POKEMON HEART SOUL ADVENTURES
Welcome back! I hope this chapter does not come too late for you, and I welcome you back to my Pokemon story, which is just now beginning to accelerate! This chapter will give you quite a few surprises, and I'm sure many of you will be impatient to know how things will evolve later... believe me, there will be quite a lot of happenings from now on, and the story will take on a more frenetic rhythm!
But I'm not gonna say too much right now. Just... enjoy the new chapter, and let me know how well I'm doing! For that matter, I apologize for some mistakes that had slipped in the latest chapters, but it's been quite a long time since I last saw the last Kanto episodes, and I forgot some details... and with the kind of life I have, I had little time to sit there and rewatch them. I'll try to be more accurate from now on, okay?
That said, enjoy the new chapter!
oooooooooo
Chapter 8 - Max's First Pokemon
Morning had come early enough for Canalave City, and a well-known trio of female trainers was already sitting around a table, enjoying breakfast and chatting among themselves like the longtime friends they were...
"Gee... maybe one day you should explain to Candice how you do that, Maylene..." Candice, Snowpoint City's Gym Leader, commented with a sigh. Bth Gym Leaders had stopped there for the night to keep company to their friend Zoey, as they waited for the day where, hopefully, the red-haired coordinator could have taken the ship to Hoenn. At that moment, the pink-haired martial artist was still proudly wearing her everyday clothes - a blue sleeveless shirt and a pair of baggy training pants! It looked like Candice had failed to rope her into her afternoon shopping spree...
"You managed not to buy a single dress... and not even a pair of shoes, at that! Despite the fact that I and Zoey have spent the whole afternoon dragging you around the shops! You must have some strategy of sorts to do that, because Candice does not know any other girl who could manage that!" the Ice Pokemon expert said, keeping referring to herself in third person as she gave Maylene's clothing a second look.
For her part, Maylene was unperturbed. "Hehee... what can I say, Candice, you know I was never into shopping. Especially when it comes to dresses and shoes!" she explained. "You see, that's a way of training for me... walking everywhere lightly dressed and with no shoes. It helps the body adapt to any adversity!"
"It also helps catching one heck of a cold, for that matter..." Zoey joked after taking a sip from a ot cup of tea. "Really, Maylene, I understand that keeping fit is important for a martial artist, but don't you think you're kinda overdoing it? I mean, you've walked all the way from Veilstone City to Snowpoint... and it was chilling! I'm not surprised you were sneezing like nobody's business when you got there!"
"Er..." the pinkette answered, feeling embarassed all of a sudden for what she considered a poor showing. "Well... that was simply a demonstration of weakness on my side! If... if I had trained better, I would have been waltzing through the snow like though a grassy field! I just have to attune my body to bad weather, that's all!"
"Or maybe wear a jacket, Candice believes it would be more practical..." Candice answered as she flipped a jet black pigtail past her shoulder. "Well, no matter... all that counts is, we've spent another afternoon together and we had fun. Right, Zoey?"
"Yeah, you're right!" Zoey answered, smiling in satisfaction. "It's good to just get away from everything, sometimes, before getting on another adventure! And, since you were there, I didn't even risk getting bored! Thanks for staying, girls, I really appreciated it!"
"Reall, Zoey, it was nothing!" Maylene answered with a shrug. "We had fun as well, after all... it was a nice afternoon, even though Candice here tried to drag me into her shopping spree..."
Candice chuckled and showed the palms of her hands. "A pity Maylene is incorruptible on that!"
The three girl were still happily chatting among themselves, with Candice doing the most of the talking, when a TV near their table suddently began transmitting some breaking news, which caused more than a few heads to turn that way. Zoey, Candice and Maylene did so as well, both out of curiosity and alarm - it was probably something serious...
"Huh? What's going on there?" the red-haired coordinator asked herself, her eyes somewhat narrowed. As soon as she said that, the announcer's face appeared on the screen and began giving out the news, with a professional's detached and neutral tone.
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. We apologize for interrupting the regular broadcast. This special edition of the Sinnoh Pokemon News is on air to give you the news of a serious accident which happened not more than an hour ago at Snowpoint City, in the northern region of Sinnoh."
Candice widened her eyes in horror, affixing them on the TV screen, and stood up from her chair... and even Zoey and Maylene froze. Something had happened to their friend's hometown? Something serious enough to merit a special edition? The answer came but two seconds after that, in the form of a shocking video showing a huge avalanche detaching itself from a side of the mountain and falling upon the city, drowning a part of it under a freezing white wave!
"A snowslide of unexpected size has just fallen from the side of the mountain near which Snowpoint City, hitting the western side of the city." the announcer spoke, as the images continued showing up on the screen, keeping everybody's eyes glued to them. "Experts had not foreseen the possibility that such a tragic event could take place, and the city was caught completely off guard. For obvious reasons, no estimation has been done as of yet of the damage sustained by thecity, but losses of life are feared. The rescue teams are on their way to Snowpoint City as we speak, and will surely do their best to save as many as possible... and Sinnoh's Elite Four have just proclaimed an emergency reunion, to discuss about the causes of such a tragic event. At the moment, though, we are still receiving confused and lacking news. We will keep you updated in future news bullettins..."
Candice pushed her chair away from hair, looking like she was trying to keep panic and anxiety at bay, and barely managing to do so. Not that Zoey and Maylene could blame her, of course... they would have been quite upset themselves if they knew that something so serious had happened to their hometowns...
Without waiting for the news bullettin to end, Candice turned to her friends. "G-girls... I... I'm sorry, but... I can't stay here anymore!" she said, her words coming out haltingly because of her shock. "I... I have to go back to... Snowpoint... and help with the rescue operations. I... I'm sorry for leaving you here, but..."
"Hold on a sec, Candice!" Maylene exclaimed, standing up herself. "I'm coming with you! My Fighting Pokemon can help with the rescue operations, and anyway... I can't just stay here and do nothing!"
"I'm coming too." Zoey said, without hesitating. "Candice, Maylene... I'm coming to Snowpoint with you."
Candice sighed and shook her head. "Zoey, you don't have to do that for us, really..." she murmured, now somewhat calmer. "You need to take your ship to Hoenn, right? So... just go, and don't worry about us. We'll mahage... somehow!"
But the red-haired coordinator shook her head. "Not a chance... what kind of friend would I be if I went on my way while you're dealing with such a serious problem? No, I'm coming as well, I can help out at least a little! My journey to Hoenn can wait." she said, shrugging at the end. "For now, the important thing is to go back to Snowpoint City and help out as much as we can. Girls, do you happen to know if there's some ship to Snowpoint departing from here? Provided Snowpoint's port is still working..."
"Snowpoint was hit in its western side, so... the port should have survived, more or less." Candice answered. "Anyway... yeah, there should be some ship going there. After all, Snowpoint City is quite an important town. Now, I just hope we don't have to wait too long... anyway, thanks a lot, Zoey! I really can't thank you enough for your kindness..."
"About what? It's the least I can do, for a friend..." Zoey answered. "Alright then, we're off to the port. Let's see what we can do..."
Maylene nodded. "Okay... I think there's a ship in one hour, we have just enough time to grab our bags and catch a ticket."
"It's settled, then." Zoey concluded. "Candice, do not worry! Whatever happens, we're at your side!"
Candice managed to smile weakly as Zoey placed a hand on her shoulder in encouragement. "Thanks, Zoey... Maylene... you're really helping! Right, girls, let's make haste and go to the port! We have to hurry up!"
"Great, Candice! That's the spirit!" Maylene exclaimed, happy to see her friend not giving in to her understandable anguish. Now, the only thing they had to hope for was that there was something they could do once in Snowpoint City...
oooooooooo
"Okay, Mudkip... use Tackle!" Max exclaimed as his sarter dodged an attack and got on his opponent's side. At the moment he was fighting a Pokemon looking like a wolf or hyena cub, with somewhat long grey fur going into black on his face and paws. His ears were pointed, and his eyes were yellow with red irises, a similarly colored nose, and fangs slightly protruding from his lower jaw. It was clearly a Poochyena, one of Hoenn's most common Pokemon, and a common choice for beginning trainers.
Mudkip chirped his own name and threw himself at Poochyena as soon as the latter tried to attack again. With a powerful shoulder blow, the small Water Pokemon slammed on his opponent, causing him to buckle and fall to the ground with a frustrated yip. However, Poochyena got up quickly, shook himself and stood on guard again, while Mudkip leapt backwards to get some safety distance. By the side, May was looking with palpable pride at her younger brother's first battle... it was like going back in time, back when she was a beginning coordinator clumsily trying to train her Torchic...
"Pooch!" Poochyena barked and leapt at Mudkip in an attempt to hit him with a Tackle attack himself... and this time, the small Water Pokemon was not fast enough to dodge and was struck head-on, dropping to the ground with a short pained yelp. Luckily for him and Max, Mudkip was far more resilient than his small size could suggest, and managed to climb to his feet a few seconds later.
"You okay, Mudkip?" the bespectacled boy asked in worry, seeing that his Pokemon was beginning to take a few hits too many. "Can... can you still fight?"
"Mud, mudkip!" Mudkip answered as he turned to his trainer and nodded. Then, he quickly turned to Poochyena, who was getting ready for another attack. Max, May and Mudkip saw the small grey hyena throwing his head back and howling, which seemed to invigorate him somehow.
"Okay, bro... be careful now!" May warned him, recognizng the move. "That was a Howl attack, which raises Poochyena's attack power. Try to keep Mudkkip from getting hit!"
Max nodded, signaling to his older sister that he had the situation under control, then motioned to Mudkip to back away a little, until his starter ended up in front of a large bush. The young boy frowned, looking at Poochyena and waiting for him to use his next attack, which obviously was not long in the coming...
In fact, one second later, the hyena cub tried another Tackle attack, launching himself at Mudkip in an attack that Max had long seen coming. He and Mudkip reacted quickly, and the small Water Pokemon ducked as soon as Poochyena began jumping towards him. The Bite Pokemon, at that point, had taken too much speed to halt, and ended up leaping towards Mudkip, flying above him, missing him by just a couple inches, and landing straight into the bush Mudkip had backed away in front of!
"Alright! Just as I hoped!" Max exclaimed, flashing a victorious smile. "Now, Mudkip! Hit him with Mud Slap!"
"Mudkip!" his starter answered happily. As Poochyena tried to somehow get free from the tangle of branches and leaves he had jumped into, Mudkip aimed for just a split second and moved one of his front paws in an arc, launching some mud into the hyena cub's face and blinding him for a moment! Poochyena growled in rage and frustration, and tried to shake the mud away with his front paws, but there wasn't much he could do before Max threw his Pokeball at him.
"Great, Mudkip!" Max exclaimed. "And now, capture time! Go!"
The Pokeball flew and hit Poochyena as he was still trying to get out of the bush, absorbing the hyena cub inside of itself before closing with a sudden metallic sound. May and Max watched the Pokeball swaying from one side to the other, holding their breaths in expectation... and finally, the spheric device stopped, and the red light that had lit up on the conjunction between the two halves turned off, finally sealing Poochyena inside! Max had managed to catch his first wild Pokemon!
"Yes... yes, I did it!" Max cheered, reaching his Pokeball and grabbing it in one hand before lifting it up in the air in triumph! "I caught my first Pokemon! Awesome!"
"Mudkip! Mudkip!" Mudkip echoed, happily jumping around as he took part in his trainer's joy. May, for her part, stood up from the rock she was sitting on and applauded.
"Well done, Max! Good job, Mudkip! You managed to catch your first Pokemon! That was really impressive, you know? I don't think I ever saw anyone catch a Poochyena so skillfully at their first attempt!" the brunette lauded them.
Max stratched Mudkip on the top of his head to thank him for his effort... then, with a somewhat uppity attitude, he stood up and adjusted his glasses. "Well, sis, not to gloat, but... being around Pokemon experts before I started my journey did help." he said. "And it's also thanks to the tactic I and Mudkip had worked out... the secret to Pokemon battles is having the right strategy! Isn't it, Mudkip?"
"Mud, kip!" the small starter said, tilting his head on one side. May giggled, but before she could say anything else, another voice intruded into the conversation - a calm female voice tinted with sarcasm and a little bit of annoyance.
"Hm. So much rejoicing over a Poochyena?" the small girl making her way through the bush said, looking at the two sibling with detachment. "If you really have to boast, do that after catching, like, a Bagon or a Dratini. A Poochyena, to be frank, is nothing to write home about."
"Huh? Hey, hold on a second there!" Max protested as he turned to the one who had spoken: a short and slender girl about his same age, who was still holding herself with some air of authority, and whose face, while cute, was wearing an expression of indifference and superiority. She had shoulder-length dark red hair, with a rebellious curl on top of her head, and was wearing a short-sleeved green shirt with a white collar, sky blue shorts, and pink sandals with ribbons on the enlacements - which somewhat contrasted with the 'tough girl' image she was probably trying to convey. Following her was a Treecko with bright emerald scales and holding a blade of grass between his teeth.
"Who are you, by the way? I don't think I ever saw you before." Max asked her with a frown. Truth be told, he remembered seeing her, for a few seconds, among the newbie trainers queuing up before Prof. Birch's lab, but he hadn't thought much of it...
The short girl cleared her throat, and Max could detect a hint of apology seeping in her manner. "Okay, I beg your pardon. Guess I wasn't exactly in a position to criticize. My name is Hilde, and I'm a beginning Pokemon trainer as well." she said, before sparing Max's starter a glance. "Hm. So I heard you like Mudkips. I'm not much into Water Pokemon, but to each his own, I guess. I just wanted to say that capturing a Pokemon as common as a Poochyena isn't a good reason to boast. It's just a first step on the way to the Hoenn conference."
Max and Mudkip looked at each other in puzzlement, then looked at May, who just showed the palms of her hands as if to say that she didn't know what to say. "Actually... Hilde, was it?" the boy with the glasses answered. "Actually, I and Mudkip didn't think there was anything wrong with celebrating a little after catching my first pokemon. We know it won't be easy to go that far, but we don't have to be that serious about it, right?" Another thing that confused him was the fact that, although he must certainly have recognized his sister standing right there with him, Hilde didn't seem to be interested in the fact that she was meeting a small-time Hoenn celebrity. "And anyway, Hilde... you and your Treecko, have you already caught any Pokemon?"
Hilde stood silent for a while, as if debating within herself whether to answer that question or not, then she shrugged and decided that it couldn't hurt to be honest here. "Just a Wurmple, for now. Nothing really special, I just wanted to go to the nearest Pokemon Center to let him rest for a while, and then I'll start training him. You'd do well to have your Mudkip and Poochyena rest a little as well. You never know when they'll have to fight again."
Still surprised by the girl's serious and unenthusiastic tone, Max nodded without really thinking too much about it. "Alright, I was going to do that anyway. If you're okay with it, we might go there together now, what about it?"
"Whatever." Hilde answered, her expression not changing one bit. "Since you're asing me, I'm okay with it. The Pokemon Center is this way."
With that, Hilde recall her Treecko into her Pokeball and led the way towards the nearest Pokemon Center, only turning for a brief second to motion to May, Max and Mudkip to follow her. The siblings and the Water Pokemon followed suit, still wondering about her aloof attitude.
"Really, Max, I never saw such a serious kid in your age group..." May said, wiping some dust off her shorts. "You saw her around here, by chance?"
"Sort of, sis..." Max answered as he recalled Mudkip. "I saw that girl just a few times before today, and I really don't know her... she's a strange girl, always brooding on her own... and don't ask me why, but she always looks like she's angry or something. She's never aggressive, to be fair... she just seems to want to keep her distance."
"I see. Well, she's sure a strange girl..." May commented. "I kinda think we'll be meeting her quite a few times from now on. Who's to say, you two might even become the new rivalry in town! Hehehee..."
"Ooookay..." Max answered with a sigh. "Sometimes, sis, I don't know where you come up with such ideas. To be fair, though, I wouldn't dislike the idea."
As the improvised trio continued on their way to the Pokemon Center, Hilde took her second Pokeball out of her belt and looked at it for some time... before cracking a small, prideful smile which broke through her aloof appearence.
"Well... welcome in my team, Wurmple!" she murmured to herself, as if wanting to make sure nobody could hear her. "You can bet I'll make a magnificent Pokemon out of you, that's a promise."
oooooooooo
With a loud squeal from its sirens, the large ship departed from Canalave Port, leaving the big city and a large crowd of people waving goodbye behind it. Luckily, the weather problems keeping ships from going to Hoenn did not seem to effect the journeys to Kanto, and the ship was able to leave on time... much to the joy of Ash, Dawn and Brock, who were now standing on the ship's upper bridge, watching as Sinnoh, with all of its legends and adventures, faded into the background. The smell of salty water was flowing into their nostrils, and the water spraying all around the ship created a few iridescent shadows all around, reflecting the rays of the morning sun.
"Aaaah, it sure feels great to have the wind blowing in your face as the ship is sailing!" Dawn commented, not even bothering to hide her excitement. After all, that was her first time on a ship, and her first journey to a new continent.
"We can understand that, Dawn... we were just as excited when we sailed for the first time!" Ash answered. Looking around himself, the black-haired boy could see that the bridge was not very crowded - there was more than enough space to let their Pokemon out of the Pokeballs and let them enjoy the wind and the sun as well. "By the way, guys, maybe we should let out our Pokemon? I think they would like that!"
"Pika chu... pika pika chu!" Pikachu nodded and pointed to a practically empty space not far away from the team. It was the ideal place to let their Pokemon out without risking obstructing people on the bridge.
Brock nodded as he extracted his Pokeballs. "Hmmm... yeah, I think that's a good idea!" he agreed. "Alright, guys, you can come out and stretch a little!"
"You too, guys! Enjoy this beautiful scene!" Dawn commented as she and Ash let their Pokemon out. In a hail of luminous beams, the team's Pokemon came out one after the other: Sudowoodo, Croagunk, Happiny and Gible; Piplup, Buneary, Pachirisu, Mamoswine, Ambipom and Togekiss; and finally, Staraptor, Gliscor, Sceptile, Heracross and Infernape! The three friends' teams were all in front of them, and each Pokemon let out his call the moment they appeared in front of their trainer.
"Hi, guys!" Ash exclaimed happily. "We thought you'd like to say goodbye to Sinnoh yourselves, before the ship gets away..."
Almost all the Pokemon turned around to watch as Canalave City, with all its modern building mixed seamlessly with the more traditional style houses, the golden beaches and the green areas dotting the city. As they watched the city getting farther and farther from them, it really seemed like a chapter of their lives had ended, and another one was about to begin...
However, one of the Pokemon did not seem that interested in such thoughts... in fact, Gible suddently and sneakily crept behind Piplup and, after smirking mischievously for a split second, clamped his jaws shut on the blue penguin's short tail!
"Gib!"
"Pip? Pipluuuuuup!" Piplup chirped, frantically moving his short wings in pain as he tried to shake off the ravenous little dragon. Immediately, Ash, Pikachu, Dawn and Brock turned away from watching the ever-shrinking city on the horizon, and to the two Pokemon, who were by now the center of all attention!
"Oh, gosh... Piplup!" Dawn exclaimed as she tried to help out her starter.
"Gible! Let Piplup go!" Brock followed. A split second later, the small landshark relinquished his hold on Piplup, who immediately stepped away... and stood there looking at a comically swollen red tail! Chirping in indignation, Piplup showed his tail to Ash, Pikachu and Dawn as well, who grit their teeth in sympathy. Gible's teeth sure could leave a mark!
"Pika pi! Pikachu pi pika pi chu..." Pikachu squeaked, rubbing his forehead with one of his paws.
"I agree, Pikachu, I wouldn't like to be bitten as well..." Ash answered. "For crying out loud, the little guy even munched on a Pokeball..."
"Gible, that will not do." Brock scolded his newest Pokemon, gently but firmly. "You ought to say sorry to Piplup, don't you think so?"
The Ground/Dragon Pokemon grunted and took on a vaguely guilty expression, as if his trainer's words had finally managed to make him understand he was doing something wrong, and Brock sighedtiredly, understanding that, once he had a little time on his hands, Gible's training needed to be taken care of...
oooooooooo
Somewhere else on the ship, though, a trio of familiar-looking cleaners was hard at work washing the bridge, and were apparently caught up in their work. However, if one had seen the girl's long fucsia hair, the boy's light blue ones, and the third person's unusually short size, he could probably have had a few suspects, provided he was familiar enough with a certain goofy criminal trio...
"Phew... darn, Meowth, did we really have to end up as floor-washers on the same ship as the twerps?" Jessie murmured, leaving her work for a while and looking at her left hand. "I mean, all this brushing and washing makes my hands hurt, and it's the second time in a day I broke a nail! I'm beginning to regret suggesting this as a way to sneak onboard..."
"Well, if you were willing to sneak in with the suitcases and enjoy the heat and the darkness for the whole journey..." Meowth shot back. "Just quit your bellyaching, Jessie, we'll have to make do! Look at James boy there, he sure doesn't complain! He knows that we have to just bear it for now, right, James?"
The talking Pokemon stood in wait for his human friend's answer, which strangely enough did not come...
"James?" Meowth asked. "Hey, James? I asked you a question, haven't ya heard?"
"Uuuuuugh..." James answered, sounding like he was more dead than alive! When Meowth and Jessie turned to him, they saw that the reason for his lack of a response was more than obvious - James was bent over the ship's railing, and had given up on any attempt to hold down his breakfast! Evidently, the goofy criminal was not cut out for a sailor's life...
"Ugh... sorry, guy, but I couldn't take it anymore..." James wheezed, turning back to his friends and reveal a stunned expression with swirly spirals in the place of eyes! "All this moving and rolling... I'm never going to get used to it!"
Jessie wrinkled her nose in disgust, and a huge sweatdrop poured down Meowth's head! "J-James! For crying out loud, we couldn't have a little more discretion now, could we?" the red-haired criminal exclaimed. "And you're supposed to be a sailor on a transoceanic ship! At least try to look the part, instead of getting seasick!"
"Yeah, now she tells us we have to act like sailors..." Meowth muttered. "Good job practicing what you preach, Jessie girl..."
James took out a bottle of water and drank from it to wash away the horrific taste left in it. "I'm sorry, Jessie, but... I really can't help it, I get seasick easily!" he weakly excused himself.
Jessie sighed and shook her head. "At least try not to let yourself be seen, okay? That way, you're gonna give yourself away in no time!" she answered. "Well, let's not talk about this, and get back to work, before we draw some more attention. Getting thrown overboard is not in my list of priorities for now!"
"Just bear it, guys... we just need to grit our teeth a little longer, and then we'll be back in Kanto, so try not to get nervous now." Meowth warned. "Once we're there, we can work up a nice little plan of attack... and the twerps will not get away this time! We'll catch Pikachu and return to the boss!"
"SAILORS!"
A stern, loud voice recalled the three, who immediately stood up in surprise and turned to the commanding officer who had just spoken, standing on a railway some ten feet above them. In a moment of panic, they all did a military salute and held their brooms as if they were guns...
"Y-yessir!" they all exclaimed in unison, smiling nervously and hoping that the captain had not overheard anything...
"You are not getting paid to chit-chat and stand idle on the bridge!" the captain called them out severely. "You all get back to work, now!"
"YESSIR!" Jessie, James and Meowth answered, secretly sighing in relief for not having been caught...
oooooooooo
After taking a good look at the papers he had just received, Giovanni carefully placed them at his side on the desk he was working at. For a man such as him, a rich manager leading one of the most famous criminal organizations in the world, it was an everyday job to go through a stack of important documents. He needed to be well-informed on what was going on wherever Team Rocket had some working bases, and on the rival organizations' activities. And judging from what he had just read, some happening around the world deserved his attention...
"Hmm... so, it seems that the infamous Pokemon Hunter J has been hired by someone else... despite having been thought dead in an incident in the Sinnoh continent. How interesting." he said to himself, his mouth slightly raised in a grin. He had never hired J's services, but he know her reputation well enough... a merciless Pokemon huntress, and a mercenary who would have done any dirty work for the right price. Still, she was someone who knew her job... and whoever had hired her, was definitely rich and wanted the job to be carried out without mistakes. A pity there were no information on her new boss as of yet.
"Well, this only confirms my suspicions. There is some big prize on the line here." the Team Rocket boss reason. Giovanni was a man between forty and fifty years old who still looked somewhat younger than he was, with smooth black hair and a tough, cruel face befitting of the leader of a criminal organization. He was dressed in elegant beige clothes with black shoes, a white shirtunderneath and a red necktie, and he was constantly in the company of a large Persian who was now lazily lying at his side, enjoying the occasional petting. He was known for being ruthlessly efficient, and for his shrewd, pragmatic business sense... the fact that no Kanto or Johto police was willing to move against him, despite his well-known status as the Team Rocket leader, was a testimony to this!
Giovanni raised his head from the papers as he heard the door to his office slowly opening... and his best spy slowly entered the room with a somewhat haughty, while still respectful, pacing: a blonde, harmless-looking girl wearing a black Team Rocket uniform, complete with hat and a capital red R on the front! Giovanni smiled thinly as his most efficient spy, Domino, stepped in front of his desk and bowed in respect.
"I came as soon as I could, sir." she greeted. "Domino, Team Rocket's top spy and saboteur, reporting for duty! Tell me, sir... what mission do you have for me?"
"Wecome back, Domino. Professional as always, I see." Giovanni greeted back, stroking his Persian's soft, spotlessly white fur and causing the huge cat Pokemon to purr gently. "Very well... this will be a simple enough mission, but one who requires some care and forethought. A lor more could be at stake than it appears at first, and that's why I called for you in particular. I know you are the most qualified Team Rocket agent for this job."
Domino closed her eyes and smiled with professional pride. "I appreciate the high esteem you hold me in, sir. What's this job about, to be exact?"
Giovanni cleared his throat and began explaining. "Recently, there have been some strange happenings in the continent of Sinnoh. According to my sleeper agents, not much more than two months ago, an event whose particulars are still unknown threatened to disrupt the balance of our world. Two incredibly powerful Legendary Pokemon were about to be unleashed, but Team Galactic's - that's the name of the organization behind this event - plan was foiled at the last possible moment by the intervention of the Sinnoh League champion Cynthia, and of a few other trainers whose identities are still unknown to me. What piqued my curiosity was what happened afterwards... a third party has begun sending agents in several parts of the world, to carry out research operations in places of importance... in particular, as of now, it seems that their research is concentrating on Mount Ember, in the Sevii Islands. I presume you know what I'm talking about."
"Indeed, I do..." Domino answered readily. "That's a group of seven - actually nine, but two of these are little more than glorified emerging rocks - islands near the Equator. Halfway between Kanto and the Orange Islands, to be exact. It's a place where there are no important active organizations, and it has been mostly ignored until now. So the question is, why is this new organization so interested in this place?"
Giovanni clasped his hands in front of himself and nodded. "Very well, Domino. I see you've already understood the whole point." the Team Rocket boss affirmed. "The fact that this nw organization is conentrating on a place that had been mostly ignored for now is quite puzzling. Your mission is to get to Knot Island, the northest island of the archipelago, and try to understand what the new organization is looking for. If you can gather information on some of its key members or leader, that's a welcome bonus. I presume that for someone as skilled and crafty as you are, it shouldn't be that difficult... correct?"
Domino saluted, showing no hesitation. "Correct, sir! You can count on me, I'll discover these mysterious peoples identities, and what they want!" the blonde answered. "I will leave for Sevii Islands as soon as I'm ready. Are there... special equipments I ought to carry with me for the job?"
Giovanni nodded in satisfaction. "Very good... this is exactly what I wanted to hear from you, Domino!" he answered. "In fact, our scientists have created a new kind of tracking and recording device that could be very useful for discovering new things about this group. Before you leave for Sevii Islands, you'd do well to pay our Celadon laboratories a visit. Also, I'd like to inform you that the new organization has hired the services of Pokemon Hunter J. Be on your guard, she can be quite the nasty customer, and her Pokemon are quite powerful, or so I heard. I know you're not the kind of person to underestimate a potential enemy, but it never hurts to be warned."
"I know, sir! I will not be caught off guard!" Domino concluded, bowing again before her boss dismissed her. The teenaged spy left her boss' office, only turning back one last time to salute him before exiting from the same door she had come in from.
Giovanni's Persian yawned lazily and groomed his fur, as his trainer / owner smirked again and scratched him behind one of his ears and looked at a map of the Sevii Islands with glee. Two red marks had been highlighted on the map - Knot Island, and another place, where it seemed there was nothing but a floating rock...
"Excellent, really. Bad weeds should be eradicated quickly, before they get annoying." Giovanni said with grim satisfaction. "Admittedly, it will take time before the plan really goes anywhere, but we can't have everything, now can we? If things go smoothly enough, Team Rocket will soon become this world's most powerful organization! Hehehee..."
oooooooooo
Paul had never been the kind of person to stay holed up in a library when he had a chance to train his Pokemon... however, in that particular case, he was willing to make an exception. In the situation he was in, wandering around in search of worthy opponents, without having a definite goal, was not going to help him. He needed to search for a place where he could surely meet dangerous opponents and train his team to near-perfection. Mount Silver was the ideal place for this, but before he went, Paul had to be sure it was really the place he was looking for. Paul had never been one who cared for wasting his time...
And in fact, sitting at a desk in a corner of a Sunyshore City library, the purple-haired boy was carefully reading through a geography book about the various continents of the world. For a moment, his gaze fell upon the chapter regarding the continent of Orre, the country with the worst reputation in the world, considered some sort of Hell on Earth from all other Leagues. For a moment, he thought that the idea of going there might have had merit, as he was obviously going to find trainers who could give him a good fight. Then again, it was not a good idea to disperse one's attention too much, and he needed to concentrate on nearer continents. Besides which, with the bad rep Orre had earned itself thanks to Team Cipher's inhuman experiments, it would have been hard to find a means of transport to that place...
Finally, after thumbing a little through the Kanto chapter, Paul looked at a paragraph... the one about Mount Silver, considered the most dangerous place in that whole continent! A spark of interest lit up in his cold eyes, and the purple-haired boy started reading the chapter with the utmost attention, especially as it listed the Pokemon living in that region. What he read left him satisfied... other than the usual Golbat and Graveler infesting the caves, there were strong and powerful Pokemon like Tyranitar and Metagross wandering around. Obviously, if only he could just meet one of those Pokemon and train against it, his team would likely have benefitted from it!
An almost fierce smile crossed the Sinnoh runner-up's face. Mount Silver it was, then. That was the best place for his new, special training to take place...
oooooooooo
Several hours later...
That evening, in a small town under Mount Moon called Pewter City, a magnetic train coming from Vermilion City stopped at the newly-built station, and the doors opened with a slight noise, allowing the passengers out... in particular, a group of young trainers who tiredly but happily walked out of the train and looked around, admiring the way the town had gotten more modern since the day they had left it.
"I sure didn't know the magnetic train had come all this way... as soon as our ship docked in Vermilion Port, all we had to do was buy a ticket and catch the first train to Pewter City!" Ash commented, looking around himself. The pretty little town where he had faced Brock in his first Gym match seemed to have caught up a little in regards with technology, but still retained that quiet, relaxed feel Ash remembered from his first time there... For a second, his mind wandered to Solidad, the coordinator who had won Hoenn's Grand Festival and who, like Brock, was born in Pewter City... who knew where she was and what she was doing at that moment?
He didn't dwell on that for long, though. Evening was quickly approaching, and they needed to find a place for the night...
Diverse ore dopo...
"Well, guys..." Brock said as he looked wistfully at the Gym which was already visible in the distance. "I guess you can all be my guests for today! I think my family will be glad to see us all again... after all this time!" As he spoke, a contented yet bittersweet smile was appearing on the young Rock Pokemon expert's face. Ash knew how much his longtime friend cared about his family, and he could imagine that this was a moment of great emotion and significance for him. He was about to meet again with his parents and his many little siblings...
As the trio stood by the train station, getting away from the crowd to look at the modernized Pewter City, Pikachu hopped down from Ash's shoulder and motioned for them to follow him, impatient to see once again a place who had remained in his heart as well. "Pika pi! Pika ka! Pika pika chu! Pi pika, pika pi chu! Pika!" he squealed, motioning to them with one of his small paws.
Ash chuckled and rubbed the back of his head as he turned back to reality. "Hehehee... looks like Pikachu too can't wait for a little rest! C'mon, guys, let's get going! And... thanks for the invitation, Brock! I'm sure I will really be glad to see your family again. And you, Dawn... I'm sure you'll like them as well!"
"I have no problem believing it!" the blue-haired girl replied happily as the trio, following an enthusiastic Pikachu, began walking to the main square. It was all very reminescent of the first time Ash had been there... the museum, the roads, the houses... it was like going back in time...
And, the trio of friends were sure of this, it was just the start of a new, exciting adventure!
oooooooooo
TO BE CONTINUED...
Author's Note: And so, our trio is finally back in Kanto, which means that the much-awaited for reunion between Ash and Misty is only a few chapters away! Before that, though, we have to deal with a very nasty surprise in the form of the avalanche that hit Snowpoint City, and the mess Zoey, Candice and Maylene now find themselves in. On a lighter note, Max has begun his Pokemon journey, and he seems to have already met a potential rival in the form of Hilde... there sure are quite a lot of things to keep track of, not the least of which is Paul deciding to train on Mt. Silver!
I had fun writing thischapter, and I hope I can get another one on track in a matter of two-three weeks. Of course, it all depends whether school lets me update that quickly, as I've got quite a lot of work to do...
Well, that's about it for now! See you soon, I hope!