Pokemon Heart Soul Adventures
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Chapter 62 - Around the World
After getting off Tin Tower, Ash, Pikachu and their friends were greeted by applause from everyone who had witnessed the battle against the Pokemon following Ho-oh... and the Team Vicious aircraft. After those terrible moments of chaos and fear which Ecruteak City had been through, the people were celebrating the their Gym Leader's victory along with his friends'... and Ash certainly did not miss the chance to bask in the glory and receive some compliments! He, Pikachu and Torkoal were very proud of what they had managed to pull off...
But at the same time, there was something stirring in the young boy's heart. And it was not just the fact that he had managed to see Ho-oh again, and talk to him as well. It was a strange and difficult feeling to describe... he still felt the words of the legendary phoenix-like Pokemon echo in his brain, especially Ho-oh talking about the power of Aura that was dormant inside Ash...
That had brought a sad memory surfacing back... the day he had discovered that he possessed that mysterious power, and yet he had failed to save Sir Aaron's Lucario, who had sacrificed himself to bring the Tree of Origins back to life. Ever since then, his Aura power had no longer manifested, and Ash had almost forgotten about it... at least until a few minutes ago, when Ho-oh had mentioned it again. The boy was wondering how his Aura power would come back into play... since by now, he was experienced to know that such elements, seemingly of little importance, could very well prove indispensable...
"Well, I guess, after all the journeys I've been through and all the adventures I've had,, I did learn something about how such things work ..." he said to himself, only to be brought back to reality by the sight of Brock and his Rhydon approaching him. The young aspirant breeder looked vaguely worried - and Brock, Ash reflected, had always been the most perceptive of his fellow travelers.
"Hey, Ash, are you alright?" Brock asked, being careful not to lose sight of any of their comrades, who at that moment were trying to make their way through the throng of complimenting people swarming around them! Ursula was enjoying the moment and was taking advantage of it to gloat a bit in front of everyone, but the others were trying in some way to avoid getting caught in the mess.
"Oh... sorry, Brock, I was kind of spacing out... I was thinking back to what Ho-oh told me." answered the young Pokemon Master wannabe. "In the end, we managed to defeat J and his men, and prevent them from seizing Ho-oh ... but I'm sure she'll come back as soon as she's gotten her act back together, and I'm wondering who her next target will be..."
"Yeah, I see what you mean..." Brock answered, as his Rhydon frowned in doubt. "But I guess that's not what worries you the most, right? I guess... now we realize that, once again, we've got into something very big... maybe bigger than anything else we have seen so far. "
"Pika pika chu..." Pikachu answered, nodding to Brock. Finally, the team had managed to get away from the cheering crowd, and was heading towards the Pokemon Center, with Ursula closing the line and turning back to wave to the crowd from time to time! Misty, pleased not to have to push her way through that veritable tide of people, approached Ash and his best friend.
"I heard about it, too ... while we were fighting Ho-Oh's Pokemon downstairs, I heard Ho-oh talking about some kind of power Ash is supposed to have... Aura, or something ... but, exactly, what's that about?" Misty asked, having not been there when Ash and Pikachu, along with their traveling companions in Hoenn, had met Sir Aaron's Lucario. "And... what does that have to do with the Legendary Pokemon Team Vicious wants to get a hold of?"
"Well, it's kind of a long story..." Brock replied. "You see, Misty, Aura is a form of ... er ... spiritual energy... I know it's a rather vague term, but there's really no other practical way to define it... that can easily be described as the energy of all living beings, humans and Pokemon. It is present in everyone, but very few people and Pokemon can actually make use of it. Although, in the past, there were many people who could perceive the Aura and control its powers. Nowadays, only two types of Pokemon are able to consistently use Aura-based attacks - that is, Togekiss and Lucario. "
"Hmm, I understand..." Misty answered, her thought now going to Dawn's Togekiss. "But then, what happened to make us no longer hear about this... Aura thing?"
"We don't know exactly, I'm afraid..." Eusine intervened, just as the group stopped to talk in front of the Pokemon Center. "Aura Guardians, that is, humans capable of using Aura power, disappeared for reasons unknown a long time ago, and so far I've never heard of a person being able to handle this mysterious power. At least, not until now."
"Well, now I've honestly seen it all..." Ursula murmured, rubbing her forehead. "Who would have thought that Dee-Dee's little friend knew how to cast spells with this... Aura, or whatever it's called... The world sure is a weird place!"
Misty chuckled at the female coordinator's comment. "Well, of course, you're one to talk about strangeness, Ursula!" she commented sarcastically. "But still, joking aside, I think I already have an idea of what comes next: there's a connection between Aura and the Legendary Pokemon, or at least some of them... am I right?"
"Being creatures bound to the rhythms of the planet, and representing the principles on which our world stands, it would not surprise me that many Legendary Pokemon are able to sense and make use of Aura." Morty answered. "Anyway, right now, we simply don't have enough elements to say what this is about ... Eusine and I will research upon what we do have, and we'll try to find out what the secret is... and how it goes back to Ash and his power. In the meantime... what are you planning to do? If I can suggest something, I think it might be of interest to you to visit Goldenrod City, the biggest and most important city in the continent of Johto. There are many interesting news about it!"
"Hehee... well, with all that's happened recently, I wouldn't mind taking a break before chasing the next Legendary Pokemon!" the boy said with a chuckle. "If I remember right, it's the city of which Whitney is the Gym Leader. Man, did her Miltank give me a run for my money or what..."
"Well then... I would advise you to go take a look there! There's also the fact that there are several news I'm sure you would enjoy hearing... since some of you are interested in competing in Pokemon Contests, I think Whitney could help you with that!" Morty said, taking a look at Misty, Tracey and Ursula. "I know that recently, she and another Johto Gym Leader... Violet City's own Falkner... have shown some interest in this kind of competition!"
"Well, that's very interesting..." Ursula commented, rubbing her chin with a shrewd look and anticipating what she thought was going to be her inevitable win against Dawn. "In fact, Erika and Jasmine have already given me some pointers, but... it never hurts to try something else!"
"I just hope Whitney knows what she's doing..." Misty snarked, remembering how air-headed the pink-haired Gym Leader could be at times! Her words elicited a chuckle, and even Brock's austere Rhydon let out a couple of grunts that could look like a choked laugh... and shortly thereafter, Eusine pointed to the entrance to the Pokemon Center, waving to Ash and his companions to enter.
"Well... then, we'll keep an eye out for Team Vicious and whoever is trying to get ahold of all those Legendary Pokemon!" the Legendary Pokemon researcher stated. "If by any chance we find something out, we'll tell you right away, is that okay?"
"This way..." Morty continued. "You can concentrate on your training and relax a bit. I just hope therewon't be a new emergency anytime soon... Which reminds me, it would be a good idea to also contact Professor Oak in Olivine City, and send him that feather they used to lure Ho-oh here... it would be a good idea to try and figure out how they managed to create that artificial Rainbow Wing. If they were able to do something like that, then I think there's reason to worry..."
"Don't worry, I don't think it will happen again so soon after thisone..." Brock said, after thinking about the situation for a moment. "If they could create similar artifacts at will, they would have already produced several pieces of that Rainbow Wing, or similar things, and they would have already spread them around the world to attract other Legendary Pokemon. Basically, the situation would be even more out of control than it already is. "
"Yeah, that makes sense ..." Tracey reflected, as his Dunsparce crawled timidly between his legs, looking at his trainer as if wanting to ask him if everything was going well. "Alright... so, for now we'll go to the Pokemon Center to have our Pokemon rest a bit. We'll see you at your gym, Morty!"
"Then, I guess we will depart for Goldenrod City tomorrow!" Misty said, with barely contained enthusiasm. "I can't wait to find out how much has changed since the last time we visited!"
Morty smiled cunningly. "In that case, Misty... I suggest you get ready, because you could be really surprised!" he said. "Many things have changed indeed..."
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Meanwhile, in Hoenn, another group of trainers was continuing on their journey, and two Pokemon belonging to one of them were engaged in a battle to the last breath against a flock dangerous Spearow who were besieging them from everywhere. Max, May, and Hilde had brought out some of their Pokemon, and they were doing a great job holding the flock at bay.
"Man, how many of these birdbrains are here?" Max exclaimed, his Poochyena and Zigzagoon alternating between trying to fight against the ferocious Flying Pokemon, and arguing with each other to see which one of them would take out more opponents! In fact, Max was a little worried that they might be getting distracted ... and decided that it was only appropriate to send someone else to help them out! "I'd better let someone else out too... Mudkip, it's up to you!"
"Mud! Kip!" the cute Water-type Pokemon exclaimed, appearing in a flash in front of his trainer, and then starting to target the Spearow with a Water Gun attack, managing to get them away from Poochyena and Zigzagoon, and giving the two rivals a breather.
"Max! You can't manage three Pokemon at the same time! I'm already struggling with two of them!" Hilde exclaimed as she tried to split her attention between her Treecko and her Mothim. Both Pokemon were particularly susceptible to Flying-type attacks, and the girl knew that... so she tried to focus on having her Pokemon dodge and fighting back as quickly and efficiently as possible. "Hmph... too many of them for my liking! Alright... Treecko, use Agility! Mothim, fly above them and use Confusion!"
The small reptile instantly obeyed, and jumped sideways with almost feline quickness, barely avoiding a Peck attack from a Spearow... which was immediately thrown aside by Mothim's Confusion attack, being slammed against a tree, and slipping to the ground in a daze. Meanwhile, Poochyena and Zigzagoon were pressing the attack ... the Dark-type Pokemon had used a Howl attack, and then had charged the nearest Spearow, hitting it with a powerful Bite! At the same time, his Zigzagoon seemed to have some trouble facing another Spearow's Fury Attack, and tried to step backwards to get a breather. As soon as the Spearow made the mistake of leaving a gap in his defense, Max noticed immediately and took the time to attack!
"Now, Zigzagoon! Attack with Headbutt!" the glasses-wearing boy exclaimed. A moment later, the raccoon-like Pokemon threw himself at his opponent and delivered a powerful headbutt, making his eyes widen for half a second, before the attacking Spearow dropped unconscious to the ground! At that point, there were only a few Spearows left, and they seemed more interested in running away rather than continuing the fight, since May's Wartortle - the evolved version of the Squirtle she had received some time before - was opening large gaps in their ranks with his Bubblebeam attack!
Finally, after attempting a few more half-hearted attacks, the Spearows decided they had had enough for that day, and decided to fly away, picking up their unconscious companions and then vanishing into the nearby forest, emitting a series of high-pitched screeches! The three young trainers and their Pokemon watched, holding their breath, until they were sure the danger had ceased... and as soon as even the last of the Flying-type Pokemon had disappeared from their sight, Hilde's Treecko sighed and sat down with his back against a tree, pulling his breath as his trainer went to assist him. Fortunately, despite the type disadvantage, the reptile Pokemon had managed not to take a serious hit.
"Phew ... man, is it just me, or are the wild Pokemon getting more aggressive, lately?" May asked herself as she petted her Wartortle on the head for a job well done. The light blue turtle-like Pokemon grinned confidently and raised a clawed thumb in agreement, then turned to look at the place where the last Spearow had disappeared. "This is the third time in two days we are being attacked by a bunch of wild Pokemon... and though we managed to chase them away, it all seems strange to me. I don't like this, not at all ..."
"May ... do you think it's got anything to do with Team Vicious?" Hilde asked, her Treecko now rising and turning his left arm clockwise so as to stretch his joints a bit. The younger girl glanced at her starter, and then at her Mothim, who leaned lightly on her trainer's shoulder, rhytmically moving her antennae. Even though her composite eyes did not betray many emotions, one could see that she didn't care for the idea of having to deal with those criminals again.
"Mothim?" the Moth Pokemon screeched, nodding to her trainer.
After thanking Mudkip, Poochyena and Zigzagoon for their efforts, Max adjusted his glasses and turned to Hilde, answering his friend/rival's question in his sister's place. "By now, Hilde, I guess we know how these things go... I surely wouldn't be surprised if these Team Vicious guys were behind it all!" he said. "And I don't think we should even wait long before they show up again."
"Mudkip?" the landfish Pokemon asked, turning abruptly towards Poochyena and Zigzagoon. The two Pokemon seemed to have stood facing each other, glaring for a moment, and Max, turning in their direction, feared for a moment that they were about to fight again. Poochyena, in particular, had his tail high and his ears straight, as if to intimidate the raccoon Pokemon...
"Oh, man, not again ..." Max muttered. "Come on, guys, I don't think you should..."
"Holf on a sec, Max!" May exclaimed. Her Wartortle hopped up in surprise when he realized that an telltale white light was emanating from the two Pokemon's bodies... and both of them cried out in amazement before being completely enveloped by the light! May smiled in satisfaction, knowing well what was happening... "Am I greatly mistaken, or are Poochyena and Zigzagoon evolving at the same time?"
"I think you're right, sister!" Max answered, equally astonished by this unusual event. It did not happen every day to see two Pokemon evolve in perfect sync, and even Hilde kept her eyes affixed on the two rival Pokemon so as not to lose even a moment of that incredible event...
Both of Max's Pokemon disappeared, swallowed by the light... and when they reappeared, a moment later, they had turned into clearly stronger and more powerful versions of themselves! Poochyena had turned into a kind of cross between a wolf and a hyena, covered in long, wild fur that alternated gray and black, with black legs with small claws, and a thick black tail. His eyes were red, with black triangular marks on his snout just below the cheekbones, his ears were pointed, and his brightly colored nose, set at the tip of a tapered snout, moved around in search of suspicious scents.
Zigzagoon, on the other hand, had turned into an elegant and tapered Pokemon that looked like a cross between a badger and a weasel, with a slender body and long retractable claws on his front legs. His fur was white, with some light brown spots in the shape of arrows or lightning, and his needle-sharp teeth were sticking out of his mouth just a little. A long strip of brown fur ran through his body , ending in an arrow on the top of his head. His ears were small, and kinda looked like tufts of fur, while his eyes were blue and penetrating.
"Wow..." Hilde exclaimed as she checked the two new Pokemon with her Pokedex, her usual detached air giving way to wonder and excitement. "A Linoone and a Mightyena, both on the same day... I must say, Max, you really trained your Pokemon well!"
"Linoone, the Rushing Pokemon. Normal Type. Evolved form of Zigzagoon. When it spots its prey, it runs after it in a straight line. When it spots pond-dwelling prey underwater, it quickly leaps in and catches it with its sharp claws. Though able to run over sixty miles per hour, it does not handle turns well."
"Mightyena, the Bite Pokemon. Dark Type. Evolved form of Poochyena. They move primarily in packs, working together to capture their prey. They never defy their leader's orders. Mightyena gives obvious signals when it is preparing to attack. It starts to growl deeply and then flattens its body. This Pokémon will bite savagely with its sharply pointed fangs."
Still stunned and amazed at their own evolution, Mightyena and Linoone stood in place for a while, staring at each other, trying to get used to their new form... then, as one might have expected, they cast a defiant look to each other and began to growl in defiance in each other's face, each one trying to intimidate the other!
A big sweatdrop came down from Max's forehead. "Er... I'm afraid I should have seen thi one coming. Even now that they have evolved, those two cannot get along!" the boy said.
"I think they're arguing over who has defeated more Spearow..." May added with a sigh, while Hilde shook her head, and Mudkip rolled his eyes in annoyance.
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"Yes... yes, I understand... hmph ... I'm surrounded by incompetent fools..." grunted the Iron Mask Marauder, having just received the unwelcome news that his more reliable agent, Huntress J, had failed to capture Ho-oh. "And how did one as skilled as J fail to capture that Legendary Pokemon - even after we modified that aircraft so that it could weaken and capture Ho-oh? Care to explain that?"
In Team Vicious HQ, in a place unknown to everyone, the supreme commander of the evil organization was talking to a gas mask wearing grunt appearing on a comm window on his computer interface's screen. The soldier had just made a report of the unfortunate events going on in Ecruteak City, where Huntress J had proved incapable of capturing Johto's most distinctive Legendary Pokemon, despite the new equipment and Pokemon that she had brought along, and despite the artificial Rainbow Wing that another Team Vicious squad had managed to sneak in Tin Tower.
That was truly unwelcome news, and it was vexing to the Iron Masked Marauder as well. Had the plan succeeded, not only would they have a new Legendary Pokemon and gotten one step closer to their final goal, but they would have also deals a demoralizing blow to Johto's Pokemon League. Instead , with this failure, Cezar and Jakov's failure to capture Paul, and that fool Damien attacking Pallet Town just to be humiliated ... no wonder the Marauder was in a foul mood.
His new ally Grings Kodai, for his part, did not seem worried in the least. Sitting in an armchair not too far away from the terminal the masked criminal was sitting at, Sinnoh's ex-businessman was quietly weighing a glass of whiskey in his left hand. With an exasperated sigh, the Team Vicious leader ran a hand over the short goatee growing on his chin, and tried to think of a way to deal with the current situation. Even as he reflected on it, he realized that this failure was putting his back against the wall. Surely some of their grunts had been captured by the police, and there was always the risk that they would spill the beans...
"Okay... keep me up to date on any further developments." the Marauder stated, and the grunt on the other side of the comm channel nodded once. "We have to make up for this disadvantage, and to do this, we need to capture as many Legendary Pokemon as possible , and as quickly as possible!"
"Seems to me... that your men are not exactly performing to your liking!" Kodai stated with malicious sarcasm, taking a sip of whiskey. "Too bad, especially since you did a much better job pulling off my escape !"
The Marauder glared at Kodai in irritation. "Mr. Kodai... with all due respect, I did not get you out of jail, and did not give you the chance to take revenge on Ash Ketchum... just out of simple altruism! I expect you to cooperate!" he addressed him harshly.
Kodai emptied his glass in one gulp and set it down on the table, the ice cubes inside the glass making a low crystalline sound.
"I'm perfectly aware of that." Kodai stated quietly. "You see ... one of the perks of being at the head of a financial empire like the one I had, is the fact that one can have eyes and ears all over the world, to know what any potential competitors are plotting. Thanks to my precognitive powers, I always knew where to focus my attention... and even now that I no longer have these powers, I can contact those still loyal to me, and get updated reports on what is happening all over the world. Which brings us to the current issue... I trust you have heard of Lugia, right?"
"Of course I've heard of him." the Marauder fired back, annoyed by the corrupt businessman's mocking and mysterious attitude. "The one known as the Guardian of the Seas, who was awakened by the Legendary Birds of Kanto's capture a couple years ago or so. Right now, my men are looking for his whereabouts."
"This will no longer be necessary." Kodai said, rising from his chair and nonchalantly dusting his pants. "You see... my men, have already discovered where Lugia is... in Whirl Islands, an archipelago placed between Olivine City and Cianwood City! A rather mysterious and difficult place to find... perfect hideaway for a living legend like him!"
"Is that so?" the Marauder stated, frowning behind his helmet. He certainly didn't like the idea that his so-called ally was already a step ahead of him. The situation could get out of hand at any time... "So... you say that Whirl Islands should be our next goal, right?"
"Of course. And we must be quick in order to beat Ash Ketchum and his teammates to the punch!" the purple-haired man said. "However, there could be an interesting coincidence... you see, we're not exactly the only ones who want that Legendary Pokemon... We might have a... competitor, so to speak, who could become a useful ally if we go about it in the correct way."
The Marauder was not in the mood for elegant turns of words. "Now, if there is anything you have to say, just say it clearly! Who would this competitor be, and what do you mean when you say he could become our ally?"
"I'll explain everything right now." Kodai said, secretly enjoying the sight of his temporary ally being on the edge of his seat. "You see... What I'm talking about started about two or three years ago, back when I was still the undisputed shadow ruler of Crown City. At that time, a man called Lawrence the Third... a collector of rare Pokemon, as well as a guy who's not quite right in the head... tried to capture the three Legendary Birds of Kanto in order to gain Lugia's attention, and thus capture him as well for his own Pokemon collection. Of course, his plan failed, and we also know that we have to thank our old friend Ash Ketchum for ruining his project! However ... now that the opportunity to capture Lugia is about to present itself again, we just have the perfect bait to convince him with."
The Marauder seemed to think about it for a moment, scratching his chin with one hand... and then he smirked wickedly, realizing that that was indeed one of the greatest chances they could ever come across! "Hehehee... but of course! Now that is truly interesting, Kodai!" he said in elation. "He likely knows Lugia better than anyone else, and he knows what we should do to capture him! It would not surprise me if he already had the right machinery to try and capture that Pokemon... but of course, you cannot rule out the chance that he might be keeping the prey all to himself, right?"
Kodai closed his eyes and flashed an arrogant grin. "Heheheheee... ? Do you take me for a fool who does not think of everything?" he said. "You see... I have already made all the necessary preparations, and I'm sure we will get Lawrence the Third's help, whether he wants it or not! Thanks to his inventions... it will not be a problem to draw Lugia out in the open and get a hold of him!"
The Marauder stayed for a few seconds to reflect on what Kodai was saying ... and finally nodded, approving his collaborator's plan. "Hehehee... Very well, you're convincing me, Mr. Kodai. We'll do as you say, we'll get in touch with Lawrence the Third, and we'll make him join forces with us... one way or another!" he said. "In a short while, we will have taken a very important step towards the completion of our plan! Let me be clear, however... This plan better work to perfection! Lugia is too important a Pokemon to let go!"
"Everything is under control, it will all go off without a hitch!" the cruel businessman answered, meticulously righting his suit and tie. In his mind, Kodai knew that this was the perfect opportunity for himself as well...
"Yes, everything is going as planned. By working alongside this fool, and getting my chance to get ahold of all those Legendary Pokemon... not only will I have a chance to meet Ash Ketchum again, and get my revenge on him... but I can also find Celebi and force him to return the power of foresight that rightfully belonged to me! With all this power at my disposal... I will be able to rule over not just Crown City, but also the entire continent of Sinnoh... even the world!"
"All right, Mr. Kodai... you will accompany me and Agent J in our next outing." the Iron Mask Marauder stated, returning to his consoles and starting to plan a route for Whirl Island. "In the meantime... I will tell some of my contacts to get ready to intervene! I trust that through our mutual cooperation, this plan will meet with success!"
"Of that, I am sure." Kodai answered, wondering who those 'contacts' may be. "And I cannot wait to see it with my own eyes!"
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Pallet Town, Kanto. This was something of a special day for the small group of friends from Sinnoh who had been guests in Ash's hometown for a while...
Dawn winced, vaguely intimidated, as she saw the thin rotary blade approaching her plaster casts. Of course, she couldn't wait for those to finally come off, but she's rather not see something sharp getting so close to her in the process!
"Er... N-Nurse Joy ..." the blue-haired girl murmured, her Piplup held in her arms, and trying to stick close to her mother, who was standing behind her daughter and trying to reassure her. "I... am as happy to get rid of these casts as the next guy would be... but is it really necessary to use that thing? ...There's no change of me getting cut, right?"
"Come on, honey, don't worry... after all, this isn't this the first check-up you do, is it?" Johanna answered.
Dawn made a funny expression of nervousness and swallowed loudly. "Yes, it's true... but all those other times did not have a circular blade getting close to my legs!" she murmured, her eyes still darting toward the intimidating instrument in Nurse Joy's hands, as if the blue-haired girl was afraid that she would suddenly begin cutting the plaster off!
Piplup gave a small sigh. To think that his trainer had faced that extraordinary journey together with Ash and his companions, and now she was getting cold feet for this? "Piplup! Piplup pip, piplup!" he chirped, moving one of his little wings to his side.
An embarrassed Dawn combed a fringe of cobalt-blue hair out of her forehead. "W-well... I guess you're right, Piplup... It did have to happen, sooner or later... I mean, okay, let's do it!" she concluded, squeezing his eyes close as to not see the part she feared the most. Fortunately, Joy had a way for reassuring her patients...
"It will be okay, I have already done this a lot of times already!" the pink-haired nurse said gently, with a confident nod of her head. "You'll see, it will be over before you even notice."
The nurse had not yet finished talking when Dawn began to feel a slight pressure on her right leg cast, starting from below the knee and smoothly going down to her ankle and foot... and a few moments later, the plaster cast split open, finally releasing Dawn's right leg. The sudden feeling of cold air hit her just-healed leg, even though lasting only for a moment, caused Dawn to open her eyes in surprise.
"Ah! It's... it's off already? I... barely even noticed!" she exclaimed, as she tried to move her leg. The leg muscles had lost some size from being immobile for so long, and some thin wrinkles had appeared on the skin... but the blue-haired girl was happy to see that she could move her limb now! "Wow, this feels so great! I didn't think... my leg could move so well now! I was so used to being sitting or lying down..."
"Piplup!" the penguin-like Pokemon exclaimed happily, waving his short wings in a gesture of cheer.
Johanna smiled and stroked her daughter on the head, while the nurse proceeded to free Dawn's left leg as well. "I'm so happy you're healed up, honey! Now, however, try not to strain your legs too much for the next three or four days, your bones might still be a little fragile." she advised her.
"Oh, I don't think you need to worry about that too much, ma'am." the Nurse Joy answered, as the cast on Dawn's left leg also split open, and Dawn carefully started to move her ankle. "Children's bones repair faster than those of adults, and your daughter should not suffer long-term consequences. Admittedly, it was also fortunate that the fractures were not serious, but anyway, just try to take it easy, and you'll be back to full mobility before you even know it, okay? In the meantime, I have to do a few tests... do your legs still hurt, or do you still have trouble moving them?"
"Well ... I don't think so... no, thankfully!" Dawn answered after trying to move her legs and feet around. The ankles and knees were a bit stiff, but not that much, and Joy nodded in satisfaction.
"Well, it's going even better than expected... now, I know your legs are not looking great, but it's only for a few days." she said. "For now, try to walk around a bit... and when you get home, wash your legs with a little soap and water, and take care to get them dry, okay?"
"Thank you so much, Nurse Joy!" Johanna replied with a little bow, and then went to help her daughter put on her black socks, which had not been used for almost a month and a half. Carefully, Dawn placed her legs in her beloved pink boots and tried to lower her feet to the ground, excited at the idea of being able to move her first steps after the accident in which she had fractured her legs. Her mother held her hand, so that she would not lose her balance... and Dawn managed to get off the stretcher and move a first, tentative step. She felt herself stumble for a second, as the still-tender muscles protested a bit, making her feel a slight but annoying pang. Piplup, now perched on Dawn's shoulder, held his breath for a moment, hoping it would be alright...
"Pip! Lup!" he chirped, trying to encourage his human friend, who winked and turned to stroke his head.
"No need to worry, Piplup ... I just have to regain my footing!" the blue-haired girl answered, then tried to take another step... with much less effort, this time. With Johanna's aid, Dawn took a few steps forward, walking to the wall, and then returning to the stretcher, where she sat down to rest for a moment. "Wow... I honestly had no idea that it would be so hard to walk again..."
"Well, it's just that the muscles that are not used to holding your weight anymore... but maybe these can help you!" Johanna said as Nurse Joy handed Dawn a pair of crutches to. "Nurse Joy ... we still have to thank you for everything you did for my Dawn during this difficult time!"
"Oh, I just did what I was supposed to do... and I'm glad Dawn can go back to traveling soon enough!" the nurse answered. Mom, daughter, and Piplup thanked her with a bow, and then headed for the exit... where Dawn was immediately greeted by Zoey, Kenny and Gary, who were anxious to know how things had been.
Dawn waved to them and greeted cheerfully. "Hey there, guys! So, what do you think? In a little while, I'll be able to walk just like before!" she stated, much to her friends' great relief. Kenny hugged Dawn as well as he could, taking care not to make her lose her balance, while Zoey exchanged an high-five with her, and Gary nodded and winked. "Hehee ... thanks ... thanks, guys, I'm getting a little embarrassed here! I'm just ... glad this is over, and I can not wait to go back to Pokemon contests!" Dawn stated, blushing as Kenny kept hugging her.
"Well, we are happy that our friend is finally back on her feet, too!" Zoey answered with a confident smile. "Mrs. Ketchum will be happy too... I think what we shouldd do now is, to go and tell her! And... as far as contests are concerned, I too am happy that we will face each other again!"
"Anyway, it just seems right that we celebrate this occasion! What do you say we go and get some pizza tonight? My treat, of course!" Gary continued, with approval from all three of his companions... and Piplup, who raised one of his small wings and chirped an affirmative!
"Piplup!"
"Of course, Piplup, we could never forget you!" Dawn reassured him, pulling one hand from her right crutch just enough to pet the cute penguin-like Pokemon on the head. "You can come too... and in fact, it just seems right to me that Mom and Mrs. Ketchum come too, what do you say?"
"Yeah, I agree with you on that... after all, this is something we should all celebrate!" Kenny answered; of the three of them, he seemed the most elated of the good news. "And we'll have to tell Ash and the others about this... man, I'm just glad everything worked out well enough, Dee-Dee!"
Dawn and Piplup had a small sweatdrop pouring down their foreheads. "I'm happy myself, Kenny..." she said with an embarrassed smile. "But for now, let's take things slowly and calmly, why don't we?"
"You're right, sweetheart... for now, concentrate on regaining your mobility in your legs. After than, you can go meet Ash and his buddies in Johto! I've heard great things about that place!"
"That sounds perfect! It will be a great chance to see a new place ... and maybe get to know some interesting people!" Zoey commented as the group left the clinic, with Dawn still a little unsteady on her crutches, but feeling confident that she'd soon be back to normal...
oooooooooo
"Say, guys... don't ya think it's kinda odd?" Meowth asked, addressing his two inseparable companions, Jessie and James, as he glanced at a newspaper lying on the ground in front of him. The former criminal trio had stopped in a clearing to camp, and to plan their next move... and the feline Pokemon had seen something strange on the headlines he was reading. In particular, something that gave him some rather unpleasant memories ...
"Hm? What is it, Meowth?" asked James as he set up a tent together with Jessie and his Mime Jr., while Jessie's Yanmega looked around, and James's Slugma used her Lava Plume attack to light up the pieces of wood the two youngsters had collected and put in a circle of stones.
Meowth showed the page he was talking about. "Well, take a look at this! It's about Whirl Islands, in Johto!" he stated.
"What? Whirl Islands? Now, I'm sure I heard this name before..." Jessie said. Mime Jr., Yanmega and Slugma approached Meowth in order to take a look at the article he was talking about. "Isn't that the group of islands with the wonky weather... where the red-haired brat took part in that competition?"
"The Whirl Cup, you mean." Meowth said. "Yeah, you're right about that! And that's not all... y'see, I've heard Lugia has nested there, too!"
Jessie and James shuddered. Of course, how could they possibly forget about it? It was when they had the misfortune to meet the three Legendary Birds for the first time, and they were lucky to get out alive! "Ugh... you're not telling me those crazy Team Vicious guys are gunning for him, right? Because I was hoping we'd never have to deal with THAT ever again!" the cyan-haired boy exclaimed, a comical expression of fear plastered on his face!
"And who else do you think would be interested in searching for Pokemon around there, Jamey-boy?" Meowth answered, shrugging and moving his tail. "We already know that they are trying to capture Legendary Pokemon... and maybe even kidnap some Pokemon trainer, while they're at it! I'm willing to bet my whiskers that Whirl Islands will be their next target!"
"Gah... I'm not really happy with the idea of seeing that overgrown seagull again!" Jessie murmured, shifting from irritation to obvious fear. "But ... well, since those guys will be there... I mean, we might as well go there and throw some mud in their plans, right? Hopefully before Lugia wakes up and sends us all to the bottom of the ocean, I mean..."
Her Yanmega uttered a dull buzz, as if saying that she was used to all of that by now... and Slugma sighed, thinking that they were in for some difficult times. But still, she knew that she would have gone to the ends of the world for her master... she just wished she could evolve soon somehow, so as to be a little more useful...
oooooooooo
A lonely harbor in the continent of Hoenn... and a sinister-looking ship, with a crew composed mostly of Team Rocket grunts who were busy unloading material and Pokemon, under the supervision of two familiar looking individuals... Cassidy and Butch, trusted henchmen to Team Rocket's supreme leader Giovanni, were anxious to complete the mission that had been entrusted to them, and possibly curry some favor with the boss. And thanks to that strange object that Team Rocket had stolen from the Sevii Island archipelago, as well as those strange gems, this goal seemed to be well within their grasp now.
"Well ... and with that, I'd say we're almost done!" Butch said, looking at the grunts dumping the last of the containers. "Now, we just have to determine how to attract those Legendary Pokemon our boss was talking about ... Rayquaza, Groudon and Kyogre, was that? I'll admit, my memory for names is not exactly the best..."
"Well, look who's talking..." Cassidy commented, before taking a look at the finely chiseled red gem laying in her grasp. "Oh well, no matter... for now, what we need to do is finish up with this cargo, and respect the timetable. This ship is going to depart for Johto in a few hours."
"And what are they supposed to do there?"Butch asked as he went to pick up a crate and help with the operations.
His partner shrugged. "No idea ... but the boss certainly knows what he's doing. As his subordinates, we aren't getting paid to ask questions, just do your work, and try to do it well." she answered.
That was all a Pokemon who had stealthily approached the ship needed to know - an Arbok who, curled up next to one of the portholes, pretended to be asleep; as soon as he heard this interesting bit of information, he turned his head slightly to his side and hissed something. Another Pokemon, a particularly large Weezing, floated towards him, taking care to be as stealthy as he could... and the two Pokemon nodded towards each other, before slipping inside the ship from the open porthole.
That ship was their ticket to Johto. And a means to bring them closer to meeting their old trainers once again...
oooooooooo
TO BE CONTINUED...