Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Legend:

"Someone is talking."
'Someone is thinking.'
"A technique/ability."

Chapter 32:

(Kanto—Cinnabar Island—Carmine Way)

At the moment, Ash Ketchum and Anabel White could be found following Blaine down Carmine Way. Their eyes constantly wandered to the various food stands, small restaurants, surfboard and other beach equipment rental shops and the mob of people rushing to the nearby beach. It was a stark difference to Saffron City though the amount of people walking about was similar.

It was no wonder, really.

Cinnabar Island was a popular tourist attraction due to its warm climate, relatively cheap prices, and its beautiful coastline. People who enjoyed spending time in the sun or just wanted to get away would find the place a virtual paradise. And it wasn't only tourists that came to the island either; Cinnabar Island happened to be one of Kanto's major port cities. The city received a constant stream of goods that the government was importing and export goods like fresh fruits and vegetables. Anything else that was exported out of Kanto came out of the Vermillion City harbor.

Still, above almost everything else, was how important Cinnabar Island was to Pokémon Trainers. The island featured one, if not the, most abundant wild Fire-Type Pokémon colonies within Kanto and acres of lush forest for other kinds of Pokémon. And, due to the tropical climate, Pokémon Trainers would often find Pokémon that had adapted to the climate and had developed a unique, tropical, coloring.

Altogether, it made Cinnabar Island the perfect for one of Kanto's more popular Pokémon Gyms... if it weren't for the Gym Leader.

Blaine had introduced himself as the Gym Leader to Ash and Anabel which made Ash feel a little conflicted. There was no denying that Blaine was smart enough to be a Gym Leader—he had certainly proved that by pointing out various things about the island that most people wouldn't know—but he didn't seem to have that "Gym Leader" persona that other Gym Leaders had. It was strange.

"This'll be the perfect place for you guys to hide." Blaine mock-whispered to them.

... What?

"As one of the most popular tourist attractions within Kanto's borders, various people come here from all over the world. The number of people within the city are difficult to keep track of and people will often get lost in the crowds. Which is why we've had and will continue to have several lost child, underground smuggling, and other such issues... but we'll be using the island to hide you two!" Blaine missed the looks his charges gave each other as he suddenly whirled around and pointed at something with his question mark-shaped cane. "After I'm done with you two, you'll blend in easily~!"

Turning around to see what Blaine was gesturing towards, Ash and Anabel found themselves looking at the entrance to a small clothes shop; Beach Forever. They looked back towards Blaine to see the Gym Leader practically beaming at them. Simultaneously, they both began to wonder if the old man had somehow planned this trip out earlier. It was too coincidental that Blaine would start talking about making them blend in and come to a stop near a clothes shop when he finished speaking.

But that couldn't be true, right?

"I'll pay for the things you buy, but you'll have to make sure that the clothing you choose will help you blend in with a crowd." Blaine paused to rub his chin, thinking about it for a moment. "This includes sleeveless or short-sleeved shirts, shorts, or skirts, bikinis, sandals, and flip-flops. The clothing should be bright but not allow you to stand out. Now, hop to it!"

With little other choice, the two younger Pokémon Trainers obeyed. They would come to regret their decision when, an hour later, they finally escaped the shop. Even that was stranger than usual as Blaine hadn't allowed them to go out the front door and had instead had Anabel use her Kadabra to teleport them into the lobby of his Pokémon Gym. If nothing else, they had confirmed that Kadabra didn't need to hear where they were going if he was able to get the idea of where they were going from a person's mind.

As for Beach Forever's staff, they would apparently tell anybody who asked about them a fake story. Some vague descriptions about how they looked and, if the cashier was asked, the belief that they were somehow related to one of Blaine's friends and had come to visit their relatives.

... Just how long had Blaine had been planning this? He couldn't have had more than a couple of days to set everything up.

"You two should go and change into your new clothes." Blaine instructed them after he had introduced him to his receptionist—who happened to be his eldest daughter—and they had recovered from their second Teleport. "The bathroom is over that way. And if you're worried about your Pokémon, don't. I'll watch them while you're gone, Ash."

"Alright."

After handing Deoxys over to Blaine and telling Eevee to be good, Ash accepted a bag from Anabel and thanked her for holding it. She waved it off before they walked towards the public restrooms that Blaine had pointed out. Once inside, Ash quickly shed his clothes and changed into a red shirt and dark-blue jean shorts. His special Pokémon League Expo hat was the last to go inside his backpack and the most reluctant that he was to let go of.

'It's not like I'm getting rid of it.' Ash thought with a small frown. It may have seemed childish, but he had put in a lot of effort into getting the hat. Ever since he had gotten it, he had worn it every day. To part with it seemed wrong though it was the 'right' thing to do considering the situation. 'I can't 'blend in' like Blaine wants if I wear it. And if I don't do that...' Then the plan that his parents had worked with Sabrina and Blaine on wouldn't work.

So, with a sigh, he reluctantly zipped his backpack closed and slung it over his shoulder. Eevee rushed up to him the moment he exited the restroom while yipping about everything he had missed since he had gone to change. She was moving around so energetically that he almost didn't see the pink bandana that she had wanted tied around her neck—a common style among Trainers who had an Eevee or an evolved form of it.

"That was a nice thing for him to do for you." Ash agreed as he picked up his Starter Pokémon. He waited long enough for Eevee to climb onto his shoulder and make herself comfortable before walking towards the couch Blaine was sitting on. Blaine handed over Deoxys once he had sat down and then gestured towards the coffee table before them. Two Poké Balls gazed up at him innocently. "... What?"

"You didn't think that I wouldn't want to get you two some different Pokémon?" Blaine rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Please. I can dress you two up and make you memorize a story that people will believe, but it would be worthless if people were able to figure out who you guys were based on your Pokémon Teams. Which is why I caught and brought out these two Pokémon. They will be the first Pokémon that you two will "catch" here."

That made sense. "Oh. Thank you."

"I see that you're beginning to understand. The new outfits, the back-story, and these Pokémon I'm providing you will be part of your disguises. To make those disguises believable we have to make sure that you act within the boundaries of that disguise and try not to draw attention to yourselves. Part of that involves acting like a normal Pokémon Trainer who came to visit relatives and catch new Pokémon. Is that a problem?"

"No, it isn't a problem." Ash said.

The only reason that he hadn't caught more was because of what had been happening at the time. On Mt. Moon, he and Anabel had gotten involved with stopping Team Rocket's plan to steal the Moon Stone. In Cerulean City, he had been focused on training his Pokémon Team to face Misty and hadn't really thought about catching another Pokémon. And in Saffron City, well, the technical metropolis wasn't a place to find and catch Wild Pokémon.

Still, that didn't mean that he hadn't wanted to catch more Pokémon. He did want to catch more. If he ever hoped to become a Pokémon Master, he would need to find, catch, and develop a strong Pokémon Team. His current Pokémon Team was strong and he adored them but he could admit that they had their flaws. Catching more Pokémon wouldn't mean that he would abandon or neglect the ones he had, but to give himself new Pokémon to train and bond with while giving the others some new friends.

Blaine began to stand up, "That's good. It'll be up to you two to decide which Pokémon that you want when she gets back. Think of it as your choice for your "Cinnabar Island Starter Pokémon" and go for it. And remember... ladies first~!" Grabbing his cane, he then turned. "Now, if you'll excuse me..."

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"Another young Pokémon Trainer came in while you were changing outfits and challenged me. I agreed to meet him in my battle room when I finished talking with you and, now that I have, its time I go and accept his challenge." Blaine smiled, "It shouldn't take that long. Be back soon~!"

"That guy is really something, isn't he?" Ash mused.

So far, Blaine had proved himself to be very intelligent and always seemed to have something going on. If he wasn't acting on plans he made, he was making them. Blaine also had a good grasp on how long things would take which had made him seem, so far, like he knew when everything was going to happen.

"I think that Mr. Blaine might be a little... eccentric, but he seems like a good person." Ash caught Anabel saying before seeing her as she walked into view from behind the couch. Like Ash, she had traded out her customary outfit for a new one. She was now wearing a light-purple shirt, a pair of dark-blue shorts decorated with pink flowers, and was wearing a white sunhat. It was nice. "Plus... he hasn't been feeling anything bad towards us."

Eevee nodded and offered up her own glowing opinion on Blaine.

"I know, I know. I was just saying... he seems to have planned everything out." A moment passed before Ash turned towards Anabel, "Did you hear what Blaine said before he left? He wanted us to choose which of these two Pokémon we want and to let us know that we'll need to catch some more sometime soon."

"That sounds okay. Do you want to go first?" Anabel asked.

When Ash said no, Anabel stepped towards the coffee table. She looked at the two Poké Balls for a moment, leaned over, and hit the small silver button to re-enlarge both Poké Balls. Twin streams of red energy exited the spherical devices as Anabel stepped back before condensing into two distinct shapes. Soon enough two different Pokémon could be seen sitting on the table:

The first Pokémon resembled a blue, spherical tadpole. It had large eyes, pink lips, a black-and-white swirl on its abdomen, stubby legs, and a long transparent tail. The second resembled an orange fox with a brown eyes, a cream underbelly, brown paws, four orange tails with curled tips, and curly orange bangs.

Ash took out his PokéDex: "Poliwag: The Tadpole Pokémon. Its slick blue skin is thin and damp. A part of its internal organs can be seen through the skin as a spiral pattern." And for the second Pokémon, "Vulpix: The Fox Pokémon. When it is born, it has just one snow-white tail. The tail splits from its tip as it grows older."

With that done, Ash put away the PokéDex while Eevee jumped onto the coffee table to meet the other Pokémon. Poliwag shrunk back from the excitable assault while Vulpix moved to meet it head-on. It then began to follow Eevee as she circled and sniffed at it. Finally Eevee sniffed Vulpix's bangs as Vulpix sniffed at her bandanna before they broke off into a merry chase around the table. Poor Poliwag.

Anabel smiled. "I think that Eevee's made her choice."

"... You don't mind?" Ash asked.

"I was actually hoping this would happen." Anabel admitted, feeling a little guilty. "I mean... I don't have a preference. With you already knowing how to care for Eevee, I thought adapting your methods to a Vulpix wouldn't be that difficult."

Ash blinked and turned towards Vulpix and Eevee. He then turned to look back at Anabel and considered it for a moment. Vulpix had less fur than Eevee did (which meant he would have to spend less time grooming the foxlike creature) and Vulpix was a Fire-Type Pokémon. The moves that it would be capable of learning would be a great addition to his current team and, like Anabel just said, she didn't have a preference.

"It shouldn't be that difficult." Ash agreed.

XXXXXX

(Cinnabar Island—Pokémon Center)

The Pokémon Storage System was a system that allowed for the near-instantaneous transfer of Pokémon. The system worked through an advancement of standard energy conversion technology that would break down and record a Poké Ball and the Pokémon within it. From there the system would transfer that energy to a pre-determined location—to the nearest Pokémon Center during emergencies—or an area picked out by the person who put the Pokémon into the system. Then, once the energy had arrived at its destination, a "receiver" would then convert it back into its original form using the data it gathered when it first entered the system.

It was because of the near-instantaneous speed at which the whole process occurred had made it popular. Using it, people could send their Pokémon too many different locations while on a Video Phone to make sure their Pokémon had arrived safely.

Which is exactly what Ash Ketchum was doing.

Ash was sending Paras and Clefairy to Professor Oak's laboratory back in Pallet Town. He would have loved to have kept them with him but, after talking with Blaine, they had figured out which Pokémon that he could keep with him and who to send away. Clefairy belonged to a species that was difficult to find unless one knew where to look and Paras didn't have the unique coloring that was often found in native Paras.

He would've been sending Deoxys along with them if not for the fact that Blaine said he might be able to make her look like another Pokémon. As it was, Blaine's grandson Wayne had been instructed to watch Deoxys while they were at the Pokémon Gym or about town. It had been hard to leave Deoxys with Wayne earlier so that he could come do this as it marked the first time he would be away from his Baby Pokémon for a couple of hours.

Ash put Clefairy's Poké Ball into the Video Phone's available slot and watched as it vanished within a burst of white light. Moments later, an identical flash of light could be seen coming from the screen as it reappeared on a small platform near Professor Oak. "Thanks for doing this, Professor. I really appreciate it."

"It's the least that I can do for you, Ash." Professor Oak meant it. He might've been busy with other things, but he knew how it felt to be in Ash's situation. It was a constant sense of anxiousness, the feeling of being watched, and the need to be stronger. "A word of advice...? Don't worry about anything except what you need to do."

"I'll try not to."

XXXXXX

(Three Weeks Later—Cinnabar Island)

As the days continued to pass, Ash and Anabel settled down into a routine similar to that they had in Saffron City. The only difference was that Anabel didn't have one-on-one training with Blaine and that they weren't in Blaine's Gym for the majority of their time. For most of the time, their instruction happened at the house that had been provided for them.

The two young Pokémon Trainers were being kept extremely busy with these lessons. Blaine had quizzed them to the point where they had developed a deep understanding of their covers, how they should act when using them, and methods of getting lost or blending in with a crowd. The Gym Leader was also helping them develop their skills as a Pokémon Trainer by giving them helpful advice, help them develop a couple of new strategies, and had begun forcing them to react faster by battling them at a moment's notice.

In addition to all of that, Blaine had arranged for Wayne to teach them some self-defense. They didn't know if they had enough time to truly learn how to fight, so teaching them a few self-defense moves while they still could became very important. The moves weren't going to be anything spectacular, but they would hopefully give them time to call out their Pokémon.

It would take a while for them to assimilate everything that Blaine was teaching them and then even longer to become capable of defending themselves from someone of Blaine's level. And although they weren't aware of it that was the plan; to keep them occupied while the police searched for Jessie.

That wasn't to say that they didn't do anything else. In addition to the time they spent learning from Blaine, they were allowed to go wander Cinnabar Island. The only catch to that was that they had to constantly remind themselves to follow Blaine's advice and act like they had come to the island to visit relatives and have a good time. And they did.

They visited various different stores, went down and had fun at the beach, explored the surrounding forests, and marveled at the island's beauty. The Pokémon they saw were also very beautiful—a small glimpse at what Pokémon in tropical island countries such as the Sevii and the Orange Islands—although Anabel was the only one to have captured one. Ash had tried to catch another Pokémon but, so far, luck wasn't with him and his "opponent" always managed to get away.

Ash was determined to change that. So while they were supposed to be relaxing at Carmine Beach, he told Anabel of his plan and then left. Carmine Beach was a beautiful place but it wasn't somewhere where people could find Wild Pokémon. He and Eevee had barely made it to where he had wanted to go when his Starter Pokémon stiffened and then started to run.

"Eevee! Get back here! Eevee" The Normal-Type Pokémon didn't respond so Ash took off after her. He didn't know what could've caught her attention, but she was ignoring him. It was a similar to what had happened back in that store in Saffron City and he didn't like that. He had thought that she had learned her lesson. And to think that she had been doing so well... 'When I catch up with you, you're going to be in a lot of trouble Eevee.'

Ash chased Eevee down to a rocky section of beach and then immediately forgot about punishing Eevee. He now knew why she had bolted; she had smelled something wrong. He could smell it too—a pungent, coppery scent that made his eyes widen—the scent of spilt blood. What was worse was the sight of the thing responsible for the blood.

It was a pinniped creature with a thick hide covered in bluish-white fur, a pale tan maw with a large red tongue, and a pair of tusks on its lower jaw. It was a Seel. It's breathing was labored and the blood that was seeping out from increasingly pink fur.

No wonder Eevee had brought him here. She must have either heard Seel's cries or smelled its blood. With this being a less-travelled section of beach, no one would noticed the injured Pokémon. And if no one noticed it and helped it... the Pokémon could've died.

'But... what can I do?' Ash didn't have any medical training and, besides a few half-used Potions, didn't have any medicine on him. He also didn't have the strength that would be needed to carry a Seel. So, really, what could he do?

Ash slowly began to remember the Heal Balls that he and Anabel had bought in Saffron City—special Poké Balls that had been designed with the ability to begin healing the Pokémon it caught. As he began to rummage around in his backpack for it, he didn't know if it would fully heal Seel's injuries but would hopefully heal it enough for him to get the Pokémon to a Pokémon Center.

Even so, when Ash approached the Water-Type Pokémon, it growled weakly and attempted to back away from him. Ash's heart went out to the poor Pokémon; injured, alone, and being faced with someone it couldn't protect itself from. "It's okay." He told it, "I'm just going to get you to a Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy will help you."

The Seel stared at him through bleary eyes and noticed the Pokémon that had helped drag it out of the surf. Its wounds still stung bitterly from the saltwater and, even if it tried, it couldn't resist whatever would be done to it. "Seel..."

"Thank you, Seel."

As soon as the Heal Ball came into contact with Seel, the Water-Type Pokémon was converted into red energy and then absorbed into it. The Heal Ball then landed on the ground where it began to gently rock. It spoke of how weak Seel currently was when the Heal Ball stopped after only two rocks before releasing the signature "ding" that indicated a successful capture. He picked up Seel's Heal Ball before he turned and began running with Eevee hot on his heels.

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level 30.
Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Sand Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Baby-Doll Eyes (Fairy), Tail-Whip (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), Growl (Normal), Bite (Dark), Refresh (Normal), Charm (Fairy), Quick Attack (Normal), Covet (Normal), Take Down (Normal), and Quick Swim (Normal).

Pidgeotto (Male): Level 27.
Attacks: Sand Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), Gust (Flying), Peck (Flying), Quick Attack (Normal), Whirlwind (Flying), Twister (Dragon), and Feather-Dance (Flying).

Rattata (Male): Level 26.
Attacks: Bite (Dark), Tackle (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), Crunch (Dark), Hyper Fang (Normal), Assurance (Dark), Scratch (Normal), Pursuit (Dark), Quick Swim (Normal), and Sucker Punch (Dark).

Beedrill (Male): Level 28.
Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), Fury Attack (Normal), Pin Missile (Bug), Pursuit (Dark,) Twineedle (Bug), Rage (Normal), and Toxic Spikes (Poison).

Vulpix (Male): Level 20.
Attacks: Ember (Fire), Tail Whip (Normal), Fire Spin (Fire), Roar (Normal), Confuse Ray (Ghost), Quick Attack (Normal), and Imprison (Psychic).

Anabel's Pokémon Team:

Kadabra (Male): Level 27.
Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), Confusion (Psychic), Psychic (Psychic), Disable (Normal), Miracle Eye (Psychic), and Ally Switch (Psychic).

Butterfree (Female): Level 23.
Attacks: Confusion (Psychic), Poisonpowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Harden (Bug), Sleep Powder (Grass), String Shot (Bug), Gust (Flying), and Supersonic (Normal).

Poliwag (Female): Level 20.
Attacks: Water Sport (Water), Double-Slap (Normal), Bubble (Water), Hypnosis (Psychic), and Water Gun (Water).

A/N: Author's Note: Well, that's the end of this chapter. I hope that you guys liked it. Some of you will be glad that Ash was given a new Pokémon to train (that isn't a Normal, Bug, or Grass-Type Pokémon) with the promise of more Pokémon in the future... and I hope the explanation as to why Ash hadn't caught more Pokémon before makes sense to you. Can you guys figure out why I included the injured Seel at the end? It may be important to future updates. :P

For Amity's Arrancar fans, I'm sorry but Sharkteeth has been very busy with his college work. We're still trying to find time to work of Amity's Arrancar... but we'll hopefully have more time to work on it once things calm down. So please, be patient.