Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own Pokémon.
Warnings: Go look at chapter 1.
Ash: Wait…so Max is gonna be in this?
Blade: Yup. I just changed my mind about it. He'll be appearing next chapter, though. sweat drop
Ash: …Blade: Oh yeah! Sorry if the last chapter seemed a little rushed. Hopefully it'll get better through the coarse of the story. Oh, another thing. I'm not following the episodes exactly 'cause I want to give it my own flare. Plus, it's not fun just re-telling what exactly happened. So the fic calls for a little divergence.
Episode 2: Portal to the Past
Brendan stretched his arms high above his head, only feeling satisfied when both his shoulders and elbows cracked. He was a little surprised to find that Ash had been keeping up pretty well with his pace, which was power walking. Then again, the kid had probably been traveling all over at least one region if he wasn't tired already.
The two were about fifteen minutes outside of Littleroot Town and were on their way to Oldale Town, mainly to stop at the Center to register for the League Challenge. Brendan had decided to tag along with Ash, since they were heading for the same thing. In reality, the white-haired youth thought that it would be more fun traveling with Ash than by himself. After all, Ash and Pikachu seemed to attract more trouble than anyone else he's met.
"Say," Ash's voice broke through the slightly awkward silence and Brendan's musings, "Do you prefer being called Ruby or Brendan?"
"To tell the truth, I really don't care, so long as you don't make fun of my real name," Brendan replied lazily. He didn't bother to ask about Ash's Pikachu being out of its Pokéball. The red-eyed youth figured that the electric-type had claustrophobia and wouldn't go into the ball as a result.
The rustle of bushes caught the duo's attention quickly. Brendan's eyes lit up when he saw the cause of the disturbance. It was a lone Ralts, though it seemed to be unaware of their presence. A few seconds later, the small psychic-type turned to look up at the two humans, tilting its head in curiosity. Ash quickly took out his Pokédex and pointed it at Ralts.
"Ralts, the Feelings Pokémon. Ralts has the ability to sense the emotions of both humans and Pokémon. When it senses hostility, it will either fight back or flee from battle," the mechanical voice rang out. Ash glanced over at Brendan and grinned.
"Why don't you catch it?" Brendan blinked at the question and was about to answer when a trio of angry Zigzagoon burst from the foliage and surrounded the Ralts. The psychic-type cried out in dismay, shaking pitifully in fright. Angered, Brendan threw the ball containing his Mudkip, determined to protect the Ralts.
"Tackle!" the white-haired teen ordered once Mudkip was free of its confines. His Mudkip charged at the nearest Zigzagoon, sending it flying into a tree. The other two gave a cry of surprise and rushed to their fallen comrade. While they were distracted, Brendan grabbed Ralts and made a quick check to make sure it was OK. Unfortunately, he couldn't make sure the little one was all right because the remaining Zigzagoon decided to get their revenge out on their attacker.
"Uh-oh. Mudkip, use Water Gun!" Brendan's Pokémon opened its mouth and a blast of ice-cold water hit the three normal-types. The move caused the three to be blown back into the foliage. Ash and Brendan decided to take their chance to escape before the raccoon-like Pokémon managed to recover. While running, the white-haired Trainer gave a more thorough diagnosis on the psychic-type.
"Damn! Ralts's wounds are more serious than I thought! We have to hurry to the Pokémon Center!" Ash nodded and the two put a little extra speed into their sprint. Eventually, the two came upon what appeared to be ruins. They stopped at the "entrance" of the ruins to catch their breath.
"Hey there. Something the matter?" came a voice. The two Trainers looked around and spotted a field researcher near one of the obelisks. He seemed a little concerned, but Brendan couldn't be sure.
"Yeah, where's the Pokémon Center?" Ash replied immediately. The man took one look at the Ralts in Brendan's arms before understanding the situation. He pointed in the general direction and gave them directions on where the Center was located. The two Trainers thanked him hurriedly before taking off at a run. At their pace, it took Brendan and Ash around ten or so minutes to actually find the Pokémon Center.
The duo burst through the doors of the Center, slightly surprising the occupants of the building. Brendan barely managed to stop himself from slamming into the counter, while Ash tried his best not to run into the white-haired teen. Panting, the white-haired Trainer got his message across pretty clearly and willingly gave the injured Ralts to Nurse Joy.
"Don't worry. It'll be good as new in no time," she said optimistically to them. A few seconds later and the nurse came out to tell them that all the psychic-type needed was a good night's sleep. The news relieved the two Trainers and Nurse Joy handed the Ralts back to Brendan. The Ralts made a cute cry before wrapping its tiny arms around the Trainer's neck. This action startled Brendan, while everyone else chuckled.
"Looks like Ralts doesn't wanna part with you, Brendan," Ash commented with a smirk. Brendan sighed, but gave an affectionate pat on his new Pokémon's head. He held up a Pokéball and Ralts tentatively touched the white button, getting sucked inside it with a flash of red light. The ball jiggled a little before a click sounded, signifying a successful "capture".
"Well, while we're here, why don't you give me the tour of the Center?" Brendan asked his companion playfully. Ash grinned before grabbing his wrist and dragging him along. They went all over the Center's facilities before ending in the lobby. Apparently, it was the place to gather information on Pokémon and battling. One such conversation caught both of their attention.
Rumor had it that there was a new Gym Leader in the Hoenn region. Ash got interested and started to ask questions, but Brendan grabbed his collar, dragging the dark-haired Trainer away from the lobby.
"Hey! What's the big idea?!" the black-haired youth asked indignantly. Brendan let go of his collar and when Ash turned to face him, the ruby-eyed teen put a finger on the area where the bride of the nose met forehead.
"Simple: dinner. All that running works up an appetite, you know!" Brendan replied with a wink and a smirk. Ash rolled his eyes, but didn't argue after that. It would have made the white-haired Trainer chuckle, if it weren't for the fact that he really was hungry.
The two walked into the mess hall and quickly grabbed a tray with dinner already served on it. They decided to sit down at a booth with a window before digging into their food. Ash gave his Pikachu some Pokéfood and then started on his own plate. The act reminded Brendan that he needed to feed his own team and sent out his two Pokémon. He took off his backpack, rummaging around for the jar he had packed. After a moment, Brendan triumphantly held up a jar filled with homemade Pokéfood.
"Awesome! I knew it had to be in there somewhere!" he said to himself before giving some of it to Mudkip and Ralts in separate bowls. The two Pokémon gave happy cries and swiftly tucked their food. Brendan laughed at their behavior, putting the half-empty jar back into his pack.
"Do you cook, Brendan?" Ash asked, noticing the blissful looks on his Pokémon's faces. Brendan swallowed a mouthful of his food before answering his friend's question.
"Yep. I cook for both humans and Pokémon, but I tend to go a little overboard on holidays," the last statement earned Brendan a laugh from his companion. He couldn't help but smile. It wasn't everyday that the teen was able to crack a joke to someone he had only just met.
"Well, look what the Meowth dragged in!" Brendan and Ash blinked before meeting the smiling, yet serious, face of the researcher they had met by the ruins. In his hands was a tray of food. It was obvious that he had come down to the Center only to get some dinner. Brendan made some space for the researcher to sit down. They finished their meal with polite conversation. Afterward, the researcher took them to his "laboratory," which was just a room he was borrowing from the Center. While Brendan and Ash took a look around, the man told the two about a "portal to the past" that was supposedly in the ruins.
"So…you've been up at the Oldale Ruins researching this portal to the past?" the black-haired teen asked incredulously while Brendan looked around the room that was Professor Almond's1 makeshift lab. Almond nodded and took out a stone tablet from his back pocket.
"This tablet explains exactly how to open the door. All I need are the four treasures, which act as keys to unlock the entrance inside the ruins," Almond explained to the two Trainers. They both had awed looks on their faces, but it quickly turned to surprise when the power went down.
"What the--" Brendan was cut off when strange, hooded silhouettes blocked the door. There was an insignia on the chests of their hoodies, but it was too dark for the white-haired teen to make it out.
Paying no attention to the exchange between Almond and the thieves, the ruby-eyed Trainer was looking for a way to get them out. Brendan was interrupted in his search when Nurse Joy became a hostage of those shady people. Almond caved in and went with the sketchy group. Nurse Joy, Ash, and Brendan were locked up inside a random room with seemingly no way out. The white-haired Trainer walked over to the door and checked it over.
Damn. The door is made of solid steel and can only be locked from the outside. Our chances of getting out aren't very good. Brendan thought as he finished his study of the door. Ash had been pounding on it for a little while, which wasn't very smart in the white-haired teen's opinion.
"Well, we're not getting out this way. That door is made of steel and it seems pretty thick," the ruby-eyed youth told his companions calmly. It was a cry from Pikachu that caught their attention (not to mention preventing any sort of arguments, since Ash didn't look particularly happy of Brendan's evaluation). It pointed at a grate covering the ventilation shaft, which gave them a way out. Ash punched the air in triumph while Brendan just smirked, mentally thanking the gods that the Pikachu was smart enough to recognize an escape route.
Ash took off the vent, allowing his Pikachu to get in first before he did. Brendan was right behind his friend, though his presence went unnoticed for a short while. Nurse Joy had managed to shout how to restore power to the Center before the Trainers got out of earshot. There was silence between them that lasted for a few minutes.
"Why are you coming along, Ruby?" Ash asked the other Trainer, his voice slightly echoing in the small shaft. A sigh escaped Brendan's lips, but he answered anyway.
"What? Are you the only one allowed to go on adventures?" the red-eyed teen retorted with his own question. He had technically answered the question, although it wasn't a straight one. Ash didn't reply, which probably meant Brendan had won the argument.
The two were silent as they made their way through the shaft. Unfortunately, their easy, one-way road split into two branches. Pikachu was able to direct them to the exit, which was the only good piece of news they'd had in a while. The duo praised the electric mouse as they exited the cramped shaft.
"I'll go grab the Master Key," Ash told his friend before dashing over to the counter. As soon as he had the key in his hand, Ash immediately used it to get the power back on. Brendan gave the black-haired Trainer the thumbs-up and the two went to free Nurse Joy.
After freeing the nurse, the Trainers left the Center to find Almond. By the time they arrived on the scene, it was too late to find out who those people were. Brendan glared at the retreating helicopter, vowing to find out who they were and what they were after. Almond was ecstatic and the two found out why when he showed them the inner chamber of the ruins.
Inside the "room" was a pool of clear water. Underneath the surface was the silhouette of some sort of creature. Abruptly, the shadow jumped out of the water, showing the three humans a brown, weird-looking fish Pokémon.
"That's Relicanth, a water Pokémon from ancient times. Through research, I have come to believe that there are other ancient Pokémon still around, but are hidden from sight," the researcher told the two, awestruck teens. After a few minutes, Almond, Ash, and Brendan left the ruins and went back to Oldale Town.
"Well, that was an exciting night," the white-haired teen commented, a little on the sarcastic side, when they got back to the Pokémon Center. It was already morning, which saddened Brendan a little. He had to admit that seeing a Relicanth up close was worth loosing a little sleep over, but sleep was his favorite pastime.
"I'd like to have you know that both of you are registered to take the Hoenn League Challenge. Best of luck to you two," Nurse Joy told them with a smile on her face. The two Trainers thanked her and said their good-byes as they headed off to the next town: Petalburg City.
1I have no idea if that's his actual name, but that's what it sounded like. So, I'm going with Almond…unless someone knows his real name, then I'll change it.