POKEMON HEART SOUL ADVENTURES
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Chapter 50 - Back To Johto With Us
A starry night, in an isolated clearing in the continent of Hoenn. A serene, quiet place where calm and tranquility reigned supreme. The only light shining upon the place was the light projected by the moon and the stars hanging in the clear night sky, and the silence was only interrupted by a few gentle gusts of wind...
... and by a sinister sound of leaves, closely followed by a barely audible hiss coming from a nearby bush. A muscular coiled body, belonging to what looked like a gigantic cobra, slithered sinisterly in the darkness, heading towards a place known only to the Pokemon... and right behind him, another Pokemon was floating, a strange being composed of two porous spheres from which a cloud of smoke came out from time to time. The two Pokemon looked like they were about to head for a long journey, and that they were about to greet their friends for the last time before being on their way.
Half-hidden by the branches and the leaves, the two Pokemon turned to a nearby molehill, where other two Pokemon of their same kind were standing, watching themwith pride and gratitude, flanked by a group of smaller but quite similar Pokemon. It wasn't easy to see, in the darkness... but it was clearly a solemn moment as the group of Pokemon was there to wish good luck on the two who were going away.
The two largest Pokemon stood in place for several moments, looking at their smaller friends as a way to wish them good luck, and silently asking the ones that had just taken their place to look after the younger ones. Their answers were a shrill hiss and a coughing sound... and finally, after all the goodbyes had been said, the two Pokemon who had been the protector of that colony for so long smiled and went on their way, disappearing into the night.
As soon as the Pokemon colony was out of sight, the floating Pokemon slowly turned to the snake-like one, once again speaking in a voice that sounded like asthmatic coughing. "Weeeee-zing?"
"Ssssharbok..." the giant cobra hissed, gently nodded and slightly opening the hood on his neck, upon which a design much like an angry face could be made out in the darkness. That gesture had a clear significance. It was time to go back to where their adventures had started... and possibly, reunite with some people they cared about, and resume travelling at their side.
Looking at each other, and reconfirming their decision, the two Pokemon went on their way, deciding they were going to find their former trainers, no matter how long it took...
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"Well... okay, guess the usual work day can begin!" Prof. Samuel Oak happily exclaimed, stretching his back a little before donning his labcoat and getting ready to what was shaping up as a rather busy day. As he entered his lab, the famous researcher was surprised to see that Tracey was at work already, and was getting a few vials ready, placing them on the tables and desks. His Pokemon were with him, helping him in his job... and in fact, aside from his Azumarill and his Venomoth, his little Dunsparce was there as well, having already grown several inches ever since his egg had hatched, only one week earlier. The strange snakelike Pokemon was trying to make himself as useful as he could, bringing notebooks and notepads, and placing them as well as he could. But the most important thing was, that Tracey was now looking much more serene. He still hadn't gotten over Scyther's passing, but he was at least resigned to it, and was doing much better.
"Good morning, professor Oak!" Tracey said, smiling kindly as soon as he saw Oak walking into his lab. "How are you doing? I hope you had a good night."
"Of course I did, Tracey! Thank you, and good day to you as well!" Oak answered. "Rather, how are you doing? Are you sure you don't want to take a few days off? You'd be able to better look after your Dunsparce that way."
The young artist scratched his latest Pokemon on the head, and Dunsparce answered by squeezing his round eyes shut and curving his mandibles upwards in what could be seen as a smile. "Thank you, professor Oak... but it won't be necessary. I... think I actually need to work, in order not to stop and think about sad things... and Dunsparce likes this place as well, am I right?"
"Dunsparce!" the odd-looking Normal-type Pokemon chirped, beating his small wings to express his assent. Oak didn't want to press the issue, and in fact privately praised his young friend for being so willing to work even as the emotional distress from last week was still there.
"So... don't worry, professor, I actually feel better if I keep working with you and my Pokemon." Tracey continued. "Rather, how are Ash and Dawn doing? They seem to be well on the mend to me."
"Well, they are healing faster than I had thought, and Ash should be able to have the cast off in about a week or so." Oak answered, taking a look at a couple of medical records he had among his papers. "Dawn will take a little longer, since we need to be sure that the leg fractures have knitted up completely, but she's doing well too, and I'll check whether she can have her casts changed next week... oh, and by the way, Tracey, have you checked the mail?"
"Actually, I did see you have gotten an e-mail from Johto's own Professor Elm." Tracey answered, pointing to the PC. Oak frowned a little in surprise... Professor Elm of New Bark Town had been one of Oak's best pupils, and had been the one to greet Ash and his friends when they had arrived in Johto, giving Ash that particular League's starter. It was always cause for great interest whenever he contacted the Pallet Town research center, not to mention a pleasant occasion for Oak himself. "He'd like to speak to you, about a matter of great importance, as it seems..."
"Really?" a surprised Oak asked, walking to his terminal in order to move the mouse and observe the e-mail window. He double-clicked on the icon representing Elm's mail and began reading, looking both concentrated and worried. Apparently, something was not going well in Johto...
"Hmm..." After a few minutes of disquieting silence, Oak slowly nodded, never taking his eyes off the screen. "Well... now this sounds like it could be a problem..."
"Venomoth?" the giant moth asked, slowly beating her wings as she landed on a table near her trainer.
"What is the matter, professor? Is it serious?" Tracey asked in genuine worry. Oak was a rather laid-back fellow, so whenever he tensed up, that usually meant there was a considerable problem.
Oak did not answer right away. He stood watching the screen for a few more moments, re-reading Elm's e-mail as though he wanted to memorize it. "It could very well be, my boy." he finally answered. "Elm is telling me that strange happenings are going on in Johto. Near Ecruteak City, people have seen a rainbow-hued winged Pokemon flying enigmatically around the Burned Tower... and among these there is the Gym Leader Morty, who is the kind of person who knows what he's talking about."
"A Legendary Pokemon?" Tracey asked, noticing that his three Pokemon seemed uneasy about that as well. "I think I've heard a similar legend one day. A Pokemon named Ho-Oh was said to dwell there, before flying away for unknown reasons... Could that be the Pokemon they have seen?"
"It is admittedly rather hard to believe..." Oak sighed. "Ho-Oh has always been considered a mere legend... now that I think of it, Ash told me he had seen a glimpse of it dueing his walk to Viridian City, but I kind of dismissed that as Ash being a little too imaginative. Still... there could be more truth to it than I thought."
Tracey nodded. "I understand... and does that mail also describe strange events, professor?"
"I'm afraid so. Had it just been a single sighting, I wouldn't be so worried..." the scientist answered, his eyes quickly going through the mail again. "There were strange events nea the Whirl Islands as well. The Pokemon living around there seem restless, and are reuniting in a sort of mass migration... and strange weather events have happened in the innermost islands, as well as sightings - as of yet unconfirmed - of Lugia, the sacred Pokemon dwelling in that part of the ocean."
Tracey shuddered, and his Venomoth flapped her wings and widened her eyes, while his Azumarill let out a brief fearful screech and covered his eyes with his ears. All of them remembered what had happened last time Lugia had been involved, when the collector Lawrence the Third had tried to capture the three Legendary Birds of Kanto in order to lure out the mythical Psychic/Flying type.
"This is... not good news, professor..." the young man murmured. "I would have preferred that Lugia was not involved in this..."
"Azu, marill!" the blue rabbit exclaimed. When Dunsparce looked at him in wonder, he sighed and moved an ear, as if saying he would explain that later.
Unfortunately, Oak wasn't done with the bad news. "And that's not all, I'm afraid. Elm also told me that Eusine, a friend of his who had dedicated his life to researching and studying Legendary Pokemon, has reported that the three Legendary Beasts of Johto - Entri, Raikou and suicune - have been sighted around several important sites like the Lake of Rage, the Ruins of Alph and the Ice Path. In all of those occasions, they were joined by a large group of Unowns, the alphabetic Pokemon that are linked to so many legends both in Johto and around the world in general."
"That's quite a problem indeed." Tracey answered. "What do you plan to do about this, professor? We surely need to find a way to solve this situation before it becomes too much for us to handle."
"I know, Tracey." Oak sighed, rubbing his temple in a thoughtful gesture. "I will certainly go to Johto and try to make head and tails of what is going on, but I don't think I'll be able to do everything myself. Maybe it's not very convenient fo them at the moment, but I think I'll have to ask Ash and some of his friends whether they can join me in Johto." He smiled ironically. "After all, those kids have as much of a talent for solving trouble as they have for getting into it!"
Tracey and his Pokemon couldn't help but chuckle along, relieving some of the tension. "Hehehee... I have no difficulty believing that!" he said. "Well, in that case, I can go ask Ash and his friends. I'm sure they will be glad to see Johto again."
"That would surely help me a lot, Tracey. Thank you very much!" the world-famous scientist answered. The young artist nodded to him and picked up Dunsparce, before motioning for Azumarill and Venomoth to follow him as he headed for Ash's house.
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Tracey's mind was wandering to the past, to the period in which he had been travelling through the Orange Archipelago along with Ash, Pikachu, Misty and their Pokemon friends... and most of all, he was thinking back of the time when they had met the three Legendary Birds of Kanto and had been involved in the legend of Lugia. A legend which had almost resulted in the world being destroyed had it not been for Ash stopping Lawrence the Third and returning things to normal. How ironic that the young artist had thought that he could never have witnessed anything more breathtaking than that, and now he was finding himself part of something that made that escapade pale by comparison... he just hoped tha things would be easier this time, but he was savvy enough to know that it was probably not to be the case.
"Well, guys? Would you ever have guessed it would have ended like that. the day we met Ash and Misty?" Tracey asked, sighing slightly as he lookedat Venomoth and Azumarill, Dunsparce in his arms. The giant moth gently flapped her wings, letting a slight rain of shimmering scales. "I mean, it seems that wherever Ash goes, incredible events follow. One never gets bored with him, huh?"
"Azumarill..." the blue rabbit agreed. Tracey noticed that his Pokemon's smile was tainted with some sadness, probably out of nostalgia for those days, and sadness for losing a long-time comrade.
Tracey chided Azumarill with a stroke on the head. "I know, Azumarill. I miss those days as well, and I miss Scyther as well. But it just wouldn't do to stay here and waste our time on regret. I'm still glad you're with me... and then again, who's to say anything? I might get my chance to live a great adventure as well, just like Ash, Misty, Brock and Dawn... and if there is something I learned during our journey throughout Orange Islands, it's that you never know what life has in store for you."
"Dun dun, dunsparce!" the snake-like Pokemon answered, flapping his small wings in order to tell something to his trainer, and Tracey turned to him, as if asking what the problem was. "Dun... sparce, dun?"
"Oh, sorry, Dunsparce, I kinda got distracted." he told his newest Pokemon. "Well, Scyther was a friend of mine, and a Pokemon just like you. It's a pity you had no chance to get to know him, I'm sure you would have become great friends. But one of these days, rest assured I'll take you to visit him."
Tracey smiled wistfully to himself, asking himself whether or not Dunsparce considered him a little off his rocker for speaking to him of a Pokemon that wasn't there anymore, as if that Pokemon was still alive. However, Dunsparce showed himself to be more understanding than that, and tried to confort his trainer by nuzzling close to him. The young man stood in surprise for a few moments, still not used to the newborn Pokemon's displays of affection, but he soon smiled and scratched Dunsparce on the back of his head like he was a kitten, causing him to trill in satisfaction. "Thank you for that, Dunsparce. And hey, looks like we got to Ash's house already!"
"Free?" an high-pitched voice was heard, belonging to a not-so-young Butterfree who was now approaching Tracey's Venomoth, regarding her with curiosity. He was fluttering out of the garden of Ash's house, which made Tracey think that the young Pokemon Master in the making and his friend were out there.
"Venomoth?" the giant moth chirped, fluttering around Butterfree just as he was doing with her. Azumarill, Dunsparce and their trainer watched them in curiosity.
"Pika pika pi!" Pikachu's voice called to Butterfree from the back garden. The electric mouse, joined by Ash and Delia, was walking to the Ketchum household's gate, holding one hand up to greet the young artist and his Pokemon. "Pika pi pikachu!"
"Azumarill!" the blue rabbit greeted back, his ears perkily raising up.
"Hey, Pikachu!" the artist exclaimed. "Good day to you too, Ash, Mrs. Ketchum. I see you're already busy!"
"Hello, Tracey!" Ash answered, letting his Butterfree roost on his still usable shoulder. "Yeah, there was some housework to do, and I'm not the kind of person who can stand still for long."
"How are you doing, Tracey? I hope you're well." Delia greeted him.
The young artist noticed Dunsparce flapping his wings in a request to let him down, and bent down to allow the odd Normal-type Pokemon to go. "You can say that it's going well enough, all things considered. Dinsparce is in high spirits, and it seems to me that he wants to make friends with Pikachu!"
"Pika, pika?" the electric mouse asked as he saw Tracey's newly acquired Pokemon slitherining closer, waving his strange drill-like tail in a saluting gesture. His awkwardness lasted all of a second, and Pikachu smiled and welcomed Dunsparce with a bow, both Pokemon starting to chat between themselves like two old-time friends. Even Butterfree, after taking off of Ash's shoulder, floated down with his large colourful wings, and tried to strike up a conversation with Dunsparce, Azumarill and Venomoth.
"Pika pika! Pikachu pika pikachu!"
"Dunsparce, dunsparce!"
"Free!"
"Marill, azumarill..."
"Moth, moth!"
"Well, our Pokemon certainly aren't lacking in things to talk about!" Delia affirmed with a motherly smile. "Anyway, Tracey, please, make yourself at home! Is there anything we might help you with?"
The Pokemon drawer nodded. "Indeed there is, Mrs. Ketchum. It's a bit of a long story though, so, mind if we sit down somewhere to talk about it? It would be better if the others were here as well."
"It's okay. C'mon, Tracey, come and get seated!" Ash told him. "I'll go fetch Misty and the others."
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A few minutes later, Ash, Pikachu and their friends were all sitting around a table in the Ketchum house garden, each of them sipping from a cup of tea and ready to listen to whatever it was Tracey had to say. Piplup, Butterfree and Tracey's Pokemon were playing in the distance, while still keeping an ear out for the conversation.
"I'm thankful for your kindness, Mrs. Ketchum... really, there was no need for you to go this far!" Tracey affirmed, accepting the sugar bowl the young mother was handing him, and putting just a spoonful of sugar in his tea.
"It's always a pleasure, Tracey!" Delia answered, as cheerful as always. "Rather, now that everyone is here, go ahead and tell us... what is it you wanted to speak to us about? I'm willing to bet it's something from professor Oak."
"Please, Tracey, do tell! I'm curious to hear that as well!" Dawn invited him.
The young man cleared his voice. "It's a problem that just came up, to be honest." he answered. "Professor Oak has just received an e-mail from his pupil, Professor Elm of New Bark Town, in Johto."
"Hmm..." Ash answered, his mind going back to the journey through Johto, two years before. "Yeah, I remember him... he's Johto's Pokemon authority, and he takes care of giving out starter Pokemon to newbie trainers in New Bark Town."
"Exactly." Tracey went on. "Basically, Elm told us that strange happenings are going on around there, especially around Ecruteak City. Looks like Ho-Oh, the most prominent Legendary Pokemon in Johto's pantheon, has been seen hovering arounf there."
Everyone's expressions turned grim all of a sudden. Even the Pokemon stopped playing and turned to Tracey, interested in getting to know more about it.
"Legendary Pokemon?" Ash murmured. "Man, that's not good news. At all."
"Ash is right. Every timewe had to deal with Legendary Pokemon of any sort, things turned sour quickly." Misty commented.
A flash from a Pokemon caused the redheaded Gym Leader to jump on her seat, and all tension evaporated when Psyduck materialized on the table, holding his own head and staring dim-wittedly at the audience! "Psy, ay, ayyyy..." he quacked, before he was recalled by a rather annoyed Misty.
"No, we weren't talking about you! Your stupidity is the only legendary thing about you!" the redhead muttered as she hooked her Pokeball back to her belt, and the mood returned to its previous seriousness. "So, the fact that Ho-Oh showed himself means that Johto is in big trouble, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, and that's not the whole of it." Tracey answered. "Fact is, he's not the only Johto Legendary Pokemon to have awakened. Even Lugia is stirring, and I don't think I need to remind you what happened the last time he did. As well as the three Legendary Beasts of Johto. Strange things are happening, and someone should go investigate."
"The Legendary Beasts of Johto..." Dawn murmured, thinking back of one of their most dangerous adventures in Sinnoh. "Yes, I do remember them. An evil man called Grings Kodai had Zoroark impersonate them to whip the citizens of Crown City into a panic, and when the real deal arrived... well, they were quite angry! We were lucky to get out alive!"
"What do you mean? You actually met the Legendary Beasts in Sinnoh?" Misty asked in curiosity.
Dawn fidgetted in her wheelchair. "It's a bit of a long story, I'm afraid." she answered. "Basically, that awful person had kidnapped a Pokemon called Zorua in order to blackmail his mother Zoroark into creating the illusion that Entei, Raikou and Suicune were attacking the town. He wanted everyone to leave in order to have free rein to absorb a Time Ripple which was going to tear open in that town, just as he had done twenty years before, obtaining the power to look into the future."
"We ran into Zorua when he managed to escape the surveillance, and we got involved into the whole mess." Brock went on. "It only got worse when the real Legendary Beasts arrived... but in the end, Kodai's plan failed, and he ended up in prison."
"And I hope he'll rot there." Ash added grimly.
Tracey thought about what he had just heard. "Well... the gist of it is, the situation is pretty bad. The Legendary Pokemon of Johto are rather restless, and this is certainly not good news. I know it's a little inappropriate to ask you this, especially since Ash and Dawn still haven't recovered fully, but Professor Oak would need someone to join him in Johto and shed light on these strange happenings. Of course, you are free to say no, and nobody could blame you if you did."
"But if I said no, who else would volunteer?" Ash asked rhetorically, smiling to himself at the idea of seeing how Johto had changed in two years after his journey there. "Therefore, Tracey... I'm ready to go!"
"Ash, my dear, are you sure?" a worried Delia asked. "Are you sure you can travel and fight Pokemon battles? Your arm has not healed yet."
The black-haired boy winked. He knew his mom would say that. "Well... it's just my left arm, after all, it's not even my good arm." He explained. "And it's not like I am the first person who ever broke an arm, I can manage! To be honest, I think Dawn is having it worse."
The blue-haired girl rubbed the back of her head in embarassment. "Afraid so..."she said. "Were it up to me, I'd join you in Johto right away, but until I can stand on my legs again, I'm afraid I won't be able to go far. Getting here from Quest Island was hard enough as it is."
Misty and Brock stood in silence, feeling sorry for Dawn for having to pass on a new adventure, but the blue-haired coordinator didn't stay moping for long, and she snapped her fingers as she got a good idea. "Still, it's not that big a deal! You guys can go ahead and go to Johto. I'm about halfway healed already, so... I'll join you as soon as I can!" she proposed. "I'll take advantage of this period to train my Pokemon a little more and get ready for my return."
"You sure about that, Dawn?" Brock asked. "If you want, one of us can remain here with you, at least until you're back on your feet."
"Hehee, no problem, Brock! Mom, Kenny and Zoey are all here, and I certainly won't be feeling alone!" Dawn answered. "As I said, you go ahead to Johto, and I'll join you as soon as I can."
"Fine, Dawn, if that's okay to you..." Misty affirmed. "Then, guess I'm speaking for both myself and Brock when I say we are both ready to go with Ash, right?"
"That's pretty much it..." Brock started to say, before he was interrupted by a shrill, triumphant laugh!
"Hohohohoooo! I hope I am not interrupting anything!" Ursula's well-known voice exclaimed. Misty winced in annoyance from the ear-piercing laugh and turned to the fence, on the other side of which stood the girl with the spiralling pigtails, looking quite interested in what was being discussed. "I was just passing through, and I heard someone here wanted to go to Johto and investigate the Legendary Pokemon of that place. Nothing wrong with me joining the party, right?"
"Well, as long as you make yourself useful..." Misty snarked. "After all, I was the one who proposed that you join us until Dawn can travel again. And you have some quarrel with Team Rocket still, right?"
"If I can meet that Archer guy again and give him the what-for, then of course you can count me in!" Ursula exclaimed, getting serious all of a sudden. "So, I will come to Johto with you, like it or not."
"Well, I have nothing against that." Ash answered, getting an idea all of a sudden. "In fact, Tracey, wouldn't you like to join the team? I think you're going to like Johto, it's a place I remember fondly."
"What?" the young artist asked in surprise. "Well, I have to say the idea sounds good. Are you sure I can afford it, though? I mean, somebody will have to stay at the lab for the everyday jobs, and to look after the Pokemon there."
"We will have to discuss that with Professor Oak, but I'm sure we can arrange things." Brok answered. "Therefore, I'm okay with it, Tracey. If you want to join us, you're welcome to. Is that okay with you, Ursula?"
The peach-haired girl shrugged. "Makes no difference to me either way."
"And furthermore..." she thought with a cunning grin. "If this guy is really an artist as he says, I might even get him to draw a nice picture of me!"
"That's good! I guess we're in agreement, then!" Delia finally commented, her hands joined in front of her and a beatific smile on her face. "As soon as teatime is over, we'll go ask Professor Oak about our idea! By the way, Ursula, dear, if you want to join our tea, please, by all means you can come!"
Ursula's haughty expression turned into surprise. "Er..." she said, failing to keep her refinement. "Me, join you for tea? Isn't that a little... awkward?"
Dawn gave her rival an ironic smirk. "No prob, Ursula! The more, the merrier, right?" she asked, secrety satisfied in seeing Ursula squirm a little. "And since our Pokemon are becoming friends, why not have your Pokemon join in? I don't think you they had much opportunity for contact with ours, right? Now might be your chance!"
"But..." Ursula tried to protest, not seeing Dawn's logic. But she immediately gave up when she saw that Pikachu and Butterfree were staring at her triumphantly, as if they knew she was in a corner, and that the knowing smirk of the blue-haired girl's eyes meant that Dawn was having fun seeing her in a situation where she couldn't get uppity. "Ugh... fine, you win. Gee, how is it that you always manage to get the better of me?"
There were some chuckles from Ash and the others, as Ursula turned beet red while walking through the gate of the Ketchum household. But soon enough, the rich heiress from Sinnoh managed to see the funny side of the situation and smiled a little, just enough not to allow them to see anything.
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"So, Ash and his friends have offered me to join them in their journey to Johto." Tracey concluded as he explained to Professor Oak the decision they had taken that morning. Obviously, everyone was present, including Johanna, Kenny, Zoey and Gary, to hear out theyoung artist and his friends. "I do understand that this could be inconvenient to you, Professor, so I wanted to hear your opinion about it. If you need me to stay here and take care of the lab while you're away, I have no problem with it."
"Hmm, I see." Oak answered, rubbing his chin as he turned a knowing glance at his grandson. Gary nodded briefly, and the scientist returned the gesture before turning back to Ash and his friends. "That's alright, I have no problem with it. You can come to Johto with us, Tracey. I think getting some break from everyday routine will be good for you."
"I'll be taking care of the lab in gramps' place." Gary continued. "And there are the other researchers as well. After all, since I'm going to follow in grandpa's steps, I might as well start taking care of the lab, the equipment, and all that jazz! Don't worry, I've always done well until now. It's not like I'm gonna stop now!"
Ash and Pikachu snickered, turning to each other. If there was something about Gary that had never changed, it was his confidence, even though it had been toned down from when they were ten and stsrting their Pokemon journey.
"Fine. Then, Gary, we'll go to Johto and take care of the problems they have. We just hope everything goes well."
"I'm sure nothing will go wrong." Misty answered. "Me, Kenny and Mrs. Berlitz will stay here in Pallet and help Gary out. Plus, it would only be right that we stay with Dawn."
The redhead winked to her blue-haired best friend, who rubbed the back of her head in embarassment. "Well... now, Zoey, it's not like I need to be babysat the whole time." shw tried downplaying her current disability.
"But at least until you are back on your feet, it is only fair that we lend you a hand, right?" Kenny kindly answered. "And Professor Oak even said you should be able to start your PT, whaever it is."
"You mean physical therapy, right, Kenny?" Zoey answered.
"Yeah, that one! Thanks, Zoey..." Kenny answered. "It's better that someone is here to help you, right?"
"Well, when you put it that way, Kenny, I appreciate it!" the young coordinator girl answered, smiling gently at her childhood friend. "And we could take the time to train together for our next competition, too!"
"Awesome!" Kenny answered. "This time, I will really show how much better I've gotten!"
"I don't think we need to add anything else, then." Johanna answered, gamely ruffling her daughter's hair and causing them to get comically unruly. "But you guys should start getting your baggages ready. Professor, when is the next boat to Johto?"
"Tomorrow, at 6 PM, from the Vermillion City Port." Oak answered. "If we depart from here tomorrow morning, we have all the time we need to get to Viridian City, take a bullet train to Vermillion, and buy our tickets. But it would still be good to get ready now."
"Agreed!" Ash answered. "I'll be going now... and I'll need to choose which Pokemon to bring with me!"
"I kinda expected Ash to say that..." Misty said in an ironic tone. "Alright, so it's Ash, me, Brock, Tracey, Ursula and Professor Oak. A nice company, I have to say!"
"Pikachu!" the electric mouse answered, wagging his thunderbolt-shaped tail. He was pleased to return to Johto himself, even though the situation looked dangerous, and he had no idea what would await for them...
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The next day...
The rest of the day had been spent gathering all that was necessary for the journey, packing and select their Pokemon teams. Aftersome thinking, Ash had opted for a balanced team that could at the same time allow him to make up for lost time with some of his Pokemon. Aside from the ever-present Pikachu, the five Pokemon he had chosen were now standing in front of him: Butterfree was flanked by the rambunctious Corphish, Meganium and by the good-natured Torkoal.
"Well, guys, I think we can say that we are ready." Ash said, giving a proud look to his Pokemon. "We'll be back on the road soon, and I'm sure the journey to Johto will be exciting!"
"Meganium!" the graceful Grass-type answered. She was chomping at the bit for a chance to show his trainer what she was capable of, and she wasn't going to be outclassed by Charizard, Sceptile or Infernape! Corphish, Gliscor and Torkoal were quite excited themselves, and for Butterfree, even just an opportunity to spend some more exciting time with the trainer he had spent such beautiful moments with was more than enough to get him primed!
"Alright, everyone is ready, I think." Oak said, taking a good look at the team that was going to accompany him to Johto. Ash, Pikachu, Misty, Brock, Tracey and Ursula, all of them with their backpacks and luggages, were standing in front of his lab, while the rest of the team was there to give them the last greetings. "Gary, I know you'll responsible and take good care of the lab."
"No worries, gramps! You do your researches in Johto, and I'll take care of the place!" the young man answered. "And give my regards to Professor Elm as well!"
"I will! You stay safe, guys... and you, Dawn, remember your check-up in a few days!" Oak said, turning to the blue-haired girl. "With some luck, your rehab should start soon."
"That's good to know! I was getting a little weary of sitting in this wheelchair..." Dawn answered, passing a hand on one of her leg casts. "As soon as I'm able to, I'll join you in Johto as well. I'm not letting you have all the fun, after all!"
"For now, just think of getting better, sweetheart." Johanna reccomended. "And of curse, your friends and I will be there to help you whenever you need us."
"That goes for me especially..." Kenny murmured, keeping his voice low.
Ursula rubbed her nose in a snobbish way. "Fine. If that is the case, Dee-Dee, try not to get too rusty while you're here taking it easy here! I certainly won't miss my chance to get better with my Pokemon and learn a few more interesting things! I'd rather my rival be strong, in any event!"
"No worries, Ursula, I'll make sure you get dazzled next time we face each other!" she said. The two young girls' eyes met each other in a challenging glare, and both Misty and Zoey could swear they had seen lightning dance between their eyes!
"They sure aren't lacking in enthusiasm..." Misty commented.
Zoey shrugged. "Not that I can blame them, of course. I had a rival in Sinnoh I very much wanted to pit myself against. Long story short, he was that Nando guy I talked to you about. I wasn't exactly on good terms with him, at first."
"Because you thought one couldn't do Pokemon competitions and Gym challenges at the same time, right?" Misty asked rhetorically, remembering what her new friend from Sinnoh had said earlier on. "I have to say, the whole Pokemon competition business sounds nice! As soon as we've solved these problems, I would like to try my hand at them."
"That's good, Misty! I can give you a few lessons, and Kenny and Zoey as well!" Dawn answered, much to Ursula's annoyance.
"Ugh... and what am I, chopped liver?" the rich heiress muttered, a vein popping up on her forehead.
"I think you should get moving, guys. You don't want to miss your train to Vermillion City." Delia said, taking a look at her watch. "Alright, Ash, and you too, Pikachu. I don't think I need to repeat myself after all this time, but still... take care of yourselves! And you, ash, do not forget to change your underwear!"
"Right, Mom..." Ash said in embarassment, a huge sweatdrop on the back of his head.
"No problem, Mrs. Ketchum. We'll make sure no one gets hurt this time." Brock affirmed. "If everyone is ready, we'e just in time to depart. Indeed, I think we're early on our timetable too."
"Really?" Tracey asked in an hopeful tone. "Well, if that's the case, think we can make a small detour? There's one thing I'd like to do before we go."
oooooooooo
In the sparse forest between Pallet Town and Viridian City, in front of a small grave on the banks of the river...
"Yeah... I was sure Tracey meant that when he spoke of a detour..." Oak affirmed, as the team stopped near the place where Tracey's Scyther had been laid to his final rest. The young artist had let his Pokemon out, and was kneeling in front of the small tombstone, placing some flowers upon it. Venomoth, Azumarill and Dunsparce were respectfully approaching the grave, and even Ursula had decided to drop her usual attitude and say a prayer for Scyther as well.
"Here, Dunsparce, is where my dear friend Scyther is resting." Tracey said, his eyes affixed melanchonically on the small mound of earth. "He passed away the day right before you were born. It's such a strange coincidence, as if someone was trying to tell me that life goes on, despite everything that might happen, and one needs to be brave and look to the future. Sorry, Dunsparce, I guess I'm talking about things that are too complicated for you..."
"Dunnnn..." Dunsparce murmured, wagging his drill-like tail. Despite not having ever met Scyther, Dunsparce seemed to understand how close he and Tracey were.
Tracey and his friends and Pokemon stood in prayed for a few moments, before Tracey placed the flowers on Scyther's resting place. "Thank you so much, Scyther. For everything we went through together, and for all the joy we shared. I will always remember you. Goodbye, and thanks again!"
Tracey smiled hopefully as he turned to his friends.
"It's okay, guys, Professor Oak... we can go now!"
oooooooooo
TO BE CONTINUED...
Author's note: I apologize for the time I took to update this. I'll try to be more consistent from now on. The team is about to go back to Johto, and things will soon be heating up, with the reappearence of a few old faces!
That's all I have to say for now. I'll be updating this as soon as I can, and in the meanwhile I'll work at my Super Robot Wars story, and at the stories I am writing with my friend EmperorDraco7. Make sure you take a look at his story, Rise of Heroes!
See you soon, everyone!