Nius and Neph, Nius and Neph! With a twist, of course!
He sat against a boulder, waiting for a bite on his fishing line. Barastyr looked a lot better than he had that morning, wounds healed by a potion and a good three hours of brushing and grooming later, the dark dragon looked not only healthier, but happier.
The little Pokémon was napping finally, in the sunlight, after playing and ramming trees for the last hour. Barastyr had scared away all of the local Pidgey and Ratatta but he wasn't going to stop the little one from having his fun. He had been fishing seriously for the last half hour, and hadn't gotten a single bite yet. Not that he was surprised. He was out of the way, about a forty- five minute walk from where route one was marked on most maps, and about four hours from Pallet town.
Lillian- Rose had taken her time, with Blake by her side, seeing as both of them wanted to show off their new Pokémon to their families.
Gary and Vesper, on the other hand, had taken off down route one. They would ditch each other as soon as they reached Viridian, of that he was sure.
Ash, knowing that his first target was nearby, had walked at a sedate pace after cleaning up his starter. He was lucky that he had the right kind of brushes for Deino, since the two types of fur required two different brush types. The black, longer fur had been styled upwards, like a horn, with a wire brush, while the rest of its body seemed to shimmer after a good twenty minutes of pampering.
Good trainers kept their Pokémon in the best possible shape, and he refused to break the fragile trust he was building with his new starter.
That didn't mean it didn't hurt a bit. When he pictured leaving Pallet Town, he'd assumed that Anubis, the Sandile, would be by his side. The hatchling wasn't the same tiny little croc he had once been, but was quickly developing into a cunning fighter. Ash himself had helped hatch dozens of eggs before, and none of them had ever called to him like Anubis did. It hurt, not being with the Pokémon he had originally wanted, but this wasn't so bad.
He enjoyed being out in nature for a while, before veering off of route one to a nearby stream. He knew this place. In fact, he used to swim here with Gary and his sister Daisy, in the middle of the summer. Even after they stopped being friends, Daisy still dragged him along occasionally, always complaining that it wasn't good for a kid to be cooped up alone for so long. Of course, after she left for her own journey, there were no more visits to the river.
Not like that anyway. Sometimes, he could find the professor on a good day, one where he had some free time, and they would go fishing. Not to keep anything, but to teach. It wasn't his favorite activity. It required a lot more attention than he usually gave, but he wanted Barastyr to get some experience against the slippery water type Pokémon before they left.
He had already scanned his partner, and the little dragon dark type had surprised him. Barastyr already knew Bite, Crunch, Focus Energy, Headbutt, and Dragon Pulse. It was a crazy powerful moveset for such a young Pokémon. It had not one, but two egg moves, Ice Fang and Earth Power, that would probably take forever to unlock correctly. Well, Earth Power would. He had a feeling that Barastyr would have fun torturing his other Pokémon once he got Ice Fang down.
He still needed to check the strength of Barastyr's moves, mostly because he had a feeling that, although Barastyr had a wide range of moves, he hadn't bothered to master any of them yet. Ash considered training before fishing, but he couldn't wait to have his first battle. He knew that Barastyr felt the same way.
He couldn't wait to see what the Pokémon could really do.
Thankfully, the weather was alright, slightly cloudy, and definitely hotter than he had been expecting. He was half sure that it would end up changing soon, if only because of how unstable it could be in early March. This was the first test, after all, being able to survive, and thrive, in the climate a trainer was in.
He thought he was doing okay so far, but a water type would definitely help him stay cool.
With one hand on the Pokènav, and the other holding his fishing pole, he started scrolling through the device. He was curious what all it could do. Could he transfer Pokémon from the Ranch to himself with it? Maybe, he thought with a shrug, not that he knew how yet.
A shadow fell over him, making him glance up. There, flying through the sky, was something odd. It looked almost like a Fearow, but it wasn't. It was bigger than any Fearow he'd ever seen. With every flap of it's wings, the golden aura it was surrounded by seemed to get more and more solid.
He blinked, almost frozen in confusion, but the strange Pokémon was gone. What was that, he wondered, glancing at Barastyr, who seemed confused by his trainers sudden lack of movement.
Ash could have sworn…
No. He was being silly, and probably just needed to drink something. Maybe he was just dehydrated.
A sharp tug tore him out of his thoughts on which moves needed to be perfected before Barastyr could move onto learning something new. He reeled it in quickly, tugging the Pokémon up and out of the water, ignoring the splashing that threatened to soak him. Whatever it was, it was strong, and it didn't want to come up.
After a fight lasting the better part of ten minutes, it finally got tired enough to not resist him. He muttered for Barastyr to get ready. They were about to have their first fight.
The Pokémon broke the surface and raged as it was pulled onto the land. At first, he didn't recognize it, as it was a dark purple, almost black, color. It took him a moment to identify it as a Horsea, one with a very bad attitude problem, if its glowing red eyes told him anything. It growled at him, spikes leaking with a potent poison as it watched. That was its first mistake. It thought that he was more of a threat than Barastyr, who was quickly growing annoyed with being ignored.
"Okay Barastyr, let's try crunch." He commanded, wanting to see how well the irate Pokémon listened in battle. To his surprise, the blue- and- black Pokémon rushed forward, chasing the Horsea further from the water, and bit its tail in his powerful jaws.
The Horsea blew a jet of ink at Barastyr, but it wasn't going to even slow him down. He couldn't see anyways. "Crunch again, then Headbutt." Ash watched with careful eyes as the moves were executed. While Barastyr had a nasty set of strong teeth, his crunch was far weaker than it should be. The Pokémon wasn't putting enough dark power into the attack, making it little more than a bite attack. That was definitely something they would need to work on.
The orders were followed quickly and effectively. Against a strong opponent, Barastyr's attacks would mostly just bounce off, but against Horsea, it did extremely well. The Headbutt slammed not only Barastyr, but the Horsea into the boulder he had been resting against earlier. Yet another thing that would need time to fix.
He reached into his trench coat and fingered a Pokéball for a moment, before unclipping it from his belt and priming it for capture. "Crunch, one more time." While a part of him wanted to see how advanced the other attacks were, he couldn't risk the Pokémon they were fighting being able to escape.
The Horsea, seeing the Pokéball, started struggling even more, sending a Bubble Beam at Barastyr, before using a surprising amount of control and swinging the beam towards him. He ducked, but Barastyr had used the time that Horsea was distracted to sneak up behind it, showing off its dark tendencies, before crunching down on its armored scales one last time.
It was strong for the area, that was true, but the Horsea didn't stand a chance against Barastyr's powerful jaws. It tried retreating, but Ash threw the Pokéball, knowing that the moment was right.
The Horsea clearly fought the Pokéball. It took a good minute for it to finally click, the sound of a successful capture. He smiled, and walked over to it, picking it up and putting it on his belt. He had a new teammate, but Barastyr deserved some praise first.
"I'm so proud of you!" He gushed out, kneeling beside his still new Pokémon. "You did so well, Barastyr, that Horsea didn't stand a chance against your crunch attack." He rubbed the blue-and-black Pokémon's head with his hand, before reaching into his bag to grab a cloth so that he could clean up the ink that messed up Barastyr's fur.
It took him another twenty minutes to get all of it off and Barastyr's fur back to pristine. Once that was done, he looked at his newest Pokémon's Pokéball.
He had never seen a Horsea that was so aggressive. Usually, they were pretty meek, but this one had no problem going right into battle, and only tried to retreat when it was obvious that the Horsea would lose. In a fair fight, he couldn't say that Barastyr would win. Then again, he had heard several rumors that so-called shiny Pokémon were far more aggressive than others of their species.
While he had never seen one before, the Horsea certainly proved to him that it was possible. Then again, the Horsea could have simply been one that had been avoiding capture. It wasn't common, but some Pokémon just didn't want to have a trainer. They utterly refused to work with them, ignoring pretty much every command given.
He really, really hoped that wasn't the case. Barastyr was still hesitant about him being around. He wasn't sure how he could get both stubborn Pokémon to listen to him. He would make it work, somehow, if the Pokémon wanted it's freedom.
Excitement filled him as the reality of what he had just done sunk in. Ash couldn't believe his luck in finding the shiny Horsea, especially as the first Pokémon he had encountered as a trainer. It would become a fearsome Kingdra if he had a say in the matter, especially as it was able to battle so well on land. It wasn't just flopping around uselessly, either, it had hopped, using its tail to get around.
He was impressed by the fighting spirit that the Horsea had. He kept Barastyr by his side as he released the water type, watching as it watched him with the same scarlet eyes the species was known for. It seemed resigned, almost defeated. That was no good, he thought to himself with a frown.
"Hi there, Horsea. You put up an awesome fight. I can't believe a Pokémon like you is still here of all places. I know Barastyr enjoyed your fight." He sat down and pet Barastyr, keeping his eyes locked on the Pokémon in front of him. "I want to become a Dragon Type Trainer, and I think that you could become the most powerful Kingdra in the world, even stronger than Lance's. I need Pokémon like you to have any chance of getting anywhere. Barastyr and I can't do it alone, we need powerful friends, like you. What do you say? Will you work with me?" He asked calmly, holding out a hand.
Ash took a moment to admire the Horsea, it was strong, young, and its scales were mostly an inky purple, except on its stomach, where there were a gleaming gold. This Pokémon had the power and grace that would only intensify as it got more experienced.
Finally, the water type nodded to him, bowing its head slightly in submission. Unlike Deino's, Horsea, one they pledged their loyalty, were unmovable Pokémon. They would always trust their trainers impeccably, no matter the situation. The little one would grow wiser with every battle, but seemed to have that same thirst that Barastyr did.
"I want to give you a nickname, something that will set you apart from any other Horsea, because you are special, and you are my partner. How about Hydros?" He asked. It, well, he, spit a glob of ink next to Ash, making it clear that he didn't like it. "Oceanius? It means Oceans Master."
That one seemed agreeable, Oceanius nodded, and Barastyr growled in greeting.
Ash just sent the Pokémon a small smile. He pulled his Pokènav from his pocket and held it out so that the newly named Oceanius could see it. "I'm going to scan you with this. It will let me know a little bit about you, but won't even tickle. Alright?"
The beam hit the small black Pokémon, making it cock its head to the side.
Horsea- the Dragon Pokémon. Known to shoot down flying bugs with precision blasts of ink from the surface of the water. This Horsea is male, and has the ability Sniper. He knows the moves bubble, Smoke screen, Water gun, and Bubble beam. He has the egg move of Toxic.
He let out a low whistle. Only one non special attack. He made a note to work on its close ranged attacks. To be fair, most Horsea weren't close ranged fighters, with the sniper ability, Oceanius was primed to stay back and fight. He needed more variety though, something like Headbutt, but he would think through a training plan that night.
That decided, he headed upstream, knowing that he was around an hour and a half away from Viridian. By using the stream as a guide, it cut off a day's worth of travel, as it was far more of a direct path. He knew he would be the first one to Viridian.
He wasn't in a hurry, not really. He would get there when he got there. He planned on spending a day or two in the forest before the Alakazam came to get him, just so he could get a little more experience before he set out for Fuchsia City. He needed to test out both of his Pokémon's attacks, so that he could find their limits. Once he knew where their starting point was, it would be so much easier to help them progress.
He took a few minutes to treat Oceanius's bite marks, then another ten to polish his scales until they gleamed in the light. Both of his Pokémon were well groomed and content at the moment. Instead of carrying Barastyr this time, he was carrying Oceanius, with Barastyr trotting along beside him. He was more than happy with how the day had gone so far.
He made a mental note to ask Professor Oak how to best care for his new addition, and if the man had any tips when it came to his starter. Ash knew better than to think that just because Barastyr was listening to him at the moment, it would last. Barastyr's breed just wouldn't let him not fight at least occasionally.
Around an hour later, he stopped again, this time for lunch. It was probably around two in the afternoon by that point. He placed Oceanius down next to him on the left, while Barastyr took a seat on his right. He fussed over his bag for a few minutes, and took out a bag of wet pokèfood that he knew Oceanius would need. He placed some in a bowl and set it in front of his newest ally. Then he took out the dry food and piled it high in another bowl. Barastyr would have a ferocious appetite, and would require at least two times the amount of food as any other Pokémon he had, possibly up to four times as much while he grew.
He pulled out his own lunch, given to him by Mimey earlier, and ate the sandwiches happily. He would grow used to eating trainers meals, but that didn't mean he wouldn't miss Mimey's excellent cooking.
They spent half an hour eating lunch, though Barastyr was done in just over fifteen minutes. Ash packed everything away after cleaning it at the stream. It was strangely nice just sitting with his Pokémon and relaxing instead of arguing.
He looked further upstream with a small frown. He wanted to get in a little more practice before he reached Viridian. He and Barastyr had to get in sync for the dragon to be the most effective battler he could be. They needed to have strategies that would trip up stronger opponents, tricks that could get them out of bad situations, and plans for practically everything.
Dragon's grew slowly, few slower than the Deino line. But with the proper time and effort, he would grow. That meant he needed to fight a lot more weaker opponents before they would be ready to fight a stronger one.
He fished and battled for hours, healing up Barastyr and working with him until he was exhausted, before switching to Oceanius. The water type clearly loved battling. Though he only knew four moves, Bubble, Smoke Screen, Bubble Beam, and Water Gun, he had clearly mastered them and used them interchangeably. First, Oceanius would blind his opponent, then it would send Bubble after Water Gun after Bubble at them before its foes were defeated. Funnily enough, Oceanius had far less control over Bubble than it did over the more challenging Bubble Beam.
Ash had found a dozen Magikarp, a couple of Krabby, a few more Horsea, and three Staryu, before they moved the battle exclusively to land. Ratatta and Pidgey fell to the wrath of Barastyr and Oceanius. He knew he wasn't the only one starting to get bored. His team was perfectly fine, as none of the Pokémon put up a good fight, besides one massive Krabby who had gotten a good pinch to Barastyr's leg before getting pulverized.
He had considered catching one of the Magikarp. He had always wanted the titan that was a Gyarados, but none of them had a fighting spirit, and none of the one's that he fought even tried to resist or showed any intelligent strategies. He was being picky, but considering that these Pokémon would be with him for the rest of his life, he felt like he had the obligation to be picky.
It didn't matter what his future dragon Pokémon looked like, if they were small and aerodynamic or bulky and made for taking hits. As long as he could see some sort of fire in their eyes, he would try to catch them. They would have their own personalities, their own likes, and things that they hated, but they needed to have a spark of passion.
As he battled, he couldn't help but notice some things about his new team. Firstly, Barastyr lived up to the reputation of being vicious and bloodthirsty. He rarely wanted to stop a fight, even after he had clearly won. If Ash had let him, Barastyr would have left a trail of bodies behind them. Barastyr also had a lot less patience than Ash did, and grew annoyed at the smallest mistake. Even after hours of battling, the Deino's absolute hatred of those weaker than him shined like flash in a cave.
Oceanius on the other hand, was far calmer. He seemed content battling whoever and whatever was put in his way. He had a bit of a grudge against the other Horsea that he battled, but otherwise, he seemed able to snap from battle mode to regal in a split second. He had an air about him, one of elegance and royalty, that was far different from Barastyr's cold and bloodthirsty one.
They didn't seem to like each other very much. Barastyr didn't show the same absolute hatred for Oceanius that he did for the other Pokémon in the area, but Ash doubted they would ever become actual friends. Teammates willing to fight together to take down a larger opponent? Possibly. Not friends.
He needed to have a talk with Barastyr about that. His starter would be the support of his entire team, and if he kept up the loner attitude, which had to be difficult, the team could crumble. He would need his starter to have a relationship with the rest of the Pokémon he caught, otherwise, why was he bothering with this in the first place?
To be fair, he knew himself well enough to know that he was probably in shock. He had never expected to have a Pokémon like Barastyr as his starter. He never thought that he would find a Horsea with such a need for battle. He had half expected to wind up with a starter from another region, or possibly another from Kanto, as he knew for a fact that Professor Oak had at least a dozen of each starter running around at his ranch. The last thing he expected was for Blake to end up with a Solosis and himself to have a Deino.
Why had they gotten those particular Pokémon? As far as he knew, Blake didn't have a preference towards one type, like he did. He liked the more flashy Pokémon, like Charizard and Machamp. So why had Professor Oak given him something like a Solosis? Something that grew slower than most Pokémon, yet into a powerful demon if given direction?
How convenient was it that Ignus had simply stumbled across a Deino at the Cliffside? How had a Pokémon like that even ended up on the southern beaches of Kanto in the first place? What were the chances of a dragon showing up, probably less than a day prior?
Slim. Very slim. If professor Oak had known about his starter for months, like he had claimed, then how had Ash never seen or heard about it?
But why would Oak lie to them? What purpose did telling him that he had found his starter by the Cliffside, but also telling him that he had to get special permission for him to take the Pokémon, have?
He felt cold.
Were they headed towards another war? That would make sense. He had heard about three regions being practically overtaken a few months ago. Almia, Fiore, and Oblivia. All three had extremely tight security. No trainers were allowed near their borders. Their Rangers viciously made sure of that.
Still, it would take more than an army of smaller regions to be a threat to Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, or any of the other places. Maybe Alola, because of its extremely small size compared to the others, but he doubted it. Alola was protected due to its isolated nature. It was practically impossible to get to the Islands without being seen, and probably stopped, before one could make it there.
He shook himself as Oceanius finished off yet another Staryu. If it happened, then he would be drafted. If not, then he was worrying over nothing. He was a newbie trainer, it was his first day. How much damage could he actually do at the moment?
He returned Oceanius, taking note of how his eyes were mostly closed and how he was more than half asleep. Still, he didn't want to be completely alone. He glanced down at Barastyr, considering, before picking him up and carrying his tired starter upstream toward the city. They had done all they could for now. He had seen an improvement, even if only a small one, when it came to Oceanius's Bubble. Barastyr's Crunch was slightly stronger. It would take months before there was a noticeable difference for Barastyr, but that's what Dragons were known for.
He knew he was getting close to the Pokémon Center, probably less than half an hour out, when he saw the sign by the river, a Trainer Tip, as they were known. No one knew who was responsible for them, or why they existed, but every single sign had some helpful, new trainers friendly, tricks and tips. This one was to prime your Pokéball by pressing the white button in the middle before you attempted to catch anything. Useful, but mundane, advice.
As he walked, he finally encountered another trainer, a girl who was a little older than him in a yellow tank top and blue jean shorts with red hair tied in a short ponytail on the side of her head. Normally, either of them would challenge each other, but he stayed quiet. He ignored her, knowing that his Pokémon weren't ready for a battle yet, and she seemed invested in her fishing. She was mumbling to herself, and clearly in a horrible mood. He had no idea what she was saying, only that she was extremely angry.
The rest of the path was mostly silent, with the exception of a few younger Pokémon being cocky. This was going to be his new normal. Alone, except for his Pokémon, occasionally coming across another trainer who would be living their own lives. He would be living off of trainer meals for the most part, and sleeping wherever he could find a place to set up camp. His income would depend on his skills and how well his team fit together.
A part of him considered going over to the girl and trying to talk to her, but he shook the thought out of his head. Some people needed to travel in groups and were able to gain followers, like Lillian- Rose and Blake. Others, like Vesper, were dependant on the solitude. People like him, and Gary honestly, could go either way. Still, for Ash, his social skills were horrible, at best, and it wasn't worth the chance of him accidently making things worse for the girl.
He could still hear several Pokémon playing in the distance, growing and working on their skills as he passed. As little as most people wanted to think about it, Pallet Town, and Route One, were essential homes for younger Pokémon. They had so few predators here that even novices such as himself could safely walk alone without being bothered.
Well, usually.
A loud, rumbling roar burst out of the water behind him. Ash felt himself jump, and turned on his heel to see a Gyarados rampaging in the stream. The Pokémon had clearly just evolved, and had gone into a rage because of it. Very few people considered how badly evolutions hurt Pokémon. In order to gain a new power, their very DNA had to tear itself apart in order to become stronger. Their bodies stretched, while limbs were gained and lost. Because of that, it was very common for Pokémon to lose control of themselves for the first few hours after an evolution. Some types coped better, like the Voltorb family. Others, like the Magikarp family, almost always lost control.
It had been chewing on a Pokémon, which sadly happened all the time, when the Magikarp had evolved. They were some of the most violent Pokémon, especially in the first day or so after their evolution. He could see the blood of the smaller Pokémon staining the Gyarados' scales as it shook its massive head.
He had no idea what unfortunate Pokémon had ended up being the monsters chew toy, all he could see was it had been purplish blue, small, and thin. So, a water type, most likely just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The beast threw the Pokémon with a flick of its head. It was small for a Gyarados, only around fifteen feet in length, but it had considerable girth. The crests on its head were bigger than they should have been, making the Pokémon look more awkward. That didn't mean it wasn't still a threat to not only him, but to everyone and everything around.
He knew just how much damage a Pokémon like this could do, and he was terrified for the people in Viridian.
The girl sent out a Pokémon, a Starmie to fight it, but his attention was on the purple Pokémon. It was badly hurt. He returned Barastyr, ignoring his growls, and primed a Pokéball to catch the injured Pokémon. He had to take it to Nurse Joy, and quickly. It would die if he did nothing.
He huffed and threw it. The Pokémon was so weak that it didn't even fight the catch, clicking almost immediately. He picked it up and booked it towards the city. As much as he wanted to look back, or help the girl, neither of his Pokémon were strong enough to take on a Gyarados, even a newly evolved one.
Legs burning, lungs aching, but he didn't stop, or look back. He couldn't. Yes, the Pokémon was in stasis, but even that wouldn't be enough to stop it from dying. He rushed past the gate to Viridian. An Officer Jenny yelled after him as he sped past her, ignoring everything until he saw the bright red roof that every Pokémon Center was known for.
He almost ran into the sliding door, and crashed into the front desk. He ignored the looks he was getting and pulled the Pokéball from his belt.
"I was walking and passed a Gyarados that had been mauling this Pokémon. I don't know what it is, but I had to catch it to make sure it would live. Please help?" He forced out.
The red headed nurse who was almost always smiling had a dark frown on her face by the time he was done explaining, and practically snatched the Pokéball from his hand. Nurse Joy turned on her heels, with a Chansey following her closely. She yelled for one of her assistants to take over the front while the rest would prepare for surgery.
As soon as she disappeared behind the doors, Ash let out a sigh. "Can I get a room?" He asked the assistant, a frowning blonde named Cassie from her name badge.
She simply tossed him a room key. He gave her his Pokènav for a moment so that she could get his information and register the Pokémon in surgery for him. Once the paperwork was done, he headed to the waiting area and sat down in a booth, simply watching the door.
There was nothing else that he could have done, he told himself firmly. As much as he hated running away, there was no other choice. Barastyr was too weak to take on anything even half the size of the beast, and Oceanius's Water Gun would have just bounced off. They were too weak to do anything else. Besides, he had made sure that the Pokémon had a chance at survival.
To his surprise, an Officer Jenny sat down across from him. "Long day, kiddo?" She asked, her brown eyes shining in sympathy.
Ash let his head fall forward a bit, one hand subconsciously reaching for Barastyr's Pokéball. He glanced up at her, knowing that she would end up investigating this mess. "I didn't want to catch it, but it was too big to carry, and it wouldn't have made it here. Not with how much it was bleeding." He explained carefully, never removing his hand from the Pokéball.
Usually, the League left trainers to catch their Pokémon how they wanted, but there were some no no's. Firstly, catching a Pokémon that someone else was battling. It was poor educate, and a mark of a weak trainer. Second was catching a dying Pokémon. Normally, it was heavily frowned on, especially if it was due to a wild fight. He should have let it die, as was the way of Pokémon, but nothing deserved that brutal of a death.
To his surprise, Officer Jenny just nodded at him. "I know, you did the right thing. It's almost impossible to step back and let a Pokémon die, especially if you can do something about it." She tapped her gloved fingers on the table and looked at him. "How long have you been a trainer?" She asked curiously.
He gave her a sardonic smile and handed her his Pokènav, with his trainer license already pulled up.
Her eyebrows shot up as she read. "Since this morning, huh? You got here pretty quick then. I take it you followed the stream? From Pallet Town?"
He shrugged eyes glancing from her to the door that Nurse Joy had gone behind.
Officer Jenny messed with his Pokènav for a moment, and her mouth turned into an 'o'. "You're Ash Ketchum." She stated flatly.
He blinked once at that tone. "Yes?" She had his trainer card in her hands, which had his name written right next to his hometown, age, and date of issue. He wasn't sure why she seemed to be so... wrong footed by his name.
"You're the kid Oak let have the Deino. I was warned about you. Has it gone crazy and left you yet?"
Ash rolled his eyes and simply released Barastyr. The little dark dragon took a moment to sniff all of the smells, and take in the sounds, which were practically silent, after Ash released him. Content that everything was fine, he turned to his trainer and growled annoyed.
Ash just laughed. "I know, I know." He told Barastyr, "But you can't fight a Gyarados yet, Bara."
Barastyr growled again, indignantly.
"You're exhausted, Barastyr. You can barely walk in a straight line. It's been a long day. But, if you really have that much energy, I'm sure we can go train some more."
That got Barastyr to back down, grumpily. The Deino was pretty tired, and didn't want to fight any more. Not for the next hour anyways.
Ash patted his lap, and the Pokémon jumped up onto the seat, curled up, and decided to take a nap. Barastyr would wake up if there was any danger to his human, and he would protect the silly human for now. The human had brushed his fur, and had helped him get the disgusting ink off, and had healed its sores. The human had given him the name of Barastyr, and he liked it well enough to help the defenseless human... for now.
Ash immediately started running a hand through Barastyr's longer black fur on his head, and looked at Officer Jenny with a single raised eyebrow.
She just laughed quietly, not wanting to seem like a threat to the sleeping menace. "Seems like you have him pretty well under control."
Barastyr growled sleepily at that, and Ash shushed him. "More like we have an agreement."
Either way, the vicious Pokémon from that morning was nowhere to be seen. Instead, it was just a cuddling, sleepy Barastyr.
Officer Jenny nodded at him and got up, giving him a slight smile as she walked off. He nodded back and returned his eyes to the door. The sleeping Barastyr convinced everyone else to leave him alone, thankfully.
It took almost four more hours before the surgery light turned off from over the door that he had been watching. He felt himself stiffen in his seat. Barastyr got off of him and sat next to him, head butting his arm gently as they waited. It was another ten minutes before Nurse Joy came out from the same door she had gone through.
She looked around tiredly, and approached him, freezing when she saw Barastyr sit up straighter. Ash simply returned his starter and got up, going over to her.
"How is it? Is it okay?" He asked nervously, trying to keep his expression blank as he prepared himself for bad news.
Nurse Joy simply smiled softly at him. "She's in recovery right now, and she's pretty out of it, but she should heal. She has over a hundred stitches, and is going to need some help shedding her skin for the next month or so, but nothing vital was punctured. She's extremely lucky that you got to her when you did."
Ash let out a breath of relief. "Can I...?"
She nodded, but fixed him with a stern glare. "Only for a few minutes, young man. You're practically dead on your feet, and you need your rest as much as she does. Five minutes, then you have to eat dinner and go to bed. Deal?"
He nodded. It wasn't even really his Pokémon, but he knew that he wouldn't get any sleep if he was worried about the Pokémon he had saved earlier.
Nurse Joy opened her mouth to say something, but closed it quickly, guiding him to the recovery room in the back instead.
As soon as he opened the door, his heart stopped. The purple Pokémon was actually more of a pale blue-purple color. Its body was covered in bandages, and scars seemed to twist around the Pokémon's long, narrow body like some sort of demented ivy.
He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, maybe a Tentacool or something similar. Maybe some Pokémon that wasn't native to Kanto, but had been lost here a decade ago. What he was not expecting, however, was a Dratini.
It, well, she, was smaller than average, probably only around four and a half feet long, and seemed to have more of a light blue shine to her scales. Her underbelly was a beautiful silver, making her look even more exotic. Even covered in scars and bandages, she was one of the most stunning Pokémon he had ever seen. He stepped closer. He had never actually been this close to a Dratini in person, but even surrounded by wires, it was clearly one of the most majestic Pokémon in the world.
And she was tiny too. How strange. He made a mental note to ask Professor Oak about the shiny Pokémon near route one, for the sake of Oceanius. And it was probably a good idea to find out how a Dratini got into the stream in the first place. Dratini lived in lakes, not streams usually. Probably another left over from the war, he realized. He doubted she was old enough to have had a trainer bring her in from another region, but her parents probably were.
He reached out an unsteady hand and rested it gently on her head scales. She grumbled a bit at his touch and sleepily opened one large, black eye to see why she was being touched. After a few moments, she closed her eyes again, apparently accepting the strange trainer was now hers and had saved her.
All too soon, he was being gently pushed from the room and guided to the cafeteria. He wasn't particularly hungry, but he had promised to eat something. He didn't care what, and grabbed the first thing he could get, ate quickly, and headed to his room to sleep.
This day had been insane. How had he already gotten three Pokémon? How?
He took a quick shower and jumped into bed, only having the mental foresight to remember to let out his Pokémon. Thankfully, there was a tank on the opposite side of the room, one where Oceanius seemed quite content resting in. Barastyr jumped from the bed and laid down, sprawling out on the carpet with his head facing the door, just in case.
He laid down in his own bed, staring up at the ceiling. Today, more than anything else, had proved that he was not ready. He'd been useless, and his panicking had caused him to freeze up for a few moments. If Gyarados had been after him, or his team, they would be dead.
Speaking of, he let out a low groan and sat up. Damn it. He had to report Gyarados to Professor Oak, didn't he? The Pokémon needed to be captured or moved asap. If it was left there... well, a lot a new trainers stumbled into Pallet Town while looking for younger Pokémon.
It was strange, thinking that new kids would be leaving Pallet Town soon enough, instead of it being him and his group. He had no idea where he would be in six months, let alone eighteen. Not that he could know, but he liked to think that he'd be on his way towards being a dragon trainer by then.
He hauled himself up, checking his clothes, mostly to make sure he was dressed, before slipping on his shoes. He glanced at his two Pokémon, Barastyr was happily asleep, but Oceanius was just bobbing along in the tank. While part of him didn't like the idea of leaving his starter alone, he needed to learn how to trust Barastyr, and this was the first step towards that trust. Wasnt he planning on asking the Professor about his off colored Pokémon anyway?
He took a breath, and called softly for Oceanius. The Pokémon jumped out easily, and landed in his arms. His clothes had gotten a bit damp, thanks to the Pokémon, but he didn't mind. Once Oceanius had settled into his arms, careful of the spikes, he finally headed out.
He was dressed in sweats, now with darker spots on his chest and stomach from where Oceanius was curled up. The set was a charcoal grey he had found himself liking. It had cooled down a lot in the last few hours, and even now that he had adjusted to the air conditioning, he was still chilly.
Sluggishly, he made his way though the long corridors towards the main receiving room, where the better PC's would be able to...
Wait.
He paused mid step and blinked rapidly. Why was he going to call the professor from the Pokémon Center's phones? He had a Pokènav. It could make calls. So why was he?
Ash shook his head, exasperated at his exhaustion. He didn't want to be responsible, he just wanted to sleep. He considered just going back to his room, but no. He'd made it this far already.
"Its been a long day, huh?" He asked his Pokémon softly, padding through the halls. "Thanks for coming with me. I know we just met, but I'm hoping you can trust me enough to know that I want you to be healthy. We're going to talk to someone who is really smart, and has seen all sorts of Pokémon before. Then, maybe, we can get you a check up?"
He'd need to convince Barastyr to let himself be looked at too, but that was a problem for tomorrow. If it wasn't for Gyarados, all of this would be something he'd deal with tomorrow, but...
Well, he did have more questions about Oceanius than he did Gyarados. He'd seen shiny Pokémon before, a lot of them actually, but he'd never seen a Horsea like his before. They had always been more of a greenish teal than the dark purple of his Pokémon. Which meant something was very strange about the little seahorse. Was it dangerous, though, was his biggest question.
Finally, the terminals came into view, and he picked one that was slightly out of the way. He sat down, before hooking his Pokènav into the viewing screen. A few flicks later, and the video call was ringing.
It wasn't extremely late, being only nine pm or so, but he'd rarely called anyone. It felt so awkward sitting there waiting, instead of going across town to bother the man.
A sleepy, ruffled looking professor answer. It was clear that the man had fallen asleep at his desk again.
"Oh, Ash. Hello there. Is everything alright?" The professor asked.
Ash bit his lip for a moment before taking a breath. "Theres a Gyarados in the river. It was rampaging earlier. I caught the Pokémon it was going after, so you should have the exact coordinates of where it was." That was the first thing, of course, and one of the more time sensitive. Gyarados could swim long distances in a short period of time, and they could do a lot of damage.
That seemed to wake the professor up like a shot of espresso. "Was anyone hurt?"
He shook his head, "not that I know of. But, there was a girl fighting it before I left. Red hair, she had a Staryu and a Starmie that she was fighting with, so I'm guessing she's been a trainer for at least a bit."
"Understood. I'll send Mia out tonight then. Anything else?"
His anxiety peaked. For a moment, he wondered if the professor was going to tell him that the odd discol of Oceanius's scales meant he'd be dead soon. "Actually yes. I've caught two Pokémon today, one that was the victim of Gyarados' rampage and the other..." he trailed off, but tilted the camera so that Oceanius was in full view.
The Professor's eyes went dark. "Interesting." The man said softly. "I've seen something similar before, in newly hatched Pokémon. You might want to have it checked for anemia, or a different blood disorder."
His eyes widened as he looked down at his Pokémon. "Anemia?"
"It looks like the undedside of its scales, where they connect to the skin, is badly bruised. If I had to guess, I'd say that the egg was dropped a lot, damaged really, or that the Horsea went through severe strain causing hyperpigmentation, which, if mixed with a natural blood clotting disorder, or something similar, causes the Pokémons scales to shift into that color. It might also have some sort of melanin issue, which would naturally darken the scales. I'm not positive, but you definitely should get Horsea checked out."
Well, that was horrifying. Was he hurting Oceanius by holding him? He looked, rather helplessly, towards the professor. "Yeah, okay. I'll do that tonight then."
The Professor nodded, before shutting off the call, assuming Ash was going to rush the Pokémon towards the counter. But he didn't. Instead, he took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and forced himself to calm down.
Nothing the professor had said was life threatening, immediately at least, and he had to be calm if he wanted to really understand what was going on with his Pokémon.
Didn't he have just the best luck, he thought sarcastically. One Pokémon that was known for hurting itself once its aggression levels raised. One Pokémon that had been mauled by a Gyarados. And, finally, one Pokémon that could be in constant pain because Ash had been too stupid to focus on Oceanius earlier. Sure, he'd been worried about Dratini, but he could have at least asked someone about Oceanius's odd coloration earlier.
But no, of course not.
He forced himself up and headed towards the counter. The man looked at him with an odd glint in his eyes.
"May I help you?" The man, Cullum according to his name tag, asked.
Ash nodded. "I caught him earlier today, and my professor said to ask for blood panels? He thinks Oceanius might have anemia or a blood disorder of some kind."
Callum laughed, sounding genuinely amused. "I doubt it's anything like that. Its more likely that this Pokémon belonged to Arseni."
"Arseni?"
"The group that had been doing experiments on Pokémon to change their natural color in order to create new Pokémon with better camouflage? It was in the news a few weeks ago, and we've gotten all sorts of odd colored visitors since then." Cullum explained easily, giving the boy a grin. "We'll still run the tests, if you want, but I'm pretty sure you're friend is fine."
Ash nodded and passed his Pokènav to the man, who fiddled with it for a few seconds. Once Oceanius's information was in the system, Ash took back his Pokènav and passed over the annoyed looking Horsea.
It didn't make sense, for Oceanius to come out purple if the goal was to create the perfect camouflage. Then again, messing with genes like that was dangerous, it could cause all sorts of issues in the health of his Pokémon.
Still, if the man was right, and Ash wasn't sure yet, then it was a good thing those people had been caught. Maybe he'd have to be more gentle with the water type long term, or maybe Oceanius would become simply a companion instead of part of his team. Either way, he'd taken responsibility for the Pokémon, and he'd make sure Oceanius had the best life he could.
This time, instead of simply waiting uselessly, he went back to his room to get his starter. Nothing was going to keep him from making sure his team was alright.
It was going to be a long, long night.
Three hours later, he finally got the results back, for both of his team mates. Oceanius did have anemia, but it was manageable, so long as he took a special medication once a day. Barastyr was a typical Deino, one that showed some fairly severe damage, but nothing too odd. Thankfully, the Deino line was built to take damage, or to damage itself, but he did get a stern lecture on how to keep Barastyr from doing more damage than he could handle.
Now that his team had been cleared, he finally, finally, crawled into his bed after placing Oceanius back into the tank. He laid, face down, on his temporary bed and hoped that this was the worst of his journey.
He never noticed Barastyr jumping up onto the bed and curling up on his back. He never noticed anything really, only his exhaustion. He dreamed, that night, that Anubis had been the one next to him, since he knew everything about the Pokémon.
But, strangly enough, Anubis wasn't the only Pokémon in his dreams. No, somehow Barastyr had snuck in too.