Hello everyone : ) I know it's been ages, but I've SERIOUSLY been struggling with this project. To that end, I've got some news for you all. Now, some of you might remember last year when I decided to revamp this project. In some ways that worked, and in others it didn't.
The main way that it didn't work was that I made the chapters too long, which ironically I was trying to avoid doing. What I mean by that is when you set the expectation that chapters will be between 8,000 and 10,000 words long - it makes it REALLY hard to actually sit down and WANT to write a chapter that long.
I've honestly been trying my best, but I'm just not getting anywhere with it.
So I've made the really hard choice to start the revamp again, however this time it will be a little different. Instead of breaking episodes up into a set amount, for example into halves or thirds, I'm simply going to do it by content. What I mean by that is if I think I chapter's getting too long, I'll nip it in the bud. I don't care it I end up needing ten chapters to get through an episode ; )
My intention now is to post chapters that are roughly between 3,000 - 5,000 words long. Anything over that is getting broken up into smaller chapters. I'm hoping that by doing this, I can get motivated with this project again, and get chapters out a little more regular.
So, what I've done is gone back through what I've already written, and broken it up. Due to this, as you'll see in this chapter, we've jumped backwards a bit. Now, feel free to re-read it all if you like, but you don't have to as the content is all the same, it's just broken up differently : )
I'm sorry that I keep messing you all around with this story, but it was either go back and do this, or potentially put this story on long-term hiatus or even abandon it all together, which I REALLY did not want to do. I hope you can all understand that.
Anyway, sorry about how long it took me to come to this decision, and please remember that Pokemon is not mine : )
I hope you enjoy this chapter : )
Tough Decisions
That evening, Mrs Ketchum absolutely outdid herself at dinner. What with so many special guests back in Pallet Town, she had prepared a small feast. Naturally in addition to herself, Ash and Misty, Mrs Ketchum had invited Professor Oak, Gary, and Tracey.
All six of them were currently sitting at the table, all of them tucking into Mrs Ketchum's delicious home-cooking.
At first, Misty had felt a dejected pang in her heart when Gary, who had managed to calm down and had apologised to his grandfather, sat in Brock's usual seat, but she quickly pushed those feelings aside.
Tonight was a night to have some fun.
Not wallow in sadness.
"So..." Mrs Ketchum said after swallowing a mouthful of delicious food, "What did you kids get up to today?" she asking, aiming this at Ash, Misty and Gary.
Misty shared a secretive smile with Ash.
She hadn't told any of the others about seeing the legendary Ho-Oh, and neither had Ash.
Misty knew that he wasn't going to either.
That had been a moment strictly between them.
One they would both cherish.
When neither Ash nor Misty replied, Gary piped up.
"I went out by the river to think" he stated.
"The river where we both fished up the pokeball?" Ash couldn't help asking.
Gary nodded in confirmation.
"I can think out there" the brown haired boy said, "And I've decided that my Grampa's right. I still have some much I want to do, and even though being a Pokemon Researcher is my dream, there's some stuff I can only learn by going out there and seeing the world".
"I'm glad to hear that" Professor Oak smiled softly at his beloved grandson.
"And I'm sorry again, you know, about losing my temper" Gary said sheepishly.
"It happens to the best of us. You're forgiven and its forgotten" the professor said kindly.
"Anyway, I've decided that since I'm going to continue my training, I want to go somewhere I've never been before, and where everything's brand new" Gary continued, looking excited now, "So I've decided I'm heading to the Hoenn region!"
As soon as he made this announcement, Ash and Misty turned to each other incredulously.
Then they burst out laughing.
"What? What's so funny?" Gary asked, a little indignantly as they appeared to be mocking him.
"Beats me" Tracey blinked in confusion.
"Ash? Misty?" Mrs Ketchum was bewildered as well, "I think you need to let us in on the joke".
"Sorry Gary" Misty apologised, "It's just... that's a really huge coincidence".
"What is?" Gary demanded to know.
"Misty and I have been talking, and we want to see new things too" Ash explained for everyone's benefit, "Which is why we're going to go travel the Hoenn region too".
"Ah, that's wonderful" Professor Oak looked pleased.
"I guess this means that Ash and Gary are still going to be each other's rival" Tracey noted, looking amused.
"Yeah, but at least we're friendly rivals now, right Ash?" Gary smiled at the boy in question.
"Right" Ash beamed back at him.
Misty couldn't help but be a little proud of both of them.
It was so nice to see them being nice to each other, their hostility finally put aside.
"I guess now the only thing to sort out is when you'll all be going" Mrs Ketchum piped up.
"You're more than welcome to join us on the trip out there Gary" Misty offered kindly, "We had a quick look on the internet earlier, and we found a ship with available tickets setting off in a week's time from now. We're thinking about leaving then".
"And if you want too, you could travel around Hoenn with us" Ash suddenly offered.
That shocked everyone.
Whilst they all knew that things were much, much better between the two boys now, none of them had ever expected Ash to come up with the idea of travelling with his long-time rival.
"Thanks for the offer Ash, but I think I'll pass" Gary said, genuinely appreciating the offer and sincerely apologetic about turning it down, "There's a lot of things I need to sort out first before I leave, and it's going to take much longer than a week. I really appreciate the offer though, and I'll definitely meet up with you guys at some point whilst we're all out there".
"Well, if you're sure" Ash shrugged, a little disappointed but understanding.
"It would have been nice to have you with us, but if you really have things to do, we understand" Misty added.
Part of her wondered if Ash asking Gary to come with them had something to do with Brock leaving.
Like he was trying to fill a hole.
She shook her head.
Ash would never used someone in that manner.
She was sure he was just trying to be kind.
"Thanks Misty" Gary said gratefully, "But like I said, we'll all definitely meet up at some point in Hoenn".
"I'm sure you'll all have a wonderful time out there" Mrs Ketchum said brightly, "I kind of wish I was going".
"Me too" the Professor agreed.
Misty couldn't help the excited grin that lit up her face as she thought about what awaited them in the Hoenn Region.
She tried to imagine what types of new pokemon they'd meet.
What adventures they would have.
It was all so exhilarating, and her heart was pounding with excitement.
She was almost disappointed that they'd have to wait a week.
It was going to be excruciating.
But Misty had no doubt that in the end, the wait would be worth it.
Only one thing was certain.
With Ash by her side, this new adventure was going to nothing less than fantastic.
Misty's initial assumption had been proven correct.
The next seven days in Pallet Town had passed excruciatingly slowly.
She really had tried to fill in the days - helping Mrs Ketchum whenever she could around the house, and even lending a hand with the pokemon at Professor Oak's laboratory, but it still wasn't enough.
Within two days, Misty had been bored.
She tried not to let it show, but she just couldn't help it.
Domestic bliss just wasn't for her.
Like Ash, Misty lived for the adventure and adrenaline that went hand-in-hand with travelling.
On the road, Misty loved the fact that no two days were ever quite the same.
So being stuck in one place for a week... well, it almost felt like time had stopped.
Or had been put on a loop.
Everyday the same.
Everything in a routine.
It was enough to have her climbing the walls.
Misty was very relieved that she and Ash had managed to secure tickets on the earliest voyage to the Hoenn Region.
If she spent much longer trapped in one place, she was going to go completely insane.
Finally however - and not a moment too soon for Misty - the day when they would finally be leaving dawned upon them.
So naturally, Misty was in very high spirits that morning.
The orange-haired girl was currently in the guest bedroom of the Ketchum Residence, that Mrs Ketchum had been kind enough to let her use for the duration of her stay in Pallet Town. Misty was packing up the last of her possessions that had somehow made their way around the room.
She was just folding some clothes and placing them in her backpack, when Togepi began to stir awake from his position on the bed.
"Toge?" he blinked drowsily.
He was looking around for Misty.
Well, looking for his mother from the young pokemon's perspective.
"Well good morning Togepi" Misty smiled, picking up the infant and hugging him in greeting, "Did you sleep okay?"
"Toge" Togepi nodded.
"That's good. You'll need it. We have a very big day ahead of us today" Misty told the little pokemon, "Today's the day we're finally going to the Hoenn Region. Are you excited?"
"Toge!" Togepi giggled a happy affirmative.
"Me too" Misty laughed, "I bet we're going to meet all sorts of new people and pokemon, and make lots of new friends too".
"Toge" Togepi sure liked the sound of that.
"Well, I think that's everything" Misty said, looking around the room one last time to check she hadn't missed anything, "I'm kind of glad to be leaving. Mrs Ketchum's a really great host, and I have enjoyed being around her and Professor Oak and Tracey and Gary again, but I'm getting kinda bored being in the same place all the time".
"Toge" Togepi agreed.
"But by tonight, we're going to be in a whole new region" Misty couldn't help but grin at the thought of it, "Now, what do you say we go see if Ash is ready for the day ahead?"
"Toge" Togepi nodded.
He then hopped down from her arms, landing gracefully on the floor.
"Huh?" Misty blinked, watching him curiously.
The infant pokemon then proceeded to toddle off towards the door.
"You wanna lead the way huh?" she giggled.
"Toge" Togepi nodded happily.
"Well okay" Misty laughed, gesturing towards the door, "I'll be right behind you".
Misty quickly zipped up her backpack and slung it over her shoulder.
"Toge!" Togepi happily toddled off down the hall with Misty following.
When the small pokemon reached Ash's closed bedroom door, he pushed against it with all his strength, but Togepi was just too small to open it.
"Toge" he whined at Misty, pointing towards the door.
"Okay little guy, I've got it" she smiled.
Misty approached the door and knocked on it.
"Come in" she heard her best friend's voice reply.
Misty pushed open the door, and found to her immense surprise that Ash was sitting at his desk, reading through some papers.
The orange-haired girl raised an eyebrow.
Truth be told, she had half-expected her friend to still be snoring in his bed, and that she'd have to wake him up.
So to find him apparently all ready to go and waiting for her, well it was very unusual.
Out of the two of them, Misty was the early riser after all.
Ash glanced over his shoulder, and smiled.
"Morning Misty, morning Togepi" he greeted them.
"Good morning" Misty said, looking confused, "Err... what are you doing up so early? I kinda thought I'd be waking you up".
Ash chuckled in amusement.
"I've been up for ages" he informed her, enjoying her surprised reaction, "I've been reading through all this data the professor gave me".
Misty nodded as understanding dawned on her.
For the past three days, Ash had been having somewhat of a dilemma.
It was really all Gary's fault.
Well, perhaps fault wasn't the right word.
It was more like Gary had put the idea into Ash's head.
Three days ago, Ash and Misty had been visiting the laboratory with Mrs Ketchum and Mr Mime. That in itself wasn't unusual, since they tried to pop in at least once every day. But it was the subject of conversation that had started this whole thing off.
And that subject was of Ash's pokemon team.
To put it simply, Ash had come up with the idea of leaving all of his pokemon save for Pikachu at Professor Oak's laboratory, claiming that he wanted to start this new journey exactly as he had the very first time he had left Pallet Town, the day he had first became a trainer.
Personally, Misty thought that was a really stupid idea.
And she'd had no problem with telling him so.
Naturally, Ash hadn't been happy to hear that, and so an argument had broken out. Misty and Ash had bickered for nearly twenty minutes before Professor Oak piped up and told them that the best way of resolving the matter was by calmly discussing their views on the subject.
Ash had then explained exactly why he wanted to start afresh.
He felt that after failing to win two major league tournaments, he needed to change his approach to pokemon training, and what better way to do that then by starting all over again from the very beginning.
Misty had scoffed loudly at that.
She then went on to point out that winning tournaments wasn't the most important factor in this matter. Ash was a pokemon trainer, and by definition, that mean he was supposed to train plural pokemon - not just Pikachu. She felt that him leaving all but one of his pokemon at the lab was unfair to them and she'd told him as such.
Needless to say, Ash hadn't been too happy to hear that.
Professor Oak had said that he thought Misty had more of a point than Ash did, with Mrs Ketchum, Tracey, and Gary all nodding in agreement.
Misty had then brought up the issue of Team Rocket constantly trying to steal Pikachu.
How exactly was Ash planning on getting him back if he didn't have any of his other pokemon to help him?
Ash had looked horrified at that thought.
It was more than obvious that those three and their wicked plots hadn't even entered Ash's mind when he came up with this half-baked idea of his.
Tracey had then reminded Ash that he didn't know what he'd be facing in the Hoenn Region, and that any pokemon he might catch early on was unlikely to be a particularly strong one. The safest option for him was to have more than just one of his stronger pokemon with him.
Mrs Ketchum had been all for that.
She wanted her baby safe and sound at all times, thank you very much.
After nearly an hour of discussing it, Ash had finally conceded that taking only Pikachu was not just a bad idea, but a terrible one.
Misty had been apologetic over been so hard on him, but stated that she was only thinking of him and what was best all around for his pokemon.
That was when Gary had added his input for the first time.
He had said that since Ash had already travelled through three regions - Kanto, the Orange Islands, and Johto - that perhaps he ought to try doing something he'd never done before.
He suggested that Ash form a new travelling team with the pokemon he already had.
Ash had paused at that suggestion.
Then he had smiled.
That actually worked out pretty good for both sides of the argument. It would be a whole new experience for Ash, particularly if he used some of his pokemon that hadn't worked together before, and he would still be safe in most situations, plus Pikachu would have backup in case it was ever required.
Ash had agreed to Gary's solution, so to help him with his choices, Professor Oak had printed off all the data he had on each of Ash's pokemon, and had given a small stack of paper to the boy to help him make informed decisions.
And so on each day following their discussion, Ash had devoted a portion of his time to trying to decide exactly which pokemon he wanted to take with him to the Hoenn Region.
Now it made sense why Ash was awake so early.
He was obviously trying to finish making his decision about which six pokemon to take with him to the Hoenn Region.
"So, have you managed to narrow it down yet?" Misty asked him, "Which six I mean".
"I've got five of the places on my team picked out" Ash informed her, "So just one more to go".
He let out a sigh, and turned back to his data.
"Well which five are they?" Misty couldn't help but ask, "If you tell me, perhaps I could help you, or at least give you my opinion on which of your pokemon would work well with the other five".
Ash looked up at her hopefully.
"Really?" he asked, grinning at her, "Thanks a lot Misty. I'm really struggling to make a decision, so any input would be greatly appreciated right now".
Misty smiled.
"So which five pokemon have you decided on?" Misty asked, "I take it Pikachu's a given".
"Sure is" Ash nodded with a smile, "I'm not going anywhere without him".
"Pika!" Pikachu, who was sitting on the bed, looked happy to hear that.
"So what about the other four?" Misty asked.
She had to admit, she was quite curious to see who Ash would pick.
Misty herself had briefly entertained the idea of calling her sisters in Cerulean City, and getting them to transport her Starmie and Horsea back to her active team.
In the end however, the orange-haired girl had decided that, for now at least, she'd leave her team as it was.
When she captured some new pokemon in the Hoenn Region, then she would see about switching her team around.
"Well, my first choice next to Pikachu is Bulbasaur" Ash told her.
He handed her one of his papers, and Misty saw a photograph of Ash's Bulbasaur on it, with all of his statistics and known moves listed on it.
"Bulbasaur?" Misty couldn't help but question, "But I thought that Professor Oak needed him as an ambassador between the pokemon at the lab?"
"I spoke to the professor about that" Ash informed her, "And I told him about an idea I had, which he says he thinks will work. Since the day before yesterday, I've had Bulbasaur teaching Bayleef everything she needs to know about the laboratory's grounds, as well as acting as an ambassador between the pokemon. That way, I can freely switch between Bulbasaur and Bayleef whenever I want, and the professor will still have a pokemon ambassador to help him around the lab".
Misty was surprised by the level of thought Ash had clearly put into this.
He certainly seemed to be taking this seriously.
"That's a great idea Ash" Misty complimented her friend, who looked pleased with himself, "I think that Bayleef will do a great job. How did she take it though, when you told her she wasn't coming with you to Hoenn?"
Ash sighed tiredly.
"Not great, but I promised her that I'd switch her in from time to time, and she seemed to calm down a bit" Ash informed her, "Plus I told her I was really depending on her to be a good ambassador and help Professor Oak out".
"And let me guess, since you told her she'd be helping you out, she was more eager to do it?" Misty guessed, grinning.
"Yep" Ash nodded happily.
"Well I think it's a good fit, and she'll do well at it" Misty said, "Plus, this means that you can bring Bulbasaur back whenever you want too, which can only help your team out since he's a really strong pokemon, he knows a lot of different moves, and has good leadership skills".
"Exactly" Ash nodded, before shuffling through his papers, "Anyway, after Bulbasaur, my next choice was Tauros".
Misty was even more surprised by that choice.
"Why one of your Tauros?" she couldn't help but ask, "Don't get me wrong, I'm sure they're all great, but you've never taken any of them out on the road with us before".
"That's exactly the reason why I'm doing it" Ash explained, "When I was talking to him about it, Professor Oak suggested that I should think about maybe taking some of the pokemon I've never travelled with before. Since then, I haven't been able to stop thinking about how much of a new learning experience it would be for me".
"I can understand that" Misty nodded in agreement, "Plus, since you captured them, you have a responsibility to dedicate some of your time to training them as well".
Ash sighed sadly.
"I know. I haven't been a very good trainer to Kingler, Muk, and my Tauros. I captured them, brought them here, and haven't even bothered with training them" Ash said, sounding ashamed and disappointed with himself.
Misty let out a sympathetic sigh.
She really didn't like it when Ash talked down about himself.
"Well, I can't really argue with that, since it's true" Misty told him, "But just because you haven't been the best trainer in the past, doesn't mean you can't do better by them in the future".
"Exactly" Ash agreed, perking up a little, "Which is why I decided on Tauros. I plan to switch Kingler and Muk in later on too, so that they all get some travelling time with me".
"Good" Misty nodded, "So which Tauros are you taking?"
"The same one I always use whenever I use a Tauros" Ash told her, "The leader of the herd".
"Strong choice" Misty commented, "Plus you already have a bond with him, so he should listen to you without too much trouble".
"Right, so that's Pikachu, Bulbasaur and Tauros. My forth choice is Cyndaquil. I really want to put in some work with him, maybe even get him to evolve if I can".
Misty smirked.
"Ah! You liked how powerful Charizard has grown, huh?" she guessed with a grin, "And since Cyndaquil is another fire starter pokemon, you're thinking he could be another real powerhouse for your team if he evolves?"
Ash grinned at her.
"Guilty as charged" he laughed, "Yeah. I think if I can get him up to par with Charizard, I have a good shot of winning the Hoenn League. Plus another super strong fire type would really be useful if there're any grass, bug, or ice type pokemon I want to catch in Hoenn".
"Can't argue with that, but please don't catch too many bug types" Misty grimaced at the thought.
"I can't promise that" Ash chuckled.
Misty let out a playful mock-groan.
"Okay, so that's four" she got them back on track, "What about number five?"
"Number five was tricky, and might turn out to be a bad idea, but I'm willing to take the risk" Ash told her firmly.
Misty looked confused.
"Oh?" she said slowly.
She wasn't sure she liked the sound of where this was going.
"It's Snorlax" Ash told her.
Misty couldn't help but run a hand down her face in exasperation.
"Ash, you know how unreliable Snorlax can be!" she complained.
"I know, I know" Ash sighed, "Snorlax isn't the most dependable of pokemon, but he does usually come through when I need him too".
"Ash, I know that Snorlax's heart is in the right place, but surely you haven't forgotten all the times you've sent him into battle and he's been asleep" Misty tried to reason with him, "Plus there's the fact that you sometimes have a little trouble keeping him under control".
"I know, but the only way me and Snorlax will get better is if we put in some work together" Ash countered.
"I can see the logic in that Ash, but aren't you forgetting something else? Like the fact that when Snorlax was last on the road with us, we had real trouble keeping him fed?" Misty was forced to remind him of that fact.
"I actually already have a solution to that part" Ash told her, grinning now.
"What, you're going to hire a truck full of food to drive around after us all the time?" Misty asked sarcastically.
"No. Professor Oak has been working on a small project regarding Snorlax, and he's finally come up with a way of keeping a Snorlax's appetite satisfied, without the need for a small mound of food at each meal" Ash told her.
Misty raised a curious eyebrow at that.
"Go on" she urged.
Ash shuffled some stuff around on the mess he called a desk, and finally held up a small gadget that Misty had never seen before. It was a small silver device, with colourful cubes inside it and a small button on the side of it.
"What's that thing?" Misty asked curiously.
"This" Ash said, toying with the device, "Is a Pokeblock Case".
"A what?" Misty blinked in confusion, having never heard of such a thing.
"A Pokeblock Case" Ash repeated, before elaborating, "Pokeblock isn't really a thing here in Kanto. It's a Hoenn thing mostly, but when I told Professor Oak I was thinking about taking Snorlax with me, he helped me out by giving me one of the cases he had".
"H-hold on" Misty held up a hand to stop him, "Go back a bit. What exactly is 'Pokeblock' and what does it have to do with Snorlax?"
"I'd never heard of it either before the professor explained it to me" Ash smiled at her, "You see, in the simplest of terms, Pokeblock is food".
Misty raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"Those cubes are food?" she eyed the gadget in Ash's hand, "They don't look very appetising to me" she dryly commented.
"That's exactly what I said" Ash laughed, "But they're more like snacks than actual meals. A pokemon couldn't live off them, not healthily at least".
"So... how exactly does that help with Snorlax and the amount of food we'd need to carry around then?" Misty just couldn't see the logic in this.
She had a feeling Ash was leaving something important out.
Moments later, she was proved right.
"Oops!" Ash chuckled to himself, "I suppose I should have worded that better. Pokeblock are snacks to a usual pokemon, but for Snorlax, they're going to act a little differently".
Misty raised an eyebrow, but didn't interrupt.
"Remember I said that Professor Oak has been working on a project regarding Snorlax?" he asked, continuing once Misty had nodded, "Well, he's managed to come up with this amazing recipe, so that this tiny cube basically expands when Snorlax eats one. Basically, one piece of Snorlax Pokeblock equals three hundred kilograms of regular pokemon food".
Misty's mouth fell open in shock.
It was a little hard to believe that such a thing could exist.
But, if anybody could create such a thing, it would be Professor Oak.
The man was a genius with pokemon after all.
"So... with this Pokeblock stuff, you only need to carry around a small cube, instead of a tonne of food?" Misty asked to be clear.
"Exactly" Ash beamed, "Which means that feeding Snorlax whilst we're out on the road shouldn't be a problem. Professor Oak gave me the recipe, and taught me how to make it, so I should be able to make it myself when I need too".
"Well, I'm still not convinced that Snorlax is the right choice" Misty argued, "And have you taken into account that you're going to have two of the same type on your team? Tauros and Snorlax are both normal types remember".
"So? Your team is all water types except for Togepi, and you're still a tough trainer to beat" Ash refuted.
"Fair enough. It's your choice Ash, but I have to say, I think putting Snorlax on your team is quite a risky move" she told him honestly.
"I know it is" Ash agreed, "But I believe that if I can finally get a true handle on Snorlax, he'll one day be unstoppable in battle".
"If you say so" Misty shrugged, "So, you said you were stuck on number six. Have you had any thoughts about it?"
"Well, the other pokemon I have are Bayleef, Totodile, Kingler, Muk, Heracross, Noctowl, and Phanpy" Ash listed on his fingers.
"That's not true" Misty shook her head, "You also have Charizard and Squirtle".
"No" Ash immediately shook his head, "I'm not taking either of them. Charizard is settled at the Charicific Valley. He's making good progress there, but he still isn't the strongest he can be yet. It's best for him to stay there until he's accomplished what he wants too. Then if he wants to return to me full-time, he can, and he can come a live here in Pallet Town at the lab".
"Fair enough" Misty shrugged, "What about Squirtle?"
"The Squirtle Squad needs him too much at the moment. You saw what happened to them without my Squirtle to lead them. They started falling apart as a team. Plus, think of all the good work he'll do as a fire-fighter. Maybe one day, if there comes a time when The Squirtle Squad can do without him again, and he wants to come back. But until then, I think it's best Squirtle stays where he is".
"Okay, I get it" Misty nodded, "Right, well first of all, you said Bayleef is going to be taking over as an ambassador for Bulbasaur, so you can cross her off the list".
"Okay" Ash nodded.
He placed the paper with Bayleef's data on it to the side.
"And personally, although this is just my opinion, but I think that since you're taking Bulbasaur with you, perhaps you shouldn't take Muk with you".
"Huh?" Ash blinked.
He couldn't see what him taking Bulbasaur with him had to do with Muk potentially being on his team.
"Remember Ash, Bulbasaur isn't just a grass type pokemon. He's also a poison type pokemon" Misty reminded him, "I know that type advantages and disadvantages aren't always deciding factors in a battle, but I think it could only serve you well to have as many different types of pokemon on your team as possible".
"That's a good point" Ash agreed, "Okay, so that's a no to Muk, for the time being at least. I'm planning on switching all my pokemon around a lot more than I have been doing. It's like you said - it's only fair to them after all".
"That's right" Misty agreed, pleased he had taken her words on-board, "So that leaves Kingler, Heracross, Noctowl, Totodile, and Phanpy".
"And I can think of good reasons to take every single one of them" Ash groaned, rubbing his temples as he felt a headache building behind his eyes.
"Well, I personally think you would benefit from a water type on your team" Misty said.
Ash couldn't help but laugh.
"That's shocking, coming from you" he grinned at her.
Misty laughed too.
"Okay, so I may be biased, but I mean it" she smiled, "Maybe you should take Kingler or Totodile. Water types allow a trainer to have some variation on the types of fields they can battle on".
"That's true" Ash mused aloud.
Truth be told, he haven't even considered the different types of fields he may have to battle on.
"What were you thinking?" Misty asked him.
"Well, part of me thinks I should take Noctowl" Ash told her honestly, "I mean, how many times have we been in a position where we have to search from the sky for something?"
"Too many" Misty grumbled, "Usually because Team Rocket stole Pikachu again".
"Exactly" Ash nodded, "But then part of me thinks I should take Heracross. We didn't spend all that much time together on the road, and since he is both a bug type and a fighting type, I think it'll really give my team some diversity".
"That also makes a lot of sense" Misty agreed.
"And then there's Phanpy" Ash continued, "He's not very old, and he might think I've abandoned him if I don't take him with me. Plus he's a ground type, so again, he would add variety to my team".
"That's another good point" Misty sighed, "I can see why you've been struggling with this. There are pros and cons to taking all of them. I do have one thing to say though".
"What is it?" he asked her curiously.
"Well, I never thought I'd ever say something like this, but perhaps you should consider Heracross" Misty said.
Ash's jaw dropped.
He was sure he had just heard that wrong.
Had Misty Waterflower actually just advised him to take a bug type pokemon around with them?!
"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard that properly" Ash shook his head, "Did you of all people just suggest I take a bug pokemon with me?"
"Ha. Ha" Misty scowled at him, "Yes, I know it's surprising, but I did say that. Like you said, Heracross' typings would give your team diversity. But more than that, Heracross can fly around, just like Noctowl can. Okay, maybe not as high or as well, nor can he stay airbourne for as long, but he can still do it".
"Okay... so that would make him a better choice in the long-run than Noctowl" Ash nodded.
"Also, by being able to fly, or at least hover, Heracross would be able to fight on a water field, because there would have to be somewhere for him to land every now and then" Misty explained, "All league water fields are required to have at least one patch of land on each trainer's side of the field. Its so that non-aquatic pokemon can still be used to battle".
"Okay, so that makes Heracross a better choice than Kingler and Totodile too" Ash nodded in agreement, "But what about Phanpy? I means, he's still so little, and I don't want him to think I've abandoned him".
"Oh Ash, I'm sure Phanpy won't think that" Misty assured him, "Don't forget; Noctowl, Bayleef and Totodile would all be at the lab with him, and they would make sure Phanpy understood that you would always come back for him. Plus they'd make sure he didn't forget about you whilst we're on the road".
"That's true" Ash was forced to admit.
"Well, it's your decision in the end Ash, but I hope what I've said has helped" Misty smiled at him.
"No it has, it really has" Ash grinned up at her, "Thanks a lot Misty".
"No trouble" Misty winked, "But you'd better get a move on. We need to be ready in just over an hour if we're going to make it to the ship on time. Remember, Gary said he'd have his Alakazam teleport us all there".
"Okay" Ash nodded, "If you want to head downstairs, I'll be down in a few minutes. I just need a little longer to make my last decision".
"Alright" Misty nodded.
The orange-haired girl then scooped up Togepi, and headed out of the room.
She just hoped she had been of some help to her friend.
And there we go : )
Now, I'm really sorry that this isn't necessarily 'new' content, but this is honestly my best attempt at getting this project back on track. I'm struggling like you guys wouldn't believe, but I refuse to give up on this project because it ended up becoming so popular.
Anyway - some of you might be wondering why I haven't broken the entire story up and reposted it all in one go.
I did think about doing that, but that kind of robs people who want to play the game the chance to do it. Or at least, it doesn't give those people the time to play, so what I'm thinking of doing is posting a chapter each week until we get back to where we were, so that people can play the game if they want too. DON'T quote me on that though.
Speaking of the game, it's time to play it ; )
Firstly - congratulations to The Dark Hero of Time, Reppad98, Jenni, BetaZackFan, Disruptor, Magic135, Pokesean, Mewmaster89, Kurakuma, Chrono Phoenix, Hunter81095, SPeCTeR-l17, Selet, Jeet Granger, Yugi The Godfather Of Games, Sesshoru, Deant33, NarutoMagi17, Infernoinside, FireEmblemMaster101, Breakawayfan, RHatch89, Siggimondo, OmniDragon10, JZuCuadra, Guest, QUEENSPELLER67, jg13145, jamesharold13, Fog Repair Sky Akashi, The Trainer Grimm, Lugiaman14, StallionWolf, ultimateCCC, Teddi 8347, Infernoinside, and Pokemon Trainer Tom - The correct answer was indeed Audino.
Better luck next time to AtomicGeneral25 who thought it was Mawile, and LovingGinger30 who thought it was Ralts.
WHO's THAT POKEMON?
This pokemon belongs to a starter pokemon evolution chain. It has evolved once and can evolve once more. It can throw bubble-covered pebbles with precise control, hitting empty cans up to a hundred feet away. With its amazing swiftness, it can scale a tower of more than 2,000 feet in a minute's time.
And there's today's pokemon : )
I'm sorry if me breaking up the chapters and messing around with this story again upsets people but by this point I was starting to go nuts about messing the best decision for this story : )
Thank you all for your continued support and patience - you're all the best readers anyone can ask for : )
Until the next time, keep on reading : )