I want to risk a relationship... I mean, I thought back when we started our journey that if we did try anything and it failed... then we'd end up ruining our friendship."
"I thought my behaviour since then did that anyway," he shook his head, "but I never wanted that outcome. I believe if we both want it then a relationship would only be a good thing for us."
"Like I said, I need time to think," she replied.
"Of course," he replied, holding his hands up and stepping back, "tell you what. I plan on stopping by Rustboro on my way back to Petalburg. Ya know, to get my fossil restored and I assume you'll be doing the same?"
"That is the plan," she agreed.
"So how about we agree to bring this up then," he replied, "even if you need more time. That's fine. I don't want to rush you or anything."
"Sounds like a date."
She quickly covered her mouth, realising the words she picked but it was too late. She could've sworn she saw steam burst through his ears as his face turned a brand-new shade of red. Unable to help herself, she giggled once more. When flustered, he looked pretty cute.
Ash smiled as he approached the fossil restoration building once more. His team sat nicely in their Pokéballs except for Togetic, who took it upon himself to rest right on his shoulder. He couldn't help but smile at the at his Happiness Pokémon. Along with the rest of his team, they've really helped with this adjustment period. Scratching him behind the ear, they walked into the build.
It didn't take him long to find his friends. Walking over to them, he couldn't help but notice the Pokémon which appeared to be tickling Max. It was a green, plant-like Pokémon with various yellow markings on the head, neck, and torso. Circular, yellow eyespots on the top of the head but the true eyes were concealed inside the dark, crescent opening on the head. Surrounding the head and at the base were eight pink tentacles, which somewhat resembled flower petals. The long, flexible neck had yellow bands in the centre, and appeared to be extendable. The body was short and squat with four stubby growths. A yellow, oval, target-like pattern on the chest. He pulled out his Pokédex to scan the presumably prehistoric Pokémon:
Cradily, The Barnacle Pokémon. The final evolved form of Lileep. Cradily roams around the ocean floor in search of food. This Pokémon freely extends its tree trunk-like neck and captures unwary prey using its eight tentacles. They are believed to be early ancestors to Pokémon live Victreebel
"It really seems to like you, Max," he smiled, putting the device away.
"Finished training already?" Serena asked, as his fairy flying type flew over to her.
"I decided to call it short," he shrugged, "the wind started picking up. Even on the outskirts of the desert, it just didn't seem fair to the guys."
"Well, you'll have a chance to get in some good training in the valley of steel," Brock interjected, "remember that's the route we're taking from here to make it down to Verdanturf quickly."
"Why is it called the valley of steel again?" he asked.
"Because it's filled with different steel types," his girlfriend sighed, shaking her head, "and they're meant to be really aggressive too."
"I bet I could find a real strong steel type then!" he smiled, "thinking about it, that's the one type of Pokémon I haven't caught yet."
"Well, we won't go adventuring too deep in, remember," Serena interjected, "last thing we want is get stuck in a dangerous situation and miss either the showcase or contest in Verdanturf."
"Right," he smiled. Turning towards the duo, he found the rock grass type slivering away as the young boy composed himself, "you sure seem to be getting on well with the Pokémon, Max."
"Hehehehe, yeah," he chuckled, "can I ask you guys something?"
"Sure," Serena smiled, crouching down so they were eye level.
"Can you tell me some more about Kabutops, Omastar and Aerodactyl?" he asked, "I know I briefly met the former two but... visiting here today has shown just how awesome fossil Pokémon are. Like they're from a whole different world!"
"Of course, we can tell you about them," she smiled, standing back up, "but honestly... they're friends like the rest of our Pokémon. They might be restored fossils, but they are just the same as the rest of our Pokémon."
"We should find your sister first," Brock added, "we need to get going if we want to find a good campsite not in the desert area. At least before night fall."
"Good job I'm already here then," the young females voice echoed from behind them. Turning towards her, he couldn't help but notice the pink tint in her cheeks and dopey grin on her face. He quirked an eyebrow up, remembering that exact expression from his past.
Specifically, on Serena's face. Usually after they had a romantic encounter before becoming an actual couple.
Speaking of his girlfriend, she quickly pulled her to the side to speak. Which he was pretty happy about as he was not prepared to really talk about her situation. He might have a long-term relationship of his own, but he didn't get there without a lot of support... usually curtsy of Serena herself. Leading the way out of the building, he glanced around at his male companions, following suit.
"Hey Ash," he turned to see Max staring up at him, "could you bring Aerodactyl over sometime?"
"Um, sure I guess," he shrugged, "it'll be a little weird though."
"How come?" the young boy asked.
"Because he's my strongest Pokémon," he replied, "we kinda have an unspoken thing. I've only really brought him over because the situation calls for it or we've got the league. We don't have the same sort of relationship like with Togetic, Granbull or Donphan, where it's nice to spend more time together or he needs more specialised one on one training. I just don't know what either of us would get out of it, if I'm being honest. He even decided to sit out of my final gym battle in Johto, opting for Togetic to take his place."
"But why?" he asked.
"Because he didn't need to prove his strength there. Not to me, or himself," he replied, "and Togetic... well he hadn't long evolved so it was a nice challenge for him. You'll understand more when you're a trainer but to get the most out of all your Pokémon, you don't just take the easy route."
"Alright. I know he's been called your strongest Pokémon," he replied, "but how could you consider him that, with the likes of Dragonite or Snorlax or-"
"If I'm being honest, Pidgeot is the better flier," he cut the boy off, "Dragonite holds more raw power and Snorlax has pure raw strength. What Aerodactyl has is the experience. Combining all three, he could easily best those in battle despite falling behind in specific areas."
"Strength is more than pure raw power, Max," Brock chimed in, "it why your dad could lose a gym battle to someone going after their first badge but still be in the running for the elite four. I think Ash is saying, Aerodactyl is happy spending his days at the lab keeping everyone in top form."
"Yeah," he nodded, "I'm not saying I'd never call him over but probably not any time soon."
"Okay," he sighed, "... so who will you be likely to bring over?! You've still got so many Pokémon I haven't met yet!"
Smiling at the young boy's excitement, he couldn't help but chuckle, seeing himself at that age. He certainly wasn't planning on calling over many of his previous Pokémon, wanting to get his Hoenn team in shape but given Pikachu's trip to the lab... maybe it would be the perfect chance to see some familiar faces... although preferably ones who wouldn't mind entertaining a child. Last thing he'd want is to set off some sort of argument between the group.
Thanks for reading... Please Favourite, Follow and Review. Also, feel free to ask any questions through PM, I will answer them all, although don't expect too big of spoilers. Don't forget to vote in the polls. I really appreciate the support. Thank you and see ya next time...