"I'm not sure I understand," Concordia admitted. "So… I understand that you said Father was… wrong..."
"Very wrong," Reshiram agreed, wings furled.
He looked out over the great vista below them, one of the most fertile valleys in Unova. "It is not simply a matter of his having views I disagree with. It is that his every word was a lie so foul it set my scales itching and made my jaw ache. He is a cur, and a knave, and I did not wish to be near him any longer than necessary."
"But..."
Anthea looked uncertain. "What do you mean, a lie?"
"Just that. His words were falsehoods, said not because he believed them – for I could respect an ideal – but to manipulate those who believed him, gaining their support for a falsehood."
N came walking up to them, followed by a trio of Sawsbuck. "Our friends here have told me of a nearby human settlement," he informed them – his sisters, Reshiram, and the Zorua snoozing on top of a rock. "I will get food there."
"That is not the only thing you should get, Chosen of Truth," Reshiram stated.
He unfurled his wings a little way and looked out over the valley again, then turned back to N. "Truth and Ideals are not set to clash yet," he began. "There is a rhythm to such things, and it does not yet wax strong."
"I'm afraid I don't understand your point, Reshiram," N apologized.
"I shall attempt to be a little more direct," Reshiram allowed. "Firstly, as to the nature of the conflict of Truth and Ideals – something which must be understood is that there is not necessarily a conflict at all… what must be true and what would be ideal may differ, but it is rarely that what is correct is something that must be worked out by the trial of combat."
"Oh, like the two brothers," Anthea said. "They worked together, until their disagreements forced them apart."
"Precisely," Reshiram confirmed.
His gesture took in the whole sweep of the valley. "Down below, there are many thousands of humans and many times that number of Pokemon. Some may quarrel, or fight, but for the most part they live well and happily. Does that mean that, simply because it is true, Zekrom must oppose it?"
"I… suppose not," Concordia agreed softly. "But what about if the world is wrong?"
"If the world is clearly wrong, then I do not have to go along with it simply because it is what is really there." Reshiram chuckled, a deep bass noise. "It is only when my counterpart is obviously wrong, is dreaming of an ideal which cannot be achieved and which would make things worse to aim for, that we clash… though, of course, I am sure that Zekrom would argue that it is only when I am being stubborn and unimaginative."
"You're not what I expected," Anthea admitted. "Concordia and I… we thought that the Dragon of Truth would burn away the lies in the world and make it into a new paradise."
"I prefer to only burn what I am sure is irredeemable," Reshiram informed her. "Even your father, knave though he is, may see the error of his ways."
That conversation over, he turned back to N – the breeze from his wings knocking Zorua off his rock with a yip. "My apologies."
"I'm okay," Zorua said, rolling upright and rubbing his nose. "I think..."
"Good. Now… Chosen of Truth, there is a task I require of you."
"What is that task, Reshiram?" N asked, as the Sawsbuck behind him exchanged looks of mild confusion.
"I require a Pokeball. One as normal as you can find, so that I might discover what they are capable of."
N blinked. "...pardon?"
"You want to be caught?" Anthea asked, startled. "But – why would you want that? Pokeballs are how trainers control Pokemon!"
"I am confident in my Chosen of Truth," Reshiram stated, with a deep faith. "He will not fail me, and through his actions I – we all – will find how much Ghetsis has exaggerated and how much is the truth."
"Look!" Casper said, for the umpteenth time, waving his new limbs.
"Yes, we know," Cinder replied, not impressed. "You have the ability to pick things up without having to use your ghostly powers."
"I have hands!" Casper emphasized, waving them. "I can write things!"
"What kind of things do you want to write?" Max asked.
"I'm not going to," Casper waved off. "But I can, that's the cool thing."
He picked up a mirror, and inspected himself in it. "New teeth are weird, though."
"At least you have them now," his Mightyena comrade pointed out.
"...actually, that is a good point," Casper admitted. "I assume I just chewed through spooky ghostly means."
"Works for me," Max agreed. "Or, worked?"
"Yeah," Casper nodded.
"So," Cinder said, drawing the syllable out. "You going to actually get better at winning fights now?"
Casper inhaled, ready to say something impolite, then stopped. Inspecting his hands, he waggled his ethereal fingers for a few seconds then made a reasonable approximation of a rude gesture.
"I can do this now too!" he crowed. "This is so much better than how I did it before!"
"That's mature," Cinder snarked.
"Actually, I think it is," Lucario volunteered, making her jump. "Certainly it's a gesture that you shouldn't be making if you're not mature."
"...yeah, that might be a problem," Max agreed. "Casper, please don't do anything too rude."
"Fine," the Ghost-type grumbled, crossing his arms and huffing.
Then he looked down and a grin unfolded on his face. "I just can't get over how cool it is that I have arms!"
Cinder glanced up at Lucario, measuring him, then turned away and padded over to Blaziken.
"Were you like that when you evolved and got arms?" she asked.
"Not really, no," Blaziken replied with a shrug. "But I started with feet and a beak to do things with anyway. Perhaps someone like Goodra would be a better person to ask."
"Maybe," Cinder mused.
The door swung open, and she turned to look.
"Excuse me – Ketchum-san?"
Ash frowned, distracted from Pikachu's explanation of some kind of electrical megapunch, and turned to see who was speaking. "That's me, I think… why san?"
"It sounds more formal," the man replied, straightening his white gi. "Mister Ketchum is a bit odd sounding. Anyway."
He cleared his throat. "On behalf of the Kung Fu Master, Master Hamm, we would like to invite you to our dojo – your reputation precedes you."
"How did it do that?" Ash asked. "I was here a few years ago."
The martial artist seemed a bit thrown by that, but he was used to the feeling. "I of course mean that we have heard much about your talents as a warrior of the fist."
"Translation: let's go beat one another up," Pikachu clarified.
"Oh, right," Ash nodded. "I get it now. Okay, I guess – does anyone have a problem with that?"
"With what?" May said. "Pikachu was the one to explain."
"I for one am interested in sparring in the dojo," Lucario said.
"Right, I think I understand now," May told him. "Uh… okay – Blaziken's been teaching me some of this stuff, and it'd be good to see how much more I have to learn from some people actually used to training humans."
She patted Blaziken on the shoulder. "Don't get me wrong! You're a great teacher, you're just also… you know, able to kick a tree through a house. So I never know if I'm doing as well as I should be."
"I'm not sure I could kick a tree all the way through a house," Blaziken said, one clawed hand going to his chin. "What kind of tree are we talking about?"
"I think the more important question is what kind of house it is," Lucario countered.
"That's what you focused on?" Brock asked, chuckling.
"I don't think we'd mind a break either," Max said. "Casper can use the time to get used to being a Banette."
Brock thought, then sent out Stantler. "Do you do courses for quadrupeds?"
"We do, as it happens," the martial artist replied. "Given how many kinds of Pokemon show up, we've had to develop courses for serpents, avians and blobs."
May half-raised a hand. "What does martial arts look like for a blob?"
"Subtle," he told her.
"Hm!" Master Hamm said, inspecting Ash. "Interesting. You're clearly well built, but not well built enough to do half of what is attributed to you. So! An Aura wielder indeed, then."
"You've met Aura users before?" Ash asked.
"I've punched them before," Master Hamm answered. "These days it's a bad idea, of course. My back's not what it used to be… I'm still trying to get my son to take over."
"It seems like it would be important for a potential Kung Fu Master to actually want to do it," Lucario opined.
"He should," Master Hamm muttered. "But he's too busy making noodles…"
He blinked. "Was this Raikou always there?"
"Someone said noodles," Raikou explained.
"Later," Lucario told him, nudging Raikou with his foot, and the Electric-type padded over to the wall. "For now… I would like a spar, master. I have recently become able to make use of a new skill, and I would practice."
"A fine attitude," Master Hamm pronounced. "You will face Hitmonlee first."
"Master," one of the other martial artists said, a little hesitantly. "Are you sure this battle is a good idea?"
"I'm not," Lucario said. "I wish to take on as many Pokemon at once as you are able to challenge me with."
So saying, he shifted his arm – making the Lucarionite on his armband catch the light.
Master Hamm stroked his mustache. "Well, I knew what I was getting into when I invited Ash Ketchum, Terri. I'm sure we can handle it."
"No, I'm more worried about the insurance premiums," Terri said. "They're high enough already."
"It's my dojo, Terri, not yours," Master Hamm told her.
He cleared his throat. "Now, if you'll follow me to our outside training area?"
Terri rolled her eyes as Ash, Lucario, Pikachu, Master Hamm and a curious Raikou left the room.
"Okay," she went on. "Hitoshi said someone was interested in a martial arts evaluation… you, right?"
"That's right," May confirmed. "Blaziken's taught me, but I'd like a check..."
"Right," Terri nodded. "Let's start small to begin with."
"Hm!" Blackbelt Hideki said, as Stantler lowered his hooves again. "Not bad – you put a good deal of force into it. Still, your style has too much wind-up – that will telegraph your target to whoever is watching."
"I'm not sure it will," Brock replied mildly, patting thin air. "He's over here."
Hideki looked from Brock's hand to the Stantler next to him, then poked it.
It vanished.
"Good!" he pronounced. "Misdirection is a major part of a martial art – to strike where the enemy is weak you must make him believe you will strike elsewhere."
"Quite a lot of my team relies on that," Brock said. "But I guess you want to check Stantler's actual form as well?"
"Of course!" Hideki agreed. "Now – strike the target!"
Stantler appeared out of the air, shaking his horns out – now almost full size – and took three cantering steps forwards before launching into a High Jump Kick.
Rainbow light shone on the inside of the fence.
"So, this is a Mega Evolution," Master Hamm said, impressed. "I've never actually seen one in person before. There's a definite aura about them."
"I'm not surprised," Pikachu interjected. "I mean, it's almost literally about making it so Lucario can use a lot more Aura."
He waited a moment, then shook his head. "I really need to find time to learn the full Aura trick so more people will react to my snarking."
Mega Lucario spread his paws as the glow faded. "Perhaps that's a reason to put it off."
He stretched, rolling his neck, then nodded. "Okay. Let's do this."
"You're sure about this?" Master Hamm checked.
Mega Lucario nodded a confirmation. "I wish to evaluate my capabilities," he explained.
There was a faint swiish across the packed earth as his paws slid into a ready stance.
"Right, then," Master Hamm decided. "Hitoshi?"
Hitoshi, the same man who had collected Ash from the Pokemon Centre, held up a box and popped the clasp.
Pokeballs cascaded out.
"Our dojo has many members," Master Hamm explained. "Hm… I did not think this through. Hitoshi?"
Hitoshi picked up the Pokeballs and began opening them.
"Your back, right?" Ash asked.
"You're correct, of course," Master Hamm agreed, as the white flashes of Pokemon being sent out continued. "Let's see… this should be enough to start with."
He cleared his throat, and stepped to the side of the fenced area. "Begin!"
Lucario took a flowing step forwards, planted his right footpaw, and swept the fore one around in a scything kick which launched a Machoke into the wall.
Continuing the same sweeping movement, he dropped and hammered an elbow into the chest of a Nidoking. The heavier Pokemon stayed standing, steadied by his tail, but by the time he had a chance to retaliate the Fighting-type was no longer there – springing into the air with a burst of Aura to enhance his speed.
Mega Lucario flipped over Nidoking's head, landed behind him with a crackle of shifting earth, and took the Poison-type's tail in both paws.
Then he used Flail. With Nidoking.
"I'm sort of glad we're not doing this inside," Master Hamm mused, then ducked as a Machop went flying past him. "Hariyama!"
Hariyama lumbered forwards, and caught the dizzy-looking Nidoking as Mega Lucario swept him across in a side-to-side slash.
Twisting and wrenching, the burly Fighting-type managed to get Nidoking away from Mega Lucario – then promptly got kicked in the shin for his troubles.
"Ow!" he protested. "That's just unsporting!"
"You are correct," Mega Lucario agreed. "My apologies."
Then he ducked under Hariyama's gloves and headbutted him, the force of the blow enough to make Hariyama stagger back a few steps.
"I would like two Pokeballs," N said. "Two normal Pokeballs."
The shop clerk looked confused. "...what do you mean normal Pokeballs? Just Pokeballs?"
"As normal as Pokeballs can get," N clarified.
"I'm… not really sure how to evaluate that..." the clerk admitted. "I think basic Pokeballs are the kind there's most of."
"Then two of those," N requested.
"...sure," the clerk said.
He began to ring the Pokeballs up, then paused. "Uh… have you ever bought Pokeballs before?"
"Not to my knowledge," N answered.
"Right..."
"That's not too bad," Terri said, pressing gently on May's elbow to adjust her stance. "You need to make sure you put a little more movement into your body, though – your Blaziken is strong enough to get away with shortcuts for speed, but you need to put your whole body into a punch or a kick to ensure it has enough power."
"Okay," May nodded. "So… more like this?"
She shifted her weight and punched with her other hand, and Terri nodded.
"That's more like it, yes. If you're doing a spar with someone else who you can hurt, then you have to aim to pull your punch – otherwise it can do a lot of damage if you hit someone wrong – but if you've got Blaziken to spar with then it's probably worthwhile if you just put all your power in from the get-go."
She motioned May back to a rest position. "Okay, now – let's try a block. How much has Blaziken worked on those with you?"
"We've done a couple," May hedged.
"Show me," Terri invited. "First let's see a high block."
May moved into her ready stance, left foot forwards and right hand at her hip. She took a breath, then stepped sharply forwards with her right foot and brought her right forearm up like a horizontal bar – rotating her wrist and elbow as it went past her head.
"Good," Terri nodded. "Now, back to the ready position… and show me a retreating block, same kind."
May looked a bit uncertain.
"Not covered the difference?" Terri asked. "It's okay, that's why I was asking. The difference is that a retreating block is done as you step backwards – you have to be able to do that kind or otherwise if someone's already in your face you kind of have no way to stop him punching you in the face."
"Okay, I get it," May said.
She thought about it a bit, then stepped back and raised her left hand. The movement of her body with the backwards step – one which took her left foot back and made it so her right foot was foremost – interfered with her blocking motion, and it lacked the snap of the earlier movement.
"There we go," Terri chuckled. "Yes, that often trips people up. The arm you should consider as being ready to block is, if in doubt, the one for your forwards foot if you're not taking a step – and your rear foot if you are – no matter which way you're moving."
May was about to ask a question, but a wham from outside drew their attention.
Mega Lucario jumped backwards, paws blazing with Aura as he boosted his own movement, then his claws dug into the ground and he lunged to one side. Evading a Fire Punch from Hitmonchan by the barest of margins, he countered with an elbow strike to the side of Hitmonchan's arm and blocked the follow-up Mach Punch from the other fist.
His right foot bunched up, and he launched Hitmonchan backwards with a kick directly to the chest – then spun, trading blows with Hitmontop. The kicks and tail swipes from Mega Lucario's opponent made crashing, ringing sounds as they hit his paws, and then Mega Lucario blurred forwards and snatched Hitmontop right out of his spin.
The Fighting-type hit a nearby bush, and Mega Lucario spun to face his next opponent.
"Mach Punch!"
Mega Lucario dodged to one side with preternatural speed, slipped on some slime, and hit the wall hard enough to leave a substantial crater.
"Whoa!" Ash yelped, raising an arm to ward off the fragments of plaster.
He slowly lowered his hand again. "I… wait, what just happened?"
"Martial arts," Master Hamm explained, simply. "Specifically, the martial arts of blobs."
Pikachu stared. "What."
There was a cracking sound as Mega Lucario peeled off the wall. More sections of plaster came with him, crumbling into dust as they did, and some of it got stuck in his tail.
Rather more of it got stuck in the shaggy fur on his chest.
"Ow," the Mega-evolved Fighting-type said, brushing himself off and largely spreading the white dust around further. As he moved, it became clear that there was actually a crack in the wall.
"Somehow, I was expecting that to knock you out," Pikachu said, looking his friend up and down. "Sure it hasn't?"
"I'm considerably more durable than a wall," Mega Lucario replied, shaking his head. "Especially one like this. I'm fine."
A pause. "Just don't ask me to walk in a straight line for a while."
Master Hamm pointed. "Hitoshi, pat Onigiri for a job well done."
Hitoshi bent down, doing what his master could not, and patted a pleased-looking shiny Goomy.
"Oh, I get it," Pikachu realized.
"So Onigiri put himself where Mega Lucario would step on him?" Ash asked. "That sounds… unorthodox."
"The ways of blob martial arts are subtle," Master Hamm explained.
"I wonder if Muk could learn that..."
There was an ominous creak.
"Oh, dear..." Master Hamm sighed. "I think that wall was load bearing. We'll have to get one of the Fighting-types to hold it up."
Hitmonlee raised a hand. "My arms are nearly useless."
"Hitmonlee says he can't do it," Ash supplied.
They looked around the yard at the groaning or unconscious Fighting-types, as well as most of the other Pokemon the Dojo trained.
"Mega Lucario, I think you're going to have to do it," Ash said.
"Fine," Mega Lucario said, stepping back under the eaves and taking a stance. "What now?"
"Just stay there until we get the contractors in."
"I think there are problems with this plan."
"If it's flow you're after, then you need to plan for the flow," the Mienshao said, demonstrating by going through movement after movement of Tai Chi Ch'uan 24. "When you make a move, always be planning the next – if you cannot make it without reversing course, be sure that you never cease but flow smoothly from the advance to the retreat."
Wartortle copied her, following the graceful motions. "I see – yes, I understand how this will help. My watercrafting relies on moving like the sea, like rivers – every interruption to the flow is an interruption to my power."
"Precisely," Mienshao confirmed.
He returned to a ready position. "Now, show me the versatility of your water with a strict set of motions. Follow the form twice, and aim to be as different the second time from the first as is possible."
"Hello."
The shop clerk looked up, and did a slight double-take. "...didn't I see you before?"
"You did," N confirmed. "I was in here around half an hour ago."
"Was something wrong with the Pokeballs?" the clerk asked. "I tried to get ones that were completely undamaged – factory fresh..."
He glanced at one of the signs. "If they broke when you were trying to capture a Pokemon, that's just because the Pokemon struggled too much. It happens."
"You are correct," N said. "That is what happened."
He reached into a pocket, and brought out the bag his purchases had been in earlier. From inside it, he took out a small piece of red-painted metal and half a hinge.
"These were the largest pieces that were left," he explained. "I believe the Pokemon I was attempting to catch was startled by the experience. Twice."
"That's..." the clerk leaned over the counter, looking at the pieces, and gave a low whistle. "Yeah, that is completely broken. It looks like it exploded… well, I guess I don't know what to say. Standard Pokeballs are generally the weakest."
"Then I would like to purchase a more durable Pokeball," N decided.
He gave it some thought. "No, two once more. And make sure that they are stronger."
"Well, uh… there's Great Balls, Ultra Balls..." the clerk suggested. "Or there's speciality balls, those have better effects in certain situations."
Disappearing behind the counter for a bit, he took out an information leaflet. "Here."
N opened it out, giving it a somewhat bewildered scan. "What would you recommend?"
"Well..." the clerk rubbed his upper lip. "I'd say… get two Ultra Balls, and take that leaflet to have a think about it. If you decide differently, you can bring back the Ultra Balls and we'll exchange them so long as they're unused."
"My thanks," N said sincerely, getting his money out. "I am grateful for your help."
"Hmmmm..." Casper mused, stroking his chin.
He glanced aside at Cinder. "Hey, I can do this now too!"
"I've noticed," Cinder said.
Chuckling, Casper looked across the dojo. His vision tracked across Stantler's training, May doing some more martial arts, Blaziken locked in a discussion about the martial art of kick kicking with Hitmonlee, Pikachu outside puzzling out blob martial arts, Mega Lucario holding up a roof, Geodude constructing a more permanent roof-holding solution, and Wartortle and a Mienshao doing what was either a dance or training.
Then he looked back at Mega Lucario.
"...hey," he nudged Cinder. "What Mega Stones have we found over our journey?"
"I'm sure it was in here somewhere," May said, rummaging through her bag. "Or was it somewhere else..."
Ahem.
"Honestly, since I'm the one who had a Shuppet at the time I'm surprised that it wasn't in my bag," Max shrugged.
Ahem?
"Come on, hurry up!" Casper goaded, clapping his hands. "I wonder what a Mega Banette looks like!"
"You could be helping, you know," Cinder pointed out.
"Too busy with hands."
Ahem! Kris repeated. I have a better plan.
"What is it?" Brock asked.
Just… everyone make sure that you have your Mega Stones all in a place you know about, and then I'll scan to see where there are nearby Mega Stones. Kris let out a sigh, resampled three times over to give it more impact. It's like you keep forgetting I have a whole app for this.
"Good point," Max admitted. "Hey, Ash!"
"What is it?" Ash called back, his voice a little muffled due to the mostly-closed door.
"Can you make sure all your Mega Stones are somewhere that's not near your bag – with Pikachu or something? We're trying to see where we put that Banettite!"
"Oh – right," Ash agreed. "Sure, just give me a moment..."
There was a clatter.
"Okay, done," Ash reported.
Max took Kris in his hand, and the Porygon activated her copy of the Stone Stone Detection System.
A holographic display appeared, showing a scattering of dots throughout the area.
"Okay, that one's got to be Steelix," Max said, pointing to it. "And that's Altaria… I think that must be the Lucarionite that's still part of Mega Lucario..."
After several seconds, he shrugged.
"Well, I can't actually see any Mega Stones in out-of-the-way places. None in any of our bags."
"That can't be true!" Casper groaned. "Come on!"
This is the best information we have, Kris told him. We are doing as much as we feasibly can.
"Hmmm..." Blaziken mused. "An idea comes to mind. How did we originally identify it as a Banettite?"
"That was… Ash, I think," May frowned. "Wasn't it a bit of that whole King of Pokeatlantis thing?"
"Yeah, I think it was," Ash agreed, head poking around the door. "It was kind of odd – I remembered things the King knew, but only the information. Mostly."
"But then… what did the Banettite look like?" May said, realizing where her starter was going. "That might help."
"It was… pink, I think," Ash answered, thinking hard. "And the bit in the middle was grey, with… orange and yellow."
"Oh, like this one," Pikachu volunteered, holding it up. "This is the only one Ash actually gave me."
Max and Casper stared.
"We… should have expected that, be fair," May said. "I mean… Ash gave away that Beedrilite, Sceptile has the Sceptilite, Absol has her Absolite..."
"Never mind the lessons from this, I want to try out the Mega Stone!" Casper declared. "Come on, Max!"
In a quiet area of the country a few miles outside Saffron City, the wind shivered through the trees. A few leaves whirled away, accompanying the fresh scent of grass, and the sun shone through light cloud on a replica castle that had long since been turned into a holiday home.
Then a gigantic aircraft came over with a rumbling roar, passing barely fifty feet over the roof of the castle and banking around for another pass.
Inside, an old couple looked up from their reverie.
"Looks like young James is coming to visit," the man said, nodding to himself.
"Sounds like," his wife agreed. "I'll put the kettle on."
"Okay, guys," James reminded the others, as the jetwash of the hover engines died away. "I don't want to get Nanny and Pop-Pop too involved with the whole Rocket thing, so be on your best behaviour."
"Didn't ya tell em years ago?" Meowth asked.
"Well, yeah..." James agreed. "But it seems so impolite."
Jessie shook her head. "We did just land on their lawn, James."
"They'll be fine with that," James said. "They never minded when we landed the balloon."
"I'd point out that a jet aircraft's a bit different, but..." Jessie sighed. "Whatever."
"Hello, James!" his grandfather said, leaning a little on his cane. "It's wonderful to see you and your friends – have you made any new ones since last time you visited?"
"And," his grandmother added, "have you given any thought to giving us great-grandchildren yet?"
There was a frozen pause, then both grandparents began laughing.
"Oh, dear me, James," Pop-Pop said, shaking his head. "The look on your face!"
"An' dere was me wonderin' if we'd have to have da talk about your costume collection," Meowth muttered under his breath.
"Now, come on in," Nanny invited. "You're all always welcome here, you know that. All of you."
Growlie barked happily, bounding out of the big transport plane and giving first one and then the other a big, warm lick.
"It's good to see you as well," Pop-Pop laughed. "Have you been taking care of James for us when he's off doing Team Rocket things?"
The Arcanine nodded enthusiastically.
"Okay, let's try this," Max said, adjusting his Key Stone.
Casper gave a thumbs-up, and floated downwards so that he intersected with the volume of space the Banettite was in.
There was a pause.
"...is it a Banetite with two t's or a Banettite with three t's?" Max asked.
"I don't know!" May replied.
"We'll ask Gary later," Brock suggested.
"Yeah, I guess… sorry, I kind of got distracted," Max said.
He concentrated hard, thinking about Casper.
The Shuppet – now Banette – was a funny Pokemon, a prankster.
Sometimes, he could go a little too far… or even a lot too far.
But despite that, he was still…
...pretty kind-hearted, anyway. Max assumed.
"Uh..." Casper said, after several long seconds. "Shouldn't something have happened by now?"
May glanced down at her belt, then touched Max on the shoulder. "Max?"
Max looked up at her.
"I think maybe you and Casper have the same problem that Altaria and I had," she suggested gently.
"...yeah," Max agreed. "I think you're right."
"Maybe we just need to try a different position?" Casper suggested. "Hey, maybe I need a ghost belt or something to put it on!"
"I don't think that's it," Max said. "Honestly, I think this means we need to have a long think about one another – sort out what issues we have."
He reached out to the Ghost-type, and waved his hand through approximately where Casper's shoulder was. "We'll get this working – don't worry about that. We just need to work out how."
"I must say, I'm very glad all that was dashed well sorted out."
Raikou slurped up the rest of his ramen. "After all, if we hadn't done that, I would never be able to recommend this restaurant to my fellow Beasts!"
"You think you're going to make a habit of coming over here?" Brock asked.
"I think we bally well are!" Raikou agreed. "It's only a few minutes' walk from Pallet Town, as well… ten at the outside."
"Only when you're moving at supersonic speeds," Pikachu pointed out. "That's hardly a walk."
"Oh, fine then," Raikou grumbled. "Saunter."
"Not much of an improvement."
The larger Electric-type shrugged, then looked up at Ash. "Do we have time for one more?"
"You've already had three bowls," Ash said. "We really need to get going."
"Fine..." Raikou sighed. "Well, at least I'll let Ho-Oh and the others know about this place. I approve of it thoroughly."
"Yeah, it's good that Master Hamm has decided to give up trying to get his son to run the Dojo," Ash agreed.
He looked down at the grumpy Primeape by his side. "And I'm sorry, Primeape."
"You went to the Fighting Dojo without me," Primeape huffed. "I was going to beat up everyone there, but Mega Lucario got there first."
"I'm sure you can do it next time," Ash consoled him.
Primeape shook his head. "Not good enough."
"Battle Arena pick?"
"That's more like it."
"I am sorry to bother you again," N began. "I think, however, that I would like a more effective Pokeball."
There was a sigh from the clerk, who shook his head. "The Ultraballs exploded too? Okay, I think this is something I don't really know the solution to, so I'm going to get my boss."
N waited patiently as the young man went into the back of the store, and after a short pause came back out with an older woman.
"Okay, so… something about Pokeballs, right?" she asked. "Come on in back and we'll discuss it."
Opening the door for N to go through, she nodded. "I'm June, by the way. So… what's happened so far?"
"I've been trying to capture a Pokemon," N told her. "However, I've been having a problem. He keeps reacting with surprise to the sensation of being captured, and so far it has caused him to destroy two Pokeballs and two Ultraballs."
June waited to see if there was any further information, then shut the door. "Okay. So, first question. How much do you know about Pokeballs?"
"Not a lot," N admitted freely. "I have read this leaflet, but I am not sure what I can learn from it."
"Okay," June said. "Right. So, firstly, this is the stockroom, and we've got a lot of Pokeballs in here. Secondly, there's three kinds of Pokeballs – in a basic sense."
She counted on her fingers. "Firstly, there's the basic ones, like Pokeballs or Ultra Balls. The only thing that's different about them is how good they are at capturing a Pokemon."
"What does that mean?" N inquired. "What makes them good?"
"They're stronger," June told him. "That means… well, if you're really not familiar with them, basically the Pokemon has to struggle harder to break out of them and so they're more likely to capture a given Pokemon."
"Right," N nodded. "I understand that now."
"The second one," June went on, picking up a Heal Ball, "are Pokeballs which do something extra. They're ones like this Heal Ball, which makes it much easier for a Pokemon to recover their strength, or a Luxury Ball which is a much nicer experience for the Pokemon to be in – that is, they're not better at capturing Pokemon, but they're better at something else."
"So that is why they cost more," N said. "What kind of thing does the Luxury Ball do?"
"It's got more sophisticated controls," June told him, showing the small control panel. "This is the mute control, for example. And they have an extensive customization capability – a trainer or a Pokemon can set them to just the right environment, while most Pokeballs are more one-size-fits-all."
The King of Team Plasma considered that.
"Are they the only Pokeballs like that?"
"Well, there are others with a Luxury package add-on, but they're a lot more expensive," June told him. "And the third kind are the specialist 'balls, which are the ones that make it easier to catch some kinds of Pokemon."
She picked a few off the shelf. "So this is a Dusk Ball, which works best away from strong lighting – it kind of uses shadow to confuse the Pokemon, so they can't tell quite when they first get caught. I think the manufacturers put a bit of Dark-typed energy into it, but of course that's a trade secret."
"Right," said N, who didn't know quite what a trade secret was but was quite familiar with the Dark type. "And what about this one?"
"Moon Ball," June answered. "It's built to develop a resonance with Moon Stone energies – some Pokemon react to that, so it's better at catching those. Nearly useless against Pokemon who don't naturally evolve from Moon Stones, though..."
Her hand ran along the shelf. "Quick Balls are designed to catch the target Pokemon by surprise, Fast Balls – they're a very speciality item – are designed to surprise the target Pokemon and then exploit that. So they work better on very fast-reacting Pokemon. There's lots more, but I don't really understand some of them…"
June stepped back from the shelf, and spread her hands. "So – which kind do you think is appropriate? Of course, if it's a Bug type you're trying to catch, there's actually a special Pokeball just for that."
N considered.
"I think… how does a Timer Ball work?"
"It charges up over time," June answered. "It sort of… analyzes the Pokemon, until it's worked out the best way to capture them."
"Two of those, then, I think," N decided. "And… what does that one do?"
"That works better on heavier Pokemon. I think they work best on something that weighs more than four hundred kilos."
"One of them," N added.
He thought about the situation, including the time of day.
"I think I'd also like a Dusk Ball, and two of those as well."
"Nest balls?" June said, blinking. "You do know they're more effective on less powerful Pokemon, right? And if your one broke out of Ultraballs, a Nest Ball isn't going to help much."
"It's worth a try," N shrugged.
"Can anyone remember which way the Battle Arena is?" Ash asked.
I can.
"I'd like to try and find it without your help," Ash told Dexter. "So… let's see. Last time we left the noodle shop, and turned left-"
Wrong.
"Why don't you just let Dexter tell us which way to go?" Lucario said. "It's probably going to save a lot of time."
"Fine," Ash decided. "Okay, which way is it?"
Well, first you turn right… Dexter began, then his screen hazed out and turned into a large arrow. Actually, this will probably be easier.
"Since we've got an hour or two to walk – at least," Max estimated, checking the map Kris was displaying as they got moving, "have you decided who you're going to use, Ash?"
"Not really," Ash replied, thinking. "I mean, Primeape is obvious because I said I would, but apart from that… the Battle Arena is a bit random, I think, because it's anything between one-on-one and three-on-three. So it might just be Primeape, or I might need to pick up to two more Pokemon."
He looked down. "Hey, Dexter, can I get a list of who I haven't used recently?"
Of course, but do not think this means I will let you get lost while you don't have a large arrow to follow.
Ash looked down the list, then showed it to Max. "What do you think?"
The other trainer whistled. "Wow, I keep forgetting just how many Pokemon you have..."
He pointed. "Snorlax hasn't been used all that recently, has he?"
"Yeah, that might be a good one," Ash agreed. "And… hm, now I come to think of it, it's been a while since I used one of the Legendary Beasts."
"I keep telling you, Ash," May called back. "You don't have to use them in battles, you can use them in contests. I'm sure Suicune would make a great Appealer!"
"Maybe, yeah," Ash nodded. "I don't think it would satisfy Ho-Oh, though, so it's not a perfect solution."
"I think Butterfree would be a better idea," Max suggested. "You've not used him in a long time as well, and it kind of seems less over the top than Suicune."
"That makes sense," Ash agreed.
He reached up to the Pikachu on his shoulder. "Okay with missing out on another battle?"
"Just so long as I get enough sparring opportunities," Pikachu agreed, tail waving lazily as Ash scratched him. "And one of your old hats. I think I'd like to see how it looks."
The hat's bill flopped down in front of Pikachu again.
"I think I'd like to reconsider my request for a hat," he said, using his lightning-bolt tail and his ears to lift it up once more. "I'd like a hat a lot like yours, but built for my head."
"That might be a bit harder to get hold of," Ash apologized. "Or would you rather have one of the ones like the special Aura Guardian hat?"
"Hmmm..." Pikachu mused, shaking his head and taking the billed cap off it. "Maybe. Can I try it out once we get the chance?"
"Sure," Ash agreed, taking the hat back.
"Can I please try it on?" Manaphy asked. "It looks comfy."
"I'm not sure you're quite big enough for it either," May said, taking it anyway as Ash held it out for her. "But we can see how you look."
"Thanks!" Manaphy said.
He then vanished underneath it.
"I guess that's the answer," Brock said.
They were out of Saffron proper by now, along a leafy path which led to the Battle Arena, and Pidgeys chirped in the trees.
"I just realized," Max said, looking up at Ash and then Brock. "You two can understand wild Pokemon, right – ones without any Aura bond with you? So is it like walking down a city street when we're out in the wilderness?"
"It is, a bit," Brock answered. "Not a lot, but a bit."
Suddenly, there was a flicker of light in front of them – and a large group of Pokemon appeared from thin air, including at least one Legendary.
Two humans appeared as well – upside down, on top of the Wobbuffet.
"I swear you do that on purpose," James mumbled.
It's the price you pay for appearing where you need to when you need to.
"I just don't get why it gotta be me too," Meowth said.
They saw Ash and his friends, looking faintly puzzled, and jumped to their feet.
"Prepare for-" Jessie began, then stopped and threw up her hands. "Oh, you know the song."
"Yeah, we heard it enough times," Max agreed. "What's up?"
"Who's there, Mama?" Manaphy asked, his voice badly muffled by hat.
"Well," James answered, reaching behind him and picking one of his Pokemon up. "We'd like Ash to remind him!"
"I think I did that one already," Ash said.
James looked down. "Cacturne!"
Cacturne waved happily.
"Also, ow," James added, wincing at the stabbing pain in his hands. "Can someone get the tweezers please?"
Meowth rummaged in his bag, and threw some to James. "Here ya go."
"What James was trying to ask," Jessie added, picking up Mime Jr, "was for you to remind him."
"That does make more sense," Ash agreed, checking with Aura sight. "Yep, that's him."
He reached out a hand, and Mime Jr. inspected it before giving him a high-five.
"Cooool," he said, looking at his hands. "I know how to do psychic stuff – and I've got a Moltres teammate!"
He frowned. "Um… James? Was I always a Fairy type?"
"Yeah, that happened," Brock said, indicating Ash. "It's his fault."
"Not completely my fault," Ash protested. "It was Molly and her Sylveon as well."
Mime Jr. decided that was a bit too high level for him. "James? Can I have some chocolate?"
"I tink James is too indisposed to give ya some," Meowth told the Baby Pokemon. "Hold on a minute an' I'll see if I got some in da bag."
Manaphy took the hat off. "I don't think that fits me," he said. "Oh! I know who they are!"
"Hey, look at dat," Meowth waved. "Manaphy, right? Coulda sworn ya didn't show up until a bit later."
Manaphy shrugged, and hugged May's shoulder. "I'm really glad to have more time with Mama!"
"True dat," Meowth agreed. "An' it's kinda cool dere's other Pokemon what actually learn da human language, instead 'a just usin' dis Aura stuff."
"It does mean we avoid quite so much of an accent," Lucario pointed out.
He tilted his head, one ear perked up. "Is it me, or is that an engine?"
Just as he said it, a large helicopter roared over the edge of the treeline.
Two mechanical arms reached down with snakelike speed, grabbing Manaphy right off May's shoulder and carrying him off with them.
"Help!" Manaphy yelped. "Mama!"
"Manaphy!" May called.
"Are those the Phantom's pirates?" Max asked.
"Never mind who they are!" Ash declared. "We've got to get Manaphy back!"
There was a red flash, and Manaphy vanished.
May lowered her Cherish Ball as everyone turned to stare at her.
"What?" she asked. "It's kind of why we did this."
AN:
Cliffhanger negated.
Also, everybody is kung fu fighting (or some martial art at least) and N is doing Pokeball research.
