Purify or Bust
Chapter 1: Missing!
Almost immediately after walking through the door and into the light, Ash and his parents found themselves in front of a house on the outskirts of Pallet Town. They walked in and were greeted by a Mr. Mime. "Mime Mister Mime!" it exclaimed. "Nice to see you too, Mimey. Thank you for watching over the house for us while we were gone." Delia replied. Ash's ability to understand Poké-speak kicked in and he noticed that Mimey had a bit of a posh British accent. "It was my pleasure, Lady Delia. Shall I get your beds ready?" "Not yet, Mimey. We have work to do." Delia responded. "Uh, Mimey?" Ash asked. "Yes, Young Master Ash?" "Would it be possible for you to get me a hat common to the region? I forgot my hat since I was in a rush to leave." Ash stated, careful not to mention the Hall or Arceus since he didn't know if Mimey knew their secret. "Very well. I shall bring you one of Master Red's old hats. If there's no objections, of course." Ash and Delia immediately turned to Red. "Go right ahead." Red replied. At this point, Mimey left the room, giving the family just a moment to discuss him. "Does Mimey know about our secret?" Ash asked, being intentionally cryptic in case Mimey could hear them. "Yes, Ash, he does. He was sent here by you-know-who personally to watch over the house and pay the bills while we were at the Hall." Just then, Mimey returned, holding a red hat with a white front and an emerald green L-shaped marking on it. "Here you are, Young Master Ash. One Kanto region hat. Is there anything else I can do for you?" "Not that I can think of. Thank you, though." Ash responded, putting on the hat. "Don't mention it. Also, if you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask." "Will do." Ash responded.
That evening...
Delia and Red had just finished their dinner when suddenly a loud, shrill chirping sound filled the house. "Why's the smoke detector going off?!" Ash shouted over the noise. "I took the liberty of turning the smoke detector into a dark-angel detector." "What's the range?" Red asked, concerned. "About 50 feet." Red looked at Delia, who nodded. "We're going to go investigate. Mimey, keep Ash here while we do." "Very well. Good luck and stay safe." At that point, Red and Delia left the house.
The duo raced up the street and around the corner where they found a group of about 15 dark angels, each wearing a black uniform with a red 'R' on the front of the shirt. "Well, what do we have here? Two angels showing up for us on a silver platter?" one of the dark angels, a young woman who looked to be in her early twenties, asked. Four other dark angels walked over and grabbed Red and Delia by the elbows, making it almost impossible for them to move. "You'll be coming with us." "Not without a fight, we won't." Red responded before headbutting one of the guys holding him and pulling a small cube-shaped device out of his jacket pocket. He then pushed against the top and it morphed into a backpack-mounted vacuum cleaner. Quickly, he turned it on and pointed it at the young woman. A dark ball of energy started to appear, being pulled out of the young woman. Before long, the ball of energy was trapped inside the vacuum cleaner.
As the ball of darkness was pulled out of her, the young woman's wings appeared, slowly turning white. Once her wings were pure white, Red pushed a button on the side of the vacuum. A small device popped out the side and it opened a portal beside the young woman, who smiled at the couple before walking into said portal. The dark angels attempted to follow her through the portal, but were all repelled by some strange force. The dark angels turned and glared at Red. "You think you're so smart, huh? But we have a trick of our own." one of them growled before throwing a smoke grenade at Red and Delia. The grenade went off and the couple immediately started coughing. "That smoke grenade's filled with a Venusaur's Sleep Powder. Soon, you'll be drifting off to dream land and there's nothing you can do about it." Red felt his eyelids start to droop as he fought to keep himself awake. It was in vain, however, as he and his wife fell asleep mere minutes later. Two dark angels hefted the duo over their shoulders and headed out towards Viridian City.
Ketchum Residence, 30 minutes later...
"Where are they? They should be back by now. The dark-angel detector stopped going off twenty minutes ago." Ash wondered. "Maybe they lured the dark angels out of range?" "Maybe. If they're not back by tomorrow, I'm going to go search for them. In the meantime, I'm gonna get ready for bed." "Very well. I'm quite sure that Master Red and Lady Delia will be back shortly."
Meanwhile...
Arceus, now in a human guise, was looking at a large projection screen with the current locations of all angels under his command. "Red and Delia seem to be heading towards the Viridian Forest. However, they are traveling without their son. Maybe I should have someone check up on the boy." "Having troubles, old friend?" a feminine voice asked from the shadows. The Alpha Pokémon jumped back a bit, clearly surprised. " really know how to sneak up on someone." "So what's up?" "A couple of my soldiers went AWOL. They left their son in Pallet Town and are heading north. Would it be possible for you to check on him?" "Consider it done." "Thank you. Here is a picture of the boy, as well as his home address while he is posing as a human."
The next morning...
Ash woke up around eight and raced into the kitchen, hoping to find his parents eating breakfast. What he found, however, was Mimey sitting at the table alone, looking at the door. "They haven't come home, have they?" "No. You were right to worry, Young Master Ash. Something has clearly happened to them." "I knew it. I should've went looking for them last night." "If you had, you would probably be in the same position they are." "Regardless, I'm gonna find them and bring them home. I promise you." Ash vowed to Mimey before returning to his bedroom and getting changed.
Soon, Ash was dressed and ready to go. He grabbed an old green backpack and packed a few spare outfits, a Kanto map, and the tools of the trade before heading out for the laboratory of local Pokémon expert Professor Samuel Oak. Fifteen minutes later, he arrived at the base of the hill Prof. Oak's Lab sat atop. By the time he reached the front door, he was drenched in sweat. He rang the doorbell and, a few minutes later, the door opened. An older gentleman stood there rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Young man, do you have any idea what time it is?" "I'm sorry it's early, but I need to speak with Professor Oak." The gentleman sighed heavily. "Come with me."
The two of them entered the lab and walked into a sort of conference area. "I'm Professor Oak. What can I help you with?" "I'd like a Pokémon so that I can become a Trainer." "I'm sorry, son, but I've already given out all of my Pokémon for new Trainers." "There aren't any Pokémon left?" "Well, there is one, but it is quite the handful." "I'll take it." The Professor walked over to a large metal device and pressed a few keys. The top of the device split open and a Poké Ball emerged from underneath. Professor Oak took the Poké Ball and handed it to Ash. Ash opened the Poké Ball and an Eevee appeared in a flash of light. "Eevee?" "Wow. An Eevee. Awesome." Ash croutched down and attempted to pet the Eevee, but it bit his hand. "What was that for?" "This Eevee thinks that because it's so rare, it shouldn't have an average Trainer." Prof. Oak explained. Ash smiled a bit before kneeling in front of the Eevee. "Eevee eevee vee eevee eevee. Eevee vee eevee eevee eevee eevee." Ash stated in Poké-speak. Prof. Oak's eyes widened. "You can speak Pokémon?" "Yeah. I grew up surrounded by Pokémon. I learned the language from them." Ash lied. "Vee eevee vee eevee eevee eevee?" the Eevee wondered. "Eevee. Eevee vee vee eevee." Ash replied. The Eevee then jumped onto Ash's shoulder and licked his cheek. "Eevee vee eevee vee. Eevee eevee vee eevee eevee vee. Vee eevee eevee." "Eevee."
At this point, Prof. Oak went over to a workbench and retrieved a red mechanical device. He then gave it and five Poké Balls to Ash. "This is Dexter, a Pokédex. Think of it as a high-tech Pokémon encyclopedia. However, I have yet to update it with data from Pokémon not native to Kanto, so it won't recognize certain species. It's also your identification as a Trainer, so don't lose it." "I understand. Thank you very much, sir." Ash and his Eevee left Professor Oak's Lab and set a course for Viridian City. As soon as they got out of Pallet Town, Eevee jumped off of Ash's shoulder. "What should I call you?" "Back home, they call me Lucian. What they don't realize is that I'm a girl at heart." "How about I call you Lucy?" "I'd like that." Lucy replied, blushing.
Ash and Lucy continued down the route before being stopped by a red-haired girl. "Here you are. I was sent to check on you." "By who?" "Him." "He sent you to check up on me? Why?" "Your parents went AWOL and are heading north. He wanted to know why you aren't with them." "Dark angels were near the house; they went to clean up and just disappeared. Who are you, anyway?" "I am Misty Kazumi, old friend of you-know-who and disguised Latias." she replied, whispering the last part. Ash dug into his backpack and retrieved a com unit before placing a call to Arceus. The screen flashed to life and Arceus was seen. "Sir." "At ease." "Sir, my parents went missing last night after dark angels started getting close to our house and they went to go purify them." "Which explains the young woman who was purified and sent to me." By now, Lucy had gotten curious and climbed up Ash's arm. "Hello there." "What happened to the 'no Pokémon Training' rule?" "Respectfully, sir, it's a dumb rule. Becoming a Trainer makes it easier to blend in." "I understand your thought process, but what happens if that Eevee gets Poké-napped?" "Forgive me for interrupting, but the only ones who steal Pokémon are dark angels or those affected by their darkness." "Right, and we can track that darkness to the source after getting her back." "Her? I think your ability to understand Pokémon needs work." "Actually, I'm a girl at heart and I prefer to be addressed as such." "Like my sisters. It's the same concept." Misty told Arceus. "I see... Looks like I need to work on noticing an individual's true gender..." "In any case, I'm going on a journey to find my parents, sir." "I understand. Good luck and stay sharp." With that, Arceus ended the transmission.
Misty then turned towards Ash. "You know, if you want to blend in with the other Trainers, you should take the Pokémon League Challenge." "But I don't really have any desire to take on the Pokémon League." "Then how are you going to justify your journey to those who don't know your secret?" "...Fine. I'll take the League Challenge. What exactly do I have to do?" "Defeat the eight Gym Leaders found at the Pokémon Gyms scattered throughout the Kanto Region. Get their Gym Badges and head for the Pokémon League Headquarters on Indigo Plateau. Once there, challenge the Kanto Elite Four to battles, battling each member one-on-one and winning. Once you beat them, you must defeat the reigning Champion. However, you can only challenge the Elite Four and Champion five times each year. If you are defeated by a member of the Elite Four or the Champion, you must challenge them over again from the beginning until you win or are defeated five times." "Sounds tough." "It is. They are the strongest Trainers in Kanto. It'll take a lot of hard work to beat them, but I believe you have what it takes."
Suddenly, a wild Pikachu jumped out at them before collapsing in the middle of the path. Ash threw one of the Poké Balls he got from Professor Oak at the Pikachu. It made contact and sucked the Pikachu inside before landing on the ground and rocking back and forth, the center of the button flashing red and making a whirring sound. After a minute or two, a single snap was heard, signifying a successful catch. "We best get this Pikachu someplace it can be healed." "There's a Pokémon Center in Viridian City, not too far from here." "Let's go." Ash said, turning his hat so it was facing backwards before racing ahead towards Viridian City. Misty chased after him and, before long, the duo had reached the outskirts of Viridian. Five minutes later, they were standing right outside the Pokémon Center. Ash opened the door and raced inside to the front desk. "How can I help you?" the nurse at the front desk asked. "My Pikachu needs help." Ash replied, releasing Pikachu onto the desktop. The nurse gasped at Pikachu's condition. "I need a stretcher for a small Electric-type Pokémon, stat." she stated over the loudspeaker. Two chubby, pink Pokémon entered the lobby, carrying the stretcher the nurse requested. They then placed Pikachu onto the stretcher and wheeled it into the recovery ward. "Don't worry. Those Chansey have been working here since I was a kid. They are really gifted nurses."
Just as the excitement started to die down, the power went out and two figures broke in through the glass roof...
Translation of Poké-speak this chapter:
Paragraph 9:
Ash: "I am not just some random Trainer. I am an angel trying to keep order."
Lucy: "You want me to join you on your mission?"
Ash: "Mhm. It would be my honor."
Lucy: "Looks like we're a team now. But don't put me back in the Poké Ball. It's too cramped in there."
Ash: "I won't."
