POKEMON HEART SOUL ADVENTURES
Welcome back, everyone! Welcome once again with the usual update to my Pokemon story! For this chapter, we're going to see Ash and his friends finallly arriving in Sevii Islands, not to mention we'll take a look at how other people are preparing themselves for the challenges that lie ahead! This, in fact, will mostly be a chapter to set things up before action really starts, so be patient just a little, and I'm sure you won't be disappointed when the time for the real battle comes!
Enjoy this chapter, and happy reading!
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Chapter 13 - Arriving in Knot Island
"Very well, Ursaring... Brick Break." Paul ordered, without missing a beat. His order was followed by a couple of frightening growls, one belonging to his bear Pokemon, and the other from the opponent he was facing - a gigantic Pokemon covered in thick plates of rock and stone, vaguely similar to a Tyrannosaurus Rex, with long and sharp stony protrusion coming out of its back, short three-fingered clawed arms and a long tail ending in some sort of spiked ball, like a morning star! It was obviously a Tyranitar, one of the most powerful non-Legendary Pokemon known, and a terrifying opponent for anyone. The fact that it was not a challenge to sneeze at was only compiund by the fact that even Ursaring, one of Paul's stronger Pokemon, was having trouble fighting this mighty beast.
Still, the huge bear was not one to be daunted by an opponent's sheer size. He raised his powerful front paws and got closed to the dinosaur Pokemon, preparing to strike with a blow against which Tyranitar would not be able to defend efficiently. Annoyed, the Tyranitar bent down on its rear paws... and even so, he still was quite a bit taller than Ursaring! The tyrannosaurus' jaws opened wide, showing rows upon rows of serrated teeth that looked like they could chew through stone... and a bright energy sphere formed inside of its maw. For a trainer with Paul's experience, that could only mean that Tyranitar was readying an Hyper Beam, its most powerful attack!
Ursaring never gave it the time to aim its shot: as soon as Tyranitar began charging, the bear Pokemon leapt up and raised its right arm, which was now glowing in a luminous aura... and then dropped down aand struck his opponent on the head with a mighty chop! The Tyranitar's eyes went wide, and it was forced to close its mouth, literally swallowing all the energy it had accumulated. Luckkily for it, the energy was still not enough to damage it, but dispersing its Hyper Beam like that still made the dinosaur lose its balance and fall on its back. A deafening crash accompanied the enormous Pokemon's fall, but as it dropped down, its tail quickly lashed forward and struck Ursaring as he was descending! The bear growled and fell as well, but both Pokemon were back on their feet a second later, and stood facing each other, catching their breath and waiting for the opponent to make a first move.
Paul, for his part, showed no outward reaction at that first clash... but privately, he had to say that he was impressed. He didn't think that Tyranitar could withstand a Fighting-type attack, against which it was doubly vulnerable... Butthen again, this only confirmed that the Pokemon living on Mt. Silver were really that powerful, and they were worthy opponents against whom his team could train. Sure, this also meant taking care not to get into a situation they couldn't handle, and not to fight too many opponents in a single day, but it was plain that this kind of training would have proved beneficial in the end. There was no need to be hasty, he just had to keep a constant pace, and not to overdo it.
Ursaring leapt sideways as Tyranitar lashed again with its mace-like tail, which ended up crushing a jagged rock. The grizzly rolled to get to a safety distance, then stood up and brought his guard up again as Tyranitar lowered its head and charged with all of its strength. Paul knew this was the right moment to act - in its frustration, the dinosaur Pokemon had lowered its defence, leaving itself wide open for the bear's next attack...
"Let's end this, Ursaring. Earthquake." the purple-haired boy ordered. Ursaring nodded slightly and, after catching his breath for a split second, raised one of his muscular rear paws and slammed it on the ground with all of his strength! A mighty seismic wave roared into existence and rushed towards the unprepared Tyranitar, striking it head-on and causing it to roar in angered surprise before it was lifted up in the air and brutally tossed on the ground, opening a few crevasses on the rocky cliff upon which they were fighting! For a second, Tyranitar tried to pick itself up... but in the end, the exhaustion of the battle took its toll, and Tyranitar slumped on the ground and fainted.
Paul's grim expression turned into a satisfied smirk. "That's good, Ursaring. Your performance was satisfactory for now." he said. "Okay... you've done enough for today, now it's time to leave it to someone else. Return."
The bear grunted what sounded like an affirmative as Paul recalled him in his Pokeball. For a second, the young Sinnoh trainer thought that he might as well capture that Tyranitar, and after thinking about it for a short while, he took out a Pokeball and tossed it to the downed opponent. The huge dinosaur was swallowed by the small metal ball, which swayed from side to side for a while, before settling and powering down. Satisfied, Paul picked up his latest catch and transferred it to his reserve.
"It never hurts to do a few changes to the team..." Paul said to himself. "Fine. Now... it's your turn, Torterra. Try not to disappoint me."
As Paul's starter materialized in front of him, both he and his trainer were unaware of a wild Pokemon that had been watching the scene for quite a while now, well-hidden behind a large fossilized tree. A Drapion, a huge scorpion-like Pokemon covered in a purple segmented armor, with small but sharp foreclaws and a long tail with two stingers, one on each side, had been intently watching Ursaring's battle with Tyranitar. It had been quite a long time since such a strong trainer had been there, and he couldn't help but be interested in that. Who knew, maybe that boy could give im the chance he had been waiting for for some time now...
Deciding that for now, it would have to do to just watch from a safe distance, Drapion climbed the petrified trunk of the tree, keeping his eyes on Paul and Torterra as they began looking for yet another challenge...
oooooooooo
Misty breathed in, filling her lungs with the salty air of the seaside. The travel to the Sevii Islands had begun early that afternoon, and now the ship from Cinnabar Island was about to reach Knot Island, the first of the islands. Finally, after a long time spent onboard, Sevii Islands were beginning to show on the horizon, and the redhead had to say that they looked really impressive, even at that distance. Plant life was plentiful, the beaches were well kept, and the volcano jutting out of Knot Island's profile looked quite majestic, like some sort of guardian keeping watch on all the islands. The young girl thought back on the journey to the Orange Island she had been in, along with Ash and Tracy. The more she thought about it, the more she noticed how much the archipelago they were about to visit looked like those islands, which she had fond memories of.
Sevii Islands looked peaceful from where she was standing, and nobody would ever have said that something alarming had been going on in those places. Even the strange weather Gary and Prof. Oak had spoken of was nowhere to be seen.. and yet, this was the place where the troubling events Ash and his friends were to investigate had taken place.
Misty sighed, her worries temporarily overwritten by a pang of nostalgia as she thought that, after all, that was the first of the new adventures she was going to live alongside Ash, Pikachu and Brock. There was some definite deja vu to those moments... and at that, Misty remembered the Togepi she had had for such a long time. Who knew how he was doing, now that he had evolved into a Togetic and had gone on his own way...
"Hey, Misty? You alright?" Dawn asked, popping up behind the redhead. The blue-haired girl, who until then had been walking around the bridge, admiring the spectacular vista of the approaching Sevii Islands and enthusiastic to be visiting a new place, had now seen that her new friend was keeping somewhat apart from therest of the group, and wanted to know whether she was alright.
Cerulean City's former Gym Leader looked up to her new friend from Sinnoh and blinked twice in surprise. "Oh, Dawn... sorry, I was just spacing out a little... but don't worry, I'm okay!" she answered. "It's just tht... well, seeing these islands for the first time made me think of so many things. You see, long ago, I, Ash and Tracy have travelled to a similar group of islands... So, I was thinking back on that journey, that's all!"
"I see..." Dawn answered, leaning on the ship's railing and looked to the open sea. It was getting late, and the sky was already taking on the orange hue of the twilight. For a few sconds, the two friends stood there watching the sea, without saying a word, simply enjoying the moment, at least before Dawn's curiosity got the better of her.
"Say, Misty... could you tell me something more about the Orange Islands?" the Sinnoh coordinator asked. "I'm quite curious to know more on Kanto... I haven't seen much of it yet, but it does sound like a very fascinating land to me."
"Oh, sure! It will be my pleasure!" the redhead answered. "Well... what can I say... we went to Orange Islands immediately after Ash tried - unsuccessfully - to win the Indigo League. And... well, we've seen a lot of amazing things and met a lot of people... among which, my idol Lorelei, one of Kanto's Elite Four! But I'm sure the most exciting part was when we went to one of the largest islands and we were caught up in a profecy of who knows how many years ago! Some crazy guy by the name of Lawrence III was trying to capture the Legendary Birds - Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres - just to get the attention of another Legendary Pokemon, Lugia, and capture him as well. But these thoughtless actions were causing natural disasters, and were about to mess up the planet's balance! Luckily, Ash managed to put things right once again!"
"Ash seems to have a talent for doing the impossible, doesn't he?" Dawn said with a smile. "And... tell me, Misty... you... you like Ash, don't you?"
Misty was left stunned for a split second as her face took on a hue very similar to her hair's! Then, trying to cough her embarassment away, she turned away and tried to deny what was already plain clear for Dawn! "Ugh... what... what are you saying, Dawn? As...as if I could ever get a crush on that clumsy, impulsive kid!" she grumbled, without managing to sound convincng. Dawn giggled to herself and decided to let things lie.
"Alright, alright..." she said appeasingly. "Sorry, Misty, it was just a question out of curiosity!". Misty sighed in relief - just when she thought she had dodged her sisters' embarassing questions, she had to put up with Dawn's... "Still, you're right, Ash is a very special person! As soon as we have time, I need to tell you a bit of what we went through in Sinnoh!"
"And I'll be really glad to hear about it!" Misty answered, before noticing that Ash, Pikachu, Brock and Gary were walking towards them, intent on joining in. "Oh.. hi, guys! So, what do you think of Sevii Islands right now?"
"I just can't wait to get off this ship, that's what I think!" Ash answered. As always, the young black-haired boy was glad to se a new place. "And... I have to say they look quiet from here. Of course, I'm not doubting Gary and Prof. Oak, but these islands don't look like they've been hit by a natural disaster or anything else."
"I can see that... but it's still plain to me that something weird is going on here, and we need to make things clear." Brock affirmed. "I can already guess that a Legendary Pokemon might be at stake here, and he's the one causing that strange weather."
Misty nodded. Brock really hadn't changed much - he was always the prudent, rational big brother of the team... except, of course, when some Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny or pretty girl in general was in sight. And if memory served her, he was also the most knowledgeable one, when it came to new, exotic locations. So, it was probably a good idea to ask him whether he knew anything about Sevii Islands. "Say, Brock... do you happen to know anything about these islands? I mean, are these interesting sights, cities, or the like?"
"Well, I do know something about them, now that I think of it." the dark-skinned boy answered. "For example, Misty... did you know that one of these islands is Lorelei's birthplace?"
Ash's eyes widened slightly as he remembered his meeting with Lorelei - it had been rather humiliating, as he had gotten a big head and had convinced himself that he could take on the Elite Four's Ice-type Pokemon... on the other hand, Misty predictably switched into fangirl mode!
"Wh... What? Are... are you sure, Brock?" she asked, her eyes sparkling in a way Dawn had previously thought impossible for a human being! "Lorelei... the amazing Lorelei... was born in one of these islands?"
"Er... Misty, I can understand your excitement, but do calm down a little..." the surprised Sinnoh coordinator said as she sweatdropped.
"Well... yes, it's true, and she sometimes gets back here to visit her hometown..." Gary explained, somewhat surprised himself at Misty's excitement, as he and Brock weren't there when Misty had met Kanto's most famous Ice-type trainer. "But I didn't think you were such a fan!"
"You aren't serious, are you, Gary?" Misty exclaimed in near-ecstasy! "Her Water Pokemon are amazing... and the way she fights! So cold and determined in battle, and yet so warm and friendly outside of it! She's a role model for me!"
"We... er... kinda guessed that..." Ash said with a brief laugh. Pikachu squeaked in resignation, lowering his ears... then, as soon as the first of the Sevii Islands was more clearly in sight, he pointed a finger to it and called for his friends' attention.
"Pika pika! Pikachu!" he squeaked, jumping around in excitement. Immediately, the team looked to the boat's left and saw that they had almost reached Knot Island's port without even taking notice of that! The passengers on the bridge were already starting to move, picking up their belongings and getting ready to disembark.
"Yeah, I can see that, Pikachu!" Ash answered, picking up the electric mouse and playfully scratching him on the top of his head. "Well then... let's see what the Sevii Islands are like! I'm sure we're in for one heck of a ride!"
Dawn, Brock, Gary and Misty all nodded in assent, unaware of how much Ash would have been proven right...
oooooooooo
"Phew... now this was a tiring day!" May sighed in relief as she sat on a tree stump and laid her backpack on the grass in front of her. Max couldn't blame her: after all, along with their Pokemon, the two siblings had been travelling for pretty much the whole day...
"You can say that again, sis..." the bespectacled boy answered as he stretched his spine. It wasn't really comfortable to hold all that weight... "Man, I think we've been walking more than any day we were with Ash and Brock... but it sure was worth it, since I had the chance to train my Pokemon and catch two more!"
"Yeah, that's true... by the way, why don't you let your Pokemon out, for now?" the older sister proposed.
Max nodded and took out the four Pokeball he had, opening them all at the same time to let out his Pokemon. "Okay, guys, you can come out! You did a good job today, all of you!"
His Mudkip and his Poochyena appeared in front of him in a flash, and two more Pokemon came out alongside them. One of them was a small animal with rather messy brown and white fur who looked like a raccoon, and had pointed ears, an elongated face, and a black "mask" of fur around his eyes... while the other one was a giant, big-eyed ladybug with five black dots on her orange wings, black antennae, and six hands each ending in a small gloved hand. Clearly, they were respectively a Zigzagoon and a Ledyba, both of which were rather common Pokemon for a beginning trainer.
The small Pokemon army formed a straight line in front of their trainer, each of them emitting their own trademark call and stretching, happy that the day had come to an end... although Poochyena and Zigzagoon glared at each other as if they were issuing a challenge to each other... it seemed as though the raccoon had decided that the grey hyena cub was going to be his rival!
"Pooch?" Poochyena barked, frowning.
"Zigzag... zigzagoon!" Zigzagoon answered as he scratched the ground in front of him with one of his forepaws, just like a bull getting ready to charge! Max and May looked at the two Pokemon, worried that they might start fighting... but luckily, the situation was defused when Ledyba fluttered between the two of them, convincing them to cease their ostilities.
"Ledyyyy... ba!" the giant ladybug said, placing one of her hands on Poochyena's nose and one on Zigzagoon's. After glaring at each other for a little while, the two quarreling Pokemon calmed down and turned away from each other, grunting in annoyance.
"Erm... I guess it will be some time before Poochyena and Zigzagoon learn to work together..." Max commented as he sweatdropped. "With the excuse that Poochyena was the Pokemon I caught him with, Zigzagoon has decided that he has to become stronger in order to get a rematch..."
"If they don't go overboard, I guess some competition can't hurt..." May said, gladly recalling her friendly rivalry with Drew... and her less-than-friendly one with Harley! "Well, that aside... Max, I think we'll get to Rustboro City soon, which means you'll get to face Roxanne. Are you ready? Because I do remember that it wasn't a walk in the park for Ash..."
"I know, sis... and that's why I'm currently trying to work up a strategy for facing her!" Max answered. "Mudkip and his Water-type moves will surely be helpful... but I kinda have a feeling he won't be enough on his own. No offense, Mudkip..."
The bespectabled young trainer stroked his starter affectionately on the head, as if to apologize, and Mudkip was thankfully understanding, and answered by rubbing his trainer's hand and repeating his high-pitched call. "Mud! Kip!"
"In fact, I'm afraid just one Water-type Pokemon might not be enough..." Max went on, before glancing at Ledyba, Poochyena and Zigzagoon. "Actually, not that I think of it, Ledyba's attacks might give her an edge against Roxanne's Rock-types, but at the same time, she's quite vulnerable to Rock-type attacks, so that could be risky. I still need to decide what strategy might be better..."
"Ledy!" Ledyba answered, before scratching her head with one of her gloved hands, as if she was thinking of away to get the upper hand herself. Poochyena and Zigzagoon, for their part, frowned slighty, knowing that they were at a disadvantage against Rock-type Pokemon themselves... they had to both think carefully of a possible way to win, and trust their trainer to work up a good strategy.
"Well, I can see you've got your work cut out for you, Max..." May said. "For my part, I'd advise you to count more on your Pokemon's speed. After all, Rock-types aren't exactly known for their agility, and they might have trouble against attackers who are both fast and persistent. But I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, right? For now, let's just think of getting some rest, and something to eat! It's getting kinda late..."
Max's stomach grumbled, confirming that dinnertime was drawing close, and Max rubbed the back of his head in embarassment. "Er... yeah, sis, I guess you're right! I had bought something to eat at the last town we stopped at, so we won't have to wait to eat something."
May blinked, somewhat disappointed. "Well... actually, Max, I was thinking of cooking up something myself. Some sort of homemade dinner, or something along those lines..."
Mudkip and Poochyena looked startled at that, even for just a second... and Max sweatdropped comically, as a sign that they were getting into a dangerous terrain! "Truth be told, sis... no offense, but your attempts at cooking are... well... let's just say there's room for improvement! It's... safer to just open up some canned food! No offense..."
May sighed in defeat - after all, there was no way she could deny what her brother was saying. "Alright then..." she murmured, as Max's Pokemon all sighed in relief. Danger had been avoided, for this once at least...
Still, May did not waste time thinking about that and, after standing up, she took out her Pokeballs and let her Pokemon out: her starter Blaziken, Beautifly, her newcomer Glaceon, and her trademark Skitty, Munchlax and Wartortle. "Alright, guys, you can come out! It's dinnertime at last!"
All of May's Pokemon appeared in front of her, and without her even needing to give instruction, Blaziken immediately began looking around to gather wood for the campfire as the other Pokemon relaxed, and May used those moments of calm to spend some time with her Pokemon team and feed them. Max brought out the food, and started distributing it around.
"Well... who knows where Hilde is, right now... maybe she's already gotten to Rustboro City? Hmmm, maybe not, I guess she too needs a little more training if she wants to defeat Roxanne... well, wherever she is, I hope she and her Pokemon are doing well..."
"Mudkip!" Max's starter exclaimed, raising the small crest on his head. Max got the message and stratched the Water-type Pokemon on the back of his head.
"No worries, Mudkip, I know she'll do just fine!" he affirmed. "Anyway, we need to do our best ourselves, right? We'll train even more, and we'll get to Roxanne's Gym in top form!"
"Mudkip, mud!" his starter nodded...
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Snowpoint City, the town that until a few days ago lay quietly at the foot of Mt. Coronet, and had now known its destructive wrath, seemed to be slowly going back to normal, after the unexpected disaster. People were already at work to rebuild what had been destroyed, and Zoey admired those people's good will... some of them had suffered a personal loss, and still they were pushing forward to make sure Snowpoint City could go back to normal. However, in order for the city to be really safe and to make sure such a thing couldn't happen again in the future, she and her friends needed to investigate what was going on there. Luckily, Candice seemed to have gotten over her shock, and the three girls were now standing before the city gates, checking their backpacks and their Pokemon teams.
"Okay, girls, our Pokemon teams are ready... and are well rested as well, I hope!" Maylene said, doing a few exercises to warm up her muscles. Both Zoey and Candice nodded as the red-haired coordinator finished checking.
"Yes, I guess so..." she answered. "Candice, do your parents know we're travelling to the glacier? I don't want them to be worried, with all that's happened..."
"No prob, Zoey, I already told them, and they were okay with it... although they obviously told me to be very careful!" the pretty Gym Leader said, her long black plaits orderly placed behind her back. "Okay, let's go then... the sooner we get to the bottom of this, the better for everyone else."
"I agree with that, let's get going!" Zoey answered, and the three began walking away from the city and on the paved road to Lake Acuity. Luckily, the weather seemed to have normalized, although it was still very cold... and despite her resistance to heat and cold, Maylene found herself forced to rub her shoulders in order to stop shivering.
"Whew... girls, I guess you were right after all... I should have worn heavier dressing! Achooo!" Maylene sneezed, turning her head sideways... and Candice, with a knowing smile, untied the shirt she kept tied around her waist and put it on the young martial artist's shoulders.
"There. At least you won't freeze half to death..." the Ice-type Gym Leader said, and Maylene thanked her with a nod as the girls kept walking towards their goal...
oooooooooo
"Aaaah! Here we are, at last!" Ash exclaimed as he almost leapt off the ship, touching Knot Island's ground at the head of his little group. The feeling of being in a new place, and the excitement deriving from it, were overwhelming for both him and Pikachu. "And so starts our Sevii Islands trip... well, I say we've started out great!"
"Pika pika!" the electric mouse agreed, before nimbly leaping off of his trainer's head and running towards the port. He stopped halfway through and motioned for the others to hurry up, before the other passengers came and the place got too crowded. "Pikapi! Pikachu pika pika!"
"Hehee... now, now, Pikachu, keep your fur on! Everyone will be coming now!" Ash told him. The rest of the team was catching up, looking a little tired from the long journey, but still fired up and ready to begin the new adventure.
"Hmmmm... I love the smell of the sea!" Misty commented after adjusting her backpack on her shoulders. "So, guys... we needto get to the port's exit, and then get to the city's main square, right?"
"Yes, that's just right..." Brock answered. "It's too late to get to work now, and we're kind of tired anyway, so we'd better just find a Pokemon Center to spend the night in."
"After which, we'll go get something to eat and get ready for the night." Gary went on. "We'll be getting up early tomorrow morning, and we'll try to find out what's going on around here... though, again, it looks strange to me that there has been nothing but fine weather ever since our journey began..."
"Alright, Brock... Gary..." Dawn answered. "Then, let's take our tickets and..."
"Erm... excuse me?" A faint, sweet and laid-back female voice interrupted Dawn, as a blonde girl wearing a faded green sundress with matching sandals and a pretty summer hat approached the team, looking somewhat lost and confused. "I... apologize for the disturbance, but I am in a bit of a bind." she said, as Ash and his friends turned to her. "I... er... have come here to do a commission for my family, but... this is my first time abroad, and I'm a little lost. Is... is it a problem if I ask you to help me out a little?"
"Hm? No, not at all!" Ash answered as he looked at the newcomer. She was about Misty's age or a little older, but she was also noticeably more calm, shy and possibly even clumsy. Still, she did look like she was lost, and they weren't the kind of people to refuse to help someone. "If you'd like to come with us, we can help you find a place where to eat and sleep... and possibly even a Pokemon center. You're okay with this, right, guys?"
"Of course we are..." Misty answered. "If you'd like to join us, we can help you find your way around here..."
The blonde smiled gntly. "Thanks... but I don't have Pokemon with me! You see, I'm not interested in battles, competitions, or whatnot... I know it's kind of unusual, but..."
"No need to excuse yourself!" Dawn answered. "I know a lot of people who don't work with Pokemon, at least not directly! It's not a problem, the Pokemon Center won't shut you out!"
"Thanks, everyone..." the girl went on as the team began heading to town. "You're really helping me out a lot! Oh, and this Pikachu? He's really cute, is he yours?"
As the blonde reached towards Pikachu and scratched him behind an ear, Ash chuckled goofily. "Hehee... yeah, he is, I know it sounds strange, but he was my starter!" he answered. "It's a bit of a long story..."
"We've got all the time in the world to hear it now, as we get to the Pokemon Center!" Gary proposed. "In fact, I think this evening will be more entertaining if we have one more person to speak to!"
And so, as they happily chatted with the newcomer, Ash and his friends began heading downtown... with three trenchcoated figures, all wearing hats and sunglasses keeping their eyes on them and trying - not too successfully, as such clothes were not too practical for an island close to the Equator - to blend themselves among the crowd.
"Phew... I thought this journey would never end... I was beginning to choke, in that stupid basement!" one of the three murmured angrily, as she tried unsuccessfully to hide her long mane of fucsia hair.
A young man her same age whose light blue hair were barely visible under his hat sighed. "I'm sorry, Jessie, but there's not much I can do about it. Staying on the bridge would have made me seasick again... and I was not in a hurry to be!"
"Okay, okay, let's not speak of this nonsense... and let's try to do a decent job, for once!" the third individual, a rather short fellow with a meowing voice, cut the discussion short. "If we keep it together, I'm sure we'll get lucky this time! Moreover, I was thinking that there are quite a few rare Pokemon around here! If we were to catch some of them and send them to the boss, he'd be even more pleased!"
"Hehee... not a bad idea at all, Meowth, we'll try that! But of course, Pikachu is still our top priority! We'll finally capture him, and our standing in Team Rocket will return to the good old times!" Jessie answered triumphantly.
"I can't wait for it! With the pay rise we'll get from this, I'll rebuild my bottle cap collection, and we'll be able to eat whatever delicacies we want, instead of munching on some snacks!" James exclaimed in joy! Now convinced that they would have come out victorious from all of this, Team Rocket began following Ash and his friends, ignoring the nonplussed expressions of the people around them.
"Crazy world we live in." a girl dressed in black and carrying a matching suitcase commented to herself. "Lots of strange people around... whatever. I'm here for another reason..."
oooooooooo
Candice looked apprehensively to the horizon, as the trio composed of her, Maylene and Zoey kept walking along the half-frozen road, surrounded by snow-covered field immersing the landscape in an almost poetic stasis. They had been travelling for hours, only stopping to eat something, and now evening was beginning to fall... along with the warmth!
"Girls, I guess we'd better stop somewhere, we've been walking for far too long now..." Maylene said, as if she could read her best friend's thoughts. "We certainly can't go much farther in the dark..."
"Yeah, I agree... and, truth be told, I'm beginning to feel tired as well..." Zoey said, trying to ignore the faint pain she felt in her legs and knees. "Candice, do you happen to know some place around here where we could spend the night?"
The pretty Ice-type trainer smiled graciously. "Of course! Don't worry, there are quite a few good places along the way, and in fact we should be close to one... there it is! On that snow-covered hill..." she exclaimed, pointing at a place she was quite familiar with. Zoey and Maylene looked harder and managed to see a small house with a sloping roof, a few clouds of smoke coming out of its chimney. "That's one of the most hospitable chalets around here. If we stop there, we can surely get a hot meal and a room for the night! What do you say, girls?"
"It's not like we have much of a choice anyways... and we can't go forward now that it's getting dark." Zoey answered, shivering from the cold. "Okay, girls, let's go!"
"Yay! I was really getting exhausted!" Maylene cheered as he began skipping and hopping towards the chalet... but she stopped cold a second later and lowered her head in shame. "Haaa... sorry, daddy, the heir to your dojo is still immature..."
"A little bit of immaturity is a good trade-off for a chance to dodge a cold!" Zoey joked as the girls reached the shelter. In less than ten minutes, they were in front of the chalet, and Candice knocked at the door. Luckily, the girls didn't have to wait for a long time, before the door clicked open and a rather lively-looking old man, with a thick white mustache and dressed like a mountaineer, peeked from behind it. Candice stepped forward and bowed to the old man.
"Good evening, Mr. Go!" the black-haired girl exclaimed. "We apologize for coming this late, but... I and my friends needed a place for the night, and we thought we should have come here! Do you have any vacancies?"
"Well, well, look who shows up to old man Go's door! Little Candice from Snowpoint City! Please, be my guest, young one... and your friends are welcome too! C'mon, girls, don't be shy, you don't wanna stay out in the cold!" the old man said, glad to see the young Gym Leader. "I see you're new faces around here! At least, I don't remember ever seeing you around here..."
"Actually, I've been here before, but... I never stopped for long, and I never came here anyways..." Zoey explained, entering the chalet after getting the snow off her shoes. She suppressed a shiver of pleasure as a nice wave of heat rushed over her. "My name is Zoey, and I'm Candice's kohai. Pleased to meet you!"
"My pleasure, kid!" Go answered. "In fact, I remember I saw you at the Sinnoh Grand Festival! Pretty impressive stuff!"
"Yeah, she really was!" Maylene answered. "Oh, but I should introduce myself as well! My name is Maylene, and I'm Veilstone City's Gym Leader! I and Candice have been friends for longer than I can remember... and, well, let's just say I'm here for personal reasons!"
"I see..." the old man answered as he closed the door and the girls took off their backpacks. "Now, please, make yourselves at home! By the way, Candice... I'm glad to see you're okay, I was quite worried when I heard about that avalanche. I hope nothing serious happened..."
"Sadly, Mr. Go, that's something I can't reassure you about..." Candice answered, her spirits dampening. "They weren't people I knew personally, but... there have been three victims, and the town is still quite shocked. I and my friends... want to understand how this could happen. Because... we're convinced that this disaster was caused by someone!"
"We're only stopping here for tonight..." Zoey said. "We just need to rest a little, and we're leaving tomorrow morning. Of course, we have the money for the night with us..."
Go nodded, smiling faintly. "Of course, girls... now, please, take a seat in front of the fireplace, and warm yourselves!" he suggested, pointing to a rather large fireplace at the other end of the room, a nice smell of wood and charcoal coming from it. "Dinner will be ready in about one hour, so... just be patient a little!"
"Thanks, Mr. Go! That's very kind of you!" Maylene answered as Zoey and Candice thanked him themselves. Then, the three girls all got seated in front of the crackling fire, warming themselves and getting rested. It was time to relax and enjoy each other's company... they were going to face some hard work the next day!
oooooooooo
The next morning, in Knot Island's Pokemon Center...
"Aaaah! Man, I reallly needed a good night's sleep! We've been doing some serious travelling recently..." Dawn exclaimed in satisfaction, after waking up at the first rays of the sun. As it was usually the case, Ash's team had stopped at the Pokemon Center for the night, joined by the girl they had met at Knot Island's port. After stretching herself, getting out of her sleeping bag and putting her boots back on, Dawn combed her long blue hair back in place and stood up, as even the other guests of the Pokemon center started waking up. Ash was huddled up against a wall, with Pikachu sleeping near him like he was a cat, while Misty, Brock, Gary and the other girl were opening their eyes just then.
"Hmm... good morning, Misty! Good morning, Gary and Brock! Have you all been sleeping well?" Dawn asked after waking up completely. Beock rubbed his perpetually-closed eyes and gave her a thumbs-up.
"I'd say so! I just hope we don't get to become too spoiled!" the young Rock-type expert answered jokingly before glancing at Ash, who was still sleeping soundly.
"I guess someone already got spoiled, huh?" Gary joked, not passing up the chance to tease Ash a little, like the good old times.
After tidying up her dress and checking on her cases, the blonde girl gently giggled at Gary's joke. "Your friend Ash... is the kind of guy to lay back when he gets the chance, right?" she asked.
Misty shrugged. "Eh, well... after all, I think he does have the right to get a break! I don't know if you've been following the Pokemon competitions in Sinnoh, but only a few days ago Ash placed first in the Sinnoh Championship! He defeated a rival of his, Paul, who had always given him grief before! Ash and Pikachu... and all of his other Pokemon, of course... have worked hard to get that far!"
"I see..." the blonde said. Just then, Pikachu began twitching his ears, and Ash's eyes slowly opened... and a few seconds after that, both he and his electric mouse finally woke up, shielding their eyes from the morning sun.
"Hmmm... nasty sun today... Good morning, Pikachu..." the young boy murmured as he tried to get reacquainted with the natural light. He managed to see his friends as they were getting up, and as soon as Pikachu had jumped down from his sleeping bag, he did the same thing. "Good morning, Misty, Brock, Gary, Dawn... you all slept well, guys?"
"Good morning, Ash! Yes, we all did!" Dawn answered cheerily.
"Okay, guys... today, we'll start taking a look at Mt. Ember, since it's the same place where the strange weather conditions started. But before that, I guess we should help miss... er... miss...?" Brock said. Just then, Ash and his friends took notice of a small problem... that is, they hadn't even asked the new girl about her name! "Erm... how embarassing, we didn't even ask you what your name was..."
"Oh? No, Mr. Brock, you don't have to apologize! I am the one who didn't even introduce herself... I was a little tired from all the travelling!" the blonde answered. "Anyway... my name's Tanya! Sorry, I'm such an airhead! And you all were so kind to me..."
"No problem, Tanya! We're not about to be angry over something so small!" Dawn answered. "Rather, we're glad to have given you a hand!"
"That's right!" Brock remarked... before his ever-present passion for pretty girls came back bubbling to the surface! "And when you're finished with what you have to do, if you have the time, it would really be a good way to end our stay to walk along the beach, staring at the sunset..."
Brock was already sparkling comially, and Misty, annoyed by the fact that Brock had never lost that habit of his, reached forward to grab him by the ear and drag him away from Tanya...
...but she was denied the chance as one of Brock's Pokeballs popped open, and Croagunk emerged from it, stabbing Brock's rear end with a well-placed Poison Jab! The casanova wannabe groaned in pain and fell to the ground like a sack of rice, before the annoyed Pokemon began dragging him away under Misty's, Gary's and Tanya's nonplussed eyes! Dawn rolled her eyes as Ash, after a brief laugh, explained the situation to them.
"hehehee... well, Misty, as you can see, you don't have to keep Brock on a short leash any more!" he said. "Croagunk, his new Pokemon, seems to have a sixth sense for when Brock tries to put the moves on a girl..."
"And as soon as that happpens, Croagunk comes out, and stops him with a Poison Jab!" Dawn finished with a wink. As Tanya listened in surprise to all of this, Misty nodded in approval and scratched Croagunk on his head.
"Well done, Croagunk! I guess we'll be getting along just fine!" she commented. Brock, still stiff from the poison Croagunk had injected in him, managed to murmur that life would be difficult for him, from then on...
"Croa! Gunk!" the toad Pokemon answered, just as one of Misty's Pokeballs snapped open as well and good old Psyduck popped out in front of Croagunk. After a moment of silence, the psychic duck began striking up a convrsation of sorts...
"Psy... Duck?" the duck Pokemon quacked, his head swaying from side to side. He seemed to be asking something to Croagunk... and the latter pointed at himself, his half-grin never leaving his face.
"Croa! Gunk?"
"Psy-ay-ay! Psy-ay-ay, duck?"
"Croooa! Cro-cro-cro... Gunk!"
"Oh, good grief... what on Earth are they talking about?" Misty asked in exasperation as she rubbed her forehead. Tanya tilted her head on one side and looked at the two Pokemon with wonder, and Gary, Dawn and Ash sweatdropped at that.
"Don't ask me... Pikachu, do you understand them?" Ash asked his best friend, who, in turn, began translating the strange conversation.
"Pika! Pika chu, pika pika, pika chu... pika pi chu pikachu!" he squeaked, his little paws moving to convey the gist of what Psyduck and Croagunk were saying. At that, Ash couldn't help but chuckle a little...
"Er... looks like Psyduck was asking Croagunk how did he manage to come out of his Pokeball by himself!" the boy answered. "Croagunk was kinda weirded out at that, since he saw Psyduck actually coming out by himself..."
"Psyducks aren't known to be that smart..." Gary commented dryly.
Misty smacked her hand on her face. "Ugh... it figures this stupid duck couldn't ask a sensible question!" she murmured. "Okay, Psyduck, you already made enough of a fool out of yourself..."
Misty recalled the clumsy duck in his Pokeball as Croagunk rubbed his forehead as well, as if he was saying he was surrounded by idiots!
"Your Pokemon are quite... unusual, I'd say! No offense..." Tanya commented. "I never saw Pokemon coming out of Pokeballs and beginning to chit-chat..."
"Oh, well, that's really nothing! Travelling with Ash, you come across the strangest Pokemon and people you could ever imagine!" Dawn commented. A few movements behind the desk caught her attention, and a few moments later, Knot Island's designated Nurse Joy appeared, already rested and ready to start her job.
"Good morning, everyone! We trust you all spent a good night here in the Pokemon Center!" the pretty rose-haired nurse greeted them. Brock would probably have started again with his ladykiller routine, if he wasn't completely stiff! He only managed to raise an hand and attempt a smile...
"Hehehee... good... morning... Nurse Joy... you... slept well?" he murmured.
"Erm... I guess I shouldn't ask too many questions..." the dumbfound Joy commented. "Anyway... again, good morning, and I trust you had a good night's sleep! This is your first time here in Sevii Islands, right?"
Tanya nodded. "Indeed it is... I'm here to do a commission for my family, but Ash and his friends are here to do research around Mt. Ember. I don't know what it is exactly, but..."
Joy's expression became somewhat grim. "Mount Ember? Hmmm... I won't stop you from going there, guys, but still I'd advise you to be very careful. There have been some strange activities around there, and a Ghost-type Pokemon trainer seems to have taken residence there, spooking visitors away. Her Pokemon seem to be very strong, so you shouldn't pick a fight with her!"
"Don't worry, Nurse Joy, it's not like this is the first time we run some risks! Right, Pikachu?" Ash answered. The electric mouse crossed his arms on the chest and squeaked in anticipation of victory, as Tanya stepped closer to Ash, her normally tranquil expression becoming, for just a second, somewhat more concentrated and thoughtful...
"They really are the same..." Misty answered sarcastically, though she was happy that Ash and Pikachu hadn't really changed too much. "But still... don't worry, Nurse Joy, we're rather skilled trainers, and we won't get in trouble. We're just sticking around for what we came to do, and then we'll be off!"
"But first, we should get Tanya to where she needs to go." Ash said. "By the way, where do you..."
"Well, it's actually pretty close!" the blonde said, interrupting Ash by getting close to him and putting an hand on his shoulder, in what was probably meant as a show of friendship. "I just needed to find my way around and see where I was going, since this is my first time here. Still, thanks for your help, and I hope to see you again soon!"
A little embarassed at the girl's closeness, and glmpsing Misty's expression growing annoyed, Ash mumbled something in response. "Er... well... it's okay, Tanya, no problem at all! We're glad to have given you help!"
"Still, I'm grateful to you!" the blonde answered. "Well, then... good luck for your job on Mt. Ember, and see you soon!"
Brock, finally back to normal, stood up and rubbed the place where his Croagunk's Poison Jab had hit. "Ugh... no prob, Tanya! Goodbye, and good luck!"
Gary nodded. "We hope to see you again soon."
"Of course... see you..." Misty muttered, trying to be kind even though that girl was getting too confident with Ash for her own liking.
Tanya picked up her bags and waved goodbye to everyone before exiting from the Pokemon Center, a shy smile on her lips.
"Well then... guess it's time for us to get ready!" Brock said as soon as Tanya got away. He recalled Croagunk in his Pokeball and began getting his backpack ready. "We're heading off to have breakfast somewhere... and then we're off to Mt. Ember. By the way, Nurse Joy, do you happen to know the weather forecast for today?"
The young rose-haired girl thought about that for a moment. "Hmmm... the weather should be fine, but with what happened recently, we cannot be sure. I'm afraid I can't help you there..." she answered.
"Well, no problem, we'll make do." Brock answered... before smiling at Joy in his most charming way! "And please, fair Joy, do not worry about us! Before the evening comes, we'll be back at the Pokemon Center and... Ah! Wait, Croagunk! Just kidding! You don't have to come out again!"
Croagunk's Pokeball was twitching, asif thetoad Pokemon had heard his trainer's intentions and wanted to come out and give him another stern warning!
"Heheheee... Brock, let me tell you that you're the most unlikely ladykiller I've ever seen!" Misty jokingly chided. "If even your Pokemon agree with that..."
oooooooooo
The girl named Tanya was walking through the small town, apparently looking around herself in search of the place where she had to go... and, in the meantime, she was looking behind herself from time to time, as if she wanted to make sure nobody was following her. As soon as she had gotten away from the Pokemon Center, the blonde girl slipped into a narrow street, making sure to be unconspicuous. Finally she took out what looked like a small communicator device from the neck of her dress, smiled to herself and activated it.
"Hello? Hello, can you hear me?" she whispered. "Yes... Domino here! The first part of the operation went smoothly. I managed to get close to a group of visitors, and placed a bug on one of them. He will unknowingly show us what's going on on Mt. Ember, and what the outsiders have in mind. You just have to lay back and enjoy the show, Mr. Giovanni!"
"Well done, Domino. I knew I could count on you." Team Rocket's don answered. "Very well, I'd say we have the situation under control, for now. But keep an eye out on those visitors, and keep me updated. There could me other things we don't know about, and I'd rather be informed quickly."
"Of course, sir. Don't worry, I am Team Rocket's top spy, after all." the young agent answered. "I'll make sure nothing escapes me!"
She could swear she had heard Giovanni nod from the other side of the conversation. "Excellent. I'll leave you to your work then. Looking forward to good news, Domino."
"Naturally." the girl concluded as the communication ended...
oooooooooo
TO BE CONTINUED...
Author's Note: And so, finally, the team has arrived in the Sevii Islands, and it looks like they've got their work cut out for them, especially with the fact that Domino is already keeping tags on them, andthere are already some pretty mysterious people on Mt. Ember! On the other hand, Zoey and her friends seem to be doing okay for now... but of course, they haven't even started delving into the mystery yet! And about Paul... well, for now he might not be an important player, but stay assured that it won't stay that way for long!
That's all I have to say for now! I'll try to update soon, if real life allows me to, so stay tuned... and if you can, please leave me a review! They're always appreciated!
See you soon!