[2 Weeks Later]
"All passengers, we will be arriving at Port Gateon in fifteen minutes. We would like to thank you for travelling on the SS Gemini and please enjoy your stay in the Orre Region!" A husky male voice announced over the ships PA system.
A large ocean liner cut its way through the glistening blue waves of the Gorebyss Sea. The SS Gemini had been at sea for three days. It had left Vermillion City Port in the Kanto Region and was now set sail for Port Gateon of the Orre Region.
A laugh sounded as the message was said over the PA system. "Oh that's a good one eh Growlithe?" Ash laughed. Growlithe wagged its small tail and barked in agreement. "We're the only ones on this God forsaken boat!" Ash stated shaking his head in amusement.
Ash leaned over the railings of the ship and looked at the small spec of land over the horizon. "It's a good thing it's cool on the ship Growlithe, relax while you can because once we dock it's going to get scorching out there." Ash grinned as he took a deep breath of the salty sea air.
Growlithe walked up beside Ash and laid down rolling onto its back. The sun was up in a cloudless blue sky, it was definitely hot out, but with the breeze on the ship it balanced out and kept the temperature stable. But once they were off the ship, the desert heats would begin to roll in and start to make travelling on foot difficult.
Ash watched as the landmass grew in front of them, the lighthouse, and few buildings of Port Gateon were now beginning to become noticeable.
"Well buddy we should start for the gangplank, we'll be docking in a minute or two," Ash said as he stopped leaning on the rail and looked down at the fire type. Growlithe moaned and rolled onto its stomach, getting up he stretched and yawned. The two set off down the ship and over to where one of the few gangplanks were.
They stood there as the ship began to inch its way up alongside a large concrete dock. After a minute the ocean liner came to a complete stop, and the walkways began to lower. Ash and Growlithe made their way off the large ship and took their first step into Orre.
Port Gateon was definitely no Vermillion City, The buildings were all one story high with arched tile roofs, each building looked the same except for two distinct looking ones. One being the lighthouse which towered above the rest, and the other being a building that had a large rusty sign that resembled a Krabby, named the Krabby Klub.
Ash and Growlithe walked for a few hours until they were on the outskirts of Gateon Port, they had no business there and wanted to be well on their way before nightfall. The outskirts were the beginning of the massive desert Orre was located in.
Ash stood by a pole that had a white sign with a black outlined picture of what appeared to be a truck. "We really need to find our own transportation don't we?" Ash sighed. Growlithe nodded and barked once acknowledging Ashs statement.
Ash nodded and they waited for another few hours until a small dust cloud could be seen in the distance. "Bout time…" Ash muttered under his breath, "Growlithe it's time for you to return, I'll see you in a little bit."
He took a pokeball off his belt and returned the fire type to its Pokeball, replacing it onto his belt he waited a minute before a white pickup truck that was covered in dirt sped up to Ash and stopped in front of him.
Ash went to the passenger door and hopped in the truck, the driver was a man in his early thirties who had a full brown beard, buzz cut, brown eyes, and wore a white tank top and jeans. He smelled heavily of stale sweat, due to the desert heats.
Ash closed the door to the truck, and the man turned the truck around going back the way he came. They sat in silence as they continued to drive over the sandy terrain. The driver took a look at Ash and eyed him thoughtfully. He stared until his eyes widened and a grin broke out on his face.
"Well I'll be damned boy I thought you looked familiar! Where the hell'd you go Ash? You went off the grid!" The driver exclaimed delightedly! Ash had a smile breakout on his face and turned to the driver.
"Bout damn time you recognized me John, I was beginning to think you forgot who I was!" Ash laughed. "I had business to take care of in Kanto, mostly taken care of but now I'm back to finish off some Coliseums."
John looked at Ash thoughtfully, "Well you better give me the run down of how things went. People thought you got shanked in The Under!" John laughed slapping Ash on the back. Ash grinned and gave John a summed up version of his family reunion and his recent Team Rocket sabotages.
"My God boy got yourself a little arm candy did ya? Good thing you did, whenever I saw you, you had girls swarmin all over you and you didn't even give them a chance, I was beginning to think you didn't understand what males and females are supposed to do!" John laughed, as he switched into four wheel drive.
Ash raised an eyebrow at John, "Well if you must know I have spent very little time with girls in the last few years, I've only spent time with one who I saw maybe once every other month." Ash stated blankly.
John gave Ash a smack on the back, and laughed. John was one of those characters who like to have a good time at other people's expenses. "Oh come on, you know I'm jokin, we're almost at the Stand now, so get yourself ready. I got a feeling Toby is gonna give you a…Enthusiastic greeting…" John trailed off chuckling.
Ash sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "What does he have planned, I've been gone a year so can you give me a hint of what to expect?" Ash asked exasperatedly.
John grinned, "Well tell him why you were gone, and you may get a few free drinks off him."
Ash shrugged, and looked out the window, in the distance what appeared to be a train seemed to be stuck in the sand. Getting closer Ash could make out gas pumps, and a rusty steam engine with stairs leading up to a curtained off door, behind the train was a large fenced off area that was littered with what appeared to be metal, tires, and a bunch of other junk..
The truck came to a halt outside the train, and Ash opened the door and got out, "It's great seeing you again John, I'll get Toby to tell you about anything that happens!" Ash said giving the driver a thumbs up.
"Alright kid, see you soon!" John shouted, as Ash closed the door to the pickup and turned toward the train. The pickup sped away leaving a trail of dust behind it. Ash walked up to the steps of the train and pushed aside the curtained off door.
Inside was a small café, there were three booths for people to sit at, a plasma screen television mounted on the wall, a jukebox, and a bar. The inside wasn't very crowded, there was a large burly man in his early twenties with messy burgundy hair, brown eyes, a white muscle t-shirt, and a green apron on behind the bar table. And three people at one of the booths.
Ash walked up and sat down on a stool at the bar, the bartender looked up from the glass he was cleaning with a rag and looked at Ash, "What can I get ya?" He asked, his voice was fairly deep and had a slight Hoenn accent.
Ash smirked, "Glass of water, for an old friend and best thing you got on the menu," he stated looking the bartender in the eye.
The bartender's jaw dropped, "My God Ash your back! Where the hell have you been, we thought you died somewhere!" The bartender exclaimed quietly.
Ash grinned, "Nah Toby, I'm not ready to die quite yet. But I do have some stories for you if ya get me my dinner," he said taking off his bag and setting it next to him. Toby went through a door behind the bar, and disappeared for five minutes until he reappeared with a plate with a burger and fries on it, and a glass of water.
"Thanks Toby, now what do you wanna know, I can stay here for an hour or so but then I have to head out." Ash said taking a couple fries off the plate and sticking them in his mouth. Toby came around the counter and pulled up a stool next to Ash.
"Well how about you tell me about where you left to; I thought you were still in hiding?" Toby said quietly so that the other occupants of the café wouldn't hear.
"Well I was, but I had to go meet with the girl," Toby's eyes narrowed, "We had to do some reconnaissance at the HQ. She got in grabbed some info and I decided to stick around in Kanto and Johto and see how everything has been going." Ash stopped to take a drink of water before continuing.
"And basically I ran into a problem a few months ago that led to some… Interesting events." Ash smirked as he said that.
"What happen you see your friends or something?" Toby joked, chuckling. When Ash didn't answer Toby looked toward his younger comrade and saw no trace of a smile.
"Actually I did,"
"Your messin with me man, no way in hell you'd do that after what you've told me!" Toby said calling Ashs bluff. Ash shook his head in amusement; he wasn't surprised that Toby didn't believe him.
"It's true Toby, I was on the run from some Rockets and I got away but a snow storm picked up and I was going to freeze to death. So I said to hell with it and went home!"
Toby stared at Ash in disbelieve, "No shit! You actually did it!" he said in incredulously! Ash nodded as he took a bite of his burger.
"Now you wanna know why I'm back?" Ash asked casually, he knew Toby was burning with questions but he felt like he could toy with his temper a bit.
"Damn straight I do!" he almost shouted!
A mischievous grin came across Ashs face, "Well you can't I got to get going…" Ash stated as he got up from the stool.
"What no! You got time, where you need to be?" Toby asked raising his voice a little. Ash grinned.
"I gotta head to that lovely shack of a home I got and do a few things. After that I can come back and fill you in," Ash said as he picked up his bag.
"Wha-What can I do to get you to stay a little longer?" He asked desperately! Ashs grin got bigger, when Toby had found out about Ashs identity he had been engrossed for every little detail and every little story he could possibly get.
"I tell you what, you check the local papers for where I can buy some sort of vehicle and I'll stay another half hour. Deal?" Ash asked holding out his hand.
Toby smirked, "Deal, now get on with the story telling!" Toby replied shaking Ashs hand vigorously. Ash sat back down and retold Toby about how he reunited with his family, and what he did a couple months after.
"So you've been giving Team Rocket complete hell, and you got yourself a hot girlfriend!" Toby stated in awe. Ash felt the beginning of a slight blush, but nodded.
"Yeah that's what happened, but I'll tell you what happened after I freed the Pokemon from that warehouse once I get back, Ash said as he got up from the stool once again. Toby nodded and got up from his stool and moved back around the counter.
"Alright bud, I'll look into your transportation. When will you be back to finish your story telling, you know I hate cliff-hangers!" Toby said dead seriously.
Ash laughed at his friends tone, "I'll be back early tomorrow, I don't want to risk travelling in the dark. So I'll be back around noon, and I'll finish deal?"
"Deal!"
"Aright catch ya later Toby!" Ash called out as he left the Steam Engine café and began the long trek across the desert of Orre.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Ash walked for three straight hours, and it had gotten dark. Ash shivered as the desert wind nipped at his skin. During the day in Orre you could expect blistering heat and drought. During the night? Well expect for it to get pretty damn cold.
Ash squinted as he saw a dark object in the distance, "Oh thank God, I thought I'd never arrive!" Ash said thankfully starting into a jog. The sand muffled the sound of Ashs feet as he quickly ran toward a small shack that looked to be just standing.
The shack was missing its front door, tiles were loose and dangling from the roof and laid buried in the sand, planks were one the ground around the perimeter of the small house.
Ash slowed out of the jog and walked to the front door. He was about to enter the small home when his foot nudged against something. "Huh?" Ash muttered out loud as he looked down to see what he hit.
On the ground was what Ash thought was a cardboard box. Ash bent down and picked up the square and read the mailing address. A grin spread across his face as he saw that the package had come from Pallet Town. Ash put the package under his arm and stepped into the shack.
The shack was only one room, in it was a bed, bedside table, a closet, a Pokeball transporter and videophone. Ash walked over to the bed and set down the package. He was tempted to open it, but decided against it. Instead he went over to the videophone and turned it on.
Ash dialed in a number at stood patiently until it was answered. After a moment the screen came alive to show a tired Professor on the other end.
"Hello, this is Professor Oak speaking." Oak stated squinting to see who was on the other end.
"Hello Professor how's everything going?" Ash asked.
"I'm sorry but who is this, it's rather dark on your end and I can't tell who you are…" Ash sighed and went to the bedside table where the lamp was, he pulled the cord and the room was illuminated. Going back to the videophone the Professor could see who it was.
"Oh Ash my boy it's great to see you again! Misty came by a week ago and told us about everything! And I take it your calling about your Pokemon?" the Professor asked.
Ash smiled, "That's exactly it Professor, I'm going to be needing you two send me a few of my Pokemon. I'll be calling once every other week to swap them out as well okay?"
"Of course Ash no problem! Who would you like me to get first?" Oak asked moving off the screen. Ash pursed his lips in thought.
"Well do you think you could send me…"Ash trailed off as he thought about it, "Sceptile... Totodile and..."
"And who else?" The professor called from off the screen.
"Would you be able to send Pikachu over here?" Ash asked. The Professor immediately returned to the screen with a raised eyebrow.
"Ash to send Pikachu over would mean putting him into his Pokeball…"Oak trailed off. Ash nodded his understanding.
"I know Professor, but do you think you could get him to come to the lab. I think he'd be more than happy to stay in his Pokeball for a couple minutes if it meant for him to battle with me again!" Ash said reassuringly.
The Professor looked at him cautiously, "Alright I'll give your mom a call and she can bring Pikachu down." The Professor said as he dialed in a number and waited for the phone to be answered. Ash waited patiently as he heard someone on the other end.
"Hello Professor what can I do for you this evening?" Ash heard his mother say.
"Do you think you could bring Pikachu and his Pokeball down to the Lab?"
"Sure, but what do you need Pikachu for?" Delia asked curiously, usually if Professor Oak need to give Pikachu a checkup he'd wait until the morning.
"Well I'm on the phone with Ash an-" Professor Oak stopped as Delia disappeared off the screen. Oak had a confused expression come over his face. "Delia?"
"What's wrong Professor?" Ash asked.
"Your mom disappeared off the screen I-" He was cut off by the sound of the Labs front door slamming open and shut. A second later he was thrown off of the screen and in his place stood a smiling Delia with Pikachu in her arms.
"Oh Ash honey, we've missed you so much how is everything going? Are you staying out of trouble? Are you changing yo-" Delia was cut off from her torrent of questions by Ash.
"Moooom! I'm fine and yes I'm staying out of trouble and changing my you know what's…" Ash muttered sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.
"Oh that's great dear; Misty was here a few days ago, she really misses you, almost as much as I do!" Delia said getting teary eyed.
"Aw mom please don't cry, a few more months and I'm back full time." Ash said softly, Delia nodded and held Pikachu out like a doll to the screen.
"Hey buddy how are you doing?" Ash asked his old friend.
"Pi pi Pikapi chu ka pika pika!" Pikachu said smiling delightedly! Ash chuckled at his old friend.
"That's great to hear buddy, but now I got a question for you?" Ash asked. Pikachu cocked his head sideways and gave Ash a curious look.
"Pika?"
"Well how would you like to come back on the road again with me? I'm over in Orre and I wanted to know if you'd like to start training again and compete in battles!" Ash said excitedly.
Pikachus jaw dropped, after a second it nodded its head as fast as he could! "Pi pi pi Pikapi!" Pikachu exclaimed falling out of Delias hold and onto the ground.
Ash grinned, when Pikachu reappeared back on the screen. "But there is one problem tho Pikachu…" Ash said hesitantly.
"Pika?"
"Well… to get here you're going to have to go into your Pokeball for a few minutes…"
Pikachus eyes narrowed and looked at Ash suspiciously. "Chu ka?" Ash nodded.
Pikachu turned to look at the Pokeball that Delia was holding. Pikachu took the Pokeball into his paws and eyed the orb like it was a death trap.
Pikachu looked slowly up from the Pokeball and to Ashs face on the monitor, "Pikapi chu chu Pichu?" Pikachu asked.
"Of course! As soon as you're over here you can stay out of your Pokeball, I'd never keep you in there!" Ash said reassuringly. A smile appeared on Pikachus face at Ashs truthfulness.
Pikachu looked away from Ash and to something on the ground, "Chuka Pichu ka chu Pikapi!" Pikachu said to the object on the floor. Ash looked at the screen curiously.
"Umm Professor?" Ash asked cautiously. After a minute the Professor appeared from under Pikachu and looked at the screen.
"Hi Ash your mom's here!" He said slightly dazed. Ash nodded his head eying the older man skeptically.
"I know Professor… Pikachu agreed for you to send him over as long as you make it quick…"
Professor Oak nodded, "The address is to the one on the note you gave Misty right?"
"Right!"
"Okay hang on a moment and Pikachu and I will be right back!" Professor Oak said as he took Pikachu into his arms. Pikachu waved to Ash as he disappeared off the screen.
"So mom how's everything going over there?" Ash asked his mother.
Delia grinned, "Everything's great, Brock opened his own Pokemon Daycare and Breeding school a couple weeks ago, your Pokemon have been training hard, Dawn and May are back in Unova, everything has been going great!" Delia said happily!
Ash smiled, "That's great to hear mom, I really miss you guys… Oh and thanks for getting the package here so quickly!" Ash said as he turned and looked at the package behind him.
"Oh its fine honey, anything to get you home quicker! Oh and we also put your-" Delia was cut off by Professor Oak hurrying back on the screen.
"Ash get ready Pikachu is on his way over and he might be a little grumpy!" Professor Oak said quickly. Ash hastily went over to the Pokeball transfer and waited. After a minute a white glowing orb appeared and materialized into a red and white pokeball with a faded lightning bolt on the front.
"I got him Professor!" Ash said happily. He tossed the ball into the air and it burst open leaving Pikachu standing on the floor looking a little irritated.
"Hey buddy!" Ash said cheerfully! Pikachu leapt off the ground with a big smile into Ashs arms.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu cooed as he snuggled deep into Ashs chest.
Ash hugged Pikachu tightly, "It's great to see you again buddy, and were going to have Sceptile and Totodile with us as well!"
"Well Ash I'll send over the others now shall I?" Professor Oak asked, Ash nodded.
"That would be great, thanks Professor!" Ash said moving back in front of the monitor. Professor Oak disappeared off the screen and two minutes later a flash of light came from the Transfer Machine and another Pokeball materialized.
"That's Totodile!" Ash heard Professor Oak shout from off screen. Ash took the Pokeball and placed it on his belt alongside Pikachus. Another minute passed and the final Pokeball appeared. Ash took it and placed it on his belt before looking at the screen.
"Alright they're all here safe and sound, thanks Professor, and thanks mom for bringing Pikachu over there!" Ash said sincerely.
"Oh it's absolutely no problem dear, and Pikachu you take care of Ash for me won't you?" Delia asked giving Pikachu a smile.
"Pi Kachuka!" Pikachu said giving Delia a salute!
Delia giggled at Pikachu, "Thanks Pikachu that means a lot!"
"Alright Ash we'll talk to you soon!" Professor Oak stated raising his hand in farewell.
"Goodbye you two, stay safe and out of trouble we'll miss you!"
"By guys I'll miss you to and don't worry we'll stay safe!" Ash said waving goodbye.
"Pika pikachu!" Pikachu said waving to the two on the other end! The screen flicked off and turned black. Ash shut off the phone and moved over to the bed.
"Well Pikachu it's late and we've got a long road ahead of us tomorrow. I'll start to fill you in on how things work in Orre tomorrow aright?" Ash asked setting Pikachu onto the bed.
"Pi Pikapi!" Pikachu said happily lying down on the bed. Ash smiled and unsheathed his knife from his side; he took the package and set it on his lap. He cut the blade across the tape that was holding the top closed and opened it.
In the box was a pair of jeans, a jacket, t-shirt, a hat, and a thin case. Curious Ash took the case and flipped it open. Ash face palmed at what he saw. Inside were all eight of his Kanto badges and a note.
Ash took the note and smiled at what he read.
Ash, you said to send your clothes and we did. But since you didn't think ahead like always, we made sure to send your badges so you could actually compete in the League… Idiot…
Love Misty
"Pika Pikapi?" Pikachu asked pointing at the box. Ash smiled and placed the box on the ground and placed the case back inside before lying down next to Pikachu.
"Those were my old travelling clothes and our old Kanto badges for when we go challenge the Indigo League…"Ash trailed off as he scratched behind Pikachus ear. Pikachu crawled up beside Ash and snuggled up close.
"Goodnight Pikachu I'll see you in the morning." Ash said softly closing his eyes.
"Chuka Pikapi…"Pikachu trailed off as he drifted off into sleep.
Ten minutes later the two best friends were fast asleep.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Ash awoke early the next morning, the trip back to the Outskirt Stand would be a long walk and it would be hard on Pikachu due to the fact he had not travelled long distances in a long time. Especially in high temperatures like it was there.
Ash rolled out of bed and stretched. He took a glance at the bed and saw that Pikachu was still sleeping peacefully. Ash decided to let him sleep a little more until he was ready. Ash went over to the closet in the room and opened the door. Inside were two black tank tops, and two white tank tops.
Ash took off his hoodie and t-shirt and dropped them on the ground. He took the two white tank tops and one of the blacks. He went over to his bag and place one of the white tank tops, and the black tank top, along with the shirt he had previously worn inside He zipped it up the bag and put on the white tank top, and picked up his hoodie.
Ash reached into his back pocket and took out a black bandana which he wrapped and tied off on his head. He then tied the sleeves of his hoodie around his waist and went over the package he received. Ash removed the clothing and the badge case from the box and placed them into a pouch in his bag.
'I'm going to have to get to work on those clothes in a bit…' Ash thought as he picked up his bag and shrugged it onto his back. Ash walked over to Pikachu and gently shook him awake. Pikachus eyes fluttered open and a tired smile came across his face.
"Morning buddy, it's time we got going we have a long day ahead of us," Ash said softly. Pikachu got up and stretched. When he was done he hopped off the bed and up onto Ashs shoulder. Ash smiled, "Just like old times eh?"
"Pi Pika Pikapi!" Pikachu replied giving Ash a smile. Ash along with Pikachu left the shack and began the long walk back to the Outskirt Stand. As they continued across the sandy desert Ash looked to his companion.
"If you need a drink buddy just let me know alright?" Ash said making sure Pikachu knew he could tell him if he got thirsty. Pikachu nodded once again began to examine the new land he was in. Another hour past and the steam engine café came into view.
"You see that train over there?" Ash asked Pikachu pointing to the train in the distance, Pikachu nodded. "Well that's our first stop, over there we'll grab something to eat and you'll meet one of my friends," Ash said happily.
Pikachu hopped off Ashs shoulder and began to run towards the train, Ash laughed at his old friend and took off in pursuit of the electric mouse.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Ash with Pikachu perched on his shoulder opened the curtained off door to the small café and sighed contently at the air conditioned room. The duo walked over to the bar counter and sat down on a stool. The place was empty, and Pikachu hopped onto the counter and waited for someone to serve them.
"Yo Toby!" Ash shouted loudly, Pikachu and Ash heard a thump in the back room. A second later Toby came out from the back and into the café.
Pikachu cocked his head sideways at the man in front of him. "Well Ash is it time for the stories or are you gonna keep me waiting longer?" Toby asked crossing his arms.
"Well I'll tell you in a moment once I introduce you to Pikachu!" Ash said giving Pikachu a scratch behind the ear. "Pikachu this is Toby, Toby this is Pikachu!" Ash introduced.
Toby gasped, "This is THE Pikachu!" Toby asked in surprise! Ash nodded.
Pikachu smiled and waved at Toby, "Well hello there little fella it's a pleasure to meet you I've heard nothing but good things about!" Toby said delightedly.
"Before I go back to story time, think you could get Pikachu something to eat?"
Toby nodded and pulled out a menu from under the counter, "Sure thing choose whatever you like Pikachu it's on the house!"
Pikachu grinned and looked through the two page menu. After a minute Pikachu spun the menu around and pointed to two items. One being a plate of fries, and the other being a bottle of ketchup.
"Alright then if you give me a few minutes I'll be right back with your order!" Toby grinned leaving into the back room.
A few minutes passed and Toby reappeared with a plate of fries and a full bottle of ketchup. He set the plate down beside Pikachu who gave a happy "Chaa" as a thank you and began to dig in. Now it was time for business.
"Alright start talking Ash I've waited long enough now!" Toby coaxed excitedly! Ash pursed his lips.
"Well I suppose I could start… But did you look into transportation?" Ash asked. Toby nodded.
"Yes I did and I'll inform you once you finish telling your story!" Toby said getting impatient; Ash chuckled but decided to inform his impatient friend. Ash began to once again retell Toby about him taking off from the Rocket ware house where he freed captive Pokemon, to what he told Misty and what he did afterwards.
Toby stared at Ash in disbelief, "Ash you sure know how to keep life interesting, when exactly is that League you're competing in?" Toby asked quite curiously.
"Umm I believe just over three months away…"Ash said carefully making sure he was correct, "Why?"
"Hell I might as well get some prime time television instead of the news that goes on around here. All there has been is the crap going on in The Under," Toby shrugged.
This got Ashs attention, "Wait what's going on in The Under?"
Toby shrugged, "Well I find it to be just a bunch of rumors, the people are saying that Cipher agents have been spotted using the old subway."
Ash remembered the name Cipher but couldn't quite remember, "Who is Cipher, they sound familiar but I can't quite put my finger on it…"
"Twenty years ago, a guy named Wes abandoned a group called Team Snagem who allied with a group called Cipher who planned on conquering the world with Shadow Pokemon," Pikachu's ears perked up at the mention of Shadow Pokemon.
"Pichu ka Pika chu chu Pikapi?" Pikachu asked Ash.
"Pikachu was wondering Toby what exactly is a Shadow Pokemon," Ash asked the bartender. Toby turned to Pikachu.
"Well little fella a Shadow Pokemon is a Pokemon that has its heart artificially 'shut off.' Meaning that instead of feeling emotions like happiness, sadness, guilt, and all that they feel nothing. They don't feel any remorse, they will not hesitate to attack Pokemon with full force or even Trainers." Toby stated shaking his head.
"And that happened years ago, Cipher closed the hearts off to hundreds of Pokemon, but luckily a man named Wes put an end to Ciphers plan by shutting down the Shadow Pokemon Program and by purifying the Shadow Pokemon by capturing them and caring for them, showing them love. Something that Cipher or Team Snagem never did."
Pikachu stared at Toby in shock; he couldn't believe that it was possible to close the way to Pokemons heart. He couldn't imagine not having the bonds he shared with Ash and the others.
Ash gave Pikachu a gentle pat on the head, "So Cipher has been seen in The Under, so you and I will have to be more careful when we go there Pikachu." Ash said seriously.
Toby perked up when he heard Ash, "Oh Ash about your transport problem!" Ash perked up as well.
"Yeah what about it, you found a place where I could buy a car or something?" Ash asked hopefully, a mischievous grin spread across Toby's face.
"Hehe, well actually come on out back you two, I got something to show you…" He trailed off chuckling. Ash got up from his stool and Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder. Ash followed Toby out of the café and around back to the fenced off area that looked like a small junkyard was.
"What's back here Toby?" Ash asked curiously. Toby kept walking and went around a tall pile of scrap metal. Ash followed and saw Toby in front of a somewhat rusty object.
"Toby what is that?" Ash asked curiously, the thing certainly looked pretty cool but he had no clue what it was.
It looked like a Harley Davidson motorcycle with only the back wheel and a sidecar. Attached to the side car was what appeared to be some sort of circular propulsion system? The oddest part of the bike was the large eight cylinder engine attached to the front of the bike.
Toby smirked, "You know how we talked about Wes before?"
"Yeah what about him?"
"Well twenty years ago my father owned this place. He and Wes became friends, and when Wes went off the grid his Bike was left here and my pops apparently kept it this entire time! And well… Here it is!" Toby exclaimed!
Ash stared in awe at the legendary bike! "You mean this thing belonged to Wes?"
"Hell yeah it did, and it can belong to you if you play your cards right!" Toby stated cockily crossing his arms. Ash turned his gaze from the bike to Toby.
"What do you mean…?" Ash asked carefully.
"I talked to the old man, you can buy the bike but it'll cost ya!"
Ashs eyes narrowed, he knew what was coming next. "I have ten grand on me, that enough?" Ash asked firmly.
"Boy you should know me better than that I'm a gambler and I'll be damned if I don't get my money's worth of this!"
Ash sighed, "What's the deal? You win and…"
Toby grinned, "I win I get that Pikachu of yours, you win you pay half of what you got and you get the bike!" Pikachu gasped, he had just gotten back and now he was looking to be picked up by somebody he just met?
"Deal!" Ash said sticking out his hand.
"PIKAPI!" Pikachu shouted in disbelief! Ash just agreed that if he lost whatever he planned on doing was that he'd have to give him up! This wasn't the Ash he remembered!
Ash bent down so he was eye level with Pikachu, "Things run differently in Orre Pikachu, almost each unofficial Pokemon Battle you can expect something to be put on the line. I'm going to get you, Totodile, and Sceptile to watch this match. You have absolutely nothing to be worried about; you trust Charizard and Growlithe right?"
"Pi" Pikachu nodded hesitantly.
"And do you trust me? Because everything that happens from now on you have to trust me with my decisions. If I tell you to run, you run. If I tell you to get in your Pokeball, you do it. Pikachu things aren't like they used to be, it's a changed world," Ash said sadly.
Pikachu didn't know what to say, what did Ash mean by it's a changed world? It seemed perfectly normal to him! And sure he would trust Ash with his life, but the shock of this all was still a little high!
"Pi Pikapi…"Pikachu trailed off hesitantly. Ash scratched behind Pikachus ear.
"Thanks buddy, I'll explain everything to you once were in Pyrite Town alright?" Pikachu nodded hesitantly but agreed.
"Alright Ash let's get down to business!" Toby said walking away from the tiny junkyard and back to the front of the steam engine.
Ash followed with Pikachu at his side to the front of the café. Toby stood far at the other end of the café while Ash and Pikachu stood at the other end.
"Is this going to be regulation Orre rules or just a one on one Pokemon battle?" Ash called out to Toby. Toby thought about it.
"Your choice I could care less!" The bartender said cockily. Ash shook his head; he knew what being over confident could due, especially when you have the skill of an amateur Pokemon Trainer.
"Alright let's make this a quick battle, regulation rules no time limit!" Ash called out. Toby waved in agreement and took two Pokeballs out of his pocket.
"Ready?" He shouted.
Ash reached for his belt and removed two Pokeballs, he tossed them into the air and materialized was Totodile and Sceptile.
"Hey you two it's great to see you again, before we catch up tho you three need to watch how regulation Orre battles go alright?" Ash asked the three Pokemon. The three nodded and stood to the right of Ash.
"Alright Toby I'm ready!" Ash shouted as he took off two Pokeballs from his belt. Toby waved back and tossed two Pokeballs into the air. The balls burst open and revealed two small brown Pokemon that looked like racoons. The two Pokemon had alternating stripes of chocolate brown and crème color fur.
"Zigzagoon, to predictable," Ash muttered out loud. Ash tossed his pokeballs into the air and the two fire types emerged.
"Alright Charizard start things off with a Flamethrower and Growlithe use Takedown on the one on the right!" Ash commanded.
Charizard opened its powerful jaws and sent a powerful jet of fire toward the small raccoon Pokemon. The flames connected and the Zigzagoon fainted instantly.
"Crunch, dodge and use head butt!" shouted Toby! Growlithe lunged at Crunch but missed at the speed of the smaller Pokemon. Crunch threw its weight at Growlithe, but the fire type made an easy dodge and leapt out of the way.
"Great job Growlithe use Flamethrower followed by Extreme Speed!" Ash shouted pointing to Zigzagoon! Growlithe opened its mount and shot a smaller torrent of flame toward the remaining Zigzagoon. The flames impacted the smaller Pokemon sending it sliding across the sandy floor.
"Quick get up Crunch!" Toby shouted! But it was too late; as soon as Growlithe ended the flamethrower it disappeared from sight and with blinding speed he slammed head first into the downed Zigzagoon with tremendous power.
Crunch flew through the air and landed on the ground with a thud with swirls in its eyes. "Nice try guys, thanks for trying!" Toby said sympathetically as he recalled his two Pokemon.
"Great job you two!" Ash cheered happily walking over to congratulate the two fire types! Toby walked over and held out his hand.
"Good match you guys, I'm not surprised I lost, but it was worth a shot!"
Ash took the offered hand and shook it firmly, "I have a feeling you went easy on us, you're not going soft are you?" Ash asked.
Toby chuckled, "Yeah yeah you got me, now let's head back to the yard and take a look at that bike eh?" Ash nodded.
"You head back I have to talk with the Pokemon quickly first," Ash said quickly. Toby nodded and headed for the Junkyard.
Ash turned and faced the three new additions to his team. "In Orre, regulation battles are all double battles. And they will be a lot more difficult than the one you saw here. The training we will be doing is to build our strength, speed, focus, and most importantly the trust and bond between us." Ash looked at the three two see if they understood. They nodded and he continued.
"The next two weeks for us will be a long road, but in the end it will be worth it! What our current goal is once we finish here we're going to a place called Pyrite Town where we'll be participating in a Coliseum, which is a six or seven round tournament that determines the top Trainer. And the top Trainer then gets to face off against the Coliseum Master; which is basically the Gym Leader of the Coliseum."
The Pokemon nodded their understanding, "Alright return for now and we will train in a few hours," Ash said as he recalled Totodile, Sceptile, and Charizard.
"Alright let's go check on that bike!" Ash said grinning, Pikachu hopped onto Ashs shoulder and Growlithe walked beside Ash.
The trio walked through the cluster of scrap metal and found Toby beside the bike staring at it intently.
"So should we roll it out of here or how does it work?" Ash asked he looked curiously at the bike.
Toby shrugged, "Beats me, let's roll it out of here and get it to where we have some free space." Ash and Toby lifted the front end of the bike and wheeled it out backwards out of the junkyard.
They brought it around front and next to one of the gas pumps. Ash cocked his head sideways as he examined the bike. "First things first how do we turn it on?" Ash asked.
Toby once again shrugged, "Look for a switch or something?"
The four began to search around the bike for something to turn on the mysterious motorcycle. After five minutes, Pikachu came up to a concealed switch and pushed it up. The bike roared to life the front end rose off the ground and began spewing dark grey smoke from the engine!
The group reared back in fright as the bike came alive! "Well it works at least!" Ash said excitedly! Ash may have been on a mission to train his Pokemon and take down Team Rocket. But that didn't mean he wasn't a teenager. He had never driven anything in his life due to the high security of the Rocket facility and the need of keeping his identity a secret.
"Should we fill it with gas? I mean after all these years it must need a refill right?" Toby suggested. Ash shrugged and went over to the nearest gas pump and brought the nozzle over to the bike. On the right side of the back of the bike was the fuel tank. Ash undid the cap and placed the nozzle in filling it until he thought it was full.
Ash replaced the cap and looked at Toby, "Is it good to go?" he asked hopefully, he was starting to get nervous at the anticipation of driving such a cool vehicle!
"I guess why not give it a shot!" Toby said encouragingly! He was starting to get anxious to see if this bike could actually still run.
"Alright you two hop in the side car!" Ash exclaimed to his two Pokemon. The two looked at each other before shaking their head at Ash. Ash face faulted, "What how come it'll be fun!" Ash said as he placed his backpack underneath the seat of the side car.
"Pika Pika Pikachu…" Pikachu said a little worriedly.
"Pfft! Nothing's going to go wrong Pikachu hop in and see!" Ash said as he put one leg over the driver's seat and got into position.
Pikachu and Growlithe slowly made their way over to the sidecar and hopped in. Ash turned back and grinned at Toby. "So what next?" Ash asked.
"Give it a kick start! And get that engine purrin!" Toby shouted getting jittery! Ash did as he was told and the engine roared to life waking up all life within a mile before quieting down to just above a rumble.
"Oh god this is going to be good!" Toby muttered.
"Now?" Ash asked jumpily, the sound of the engine going got his heart pounding and he couldn't wait to see this puppy in action!
"Now floor dude!" Toby shouted punching his fist in the air! Ash looked from Toby to the bike to his Pokemon who were now holding on for dear life.
"Shouldn't I take it slowly? Like start like I have training wheels and then work my way up?" Ah suggested.
Toby crossed his arms and shook his head, "No way man, training wheels are for sissy's! Burn that puppy into the ground!" Toby shouted in excitement!
A humongous grin lit up on Ashs face, he was just going to floor it and hope for the best. He looked to the two terrified Pokemon beside him, "Are you guys ready!" Ash was beginning to shake his adrenaline was starting to go because of the suspense!
Growlithe and Pikachu shut their eyes and held on to the seat as tightly as possible. Ash turned his gaze in front of him; he revved the engine twice before turning to Toby with excitement lighting up every inch of his face.
"Give me a countdown Toby!" Ash shouted excitedly! Ash heart was hammering in his chest.
"Ready Ash!" Ash gave a thumbs up and put his hand back onto the handle.
"3 2 1 FLOOR IT!" Toby shouted at the top of his lungs! Ash pulled far back on the throttle, the engine roared like a thousand angry Charizards! Ash excepted the bike to shoot forward faster than the speed of light but what happened caught him off guard.
The bike hadn't moved an inch. Pikachu and Growlithe opened their eyes at the lack of movement. Ash turned back to Toby his hopes had been killed.
"Toby I think its bro-KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!" The bike shot off from a standstill to 100mph in a split second!
The wind deafened Ash as it rushed past his ears; the desert terrain seemed to disappear before Ash could even see it! Ash hunched down increasing the speed of the bike, Ash noticed in the distance a small rock outcrop that could possibly be used as a ramp. The bike flew up the rock and into the air, "YAHOO!" Ash shouted excitedly as the bike landed back onto the sandy desert floor.
Ash was having the time of his life, his adrenaline was pounding at the thrill of driving and racing faster than he ever had before. He leaned left and the bike kicked up a large trail of dust behind him as he began to turn back towards the Outskirt Stand. The steam engine came into view and Ash knew he had to make a fancy stop!
"HOLD ON GUUUUYS!" Ash shouted as loud as he could for his two Pokemon to hear. Ash sped toward the Outskirt Stand at blinding speed, 300 meters away Ash slammed on the breaks and leaned left on the bike.
The momentum of the bike sent it sliding forward the rest of the way to Toby who was watching awestricken at Ash and the bike! The bike skidded to a halt a meter in front of Toby.
Ash had the widest eyes and the stupidest grin possible on his face, "TOBY DID YOU SEE THAT THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!" Ash shouted as he wobbly stepped off the bike. As soon as he was on both feet he fell to the ground.
Toby came up to Ash and helped the shaking boy to his feet. Pikachu and Growlithe were still frozen in fear in the sidecar with their fur blown backwards giving them and extra fluffy look.
Ash reached into his pocket and took out his wallet. "Here-Here you go Toby this is bike is in great hands!" Ash said still wide eyed, slapping ten grand into Toby's hand.
Ash shakily went back to his brand new bike and stepped back on, 'Oh God I am going to have so much fun with this thing!' Ash mentally squealed on the inside so that the others wouldn't hear him.
"I'll see you soon Toby! You take care no-OOOOOOOW!" Ash shouted the last part as he and the two Pokemon rocketed off to the West toward Pyrite Town.
Toby stared dumbfounded as Ash drove off into blistering deserts of Orre.