"So, which way now?" Iris asked. "We're finally on the circle route, so we could head east towards Undella or west to Driftveil."
Archeops came out of her Pokéball and raised a wing.
"What is it?" Pikachu asked.
"I just want to check," Archeops replied. "We're in what you called a city… are those other places also cities?"
"Driftveil is a city, I think," Iris frowned. "I think Undella is a town, like Nimbasa Town."
"But we're in Nimbasa City," Archeops said. "And that's different from a town?"
"You know, maybe the fact that two of the first major built-up areas Archeops encountered were both called Nimbasa something has been a bit confusing for her," Cilan considered. "But yes, lots of humans live in cities – and Pokémon, as well. Unova alone has several cities and a lot of towns."
"What are the gym leaders there?" Ash asked.
"Undella doesn't have a Gym Leader, I think," Iris said. "Which is fairly unusual. I wonder if that's why it's a town and not a city… I don't think I ever looked that up."
"Searching," Arc said. "Roshan City has no Gym Leader, so it is not a rule even in Unova."
"I was going to say, I've battled gym leaders in towns before!" Ash agreed. "Like Bugsy in Johto!"
"Bugsy?" Iris repeated, and chuckled. "I wonder what Pokémon type he uses?"
"Take my advice, don't look too closely," Sandile warned her.
"Actually, now I think of it, isn't the Gym Leader in Driftveil a Ground-type Gym Leader called Clay?" Cilan said.
"...I don't like this conversation any more," Iris decided.
"Well, let's go to Driftveil!" Ash said. "A Ground type gym leader sounds like a great place to test out some of my Pokémon!"
"Yeah, bit of a problem with that," Sandile told him, checking a sheaf of papers. "Let's see, we did the gym… yep. Unfortunately the bridge is damaged because of that stuff you had with the Subway Bosses, so we're stuck this side of the river for a bit."
"What thing with the Subway Bosses?" Ash replied.
"Well, obviously I wasn't scripted to appear, but it's the thing with the guy messing up the bridge?" Sandile checked. "Not ringing a bell?"
He rolled his eyes, then stuffed the sheaf of paper down a small hole next to him. "I don't know why I bother if you're all going to be going so far off script."
"How are you getting on with your new move?" Mew asked, currently in their apparently-standard form of Delta Purrloin.
"It's already being helpful," Reshiram replied.
The Vast White Pokémon was now just the White Pokémon, having used Minimize to the extent that even when manifested he fitted inside N's poofed-out green mane.
Only his head was looking out, and he stretched slightly. "This is surprisingly comfy."
"I know what you mean, oddly enough," N agreed. "Though the back of my neck does feel a bit warm sometimes."
"That is my turbine," Reshiram replied. "I will do my best not to err and overdo it."
"At least Keldeo is a Water-type, which I'd guess probably helps," Ash said. "Hey, maybe I should take a picture and send it to my friend Whitney – she likes cute Pokémon, and the combination you have going on right now is probably cute!"
"Is that the same Whitney who you said gave you a gym battle with a Regigigas?" Cilan asked. "She sounds like the best kind of trainer."
"Hey, that person up ahead looks familiar," N said, stopping so he could point with a hoof at someone about a minute's walk away. "Is it me, or do they look a lot like Alder?"
He coughed, and spoke more quietly. "My father told me that Alder was one of the worst people for treating Pokémon badly, but… well, I don't really trust anything my father told me any more. But that just means I don't know anything about Alder except that he might look like that and might be the champion. Which… I think means I actually know nothing about him at all. Is there someone called Alder? Am I looking at a real person or just a Zorua?"
"I think that is Alder, you're right," Iris mused. "Or a good fake, anyway. We studied him at the Opelucid Academy."
"You did?" N asked. "What did you learn?"
"Apparently his dad wanted him to be a Pokémon Professor?" Iris said, trying to remember. "I think that's who they were talking about. Though… oh, no, what would Ash be like as a Pokémon Professor?"
"Amazing!" Cilan said, loyally. "He'd offer to give new trainers Moltres, Suicune or Virizion!"
"I see you've got the hang of this," Pikachu sniggered.
"Excuse me?" Iris asked. "Are you Alder?"
"Last I checked," Alder replied, turning around. "Which, come to think of it, was a while ago. Oh, hey, I recognize you, uh… Coriander?"
"Cilan," Cilan replied.
"Huh," Alder frowned, then shrugged. "Well, I guess you'd know."
"Are you really the Unova Champion?" N said. "You… well, I don't know what I expected but you're not like I expected."
"Oh, yeah, that," Alder agreed. "Yeah, that's me… just sort of happened, really."
He took a step back, and framed Ash with his hands.
"Yeah, now I recognize you, too," he realized. "Ash Ketchum, right? My kind of trainer."
"Really?" Lokoko said. "I mean no disrespect, but Ash is quite enthusiastic and… you don't seem to be."
"Honestly, that's not what matters about a trainer," Alder shrugged. "I mean, what do you guys think is important about being a trainer? What's your goal in life?"
"I want to understand every intricacy of how a Pokémon and a trainer connect, that's what I want to do!" Cilan said. "That's why I'm travelling with Ash, because nowhere else could I possibly see something like a Legendary Pokémon stepping in to battle for a trainer based on shared experiences – or a Kangaskhan agreeing to help someone out for the same reason, without either Pokémon being caught!"
"Which… literally was a single incident that combined both of the things you're talking about," N admitted.
"I want to be a Pokémon Master," Ash said. "Which, I guess is kind of something that I get to decide for myself, because nobody else has ever seemed to have a definition for it that makes sense to me. And I think it means having a strong team of Pokémon, who you've made stronger by working with them, and who are all friends first who only battle if they want to…"
He frowned. "I guess really the word master here is more like teacher? Or something?"
Iris was looking troubled.
"I don't really know," she admitted. "I want to be known as a dragon master, but it's the same question about what that word means… and wherever I'm going, I want to go there with Excadrill and Archeops and Emolga. Even if Emolga's mostly cheering from the side."
"Bold of you to assume I'd be cheering," Emolga said, poking her head out of Iris' hair.
"Question," Zygarde began. "How many Pokémon are hiding in hair at the moment?"
"Well, I'm pretty sure Mew is hiding in my hair as a Joltik now you said that, and I saw a Patrat jump into Keldeo's mane earlier, so… seven?" Ash said. "Eight? Some number like that."
Alder chuckled. "Well, that's what matters," he said.
"Pokémon hiding in hair is what matters?" Pikachu asked.
"What?" Alder asked, then shook his head. "No, no, it's your Pokémon partners getting on well with you that matters. Doing what makes them happy is way more important than being a good battler or winning the Pokémon League."
"So how are you even Champion?" N said.
"Turns out, what most of my Pokémon want is for me to be Champion," Alder admitted. "I don't want to argue with them because being headbutted by a Bouffalant is…"
He shook his head. "Besides, I'm not complaining, the ladies love a man who's Champion! Theoretically."
Alder took the opportunity to have a talk with his Pokémon, courtesy of Lokoko, and what Ash quickly gathered from that was that he'd pretty much got it right – he did understand the motives of his Pokémon, and they were very much interested in his being a successful trainer and indeed being a Champion.
Though his Braviary did say that it was something to do with Truth, Justice and the Unovan Way, which got alternately Reshiram and Zekrom interested and then confused.
After that, though, they said goodbye, and headed on towards Driftveil.
AN:
Of course, Alder is a meaningful name in multiple ways.