Disclaimer: I don't own pokemon or any such stuff
Hello everyone, and welcome to the eight chapter of The Journey. This would be the final part of the Vermilion Arc, since there is a change of plans and as the name suggests, this chapter introduces a bunch of characters who would be playing important role in the story in future.
So, with that being said, sit back and enjoy...
Chapter 8: Vermilion...Part 3: New Characters
"Don't worry, your pokemon would be back to health in no time", Nurse Joy said as she took Vibrava and Lampent's pokeball inside. Lampent had suffered mainly paralysis, he would be fine by the end of the day, but Vibrava's injuries are more severe, but will recover with two days rest.
Ash turned towards his right and walked towards the hallway which leads to the private cabins of injured pokemon. Stopping in front of the destined door, he paused for a bit to double check the rooms number and went inside. Inside was what a medical cabin should look like, a large bed, medical equipments, tables and a couch. Wyvern was lying over his stomach on the bed, probably sleeping. Renting a private cabin is a bit expensive than normal general bed, but he has enough money...also his pokemon deserve the best, atleast according to him.
Ash walked towards him and rubbed the scales of his head carefully. This action woke up Wyvern as he gave a big loud yawn before opening his eyes. On seeing Ash, Wyvern face broke to a wide grin as he gave a low grumble in greeting.
Ash's face matched the grin as he reached for his pocket and took out a badge...the badge was shaped like sun and had shades of yellow and vermilion.
"We won buddy! We won our very first badge", Ash said drifting to the moment when Lampent struck the killing blow.
Flashback
"Say bye bye Pisces", Ash mocked, "Lampent...Finish everything with Hex!"
Lampent's eyes glowed red as his body was covered with a ghostly aura. A similar aura engulfed Raichu making it unable to move a muscle, like as if in suspended animation.
Lampent started moving its appendages in a wave like fashion and gathered up enough energy to fire a wave of dark energy, slamming Raichu and sending it crashing into a nearby boulder.
In the otherside of the field, Ash could hear Pisces shouting multiple things, some he understood...some seemed alien. But he was not interested in what Pisces was saying, he was waiting for the outcome of the battle.
Raichu fell on the ground and made no signs of getting up, bringing a smile on Ash's face and the feeling of victory in his heart. But it's still custom to wait for a few moments for the final verdict.
The Rotom drone inspected the fallen Raichu and after seven seconds, the referee declared, "Raichu is unable to battle! The winner of this battle is challenger Anderson Aether".
It was time for celebration, as Ash jumped in the air, cheering out loud with his fist high. He was so caught in winning, that he momentarily forgot Lampent was also lying on the ground and needed to be recalled. Once he remembered, he felt a bit ashamed and thanking Lampent for his efforts he recalled him back to his pokeball. Back at the stands Ash saw Lucario standing with crossed arms and a pleased look on his face. Ash smiled back and gave Lucario a thumbs up, he did help his pokemon train.
"It's a shame though we couldn't battle Surge. But we will return one day. What do you say?", Ash asked.
Wyvern gave an encouraging roar in response which made Ash laugh a bit. He continued rubbing his scales and said, "I have decided to take these two days off. And Dartrix wanted to spent the day with you".
With his other hand Ash took out a pokeball and released Dartrix inside the cabin. Dartrix hooted at Ash and Wyvern and perched on the rails at the side of Wyvern's bed.
"Alright, I will let you to be on your own. But don't cause any rukus here. I don't want to hear from Nurse Joy that both of you had caused trouble. Remember whatever you do is always reflected on me", Ash lectured. Wyvern and Dartrix gave a simultaneous cries of agreement, promising to stay good.
"Well, then enjoy yourselves. We will leave Vermilion in two days. Next were, I will probably decide by today". With that being said, Ash walked out of the cabin leaving Dartrix and Wyvern to spend time together. As he was walking down the hall, he got a sudden ping in his pokedex. On opening it, Ash found it was an official message from the Kanto League. The Vermilion Badge had been registered with his trainer id and a sum of 3000 pokedollars had been transferred to his bank account.
His very first earning in his life, what he will do with it. The first thing came to his mind is his Alolan family. He owes Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet a lot. Maybe he should get them a gift with this money...but what he will give. Probably he will think about it later...first he needs to call them.
Ash went to the videophone booth and dialled the number of Professor Kukui. After several rings Kukui picked up,
"Alola Ash! I was getting ready for work", Kukui said cheerfully.
"Alola professor! Sorry but the news can't wait! I won the Vermilion Badge", Ash said enthusiastically, showing the badge to Kukui.
Professor Kukui blinked, "Already? I thought it would take atleast two three tries to beat Surge?".
"Yeah!", Ash said rubbing the back of his neck, "About that. I actually didn't fight Surge, instead I fought his substitute. Something about not having enough badges to challenge him".
"We didn't have such kind of rules during out time", Kukui said thoughtfully, "Anyways, a win is a win...as long you have earned it".
" O definitely professor! ", Ash started," The battle was close...and Vibrava got knocked out with Electrode's Explosion...and that Raichu was super strong...He nearly knocked us out... "
"Wo! Slow down Ash", Kukui intervened," Your rambling is faster than Extreme Speed".
"Sorry professor" , Ash said, "But the battle was super close. Lampent was down on the ground paralysed while Raichu was coming with Volt Tackle...so it was a do or die situation".
"Congratulations on your win. Sad thing Burnet isn't here, she would have been happy on hearing it. She is currently busy with some research of Aether Foundation ".
"Speaking of Aether, how is Gladion doing?", Ash asked.
"Well, to put it bluntly...he lost his Grand Trial pretty badly. Kahuna Hala dominated the battle".
Ash felt a bit sorry for Gladion. He isn't the type who could handle defeat very well...maybe he should give him a call once he calmed down a bit.
"So, umm...professor, so you have any suggestions where I should go next? Saffron or Celadon?", Ash asked.
"Your choice Ash. But in my personal opinion, I think you should go to Saffron first. The Celadon Gym isn't running anywhere, but Scott is a very busy man. He might not be available if you reach there late".
"Scott?", Ash asked.
"Don't tell me you didn't bother to lookup at the web about who owns Silph Corp currently"
"Ooo...ooopps", was all Ash said, mentally kicking himself for it.
"Let me guess, Professor, I was busy researching about pokemon and preparing for battles ", Kukui said mimicking Ash's voice.
Ash could only scratch his head in embarrassment, much to the amusement of Kukui.
"But in all seriousness, Scott is quite eager to meet you. He would have personally come to Vermilion to receive you if he didn't get caught in some recent... ", Professor Kukui struggled a bit to find the right word," Ummm. ...developments let's say. But the point is you should go to Saffron first, then challenge the Celadon Gym".
"Alright...I will. Well, thanks for everything. Also, thanks for sending Lucario here, he was a big help", Ash said.
"Anytime Ash...and Ohh! Before I forget, for how long are you staying in Vermilion?", Kukui asked.
"One more day... Why are you asking?", Ash asked.
"Well, since you a minor, I have arranged a babysitter for you", Kukui said. A silent pause filled the room as Ash swallowed down the information.
"WHHHAAATTTT!", Ash cried out, grabbing the attention of everyone present in the area. But Ash didn't care, his eyes widened comically and mouth wide open,"What do mean babysitter?!".
Kukui was laughing hard at his reaction, further confusing Ash. "I...was...kidding!", he said between his laughs. Ash didn't find it amusing, just crossed his arms and faking a glare.
"But, I think you would appreciate a travelling companion, one who had experience in battling and travelling. Trust me you are going to benefit from it".
"But I am doing completely fine on my own", Ash argued.
"Yeah, and you did a great job taking care of yourself, but you are eleven. You have barely seen anything in your life...so what if you made the wrong choice. It might mess up things even more".
Ash thought the matter for a moment. He still believes he would be fine, but if professor insists, who is he to question him. Professor Kukui always have a long sight in various matters, it might be one of them. Also the arguments professor is making makes complete sense. But there is one problem...
"That's all fine, but...what about...Poipole, training him is already hard enough. If someone tags along, it would be impossible", Ash fine.
Kukui brushed it off,"Don't worry, he is a former student of mine and knows everything. He is quite a strong battler, taking part in the Kalos League before graduating from the Kalos Battle Institute. You will like him".
This Ash got interested, his eyes twinkled at mention of strong battler. If their is anything that attracts him aside from food is pokemon battles. Taking part in a league is a huge achievement in Kalos, where there is no subsidiary gym concept. Every one had to battle and win against the eight gym leaders, a feat very few manage to achieve. And Battle Institute, he had seen first hand what a graduate from Battle Institute can do. If nothing, he would get a strong training partner in his journey.
"Alright Professor, you convinced me. I will give it a shot. But can I atleast get a name of who I am travelling with?", Ash asked.
"Why ofcourse. His name is Ilima. His will board the flight today in Lumiose. If you stay, then he will book ticket to Vermilion else Saffron."
Ilima, Ash thought, the name sounding familiar, "Is it the same guy whose name makes most of the girls in pokemon school act weirdly?"
"Yeah Ash, it is the same guy whose name makes most of the girls in school act weirdly ", Kukui confirmed. At the back of his mind, Typical dense boy.
Before Ash could say anything, another voice interrupted, "Yo...Kukui...get your lazy ass out...we are already late".
Kukui rolled his eyes at the source of the voice while Ash raised his eyebrow, "Is that Guzma?"
"Yeah, we are going for a meeting regarding League business. Some matters need to be sorted out", Kukui said.
"What kind?", Ash asked.
"Well, as you know, Po Town is being renovated to be Alola's capital city and will house several vital offices of public and private agencies...kind off Alolan version Saffron or Wyndon or Lumiose. Now, this being a multibillion dollar project, some construction companies are being a pain in the ass for getting the contract...especially Viren. Today, we are deciding who will get the contract. So, in case things escalate, I am taking Guzma as an extra hand to fight".
"Makes sense", Ash said. Nobody could deny that Guzma was one of the strongest and most brutal battler in Alola, perfect for fighting henchmen and thugs. Heck, except for Kukui he doesn't know if anyone could beat him. What Ash had heard is Guzma once a local gangster of Alola. But after the Ultra Beast war, he had some sort of realization and surrendered before law. Since none of his crimes weren't that severe, Guzma and Team Skull was given a second chance with community service for life as punishment instead of jail sentence.
Ash's train of thoughts were interrupted by a loud banging on door, startling him completely, "Oi...Kukui come out...you dead or what... "
"Coming" , Kukui answered in a loud, annoyed voice. "I better go, or he will break open the door. See you later Ash. I will tell Ilima to fly to Vermilion instead of Saffron. Expect him to reach by tomorrow afternoon" , Kukui told Ash.
With that Kukui ended the call, leaving Ash to wonder about the recent development. He decided to take tour of the city and think about it later. And what is their to think about...just a few moments ago he was thinking about how he owes Professor Kukui. If Kukui wants him to travel in group, he will.
Little did Ash knew he would be appreciating this decision. Little did he knew, that he was being followed... his every movement was being monitored. Not even a week he has been in Kanto, he is already under radar of his enemies.
Ash was walking down the road in a carefree mood, humming a tune to himself...Oblivious to two men, casually following him while keeping a distance of a few metres to evade suspicion and two Fearows watching him from air. His destination, Vermilion City's famous military ship KNS Waverider turned museum after its retirement from Kanto Navy.
On reaching the ship museum, Ash checked an entry ticket of 50 pokedollars. Then directed towards a group of people to wait for a few minutes for their tour guide. Most of the people were elderly men and women who greeted Ash which he politely returned, though some people acted like he didn't exist at all. While he was waiting, everyone's attention was drawn to a commotion taking place probably at the entry gate of the museum area.
One of the people went to check the matter and returned with news that two people were detained by the guards for entering the museum with suspicious equipment during checking. And ofcourse they were the very same people following Ash...but he doesn't knows it.
Very soon their guide came and took them were led through a series of hallways decorated by pictures and statues on both sides. The guide went rambling about the history of every single artifact present -Statues of Admirals of Kanto Navy, group picture of the first crew of the ship, pictures of officers receiving awards. There were also uniforms and various accessories used by the crew carefully preserved. They were led to the main control room from where the ship was steered. The wheel, navigation instruments, weapons systems...everything was quite quite fascinating. Just stepping on the ship gave a thrill feeling to him. Ash can't say that he was being patriotic as he was raised in a different region, but being born in Kanto...an unknown feeling crept in his heart...very hard to explain.
Back in the days, the ship was the main battleship of Kanto. It was fitted with anti air, anti submarine and anti land supersonic missiles, giving a serious competition to the Unovan forces. Thousands of Unovan war vessels as well as combat pokemons were brought down by this class of ships.
It took almost an hour to complete the entire tour of the ship. The engine room, the weapons room, the bunkers...there were many places worth seeing...along with stories of Kanto version of the Great War. Ash finds it funny, how Kanto and Unova preach their own versions of the war.
As he completed the tour was exciting the museum he took one last look... a powerful vessel of destruction...once upon a time feared by everyone. But now, it is just outclassed and replaced. Is it what is called moving on? Will this ship not sail ever? Will everything and everybody will be just rejected if they outlived their usefulness?
As Ash took the streets, the Fearows took the air to keep eye on him. But the other two men were nowhere to be seen.
Next Ash tried the shopping areas. But quickly got bored. He was never a crazy shopping freak. All the flashy items didn't attract his attention...and their were no shops relating to pokemon training. As he was walking down the road on his way back to the pokemon centre, something caught his year...
Welcome boys and girls...to the Semi-finals of Vertress Conference. We finally came down to our best four trainers from entire Unova. Each of them had given us spectacular performances, but now once again they have to prove...why they deserve the trophy.
So without final delay, for our first semi-finals, we have Antonio from Stonethrow Town. Antonio had dominated the tournament with speed and power. His opponent needs to catch him first if they ever want to beat him.
And challenging him would be Iris from the Village of Dragons, who have broken every obstacle with her unstoppable DragMag strategy.
DragMag...What's that?, Ash thought. He had stopped infront of an electronic store which had several television sets kept on display, showing the Unovan Vertress Conference. Quickly a small crowd gathered to watch the match and got to their favourite hobby...placing bets. But Ash was glued to television attracted by a single word...DragMag.
DragMag...this is probably one of best offensive archetype he had ever seen. DragMag stands for Dragon Magnet Pull. Misleadingly it is also known as Dragon Magnezone since Magnezone is commonly used in the team.
Dragon type pokemon are infamous for their monstrous offensive power they hold. But their rampage is halted by pokemon of Steel and Fairy pokemon. And even though dragons can learn fire moves to fight steel, fairy pokemon are a pain in their ass. Iris knew this hole in her team perfectly well...and brilliantly used Magnet Pull to cover this hole using Magnezone, a pokemon which can handle both Steel and Fairy types...killing two pidgeys with one rock.
Vertress Conference is one of the few leagues in the world which allows substitution during battles. So, when a Steel pokemon was sent against her dragons, Iris cleverly sent out her Magnezone in response. Magnezone with its Magnet Pull ability traps the opponents steel pokemon preventing it from switching out. Both Antonio's Skarmory and Scizor fell victim to it. The magnetic field set up by Magnezone was also restricting their mobility, throwing Antonio's gameplan of a fast paced battle in drain. Unable to move fast enough to strike their opponent or evade the attack thrown at them...Skarmory had no choice but to eat the Thunderbolts till it faints while Scizor tried to put fight with Double Team but failed miserably. And if that's not bad enough, Magnezone pivoted out after defeating an opponent with Volt Switch letting either Haxorus or Dragonite to take the stage. And the rest of the game, Haxorus and Dragonite tore everything apart, resulting in a dominating 6 to 1 victory by Iris.
As the match was done, the crowd began to disperse...but Ash stood their eyes filled with determination and a big grin on his face.
"Looks like other dragon trainers are stepping up their game", he said to himself," Better think of something quick".
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful for Ash. Vermilion wasn't a tourist spot. It is mainly known for its electronic, biotechnology and shipping industries. Ofcourse there is the new Cerise Laboratory, but he doesn't have any work there. Instead he spent the day reading the training manuals he bought from the local store.
He got a message from Kukui about Ilima's trip. His plane would be landing in Vermilion at 10.30 KST. Then he would meet him at th Pokemon Centre.
As the night fell, the lights of Pokemon Centre began to shut off one by one. And in the middle two hooded figure emerged from the dark alleys with their eyes on the Centre. But they failed to notice that a third figure had crept out of the shadows, watching the duo with an Alakazam by his side.
Next day, Ash was patiently waiting in the lobby of the Pokemon Centre, the clock showing its nearly 11:00. The television was playing the Kanto national News, showing Iris and Jack's win in the Vertress Conference. The finals would be held tomorrow 14:00 KST. Too bad he won't be there to witness it.
Just then the automatic door of the centre opened to reveal a slender slightly dark skinned teen with medium light pink with an Eevee on his shoulder. Now a number of people had come and gone, so Ash didn't saw him to be any different. But that teen directly came towards him and asked politely, "Are you Anderson Ketchum?".
Ash's heart stopped for a second and in panic lunged forward to cover the other boy's mouth.
"Not so loud!", Ash whispered harshly. The teen who's eyes had widened surprise seem to understand and nodded in agreement. Ash gave a sigh of relief and stepped back a little. Giving a nervous laugh he said," Sorry about that, I am Aether here because...you know right. You must be Ilima".
Ilima smiled and bowed dramatically, "At your service. And don't be sorry, it was kind of my fault. I should have known better. O...and this is Vitani", Ilima said introducing himself and Eevee.
"How did you know who was I?", Ash asked curiously.
Ilima didn't say anything, just pointed towards Dartrix who was perched on the arm rest of the couch. Ash quickly understood its meaning, there weren't a lot of trainers in Kanto with Alolan starter. Ash sheepishly smiled," Oh...yeah...ofcourse".
"Soo...can we go in?", Ilima asked.
Ilima checked a room in the centre and when everything was settled sat down in his room with Ash.
"So, I heard you have been to Kalos. Mind sharing the experience", Ash asked.
"Kalos is probably if not the strongest, but the most creative region in the world. As you would know that every activity they consider an art and work hard to improve it. In pokemon battle sometimes this may lead to unexpected tricks. This really pushes you hard to develop counter attack on spot. But it's a lot fun...educational to be honest".
" Speaking of...you did study in Battle Institute. Do you know any trainer there who has a super strong Chesnaught? ", Ash asked.
"I know a lot of trainers who has a Chesnaught" , Ilima replied with a bit of confusion on his face.
"No..no...he said he is kind of the topper of Battle Institute"
Ilima thought for a moment when a answer hit his mind, "I know a person who matches the very limited description you gave...Xavier...Calem Xavier. Kind of a cocky dude to be honest".
"Have you beaten him in battle?", Ash asked.
"With mega evolution...yeah sometimes ", Ilima answered.
Ash was stunned on hearing it,"No Way! You kidding! You can mega evolve your pokemon!", he said jumping up from his seat.
Ilima laughed at it and revealed a small spherical stone connected to the chain of his neck. Ash had stars in his eyes on seeing it, "Now I definitely have to battle you", he challenged with determination.
"Sure, we will be travelling together...so we will get a lot of opportunity to battle. In fact, I can even help you train", Ilima offered.
"That would be fun, I can't wait for our battle...I can't wait to meet all your pokemon", Ash said.
"Hey, can I see your...umm...secret pokemon", Ilima asked hesitantly.
Ash understood which pokemon he was implying for and without hesitation replied, "Sure, why not...we will be travelling together like you said". With that he opened the hidden pocket in his jacket and took out a rather unique looking pokeball, which had a galactic design on it. The pokeball revealing Poipole who twirled in the air up side down.
"Fascinating!", Ilima said amazed by a new and probably the only pokemon of this newly discovered species in the world. Poipole at first kept her distance, unable to trust this new stranger. But Ilima gave a gentle smile and held up his hand, "Hey, no need to fear...I am a friend. My name is Ilima Keola".
Poipole shot a questioning glance at Ash and after a reassuring nod from her trainer approached Ilima. Ilima gently rubbed the base of the needle like sting on Poipole's Poipole forgot her fear and squealed around as Ilima continued rubbing her head. And in delight...Poipole sprayed blue ink like fluid from her sting all over Ilima's face.
"Poipole!", Ash shouted as Poipole started giggling mischievously. Annoyed, Ash decided to put Poipole back into her pokeball and apologised, "Sorry about that. Poipole like to make everything she likes her canvas".
Ilima who rubbing his face with a towel laughed, "Well...then Poipole likes me already, I am taking it as a compliment. Don't worry, I have my fair share of experience with painter pokemon".
Both Ash and Ilima shared a laugh at it. "So, a Rowlet starter?", Ilima asked.
"Yeah, I wanted to be a ghost and dragon trainer. What was yours?"
"Eevee", Ilima answered.
"But Eevee isn't an Alolan starter. You didn't get one?"
"No...I didn't want one. I had Eevee ever since I was a kid, and we promised each other to go on journey together. I wanted Eevee to get stronger as she is, that's a reason I didn't want to evolve her also"
"A she huh...I get where you are coming from. Sometimes evolution can severely mess things up...especially if your pokemon is not ready. I have a Charizard, who was probably forced to evolve at very young age".
"Let me guess, ride pokemon".
Ash nodded his head, "How do you know?"
"I was given a Pidgeot, being one of Professor's favourite has perks. Pidgeot had problems with under development"
"Did it recover?"
"Yeah, proper medication and strict training...and a time. You must have heard that time heals everything. Now Pidgeot is one of the strongest member of my team, even if technically she is not mine. Trust me, your Charizard would be fine".
"Another she huh... ", Ash said.
"Yeah, many pokemon in my team are female. Hey did you know...".
The rest of the day they spent gossiping about their times in Alola, their memories of how they grew up, their adventures. After sunset they went to the local pokemart to gather extra supplies for their journey. After planning their travels both of them retired for the night. They would be setting out for Saffron tomorrow morning.
Just at dawn, the doors of the pokemon centre opened revealing Ash stepping out from the centre. The two figure who were following him for the entire time was once again at their job. But instead of taking the route which leads to Saffron, he was seen to head towards East...at the direction of the rising sun. After covering the entire city on foot, Ash was seen to take the route which said Silver Town on the direction board...leading the men to a trail through the forest.
But the men didn't know, that another Ash Ketchum just woke up at his room at the Vermilion City Pokemon Centre. A man in his early thirties, honey brown eyes and same color spiky hair could be seen standing outside the pokemon centre making a call, "Hey, Scott...I have sent those thugs on a wild Swanna chase. The kid is safe to travel" ...
And this wraps up the eighth chapter. Probably the shortest chapter written out. If you are wondering, DragMag isn't a fantasy strategy. Its a real one. DragMag was probably the only weatherless strategy that dominated the Generation 5 metagame.
Thanks everyone for reading, and I will see you in the next chapter.
Suggestions and Criticism Are Welcomed.
Fafnir Out ~~~
