The practice rooms were nice. They were big enough that most Pokémon could fit inside, excluding those like, say Onyx or Snorlax. There were half a dozen of them on practically every floor, and most of the trainers seemed to prefer the ones on the upper floors. Which made sense, training could be dangerous in an enclosed space, especially underwater. If this ship hadn't been specifically designed for trainers, he'd be a lot more worried. The rooms themselves were shaped like a field for an official battle, with each one supporting a different type. This one was the most plain of all. It had a few trees, a few large boulders, and an entire side of the room was made of glass, letting him look out into the dark depths of the ocean while he thought.
Right now, Rookidee, who he'd officially nicknamed Rook, was practicing her dives. She flew up until her soft, feathered head hit the ceiling, then dived down to chase the rest of them. It was less of an all around training session and more of a game of tag. But. Well.
He'd spent the last few hours rereading any data he had on his tiny team, and it frankly wasn't much. Dreepy, Impidimp, and King were just not at the stage where training could do much for them. Yet. But they were at the point that playing was extremely effective.
King had already gone up to a level four after just over an hour. Games like this were important to baby Pokémon, because it helped them build their base stats high enough that they could, eventually, start battling.
Except for Rook. Rook was a very hearty species of bird, and they were meant to fight from almost as soon as they hatched from the egg. Thankfully, Rook didn't seem to mind being 'it' in their game for now, but he'd have to pair her against Gary's Squirtle soon. Mostly to keep her from being bored.
Baby Pokémon were so fragile sometimes.
He'd been surprised at how well they got along, especially considering that King had been weaker than the rest of them. While he hadn't wanted it, that didn't stop him from expecting a fight over dominance, which none of his team could really win except for Rook. He knew their hierarchy: both Rook and Impidimp were extremely over protective of Dreepy, and probably had been for a while. It made sense, dragons grew slower than most other typing, so they knew she'd probably get left behind if they weren't careful. What had surprised him is they didn't seem to mind including King in their games, but it was clear that they were just playing along with him. They didn't really care one way or another, but a true bond would take time to build.
That didn't mean he couldn't see the potential there though. Oh, how he could see it. In a few weeks, months, the four of them would be magnificent. He could picture it: Rook being their front guard for now, Impidimp guarding them from behind, and King, along with Dreepy, slowly learning how their powers could be controlled. One day, King and Queen would help him solve his family's disappearance, he'd finally get to see his dad again, and he could prove that he was capable of keeping them safe. One day, he'd get to show off his team to his brother, show him the Pokémon that helped rescue him from wherever he was.
He could practically see the day he was finally able to retire and actually able to pursue a career he wanted, whatever it was. It might have been nothing more than a daydream now, but eventually... eventually, he'd do his best to make it a reality. Fuck anyone who got in his way.
This was his starting point, he couldn't go back and restack his team in his head anymore. Four of his team was already in place, now it was his responsibility to make sure they were strong enough to keep themselves alive.
If that happened to be with games like this when they were small, well, no one was around to judge him. Even if it looked a little funny.
His smallest Pokémon, at this point, was Rook, who stood at a measly eight inches compared to, say King who two feet tall. Rook was perfect though, not intimidated by anything, but not the type to cause chaos like King was. She was also the one that was most protective over the others. If he could win her over, he'd eventually get through to the other two.
Maybe she'd like to spend some one-on-one time with him? They could go for a walk on the upper decks. She wouldn't be able to fly, her wings weren't strong enough to fight the currents yet, but who knew where she'd be by the end of their trip. He knew he needed to at least double Rook's level before the end of it if he wanted them to have a chance at making it to the first gym he'd visit.
Right now, none of them were... great choices. His best bet was to find a place to train for a few months before attempting his first gym battle, probably Cerulean City, then knock out the rest of the four he needed. From there, he'd hang out in Celadon, work the slots until he got his prize, and-
No, that wouldn't work. He needed people to underestimate him, to not consider him a threat.
Ash stared further into the depths. How was he supposed to do this with the team he's got? This was going to take a lot of work to come up with a plan, of some kind, that might survive in tact.
He couldn't win anything how they were now. Maybe he could use a time limit? He could go after a certain gym after a certain wait. A month? Three weeks? A gym every month would be... obtainable, if not a little tricky. But how?
A nudge at his leg tore his attention away from the sea. King was standing next to him practically bouncing in place, before tugging at his pants slightly. A small smile formed as he realized what his starter wanted. It was Mime time, apparently. He glanced around, making sure that the only person around was him, before turning back to the glass wall with King on his lap. He winked at his starter, getting a laughing chirp out of him, before being copied.
In order for a Mime Jr to evolve, they had to practice their mimicry, and if that meant sitting in front of a reflective surface and making silly faces for his partner to copy, then thats what they would do. He wasn't really a silly person, but he did enjoy their little play time, and the occasional prank that King pulled. It was kinda... fun actually to see what ways he could contort his facial features.
It wasn't like there was anyone around to judge him for playing around, so he let himself have fun.
After a few minutes, he noticed that he was being watched, but not by an outsider, by the rest of his very confused looking team. Ash wasn't exactly sure why they were watching him, but mentally shrugged it off. He was ten. He was allowed to be childish sometimes. They'd get used to it.
He dragged a thumb over the corner of his lip, pulling the skin down towards his jaw, stretching the edge of his mouth in a way that looked abnormal more than funny, but King still enjoyed trying to copy the motion. It was always only one movement at a time, and he always waited until King had mirrored him to move onto the next.
People took life too seriously sometimes, but Ash, as someone who had his childhood stolen by the disappearance of half of his family, enjoyed these little moments. Besides, this game had been one that was introduced by his Mom's Mr. Mime when he was six and trying to prove he was grown up.
Being half of a duo always meant that he was living his life on a tightrope. Sometimes, his mom needed him to be more mature, more able to take care of himself while she tried to fix herself. Mostly, though, when she looked at him, she alternated between seeing the toddler he had been, and his father.
It wasn't her fault. She could be an excellent mother, she was kind, quick witted, and caring on good days. She'd gotten the tickets on a good day. On a good day she'd quiz him on items, attack patterns, basic recipes, and trainers etiquette. But, loosing her child and her husband in the same blow messed her up.
They had enough good days to make the... not so good days seem like a blur. It had taken years for them to learn how to work around the not so good days, but they managed. Both Delia and Ash were always aware that they were only half of their family unit, and because of that, they were both more than a little protective of each other.
He had probably spent more time with his mom's Pokémon than most kids would have, and occasionally, he had to hide at Professor Oak's for a few days, but overall, life was worth living. And if he'd promised over and over again on the bad nights that he would find out what happened to his mom's husband and other son, well, that was their little secret.
It shouldn't have been his responsibility. None of it should fall on his shoulders. He was a kid, his biggest worry should be making it through the Indigo League Championship, not... everything else. It wasn't fair, and it wasn't right. Yet, he'd never complain. Not when his mom was suffering so much so often. Not when he knew his mom needed him to be her rock until she healed enough to support herself. The bad days might be scary, but they were a lot better than they used to be. She hadn't accidentally hurt him in months! He should be celebrating her recovery.
And he was.
But he wasn't at the same time. He did want her to get better, to be more stable so that she could do what she loved. He wanted her to be able to disappear for a few days with her team and come back, eyes glowing with pride. He wanted her to find love again.
Yet, he was selfish enough that he didn't want her to forget about him. Because sometimes, that was the future he could see. Sometimes, he knew that if he wanted his mom to be happy, truly happy, then she'd have to start over, with a new husband, maybe new kids, and he'd be left outside looking in, like he always was.
She was a good mom, especially when he was little, so if she fell in love again, he knew he'd back out of her life. Even if he didn't want to.
A poke to his nose pulled him from his thoughts. Oh. Right. He was working with King. As much as he wanted to play with his adorable starter, his exhaustion was weighing him down. He just wanted to sleep, but he put a smile on his face and poked King in his, admittedly adorable, red nose.
King scrunched up his face is displeasure before poking his trainer again, starting a play fight.
A few hours later, he was finally alone. The warm water of a hot tub rocked gently over his skin as he let out a long, slow breath. All of his team, minus Dreepy who had decided to follow him, were with Professor Oak. King had gone as a precaution, just to make sure he was growing like he was supposed to. It was always a risk taking such a young Pokémon into a different environment, and the last thing he wanted was for his starter to get sick.
As for the other two, he'd wanted the professor to look over the rest of his team, and let him know about any abnormalities that could cause problems for them down the road. Originally, he'd wanted all of them there, so that they could all be checked over. But, he'd changed his mind.
Dreepy was by far his most timid Pokémon. While it wasn't a surprise, it was inconvenient for one of his team members to feel uncomfortable with him, so he'd let her tag along. He still wasn't sure about her place in his team. He'd gotten to the point that he'd like her to be a part of it, but he was... worried. Her personality was just so timid.
Hence her coming with him alone. If she could prove that she wanted to try and work with him, then he'd let her stay. If not, he still had until the end of the cruise to decide.
She seemed happy enough as long as she had his grey beanie to curl up in. It probably helped that he was on the top deck, using a smaller hot tub rather than one of the nicer ones a few floors down. Either way, he was lucky that she was putting up with being so far from her two friends.
Speaking of two friends, though he'd never admit it outloud, he couldn't stop himself from snickering. Gary had stupidly challenged Paul not even an hour ago, and had been thoroughly beaten. Paul hadn't even had to order his team around, instead Turtwig had sent out a barage of magical leaf, and Squirtle hadn't been able to dodge for very long. The entire mock battle had taken less than five minutes. It was enlightening though.
Paul hadn't been a trainer for very long, only been a trainer for just under a month, but the purple haired boy was way ahead of the two newbies. It was almost funnyhow much of a difference a few weeks made in training. Still, it was an eye opener. Gary had already started training his starter, but Ash... couldn't. Yet.
Honestly, the one who would respond best to training would be Rook right now. He'd done a lot of research in the last day, and had a vague idea of how to help his team start to grow. Apparently, Rookidee were feisty and territorial normally, even if his seemed more mellow, but they had a cool ability. Every time they battled, they stored a little bit of energy, so that, even if they lost, they'd end up stronger than before they started. Which meant right now, he'd need to battle often.
He'd asked both Gary and Paul to battle him later, one right before dinner, one after it was done. If he was right, and she could battle at least two times a day with Rook, then in two weeks, the Pokémon would be well on its way to being a useful and powerful member of his team. The more Rook could battle, the stronger she would be.
Which, in turn, would help the others grow too. Hopefully, at least one other member of his team was competitive, and would try to keep up. If not, he'd wait a bit.
Ash smiled softly to himself. Rook was a lucky chance, and hopefully, one that would pay off. As a strong, confident member of his team later on. The other two though... were a bit more of a worry.
He wanted Dreepy to be the Queen of his team, wanted her to be not only one of the most powerful, but also one of the most cunning, members. He wanted to push her to the point where he'd never have to worry if she was strong enough to stay safe while he was looking for his answers. She deserved a chance to be what she wanted though. If she was happy being a Dreepy, and didn't want to evolve, or didn't want to battle, he'd... well, he'd have to accept it.
With a little bit of luck, she'd want to stay because Rook did. That didn't mean he was one hundred percent convinced that she could manage the kind of life he wanted to live. She was gentle and shy normally, which wasn't a bad thing, but he wanted to know what she would be like in battle.
Until he did, he couldn't know for sure if she could be the Queen he'd need. If she had a spark of some kind, he'd know how to work with her. Because Dreepy, as they naturally were, had practically no power on their own. Up until she evolved, Dreepy would be almost entirely dependent on him outside of battles, and a partner inside them. He'd need her to be used exclusively in double battles, probably with King once he was a bit older. When she evolved though, she would be glorious.
From the little that he knew about Dragapult, they were not only fierce, but, as the supposed ghost of a prehistoric water Pokémon, they had access to a primitive power. Dragon Darts.
There wasn't nearly as much research done into them as he would like, since they were often difficult to find and even more difficult to evolve, but that wouldn't stop him. No, if she wanted to become a powerful Queen, then he'd help her grow, even if that meant going in practically blind.
He wouldn't back down from the challenge, not if it was what Dreepy wanted.
Glancing towards his hat, he was surprised to see pale yellow eyes watching him. Instead of curling up completely and hiding under the hat, she had it raised just enough so that she could watch him. He smiled at the little ghost softly as he relaxed further. If he could prove he wasn't a threat, then maybe...
It took time, well over twenty minutes of soaking, before he'd noticed movement. Maybe she'd come to him, maybe she wouldn't. Either way, it was fully up to her to decide what she wanted. He was already thrilled that she had gotten a little closer, a little braver, and he'd long since decided not to push her with this. At least, not too much.
By taking away her usual support system, even if it was for their own good and only for an hour at most, he'd subconsciously become the most familiar thing in her view. It would take time for them to actually bond, but he suddenly knew that she was actually willing.
Finally.
"Can I call you Queen?" He muttered softly, careful not to look away from the sky. This was what he'd been waiting for, this tiny moment of acceptance proved that she would be adaptable enough to take the place of Queen in his team.
She seemed to consider his question for a few minutes, but Ash was careful not to rush her. Finally, she made a very quiet trill of acceptance, which only made him smile wider. Dreepy, Queen, would have a long way to go before she became one of his most powerful Pokémon, but she'd get there eventually.
Now, all he had to worry about was Impidimp, the final member of his accidental trio. Well, Impidimp and how the checkup went, once another thirty minutes passed. And who he'd need to battle/how often he needed Rook to battle. And how to keep an eye on his mom without letting anyone know she might need to be contained. And, well, everything else.
But, for now, he had his King, his Rook, and his darling Queen. Which wasnt half bad for almost a full twenty four hour period.