POKEMON HEART SOUL ADVENTURES
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Chapter 43 - Team Rocket Springs To Action!
"Hmm... so, those Team Vicious guys have set up a camp near here, huh?" Jessie murmured astutely, rubbing her chin while James tried to direct their hot air balloon out of sight of their former organization's rivals. "This can only mean one thing, they're looking for something interesting around there! If we can throw a snapper in their works, we can get back at them for what they did to us back at Sevii Islands! What do you say, guys, you like the idea?"
"Of course we do, Jessie... but I'd suggest we be careful about it..." James suggested. "Meowth, could you see how many were there?"
The feline Pokemon shrugged nonchalantly. "Ten, twelve tops. They sure have numbers on their side, but if we can catch them off guard, we can take them down no problem and take their camp for ourselves! And about that... trust good ol' Meowth, I already have a perfect plan in mind!"
"I sure hope it's as perfect as you say..." Jessie murmured to herself. "Fine, Meowth, you have our attention... what are we going to do?"
"Let's just say we're doing... a bit of a return to our roots!" Meowth answered with a wink. "Okay, listen up, guys... whisper whisper... and then... whisper whisper..."
Jessie and James bent a little in order to listen to their Pokemon companion, and when Meowth was done, both raised their heads and looked at each other n determination, convinced that they were going to have their way this time!
"So be it, then! Team Rocket is ready to blast off to glory!" Jessie exclaimed. "C'mon, everyone, let's do this!"
The young woman placed a hand in front of herself, and both James and Meowth placed their own hands upon hers, in a gesture of accordance! "Well said, Jessie! We're not getting blasted away this time!"
"Let's get to it, people! It's going to be one for the history books!" Meowth concluded.
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A few moments later, in a lone camp set up by a bunch of Team Vicious grunts...
"Yaaaawn! Man, this job is really the pits... nothing interesting ever happens around here!" a Team Vicious grunt murmured as he stood guard in front of the camp. "I mean, had we set up camp... dunno, in Azalea City or Violet Town, at least there would have been something to watch."
"Like what? Like an unstable tower dedicated to a bunch of useless Grass-type Pokemon, or a well infested by the dumbest Pokemon ever?" another masked grunt answered in a deadpan voice. "Bah... in my opinion, the fact that this forest still holds a few pointers about the location of Celebi, the protector of the forest, more than makes up for how dull it can get! Our boss had already tried to seize its power for himself, and had it not been for that bunch of twerps... well, we'd be the rulers of the world already! Now we have a chance of finding something that might point us in Celebi's direction and let the boss make up for that defeat!"
"Alright..." the grunt standing guard answered tiredly. "I just hope we can find this thing soon, wherever it is, and get away from this forest..."
A strange hissing sound reached the grunts' ears, and the two of them glanced up in alarm and got ready to throw their Pokeballs... but they had no time to let their Pokemon out before a strange projectile the size of a small car descended with a penetrating hiss and embedded itself in the ground only a few feet away from them, shaking the ground! The frightened grunts quickly turned to the projectile... and discovered, much to their surprise, that it was a gigantic leek that had planted itself in the ground like some sort of gigantic nail, tossing up a whirlwind of powdered soil and dead leaves!
"Huh? What the heck is that...?" one of the grunt exclaimed, looking at the strange object in surprise... as an ominous shadow loomed upon the improvised camp, forcing all Team Vicious members to glance up in alarm! A strange robot, looking like an overgrown Farfetch'd, with a wingspan of no less than thirty feet, was flying above them... and on board of it, protected by a dome of bulletproof glass that allowed them to look around and down, sat a well-known trio of clumsy outlaws who were nonetheless determined to show what they were really made of!
"Hohohohoooo! So, how'd you like our surprise? From the cunning minds of three former Team Rocket agents, I give you... Farfetch'd X-Wing!" Jessie exclaimed with an high-pitched laugh, grabbing the cloche with enthusiasm. "Bring it on, you jesters! We'll show you what our latest invention is truly made of!"
James and Meowth looked at each other with weirded out expressions. "What des she mean, Farfetch'd X-Wing? This is just a flying robot we concocted together from scrap metal we found here and there... we were a little short on money, after all..." the azure-haired boy murmured.
"Just go along with it, Jamey-boy... you know how Jessie can get, and this name... she just pulled it out of nowhere..." the catlike Pokemon answered. "Fine then... let's not go there, and let's do our thing instead! Time for a few fireworks here, people!"
"Alright, Meowth!" James exclaimed. "First off, let's show them our firepower!"
For a compartment on the robotic Farfetch'd's wings, James' Carnivine aimed and fired a powerful Bullet Seed arrack, spraying Team Vicious below with a seemingly infinite stream of nuts and seeds shot from the carnivorous plant's maw! "Aaaaargh! What on Earth...?" one of the masked criminals exclaimed, vainly attempting to shield himself with his arms from this hail of bullets! "You cowards! This is just cheap! Come down and fight, if you have some guts!"
"Well, well, can you believe it? Criminals asking other criminals to fight fair..." Meowth taunted their enemies. "All of this is so ironic that I don't even know where to begin..."
One of the Team Vicious grunt grabbed one of his Pokeballs, in an attempt to fight back. "Hmph... yeah, go ahead and laugh at us, will you! I'll teach you a lesson you won't ever forget! Come out, Graveler!" the masked grunt exclaimed, sending out a fierce-looking and massive Graveler, who immediately stood on guard and aimed a Rock Slide attack... but he had no time to actually shoot before he was bombarded by Carnivine's seeds, and was forced to retreat under an overwhelming onslaught! His trainer grit his teeth and hid behind a boulder, grumbling to himself about how stupid he was not to think of Graveler's double weakness to Grass...
"You blinking idiot!" another grunt called him out, watchin Gravele hit the ground in a daze. "Do you think a Rock and Ground type can actually stand up to a Grass-type?"
"Ugh... I'm sorry, I acted on impulse!" the unfortunate gruntprotested while at thesame time trying to gain some cover from Carnivine's Bullet Seed. Clearly, the three former members of Team Rocket had no such problem...
"And while those three bicker over what kind of Pokemon is good against a Grass-type, we'll show them that our Pokemon never have this sort of problems!" Jessie commented with a cunning smile. "Seviper, Yanmega, go all out on this one!"
The breathless Carnivine was glad to be able to stop his Bullet Seed attack and catch his breath while Jessie's giant garnet and saber-toothed viper took his place, with Yanmega majestically soaring in the air, and Seviper coiling herself around one of the Farfetch'd X-Wing's talons, glancing down in order to aim her attacks.
"Hmph. You don't think you can bully us with that bucket of scrap metal, do you, you losers?" another Team Vicious grunt replied. With a gesture, he let a Fearow out of his Pokeball, while his companions let out a few more common Pokemon like Bibaret, Raticate or Ariados. The Farfetch'd X-Wing dropped down a little, and a Team Vicious Bibarel chose that exact moment to strike, launching a Water Gun attack on Yanmega. The Ogre Garner buzzed angrily, shaking the water off her wings and body.
"Hey! How dare you treat my beautiful Yanmega like that, you dirty rodent?" Jessie exclaimed. "Show him who you are, Seviper! Use Dark Pulse!"
"Seviperrrrrr!" A disquieting black aura surrounded the Poison-type for a moment, before she launched it outwards with a quick movement of her coils! The offending Bibarel could not dodge in time, and was hit and knocked down together with a few Pokemon who were trying to attack the three former Team Rocket members! And when Fearow dived towards Yanmega, trying to take advantage of her momentary stun, the huge dragonfly recovered and fired back one of her best attacks. With a loud buzz, Yanmega unleashed her Ancient Power attack, creating a few luminous rocks from seemingly nowhere all around her body, and launching them at Fearow, who was hit and knocked back!
"Hehehee... don't say we didn't warn ya! You've got nothin' to gain by acting all tough on us!" Meowth grinned proudly... though Team Vicious did not seem to want to give up so easily. One of the grunts, who had just let a Machoke out of his Pokeball, decided it was the right moment to strike back. "Tch! Now, we'll be the ones laughing! Machoke! Bring that thing down with Stone Edge!"
The body-builder Pokemon nodded and swept in front of himself with one of his powerful arms, raising up a powerful wave of razor-sharp stones that flew up towards the Farfetch'd X-Wing and struck it on the side, with enough power to cause it to tip over to one side! One of its wings came too close to the ground for Jessie and James' comfort, and the two had to swerve at the last possible moment, feeling their stomachs almost fly up to their mouths, in order to avoid crashing! Seviper had no choice but to coil herself around the flying vehicle's talon in order to avoid being thrown off!
"Aaaaargh! Now they've really gone and made me mad!" Jessie angrily ranted, a vein popping up on her forehead! "Alright then! You want a war? You got a war! I'm not gonna hold back anymore!"
Needless to say, James and Meowth had no intention of contradicting their fiery companion, who immediately began pressing one button after the other on the console in front of herself. When Jessie was in a bad mood, it was highly advisable to steer clear of her... and she gave ample proof of that when the beak of the Farfetch'd X-Wing opened up, letting out Jessie's Wobbuffet, who had been secured to some sort of retractable bridge, his arms loose by his sides and his black tail slowly wagging behind him... and of course, the usual dopey expression on his face!
The enemy Machoke did not wait for new orders and struck again with another Stone Edge attack... but this time, Jessie's Wobbuffet began glowing in a blue aura, and just as the rocks were only a few feet away from striking, they stopped in midair, remaining suspended in midair, and then returning to the sender like a swarm of missiles, striking him head-on! Jessie immediately perked up at that, and she immediately let out an ear-splitting laugh... much to James and Meowth's chagrin! "Hohohohooooo! Good for you, Wobbuffet! See what happens when you mess with us?"
"Well, it did cost us a couple shattered eardrums, but it was worth it..." Meowth snarked. "We sure get the job done whenever Pikachu and the twerps aren't around!"
"You can say that again, Meowth... maybe this is what we should have done all along!" James answered, rubbing his ears. The Team Vicious grunts seemed to understand that things were looking grim, and rather than stay and fight a losing battle, they began recalling their Pokemon, picking up whatever they could bring, and beat a hasty retreat from Ilex Forest.
"Ugh... darn it all..." one of the masked criminals muttered. "Let's run for it, people! They might be a bunch of buffoons, but we're getting clobbered real good here!"
"The boss won't be happy with this at all..." another one murmured, while all of them picked up whatever they could and ran away. In a few seconds, the camp in the wilderness had been completely abandoned, and the Farfetch'd X-Wing did a smooth acrobatic maneuver, before landing right in the middle of the clearing, allowing Yanmega, Seviper, Carnivine and Wobbuffet to take a breath of relief.
"Phew... now that was quite the rush!" James sighed, wiping some sweat from his forehead while the cockpit opened up with a low metallic screech. "Well... what can I say, we actually won! And now... let's take a look at what they were doing! By the way, congratulations, Meowth! You have had a really wonderful idea!"
The feline Pokemon unfastened his seat belt and leapt down with an agile somersault, then crossed his forepaws on his chest and nodded in fake modesty. "Hehee... well, yeah, I wasn't too shabby! But now... we can think of congratulating ourselves later, we still have a job to do now! I'm sure we can find something about their plans around here..."
"Alright, Meowth, let's start looking..." Jessie answered. The two youngsters and their Pokemo dismounted the makeshift plane, stretched their arms and legs a little, and started searching the deserted camp.
The search was fruitless for a while... but after searching in several tents, finding nothing but a few worthless objects and some canned food - which was a great find, considering how vicariously they were used to living - a more careful look around the place where the squad leader seemed to have been staying revealed that there were two strange greyish-green stones, similar to rough emeralds, and a small notebook upon which were inscribed a few useful notes, particularly on the identity of the Pokemon Team Vicious was looking for.
"Hmm... that's very interesting! What about this, guys? You think anyone could be interested in these stones?" James stated, showing Meowth the bag containing the two stones. The talking cat sneaked a peek inside, and his cunning smile widened until it almost consumed the lower half of his face!
"You bet, Jamie, my old boy!" he exclaimed. "These are Moon Stones, and they are quite rare and valuable! Maybe someone has some Pokemon he could use it on... which means, we can sell them to him for quite a bundle!"
"And what about this notebook? What's written upon it?" Jessie asked, looking over her best friend's shoulder. There was a small picture attached on one of the center pages, showing a small, fairy-like Pokemon with light green skin and dragonfly wings... it was a rather blurred image, so Jessie, James and Meowth had trouble seeing the particulars... but they were sure they had seen such a distinct shape somewhere before...
James rubbed his chin while looking at the pictures. "Hmmm... tell you what, guys, this Pokemon really looks familiar to me." he answered. "I'm sure we've already seen it somewhere, but I can't for the life of me remember where."
Jessie's Yanmega flew over James, distracting him with her buzzing of wings... and her eyes widened even more when she recalled where and when she had caught a glimpse of that particular Pokemon! Using her wings' buzzing to communicate, Yanmega tried to tell the news to Meowth... who luckily seemed to get it!
"Wha... Hold on a sec! Of course! That's where we had seen it! That's Celebi... that Legendary Pokemon the Iron Masked Marauder was after... and the one we had seen in Crown City!" the cat-like Pokemon exclaimed. "In both cases... there was someone gunning for him!"
"What? Oh, crikey, Meowth... now I recognize him!" James exclaimed in surprise. "This is going to get serious, guys... if Team Vicious does want this Pokemon..."
"We are in for a world of trouble!" Jessie concluded with a shiver. Every time that Pokemon was involved, they ended up risking their necks... and that's leaving aside the fact that it was a Pokemon connected with the flow of time, which opened up far too many possibilities for their liking! "Guys... I really don't like this at all! Shouldn't we try and tell someone about these plans as soon as we can? If we let these Team Vicious guys get away with capturing Celebi... we can expect nothing but bad news!"
"You're right... but we need to find someone who would believe us!" James answered as the three of them walked out of the tent and returned to their rudimentary plane. As they walked away, the former Team Rocket agents failed to notice a bunch of documents that had been hidden in a corner of the tent during the battle... and so, they could not read the name that was written on one of the sheets...
GRINGS KODAI
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In Kanto, however, things were definitely more quiet for Ash and his team... and in fact, that particular day was shaping up to be quite memorable, since Ash, Pikachu, Misty and Brock were taking a stroll together after so much time, walking towards Viridian Forest. And they weren't alone either, since Ash had had the idea of taking a few of the Pokemon that had remained at Oak's ranch - namely, the leader of the Tauros herd he had captured at Safari Zone, his Muk, his Corphish and his Shiny Noctowl, each one of which was walking - or flying, in the golden owl's case - beside their trainer, enjoying a peaceful day in which no one had to worry about criminal organizations, tournaments, rivals, or anything like that. It was nice to be able to spend a day like that, without anything to interrupt the peace and quiet... and Pikachu was the one who was enjoying it the most, seeing as he was sitting on Tauros' massive back, too small for the mighty bull to even notice his weight!
As he watched Ash, Misty and Brock walking side by side and chatting with each other, Pikachu thought there was some nostalfic feeling about it. It almost seemed like they had gone back in time, when Ash was still a rookie trainer, and Misty and Brock were often forced to take his hand and fuide him through his first battles. Sure, they were older and more experienced now, all of them... but the feeling of the good old times was still there!
"Well, everyone? What do you say? It was such a great day, that it would have been a shame not to take a walk outside and enjoy it!" Ash told his Pokemon, chuckling a little when the rambunctious Corphish began teasing Muk... only to be gently taken aside by a weak Extrasensory attack from Noctowl.
"Corphish, corp!" the giant crayfish Pokemon protested, his claws loudly snapping on thin air.
Misty ran a hand through her shining red hair. "Well, I do agree that it's a beautiful day..." she admitted. "But... why this sudden urge to take a walk, Ash? I don't think you had Gyms to face or things to do, so..."
"To be honest, guys... I wanted to go pay a visit to Pidgeot!" the young boy answered, getting somewhat more serious. "It's been too long since I promised him to go visit him, after he found his place... and now, I'd like to at least show him that I want to keep my word! And then... well, let's face it, nothing like walking along with your friends, on such a great day!"
"You're right! It's a pity Dawn couldn't join us, but at least she has Zoey and Kenny with her!" Brock stated. "And we might throw Ursula in as well. You know, it seems to me that those two get along somewhat better."
"Taur?" Tauros asked in his curiosity to know what the ever-squinting young man was saying. Pikachu rubbed his head and answered with several screeches in his distinctive language, as if saying he would have explained later. The bull-like Pokemon shrugged in his own way, accepting the electric mouse's explanation, and continued walking along the way... at least until Noctowl stopped in midair, noisily flapping his wings in order to remain suspended, and looked around suspiciously. The rest of the team stopped in alarm as well... and Tauros began sniffing the air, only to turn away in disgust when the overpowering stench coming from Muk reached his sensitive nostrils!
"Pikachu..." Pikachu murmured as he sweatdropped. He began looking around just a moment later and perked his ears up, while warning Ash and the others. "Pika pi! Pika pikachu!"
"What's the matter, Ash? Is anything wrong?" a wary Misty asked... and, as if on cue, Psyduck popped out of his Pokeball in a stream of white light! "Ugh... nevermind... you're what's wrong, stupid duck!"
"Psy-ay-ayyyy..." Psyduck quacked as he turned his head to the left of the team, towards a bush that shook and let out a large bug-like Pokemon looking like a gigantic lavender-colored moth with six thin legs, and three short spikes on its head, as well as a pair of delicate-looking wings, scattering a fine silver dust around the place. It was clearly a Venomoth, a rather common Bug / Poison Pokemon noted for its numerous status-changing attacks and its powerful Psychic-type attacks. Ash, Misty and Brock did not recall many of those living in Viridian Forest or close to it though, which probably meant a trainer was around...
"Ugh... I should have recalled that... sometimes, you run into bad company when you walk in Viridian Forest!" Misty murmured in fear, her dislike of Bug-type Pokemon acting up again. Luckily for her, just when Vanomoth seemed to be about to attack, a voice belonging to an old acquaintance of the team intervened and stopped it.
"Hold on, Venomoth! Those are my friends, don't attack them!" Tracey exclaimed, emerging from the same bush along with his faithful Scyther. The gigantic moth stopped short of releasing its toxic spores in the air, and looked at the young artist with surprise while he and Scyther finished walking out of the vegetation and greeted Ash and the others! "Hey, Ash! Good to see you, guys! You have to excuse my Venomoth, ever since he evolved from a Venonat, he's always been kinda suspicious, every time he hears someone arriving..."
"Ah... hello, Tracey! Don't worry, it's okay..." Misty answered, even though she shivered a little at the sight of the two Bug-type Pokemon. "By the way, what are you doing here? I thought you'd be at Professor Oak's lab to help out..."
As Venomoth flew back to Tracey's side and Scyther nodded to him, the young artist rubbed the back of his head. "Well... to be honest, yes, the day had started out like that, but then we saw the weather forecast... basically, it's supposed to be a very rainy weekend, so Scyther, Venomoth and I have come here to fetch some wood. So, if it becomes necessary to light up a fire, we have the means to do it."
"Yeah, that's understandable." Brock answered. "By the way, Ash... think we have time to stop here and help Tracey out a little?"
Ash took a look at his watch. "Well... I think we can stop for a while and gather son wood as well. So, guys, what do you say?"
Noctowl hooted and nodded his head in assent, and even Pikachu, Muk, Corphish and Tauros seemed to be in agreement, to which Ash grinned and raised his right fist in the air! "Alright! Let's get to it, everyone! Where do we start from?"
"You can start by not overworking yourself, Ash Ketchum, with that arm of yours... need I remind you that you still have three weeks before you take off the plaster?" Misty reminded him, pointing to her friend's casted left arm. Of course, knowing Ash, this was not going to be enough to stop him.
"Heheheee... no worries, Misty, this won't be enough to hold me back! So, Tracey... where can we start?" the young trainer asked.
"Thank you very much, everyone!" the young artist answered, as Scyther and Venomoth began showing the pile of wood they had already gathered to the other trainers. "Alright, we'll show you now... I'm sure this work will be over in a snap with your aid!"
"Pika pika!" Pikachu agreed.
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In the meanwhile, in Pallet Town, another group of trainers was busy practicing for an activity that was definitely more peaceful than Pokemon battling, but just as exciting nonetheless: Dawn, Kenny, Zoey and even Ursula - regardless of the occasion dirty glance Zoey cast her way every now and then - were thinking up some new tricks to perform with their Pokemon, combining their moves in the most inventive ways. And the river that was running close to the borders of Pallet Town were the perfect place to train their Water-type Pokemon...
Dawn, directing her Piplup and her Togekiss while sitting in her wheelchair, clapped her hands twice, trying out a new idea she had. "Alright, Piplup, Togekiss... let's do it again, okay? It's an idea I had from something Ash told me about once, and I want to see if it works! Togekiss, get ready to use Aura Sphere... and you, Piplup, jump on Togekiss' back before she fires!"
"Piplup!" the small penguin-like Pokemon answering, rapidly flapping his small wings as he jumped on Togepi's final evolution back, while she was gliding on the water and circling on the surface. Right after that, the Normal / Flying Pokemon began glowing in a blue aura that formed a magical-looking sphere around her body... and Dawn began waiting for her Togekiss' Aura Sphere to become large enough. Then, she nodded and called for Piplup's move.
"And now, Piplup... usa Aqua Jet!" the bluenette exclaimed. The penguin-like starter let out his shrill call and rushed towards Togekiss, surrounded with an aura of water, which was torn into millions of droplets by the Aura surrounding Togekiss! The droplets sprayed all around the two Pokemon, reflecting all the hues of the rainbow and immersing both Pokemon in a spectacular halo of beautiful colors, leaving their trainer dumbfound! She had expected a spectacular result, to be sure, but this went beyond her most optimistic expectations! "Yay! That was fantastic, guys! This is exactly what I was going for!"
Togekiss shot her Aura Sphere, dragging the water jets created by Piplup for quite a good distance and leaving a trail of rainbow-hued vapor behind it, before the energy sphere burst into a spectacular cloud of colors that hung in the air for a few moments before spectacularly dissipating.
"Wow!" Kennt exclaimed, admiring the result of his childhood friend's latest combination of moves. Both his Alakazam and his Breloom were looking at the same scene with admiration. "That was truly astounding, Dee-Dee! You sure got a lot stronger, since last time we met each other..."
"Thanks, Kenny! Well, to be fair, Ash, Brock and I have been in quite a few Pokemon battles, so... well, I guess it was only to be expected that our Pokemon got quite a bit stronger!" Dawn answered. She turned to Zoey's Lumineon and Glameow, observing the spectacular combination her best friend was putting up - between the feline's agility and Lumineon's graceful movements, the result was not unlike a mesmerizing display of dancing water. And Ursula's Vaporeon and Flareon were doing quite a good job themselves. "Zoey and Ursula sure got a lot better as well..."
"Heheheee... but they're not the only ones to have done so!" the young boy answered, his eyes shining competitively like she was used to seeing whenever he wanted to show off something he had just learned. "I've been training a lot, and I've definitely learned from the mistakes I've committed at the Grand Festival! I thin I've got some tricks that will leave your jaws hanging! Alakazam, Breloom! Let's try our new Shadow Ball and Energy Ball combo!"
"Breeeeeloom!"
"Alaka-zam!" the mighty Psychic-type Pokemon crossed his spoon in front of himself and concentrated, creating a sphere of rolling shadows.., and Breloom formed a glowing ball of green light, before firing it in perfect synchronization with his companion! The spheres of energy drew a pair of spiralling lines in midair, twisting and turning around each other, and leaving behind two trails of light, one purple and one green! The two attacks flew for several metres, getting close and closer in their spiralling movement... and they finally hit each other in midair, exploding in a blast of fireworks that projected purple and green light everywhere!
"Woooow! That was awesome, Kenny! You and your Pokemon had a pretty good idea!" Dawn answered, causing a prideful smile to appear on the young boy's face.
"You two sure are doing quite a good job!" Zoey commented. "My Pokemon and I better step up our game, or we'll end up falling behind in the next Grand Festival!"
"I don't think you need to worry about that, Zoey!" Kenny affirmed, while he and his Breloom looked at Zoey's Lumineon creating an Aqua Ring in midair, and her Glameow somersaulting through it by combining his Agility and Double Team attacks! The cat-like Pokemon jumped through each and every ring of water Lumineon left behind himself. It felt like watching a group of classical dancers moving in perfect synchrony... and while it wasn't as flamboyant as Dawn and Kenny's combinations, the technique and skill Zoey and her Pokemon put int it more than made up for the lack of visual effects! "If this combination is any indication, we're still going to have trouble catching up to you!"
"Heheee... thanks, but you know me... I'm not the kind of girl who is content with what she can do at the moment." the redhead coordinator answered. "And while my Pokemon have gotten stronger since the Grand Festival, I still haven't gotten what I was looking for. I must still do something more..."
"I see..." Dawn answered, rubbing her forehead. Her Togekiss and her Pilup landed close to her, and the blue-haired pre-teen welcomed them and cuddled them a little. "Hey there, Piplup! Togekiss! I think you deserve some rest now! You did a great job, and we've been training for quite a few hours anyway!"
Togekiss emitted her melodious call in accordance with Dawn, who gently stroke her and Piplup on the head, and then turned to a voice calling her. She was somewhat surprised when she saw Gay arriving, waving to the group of friends from Sinnoh. "Oh, hi, Gary! What's the matter?"
As the rest of the trainers greeted him - even Ursula turned away from her training and nodded to him - Gary nodded and got close to them. "Hope I'm not intruding... Dawn, you have X-rays to do today, right? Gramps suggested you could do them now, so you won't have to think about that anymore."
"Ouch... silly me, I had completely forgotten about that..." the wheelchair-bound girl answered, bopping herself on the head. "Guys, can you continue without me? I'll be back as soon as this is done! We're not going to take long, right, Piplup?"
"Pip! Lup!" the penguin-like Pokemon chirped, holding himself close to his trainer as if he wanted to say that he was going to stay with her. He seemed to have gotten the idea that it was going to be some sort of painful ordeal...
"Okay, Dawn, take all the time you need... and get back whenever you can, okay?" Zoey answered. "We'll keep practicing."
"Do what you need to do. Not like I care or anything." Ursula said with a shrug.
Kenny, for his part, went to his childhood friend and held the handles of her wheelchair. "Well, Dee-Dee, hopefully you aren't going to push yourself all the way there, are you?" he asked playfully. "I'm helping you, if you don't mind."
Dawn giggled and blushed a little, feeling flattered that Kenny was so eager to help her. "Well... I was trying to go thereall by myself, but still, thank you, Kenny! That's very nice of you!" she answered, and the two childhood friend began going on their way back to the Pallet Town mainland, chatting between themselves as Kenny gently pushed her wheelchair. The rest of the group, Gary included, stood thereand watched the two happily make their way back to the town, before the young researcher addressed Zoey.
"Those two really get along, don't they?" the young Oak commented. "Well, that sounds obvious, considering they're childhood friends, but still, they seem to have gotten even closer recently."
Zoey shrugged and smiled gently. "If you're pondering what I think you're pondering, I couldn't be happier for them." she answered. "I mean, they have been looking out for each other ever since they were little kids. And they obviously care a lot about each other, so... I'm sure they would be happy if they were to develop their relationship in that direction. Plus, they look cute together, don't they?"
Gary chuckled. "You've got a point here." he stated.
Ursula, for her part, turned a rather annoyed glance at the rest of the team, then sighed and shook her head, turning once again to her Flareon and Vaporeon. "Meh, what does that guy see in that ditz, I'll never know. Guess these are the moments I'm glad I don't have a boyfriend. Romance is not really my forte." she murmured. "Alright... Vaporeon, Flareon, let's get back to our training, right now. We need to find a counter to Dee-Dee's little tricks! Are you ready?"
"EON!" the two Eevolutions answered in unison, getting ready for another go...
oooooooooo
"Are you okay, Dee-Dee? You don't need me to slow down, do you?" Kenny asked his childhood friend, who was relaxing in the wheelchair he was pushing towards Pallet Town's main square. The blue-haired girl turnd to her childhood friend and winked, in order to tell him she was alright.
"It's okay, Kenny... and thanks for helping me!" she answered. "I have to say, you're quite the gentleman when you aren't calling me by that usual nickname!"
She giggled at the boy's blushing reaction. "W-what... don't say such embarassing things, Dee-Dee! You know that I've been calling you that ever since we were kids!" he stuttered, looking the other way while pushing her wheelchair. "And, well, I'd be doing this for you anyway! That doesn't mean what you think it means! I'd be doing this even if I wasn't... ugh... I mean, since you broke your legs and all, it's only fair that I help you out!"
"Heheheee... it's fine, Kenny, you don't need to explain yourself! I wasn't implying anything anyway!" she giggled, before her tone grew softer and she smiled gently at him. "To be honest, I'm kinda glad we were able to spend some time together, now that we don't have to rush to get to Festivals or anything like that. While it is fun to train Pokemon and think up new combinations of moves, sometimes you need some time to cool down and just spend your time with the people dear to you... you know what I mean?"
"Piplup!" the small penguin-like Pokemon agreed from his trainer's lap.
Kenny cleared his throat, searching for an answer to give her... but before he could think something up, he found himself right in front of the Oak Laboratories, where Prof. Oak seemed to be waiting for them. They had enjoyed the trip back to Pallet so much, they hadn't even seen how much of the road they had covered.
"Oh, there you are, Dawn and Kenny!" the kind professor greeted them, walking up to them. "And just in time too. Everything is set up for your X-ray scan, dear. Don't worry, it won't be anything painful nor too long. I just need you to hold still for a while as we take a look at how your bones are doing."
"That's good to know, professor Oak." Dawn answered. "By the way, can Kenny and Piplup stay and watch while I have my examination done? I think they would appreciate it."
"They most certainly can, my dear." Oak said, helping the wheelchair-bound girl and her Piplup in the lab and motioning for her childhood friend to follow. "Come on, Kenny, don't be shy! Your friend would like you to stay with her, you don't want to let her down now, right?"
"I... I'm glad she does, professor, but... er... I don't want to be in the way..." Kenny stuttered a little, causing Piplup to sigh and shake his head, and Dawn to giggle to herself. "Still, if you think it will be okay..."
"Aw, c'mon, Kenny, don't be a scaredy Meowth!" Dawn joked. "I did tell you, didn't I? I would be happy if you came and stayed with us!"
"Okay..." the young boy nervously answered, following his childhood friend in the laboratory...
oooooooooo
Tracey wiped some sweat off his forehead, looking at the large heap of wood that he and his friends, with the aid of both Venomoth and Scyther, had piled up. "Well, I guess we are done here! Even if it hailed, we still have enough wood for setting up a few nice fires! My Pokemon and I can bring it back to Pallet no problem, guys, so don't worry about that. I know you have your own things to do, so... I don't want to waste any more of your time!"
"Venomoth!" the giant moth answered, nodding to Tracey's aging Scyther. The mantis Pokemon was sharpening his blades, taking care not to have them lose their edge.
"No problem, Tracey, it was us who wanted to help you with the job!" Brock gently answered, his Rhydon and Graveller placing some more wood in the pile. "After all, we don't have a timetable, and the day is still long... it was no problem at all to stop here for a while."
"And it wasn't even hard, even with my arm..." Ash went on, scratching his Tauros behind an ear... and getting subsequently glomped by a rather jealous Muk! Trying to keep his balance under the slimy Pokemon's huge weight, the young boy hugged Muk back as best as he could! "Hehehee... alright, Muk, alright already! You all did a great job, everyone! Alright, Tracey, if it's okay with you, and you don't need any more help, we'll get going."
"No worries, guys, it's okay!" the young artist answered. "You can go wherever you want... oh, and Ash, give your Pidgeot my best regards! I might hop there and go visit him one of these days!"
"Okay,I will make sure I do that!" Ash jauntily answered while he, Pikachu, Misty, Brock and their Pokemon waved at Tracey and his own Pokemon and started walking away.
"Pika chu!" Pikachu squeaked to Venomoth and Scyther. The giant moth screeched as a sign of saying goodbye, and the praying mantis did a deep bow, standing in position until Ash and his friends were no longer visible. Then, with a wistful expression, he looked at one of his arm-blades, as if trying to see something inside its reflective surface... and sighed sadly.
So much time had gone by, and now...
"Hey, Svyther, are you okay?" Tracey asked, catching him off guard. The praying mantis jumped up a little, feeling some slight irritation. Had he grown so old and dull, that now it wasn't even difficult to catch him unaware? But he quickly composed himself, and nodded to his trainer with a stoic expression on his face. "Well... that's good, Scyther! Okay, now Azumarill and I will carry this wood! I think you've done more than your share today, and I'm thankful for that!"
"Scyther!" the Bug / Flying type answered, and as Tracey opened up his third Pokeball to let Azumaril out, Scyther looked at the treetops.
Just a little more... only a little more...
Tracey's Venomoth turned a suspicious glance at her comrade. There was something wrong about him, and she wasn't sure what was that...
oooooooooo
TO BE CONTINUED...
My apologies for the long wait, I had hit some writer's block. But don't worry, I'll make sure next one arrives sooner. I have a new timetable ready, and hopefully it will help me organizing everything.
Please review and let me know what you think.