POKEMON HEART SOUL ADVENTURES
Welcome back! I tried to update as soon as I could, but life has been kinda hectic, and I haven't been able to work on this story as much as I would have liked. Add to this that I've had a bout with depression and... well, you know how these things go.
But now I'm back, and ready to continue! I don't have much to say, actually, except... enjoy our trip back to the origins, to Pewter City, and let's see how many of you can recognize an old face that will make his comeback in this chapter! Of course, it won't be all fun and games, since Zoey and her friends are facing quite a problematic situation...
Anyway, without further ado, let's continue our story! Happy reading!
oooooooooo
Chapter 9 - Back To Pewter City
Pewter City's Gym had not really changedthat much since the last time Brock had been there... and obviously, not as much as when Brock's mom, who had reappeared out of nowhere after a long time, had had the extravagant idea of turning it into a Water-themed Gym! Now, Pewter Gym retain its essential yet functional appearence, its neutral rocky hue and its walls of unrefined stone that already spoke of what the challengers could expect to find inside. The only thing looking out of place were the flamboyant decorations Lola had placed all that time ago!
Still, that was not what Ash, Pikachu and Dawn were looking at at the moment, as they were more busy looking with undeniable satisfaction at Brock getting surrounded and greeted by his numerous younger siblings!
"Hahahahaaa... hey, hey, calm down, little guys! I'm here, and I'm not vanishing into thin air!" the young future Pokemon breeder laughed as he bent down to receive hugs from all his younger siblings. "So, kids, how's it going? I can see you're doing well... have you been good kids? You haven't made Mommy and Daddy mad, have you? Hehehee... yeah, I'm happy to see you too! It's great to be back home after such a long time!"
"Big borther Brock, is it true you've been to Hoenn and Sinnoh?" one of the kids happily asked, curious to know more about that. "What Pokemon did you see?"
"You did catch some Pokemon, didn't you?" another of his siblings asked, before pointing to Dawn. "And who's the pretty young lady there?"
Dawn sweatdropped and scratched her cheek in embarassment. "Well... guess I should feel happy about this, it's the first time someone close to my age compliments me like this..."
"C'mon, kids, one thing at a time!" Brock answered, greeting his little siblings one by one. "I'm back from a long journey, and I have a lot of things to tell you, so... let's take it easy for now, okay?"
"You're right, my boy! I think you'll have all the time to tell us about your adventures when we're in front of a warm dinner and a glass of fresh water, right?" A friendly voice from the Gym's entrance was heard. Brock felt a pang of both happiness and nostalgia gripping at his heart when he glanced up... and there were his parents, coming out of the Gym to greet the young trainers! "Welcome back home, son!"
"Dad... Mom..." Brock murmured, clearly moved. "I'm... very happy to be back home as well. Many things happened both in Hoenn and in Sinnoh... and I'm just waiting to tell you all about it! By the way... Ash and a friend of mine from Sinnoh are here as well! Come, guys!"
"Oh, right! I do remember Ash!" Brock's mom Lola, a youthful-looking lady with an extravagant streak and a passion for decorating, said as Ash, Pikachu and Dawn came closer. "And his Pikachu as well! And what about this fine young lady, Brock? She's the friend from Sinnoh, right?"
"Exactly." Brock answered as Ash, Pikachu and Dawn all bowed in a polite greeting. "Dawn is a Pokemon coordinator from Sinnoh, and the winner of the latest Grand Festival! I don't know if you've watched it on TV..."
"Sadly, no, we didn't really have the time to watch it..." Lola sighed. "Which is a bit of a pity, really... those competitions are always so spectacular!"
Flint, Brock and his many siblings' father, chuckled gently. "I had a feeling you would say that, honey... Coordinator contests are just the kind of competition you'd like... it's a shame they haven't been localized in Kanto and Johto as well." he commented.
"Well... actually, now that I think of it, I could help Pokemon contests get localized her as well!" Dawn pointed out, having had the idea just at that moment. "By the way, my name is Dawn. I'm very glad to meet you, Mrs... erm..."
"Lola. Just call me Lola, dear, we don't really care for such formalities!" Brock's mom answered. "And... he's my husband, Flint! We've both been Gym Leaders in our time, though now our second son Forrest has taken up the mantle in Pewter City's Gym."
"Pleased to meet you as well, Dawn! I don't think I ever met anyone from Sinnoh before now..." Flint greeted her. "And, of course, welcome back to you as well, Ash and Pikachu! I can see you've gone a long way since you challenged Brock in this Gym!"
Ash chuckled in embarassment. "Hehee... let's just say, now I know better than to send Pikachu against a Ground-type Pokemon!" the young boy answered, remembering all too well how poorly his first battle against Brock had gone, back when he was still a beginner. Pikachu, on the other hand, shrugged as if to say that what was done was done.
"Pikachu..." the electric mouse squeaked.
Flint chuckled, then he invited everyone into the gym. "Well, but now let's not stay out here... come in, everybody, we can chat better inside, and you can put down all that luggage. We'll also have dinner in about one hour... hey, Lola, do you think we can fit three more people around the table?"
"Of course, dear!" the lady gently answered. "After all, we could fit until now, and there were ten of us... three more won't be a problem! Come on, guys, don't be skittish! We have to celebrate your return!"
Brock smiled brightly as he and his companions, together with Brock's cheering siblings stepped into the Gym and followed Flint and Lola. "With pleasure, Mom!"
As Ash's team excitedly stepped into the gym, they looked around to see just how much the place had changed during all that time. In fact, the Rock-type themed gym had changed just a little more internally than externally, and it didn't have the essential, almost spartan, look it had during Ash's first visit. Now, great arenas of solid stone stood among small paths of levigated earth, with several Ground and Rock type Pokemon standing on them and training, together with some pupils that Forrest had picked up during that time. Ash recognized a Sandslash, an Onix, a Rhyhorn... and, in the largest of the arenas, there was a rather unexpected sight: two Pokemon of completely different sizes facing each other in a training match: a small Geodude waving his short arms in front of himself like a boxer; and an immense Steelix with shining steel scales, hovering like a cobra over the much smaller Geodude and waiting for the right moment to strike! It didn't take long to Ash and Brock to recognize those two Pokemon...
"Hey, dad, those two are..." Brock exclaimed, pointing at the two combatants who were still concentrated on each other. Flint nodded, and Forrest stepped forward and pointed to the arena where the two Pokemon were training.
"Exactly, big bro! Those are your Geodude and your Steelix... they really gave their all in training, as of late!" Forrest told him. "They told us... they wanted to be well-trained for the day you would come home. And so... well, there they are! If you want to greet them, now you have all the time you want to do so!"
"Yeah, I really think I should..." Brock said... before being caught off-guard by a winged purple Pokemon detaching himself from the ceiling and swooping down on him in perfect silence, before wrapping his large wings around him! Brock flinched and stepped backwards, murmuring some incomprehensible words!
"Ugh... what... what on..." he murmured before the flying Pokemon detached himself from his face and began happily flapping his wings in front of him! It was his Crobat, coming to greet his trainer in his own peculiar way and smiling at him with his fang-like teeth! "Crobat! Man, this is a nice surprise! What's with you swooping down from the ceiling? You wanted to play a small prank on me, huh?"
"CROBAAAAT!" the huge bat answered in a shrieking voice.
Forrest chuckled and walked near Crobat, who lowered himself and clung to the young Gym Leader's shoulder, always keeping his wings open. "Hehehee... yeah, he was impatient to see you too, big bro!" he answered. "I think you'll need some time to receive your welcome from all your Pokemon!"
"You're right..." the dark-skinned boy answered. Then, he reached his Crobat and caressed him on the head. "Thanks, Crobat! It's nice to know that there's no place like home!"
oooooooooo
Zoey shivered from the cold as she looked with apprehension towards the horizon, clad in a red winter jacket, waiting for the first signs that Snowpoint City was getting closer. It was already beginning to feel a lot less warm, especially when compared to Canalave's comfortably warm climate, so that was already something... but the red-haired coordinator was still anxious to see how her friend's hometown had withstood the snowslide, and she was hoping for Candice not to be too shocked by that sudden disaster. She seemed to have coped well at the moment of receiving the bad news... but it was impossible to predict how she would react in front of the real thing.
Near Zoey, Maylene was looking in the distance herself, her arms crossed in front of herself. The pink-haired martial artist seemed to share Zoey's thoughts, and she too was hoping Snowpoint City had not been damaged from the avalanche too much. On the TV screen, it was impossible to make an estimate...
On her part, Candice was standing behind her friends, nervously pacing up and down in order to vent her anxiety. It was all too clear to her that Zoey and Maylene were worried sick about her, and while she was glad that her friends cared about her to such an extent, she was also feeling guilty for having dragged them along without even meaning to. But at that point, Candice reflected, it was too late to lament it. She could only hope for her hometown to be more or less in one piece, and for the number of victims to be as low as possible.
Finally, a few minutes later, the first Snowpoint buildings and the city's port area began to be visible from the deck of the ship, surrounded by tall green pine trees and perennial snow. Immediately, Zoey and her friends rushed to the ship's front to see what condition the city was in... and Candice, driven by her worry, leaned out of the deck in a dangerous manner, holding herself with both hands to the railing.
"Hey, Candice, be careful!" Zoey warned her. "Don't lean out so much, or you'll end up falling in the water!"
The girls looked harder to see how the snow-clad city was faring. Even from the ship's deck, it was plain that the city had lost its lively air and its usual high spirits... sure, it was possible to see activity, but ir was the dreary, grim activity immediately after a calamity of some kind, with people trying to help each other to give aid to the injured, clear the roads and take away what remained of the fallen buildings. Among this crowd, it was possible to see a few Pokemon, all trying to help out in their own way. Unfortunately, it was impossible to see clearly just how much the city had been damaged from where the three girls were standing...
"Look, girls, there we are." Maylene commented, noticing that a group of people was waiting by the port. The ship slowed down as it got closer and closer to its destination, while Zoey and her friends secretly thanked their good fortune that Snowpoint Port had not been reached by the avalanche. Finally, the ship stopped and, after a few minutes, the passengers were allowed to dismount. Zoey, Candice and Maylene, trying not to look nervous, got down... and Candice was immediately wrapped in a bear hug by two middle-aged people who were obviously her parents!
"Candice, honey..." her mother, a tall and elegant lady with flowing black hair, wearing a flower-decorated kimono and a pair of traditional geta sandals on white socks, exclaimed as she embraced her daughter. "I'm so glad you're back and you're okay!"
"Mom, Dad... I'm glad you are okay yourselves, I was so afraid..." Candice breathed out in relief, a huge weight being lifted from her soul, as Zoey and Maylene approached. "But... what happened here? How much damage did we get?"
"We still don't know, honey... it's too early to say." Candice's father answered. Despite not being young any more, the man still had a good-looking physique, with short black hair, grey eyes and barely visible beard and moustache. Like his wife, he was wearing dull-colored traditional clothes, and a padded grey hakama in order to protect himself from the icy cold of the region. "They're still looking into that, and they have no explanation for how such a huge mass of snow could have detached from the mountain without any warning. By the way, Candice... that girl here with you, is she that coordinator friend of yours who came here some time ago?"
Candice managed a smile as Zoey stepped forward and bowed. "Yes, daddy... she's Zoey, my friend who took part in the latest Sinnoh Grand Festival... which was her first one, by the way, and she placed second!" she explained to him. "And Maylene... well, you already saw her a few times, right? They both wanted to come, after they heard what happened..."
"Sir..." Zoey introduced herself. "It is a honor for me to meet you, though I'd have preferred it would happen under happier circumstances. I will do all I can to help you repair the damage and help those who need it."
"I'm here for the same reason!" Maylene exclaimed, not about to be left aside. "I and my Fighting Pokemon can help out even with the hardest works!"
The man was briefly amazed by the way the two girls had offered to lend a hand... but just a second later, he cracked a smile and nodded, motioning for them to follow him to the parts of the town that had taken the brunt of the avalanche. "I'm... glad you offered to lend us a hand! Then... please follow me, I'll take you to the damaged quarters!"
"Yes, Daddy..." Candice answered, somewhat sadly. She and her friends separated themselves from the crowd and followed Candice's parents through the snow-covered roads, keeping a serious and solemn expression for all the time - though Maylene found herself shivering for the cold, no thanks to her rather light clothing.
"Well, Maylene... not to be cheeky or anything, but maybe you should have listened to Candice and bought a pair of shoes, at least..." Zoey commented, taking a brief look at the pink-haired girl's constantly unshod feet. "They would have been useful now..."
Maylene sneezed, but remained firm in her resolve. "No... no problem, Zoey!" she replied, trying to sound firm through her chattering teeth. "It's all... training! Weakness going away from your body... ACHOOO!"
"Okay, I won't insist..." Zoey answered with a sigh... and then turned serious again as Candice and her parents stopped in the middle of a small square, and she was allowed to see more clearly how much damage the buildings had really taken from the avalanche. Several building had been crushed by the sheer force of impact and the weight of the snow, with broken wooden planks and broken pieces of furniture jutting out of the snow. It was sheer luck that the Pokemon Center and the Pokemon Market had been spared, but this did not detract from the tragedy of the situation... especially considering there could very well be more people trapped under the snow!
"Oh dear... this is terrible..." Candice murmured, a fist clenched near her heart as she surveyed the devastation. "We have to do something, and fast! There must be other people buried under there, we can't afford to wait! Abomasnow, Mamoswine! Please, come out! There's work to do!"
Snowpoint City's Gym Leader took her Pokeballs out of her belt and threw them in front of herself, letting the massive snowman and the fur-covered wild boar - her most physically powerful Pokemon - appear in front of her, emitting their telltale calls before turning to their trainer, waiting for orders.
"Okay, guys... I'm sorry to call you now that we've just arrived, but we really need your help!" Candice explained. "You saw what happened, right? I... I need your help to move the snow and the debris. You can do it, right?"
Abomasnow smacked a fist of his chest, and Mamoswine nodded seriously before getting to work, starting to dig in the snow as Maylene and Zoey sent out their own Pokemon.
"I'm helping out as well!" Maylene said. "Breloom, Machamp, please come out! Give Candice's Pokemon a hand!"
"Gallade, please come out!" Zoey called out to her strongest Pokemon. The elegant Psychic/Fighting Pokemon came out, and immediately joined Maylene's Pokemon in helping out Mamoswine and Abomasnow, lifting the damaged pieces of furniture and getting the snow out of the way, in order to free whoever could be underneath...
"Well, guess I'd better get a move on..." Maylene added, crucking her knuckles. "Don't worry, Candice... us and our Pokemon will do whatever it takes to help! Be strong... everything will be alright!"
"Thanks, Maylene! Hearing that from you makes it better!" the Ice Gym Leader answered. Her pink-haired friend gave a thumbs-up and a smile before heading off to work alongside her own Pokemon, using her incredible strength to help them move debris and snow. Zoey neared Candice and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, which the black-haired girl accepted gladly before turning her glance to the mountain that, up until then, had been a friend to Snowpoint City's people, and that had now turned into their worst enemy. There was something sinister going on there, Candice was sure of it!
"There is something very strange about this all..." Candice's father affirmed as he turned his eyes to the mountain near which one on Sinnoh's main lakes was situated. "That avalanche... just fell without warning, and nothing gave any indication that this would happen. It's like someone had it fall of his own free will..."
As fa as Candice knew, this might very well have been the case... and while Zoey wasn't the kind of person to believe in local legends, she had to admit that she felt a shiver every time she looked at the snow-covered mountain top...
oooooooooo
Knot Island, the island at the top north of the Sevii Island archipelago, was a warm and confortable place with pleasant vistas and mixed mediterrenean and tropic flora growing around a tall mountain, actually a long-inactive volcano. A beach of fine golden sand and a small city, complete with Pokemon Center and Pokemon Mart lied on the coastline, giving the island a touch of modernism in the midst of wild nature. It really gave the impression of a quiet, peaceful place, and the opinions of those who had been there confirmed this impression...
But on that particular night, as most of Knot Island's inhabitants were peacefully sleeping, something dangerous was quietly descending towards the surrounding sea, only a few kilometers away from the coastline. A huge high-technology flying machine, looking like a weird cross between a passenger plane and a spaceship, covered in grey laminated plate and decorated with strange symbols looking like upside-down blue R letters, was slowly descending on the clear waters as it approached the island's south coast, where the tall and jagged reefs did not seem to offer many possibilities for anchoring. Raising two streams of water at its sides, the huge flying machine proceeded to its destination... while inside of it, numerous strange people in blue uniforms, wearing helmets that obscured their faces and bearing the same upside-down R letter emblazoned on their chests, were standing on attention in front of a middle-aged grey-haired woman who was giving them some important instructions...
"Very well." Hunter J stated as she glared at her men. "This is the mission we have been given. Our mission is to get inside the volcano and locate the Legendary Pokemon lying inside of it. Moltres, one of Kanto's Legendary Birds, considered the most powerful of the three. We'll have to awaken him... then, as soon as Moltres takes flight, we'll head back to the ship and use the onboard weapons to subdue and capture it. With the Pokemon you've been given, I trust you will have no problem carrying this out... am I correct?"
"You are correct, Commander J!" a somewhat overeager underling exclaimed. He didn't sound much older than seventeen or eighteen years. "I will not disppoint you! With the Pokemon I got from you, I'm sure nothing will stand in my way!"
"You try to pipe down a little, Damien, got it?" a more careful companion warned him. "The Pokemon our boss gave us are strong and powerful, that's true, but this is a legendary Pokemon we're talking about... not your usual run-of-the-mill Pokemon!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know..." the boy called Damien replied annoyedly. "Heck, can I at least feel proud of having some strong Pokemon without all the hassle of training them? If only they gave me a decent Pokemon, instead of that stinky Charmander I was stuck with, I'd be the Kanto League Champion now..."
A cold glare from J forced everyone to remain silent. "Enough of idle chatter! Need I remind you that your duty is to obey orders? Now get ready, we are about to land our vehicle... or better say, we're hiding it underwater... and from here we'll reach Knot Island with the emergency capsules. Prepare yourselves. If we want our plan not to fail, we cannot overlook anything." she affirmed.
As soon as she said that, her minions immediately stood on attention, apologizing for having gotten distracted, and each one of them went to his or her own place. Only a minute later, the flying machine lowered its altitude even further, raising bigger waves from the surface of the water... and then began to sink, quickly disappearing in the depths. A passing Wailord who was filtering the water through its huge mouth looked at it for a second as it reached the bottom of the sea... then decided it was none of his business and went back on his way.
Still, someone else was watching J's humongous flying machine as it dropped down, and this one wasn't as indifferent to J's minions' actions. Well hidden among the shadows of the night, a diaphanous and elegant Ghost Pokemon observed until the sea returned to its smooth, pristine original state... then, without making a sound, she floated back towards the island, and more exactly towards the tall mountain dominating the whole landscape of Knot Island. She reached a certain altitude, weaving her way through the jagged rocks and the treetops, until she came in front of a jagged rocky wall... and floated right thorugh it. Her vaporous body swiftly penetrated through the stone and emerged in the natural galleries digging through the mountain, indifferent to the heat. Finally, after floating her way through the tunnels, the elegant Ghost Pokemon reached a large natural room and hovered towards a small, short-haired female figure sitting indian-style in the center of the room, as if she was in meditation. With a melodic voice resembling a song coming from far away, the ghost called to the young woman... who, in response, raised her head and looked at her ghostly friend.
"Misdreeeeeavus..."
"Oh, welcome back, Misdreavus..." the girl greeted her with a fresh, bubbly voice. "Tell me, what's the matter? Are there any problems?"
The ghost, an ethereal figure composed of violet gas, with catlike eyes and a head resembling a witch's hat, nodded, emitting her melodic voice once again... and the girl's happy tone sombered slightly as the Pokemon narrated, in her own way, what had happened and what she had seen. A few words later, the young girl nodded and climbed to her feet, dusting her dress as she did so.
"Thanks for telling me, Misdreavus..." she stated. "Then, what I feared is actually coming true... sadly, someone is trying to capture this island's legendary Pokemon... and not just him, if my predictions are correct. I wish I had been wrong, but alas..."
"Dreee... vuuuus..." her Misdreavus answered shaking her head. The girl cleared her voice and mentally scolded herself.
"Erm... you're right, Misdreavus, staying here and wishing I was wrong won't help us any. We hve to act now and stop those people before they can do too much damage. Wait, I'll try calling for the others now. I know you're strong and skilled, Misdreavus, but not even you can defeat all those people alone." the young girl answered. Her ghostly friend nodded while the girl, standing perfectly straight in the middle of the room, placed the tips of her index fingers on her temples and closed her eyes... then, she concentrated and sent out a telepathic message!
"My friends... Misdreavus has just come back... what we all feared is about to happen... evil people came to this place to desecrate the sacred volcano and awaken the Fire Titan... please, come soon... come back... we have to stand together against these outsiders..."
oooooooooo
Inother parts of the island, several Ghost-type Pokemon who were busy scouting through the island, well hidden by the darkness of the night, immediately stood at attention as they felt their trainer's telepathic message. A stocky, red-eyed Gengar raised his head and called to his companion, a quick-looking Banette. A massive Dusknoir who was searching among a group of stones by the seaside stopped abruptly and looked at a tranquil-looking Drifblim floating weightlessly in the air above him... who, in response, noded slowly and joined Dusknoir as the two floated towards the mountain once again. Meanwhile, in the forest, a glowing Rotom who was scouting around, aided by its natural luminescence, quickly turned around and began heading back to the mountain.
All of them had understood that it was the most important moment for them. They had to stop their enemies' plan at all costs... or the power of the Fire Titan would fall in the wrong hands!
oooooooooo
"There you go! Now your Pokemon are in perfect health!" Nurse Joy said cheerfully as she handed the Pokeballs back to Max and Hilde. Max's Mudkip and Poochyena, along with Hilde's Treecko and Wurmple, were once again energetic and lively, their earlier fatigue vanished without a trace. The bespectacled boy had to admit he was still quite impressed at how advanced medical technology was - only a few minutes were enough for a Pokemon to be completely healthy again.
"Thanks a lot, Nurse Joy." Hilde said, politely yet detachedly, as she and Max got their Pokeballs back. The two young trainers and May all bowed and thanked again, before the older girl pointed to a table in the opposite wing of the Pokemon Center.
"So, Max, Hilde, how about it? I think we can even take a break now, can't we? Max has been training his Mudkip all day, and I guess you, Hilde, have done the same. A little rest won't hurt!" she proposed. "And it might be a good excuse to let Poochyena and Wurmple out a little."
"Not a bad idea..." Max stated. Hilde shrugged, not really caring one way or another, and followed the siblings to a three-seat round table May had just then notived. Once they were seated, the younger trainers opened up their Pokeballs to let their Pokemon out...
"Mudkip!"
"Pooch!"
"Treecko!"
"Wuuurrrrmple!"
Each Pokemon, as soon as he or she was out, began looking at the others, as if they wanted to take each other's measure. However, Hilde's Wurmple seemed somewhat awed of Max's Treecko... and especially his Poochyena, who kept his intimidating demeanor even out of combat. So, the purple caterpillar retreated immediately towards his trainer, crawling up the surprised Hilde's leg and settling in her lap.
"Wurmple?" Hilde asked in puzzlement. When the caterpillar Pokemon cuddled up to her like a lazy cat, the girl sighed in resignation and began stroking Wurmple on his head with two fingers, never losing her trademark annoyed face. "Looks like my Wurmple isn't too social. That, or he just wants to be cuddled."
"You're not doing much to discourage him, to be fair..." Max commented, his new friend's Treecko nodding in assent. Then, the young boy turned to his Poochyena, stratching him behind an ear. "Okay, Poochyena... you see, Hilde's Wurmple is a little shy. Maybe you came across too harshly, see what I mean? Try not to be too hard on him, okay?"
Poochyena looked at his trainer, wrinkling his nose... then, he did the hyena equivalent to a shrug and grumbled what might have sounded as a yes. "Yena!" he barked, looking quite , for his part, sighed and shook his head. That Poochyena sure had an attitude...
"Well, Max... have you already decided on which Pokemon you'd like to catch next?" Hilde asked as he kept petting her Wurmple. The bespectacled boy turned serious all of a sudden and looked at his older sister, who scratched her cheek in understanding...
"Not really, Hilde..." Max answered, dividing his attention between Mudkip and Poochyena. "In fact, there is a Pokemon I'd love to have in my team now, and I'd be very happy if I could meet him again... Y'see, a couple years ago, as I was travelling through Hoenn with my sister and our friends, we helped out a Ralts who had lost his family, and I ended up becoming good friends with him... but we had to go our separate ways when his parents, a Gardevoir and a Kirlia, came to fetch him. Before he went away, though, we promised each other that, when I would become a Pokemon trainer, I would have him in my team, and he's become one of my main Pokemon. And now that I did become a trainer, I would love to meet that Ralts and his parents again... at least to see how they're doing. If I could choose which Pokemon to have in my team... I would choose him, no doubt!
Hilde's cold and distant demeanor thawed out a little, and the young girl widened her eyes a little. "Oh, I see... if that's the case, I hope you will find that Ralts. I think he'd love to be one of your Pokemon as well."
"Thanks, it sounds nice, when I hear it from you." Max answered.
The girl switched back to her earlier aloofness. "Hm. Do not misunderstand me, I don't really care about that or anything. After all, Ralts and his evolutions are excellent Pokemon, and we have to be rivals for the title of Hoenn Champion, I'd like my opponent to be a worthy one."
"Oookay..." May answered with a slight smile. She had already seen this tactic of seeming disinterest enough times to recognize it, and she sort of suspected what it truly meant... from a certain rose-obsessed green-haired prettyboy! "Well, but until then, Hilde, how about you travel with me and Max and train together with us? I think we could help each other out, and when you're with friends, it's more pleasant to travel!"
Max looked at his older sister in surprise, as Mudkip's eyes shone in excitement and Poochyena grunted in disinterest... but before anyone could say anything, Hilde shook her head.
"Thanks, May, but I'm a lone wolf. Travelling with others just doesn't agree with me." she said simply. "And then again... I have my own training method, and you have yours. To each his own."
"As you prefer..." Max answered, not knowing whether to be sorry or relieved. For his part, Mudkip sighed in disappointment, and Poochyena kept his distant attitude, as Treecko twirled the blade of grass he had in his mouth, as if saying that he knew all along that this would be the result. "Well, that means we'll still meet from time to time during the journey... that's what happened with my sis and Drew, after all..."
Max ended his sentence with a knowing grin in his sister's direction, and May blushed in embarassment and murmured something to make him shut up. Hilde, on the other hand, had no outward reaction other than shrugging as he stood up, laying her Wurmple on her right shoulder. "Maybe... I certainly wouldn't mind. For the moment, though, I guess we'll part ways here. There's still some time before dinnertime, and I'd like to use it to train my Wurmple a little. So... see you next time, whenever that is. Good luck."
"See you next time..." Max answered. Hilde's demeanor was quite strange, he had to say. He just couldn't see how a girl her age could manage to always seem angry...
"See you, Hilde..." May waved to Hilde as the younger girl and her Treecko stepped out of the Pokemon Center, turning one last time to say goodbye. Then, they left, leaving the two siblings seated at the table, and quite surprised.
"She's... a rather strange girl, I'd say..." May affirmed, still looking at the Pokemon Center's doors closing.
Max rubbed his forehead. "I can see that, sis... as I said, I don't really know her, but she's clearly the kind of person who doesn't use two words when she can use one."
"Yeah..." May answered, before standing up and stretching a little. "Anyway... Hilde was right when she said that there's still time before dinner. What do you say, Max? Shall we go out and train our Pokemon a little?"
For once, Max agreed with his sister completely. "Hmm... okay, I'm game! I think it could be a good idea! Mudkip, Poochyena, what about you? My sister and her Pokemon will teach us few things, I think it's a good idea to take her lessons!"
"Mudkip!"
"Pooch! Pooch!"
Both Pokemon agreed with their trainer, who noticed that the grey hyena cub already seemed more enthusiastic about fighting on his side...
oooooooooo
It had been a fun evening in Pewter City's Gym, and everybody had enjoyed the time spent with Brock's family, chatting about what had happened in those last years, and exchanging fun facts and happenings before the time for sleep came - it was midnight at least when everybody decided to turn in for the night. The next morning, after a good breakfast and a few more preparatives for what was shaping up to be a short yet intense journey to Pallet Town, Brock's family had reunited in front of the Gym to say goodbye to the aspiring breeder and wish him good luck... and four of Brock's Pokemon, namely Geodude, Steelix, Crobat and Sudowoodo, were with them. The last one of the Pokemon was standing beside Forrest and was looking at his trainer with some sadness.
"So, Brock, my dear boy... I hope you will make a safe journey!" Flint said, nodding with pride in front of his eldest son, and Geodude, Steelix and Crobat stood near Brock. "I'm sure your Pokemon will be very happy to travel with you once again, and I guess you'll have a bit of training to catch up on."
"Yeah... I've kinda neglected that part, lately..." the dark-skinned boy answered, before getting affectionately near Sudowoodo. "And for what concerns Sudowoodo here, I'm sure Forrest will take good care of him, at least until I'm back from my journey. Sorry for not taking you with me in this latest part of my journey, my friend... but I'll be back soon, count on that! For the moment, I'm leaving you with Dad, Mom and my siblings, I'm sure you'll like staying with them!"
"Sudowoodo!" the imitator Pokemon exclaimed energetically. His trainer smiled affably, a pang of nostalgia hitting him as he remembered when his Pokemon was just a determined, spunky Bonsly. Time went by so quickly...
The scene reminded Ash of another friend he had not seen in a while, and who, Ash had to admit, had been sadly neglected - his Pidgeot, whom he had set free just a little before going to Johto, and to whom he had promised to come back one day. Three years had gone by since that moment... who knew how he was doing, and if he was bitter for that unfulfilled promise...
"Okay, Sudowoodo... see you soon, then! Forrest, I'm leaving Sudowoodo to you... I'm sure you, Mom and Dad will take good care of him!" Brock said, his brother answering with a thumbs-up sign.
"No problems, big bro! When you're back, you'll see Sudowoodo will be even stronger than he is now!" Forrest promised. "After all, being a Gym Leader is kind of in our blood, right?"
Lola giggled in amusement. "Yeah, that's pretty much it! And I'll make sure Sudowoodo enjoys it here, just like Geodude and the others did... right, guys?"
The three Pokemon all agreed, Geodude by raising a rocky fist in the air, Steelix by roaring loudly, and Crobat by spreading his magnificent wings. then, they all turned to Brock and let him call them into their Pokeballs, ready to begin a new journey along their trainer. Brock recalled them one at the time and, with moved excitement, placed them in his belt.
"Very well then... it was nice to see you again, and I promise we'll meet again soon enough!" Brock said to his family. "Take care of yourselves, okay?"
"Thanks, son! Same to you, and have a safe journey!" Flint answered as Ash, Pikachu, Dawn and Brock walked away, waving their hands.
"Pikachu!" the electric mouse squeaked to Sudowoodo, who waved one of his "branches" in his and Brock's direction.
"Sudowoodo!"
"Goodbye, Mrs. Lola, Mr. Flint..." Dawn called. "See you soon, kids! There are many more things about Sinnoh I'd like to tell you when we come back!"
"Thanks, Dawn! See you soon!" Brock's siblings all answered
"Thanks for your hospitality! See you!" Ash concluded, before the team finally reached the edge of the town and slowly vanished from sight, heading towardsViridian Forest...
"Aaaah, time sure goes by quickly..." Lola sighed, hugging her husband. "Brock was just a child when I went away... and now, he's become such a strong and mature young man... I'm sorry for not having been around him and his siblings as they grew up..."
"Let's not dwell on this too much, dear... the important thing is, now we've all met back, and we know we can count on each other... right, kids?" Flint asked, turning to his younger children, who all nodded in assent... and to Sudowoodo, who kept looking at the horizon, promising himself he would become stronger for when his trainer would be back.
"Sudowoodo!"
oooooooooo
Paul frowned as he looked out of the window of the electric train taking him to Viridian City, towards the sun peeking through the faraway mountains. It was almost like going back in time, when he was just ten and was just starting out his journey in the world of Pokemon... after his brother Reggie's shameful defeat that had brought him to show everyone how different he was from him. He had already stepped on those roads, when he was younger... and now that he was doing so again, he had to admit that it was a trip down Memory Lane...
Still, he had never been the kind of person to waste time on reminiscing, so he shook his head and imposed himself to concentrate on the real reason he was there, only joined by the sound of the electric train dashing on the rails. He had to dismount at Viridian Station... and from there, take the road to Mount Silver, to start his special training. He couldn't afford distractions, or to think how things might have been.
His eyes caught a snowy peak shining with silver reflexes in the distance, surrounded by disquieting stormy clouds. This was obviously Mount Silver, the purple-haired teen thought to himself, recognizing it from the pictures he had seen.
The next part of his journey had just started. Now, all he had to see was if it was going to be successful...
oooooooooo
TO BE CONTINUED...
Author's Note: There it is! A few more surprises have been revealed in this chapter, and an old enemy - while a very minor one - has rejoined the fray! Meanwhile, we get to know more of the girl who will later become Max's main competition... what wil happen? Well, I'm not going to tell you that right here, am I? I'll try to put up next chapter as soon as I can. In the meantime, reviews are much appreciated, and I hope you enjoyed the story so far!
See you soon!