A/N: Just so you know, this is the first chapter that's going to be made like a montage. Seeing as there isn't anything truly important in between the Hearthome City and Veilstone City in this story but there's still a bit of stuff I want to cover, I'm writing short stories this chapter instead of one big one. Oh, and I do have a unique idea with Barry. Just you wait and see. I hope you enjoy.
Ash and Dawn won their latest battle together against a pair of twin sisters by the names of Emma and Lil, beating their Bonsly and Mime Jr. with their Buizel and Ralts respectively, leaving the sisters crying in despair as they ran away with their Pokémon.
"Alright Ash, we won!" Dawn cheered.
"Your Ralts especially helped." Ash complimented her Pokémon. The two teenagers high fived each other when they noticed something brightening up. They looked at their Pokémon to see that they were evolving while glowing in white light.
"Two evolutions again?" The researcher gasped astonished. Buizel became a little bit taller and broad shouldered, along with his tail splitting into officially two tails. Ralts also grew in that he became taller, his green hair grew past his shoulders, and his legs thinned out while three ruffles came out of his waist, resembling somewhat like a tutu. When all the glowing went away, there were two new Pokémon standing. Where Buizel stood was Floatzel, whom growled in eagerness.
"Kirlia." The psychic type said his name, twirling around delicately like a ballerina for the first time.
"Alright, we need to see what the Pokedex's say!" Dawn recommended as the two teenagers pulled out their respective machines.
"It is a common sight around fishing ports. It is known to rescue people and carry off prey." Ash's Pokedex said.
Kirlia: the Emotion Pokémon; It is said that a Kirlia that is exposed to the positive emotions of its trainer grows beautiful. This Pokémon controls psychokinetic powers with its highly developed brain. KIRLIA uses the horns on its head to amplify its psychokinetic power. When the Pokémon uses its power, the air around it becomes distorted, creating mirages of nonexistent scenery. I bet Kirlia hate being mistaken for female all the time. Rotom remarked.
"So, are you going to evolve him into a gallade immediately?" Ash asked his partner.
"No. I think I'll let him stay this way until Spike can become a Togekiss. I want Spike to be completely familiar with Kirlia before evolving him again." Then something came to mind of the young researcher. "Speaking of." She said with enthusiastically. From her bag, Dawn took out Spike, whom was taking a nap. She whispered to the baby. "Spike. Meet Kirlia." Yawning before waking up, he opened his eyes to see the newly evolved Pokémon.
"Togi?" He asked confused as he was placed on the ground. He took steps looking at the two taller Pokémon.
"Kirlia." The former Ralts said, conveying his message. Floatzel grunted while nodding. It took a few seconds before Spike figured it out.
"Togepi!" He cheered, hugging Kirlia's legs. The two smiled as Kirlia picked up the Spike Ball Pokémon and twirled in joy.
"Aww. That's so adorable." Dawn gushed.
"Yeah. This is going to be so great for us." Ash agreed, placing his arm over Dawn's shoulders. This did not go unnoticed to the female researcher as she blushed and slightly looked away, liking the contact.
Later on in the day after Dawn managed to catch a chansey and a goldeen, the two teenagers managed to come across Solaceon Town, a nice, small and quaint that reminded Ash of his hometown in Twinleaf. The one thing that caught their attention was the large picket fenced field filled with small Pokémon, like buneary and pachirisu.
"I wonder what this place is?"
"It's a day care center." Someone answered his question. They turned to their right to see an old man in a blue garb.
"Day care? Sort of like baby sitting or preschool?" Dawn asked the man.
"Of sorts. We raise Pokémon for trainers that want stronger Pokémon, but already have six. Most of the time it's only a month or two. But occasionally we get someone who leaves them for nearly a year before getting them back. Likely just letting us do the hard work while they get the end result." He said, frowning from the occasions that happened.
"Oh, that sounds awful."
"It is. But, there is a catch." He countered, smiling at what he was going to say. "Most people think we do this for $30 per Pokémon, but that's their fault for not reading the signs correctly. The price increases over time. Most only have to only spend about an average of somewhere in between $30-$60, or even $120 if they left two by the time they get back. But for those that leave them long enough, they'll have to spend about $350 dollars for one Pokémon, and $700 for two." He chuckled to himself.
"That certainly is bad for those that don't think about costs." Ash sneered. He hoped Barry didn't fall for this. In fact, "Say, did a guy with an orange and white shirt and blonde hair leave anything here?"
"No. In fact, after asking, he just ran past us as soon as he learned this wasn't Veilstone City." He replied. Ash sighed in relief. Sure, he could've used some rest here or appreciated this town a little more, but at least he wouldn't fall for a cheater catching scam.
"Well that's good. He's my best friend you see. He's not a cheater. At least... not beyond board games anyway." Ash chuckled nervously, scratching his cheek.
"Well that's... comforting." The old man said, not sure what to make of that. "So, do you two want to leave any Pokémon here?"
"No thanks. Our purpose wouldn't be served well here." Dawn declined.
"Well, while you're here, why don't you check out the ruins? There's a mystery that nobody has been able to find out of as yet, but it's a popular tourist attraction." He offered.
"We'll decline that as well, but thanks." Ash said, slightly sweating now. "The last time we went to a 'mysterious place', we almost died."
"Oh, that's too bad. Well, I won't stop you. Carry on." He bid farewell before walking back into the shop. And with that, they continued past Solaceon Town.
Hours later when it was night time, the two managed to find a tower that cast a large, long shadow over them by the nearly full moon. It stood tall like a monument.
"Ash, I'm not sure this is a good idea." Dawn said, her face expressing some worry.
"Dawn, while we declined the ruins because of what happened at the Old Chateau, this is just a Pokémon resting place. It's like Kanto's tower and Mt. Pyre in Hoenn, although I'm not sure why you'd make a tower a cemetery. It can hold only so much unlike a cemetery." Ash pondered about. "But, the reason that we need to explore it is because it has a plethora of ghost Pokémon that can help us in our journey. Because..." Ash left off, giving his comrade an opportunity to answer.
"Ghost is weak against ghost." Dawn sighed.
"Bingo. Now let's catch us some ghosts." Ash stated as he entered the tower, followed by the cautious Dawn.
After combating some of the mourners, which they wanted, not Ash, and Dawn catching a gastly, it seemed like there was nothing left except for when a duskull appeared before them, floating about. Dawn was about to send out one of her Pokémon when Ash touched her shoulder.
"Wait. I think I'll catch this one. I could use a ghost type as well."
"Is that why you were defeating gastly instead of capturing one?" She asked him.
"Yes. Gengar are great ghost Pokémon, but dusknoir has greater versatility. It's mine." Ash determined as he faced the ghost type. "Bibarel, I choose you!" Ash yelled as he released his Beaver Pokémon. "Use Water Gun!" The normal type sprayed water at the prey, dowsing it with water. Duskull tried to defend itself with Confuse Ray, but Ash commanded, "Dodge then use Water Gun!" Bibarel jumped back to not get hit by the ray and sprayed the ghost type with water again, hurting it more. "Go, Dusk Ball!" Ash shouted as he threw a black and dark green Pokeball that contacted the ghost's body, absorbing it, and wiggling around three times before clicking.
"Alright Ash! You got it!" Dawn cheered. Ash grinned as he walked to his newest catch and scanned it with his Pokedex.
"Duskull, the Requiem Pokémon. It loves the crying of children. It startles bad kids by passing through walls and making them cry."
"Well that's not a very nice Pokémon." Dawn observed, not liking the dex entry.
"When are ghosts ever nice to the living? Their nicest is pranking people with no injuries." Ash told her. "Anyway, we got what we came here for. Let's go."
"Right." Dawn agreed, not wanting to be there longer than necessary.
Late into the night, Ash and Dawn came across a small building upon walking on Route 210. The thin neon red letters signaled it, "Café Cabin".
"Man, I haven't had a proper dinner since the day before leaving Twinleaf." Ash remarked, his stomach rumbling while his his mouth was drooling.
"I know. I'm tired of eating bread, beans and berries." Dawn complained. But upon closer inspection, a sign said it was closed. "Aw! It's too late!"
"8 AM to Midnight." Ash checked his Poketch to see it was just past closing time. Yep, we definitely came to late."
"Well, let's at least see if there's any Pokémon to catch around here. That will help me feel better." The young researcher sighed.
After spending about an hour capturing any new Pokémon around, such as a ponyta, a scyther, and a hoothoot. It especially helped that causing a ruckus woke up most of the Pokémon that heard them, attracting all sorts of Pokémon they easily defeated or captured. They went to sleep after that. But at around sunrise at 6:30 AM, they're sleep was terribly disturbed from a large rustling from around one of the sides of the café. Even though they got less than their ideal hours of sleep, each got one Pokeball in case it was necessary and tip toed in their sleep wear to the side of the café where the noise was coming from. What they didn't expect was to see a Pokémon scavenging through the trash. It was colored a dark teal color with some cream coloring. It was eating the trash.
"A munchlax? They're not rare, but they're quite uncommon." Dawn observed.
"Lucky us." Ash remarked. Dawn then let herself be exposed, allowing the Pokémon to notice her. "Buneary, I choose you!" Throwing her Pokeball, out came the Rabbit Pokémon.
"Buneary!" She yelled out. Munchlax looked angry that his breakfast was interrupted, based from his eyes.
"Lax." He said as he gulped down some of last night dinner thrown out. He then wildly charged at the rabbit.
"Buneary, Quick Attack!" Moving at a faster than eye speed, she rammed into the munchlax, which appeared to have hurt, but not nearly enough. In response, he picked the rabbit up and threw her surprisingly far. She smashed into a tree and landed on the ground. "Buneary, are you okay?" Dawn cried out worriedly. Getting up looking at Dawn, her master, she turned red with rage, and the Rabbit Pokémon threw a temper tantrum that shockingly caused her to evolve. The two humans and munchlax were astonished to see the cute little rabbit shoot nearly three feet taller, her ears extending longer than her waist, and becoming slimmer. Once the glowing stopped, she yelled her name in frustration.
"Lopunny!"
"Whoa, she evolved." Dawn gasped. Munchlax tried running away, throwing the towel, but with new found speed, Lopunny sprinted to be in front of the frightened big eater, invoking a satisfied grin from the Rabbit Pokémon before proceeding to kick the small scavenger towards Dawn, landing almost at her feet. While it struggled, Dawn quickly pressed a Pokeball against the back of his head to absorb and capture it, waiting until it clicked. She brought out her Pokedex to scan it.
Munchlax, the Big Eater Pokémon; this tubby hairball eats its weight in full once a day without chewing. It's prone to smelling like rotten food due to hiding food in its fur and then forgetting about it. I bet it wonders why it always smells bad.
"Well that's a whole bunch of sarcasm there." Ash chuckled. After looking at Ash, not sure whether to agree with him or tell them both off, she opted to say nothing as Lopunny approached her master. Her frustration worn off, she's now timid about how Dawn would react. Her worries were put to rest when Dawn hugged her rabbit.
"I'm so proud of you, Lopunny." Feeling relieved, she returned the hug. Ash smiled from the sight. The teenage girl then broke from the hug and scanned Lopunny.
Lopunny, the Rabbit Pokémon; It cloaks its body with its fluffy ear fur when it senses danger. It is very conscious of its looks and never fails to groom its ears. It runs with sprightly jumps. The ears appear to be delicate. If they are touched roughly, it kicks with its graceful legs. Quite an exquisite Pokémon, I must say. Lopunny blushed from the compliment.
"You two." A voice called out. They turned to see a young brown haired woman in a cute blue uniform. Likely the work clothes for the café Her name was Katy based on the sewed in white letters. "That munchlax has been bothering us for weeks. Even with ultra repels, that damn Pokémon kept tipping over the trash every morning. Even if I or any of us defeated it, it just comes back later. And we couldn't afford to pay feeding it if we caught it. Thank you so much. Would you like a free breakfast as thanks?"
"Yes!" Both teenagers yelled in excitement.
Dawn, Lopunny and Ash were sitting in seats of the log cabin fashioned café after getting properly dressed. Lopunny was already eating what was considered her breakfast which was a bowl of celery. For the humans, Katy gave each of them toast shaped waffles and a bottle of maple syrup.
"Enjoy." Katy said to them, bowing.
"Thanks!" Both cheered before drowning their waffles in syrup and eating their breakfast. However, before they could finish their respective dishes, something wrong was happening as there was a collective large cry followed by things randomly floating and the visible space around them fluctuating. Although Ash did ignore it long enough to stab the waffle straight out of the air because damn it if he doesn't finish a perfectly good syrup covered waffle.
"We need to get out! Now!" Katy panicked as everybody in the room evacuated the café and found the source upon doing do. A group of psyducks were having migraines setting each other off, making a perpetual series of psychic power enhanced headaches of the worst kind. Grass was being ripped out of the ground, trees bent or broke into splinters, and the ground moving like rippling water. Everyone was stuck in awe at the display. While initially shocked like everybody else, Ash shook it off the quickest as he bit into his waffle before grabbing a Pokeball.
"Grotle, I choose you!" Out came his grass starter.
"Grotle!" He roared his name. He was a little off put by the psychic display he was seeing, but he bravely stood his ground.
"Use Razor Leaf!" Ash commanded. The bushes on the Grove Pokémon's backs started glowing before sending a barrage of leaves in their direction. However, as soon as the leaves entered the distorted radius, they stopped in motion and were sent back. The humans and Lopunny further panicked and dodged as much of the leaves as they could. Katy's dress was unfortunately littered with holes from the redirected attack while the teenager's clothes were also cut, but no bodily harmed. Ash sighed as he tried taking a bite, but nothing was there. He gazed at where used to be an almost finished waffle, and looked down to see it and the fork head on the ground, apparently sliced off. "Aww man." He complained. "Well, if Grotle can't get to them, there's nothing we can do."
"I'll head to Solaceon Town for help." Katy told them. "Are you coming with me?"
"We're heading to Veilstone City." Dawn told the waitress.
"Oh, that will help even more!" She gasped. "Go get Officer Vinny! I'll see if I can get another officer here!" And with that, Katy ran back to Solaceon Town.
"Come on Dawn, we need to quell this." Ash recommended.
"Right." She agreed as they returned their Pokémon and fled the area.
A/N: Well, what'd you think of this series of events between the two cities? I think starting in Hearthome and after that's when Pokémon start evolving commonly. If they evolve in their 20's and 30's. I especially liked tweaking munchlax's entry. Also, Ash finally has a full team of six Pokémon on hand now. Although this isn't his final six. And he will capture some more from here on, if for the sake of Pokedex stuff rather than battling purposes. Tell me what you think in the reviews below.