"Can I join you for a game?"
Ash looked up from the chessboard. Leader Brock stood across the table. Ash found a great deal on a brand-new chess set, and he decided to splurge some of his winnings from the gym battle. After a moment of thought, he admitted playing with oneself was never as fun as playing against someone. Ash gestured to the board, and Brock smiled as he pulled up a chair.
"Get bored of watching those rug rats?"
Brock chuckled faintly as he watched Ash reposition the chessboard. "They're my little brothers."
"I'd hoped, for your sake. Pedophilia is something I take seriously." Brock snorted humorlessly. "You're what? Twenty? Twenty-two? The oldest I saw was in his teens. So, either you got one hell of a quick start or—"
"My dad abandoned us after my mom died."
"Yours too?!" Ash applied false astonishment to his tone.
Since Ash slid the white pieces toward him, Brock moved first.
Queen's pawn d-four.
A Londoner. Solid attack, reliable, and not too risky. It fits Brock to a "T."
Ash moved his own pawn to c-five. Brock countered by moving another pawn to c-three. Ash rolled his knight to f-six without pause before Brock slid his own knight to f-three. Ash moved his king's pawn to e-six, which Brock countered with only a moment's hesitation.
Ash never dithered once. He moved swiftly, acting suddenly and with aggressive moves.
"London, huh?"
Brock grinned demurely. "It's one of my favorite openings."
"It fits you."
Brock only continued when Ash made several forceful moves across the board, capturing his bishop with his knight. However, one of Brock's pawns promptly took the latter piece.
"And you're aggressive." Ash had moved his king out pretty far, taking one of Brock's bravely placed pawns. He then moved the king to e-five, and Brock shook his head amusedly. He knew a Benoni when he saw one. Ash only proved his point by moving his knight to e-four, which was captured by his own knight. Although, it was instantly made right when Ash used his king at e-five to nip that counterattack in the bud.
When Brock tried moving his bishop down, Ash immediately seized his rook with his own. Brock slid another rook aside, snagging Ash's rook. After another few clever moves, Brock hummed. The game continued for another ten minutes.
As time passed, he recalled the battle they'd finished only two hours ago. The way Ash played, it was almost eerie how his choices here seemed to replicate the ones he made on the battlefield. Each move and choice resonated as if he was seeing the gym battle transpire again right before his eyes. When Brock captured Ash's queen, most of his other pieces had been captured. Ash seemed to be in a far less favorable position.
Then, his seemingly impenetrable standing devolved within seconds. In just a few turns, Ash had won using his king before he knew what was happening. Brock blinked, stunned. He couldn't tear his eyes from the board as he tried recalling the moves he had made and what had led to his loss. He could have sworn he saw a checkmate there. It was a done deal.
"How?"
"You know, pokemon battling is a lot like chess." Brock blinked, This time in sheer confusion rather than puzzlement. "You see, when you look at pokemon like anything else but a strategic match between two competitors, you become too emotionally invested to assemble logical conclusions. Whether it's pride or concern and love you have for your pokemon, emotion still clouds judgment, no matter what kind it is. The only way to be truly impartial is by stripping yourself of your emotions for just five minutes and approaching the situation with a cold rationale. Many people don't realize that a pokemon match, especially gym battles or tournaments, is exactly like chess. Preparation, studying, all of that is key. However, you don't become emotionally invested in a few porcelain chips, do you?"
Brock was still unable to remove his eyes from the board, but his mind was running through what had been told him. The words barely reached him.
"It's only natural to love your pokemon. You're with them all hours of the day. You think about them constantly. You think about their well-being, strength, dreams, and all of that. That's a sign of a person that truly does care about his pokemon. But when you approach a battle with that same sentiment, you will never truly conquer your opponent because you have not conquered yourself."
"What?" Finally, Brock glanced up, stunned. Never before had he heard someone, much less a teenager, compare pokemon battling to chess. His words seemed callous, but he surprisingly spoke with a great amount of emotion and fervor.
"If you are constantly concerned about your pokemon's well-being or them getting hurt in battle, then you are not thinking of strategy. You are not thinking of overcoming your opponent. Really, all pokemon battling is, is a chess battle with living, breathing pieces. Sometimes you have to be willing to sacrifice the queen so that the king may win."
"Like you did here," said Brock, "like you did in the gym battle with your Gastly. Wait, if your plan was to use Gastly to wear down Onix and use Toxic, then why didn't you do that before, in the beginning?"
"It would have telegraphed my strategy."
"So you allowed your pokemon to suffer so I wouldn't see through your strategy. Did you ever think that, maybe, just for a second, if a strategy has to deal with deception and putting your pokemon's lives at risk, then maybe it isn't a very good strategy?" Brock's voice was bordering on a shout.
"It worked on you, didn't it?"
"And what if it hadn't? What if all you served to accomplish was hurt your pokemon? What then?"
"Simple. I would have come up with a new strategy. Whether or not that strategy would have worked is impossible to determine now. And before you get all angry and hypocritical, don't ever, for one second, believe you know more about my pokemon's well-being than I do." Brock's gaze narrowed dangerously.
"I ought to since you're treating your pokemon like they're chess pieces. Like they're just toys to get you fame or another gym badge."
"You didn't listen to a single thing, I said. Surprise, surprise. People hear what they want to hear, and only that and nothing else." Ash took a breath and spoke in a slow, measured tone as if he was sitting across from a simpleton. "I never said my pokemon were like that to me. What I actually said was: treat them like that during the battle. If you don't, then you can no longer think rationally. That is what I said. I never said anything about using them for my own selfish goals. What I understand is not all pokemon are created equal. There are no two pokemon exactly alike. They all behave differently. They have their own dreams, their aspirations, their personalities, and quirks.
My pokemon don't blindly follow my orders. They think for themselves. If they're uncomfortable with something, they would tell me. They already have. I don't force them to do anything they don't want to do. See. That's what you don't get. They want to win so badly that they're willing to relegate themselves to a small cog in an overall larger machine if it means winning. Because that's what a team does. Each success that we all have together is everyone's doing. Yes, I make the plans, but they enact them. They have the strength; they have the drawn. I'm just the mind behind it all."
"pokemon are our friends, not chess pieces." Brock sucked on his teeth.
"Does the concept of an analogy really allude you that much?" Ash almost laughed. Before Brock could shoot out another response, he hurriedly continued. "I'm not saying they're actually chess pieces, and I'm not saying everyone has to think the way we do. All I'm saying is when you invest emotion into a decision, it is no longer one made of logic. Emotions are messy. They're irregular and undependable. They change like the weather. One minute they're unpleasant and destructive; the next, you're ready to jump over rainbows and sing an anthem. Now, before you say that I believe emotions are bad, I don't. I just think, like most things in today's world, there is a time and place for them. Strategy and personal feelings very rarely coincide."
Brock took a moment to Mull that over. He wasn't outright saying that he believed pokemon were just tools for his benefit. The way he phrased his words were quite manipulative. Speaking and "we" not "I", when in reality, it was the latter he was speaking of. Although now. After a few moments of quiet consideration, he admitted that he didn't care what he thought. He was merely explaining his point of view. Ash did not care if he agreed with him or not. Why was he going through all this trouble explaining all of this if he truly wasn't attemping to convince him otherwise confused him.
"My pokemon, most of all, want to get stronger. They wanna win; they wanna be the best. I only catch pokemon that are of the same mind. I don't think that if a pokemon does not share the same ideals, they are any less of a fighter for it. The truth is, I believe that if you pursue something you want so single-mindedly that you will one day obtain it. I don't think the universe awards us for our efforts. I think there is a simple rule to life. Every time there is an action, there is a reaction. Whether or not that reaction is equal to the action itself…"
"I think I understand. I won't ever agree with your point of view, but I do understand what you're saying." Brock then shared a brief smile. It was strained and coarse, but he tried. "It's our duty as humans to empathize with others. We may not agree with everything someone says, nor do I believe we should. It's what makes every single one of us unique. Our differing ideals, our plans, our dreams, everything."
"Empathy isn't a uniquely human trait. I've met more pokemon that feel empathy stronger than any human I've seen. You see, the thing about humans is we lie to make ourselves feel better about our true nature. pokemon, their instinct does not allow themselves to lie. Not about themselves, at least. In a way, they're far more honorable and honest, and trustworthy than a human ever will be. Because no matter how noble he or she may be, there will always be that yearning to lie and shirk responsibility when faced with the consequence of his actions."
"That's…" Brock blew out a breath of frustrated air. "Awfully cynical."
Ash smirked exultantly. "But not incorrect."
"What have you seen that made you think this way?"
"Why? Wanna fix me?" Ash quipped before snorting derisively. "There are good people, but there is also evil. I've seen it, and it's a lot uglier in person." He disguised a thick, nervous swallow as he gulped down some water.
You haven't seen evil until you watch a man kill another man and laugh about it afterward.
He tried to forget. The flashes of memories that appeared before his eyes Haunted them even now. Especially now. Team Rocket's attack on that pokemon Center only reaffirmed his fears. They were back, and nothing would stop them. It wasn't just a few thugs like the police thought a few years ago.
They were criminals. Terrorists even. He just didn't understand why.
Why do the criminally insane do anything?
Because they can't live unless they spread pain to others and make everyone else feel as miserable as they do—because, on the inside, they want everyone else to be as rotten, despicable, and disgustingly vile as they are. Ash almost wished he could see the League's representatives' faces when they heard the news. All because they didn't believe they were that much of a threat. They blew up a school, killed twenty kids, and just as many teachers.
But it was an isolated incident, they said. It didn't require hordes of G-Men or millions of dollars in resources to find the bastards who did it. No, they chose to let the local police handle it. That probably wouldn't change. Team Rocket would have to do something truly wretched besides trying to steal some pokemon from a center. Despite his desire to see the League proven wrong, he hoped Team Rocket would never show their faces again.
He knew they would come back, though.
"I lost my mom. My dad left me to care for my brothers and sisters. I was sixteen. I'd just started out as a trainer." Brock smiled mirthlessly, trying so hard to scrounge up the better memories of that time. They made him feel so tiny under their burdensome weight. "I was so excited to travel the world. Kanto, Johto, Unova—then my mom got her diagnosis, and my dad just vanished. Her funeral—" Brock choked up, and Ash listened intently. "I had to write a eulogy. I had to arrange everything. My brothers and sisters, they were frantic. Some of them didn't even know what death and I had to explain to them they'd never see their mother again and that daddy wouldn't be home for a while. They'd ask me, "When is daddy coming home? When is mommy—" he couldn't manage it, and he sharply inhaled through his nose. It took everything to stop the tears from spilling.
"My mom died, too." Brock didn't feel as much sympathy as he should have. He was too busy wallowing in his own unresolved grief. "Cancer. My dad… well, I've never met him. Good thing, probably. If I ever did, I'd probably kill the son of a bitch. She died a while ago. She didn't leave me with responsibilities or siblings to look out for. I was alone. I would have stayed that way if…" Ash half-smiled at the thought of Professor Oak. That man, he owed him everything. "I guess we're kindred spirits, you and I."
It was Brock's turn to snort derisively. He shot up from his chair, intent on leaving the pokemon Center cafeteria. Ash's voice halted him.
"Brock."
"Yes, Ash?"
"What is your dream?"
Brock had to turn around to see if he heard right. "What?"
"What is your dream?"
The question made him ponder. Not about its substance but the relevancy of the topic itself. "I want to be a pokemon Breeder and a caregiver."
"What's stopping you?" Before Brock could reply, he continued, "You don't have to travel to be a pokemon Breeder or a caregiver, for that matter. I hear they have online classes for those sorts of things now. So who knows, after you get your education, you can find a replacement for the gym leader position in a few years." And you can move on, doing what you really want to do, went unsaid.
Brock blinked as he stared blankly as if someone had just told him one of the secrets of the universe. A smile stretched across his face. "Thank you, Ash."
Ash merely rose his plastic bottle of water.
"If you're ever in town when you're stronger, don't hesitate to come challenge me again. I'd like to see how much you and I can push each other to get stronger."
"And kick your sorry ass again? You're on."
Brock chuckled at the casual audacity. With nothing left to be said, he left the pokemon Center cafeteria with a smile on his face and a renewed sense of purpose.
"You guys looked pretty serious for a minute. I was worried he was gonna reach over the table and slug you."
Ash chortled as Misty affirmed a seat across from him. "I have that effect on people."
She scooped some fries through a cap of ketchup. "Oh, you don't have to tell me. I already know."
"You know, I don't pay you to travel with me so you can be a smart ass all the time."
"You don't pay me," she said, with only a dryness that Misty could pull off.
Ash snapped his fingers. "Damn. And here I thought I was moderately good-looking, nearly six feet tall, and the grandson of Samuel Oak. I also thought that I drove around in a convertible and paid other girls to cheer for me in my various gym conquests."
"… That's oddly specific."
Ash quirked an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"
"What are you talking about?"
Ash continued to eye her strangely. "I didn't say anything."
"You're gaslighting me, aren't you?" Misty questioned dryly.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
She rolled her eyes. "I hear you're thinking about going through Mt. Moon."
"It's the quickest way through. I heard that people only spend a few hours to a day inside, at most. It's much faster than a train fare. Cheaper, too."
"Well, Ash, I hate to say it, but I am not going through that place. It's a damn death trap. I'd rather spend a week in Viridian Forest."
Ash pursed his lips. Her rejection to accompany him was surprising. To be frank, he didn't know that she had a particular aversion to Mt. Moon. But, nevertheless, he couldn't convince her otherwise.
"I guess I'll see you in Cerulean City, then." His tone unintentionally carried a sum of his disappointment. Misty frowned, contemplating before nodding.
"You will," she confirmed confidently. "I'll make sure to cheer you on for your battle. Just make sure you train hard and don't rush. Mt. Moon is not something to take lightly. Neither are the Sensational Sisters. They may not have the best reputation, but they are gym leaders. If I were you, I would look to catch a grass or an electric type."
"What's wrong with my current team?" Ash inquired challengingly.
"They lack power," Misty said bluntly. Ash almost forgot that she didn't beat around the bush. She said what she wanted and didn't care what other people thought. He respected that. He was of the same mind. "If I were you, I would train your Gastly and evolve them before challenging the sisters. Catch a grass or an electric type. It won't win you the battle, but it will help. I hear one of them also battles with an ice type as well. Catching a fighting-type pokemon might help you there, too. It'll at least be a neutral match-up, nonetheless."
"Route 3 has a Mankey population, but they're currently feuding with the neighboring Machop." Both Misty and Ash winced. Feuding fighting types was never a pretty sight to behold. Catching one of them would not do him any good. If somehow we managed to catch one and make it out alive, getting it to obey him, well, that would be another story entirely. "I don't know any of any electric-type habitats between here and Mt. Moon. There's a few Paras and Bellsprout ones. Though, the latter ones are tough to find."
Ash didn't really think the Paris were all that good of battlers. But the Bellsprout line, those were a different story. He would not be against catching one, although if he ever did catch a grass-type native to Kanto, he would probably choose an Exeggutor or a Victreebel. Those two species were known to be formidable battlers. People tended to look down on the Exeggutor for their dopy natures and Victreebel for their violent tendencies. Exeggutor, Ash knew better than to underestimate. His boss had one on his team, after all. If they're appropriately trained to harness their psychic powers, they could become brilliant and powerful pokemon.
Kanto had a few native grass-type pokemon that he was interested in. Victreebel and Exeggutor headed that list proudly. However, both were very, very rare. You'll have a better chance of finding an Exeggcute or a Bellsprout somewhere and training them up rather than catching their fully evolved forms in the wild. Not that that was a problem. He wasn't against training weaker, younger pokemon to become stronger. It's just a little simpler catching them when they're already in one of their evolved states. It was far more straightforward and way less time-consuming.
"I'm sure you'll figure out a way. I personally didn't think you had much of a chance against Brock, but you proved me wrong."
"I will beat the Cerulean City gym. It's a foregone conclusion. Whether or not it takes me two tries or a hundred, I will overcome them."
Misty smiled, figuring as much. She wove her hand and said, "Good luck. I'll see you when you make it."
Ash gave her a single, seemingly uninterested two-finger salute.
The day after his battle against Brock came soon enough. Since then, he meditated in his room, brainstorming strategies against the sisters. He thanked Joy again and then left the pokemon Center. Ash had already double-checked his supplies while waiting for them to heal. He possessed everything he needed to get through Mt. Moon. Potions, flashlights, rations, emergency MREs, and a set of polymer-nylon climbing rope.
After that, he was soon out of Pewter City, breaking out onto Route 3, the conjunction between Pewter City and Mt. Moon. By his estimate, due to mapping moderate walking speed, it would take around three days to hike through the entire road fully. Ash didn't mind. As long he broke through Mt. Moon by Sunday's nightfall, he was fine with however long it took.
He made sure to train his pokemon diligently before entering Mt. Moon. The schedule he concocted during his last day in Pewter City served him well. He ultimately chose to teach Gastly a few new moves along with Carvanha. Unfortunately, it was too short of a time to do any sort of strength-increasing exercises. However, he could teach them a few moves if they learned them quickly enough. That was both of their primary weaknesses at this point. Besides their lack of raw power, of course, being in their first stage of evolution and all.
For Gastly, he chose to teach him Astonish, a ghost-type attack. It could be used at range and would give Gastly a better ghost attack than a Lick. Venoshock was a bit more complex, although. Learning the technique was simple enough. Ash read somewhere that teaching toxic was comparable to other ranged poison-type attacks. All the pokemon had to do was imbue a particular style of poison, and the attack would necessarily be half-completed. Then all the pokemon had to do was learn how to shape it and correctly form its attributes.
Gastly was not unused to the more formative technique work. Surprisingly, when he wanted to, he could show he had some decent discipline and patience. Maybe the week and a half of evasion and tactic training shaped his tendencies a little.
Carvanha learned Snarl. Much like Gastly, he learned the first move quickly enough. Although when Ash went to teach him Ice Fang, it was more complicated than he anticipated. That was like pulling teeth, really.
Carvanha could barely grasp the form of energy he was supposed to be drawing on. No matter what Ash did, he could not get him to form the technique correctly. It took hours upon hours to direct the energy correctly. Forming it and shaping it was another matter entirely. Ash wasn't rushing the progress, though.
Ice Fang was mainly for the pesky Zubats that he knew would reside in Mt. Moon. It would only do a little for the various rock and ground types he would find. Not that Carvana needed another method of dealing with rock types. He already had Aqua Jet. Ash tried to compare Poison Fang to Ice Fang, hoping that it would correlate the two in his mind.
It was far from successful.
A little over three days later, the sun was setting, and the clouds were beginning to get grayer. Ash reached the entrance of Mt. Moon. The travel brought little difficulty, other than battling a few wild pokemon and a few trainers. But he made the travel to Mt. Moon within two and a half hours. Quicker than he expected, not that Ash was complaining.
He did pass a few Mankey—even a singular Machop.
Unfortunately, they would not meet his standards.
No, they needed heartbeats to do that.
It took him a few minutes to scrub the images from his brain, but he went on to Route 3, knowing the factions were warring. No matter what species it was, pokemon or human, war was still war.
The young trainer glanced up, taking a second to appreciate Mt. Moon's greatness fully.
The colossal mountain seethed in the sunset, its snowy caps sweltering in the sun. Its petrified peak flickered with the dying sun while its slopes faded gradually into a dark blue behind the dark green of the evergreen trees. Its base was shadowed by the trees, but its sheer size of it is so elephantine that even the tiniest strip of sunlight is more than enough to illuminate the entirety of its base without a single ray of light reflected off the surface.
The mountain's craggy cliffs jutted out from its formidable façade, landforms created by eons worth of wind and weather erosion. Mossy carpets clung to their sides, straining along their ridges like veins as they stretched down towards softer grounds below. From afar, one could see small patches of snow still dotting its crevices, though most had been melted away by the spring heat.
Its mere size was frankly awe-inspiring; one can only imagine what secrets it might hold deep within its bowels. What mysteries lie beneath those rocky peaks and hidden valleys? Man and pokemon have been exploring its depth for hundreds of years. Still, scientists proclaimed that they had only just managed to understand an infinitesimal portion of its obscurities and paradoxes. For now, all Ash could do was marvel at this great natural feat and draw strength from its unshakable presence.
Mysteries had always fascinated him. Mt. Moon was perhaps the greatest one native to Kanto. Even so, it was frightening and daunting - a reminder that nature was more powerful than man. It was taller than any mountain the travelers had seen before, and its peak touched the clouds. The slopes were steep, almost sheer, but the trees and shrubs were densely packed, providing a break from the relentless altitude.
"It's breathtaking," Ash murmured. Awe had taken root in his heart, a deep admiration for the mountain's mightiness and beauty as well as all the secrets that lay dormant within it—secrets that begged to be discovered.
As the clouds slowly shifted, the sun's light slowly illuminated the snow that swathed its peak. It was only when the harsh sunlight speared his eyes that he shook off his daze.
The forest leading up into the structure smelled of fresh pine and crisp, cool air. The air was dry and tasted like woodsmoke; the dark clouds of the coming storm hung on the horizon. As wind howled into and out of the trees, the distant echoes of thunder caused a chill to run down his spine. Mt. Moon's imposing presence weighed down on the entire forest.
A glint caught his eye. It was as if the sun's rays reflected off of something metal. Or rather, someone metallic. The clouds partially shielded his gaze from its oppressive light.
He could see clearly now. At the top of the peak, a figure glared harshly down onto him. A giant red avian with feathers that ruffled in the whirlwinds. No—Ash shook his head. It wasn't red. Only its sharp, savage eyes were. A set of glimmering rubies just daring him to climb up and contest its position.
Ash blinked, and suddenly, it was gone. He didn't dare question whether or not it was really there. No, he knew what his eyes saw.
Did he? A tiny flicker of doubt eased into his mind like a worm through the ear.
Trainers, young and old, newbies and experienced, found themselves lost in there all the time. Even some of the most seasoned travelers had trouble navigating the monster that was Mt. Moon. It was indeed a worthy destination to marvel at, but it was just as worthy of your fear as your respect.
The mountain was gigantic, but he knew it was relatively short as opposed to some of the other mountains in the world, Mt. Silver, for one. When he did a research paper on Mt. Silver, he decided one day he would like to travel there. The pokemon that were rumored to inhabit that mountain were supposed to be fierce, rare, and dangerous. It was the highest peak in all of Kanto and Johto. However, even it was overshadowed by the infamous Mt. Coronet in the Sinnoh region, which was said to be able to touch the heavens. There were those in the scientific community that claimed that unironically. It only made Ash more curious about seeing it one day. He already had the idea in his head to one day travel through Sinnoh.
Perhaps he could after visiting Mt. Silver. Ash never laid eyes on it. Not personally. He did research on it, a paper for school detailing some of its facts, mystery, and lore. It was one of his best papers. Sixteen pages. More than eight thousand words, a dozen citations from competent researchers, and a few theories on what could lay beneath or within Mt. Silver's depths.
His teacher told him he could have done half that and still have retained his A+. Ash would rather not have. He never dealt with half-measures.
Other than that, though, he wished he could have visited it once. It was one of the many sites he hoped to see one day.
People even said the air was so sparse there that anyone who reached the top would soon expire from oxygen deprivation.
Ash didn't like the idea of being underneath millions of tons of stone. He would prefer an alternate way to get to Cerulean, but Mt. Moon was the only way unless he decided to return to Viridian again and take some of the other side routes or the train, which Ash disregarded. There was a reason that trade between the two halves of Kanto, the west consisting of Viridian, Pewter, and the myriad of minor towns such as Pallet, and the east, which consisted of Cerulean, Saffron, Celadon, Vermilion, Lavender, and Fuchsia was minimal and it was almost entirely due to Mt. Moon.
As long as he was careful, Ash estimated that Mt. Moon shouldn't take more than a day or two to trek through. Two, if he ran into complications. Ash was confident he could make it through with his schedule intact. There were plenty of markers already erected by League officials that would make his journey more manageable.
Right as Ash was ready to begin his hike through Mt. Moon, a loud cry reached his ears. Ash's head immediately snapped to the general direction of the scream. Flashbacks of the Gyarados that was attacking Misty flashed before his eyes. Biting the inside of his mouth, he grunted and cursed lowly before dashing over to where the screaming originated.
Ash came upon the disturbance; a man was on his side, doing his absolute best to shield his face. A flock of Zubat attacked him viciously, tearing his clothes asunder. Several hovered over his head, snapping at it. However, they didn't aim only at his head, but his hands, ears, hair, eyes, lips, nose, and all the critical areas above his shoulders.
Grunting, Ash tore out two Pokeballs, tossing them out. Then, coming from their respective balls, Gastly and Carvanha were summoned in a brilliant display of white light.
"Gastly, Venoshock. Carvanha, Aqua Jet."
Each pokemon gave simultaneous cries, launching their respective attacks. The flock immediately shrunk back into the mountain as two of their own were struck. They chirped furiously. Somehow, Ash didn't think they would forget his face. Vengeance would be theirs; he was sure was circulating their minds.
The victim suddenly lunged at him. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you so much! I was certain that was the end for me! But I'm alive! I'm alive! All thanks to you; a strong trainer! Thank you again so much!"
"It's no problem." Ash returned. "Though, you'd better get out of here. Better to be in the pokemon Center when the Zubat bring reinforcements."
"Reinforcements...?" his question came out like a mouse squeak. An affirmative nod from Ash was all that was needed to send the man running. Sucker.
See ya.
Shaking his head, Ash set his sights back on Mt. Moon. Before long, the light from outside the cave died, and the young trainer was submerged in the pit of darkness that veiled Mt. Moon. However, that darkness did not last as Ash retrieved his flashlight to pave his way. Although there was only so much it could do as darkness swallowed him whole, it was still better than nothing.
Ash wasn't all that concerned.
Mt. Moon held more Zubat than Ash cared to count, he admitted, now more than an hour into his journey. Most caverns were natural habits of Zubat. Deep mountain tunnels like this were far, in a way, overpopulated. It was no fault of the caverns but rather the blatant general overpopulation of Zubat themselves. They were the most populous pokemon in the region. It was a recognized issue in the scientific community. Ash was unlucky enough to accompany one of Oak's lead researchers assigned to gather data about this issue. He could personally attest to how much of a problem the overpopulation was becoming. If the Zubat were more destructive, it would be a League-recognized problem.
Alas, since few were truly struck down by it, the League did not see the concern of the overpopulation to be, well, a concern.
Politics infuriated Ash.
The League did its best to march the line of appeasing the conservationists, the traditionalists, and the overzealous party that believed pokemon trainers were slavers. Yeah, Oak's circle wasn't the only one laughing at them. When he heard their ludicrous and incredibly biased views backed up with so-called science and facts, Ash vowed never to take them seriously. They were fools and blowhards.
They were one of the reasons why regulating specific populations of pokemon was so exceedingly tricky. These geniuses dubbed themselves the "Saviors ."
Yeah, if no one thought they were douchey before…
The League was not much better than them. At least the "Saviors" had no problem stating their beliefs. They were predictable in that sense. But, on the other hand, the League was run by politicians—corrupt individuals who made policy about subjects they knew nothing about and abused their power to benefit their standings. Ash hated them all.
They were all a bunch of hypocrites. There was no such thing as an honest politician. Just ones that lied better than the rest. They were career opportunists, schemers, and liars. Just as there was no such thing as an honest politician, a decent one didn't exist either.
Being a Champion or an Elite Four required more than battling challengers and protecting the region. They were politicians too. Whether they liked it or not, they stepped into a ravine filled with snakes who would stab their own mothers in the back if they put them an inch above the person next to them. Ash had no interest in becoming a Champion for that reason alone.
Ash located five massive colonies of Zubat in just the first few hours. Though, only one of them had a Golbat leading them. The rest were either led by an alpha Zubat or were in a constant state of mutiny and war. Ash stayed far away from those colonies. He knew better than to approach the telltale signs of animalistic screeching and cries. Although, he did pause when he noticed the evolved form of Zubat and seriously considered catching it.
Golbat were a lot more wicked and vicious than Zubat but easier to train in the sunlight as, upon evolution, they shed their sensitivity to light. Ash didn't think it would be a good idea to catch it. He would have chosen differently if the Golbat hadn't been buried behind the swath of an entire colony. His team, neither strong nor swift enough to escape so many Zubat, made him wary of angering them.
As time went on, Ash saw several more mountain pokemon, although he didn't run into anything he wanted to capture. Aside from the numerous Zubat in Mt. Moon, there were Geodude and Paras lying around on the path's borders. They weren't even bold enough to challenge him.
That was what made most of his decisions to catch something new. If the pokemon he encountered weren't interested in fighting, Ash would not put forth the effort of capturing them. To survive his training, they needed to be natural-born fighters. It was a matter of temperament, desires, and goals. None of that he could instill with training.
Boxers had a saying.
"You can't teach heart."
So far, Ash doubted the saying was erroneous in any form.
Not the correct sort of training, anyway. Or legal if corrective therapy was any indication.
Still, something seemed... off about the tunnels. He hadn't encountered a trainer upon entering, despite this being the most commonly used route for trainers going to Cerulean from Pewter City or vice versa. It put Ash on edge. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get the hair from his neck to return to its usually flaccid state. They were almost perfectly upright, and absent shivers went down his spine.
It made sleeping in the dreary mountain all that much harder. He asked if Gastly minded remaining out of his pokeball tonight. The ghost answered "no," and suddenly, he felt a lot more at ease. Gastly was watching over him as he slept. He may have been a joker, but he trusted his starter with his life.
His slumber was cut short as he was awoken by a bizarre sound he'd never perceived before. It was almost like metal grinding against softer, more malleable material.
Then, a weight passed over his feet.
Ash shot out of his sleeping bag. He nearly tripped and broke his neck, but he scrambled for the flashlight he knew he put next to his head. Then, all of a sudden, a light appeared, and Ash gaped.
A small, silvery creature was barely illuminated—
… by his flashlight!
The little thing was chewing on the crown of the light source. Ash could barely make out the creature's features. Not that he cared what it was—that was his only flashlight and, thus, his only light source! He was absurdly cautious entering the cave. He bought several packs of batteries in the unlikely event that he actually lost it. But he didn't take into account that a pokemon would eat the damn flashlight or that Gastly would fall asleep on guard duty.
Eh.
He probably should have expected the latter.
"What the absolute fuck?!"
The creature perked up upon hearing his shrill shout. He stared right in the eyes, his flashlight still stuck between his gum-less lips.
Apparently, Gastly had woken up from his yell as the ghost fluttered over and nailed him with a Confuse Ray. The culprit blinked slowly until his baby blues crossed. It fell on his butt. A metal clang followed his head as it smacked against a protruding rock. The flashlight slipped from his mouth and clattered uselessly. It turned, and the light illuminated the pokemon in full.
It was small—Ash assumed it was due to the size of its head. It was a safe assumption that its head would be relative to the rest of its body. The pokemon seemed to be a quadrupedal creature. It stood with four squatty legs and a broad, round head. Its body was primarily black with plates of gray… armor, he wondered—covering its head, back, and legs. Throughout its body were small circular openings in the armor. There were six on its head, with the most significant two openings for its pale blue eyes and one on either side of the spike on its back. A single, blunt spike protruded from its back.
When Ash saw its stubby legs and the pokemon's overall color scheme, he knew immediately what it was, and he jumbled about trying to find a pokeball. He ran only to step on something, or rather, a pile of somethings. They were tiny and jabbed into the soft flesh of his foot. Ash snatched the flashlight from the ground and pointed it at his foot. Pieces of red and silver metal glittered on the ground.
Pokeballs.
The little shit ate his pokeballs.
Luckily, not so much for him, but it seemed the bugger missed one. Ash plucked it out of the dirt and threw it over the dazed and widely confused pokemon. It was sucked in, and the only thing Ash heard in the cave was a mechanical whine. Ash waited for that wonderful, fantastical bing, and it came a set of tense seconds that Ash was sure would take years off his life.
Ash searched for his Pokedex, praying to whatever god there was, hoping that it didn't eat that too. The cool metal graced his grasp, and he exhaled sharply. Ash flipped it open, glaring over at Gastly, who didn't even have the decency to look embarrassed.
"Aron, Iron Armor pokemon, the pre-evolved form of Aggron. Aron has a body of steel. With one all-out charge, this pokemon can demolish even a heavy dump truck. The destroyed dump truck then becomes a handy meal for the pokemon. It eats iron to build its steel body. It is a pest that descends from mountains to eat bridges and train tracks. When it evolves, it sheds the steel carapace that covers its whole body and develops a new one.
This Aron is male and knows the moves: Tackle, Metal Claw, Harden, and Rollout. Aron has the Egg Moves(s): Dragon Rush and Iron Head. Its ability is Rock Head, which nullifies recoil damage from moves like Take Down. However, it does not prevent the pokemon from fainting when it uses moves that cause the pokemon to faint, like Self-Destruct or Explosion."
"Two egg moves?" While not marvelously uncommon, it wasn't every day you captured a pokemon with two. The more analytical part of him wondered what the actual percentage of pokemon possessed two or more egg moves. Ash knew that Professor Oak's Dragonite had three. It took years, but he managed to get somewhat of a detailed history from the beast. Apparently, Professor Oak captured him as a Dragonair. He'd stumbled upon a small island inhabited solely by the Dragonite line. Though, no matter what Ash did or offered in return, he could never get his boss to divulge the island's location. The old man promised him that the coordinates of that fantastic island would die with him. Disappointing, but Ash respected it.
"You've got some explaining to do."
Gastly chittered guiltily.
He wasn't awfully mad; Ash needed to hammer in the lesson, nevertheless. "When you accept responsibility, you must shoulder it to the best of your abilities. Failing a task is bad enough, but at least there is effort in failure. You accepted a responsibility, and not only did you fail in carrying it out, but you couldn't even try. I trust you with my life. Maybe I shouldn't." Gastly flinched, and Ash hardened his heart. He needed to hear this. "If you would have lost against a pokemon that was trying to kill me, and it succeeded, I wouldn't feel angry at you at all. Because you tried your hardest. You accepted that responsibility, and you tried. There was not of that here. I'm not angry, but you have to know that when you accept a task, you can't drop the ball like that."
In a shocking display of guilt, Gastly looked elsewhere, unable to glance in Ash's general direction.
"Gastly, look at me." No response. "Gastly." The single, firmly uttered urged him to obey. "I'm not saying this to hurt your feelings. There was a time when I had to be told something I didn't like to hear. It was my boss. What he said pissed me off. I put a hole through his wall and stomped out like a child. I didn't talk to him for a month. In the end, though, I realized he told me the truth, and I didn't like it. I decided to stop being a petulant child and took the good with the bad.
"How we deal with those truths determines who we are and who we will grow into being. If our first response is to cower before these truths and ignore them, then how can we ever expect to grow beyond our faults? You messed up. Move on. There will be a time when you'll probably have to tell me the same damn thing. We good?"
"Gast…" It was a solemnly uttered word. However, the look on Gastly's face told him that he had gotten through to him. Relieved and proud, Ash moved on.
He decided to rip off the band-aid for this particular situation right here and now. Ash released Aron. The pokemon materialized right before him and stared up at him confusedly. Ash nearly cringed, thinking that Aron was unable to grasp what just happened. Although the frown that morphed onto the steel type's face made him reconsider that assumption.
"I'm not going to apologize for catching you." The frown on the little pokemon's face ran deeper. "In case you forgot, you sought me out. I didn't come into your cave and eat your flashlight or your pokeballs. Those cost a fortune, you know. That's thousands of dollars I won't be getting back."
Ash could care less about the money. Gastly knew that. Hence the not-so-subtle eye roll.
"I didn't catch you out of punishment. I did it because you're a gutsy little thing. Your species are supposed to be shy. They do not waltz into another trainer's camp and eat their pokeballs. You have balls. And judging by that stink eye and those baby blues, you've got guts as well. I like that in a pokemon. You're a fighter. I only catch and train fighters. If that's not you, tell me right now, and I'll smash this pokeball and even give you the pieces to eat. If it is you, though, I'll turn you into the strongest pokemon you know."
Aron glanced around the cave, disguising his thoughtfulness with apathy.
"I know a bit about your species. Probably more than you do." Aron glared nastily. "At least in general application. I'm not convincing you to stay. You're mine. But if you're not going to fight for me, I'm not gonna waste my time trying to convince you otherwise. The time that I would spend doing that is time I could be spending with my other pokemon. Although, just so you know, you'll be squandering the best opportunity of your life. Because one day, I'll have beaten every single champion on this planet, and you'll know that. You will regret not taking the one chance that could have changed your life for the better. If you're content dwelling in a cave where no one gives a shit about you, that's fine. Just know you have a once and a life time opportunity to become better than everyone else. I can do that."
Ash dropped his pokeball. It clattered to the rocky surface and rolled over to Aron. The pokemon blinked in shock. He thought he was bluffing.
"Go ahead. The metal should make for a great meal. You've already eaten my other ten for an appetizer. What's another one to the list?"
Aron's lip curled in contemplation. He lifted one of his stubby legs up and was intent on bringing it down on the ball. Then he paused, the sole of his foot an inch short. The image of him, a mighty Aggron, standing above a mountain of defeated enemies, entered his mind. It was tantalizing. The scent of the power he only could dream of taunted him. Fantasies he would have every night before going to sleep. They all came back to him. They reared their ugly heads with a vengeance.
This human, this trainer, was right about one thing.
He did want to become mighty.
He was better than everyone else and all those who said he'd be nothing.
He wanted to show them they were nothing compared to him. If this trainer was really willing to let him smash his pokeball and free himself, then he would allow him to do so in the future. If he disappointed him then, after giving him a chance, he would personally rid himself of this human.
The chance of evolving, the opportunity of being something great, was too much to pass up.
Aron kicked the ball over to him.
His answer was clear.
Ash plucked it back off the ground, smirking. Aron mirrored his look.
"Smart and determined. I like you already." That simper soiled itself when Aron bashed his crown against his shin. Ash glared down at it. "I can still crush this," he held up his pokeball threateningly, "don't push me." That only made Aron ram his head into his leg again. Harder this time and a hiss left his sneering lips. "I hate you already."
Gastly rolled his eyes once again at his trainer's antics.
Now that he was up, adrenaline pumping in his veins, there was no way he was going to be able to fall asleep again.
He began his trek further into Mt. Moon.
An hour in, and he found himself filled with regret.
Everything warned him that there was something wrong.
His instincts were screaming at him, whispering things in his ears. The experience he gained from learning under Professor Oak put him on edge. His own wit told him that there was no way Mt. Moon should have this many pokemon south of the entrance yet have no trainers.
Another dull half-hour passed before Ash came up with a theory explaining the lack of activity. The young trainer felt like a fool for not figuring it out beforehand. The pokemon that lived within Mt. Moon knew the habitat unlike any human ever could. Their families lived her for generations. The knowledge they had about this place hithered to undreamt of. The route through the mountain was accurately marked with signs directing a safe, proper way to Cerulean City. It made complete sense that the mountain's wild pokemon would steer clear of the human's main course of travel unless they were interested in seeking a trainer for whatever reason.
Realization struck him.
Suppose he wanted to catch rare pokemon while inside Mt. Moon possibly; he would need to explore the unknown. Aron found him when he wandered off the beaten path. Though, Aron were not incredibly rare pokemon. They were rarely seen captured by trainers. Misty's fear of mountainous caves was an uncommon one. Significantly few trainers actually traveled through Mt. Moon or other similar caves.
The Aron population was not unknown to Ash. It'd been growing steadily for the past thirty-years when researchers found it's like burrowed deep within Mt. Moon. They weren't able to determine how long they had been occupying the mountain before they found them, but it was estimated at least another five to ten years. In all actuality, it was almost impossible to create an accurate determination. Mt. Moon was so immense that no one had ever traveled the entire thing. Not even close. The scientists stated that, after more than fifty years of study, they estimated that they had only traveled through a quarter of the mountain's tunnels.
Furthermore, they were sure there was some sort of underground passageway beneath the mountain. Their x-ray imaginary proved their theories a little over six years ago. Their assumptions were not contested, but like all science, there had to be proof for it be recognized. When the evidence came, no one was surprised about the existence of Mt. Moon having a prominent underground presence. It'd been one of the most shocking discoveries, however, to reveal that Mt. Moon's underground ran just as deep as the mountain itself towered above.
The various winding tunnels and entranceways were innumerable. Mt. Moon was a mystery humans would unlikely solve even in his lifetime.
Ash had no problem going off-trail. He had done it in Route 1, Viridian Forest, and Route 3. He knew how to hike through forests and caves. And if, at some point, he believed he was in danger, he had pokemon repellent. The stuff cost him a good bit of money back in Viridian City. It was worth it, though. There would come a time when it would be useful. Professor Oak said that stuff saved his life more than once in the past and during field expeditions. Pokemon Repellent was proven to rebuff wild pokemon. A chemical within it messed up their natural senses, making whoever wore it deeply unpleasant to linger around.
He imagined he would need a supply back when he was traveling through the Viridian Forest. Fortunately, he never had to so much as crack the seal of the canister. The pokemon that attacked weren't strong enough to pose a significant threat, and he just used the encounters as further training and ways his party could gain more battle experience.
But, just then, Ash froze in his tracks.
Something struck a chord within him. A sound deeper within the cave—farther than what his flashlight could reach. But it didn't sound natural. It almost sounded like... metal and steel clashing against one another. Maybe even against rock or stone...
Ash slowly crept forward, his steps not even making the slightest sound. Softly, the young trainer dawdled his breathing. He progressed further; he peeked around the edge of an arc in the course before advancing. However, his right shoulder constantly brushed against the wall as he traveled through a narrow, uneven corridor. He minimized the size of his frame—just in case there really was something down there—and so he could remain hidden. But as he drew closer, he heard loud hissings and cries farther down the tunnel.
Something was indeed awry about this whole situation. Somehow, Ash found himself in the middle of it. As he began to draw nearer, he began to develop a harrowing headache. The severity of it made him flinch to the side. Ash thought that he could almost hear a sound. Nonetheless, whenever he attempted to focus on it, his concentration slipped, and he found himself stumbling and tripping over his own feet like a drunkard.
Ash whined as the pain got worse. He clasped his hands over his ears in the hopes of blocking out the bitter noise—no such luck.
Finally, it grew so intense he felt warm liquid draining down the sides of his head. Vaguely, he touched it and confusedly noted the warm liquid was coming from his ears. Grunting, his legs out from under him, but suddenly, cries and screeches of pokemon grew louder. But with that, the pain grew more intense. Ash, however, refused to cry in pain. Instead, he kept his mouth shut. Cowards wept at the sight of pain, and Ash Ketchum was no coward. Grinding his teeth together, Ash pushed forward, his right hand dragging along the side mountain wall.
He didn't want to know what had managed to cause so many pokemon, especially the tough wild ones that had survived in the depths of Mt. Moon, such pain or distress. Regrettably, his inquiry was soon answered. As he slowly walked through the gradually brightening tunnel, electric lamps hanging from the ceiling provided a greater amount of light. The trainer suddenly saw two men in black uniforms with crimson "R's" engraved into their chests.
The men also saw him and shouted—Ash would have been able to hear what he said had he not been in such agonizing pain. Ash barely glimpsed one of them, tapping a pokeball, and anger flooded him. These men, they were wearing Team Rocket garb! Just those idiots from before! But these two weren't like the clowns he ran into in Viridian. No, these guys looked like brutal grunts who would do anything to please their masters.
He turned to his right and tried to stop when he saw a flash of a large set of fangs a scant foot ahead of him. Instinctively, Ash threw out his arm in front of his face, and the fangs latched onto it. Ash didn't cry out, but he did hiss loudly. The combination of frustration and pain from the screaming headache and now the fact that he was being attacked by a Zubat that was owned by these grunts only made him angrier.
Planting his foot, Ash threw his arm to the side in an attempt to fling the Zubat off. However, he winced further, as that seemed to do was make the Zubat clamp down harder. Breathing raggedly, Ash did the unthinkable; he grabbed Zubat's wired jaw, and with a bellow, he pried the pokemon from his arm. Hurriedly, he threw the pokemon to his left, and his right arm fell limp to his side.
Instinct and adrenaline rushing through his mind, Ash pulled out all his pokeballs and threw them forward. Each of his pokemon immediately set into battling stances upon being summoned. Gastly immediately rushed to his trainer's side once he smelt the stench of his blood. However, as he neared, the Zubat came screeching around for another turn. He didn't even get within a few feet as Gastly sunk his fangs into the Zubat's throat.
Ash glanced over, his vision running blurry. He dimly noticed Gastly as he put the Zubat out of commission. Although, he turned, wearily dizzy. Confused and nauseous from the venom that the Zubat was coursing into his bloodstream, Ash stumbled. He did have enough awareness to watch as Gastly and Carvanha dismantled the two grunt's pokemon.
The young trainer fought the urge to vomit as he watched the brutal fight unfold, each of his pokemon mercilessly fighting and all in the name of defending him. He'd heard of pokemon fighting like this in defense of their families. It was something that Ash was taught in his first year of school. Pokemon could be extremely dangerous. Even the weakest could easily kill a human. All but those that were overwhelmed by hatred were naturally against taking a life except for food or self-defense. But this was worse than anything he could have dreamed of. He knew that it was necessary. Team Rocket were criminals, not the harmless ones in cartoons that made overly complicated plots and failed at accomplishing anything. Still, that didn't make him feel any better when he saw Gastly tear into another one of their pokemon.
Suddenly it was all over.
The Team Rocket pokemon were unconscious and bleeding, although they wouldn't die. Except for the one that actually bit him...
Gastly had torn out its throat.
More pokemon rushed from the grunt's possession. They pounced. Just before Gastly was about to attack, a Muk formed between them and swallowed them whole.
Ash couldn't hold down the wretch that resulted from the creature's putrid smell. It was like someone had mixed rotting corpses, molding food, human feces, and expired-anything into one.
"Recall your pokemon." A cold voice suddenly ordered, breaking the tense silence that had resulted from the Muk's sudden appearance. Ash slowly turned and noticed the speaker of those words belonged to a tall, rugged man with piercing eyes and a long, gray beard. The man had a fair skin complexion and wore a black jacket, brown cargo pants, and dark brown hiking boots. "I said, recall your pokemon." He sounded even less pleasant than before.
"And why should I do that? For all I know, you could be one of those savages." Ash remained standing, despite the awful achiness that flooded him.
"Because if you want to live, you need to let me help you before you die from the venom." The man responded uncaringly as he pointed at Ash's bleeding arm.
Gastly, inches from Ash, hissed, his fangs stained with blood.
"If I wanted you dead, I would have taken you out with Muk, like I did those criminals."
That was all Ash needed as he cautiously returned his pokemon. He did his best to ignore Gastly hissing, reluctant form before he zapped back into pokeball. Carvanha gave a short cry. Aron was not all that pleased either, as they, too, were returned back into their balls.
"Good," the man said, marching over to Ash, who instinctively took a step back. The man paused and sighed. "Look, kid, do you want to die today? Huh? Is that what you want?"
Ash clenched his jaw before his legs finally gave out from under him. He was barely aware of the sensation of his knees scraping against the ground. Muk's trainer immediately crouched down and slowly moved Ash until his back was pressing firmly on the cave wall.
The trainer reached inside his jacket and pulled out a syringe before grabbing a slight veil of murky yellow liquid. Ash's half-idled eyes ogled the syringe, unable to move a single muscle as the poison began running its course. He was barely able to muster enough energy to move his eyeballs. The man grunted and snatched Ash's arm. He gently moved his thumb over his wrist. There were faint, revolting purple lines shooting up his arm. With the syringe in hand, he injected the loaded syringe into the first vein he could find. Before long, the violet contours faded. The trainer cautiously flipped his arm to ensure the venom was purged completely.
He had to ensure the young man wasn't running a fever. However, he doubted the venom was inside his system long enough. But he wasn't one to be reckless. He clutched Ash's forehead, searching for a fever before nodding. The boy's temperature was elevated, but not too concerning levels. Though. The clamminess was most likely from the venom itself, not a fever. At most, his temperature would rise a little, but it would not break out into an all-out craze. At the good news, the trainer steadied to the other side of the cave before sitting across from the young man.
Time passed slowly, and the mysterious trainer just sat there, staring at the wall Ash was laying against. However, as it neared the half-hour mark, Ash stirred. That caught the trainer's attention, and his gaze drifted over to Ash. Furthermore, he watched as the young man's eyes opened. At first, his eyes just slowly opened, but once he realized his position and what had happened before he fell unconscious, his eyes immediately snapped open.
There was still some sleep in the young man's eyes. Ash grunted, wiping his eyes clear of it. "How long was I out?"
"No more than an hour," the trainer said lazily. Ash pursed his lips and pushed himself, grinding against the tunnel's barrier.
"Who are you?" The elder trainer glanced over at Ash before speaking.
"You can call me Jonah. I'm a free-lance agent that works with the G-Men."
"A G-Man?"
"Yeah. The G-Men is an organization that revolves around investigation. We mostly take care of dangerous organizations and organized crime around Kanto and Johto, and all that jazz," Jonah replied without much concern, showing that he didn't care much for the explanation. It didn't help that it sounded like a practiced explanation he'd said a hundred times before.
"Now you're concerned about Team Rocket?" Ash scoffed bitterly.
The man shared his ire, though he did not show it. "They only started caring recently. The story goes that Team Rocket attacked one of their safe houses." Ash's eyes parted in surprise. "They killed the chief of the ACE trainers."
"The Old Boar?" He was practically a legend in Kanto. He was one of the first people ever to win the Indigo League. He was mainly a ground and rock type specialist but also dabbled and ice types. The man served in the war and was said to be one of the army's strictest, most merciless generals. After the war, he was offered a spot in the pokemon League. When he refused, they offered him a position—the first-ever ACE trainer. The man must have been eighty-ninety years old but still sharp and ruthless as ever. "So that's why they care. One of their own was killed."
Jonah, too, snorted. "They've been trying to keep Team rockets advances under wraps. But the fact is they've been attacking frequently as they've ever seen. News reports are starting to leak. Like that attack in Viridian."
"Wasn't much of an attack. A couple of morons were trying to still from a Pokemon Center."
"You were there." Somehow, Jonah didn't seem surprised. "And now you find yourself in a steaming pile of shit once again. Seems like you have a magnet for that sort of thing."
"Why divulge this information? There has to be a security clearance or something, right?"
Jonah shrugged uncaringly. "I'm a free-lance trainer. I don't belong to their organization. Their rules don't apply to me. I could give a rat's ass who I tell. The only thing I care about is putting every member of Team Rocket behind bars for the rest of their wretched lives." The flicker of fury burned brighter.
"Yet you saved my life," Ash said, his voice leading off.
"You're but a boy in a man's world. Soon you'll realize that," replied Jonah before staring Ash right into his eyes. "You've met four Team Rocket agents in the span of three weeks. I need to know what you know."
"So that's why you saved my life," Ash slowly nodded, understanding dawning on him. "You need me to talk."
"Yup. Plus, the grunts I was tracking got away while I was forced to tend to your wounds."
Ash scoffed, shaking his head at the audacity of this man. "You made your choice. You could have easily left me there to die. But you didn't. Apparently, I'm more use to you than those "grunts."
"... I suppose you're a smart boy, at least. It's probably the only reason why you're alive." Jonah's body posture then shifted. "Now, tell me what you know about Team Rocket."
"About as much as everyone else. They attacked a pokemon Institute and Celadon city. Ever since then, they've been reticent. No activity whatsoever beyond a random sighting or two that the league never really gave a shit about. Until now, in Viridian, where they attacked the pokemon Center." Ash said, and this time, it was Jonah's turn to scoff.
"Please, you know more than that." Ash glanced at him. "Think. What did you learn from the two times you encountered them."
Ash snorted, "well, two of their agents are a male and a female. The male's name is James. He has blue hair and is... rather flamboyant and a total moron. The female is named Jessie. She has, oddly enough, pink-colored hair. They also had a talking pokemon. A Meowth."
"A talking pokemon?" Now Jonah seemed a little interested.
"Fully capable of speaking the common tongue."
Jonah stared speculatively. "I know a lot of people who would love to get their mitts on a pokemon that can speak our language." Ash just nodded. He knew more than a few people as well. Of course, most of them had noble reasons, such as scientific curiosity, but he also knew others with less savory reasons.
Ash, after a moment, stood. Jonah watched with hidden interest, internally wondering if the boy had the strength to carry himself. To his surprise, Ash made it to his feet. Though, he watched as the boy stood on trembling legs. He also noticed the boy's jaw was clenched, and muscles throbbed painfully along the sides of his face. However, the boy resisted the urge to lean onto the wall. Instead, he stood tall, no matter his immense pain and difficulties.
"You should rest," Jonah jeered.
Ash stumbled. "Keep your suggestions to yourself!" he bit out.
"I wasn't giving you advice," Jonah said, shrugging. "I was just commenting wisely."
Ash resisted the urge to roll his eyes before glancing down at his arm wrapped in medical tape. "You took care of my wounds."
"Oh, don't thank me at all," he commented, "I used your supplies."
"Of course you did." He then sighed. "What now?"
"What now? You go on like this never happened. Ignore everything you saw and don't go to the authorities. Keep everything to yourself."
"Do you have any other commands?" Ash gibed through a grimace.
"I don't know; do you have any more wise remarks?"
Ash kept his mouth shut before grabbing his belongings. After he strapped on his traveling sack, he threw on his jacket. Slowly, he began to walk, only to pause as the ground shook. Ash wearily glanced up and watched as small amounts of dust and dirt fell from the tunnel's ceiling. He didn't have to turn around and ask if Jonah felt the same thing. Judging by the fact that Jonah's feet were scraping around at the ground nearing him, he knew he did.
"Stay here!" Jonah ordered before sprinting down the tunnel.
Ash watched his retreating form before scoffing. "Piss on that!"
"This isn't about you!" Jonah yelled, whirling around about five meters ahead.
"They made this about me when they sicked their Zubat's on me!"
"Are you going to make your pokemon kill for you again?" Jonah's hot retort made Ash clench his jaw. "That's what I thought. It's kill or be killed with Team Rocket, kid. You do not want to get involved."
"They know what I look like," Ash mumbled.
"What?"
Ash shouted, "I said they know what I look like!" before quietly continuing. "Those two grunts saw my face. As did those two morons in Viridian."
Jonah pursed his lips before shaking his head. "It doesn't matter. Just get out of here."
"I'm going with you," Ash said, taking a wobbly step forward.
"You can barely walk!" Jonah was beginning to lose his temper. "I don't have time to deal with Team Rocket and protect you."
More tremors split through the ground.
"I can pull my own weight, and the longer we spend arguing about this, the longer Team Rocket continues to operate on whatever they're doing!" Ash retorted coolly, his temper remaining low and controlled.
"Fine!" Jonah said after a moment, speaking with cold displeasure. "But! Do not, under any circumstance, think I'm going to pull your ass out of the fire again. If I have to choose between catching those Team Rocket operatives and saving your life, I will let you die. Every single time."
Ash stared at him before he felt his lip curl.
"I'm glad we've come to an understanding."
"Ugh, I can't believe we got put on some grunt job like this. Blocking the tunnel entrance? You have to be shittin' me? Do we have to walk all that way? Why not just bring the ceiling down right here?" a Team Rocket grunt uttered, annoyance clear in his tone.
"Because that will make the whole tunnel collapse, you dipshit. There's a reason you get the grunt jobs." his companion muttered. He wasn't happy about getting this post either, but he was beyond welching about it. "Besides, it's an easy job compared to guard duty. Remember that little kid that totally creamed you and your buddies?"
"She got lucky!" the grunt growled. "She caught us by surprise with Bulbasaur!"
"You got your ass handed to you, so do me a favor and spare me your meager attempts at trying not to seem useless. Besides, Alex took her down easily enough after you shit the bed. Now, she and the other trainers that were stumbling through Mt. Moon can either join us or get their pokemon... relieved from their persons. We win either way."
"If I'm such a "dipshit" then what does that make you for getting this same post?" the first asked cockily.
"A loyal soldier who doesn't question the orders he's given," the second retorted.
"No... I think that makes you dead!" A sharp voice came from the shadows.
The two grunts turned, but they were too late.
"Ninetails, Flamethrower!"
The grunts didn't even have time to call out their pokemon as a funnel of flames thrust them back. Each of them flew back into the tunnel walls, their suits ripped and charred. Although their skin was only moderately burnt. From the shadows, Jonah and Ash walked forward. By Jonah's side was a beautiful Ninetails.
Ash's eyes grew hard. They were kidnapping trainers and stealing their pokemon. That was their goal here. To steal pokemon and recruit other trainers. Ash clenched his fists as he thought about his pokemon, especially Gastly, ripped from his arms and forced to do unspeakable acts in the name of Team Rocket.
"That Flamethrower was rather dull. Don't you think you could have used a different pokemon that didn't involve burning them?" Ash commented as he observed the grunt's unconscious bodies.
"They don't deserve your fool-hearted slight of mercy." Jonah retorted coldly. "They would do you much worse to you if given the chance."
"Yes, they would. But that's what separates us from them." Ash said as he walked, still somewhat limping. Jonah shook his head, muttering something under his breath.
"There is nothing that separates us from them. Only our end goal."
"And what is your end goal?" Ash asked immediately, not liking where this conversation was leading.
"To shut down Team Rocket forever," replied Jonah. "They're thieves, terrorists, murderers... they deserve no mercy."
"And that's for you to decide, huh?" Ash shook his head. "You think yourself better than them."
"Of course I do! They're all thieves, murderers!"
"And yet you wish to become one yourself!" Ash retorted as they walked.
"God, is that what you think? If I kill a murderer of innocents, that stops him from killing innocents. But you stop me; that person continues spilling innocent blood!" Jonah explained coldly.
Ash couldn't believe his ears. "Your vision of the world is skewed. If you kill one murderer, the number of murderers in the world remains the same."
"That's why I won't kill just one."
Ash dropped the subject there. "You should have left them conscious. That way, we could question them."
"Watch," was all he said as he walked over to the grunts. Ash followed his directives, his gaze hard and firm. Although, it weakened as Jonah cruelly placed his boot on top of the first grunt's burned flesh.
At first, nothing happened. But Jonah applied more pressure. That's when the grunt reeled up, his eyes snapping open, screaming horridly. However, Jonah reacted quickly and looped a rope around the grunt's throat. Instantly, he pulled, securing the hold, and the grunt could gag and silently cry. Ash had to resist the urge to look away.
No matter his methods, Jonah was right about one thing; these men were monsters. They were holding people hostage and kidnapping their pokemon. If this was the only way to get the information they needed, then so be it. Ash pursed his lips and trudged on from the brutal sight. Though he didn't have to like it, he thought vindictively.
"Okay, when I say the right number of your tunnel that leads to your base of operations, you're going to tell me. Practice." Jonah said before carefully letting some of the pressure off as he moved his boot.
"Yes." his voice came out as a strangled gasp.
"Hold on!" Ash said, his hand raising. "Shouldn't we be asking where they're holding the pokemon and trainers?!"
"We cut the head off the snake by going to their base of operations. Stopping them is all I care about." Jonah said frigidly.
Ash took a step forward, his foot firmly hitting the ground. "We find where the trainers and their pokemon are. After that, we can lead a revolve against Team Rocket."
"No... we find the base, and we take it out. This whole thing ends."
"You would leave those trainers, those pokemon, to die?" Ash asked lowly, his amber eyes getting harder and harder.
"Sacrifices must be made if we want to stop these monsters from doing this again!"
"Are you listening to yourself? You're talking like one of them!"
Ash was unprepared for what came next.
Jonah whirled around, his eyes darkening, a snarl leaving his lips. "I am not one of them, you hear me?! I do whatever it takes to wipe Team Rocket off the map!"
"Then help me save the trainers and the pokemon being held captive. We do this, and we severally weaken the leverage Team Rocket has. Plus, I guarantee you, every trainer and their mother here would love some revenge. You free them; they'll help us with Team Rocket." Jonah's gaze drifted lower. "Think about it... it's a win-win."
Jonah closed his eyes before sighing.
"Fine. But we do this my way. Any more complaints, and I'll knock you out myself. Got that?"
Ash glanced to his right, clearly debating it.
It didn't take long for him to come to a decision.
"Yeah, okay. I can live with that."
"Good," Jonah mumbled before tightening the grip on the choking Rocket grunt. "Tell us where the pokemon and trainers are being held. Now, the tunnel number one."
The Rocket choked but gave no confirmation. Jonah nodded and moved on to the next one.
"Tunnel number two."
He continued choking.
"Tunnel number three."
The Rocket grunt did, however, speak this time.
"In my... right pocket... map!"
Jonah eyed him, silently daring him to trick him into anything, just pleading for an excuse to further inflict pain on him. Slowly, the trainer crouched lower and fished out the grunt's pocket. His facial expression morphed into satisfaction as he pulled out a detailed map. Nodding, Jonah stood taller and pulled the rope harder, further choking him.
"Hey kid, how good is your memory?"
"Good enough," he answered as the grunt seized.
"Good. Commit this to memory." Jonah handed him the map.
Ash snatched it and quickly set his gaze on it. He held it and stretched it out as far as it would go. The map detailed everything in Mt. Moon. Possible routes, tunnels, all the exits—everything. There were several circled and highlighted points on the map, which were also described by some text. Once he noticed that, Ash knew what Jonah wanted.
He wanted Ash to free the trainers and their pokemon and rally them up while Jonah took the fight to Rocket team leaders overseeing this whole operation. It was a sound plan, and Ash didn't question it. He just committed the entire map to memory before handing it back to Jonah. The older, seasoned trainer snatched it back before folding it and stuffing it into his jacket.
Ash watched as Jonah left down a particular tunnel, not another word being said. The young trainer's amber eyes narrowed before he went down the tunnel leading to the captive pokemon and their trainers. As he stepped into the tunnel, darkness started closing in on him. Looking around, Ash dipped his head before nodding. Then, slowly, he closed his eyes and carefully attuned his other senses. More specifically, his sense of hearing. He closed his breathing until even he could barely hear it.
It was a tense few minutes as Ash crept through the tunnel, prudent and stealthy. His footsteps were making a noise. It was almost like they were gliding a few inches off the ground. Ash just continued to navigate through the tunnel. He used his hands to see in the darkness in ways his eyes would never accomplish. Finally, he began to hear noises. At first, he thought it was just the wind blowing through the tunnel, creating an echo. But as he began to step further into the tunnel, those noises became clearer. To him, it sounded like metal scraping against dirt.
That's when it hit him.
Metal and dirt...
Prisoners and pokemon...
The metal belonged to the shackles that the trainers were mostly likely bound in. The bonds scraping against the dirt were just the trainers getting antsy and restless.
With that theory in mind, Ash opened his eyes and found that he was on the far left side of the wall, leaning on it. Just ten meters ahead, some light beamed into an opening at the end of the tunnel. Nodding, Ash lowed his body posture and made himself as small as possible while still being able to walk. It wasn't easy, mind you.
As he made it to the end of the tunnel, he peered around the opening curve, which would take him to the midway point. The large area had been converted to a mine of some sort. He scowled at that. The Rockets were unmistakably searching for something besides trainers. Ash hugged the curve of the tunnel and thoroughly scanned the area regarding the single guard that stood between him and the temporary Rocket base. Very temporary, if he had his way.
Though, there was a possibility that the map lied and Jonah was heading into an empty area. Or perhaps this wasn't a base, necessarily—just a temporary living space for the scouts and guards. Once again, very temporary if Ash had his way.
The Rocket patrolling the rest area entrance seemed bored and kept yawning. Ash's eyes glinted at him. If he played his cards right, it would be easy to take him out. But he had to be quiet about it. Glancing past the men who hadn't even noticed him, his eyes continually closing with fatigue. Ash examined the group of captive trainers. They were tied up on the floor and looked banged up but were otherwise all right. Two more Rockets were watching them.
Their formations left a decent amount to be desired. If Ash planned this right and executed it well, he should be able to take each of the guards out, one at a time. However, he had to be quick and quiet. If one even caught a glimpse of him or even suspected something was off, the stealth portion of the plan would implode.
Ash stilled his breathing and calmed his nerves. Calmly or as calmly as possible, he crept up behind the first guard before, snatching him up like a snake. Immediately, Ash's arm looped around the man's throat and blocked his breathing passage. His opposite hand flew up and quietly clasped over his mouth, preventing him from letting out an alarmed shout. Ash quickly back peddled, and the guard's widened eyes looked on in horror as he was dragged into a pit of darkness.
Once he was in the darkness, Ash slammed the man's head into the wall, once, then twice before putting all his strength into the third. The guard stopped struggling after the third, and Ash slowly brought him to the ground.
He would live, but he would need stitches along the top of his cranium and more than a few aspirins, but he would live.
From the darkness, Ash called out to his pokemon.
Gastly looked for his trainer and immediately skittered over to him. But before he could open his mouth, Ash held out his hand. Slowly, his trainer moved his index finger over his lips. Gastly and the rest of his pokemon all nodded in understanding; their trainer was still in danger, and neither of them could make a sound.
"I need you three to knock out those three guards quietly. Don't make a sound. Can I count on you three?" Ash quietly asked. His three pokemon nodded, each determined to help their trainer. "Good. Each of you get in position. Wait for my signal."
And so, that's what they did. Each of his pokemon scattered over into the rocky clearing. They all picked a target and respectively waited behind them. The pokemon all looked at Ash as he peeked his head around the opening of the tunnel.
He had out his hand with five fingers.
His thumb bent back, showing four fingers.
Each of the pokemon realized what he was doing and immediately began getting ready to pounce on their respective targets.
Ash's index finger bent down, displaying three fingers.
Then two.
Gastly chittered his fangs.
Carvanha bared his row of jagged teeth.
Aron never made a sound as he stared through the gap of Ash's legs. These people were harming the pokemon of his mountain. Even if he no longer would be residing here, he would not let them harm the pokemon here.
One, and finally, no fingers.
Each of Ash's pokemon leaped from their positions and sacked the guards down, instantly knocking them out. The only sound they made was the weight of their bodies hitting the dirt.
Now that the guards were taken down, he made his way to the entrance of the Rocket base. He glanced to make sure no more Rockets were looking in their area at the moment. Most of them were occupied with mining into the ground while one Rocket, obviously the leader of this branch of operatives, barked orders at them.
Ash quickly sped towards the group of captive trainers, who hadn't yet noticed the Rocket guards were out of commission. Neither did they see Ash, as he hid behind some boxes. Ever so careful and patient, Ash scouted the area before quickly making his way captive trainers. Scanning the group of trainers, Ash frowned when he noticed that Leaf was amongst them. But Gary was nowhere to be seen. He likely had already passed through Mt. Moon before the Rockets arrived. Gary, the only one with another means of transportation, probably took a different route than traveling Mt. Moon. His car couldn't fit through the tunnels, anyway.
Jonah and his pokemon quickly darted elsewhere. Ash cursed under his breath as he watched him flee. He glanced over a small set of rocks, noting a practical wall of cages. They were packed full of people, trainers most likely. Some appear to be dressed for cave dwellings. Others like him or just in regular travel gear. Including Leaf. He'd never seen the poor girl look so lethargic or drained before. The light had vanished from her eyes, and her skin was so pale he thought it looked deathly. Ash slowly traveled down through the cavern in the cold, comforting grasp of darkness. It was a gradual descent through the cave. He had to make sure his footsteps were as quiet as ever.
When one of the traders noted as presence, Ash immediately threw his fingers to his lips. He prayed the older trainer would get his gist. Instead, the man shook his head wildly and closed his mouth. A sigh of relief left him as he began to creep up toward the cages. By now, a few of the other trainers that happened to be conscious noted him as well. Ash only hoped they remained quiet, too. If they squeaked even a little, they would attract the other Team Rocket guards overwatching the position.
Ash crouched behind a sizable cage. He took one of the locks in his hand, frowning. It was almost too heavy to lift. He looked down at his new capture and whispered. The little one dove and began fervently chomping on the steel lock. Ash instantly cringed at the noise but knew that it was inevitable. He only hoped the team rocket guards were slightly more oblivious than the average trainer.
Ash quickly sprinted toward the group of captive trainers, who by this point had nearly all been set free and were trying their best to maintain silence. If someone's frenzied behavior had derailed his plan, it would have been absolutely horrible for him and everyone else here. Even better, there was a ton of abandoned mining equipment between them and the Rockets who were currently digging. It allowed them to disguise themselves in the shadows a bit.
Ash looked over to Leaf and twitched when he saw the girl had a nasty gash along her cheek. She appeared to be extremely irate, but it was clear that the cut hurt her immensely.
"Ash?" she whispered, squinting her eyes. Was… was he really here, or was he a figment of her imagination? None of those men had given them water or food in days. She knew it was normal to hallucinate while dehydrated but were hallucinations supposed to make contact? Leaf shivered like her namesake in a windy storm when she felt his warm hand clutch her arm. "Is—is that really you?"
"Yep," he answered. "What's an ugly thing like you doing in a beautiful place like this?"
Leaf, despite the current situation, managed to laugh. However, the only sounds that came out of her mouth was a broken wheeze. Ash passed her his canteen. She tore the cap off, her fingers trembling, desperate to get it off and to relish the cold, sweet water. When the fluid rushed down her gullet, she squeezed her eyes shut. She barely managed to remember where she was and kept her mewling to a minimum. She only relinquished her control of the canteen once she was finished.
Two of the other prisoners rushed over, asking for a drink. Ash shook the thing, and no water spilled out. It was bone dry, and the people moaned in disappointment. Leaf was service side herself that she didn't even realize the people's thirst. All she could think about was her own. Ash couldn't blame her. Nor would he ever. Her condition was not even on his mind. He wouldn't have given them the water anyway. They were not his responsibility. Leaf was probably the closest person he could call a friend back home. She never treated him wrong and always greeted him with respect.
"What's the plan?" One of the prisoners questioned. He was large, burly, and filthy. His clothes were in tatters and numerous, and he was littered with scratches.
"I'll have to get back to you on that."
"You don't have a plan? What kind of police officer are you?"
"Do I look like a police officer to you?"
His face flushed. Leaf could still see the blush linger underneath the marring dirt.
"Ah, shut up. We'll be fine. Those bastards took us by surprise. They can't possibly take us all on at once." The other one was thinner, and his face was like a squirrel's.
"Do you guys have your pokemon?" The squirrel-faced one blinked.
"About that…"
"You were talking about fighting back, and you don't even have your pokemon. Do you people even know what you're dealing with?" Their face is all twisted and confused, and Ash sighed. Of course, they didn't. They wouldn't know what Team Rocket looked like if they were kidnapped by them.
Oh, wait…
"You're all morons."
"Ash, stop. It doesn't matter. We can't fight each other, not if we want to get out of here alive," Leaf whispered harshly. Her voice was so coarse Ash barely recognized it.
"She's right, you know," the thin prisoner commented.
"You all asked for a plan, right?" Jonah was still somewhere around here. If they could find Jonah, then maybe he could spearhead the attack out of here. Ash knew he could possibly handle a few grunts. But these Team Rocket members were different, more numerous than ever, and he was the only one with pokemon at his disposal. Not to mention, he never really battled the team rockets grunts from Viridian City. He dispatched of their trainers, but Misty was the one that took care of the pokemon.
Doubt crept into the surface of his mind. He wondered if he was capable of taking down a grunt's pokemon at all. Could he really lead these people out of here?
Before the fear and the indecision could grip his soul, he stripped himself of it and focused. He couldn't rely on anyone. Not now. Not ever. Jonah was here, and he was a much more powerful trainer. But she didn't know where Jonah was. He couldn't exactly scream for him, either. Ash doubted whether Jonah would come if he did scream. Figuring, of course, he heard his scream. Jonah did say he wouldn't save his life if it meant taking out Team Rocket. Wherever he was, he was most likely getting into far more action than he was.
Just as he thought that the entire mountain trembled. The Rocket grunts continued working, believing this was nothing unusual. Then, the mountain trembled yet again. Only it did not quiver lightly; it shook. Everyone in the cave stopped what they were doing, and they looked up at the ceiling In horror. Some dropped their tools and made a break for it. Many of the escapees wondered why they were running.
Then one of the tunnels collapsed. Tons of rock, stone, and various other rubble just fell from the ceiling. Before their horror could surely set in, another tunnel collapsed, this time violently. A couple of the escapees went to run. The rocket grunts that had any sense and self-preservation instincts took off with them. They bolted down through the last tunnel, and Ash watched, eyes wide as that tunnel, too, collapsed.
He dimly heard Leaf gasp under her breath. It happened so suddenly that they couldn't even listen to their screams. They probably didn't even know they were dead. One second, they were running in fear for their lives; the next, they were lost. The cave descended into madness. Shouting, raw pandemonium, and pure emotional distress exploded. Ash's firm hold on Leaf ran deeper.
"No! My pokemon were in that tunnel!" one cried.
"Mine too!" another gasped.
"Oi! What are you maggots doing out of your cages!" A grunt shouted at the top of his lungs. "Get back in, now!"
Slowly, he began tracking her elsewhere as everyone declined into mania. Leaf struggled to stay on her feet. He dragged her, anyway, keeping her steady. Ash didn't care if she was walking; he was perfectly content with dragging her. As they found a corner of the cave, both heard a shout.
"Hey! What are you two doing?"
Ash tsked as one of the Team Rocket members ran over to them. The grunt's hand found a pokeball threateningly.
"If you two don't get back in those cages right now, neither of you will like the result," one growled.
"Do what he says, Missy, or you're gonna regret it," said another.
Leaf spat at their feet. "I'm not going in another one of those. You'll have to kill me first." It took everything for her to say that. The memories of seeing those people tortured, all because Team Rocket wanted to know their plans. All they were two officers. Practically Rockies, for Christ's sake. Barely any older than them. And they killed them anyway. Her legs struggled to keep her weight upward. Her throat squeezed in panic, and she fought with every fiber of her being not to cower.
They both Pulled out a pokeball each. "Don't say we didn't warn ya."
"Teach 'em a lesson, Raticate!"
"Destroy them, Sandshrew!"
A large, rodent-like pokemon appeared beside a bipedal pholidote one appeared from their confines. Ash would have recognized both of their species even without hearing their names. They were among the first pokemon he learned about.
"What's wrong? Can't take care of a couple of kids without a pokemon?" Ash snarked. "How can you call yourself men?" they flushed angrily.
"You're assuming they are men," Leaf murmured dazedly. Her eyes struggled to stay in focus.
"Why you—"
"Venoshock on Potbelly and Metal Claw and Aqua Jet on the sand rat." The team rocket grunts yelled in shock as three pokemon that shouldn't have been there leaping into view. A stream of poisonous liquid assaulted Raticate while a small, stubby-legged pokemon cut a line through Sandslash's rear armor. Finally, Carvanha pierced its stomach with an Aqua Jet. The two pokemon were done within seconds.
"How—" The shorter one trembled, struggling to find his own words.
"How—how," Ash mocked them sneeringly. "Because you're cowards. None of you are real trainers. You're just thugs with pokemon. You don't know the first thing about battling. And if you were even remotely men, you wouldn't need pokemon to do your bidding. Take notes."
Ash hurled the most prominent rock he could find. His aim was off some. It clipped the first one and the side. He fell, gasping. The other rocket yelled and ran at him. Ash took another rock, went down on his own knees, and slid. Channeling every ounce of hatred he had for Team Rocket; he pushed the rock into the man's knee. Their cry of agony made a hissing smile appear on his face. He went down, and Ash kicked him repeatedly until he was no longer moving.
"You little brat! Get off him!" The Rocket grunt tried tackling him from behind. However, a shovel shot out of nowhere and smacked him in his blind spot. His legs fired out from under him, and he hit his head on the way down. A steady flow of blood leaked from his eyebrow As he lay there, unmoving.
Leaf breathed raggedly. "That's what you get; you rat bastard." Ash took personal pleasure in watching her spit on his unconscious body.
Although, that pleasure soon evaporated when the entire mountain shook again. Ash froze as he glanced up, eyes painfully wide. A chant reverberated throughout his mind, and he prayed.
His hopes were unanswered as the cave's far end began sinking through. Ash turned, hand flying out to snatch Leaf's arm. He ran as fast as his legs, or rather, Leaf's legs would let them. Ash threw her down and grabbed a mine cart. He looked back just once and watched as tons of rock plunged onto those people—Rockets and prisoners alike. Quickly, he returned his pokemon before they, too, could be swallowed up.
A dart of pink fluttered into his gaze. It was minor. It was barely large enough to breach his concentration. Everything was going to hell. The ceiling was falling. The entire mountain was trembling like a leaf. He ducked, wove, and nearly tripped over his own feet.
Ash caught himself. He genuinely didn't know. He didn't care. That pink, though. He saw it again. Only, it was light or even a glimmer. It was flesh. A fountain of dust, dirt-filled mist, drained out on top of him. Ash coughed, already feeling some force it's way down his throat.
He impertinently dragged his filthy hands over his eyes, frantically trying to clear them. When he did, he saw it again. It was crouched down, head dipped real low, eyes darting back and forth, hiding away behind a pigmy, rotten spire.
Ash side-stepped. He had every intention of ignoring it. Debris fell just feet in front of him. Ash tripped off to the side, racing as away from that portion of the clearing as possible. He didn't know why. He just did it and snatched the first thing his frayed hand could grab. By its arm, he dragged it away and never glanced back.
Ash slid and grit his teeth as his muscles strained painfully. It took everything to tip the steel behemoth. He pulled Leaf and the pokemon he stupidly risked his life to save close to him as the mine cart fell over them.
Not even a moment later, the hull was savagely wrecked by a brutal, unforgiving bombardment of rocks, dirt, and weighty stones. Ash blinked, and Leaf bit her lip frightfully as a considerable indentation stabbed into the canopy. It was as if gunshots were being rattled off above them as those stones continued to assault the only thing that separated them from hundreds of tons of earth.
Then, it all stopped.
Everything was quiet.
Leaf shivered at the eeriness of the total calmness.
"What…" she did not even know where to begin.
They were surrounded by total darkness. His neck was craned grievously so he could fit in the damn thing. His knees were almost pressed into his chest. Leaf's body was contorted similarly.
Leaf heard his sigh, and Ash took out a toothpick from his jacket. He pressed it between his lips and leaned back, eyes closing tiredly.
For the longest time, they sat in silence.
What was there to say?
Leaf could barely comprehend what had just happened. She was still trying to figure out what was fact and what was fiction. Sweat gushed from every pore. She spewed the salty sputum to get it off her once rosy lips, which were now covered with chapped skin, dried filth, and bitter coppery tastes.
"How are we going to get out of here?" the question came out as a gasp. It was so hot, but she was so cold, her body shook every second.
Ash opened his eyes, bloodshot from the airy dirt and misty, gravel-like pollution.
"Ash?" she whispered meekly. Ash was the smartest person she'd ever known. He had a plan. He always had a plan for everything.
"What can we do?"
All of her hope shattered like glass.
Warm tears trailed from her puffy eyes. "C'mon," she tried to make her voice firm. "You have to have a plan… right?"
Ash leaned his head against the steel mining cart, momentarily wincing as a cramp found his leg. He spotted the light-blink shadow of the large pokemon. It was looking up at him, its black or brown eyes—whatever color they were, he thought—eyes staring beadily at him.
"We're trapped beneath thousands of pounds of rubble. We'll live for a while. You and I will probably die from dehydration before asphyxiation." Ash didn't know what he said that for. Was that supposed to ease her fears? That, somehow, since they would not die within a few days, it would make her feel better? Ash wasn't sure why he said it. He was only telling the truth, but he knew he was supposed to calm her down and try to build hope for her. He couldn't bring himself to lie.
There were minute gaps between the rocks where oxygen could leak through. Ash wondered, as he sat in this cramped space, minding his own death, what happened with Jonah? He was most likely the culprit of the mountain's instability. A battle with strong pokemon was enough to subvert a particular part of a mountain's integrity.
Leaf struggled to form a sentence. She huffed in a flurry of breaths. She could feel her heart pound against her chest as she bit down on her finger, her eyes growing moister by the second.
"You haven't changed a bit. You're still that same cold bastard I met in school." She coughed up a sob and suddenly felt how tight her surroundings were.
"I don't remember you being a joy to be around, either." Leaf chuckled humorlessly. Yeah, she was a right old bitch back at school. She was nice as can be to those inside her tight circle of friends and the opposite to those that weren't. Ash was never one to join anything, whether it be a club of academics, a team, or a friendly group.
Leaf offered to be his friend however many years ago, and when he refused, she went nuclear. It wasn't her proudest decision, and she regretted how she behaved back then more and more each year.
"That's the problem. I have changed. You haven't."
Now it was Ash's turn to chuckle. "You haven't changed a bit. Nobody can change who they are. Some people just get tired of being rejected for who they are, so they hide what people don't like and mold themselves into what they do like. That doesn't change anything. It just creates a nice figurehead that everyone does like."
"That's exactly the response expected from a nihilist like you. You think just because you don't deserve friendship, that it's inherently useless—you think just because you can't change how miserable you are that no one can, that it's just one big fat lie."
"Life is a lie. We all scramble to do one thing that we believe matters for one reason or another. We're all hamsters on a wheel spinning for others' amusement. Or don't you remember our principles? How they would take bets on who would get into fights next? How about the professors who guessed which one of us would be expelled?"
Everyone thought just because it was a high-standing institution that it was perfect. Bullying. Harassment. They were all as rampant as any school. School hierarchies, they never change. The popular kids rule the less fortunate ones. The pretty, rich girls prey on the ugly, poor ones.
Ash saw those institutions for what they were. He never joined a particular faction for that exact reason. He wasn't going to play into their hands or put himself into a box he himself didn't create.
"I remember," she whispered faintly. "I also remember you going to lunch alone, you going home alone, you studying alone. Everything you do, you're alone."
"Not everyone needs friends to be happy. You couldn't accept that. You still can't."
"Everyone needs someone," Leaf insisted before breaking out into a hacking cough.
Ash chewed on his toothpick. "The only thing I needed was something I could never have again."
Leaf hung her head and didn't speak on that any further.
I'm sorry, Ash thought, eying the pokemon. He knew what it was. The novelty of finding a Clefable out in the wild didn't impact him as powerfully as it should have. They were one of the rarest pokemon to discover in Kanto. And really, everywhere else. Even their pre-evolved forms were quite singular.
If I didn't grab you, you might have actually survived. His eyes stung. Ash convinced himself it was from the irritating haze of sand. Just another person I drag down with me.
"Is that what I think it is?"
Even Leaf's excitement was vacant. He couldn't blame her. Still, she was just as astonished as he was, though.
"Yeah."
"How did it end up here?" she whispered, stunned to the core.
"I saved him. Or damned him," he added dolefully.
"Him? How can you tell?"
"I just can."
Leaf couldn't bring herself to ask any more questions on the matter. Even in a situation like this, Ash's compassionate side gleamed as brightly as it always did. Others couldn't see it. But she could.
Whenever the teachers would bring in pokemon for them to handle, everyone would excitedly clamor around them, asking a thousand questions a minute and just hounding the poor thing. But Ash, he would just gently interact with them. His eyes would go soft, and he'd whisper and just pet them listlessly.
Just as he was doing now with this one.
He loved pokemon, and they always seemed to reciprocate his feelings. He had more of a way with pokemon than he ever did people.
"Do you really not have a plan?" Leaf asked if only to spare herself from the old memories.
Ash took a long minute to answer that. "You don't have your pokemon, do you?" Leaf allowed her somber silence to answer him. "What did the room look like?"
"Huh?" She questioned his sudden inquiry.
"The room they stored the pokeballs in. What did it look like?"
"Uh…" Leaf struggled to get the cobwebs out of her head. "It was big. There was a lot of furniture. I barely saw the room when they were stripping us down the hallway." At Ash's dim glare, she continued, "It was to make sure we weren't smuggling anything in. At least, I'm sure that's what they told themselves."
Ash did not bother asking the elephant question in the room.
"The ceiling. What did it look like?" Leaf stammered to find the answer. "Was the cave exposed? Was it wood? Plaster? What was it?"
"It was, uh…" Leaf pinched the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes shut to visualize the room she had been taken into days ago. "The roof… the roof was metal. The walls were made out of this weird brick."
"Which direction was it in? North, south, east, west."
That was even harder than figuring out what the roof was made out of. Her great memory prevailed in the end. "We walked into the cave through the north. They knocked us out, but I could still tell where we were. After they knocked us out, they let us into another room. It was smaller. There's no more than a couple of us at a time with another Rocket. After they took all of our stuff, he went left…" Leaf visualized the scene once more. "East. The room is east. East or southeast."
Okay, I can work with that.
"Which one was it, east or southeast?"
Leaf stuttered, desperately racking her brain. She knew he wasn't asking these questions pointlessly. He was going somewhere with them.
"Southeast, yeah, southeast. Because when he went left, there had a room to his other left."
"Okay." Just barely, Leaf could see a glitter in his eye. Those brown, amber eyes were usually so dark. She could hardly see anything in them most times. She only saw any genuine emotion or thought in those eyes when something interested him entered his mind.
It took us left, so all we have to do is take another left and get into that room. If what Leaf said is true, then it should be thirty-forty feet to our left.
The only problem was that they would have to tunnel through thirty feet of rock. Doing that by hand would take forever. Not only that, but it would burn time they didn't have. It would wear down their sustenance, energy, and overall health. That would shorten their life expectancy here by at least half.
But who says we have to do it ourselves?
Ash held a single pokeball in his palm.
You may just be the one reason we make it out of this alive.
"Feel near your feet and arms. Is there anything close to you? Something with an edge?"
"Uh…" Leaf swept her hands around her entire space until she kept hitting his feet over and over again. "Just this." She opened up her palm, and dust drained through her fingers.
That was unfortunate. Having any tools would have helped them significantly. "Help me with this," he said decidedly. Leaf whimpered when her elbow accidentally clashed against the metal cart as she tried to get closer to him. She saw him scoop dirt out from beneath him.
"We're going to dig ourselves out," she muttered.
"Just enough to get some space," he said gruntingly. They both continued to draw dirt back as far as they could. Although before the ditch could even get a few inches deep, the soil started seeping back into it.
Just as Leaf was about to surrender her efforts, Clefable jabbed his tiny hands into the soil. Reinvigorated, Leaf began burrowing even faster. Soon, though, there was nowhere else to put the earth, so Ash realized this was about as far down as they would get. Ash clutched the pokeball and smiled with his teeth.
Leaf blinked as the tiny bit of light flooded their ditch. "An Aron?" she questioned whisperingly.
"We're in some pretty deep shit. Think you can give us a hand?" Ash was passed the dire to curb his rotten manners.
Aron huffed. Ash barely suppressed his own. Aron was taking up his last bit of space for his feet. His knees were pressed so firmly against his chest that he thought his ribs were going to give way any second.
"Let me put it in a way you'd understand. I die, you die." Aron shot a spiteful look up at his trainer. There was no need for any more words to be uttered. Those four words encapsulated everything perfectly. They were all die down here. If Aron chose not to help, he would simply return him to his pokeball, where he would remain buried beneath a mountain.
Strangely enough, he respected the human for his cunning. It was a despicable trick, but he was desperate. There was no other way to survive. People from all walks of life, human or pokemon alike, all compromised for survival. If those people did not compromise, then they would meet the dead. His trainer clearly had no intention of seeing his end. A nod and a small utterance of his name later, he began digging.
"We're buried beneath—I don't even know how many pounds of rubble. We need to get out of here, but our first objective is to go east." Ash pointed. "That way."
Aron cocked has had confusedly. Why would this human risk his life? What purpose did he have to want to tunnel in this specific direction?
"You've lived in these caves your entire life. You can dig a nice tunnel. But even you can't make a tunnel for us all to get out of the mountain. You see, you're forgetting one crucial thing. You're short as shit. There is no way you can make a tunnel big enough for us all to travel throughout of the mountain. What you can do, though, is make a tunnel to get us to this room, which has other pokemon in it. There's bound to be a couple of rock or ground-types that can help you tunnel through the other end of the mountain."
Aron nodded. So this wasn't irrationality of emotion but the practicality of logic to accomplish a plan fueled by intelligent forethought. Maybe this human wouldn't be so foolishly idiotic as most of the others he'd met from afar.
"Make a tunnel, go to the east, and don't stop until you find a room with pokeballs. There should be a ton."
"I have a Geodude," Leaf said whisperingly. "He knows Dig. He can help with the tunnel."
Out of the mountain of pokeballs in their limited time, how could Aron find the correct one?
Limit the search parameter.
"Is it in a different kind of pokeball? Like a great-ball? An ultra-ball?"
"Yeah, yeah!" Leaf spoke with as much enthusiasm as she could form. "All of my pokeballs have stickers on them. They adore them."
Ash couldn't believe his luck. He spent most of his conscious life cursing sentimentality. Yet here he was, about to be saved by a girl's sentimentality and it just happened to be a sentimentality he shared. The universe couldn't give him a bigger middle finger if it tried.
"You heard her find the pokeballs that have the stickers on them. Bring them here when you're done. Don't come back until it's done."
Aron ducked his head and started digging.
"Slowly!" he hissed. "Use too much force, and this entire mountain will come down on us."
Aron snorted dismissively. He'd been tunneling since he was born. He knew how to work around an unstable environment. He grew up in one. Aron knew how much pressure he could use before a cave collapsed. But appeasing his paranoid trainer, he dug a little slower. Now, Ash reclined back and waited.
That's all both of them could do now. The fate of their lives was out of their hands. It's appended solely on whether or not Aron would find that room in time. Leaf jittered and anxiousness as she waited. She couldn't stay still if she tried. Her mind just kept wandering, wondering what would happen if Aron didn't find her pokemon. It would not only mean her death but all of theirs as well. Her heart aches not only out of fear for herself but out of worry for the lives of her pokemon.
When she left bed today and ventured into Mt. Moon, she didn't think the end of her life would come. Her chest ached at the thought. Would today really be the day she died? In a mountain separated from everyone she loved, next to the person that embodied her greatest regret, and years away from accomplishing her dream. The idea of that fate coming to fruition made her ache more than all her hurt and all her wounds combined.
"Have you two known each other for long?" Leaf asked to break the awful tension that descended upon them.
"Half a day," he answered.
"I figured." Leaf adjusted her sitting position as her tailbone throbbed. "You two don't seem to have great chemistry."
"You know the saying, "there can't be two alphas in a relationship?" Ash inquired, and Leaf didn't bother nodding. She despised those terms. They were human beings, not base creatures. They did not abide by such hierarchies.
"Don't speak like that," she chided him. "You aren't a thing that runs off of instinct. There is no such thing as alphas, betas, or whatever's in between."
"Maybe not to us, but to them, it holds true." Leaf bit her lip. She did not have to see his face to know he was smirking.
Ash wasn't. His face was blank as he stared at the iron rampart of the mining cart. To think that an inch of metal saved was what separated them from certain death and survival. Two opposite ends of the spectrum. If it weren't for this hunk of iron forged perfectly to bear thousands of pounds of raw weight, they would both be dead.
"Are you nervous?"
He twitched at her question.
"About what?"
Leaf struggled to muster the answer. She wrestled with herself to get the words passed her lips. "Dying… If this doesn't work, we'll both die, right? Are you nervous about that?"
"Is there anything I can do better our odds?" his query made her pause. "I've done all I can." He was referencing the mine cart, sending out Aron, and holding out his travel pack, which had some water left and a set of emergency MRE's. "I've done all I can," he said again, "whatever happens… happens."
"You'd accept your death—" my death, she wanted to say, "so easily? Do you want to die?"
A flush of nostalgia flooded him.
"It's not that I want to die, but I see no point in worrying about something I have no control over."
Leaf opened her mouth to fire out a rebuttal, only to freeze repeatedly.
I've done all I can…
"Out of everyone, you were the last person I expected to take your death lying down. I thought you'd fight to the bitter end." She wasn't sure what she was hoping to accomplish by saying that. Maybe, just maybe, she would invigorate a sense of desperation that would make him struggle. Or maybe he would get angry and show some emotion that wasn't sarcastic deflection.
The toothpick between his lips trembled as his lips uplifted. "You don't know me. I know you. You agree with me. If you didn't, you'd be kicking and screaming, digging alongside Aron. You'd dig until your fingernails fell off and then some. But you know it would be pointless."
Leaf blinked away her tears.
"What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?"
A brief pause.
"What?"
"Your favorite flavor of ice cream. What is it?"
Ash considered her motives before answering. "Mint chocolate chip."
Leaf laughed and did not stop, even if it made her lungs burn and crackle. "Mine too." He could hear her grin; it was so wide. "Favorite movie?"
"I don't have one. I don't watch movies very often."
Leaf hummed in disappointment. She, herself, was a movie fanatic. "Books, then?"
"I love reading." She'd known that much already. "My favorite one, I suppose, would have to be Fate of Human Instinct by Magnius Lovell. It's about a theory that humans aren't as disconnected or dissimilar to pokemon as we'd like to believe. He thinks that while we are very similar to some species of pokemon, we are not meant to live in harmony or coexist, that our instinct is to surpass and subjugate them so that we would ensure our position as the apex predator of Earth."
"That's awful."
"But not incorrect."
Leaf blustered furiously. "You believe him?!" Ash's silence spoke a thousand words. "You can't—pokemon are meant to live together! We're so different, but that's what makes us better together. We're capable of great things together. On our own, we're great, but when we're together, amazing—we're… transcendent."
"To you and a lot of others, I'm sure. You haven't seen what I have. Those people—the ones responsible for all this, the ones responsible for your violation and, perhaps, our deaths, see pokemon as nothing but tools. Team Rocket they're not the only ones that believe in it. There are thousands, maybe millions of trainers out there. If you truly think that there is not a percentage of them that believe pokemon are a means to an end—tools to be used for their own gain, then you're naïve. It's human nature to conquer and subjugate others for our gain. It's the way of life. The strong preys on the weak. It's how the strong become strong in the first place. Do you think our species have come this far in a world surrounded by other species, far stronger and wonderous by luck? By niceties?"
"You really believe it's our destiny to conquer pokemon."
"No!" he said firmly, and Leaf was surprised by the strength behind that singular word. "I think humans will never see power and not want it for themselves. Or a throne." He smiled bitterly. "The latter curses me every day."
"And you think that's okay?"
"No," he said again, "I think it's despicable. What Team Rocket does, it goes beyond cruelty and mere criminality. They're cruel for cruelty's sake. They rob, they kill, they enslave. The people at the top, those that make the decisions, they wield an army of thugs—of sycophants. They use their penchant for brutality, savagery, and barbarism for an end goal that no doubt ends with them standing above the region. They see pokemon as tools, weapons to conquer. Just like the knights of old would see swords or a crossbow."
"Team Rocket, you think they want to conquer Kanto?"
"Why else would you amass an army and steal and enslave pokemon?" he posed her that question in return. "Not to save the innocent and bring peace throughout the region, that's for sure."
Leaf couldn't bring herself to snort at his jibe. "It makes sense. But Team Rocket is a minority. They're not like everyone else."
"Then why are they winning?" Leaf suddenly felt cold inside. She wanted to scream, protest otherwise. Instead, the chunky earth that pressed sharply against her flesh made her rethink her objections. "Do you know why good rarely overcomes evil?" he did not allow her enough to forge a reply. "Because "good" has to beat "evil" every single time. All "evil" has to do is win once. And there must always be losers, so long as the concept of winners exists."
"Team Rocket won't win," Leaf said assuredly. She ignored Ash's scoff. "They won't. The police, the G-Men, Lance—"
"Lance doesn't care." Leaf shook her head in disbelief. "If he did, it would be him in this cave. He would have been in Celadon—" he stopped himself short, and Leaf hung her head as those dreadful memories resurfaced. "Team Rocket won there, and they won here. How many people do you think they killed? If Aron doesn't find that room, if it's still standing, how many pokemon will be buried here?"
Leaf squeezed her shut as she did everything in her power to block out the reality of the situation.
"The Elite Four, they'll stop Team Rocket."
"Maybe," he allowed, "but how many pokemon and people will die before that happens? Team Rocket may lose in the end but look around you. If their goal was to wreak chaos and cause terror, have they really failed?"
She reached for the trimming of his bag. "Can I?"
Ash pushed his pack to her.
She tore the hem off of the package surrounded by plastic wrapping. Chili and macaroni, or as Ash liked to call it, chili-mac. It was his favorite MRE. They also came with a small pack of Twizzlers which helped add genuine flavor to the meal. As for as MREs went, chili-mac was a five-star meal at a world-class hotel.
Ash took out a parcel for himself—Asian beef strips. Ash couldn't bother himself to warm it. He ate it cold, which made no difference to him. Warm or cold. He usually didn't concern himself with the luxury of pleasuring his tastebuds. He would spend ten to fifteen minutes a day eating. That sixth of an hour was fleetingly inconsequential compared to the other… thousand minutes remaining in the day. It was all math and measuring the benefits of certain decisions. That's what life is. A massive, long-winded series of decisions that vastly varied in importance, which all amounted to several very significant consequences.
Some good.
Some bad.
Mostly… middling.
Indifferent.
The good outcomes, Ash was reminded of his decision to study more.
Bad… how he handled his mother's passing.
Indifferent? Not having friends to enjoy life with.
"You think they're…" she struggled to fish for a word that fit the jumbled-up explanation in her head. "Terrorists?"
"It makes sense. Their actions, their motives, I mean." Ash just couldn't understand a large, more complex reason for them to attack the institute in Celadon. It was a high-class pokemon school that taught kids everything about pokemon and had electives based on what you were aspiring to be, expanding the education overall. For Ash, Leaf, and Gary all took trainer-related electives. So why would they attack a school, of all places, if their goal was not to cause as much bloody chaos as possible? It was the only explanation that made sense.
"I missed when life was simpler. When all I had to worry about was passing a few tests and what to wear for my next date."
"Life was simpler," he agreed.
"Do you regret it? Becoming a trainer?"
Ash only had to consider her question for a moment. "No. I do regret not taking a train to Cerulean City, though."
Leaf broke out into a fight of laughing coughs. "You and me both." She finished off her MRE. "How have you been? Won any gym battles? Have you caught any good pokemon?"
"A Carvanha on Route 1. Swam right up to me. I found Aron today. The little bastard was chewing on my pokeballs."
She chortled. "Those things do like eating metal, don't they? I don't pity you. Feeding his addiction is gonna run you out of a fat wallet."
"You're making the assumption it was fat in the first place," he jibed laughingly. "I just hope he doesn't get hungry on his way there." Despite herself, she managed to laugh as well.
"That would be pretty bad." Leaf shifted, trying to find a comfortable spot. Her arm ached dimly as she held her wrist firmly. "I think I might have broken my arm."
Ash flipped on his flashlight. The sudden intrusive light made both of their eyes burn. He inspected her arm, lightly brushing his fingers along her skin. Ash ignored how she trembled as his skin graced over hers.
"Looks like your forearm's broken. Or sprained, I can't really tell. Look at the bright side. You're going to have a nice cast for everyone to sign."
"Yay…" she drolled with false enthusiasm. "I feel better already. You ever think about becoming a doctor?"
"I did when I was younger. But then I realized I like pokemon battling more. That and, well, I hate people. Not exactly a great combination for good bedside manner."
She snorted. She thought Ash would make a terrific doctor. He was smarter than anyone she'd ever met. Sure, he could be an asshole at times. Okay, all the time. If she had to choose between a friendly doctor who was less competent than the mean, sarcastic doctor who was better than everyone else, she would choose the latter every single time.
Especially if it was Ash.
Though, Leaf was sure he would be competent in anything he ever did. It wasn't in Ash's nature not to be extraordinary in whatever he set his mind to. He always had to be the best in whatever he did. Ash rarely sunk time into anything else. But the things that he was interested in, he was always the best. Unfortunately, that didn't leave much for other things, she thought sadly.
"How many gym badges do you have?"
"Two," she answered. "I challenged Brock. Lost a couple of times, not gonna lie. Then I saw that there was another gym just east of Viridian. He specialized in water types. I beat him first try with Bulbasaur and managed to catch a water-type myself. A spunky little Psyduck. When I got back to Pewter City, I challenged Brock again and won."
Ash nodded. He expected leaf to challenge one of the lesser gyms. She didn't quite have the same issue of pride he and Gary possessed. But it provided her an ample opportunity for training and experience that she needed to beat Brock.
Maybe he could challenge the lesser gyms for the sole purpose of getting more battle experience and training in. Twelve other gyms were littered across the region that were not accepted into the original eight. Not every gym could join that prestigious eight. There were only eight slots.
Some were notoriously difficult to beat. Or so Ash had heard. Ash did not doubt that they would be a challenge to him if he entertained them. Nothing was stopping him from getting more than eight gym badges. He could obtain the original eight and however many other gym badges he could defeat before the Indigo League rolled around.
If they both made it out of here alive, he may just consider doing that.
"Was he hard to beat?"
"Not as hard as Brock. He was better than I expected them to be. I thought any gym leaders that weren't among the main eight weren't that good. His name is Gustavo, if you're curious. He gave me a few tips on how to beat Brock too. They must have had a rivalry or something because he was pretty eager to help."
"And you used it to your advantage?" Ash gave a few claps. "I couldn't be prouder."
"Is it against your nature not to be an asshole every second of the day?"
He chuckled some. "Just a little, yeah."
"It's funny. I spent so much time and effort trying to spend some time with you. It was like pulling teeth. And all I had to do was get the two of us buried under a mountain." Somehow Leaf managed to sound somewhat fond of her failures.
"It had nothing to do with you personally. If I had told you to fuck off, we never would have seen each other again. That's not what I want. I just didn't have time for friends."
Leaf rolled her eyes. "Right. Because you're too busy trying to be the best trainer in the world to spend some time with a few friends."
"I don't have friends. You should know that. It's what I told you when you asked me to the school dance."
"Oh yeah, I remember. You only broke my heart."
"Would you rather me tell you yes so you wouldn't get embarrassed by your friends, only for me not to show up?" Ash questioned, snorting. "Like I said, Leaf, it has nothing to do with you. If I had the time, I would have said yes. You were easily one of the most beautiful girls in the entire school. I didn't decline because you were unattractive."
In the harsh darkness, she felt her cheeks warm up. "W-what?" she stuttered. "You actually think I'm beautiful?" She cursed herself for sounding so meek.
"I wasn't interested in romance. That doesn't make me blind."
Just as she was about to reply, a soil-marred chrome surface peeked out from the hole. Even in the dark, he could still see those shining cobalt-blue eyes. Ash immediately flicked on the flashlight, and Leaf's massive sigh was the only thing heard.
Aron dropped three pokeballs.
They each had stickers on them.
Leaf scrambled to grab all of them and laugh joyously. Her ecstatic saddened, and joyous laughter was infectious. He smiled at her happiness. Before she could jump the gun and release Geodude, he grabbed her arm.
"Maybe you should wait until we have enough room."
She giggled cheerfully, unable to contain herself. "That would be smart, wouldn't it?" she laughed once more. "Excuse me, can you be a dear and make the hole bigger?" she asked the cute armor-clad pokemon. He didn't even bother to look to his trainer for permission. It was probably why he did it so quickly, just to spite him.
Aron cleared out a sizable hole underneath them, keeping enough dirt around the sides to sustain the mine cart. When Ash gave her the nod to go ahead, she released Geodude. The speech you gave him was heartwarming. The determination the little guy gave up was quite a spectacle. He pumped his rocky facade up and began digging alongside Aron.
Ash shined the light behind them, illuminating the path they were carving out. It was the same tunnel Aron went through. Only Geodude was making it far more comprehensive. Aron proved to be the quicker digger, but Geodude was far more proficient at making wider and taller tunnels. It wasn't long at all until they were ready to follow them. Both of them crawled on their knees, and Leaf prayed to whatever god there was that this tunnel didn't collapse on them.
The next hour came and went in a breeze.
When they finally reached the room, Leaf instantly jumped to her feet. Her knees popped in, and her back cracked, but she smiled nonetheless. It had been hours and hours since she'd been able to stand. Yet, shockingly enough, the room was almost untouched. Save from the bookshelves that were now tipped over on the floor and the contents of desks that were practically thrown about. It came as no surprise to either of them. It's what happens when an earthquake strikes. Everything in the entire room vibrates violently, flinging things on shelves, shooting desks airborne, and flipping tables.
There were hundreds of pokeballs piled into a topless cage. Most were the typical red and white polka balls, but there were other different ones, great-balls, ultra-balls, and even a few heal-balls. Ash could not resist grabbing a few. He couldn't comprehend the fact that these were all pokemon. They weren't anti pokeballs. There were real pokemon trapped in these balls. If it weren't for them, they would still be down here for God knows how many years.
And the worst thing about it was their trainers were all dead.
There was a chilling fact that he deliberately ignored.
As he stared at the mountain of them, he couldn't evade the truth any longer. These pokemon, they were without a master. Their friends, their owners, their trainers, and whatever position occupied in their lives. They were gone, and they would never see them again. But, if it weren't for him and leave—if it weren't for Aron and Geodude, these pokemon would remain here for years and years.
"Thank you so much, little guy." Leaf practically smothered the Iron Armor pokemon with her one active arm. "I can never thank you enough. There are literally no words."
Aron preened at the praise. He was pretty great, wasn't he?
"How far out until we get out through the mountain?" Leaf's inquiry tore him from his internal musings.
He dropped the pokeball that he had been holding and turned back around. He completely missed the pitying look she sent him. "I walked through these tunnels for over a day before I got here. If those two dig constantly for hours on end—" Ash tried to formulate an estimate but ended with
"I have no idea."
"What if we release some of the other pokemon that can dig?" Leaf proposed.
"Do you really think they'll help when we tell them that their trainers are all dead?"
Her jubilant gaze darkened. "These two can't dig. Not the whole way. We need help before we get we're going to get out of this."
"And if they attack us and think we're one of them?" It was a good point she didn't want to consider.
"What other option do we have?" Leaf was nearly ready to snap. Not at Ash, but this whole situation. Her patience, her will to keep going, was thinning. "Aron looks exhausted, And we can't dig miles of rock in time on our own." We will die before we ever make a dent, she wanted to say.
Ash looked to the pokeballs, considering her words. It was a risk, but it was one they had to take.
All appeared in flashes and glimmers. Explaining the situation wasn't pleasant. It was a cross he forced himself to bear. Leaf sat, exhausted both physically and mentally. It was a weakness he could not allow himself to succumb to. He didn't slight her for it, either. He was much too weary to spend energy he would need for digging.
The pokemon, at first, did not believe him. The ones that had managed to battle against Team Rocket, even less. They distrusted him. One even attacked. Gastly disabled it easily enough. Ash was relieved that the other pokemon did not follow its example. He thought when the first one had struck, all the rest would as well. The laws of chaos dictated that. It might have come to pass if a great deal of them didn't see things for how he did.
Towards the end, Ash presented them with the very same choice as he did Aron. Fight alongside them, craw out from the cave and live, or squander the second chance they'd been given and surely join their trainers in death. Only when the speech exited him when the words dripped off his tongue, the full weight of their deaths settled onto his shoulders.
As he was trapped with Leaf, he thought of those trainers as numbers. He had to. He had to keep his mind clear. It was a big enough mess as is. He didn't want to die with more despair clawing at him. Now, he had no choice. The reality of it all faced him, and Ash was disappointed to admit that he blinked.
He didn't speak another word after that. He just dug—he dug until the skin wore from his fingers until his back spasmed so severely that he was compelled to crawl around or limp, forced to bend at the hip.
Leaf tried to speak to him. He heard none of it. None of her comforting words. He just dug and dug and dug and dug... when the other pokemon slept, he dug. When they ate, he dug. And finally, when they gave up, he thought of doing the same... as he dug.
She tried to ease his pain. He heard none of it. There was no point in easing his pain. They would die down here, submerged within a mountain. They were all going to die in pain anyway. Why should his pain be lessened? What made him so special?
It was slow going at first as they tried to get used to each other and adjust to the idea of being without a trainer, but eventually, they all worked together like a well-oiled machine.
Aron and Geodude dug through rock and rubble with former's steel claws. Some of the other pokemon began using their own abilities, such as water guns or ember attacks, melting through any harder material that posed an obstacle in their path.
Each step closer to freedom gave them an overwhelming sense of hope that kept them pushing forward when exhaustion threatened to overtake them.
The other pokemon also dug, continuing on even if their bodies failed them. They pressed on, the days and nights blurring together. The only thing that sustained them was the promise of a chance at living again.
Even though they were tired from all the hard work, there was something strangely comforting about working together as a team, something that none of them could quite explain or understand but still felt deeply within themselves. They knew that if they worked together, then anything was possible—even escaping this mountain prison!
But then reality set in.
Days had passed. He hadn't eaten or drank. Neither had the pokemon. He hadn't slept, either.
His stomach growled furiously. It demanded him to feed it. His entire being demand items he could grant it. Food. Rest. Sleep. Freedom. Remission.
It worsened until he tore up the last bag containing his MREs. Again, his stomach ached and churned. The second he smelled the stale crackers, he almost shoved them into his mouth with the half wrapper still on them. Still, he hesitated. He opened the macaroni package. He drenched it with the cheese and chili spread. Still, he hesitated.
His pokemon sat huddled around him. Even Aron lingered close to his feet. His blue eyes stared back at him. Carvanha laid passively, and Gastly was without his exuberance. Ash swallowed, but saliva formed in his mouth to lubricate his dry throat.
Their eyes all found him. Even Gastly did not require food. His heart broke over again. Without a second thought, he drained the package of seasoned macaroni into a set of mining helms. They dug in instantly. Watching them eat made his stomach even angrier, but his heart warmed a tiny bit.
Aron nudged his hand as he sat. When that did yield the results he hoped, Aron nibbled his fingers, and Ash stirred from his weakness.
"What?" he croaked. His voice sounded tired. More than tired. Just... defeated. Leaf was off to his right, sleeping. She rarely did anything else these past few days. He couldn't blame her. She didn't want to be awake when she... when she... even now, he struggled to imagine Leaf dead. It didn't right in his head.
Leaf... dead. It sounded like a grammatical error. A falsehood. A... lie. A violation of the laws of the universe.
Aron whimpered, pushing the helmet closer to his hand. There laid a few more clumps of food. He whined, pressing his fingers against the helmet himself.
Again, Ash's heart broke.
"It's okay," he whispered. "Go ahead. Eat. It's yours."
Aron shook his head small head, growling some. Ash chuckled, but it sounded more like frail, fleeting coughs or wheezes. "It's okay. I'm okay. Eat. I want you to have it."
Aron hung his head, dejected. Despite his own hunger, the food did not taste as wonderful as it did minutes ago.
Ash sat there in silence, watching as Aron and the others ate. His mind wandered back to the events of the past few days. Then, light faded all around him. He felt dullness envelop him. He hadn't slept in days. A little rest sounded good.
Only a little, though. He still needed to... dig.
He awoke in a... bed?
He blinked, and a bright light gouged itself into his eyes. Am I dead? He wondered. Everyone always spoke about the white lights appearing when you die. He was... tired of questioning the logic of that conundrum. Ash just wanted to sleep again. There was no more pain when he slept. He wasn't hungry anymore. He just wanted the agony to stop.
And it did.
For what felt like minutes. As he opened his eyes, dullness hit him like an uncomfortable, full-body grasp.
Bright white sheets curled beneath his clenched fingers, and he floated above a soft mattress. That's what it felt like, at least. After sleeping on piercing rock for days on end, a mattress was nearly heaven for him.
The lights were dimmed, but he could still make out the shape of the room around him. Everywhere he looked, machines were beeping softly, and nurses were bustling about in their uniforms. He could feel an IV line running from his arm into a bag of fluids above him, replenishing his body after days without food or water. His mind was already sifting through the fatigue and weakness, disregarding as if they were merely stained clothing. But a smile did spring to his lips he spotted them.
His pokemon were all around him as well, cuddled up on blankets or perched on chairs beside his bed—they seemed to be none the worse for wear after their harrowing experience in that cave system. There was one that didn't belong, however.
Clefable lingered in one of the room's corners, studying him from afar. Ash squinted—on the counter stationed at his flank, he spotted four pokeballs instead of three. Gastly, Carvanha, Aron, and now Clefable.
Or maybe… he did belong, Ash thought, a daft smile breaching his lips. Clefable had been with him every second since he found him. He dug with him, inspired hope when he had none, and possibly saved his life. He may not have battled or caught Clefable the traditional way, but he felt his.
Aron was pitched close to his left hand. The cold, unforgiving frigidness of steel never felt so warm in his palm. Ash gave a feeble smile as he looked down at Aron, who was resting comfortably against his side.
They opened their eyes, and their own cries escaped them. He didn't say a word. There was nothing to be said. Everything he felt was conveyed through his gaze. He knew they understood what he was feeling and thinking because he could feel their own wonder and happiness.
Ash's heart filled with warmth as he caringly studied each face. He had grown so close to them over the last few days—they had been through so much together—and now here they were, safe and sound.
He wanted nothing more than to jump out of this hospital bed and enjoy their company, away from the clutches of Mt. Moon. Ache still clung to him like a disease. His limbs throbbed and tingled from blood returning after being pressed up against rocky walls for days on end.
His gaze eventually found its way back to Aron—the one who had kept him going through those dark hours underground when all hope seemed lost. Tears sprang into his eyes, and he gently stroked the steel-type's head affectionately with his thumb.
"Thank you," he said softly before placing a light kiss on Aron's forehead. Gastly hovered above him, the two of them speaking no words to one another. They just enjoyed the momentary serenity of vindication and survival.
Just then, a kind nurse approached him. She had an infectious smile that seemed to brighten up the entire room. "Welcome back," she said warmly, her green eyes twinkling in the light. Despite his exhaustion, Ash couldn't help but feel a little better at the sight of her.
The nurse began to detail Ash's situation and what he could expect during his recovery. "You suffered a concussion and fractured several of your fingers. Fortunately, we'll be able to reverse the damage to your fingers with a few days of careful treatment. Due to the fickle nature of head wounds, the concussion will have to heal on its own. If you feel dizziness, balance related issues, like vertigo, trouble thinking, sensitivity to light or noise, don't worry. It's perfectly normal. I'm going to be starting you on a medication that should the effects and reduce the swelling of your brain. And, as you might already know, you were malnourished."
"What..." Ash tried to bring his hand up to caress his throat, but he was too weak to even do that. Anger crept up within him. "I thought... it takes... months for—"
Thankfully, she spared him the torture. "While it's true that it takes months for severe malnourishment to set in, you hadn't eaten or drank in nearly a week. Quite frankly, Mr. Ketchum, you are very fortunate to be alive."
"I don't... feel... fortunate."
The nurse hid her gaze. "I didn't imply... I didn't mean to make light of the situation. Many trainers lost their lives in that mountain."
Ash's snapped wide open. "Leaf."
"I'm sorry, what does a "leaf" have to do with this?"
"Leaf!" he growled, leaning forward ever so slightly. "Did she... make it!"
"Pokemon trainer Leaf," she said in recognition. "She was brought in with you. We discharged her several hours ago. Her parents arrived shortly after we notified them. She only suffered light abrasions to her fingers and hands."
That was a relief. Ash leaned into the pillow, content once more.
"What about... the other trainers?"
"More search teams were dispatched after they found you and your friend. From what I understand, they looked for quite a while, but they only found three others."
"Was... Gary... Oak one of them?"
She paused, sifting through a stack of documents restrained on her board. "Yes. Yes, he was. Along with a Chester Bluefield and a Mark Rumlow." He did not smile at their names. But upon mentioning Gary Oak, he did smirk, however. "The police are here to see you. They're questioning everyone. The G-Men called ahead. They wish to speak with you as well. Personally."
"How... long... can you hold them... off?" He was still tired. Not physically, but mentally. She could still see the fatigue in his eyes.
"As your nurse, I can do very little. But I'm friends with Nurse Joy. I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you," he murmured gaspingly.
She touched his hand, much to Aron's ire. "It will be a long road," she said with a subtle smile, "but I am here for you every step of the way."
She answered all of Ash's questions with comforting words and knowledge. He was relieved to have someone there who was genuinely concerned for him. It was something he had taken for granted before.
As she finished her reassuring speech, she continued to assure him, "If you ever need anything, I'm always just a phone call away." The nurse spoke in a comforting yet mindful tone as
"Given the severity of your condition, the recovery process will be seven-to-fourteen days. During this time, it is important that you follow my instructions closely. If not, you run the risk of further aggravating your condition; it could set you back weeks or even months." She paused, allowing her words to sink in before continuing, "Are there any questions I can answer for you?"
Ash shook his head, and she vanished from the room. He thanked her earnestly for her kindness and left him alone with his pokemon. He was happier than he had any right to be.
But before he could finish expressing his gratitude, the door opened again. In walked Professor Oak, bearing a bouquet and an expression of pure relief and joy on his face. He immediately rushed forward and embraced his young student in a tight hug, not caring that some of the flowers were now strewn across the floor.
"Oh, my boy," said Professor Oak, tears now flowing freely down his weathered cheeks. "You had me worried—I thought I had lost you!"
Ash just sat into the hug, not a single complaint even festering in his head.
He hadn't slept since Mt. Moon. Fatigue hung over him like a curse, but it was a far more pleasant alternative. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see them. A sigh escaped him as he dutifully watched his pokemon train.
Ever since Mt. Moon, he'd been glad that Misty decided to meet him over a Cerulean City at a later date. She assured him she would be there before he left, preferably before he challenged the gym. Ash was thankful she wasn't around to see him in his sorry state or trek through Mt. Moon alongside him. It wasn't a fate he'd wish upon Misty.
There were things in there he would never unsee. Ash knew people were the real monsters. He'd known that ever since Celadon. It still couldn't have prepared him for all that death. Team Rocket, they were terrorists, monsters, evil of the highest order. Ash wanted them gone; he wanted them obliterated. He was more than happy to let Jonah and his ilk kill them all just so he could close his eyes without the nagging fear of Team Rocket ambushing him in the night. It was a terrible thing; he knew that. Killing was killing. It was the greatest sin if you believed in God.
But Ash didn't care. The longer they were out there, the more pokemon they were going to abduct and enslave, the people they would harm. He just wanted it to be done so that he could be a trainer again without looking over his shoulder every five seconds, worrying about a retaliatory attack. A part of him, foreign and accusatory, wanted them to try again. A small yet nagging part of him begged for the excuse to cross paths with Team Rocket again.
Ash did not put too much stock in his predictable emotional state. He knew he would desire vengeance. As he sat alone on a hospital bed hooked up to more machines than he had fingers, he prayed for it. That feeling hadn't disappeared since then. Ash ignored it the best he could, focusing on training rather than fixating on Team Rocket.
Gastly worked diligently on mastering Venoshock. Unfortunately, it still took much too long to summon the poisonous liquids. Ash attributed some of that fault to Gastly only having one orifice. Once again, the lack of limbs stunted his growth as well. None of his frustration was aimed at Gastly personally, only at his species. They were terrifying to battle in the wild, grouped up in swarms. But in a sanctioned battle, there was only so much you could do with a Gastly. No one understood that more than the pokemon himself.
They counted the days when evolution would welcome Gastly into the second natural growth stage. There was still much they could do until that time came. Mastering Venoshock, practicing strategy, gaining experience, and learning new techniques would all prove beneficial as a Haunter and, later, a Gengar. All of the training Ash was putting into Gastly was to better prepare him for his inevitable evolution. It wouldn't be long now when Gastly evolved. Ash could feel it in his bones. All the signs were pointing at Gastly's growing maturity.
The stench of its gasses was becoming volatile now if the exposure was prolonged. It was positively rank. He was also becoming calmer, less hyperactive than usual—a common tell that their bodies were subconsciously storing more energy, preparing for evolution. They no longer possessed the overabundance of raw power to cause chaos. It was odd seeing Gastly as reserved. Well, Gastly's version of reserved. He was still more hyper than Carvanha, and now, Aron, that was for sure.
Carvanha's training progressed swifter than Gastly's, much to the ghost's anger. It wasn't like Carvanha was a genius. He simply had more at his disposal. Outside of his natural element, he could fight Gastly to a standstill. Gastly knew he had no chance of winning in the ocean or a moderately steep lake. Carvanha was every bit the predator he was back on Route 1. Fierce, challenging, and above all else, merciless.
Clefable was by far his strongest pokemon. He was simply a cut above the rest, yet he showed the least amount of desire to improve. It enjoyed battling more than most of its kind did, but it also liked exploring, singing, and resting, choosing most of the time to merely watch events unfold. Almost like Ash, in a sense. Except for the singing. He hated singing. Well, he hated it because he was so damn bad at it. Clefable did not seem to have that problem.
His eardrums thanked the gods. If Clefable was terrible at singing, he wasn't sure he'd have the heart to disbar him from continuing his passion. The fairy enjoyed singing most of all. The tune of its lullaby helped him fall asleep. Ash thanked him for his beautiful singing every morning. Strangely enough, his nightmares plagued him less and less the more Clefable eased him to sleep. He still had them, but not quite so frequently. For the first time in… a long time, he wasn't afraid to close his eyes and fall asleep.
Ash knew that Clefable would be his ace in conquering the Sensational Sisters. With only one badge, they would use a low-level team. A two-on-two, if his well-investigated assumption was correct—which they usually were. Same as Brock, then. Unlike Brock, he did not have a pokemon with an iron-clad type advantage. Since there was a possibility of them using a Starmie, Gastly could come in handy. If he knew any proper ghost-type moves, that is.
Out of all the types, Ash knew how to train fairies the least. Next to dragons, of course. He knew the possibility of him catching a dragon-type in his first year as a trainer was tiny at best. Ash saw no reason to study dragon-types beyond how to beat them if he were to cross on in battle. It was a well-founded choice. Professor Oak agreed with him on his approach.
In his own words, "Training dragon-types is like pulling teeth, if every tooth was dissimilar from one another, and posed a significant threat of bodily harm if you so much as appear weak or incompetent to them. Dragons respect one thing above all, lad. Power. If their trainer does not meet their expectations… abandonment will be least of your concerns."
Ash decided that his time would be better spent learning how to train more common pokemon types like water-types, poison-types, etcetera, etcetera. Foreknowledge of Venoshock's usefulness as a low-level special poison-type attack saved him considerable time in learning about it now.
"You're charging too blindly," he lectured. Carvanha splashed him with water in his offense. Ash withheld a sigh. It was better if he did not give the pokemon the satisfaction of seeing his annoyance. "When you use Aqua Jet, you should be aware of what your target is. You're better than a blind brute. I know you are."
Carvanha huffed its beady nostrils at him. Ash glared warningly. It bolted beneath the water, surfacing a dozen meters away. Once again, water churned around it. Encased in glimmering liquid, Carvanha fired from the lake.
"Second tree to your left."
Immediately, Carvanha adjusted its course and skimmed the bulk of the tree. Bark exploded violently. Carvanha landed, flopping until it settled on its fins. Ash nodded approvingly.
"Good. Get better sticking your landing," he ordered, and the water-dark type huffed in appeasement. "Pick your own targets now. Challenge yourself. Get your failures out now. I may need you in this gym battle. Train like you're going to be the main act because you might just be."
Carvanha said nothing, preferring to get back to work. Time was precious. He did not bother showing how invigorated he was by his trainer's words. He was not stupid. He knew the effect his words had. Ash did not offer compliments commonly. It made the times when he did give them noteworthy. They knew when they received one, they truly met his expectations.
For once, Ash had no idea how to continue with this plan. He had none. Ash had no idea where to start. His team were in varying states of their development. Carvanha was still nowhere near evolving. Weeks away, at best, if his assumptions were correct. Gastly, he hoped, would come sooner, and Clefable was young but fully evolved from its exposure to the Moon Stone. It packed far more raw power than either Gastly or Carvanha could imagine at their current stages. Clefable also had half of their battle experience.
The one thing he was sure of, if it were a two-on-two battle, Gastly would not partake. The team would be Carvanha and Clefable. Gastly knew that. Ash didn't need to inform him outright. It wasn't that hard to figure out. Gastly was honest about himself. He could ascertain his abilities with impartiality. In this battle, Ash needed raw power above all else. That wasn't him—it wasn't, not yet.
But Gastly was patient. He would train his hardest to become the best pokemon he could be. It was only a matter of time before he realized his potential. Gastly dreamed about that day.
Ash had him learning Spite, a ghost-type move that decreased the opponent's stamina. It was a move they both admired the usefulness of. However, it was not the only technique Ash was teaching him.
Icy Wind was as particular as it was annoying to learn. The various poison-type attacks that Ash had him learn were easy. They came to him effortlessly. Icy Wind was far from easy. Ash wasn't frustrated by his lack of success. He merely urged Gastly to trudge past the failures and keep trying. Eventually, Icy Wind would be learned, then mastered. Gastly had confidence in the competence of his trainer, so he restrained himself from feeling despondent about his lack of progress.
Clefable already possessed an extensive enough move-pool. Its latent power was impressive, and its defense was even more so. The only credible thing Clefable truly lacked was battle experience and knowledge of how to operate on this team. Ash sought to fix the most glaring issues first. Clefable sparred against Carvanha and Gastly whenever Ash deemed it necessary. The best thing about sparring was every part gained something from it. A collaborative effort that grew their individual attributes.
Pokemon like Gastly and Carvanha learned best in the heat of battle. The opposite could be said about Clefable. It was in better shape than what he found it in, but in terms of battle-hardened instincts, Carvanha and Gastly outclassed it. That would change, Ash was sure it. The Sensation Sisters would help Clefable catch up.
When a beam of rainbow rays decapitated a beautiful oak tree, Ash frowned searchingly.
"Your Dazzling Gleam can be better," he said eventually. Clefable deflated at the criticism. "It's passable—for now." That was a minute expression of praise. Then, his solemn face brightened somewhat. "Practice more. Show me Rock Smash."
Clefable pounded a small boulder. It fractured under his pounding. After three attempts, Ash whistled, and Clefable hung his head. A small pat on his shoulder made him fear the worst.
"That's good progress. Continue at your own pace. Focus more on Dazzling Gleam, all right?" Clefable nodded eagerly. "I'm assuming your agility is still lousy?" Clefable grinned shakily. "I thought so. We'll work on that later. Your Dazzling Gleam, it takes too long to charge up. The Sensational Sisters will not give us a year to prepare your attacks. You'll have to be faster."
Clefable dipped his head, considering what was said, then he nodded.
"Good. Continue practicing. Lunch will be served within the hour. I know you're hungry after all of your hard work." The fairy-type's stomach rumbled. Ash quirked his lips some. "Get to it," he urged, and Clefable was more than happy to disappear into the woods after that embarrassing moment.
"You, Gastly," he began, and his starter floated beside him expectantly. "Your Venoshock could be better, though I think we should focus on teaching you a new move and improving the charge-up time of Confuse Ray. If we can bust out Confuse Ray quicker, then it'll be that much harder for our opponent to get hit by it. How is your invisibility and intangibility."
Gastly twirled slowly, expressionistically downtrodden.
"I'm sorry. There's only some much I can do in that regard." The Pokedex was a virtual godsend in every aspect. It gave detailed accounts, descriptions, tutorials, and everything you could possibly need. Although, finding information on how to teach ghosts to harness their natural incorporeality was nearly impossible. There was some fleeting information, but it seemed it wasn't helping much.
Gastly remonstrated himself, fizzing out of reality—it appeared as if a harsh glare of light passed over him, somewhat disguising his gaseous form.
"Just keep working on it," was all Ash could manage. "You have the very… faint fundamentals of it down. You just need more practice."
"Gas!"
"I was thinking about teaching you a new move, but no. You need to master this as soon as possible. Keep practicing, and once you have a decent grasp on intangibility and invisibility, we'll see about that new move, okay?" Gastly bobbed his limbless body. He tittered over to a corner of the field where he could be alone and focus.
Ash spectated his team's session until his leg buckled painfully. He looked behind him; his lips sat into a firm, thin line. Aron stared up at him, long lagging out his chrome mouth.
"You're really making me regret catching you, you know that?"
If possible, that panting and grinning only became more severe.
"You want to train, I understand. You know a few moves, one of them decent." Metal Claw came to mind. "But I haven't done that much research on your species." Aron frowned. "I know what I should. I've been looking at the moves you can learn, which is pretty good. Your species' natural strength is better than a few first-stage evolutions. I'm sure you're more durable than Gastly and Carvanha combined. But I honestly have no idea what to focus on with you."
There was only so much information he could get out of seeing a small scrap with Team Rocket grunts. Especially since he wasn't at the helm of any of those battles. It was Aron directing himself.
"I'm going to come out and say it. You won't be useful to me for the next gym." Aron was no longer panting excitedly. "That doesn't mean I'm not going to train you to the bone. Oh no, far from it, actually. I'm just saying it right now. You won't be battling. I'm just not going to use you in a water-type gym. Not at this stage. If you were a Lairon or knew a couple of decent moves that were good against water-types, I would, maybe, reconsider."
Ash did not waste much time thinking about what could be. It was pointless. The only thing that mattered was being concerned about what is and what will be, not what could be.
"What do you like to do more?" Aron cocked his head, conveying his confusion exuberantly through those cerulean eyes. Ash withheld a sigh, figuring out a way to say this in a way he would understand. "Okay. Do you prefer to attack up close or from afar? Okay, wait, never mind. You don't have any ranged attacks. You wouldn't know. How about this? What would you prefer? Attack from afar or close. Like Clefable. He attacks with beams and other methods. Carvanha, on the other hand, likes to attack up close with Aqua Jet and Façade. What would you prefer doing if you could choose? Who would you want to emulate?"
Aron cocked his head further. For a moment, Ash wondered if his message was conveyed well enough. Then all of a sudden, Aron looked at Clefable.
"Are you sure?"
Aron's tongue logged out of his mouth, grinning stupidly.
"Okay, we'll get to work on that then." Ash gesture to the steel type, suggesting that he should follow him. The two found and nice grassy area to rest. It was under a lovely gazebo of shade from a tall tree. Aron planted his butt to the grass, and Ash leaned his back against the bark of a tree. "Let's see what moves you can learn that are ranged." He accessed Aron's profile on his Pokedex. When the steel-rock type cocked his head up at him, Ash moved his device lower so he could see, too.
"You already know Harden, so we shouldn't really be in too much of a hurry to learn Iron Defense. Hmm, says here you can learn Shock Wave. There are worse moves. However, it says here that you don't learn to any special attacks. Which is disappointing, but I think we can work with Shock Wave and maybe something else. There's Ancient Power, but I don't know too much about it. Still, even with the super effective attack, I don't think it's wise to use you for the gym." Aron's disappointment was conveyed very clearly, but Ash steeled himself. He was very much like a kid in almost every regard. Show him something shiny, and he'll forget all about his disappointment.
"I do know that Aggron learn a lot of special attacks. That is something I already know from studying. Let's see what your middle evolution can do." Aron regarded the screen eagerly. He already knew what he would look like upon evolving, but he wished to remind himself of what he was training for.
In just one evolution, he would go from a small, large-headed pokemon to a stocky armored creature with thicker legs, finer armor, and a much, much larger body that was still quadrupedal. Aron did not necessarily feel anything from seeing the evolution.
"You can learn Earth Power, but that's about it. Along with Water Pulse." Ash traveled through the portal to Aggron's page. "It isn't until you evolve fully that you can learn powerful moves like Flamethrower, Solar Beam, Focus Blast, Thunderbolt or Thunder, Fire Blast—the list goes on and on. Your preference does mend well with your final evolution. But the fact is, you can't depend solely on three, maybe four moves. In my opinion, Aron. I think your best option is to be a mixed attacker—at least until you become an Aggron. You're just too limited in the area you want to excel at. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Just because you can't prioritize as a special attacker quite yet does not mean you're useless."
Ash deliberately left out Steel Beam. That was one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, steel-type attack any pokemon could learn. There is no way Aron or even his evolved form could ever hope to channel that much power. Or control it, for that matter. Maybe as an Aggron perhaps? But he wasn't about to start planning ahead for when he would evolve twice. He could teach him things that he could use in the future when he was fully evolved, but he wasn't going to purely plan around how he would be as a fully-evolved pokemon.
Aron's pouting ceased momentarily. "You can still learn moves like Rock Slide, which could be done at a range. Iron Tail or Heavy Slam. Rock Slide can be used at range, same with even Metal Burst. But not Iron Tail or Heavy Slam. Those were steel-type moves but ones that needed to make contact. That isn't a bad thing, though. You can learn an abundance of moves that will make you strong. We'll work with what we have and make do."
Aron made a noise, torn between understanding and disappointment. He appreciated his trainer for saying it like how it was instead of trying to sugarcoat it.
"After looking at these moves and seeing what you're capable of now, I think the best course of action is teaching you Shock Wave. It will give us some coverage against your weakness to water types, and it will also give us some range variety. Other than that, I think we should really prioritize your defense. That is a factor that is going to help you even when you evolve. Especially when you evolve. If you can master Harden and use it without any windup or energy expenditure, then it will help you a lot in the future. Strengthening your body naturally will also help. I'll see about buying you some specific nutrient-rich foods, so your armor becomes more durable over time. Other than that, we should refine the moves you already know, and that's it."
A week trailed on slowly. Traveling was difficult. His body was still sore from the poison he was injected with, courtesy of the Zubat. The effects of severe dehydration lingered a bit longer than he would have preferred. The training was good, though. Everyone was progressing amazingly. They were all putting forth their best efforts.
Gastly was growing increasingly more frustrated as the days went on. He anticipated his evolution so strongly that whenever a day passed and he didn't evolve, it was a question of whether he ever would. Ash could see it plainly enough. Carvanha was nowhere near evolving, and he seemed to be fine with that. He wasn't exactly thrilled by it, but it did not surprise him. He knew his species took a long time to evolve if they ever did. The fact of the matter is, a great deal of pokemon in the wild never evolve. Not once. The raw difference in power between a trainer's pokemon and a wild pokemon was monumental and incomprehensible.
The power itself was almost insignificant compared to a trainer's pokemon's versatility over a wild one. There were moves pokemon could never teach themselves, or very rarely did. Usually, the moves wild pokemon learned were the ones they learned naturally as they got stronger. That much everyone was taught in the Institute. The pokemon that did learn moves that were uncommon to see in a wild example their species were regarded as prodigies, freaks of nature.
For example, if he found an Aron that knew Shadow Claw, Ash and everyone else with half a brain cell would know he wasn't normal. Somehow, someway, it taught itself that move. It didn't learn it naturally through species' organic progression of power. It was one of the more painless ways to identify a pokemon of extraordinary potential. The ones that looked at it that way, at least. Many trainers never considered looking for pokemon that knew moves they shouldn't to gauge their worth before ever training it.
Although he didn't quite sink into the trap of primarily judging a pokemon's worth by its prodigious talent. Unfortunately, those that did abide by the general rule found themselves trapped and eternally hunting for a one-in-one-thousand example of the species they were searching for. Most trainers are never blessed to see a thousand different pokemon all of the same species. Even then, the odds weren't concrete. It was just a general assumption.
Ash used it as a guideline. Merely a way to sift through information. He didn't primarily seek out pokemon of that nature. He knew more than anyone that there was more to someone beyond their natural talent. Ash himself was a living, breathing example of that. It was an advantageous tool, but he did not follow it as gospel.
Those that did were idiotic, lazy, and foolhardy.
It came as no surprise when he heard Gary continuously ramble on about using strategy to catch stronger pokemon.
"Why would I waste my time with weaker pokemon when I could catch stronger ones and train them to be even better?" Gary Oak's greatest downfall would always be his laziness and shallow-mindedness, for that matter.
If he put in a fourth of the effort he did trying to appease everyone with his swagger, he would be a way better trainer than the world was ready for. Gary Oake's potential was something. Ash always envied, and maybe he always would. The understanding of Garry's seemingly unlimited potential fueled him to study even more. It kept him hungry for knowledge. It's settled a perpetually burning fire under him.
Ash had no problem admitting that Gary Oak was probably the most talented and prodigious trainer he had ever seen. Everything he did was effortless. It was shocking how great he was without putting in a lick of effort. Ash did wonder how good Gary would be if he did try as hard as he did.
It genuinely terrified him.
Which only made Ash work even harder.
In a spare clearing roughly half a mile from Cerulean City, a trainer offered to battle. A one-on-one, he said, and Ash was perfectly with that. However, Ash wanted to get as much experience as possible using Aron, so he sent him out.
The slightly older trainer released his own pokemon.
A very long and tall but still stout Tauros. The battle ensued, and Ash quickly realized they were at a massive disadvantage.
"Start out with Tackle, Tauros!" the older trainer shouted, and Tauros charged like a bull. Ash ordered Aron to retaliate with his own Tackle. He quickly realized his mistake when Tauros completely bulldozed over him. Aron was flung from his feet. Ash winced when he heard the very audible thud of Aron's iron-like body tumbling by his feet.
Shock Wave would be great in this situation. Ash determined a glaring flaw in a physical battler that was outclassed in strength. The flaw was in the very issue. If Aron were more gifted physically, his lack of a diverse move-set would not be so detrimental. Here, though, the only thing that Aron had going for him was his ability to shake off that nasty Tackle with only a bit of trouble.
"Metal Claw."
"Use Tackle again, Tauros!" the trainer cried.
Aron barked and swiped his gleaming claw. It was a tiny thing, and Tauros almost didn't bother evading it. Though, it did not need to as it used its longer, more robust body to reach Aron before Aron could reach him. However when Aron refused to flinch and accepted the pain while inflicting a nasty slash along its flank.
Ash spectated that meaningful exchange, introspectively curious. That's an interesting way to battle.
"Metal Claw," Ash said yet again.
"Don't let it hit you!" Tauros rotated and kicked its back two feet. This time, Aron did recoil. The silvery glow vanished cruelly, and the trainer grinned. "Headbutt, Tauros!" A similar radiance expanded from the crown of Tauros' head. The pure normal-type punched with it, and Aron howled. Right as Ash was about to shout his counter, he was interrupted. "Use Horn Attack!"
As Tauros shoved its horn into Aron's armor, a frown sank into Ash's lips. He had no time to interject. Aron was out like a light when that Horn Attack struck. If the power gap between Tauros and Aron hadn't been so disproportionate, then Aron's defenses would have allowed him to absorb that blow. It wasn't an astonishingly powerful attack, but the other attacks were backed by such powerful strength that a simple Tackle might've felt like a Headbutt and a Headbutt like Giga Impact.
Nevertheless, Ash took his defeat without shame.
He faced a stronger opponent. He lost to a stronger opponent. There was nothing he or Aron could do. No amount of technique or strategy would allow Aron to ensnare a win. Not with four moves and Aron's incredibly lackluster speed. Tauros' victory was self-assured. He could have missed five attacks in a row, and it still would have prevailed. Sure, it wouldn't have been quite as effortless, but it would have still been a win.
"Hey, that was a good battle," the older trainer said after he returned his pokemon. "Tauros is one of my stronger fighters. Your Aron has some potential. How long have you two been together? Two months? Three? Four?"
"A little over three weeks."
"Three weeks?" the guy laughed. "That's funny." Ash wasn't laughing. "You're serious? Okay." He definitely wasn't embarrassed at all. "He's a strong tyke; I'll give 'em that. Anyways, thanks for the battle."
He walked away, offering a parting wave as he left.
Ash recalled Aron without dismay. The second he saw the musculature on that Tauros—it wasn't a strong example of its species. It was simply older, more experienced, and physically stronger than Aron. If Ash's assumptions of Aron's physiology were correct, he was only a few years old. Tauros, like Carvanha or Clefable, were all at least double that. Ash had no clue how old Gastly was. That was an impossible figure out, and Ash wouldn't waste time throwing out assumptions on the matter. Aron had a long way to go before he even became fully developed. Like he said previously, if his conjecture was correct, Aron would be attaining physical maturity soon.
Ash would be surprised if he didn't evolve before he reached that age. Nonetheless, this battle gave him much to think about for Aron's capabilities and how to better utilize his fighter's strengths.
The following sum of days spent preparing for the Sisters passed slower than before. Maybe it was the lack of sleep that made the days drag on. That infernal insomnia already annoyed him intermittently, even with Clefable's charming singing. The insomnia, he was glad for it, now. It helped him resist the primal urge to close his eyes—only for a second to get a little bit of rest. He never thought he'd say this, but he thanked his insomnia.
Days later, in Cerulean City, Ash awoke early, as per usual. It was a habit that had been ingrained in him since he was a child. When he started waking up earlier, it gave him more time to utilize in the day. More time to spend studying and more time to research with Professor Oak. The human body did not require as much sleep as people thought. Sure, he was groggy most of the day, but once he got used to feeling tired constantly, retaining information in his state became easier.
Or so he convinced himself.
Although traveling made getting up earlier difficult. The energy he spent studying paled compared to the amount he burned trekking through Kanto. There was also the factor of training, studying even more, forming battle and training plans, and many other things. There was a lot of responsibility put on your shoulders when you owned pokemon. Especially while traveling.
Here, you were not only responsible for your actions but also your pokemons' well-being. If you wish to reach certain cities by set deadlines, accomplish said deadlines, and ensure you're journeying the correct routes to your destination, lest you get lost in the middle of nowhere, you need to have your business in order. Plans must be set. Everything has to be accounted for. You just have to be organized. Ash was prepared. He knew exactly what he was getting into by becoming a trainer. Most didn't.
A long time ago, when Professor Oak could still be considered a bachelor—a middle-aged one, but still youthful, the League decided that it would be best to raise the earliest trainer age up to fourteen years old. Too many ten-year-olds were getting lost in the wild because their underdeveloped brains couldn't process the stakes correctly. They were simply too young and not mature enough. There were still children.
They were getting into too much trouble. Not enough of them understood basic land navigation. Barely any of them knew how to handle pokemon. Much less powerful ones or pokemon that belonged to certain unruly species and or types. Too fucking young. It only took nearly six dozen trainer-related deaths in just one year, five years in a row, for them to realize that.
When the trainer age was moved up, the League saw a drastic decrease in trainer casualties by a startling forty-eight percent. That forty-eight percent rose even higher when the League mandated a two-week land navigation course, basic survival techniques, and practices on evading wild pokemon. In Ash's opinion, that course should've been longer and more comprehensive, but it did its job in meeting the quota the League sought. That forty-eight percent was upped all the way to fifty-two percent.
A whopping four-percent. Roll out the red carpet, the league's coming to save us all. Politics, Ash thought, spiting on the grass.
There were still actions that could be taken to ensure fewer stupid kids get their hands on pokemon when they have zero business becoming trainers at all. Ash must have said this a thousand times to Professor Oak, but, "You should have to go through an eight-week training course, be tested afterward, and if you don't score at an eighty-percent on it, you can't become a trainer."
It would weed out the weak. The ones that genuinely wanted to become trainers, they would flourish under the pressure. They would become better perspective trainers, and those who only wanted to become trainers for ill-found reasons or didn't have what it took would not be given a pokemon to do stupid crap with.
Nevertheless, Ash was glad they discarded the extremely young trainer age. On average, the mental maturity of a regular ten-year-old boy, or girl, made them incapable of making less than savory decisions based on survival. There was also a statistic that nearly an eighth of new trainers were injured, dismembered, or killed by wild pokemon. Of course, the latter two happened less often, but it was still notable. Nearly half of those fatalities were from irresponsible trainers attempting to catch a pokemon that was much too powerful and wild for them to handle and paying the ultimate price.
Of course, further schooling and testing would solve that issue of naivety. But no. Just push the age up. That will solve all the problems. The League finally decided to push the age back. It was a decision Ash agreed with. He just didn't like how they did that and completely neglected more challenging courses and preliminary testing. It was still as easy as it was to become a trainer before. The age was just increased. Sure, that solves a decent amount of the issues spawned by lack of maturity. But it wasn't just the maturity; it was the overall lack of foreign knowledge about the world of pokemon.
Land navigation. Terrain navigation. Sickness. General pokemon knowledge. Survival techniques. There was none of that. Not truly.
That was a while ago. Since then, they've seen a dramatic decrease in injuries and fatalities. Though public relations had gone down initially, they quickly bounced back when parents of the families that lost children spoke out publicly about how they wished this rule had been formed earlier. It would have saved lives… their children's lives.
Ash agreed. No ten-year-old child should be given a trainer's license. Plenty of studies showed the brain never stopped developing until a person's mid-twenties. Ash was surprised it wasn't pushed back further, perhaps until the age of eighteen or their early twenties. But after scoping the data, he found that there was no need. Of course, there would still be tragedies. There was no going around that. The League found that they could stomach those numbers. Decreasing it any further would, of course, harm profit shares.
There had been calls to make the minimum age even older. Ash disagreed. Teenagers were mature and capable enough to, on average, make the decisions needed to survive. He believed they had a decent enough amount of common sense. Now that he'd met other trainers that were less than competent, he was beginning to understand those calls. However, Ash wasn't sure two more years of maturity would help them.
Some people were just idiots. No amount of time or schooling would knock the Darwinism out of them.
Ash watched as a pig-headed boy stomped back into the Sensational Sisters' gym, only to flee in just ten minutes, crying his eyes out. This was the fourth time in two days.
It seemed like common sense wasn't that common. Who knew?
He yawned as he opened his Pokedex. He rubbed his sore eyes, swept his palms over his jet-black hair, and frowned. Ash mulled over what he had learned after studying the sisters.
Unfortunately, they each did a single battle, forcing the challenger to beat each of them in a match. That made it a lot more tedious to figure out a strategy to use against them unless you had less than two badges. From what he understood, it would be two one-on-one battles instead of three.
Still, usually, all he had to do was focus on one trainer. Now, he had two to worry about. Two sets of battle tendencies, two sets of weaknesses, two sets of overall strengths…
It was a friggin' mess.
A nightmare, really.
Preparing a single strategy against one formidable trainer was hard enough. Doing all of that for two trainers at once was more aggravating than complex.
Ash must've watched hundreds of hours of their televised battles. In the first dozen, he managed to peel back the curtain a little and see what type of trainers they really were. They weren't as thoughtful as Brock. It was a cold moment of recognition, but he saw that their techniques were not their own. They were secondhand, pre-practiced, and foreign to them. They copied battle designs from other trainers and used them half-hazardly. Moreover, most of those strategies didn't match their specific battle styles.
It was like watching a dragon-type trainer battle with an ice-type team and pretend he was an ice-type trainer. None of their decisions in battle made a lick of sense. It was like watching a rookie battle with incredibly powerful pokemon that weren't his. They only cared about brute strength and spamming the most powerful move they could think of. The Sensational Sisters won a decent amount of their matches because their pokemon were so inherently. The pokemon themselves disguised their lack of skill, creativity, and knowledge.
It seemed like the only thing the Sensational Sisters did correctly was shake their ass in bikinis for a bunch of horny teenagers and deadbeat middle-aged men.
Daisy, the blond, was laxer, preferring to take a more defensive and absent take on battling.
Lily, the second oldest, perhaps was the best battler of the family. She was aggressive, straight forward in her approach. But, even though she was the best, she would be the easiest to beat.
Violet seemed like a mixture of the two. Her style revolved around counters and sudden offensive bouts. Daisy preferred counters and stalls, Lily chose to be aggressive, and Violet embodied a mixture of the two.
In Ash's mind, she would be the most difficult of the three.
There was just so much to account for. Preparing for one battle with one trainer was one thing. But doing the same for three different trainers was a lot more complicated. Ash couldn't just train for two, as he didn't know which of the three he would be battling. So much can go wrong when trying to account for everything. Even more so when you have multiple trainers, you're trying to study at once. Perhaps, that is what made the Cerulean gym challenging. The difficulty of preparation.
And the Sensational Sisters' powerful pokemon—pokemon that they didn't deserve.
It would make sense.
The Sensational Sisters, Ash murmured with distaste. They were performers, harlots, not trainers. Not truly. Maybe they were awful battlers, and all they had were strong pokemon that still made them threats. Ash despised that truth. He hated how much a strong pokemon could elevate a trainer's worth. The trainers made the team, they made the pokemon—in the Sensational Sisters' case, it was the opposite.
They were trainers. They should act like it. Not step on stage for most of the day and perform in front of an audience. They weren't real trainers. The real trainers trained, bled, and studied, constantly improving their craft. Those were true trainers. Ones like Brock, Misty, even Gary. They all had heart. You can't be taught that. You either had it or you didn't.
No, they're jesters. They were gym leaders and hardly seemed to care if they lost a battle. Disgusting. If you want to become a performer, stop pretending you're a trainer. He would have a lot more respect for them if they did. But at least they were being honest with themselves and not wasting everyone's time.
There was a reason why the Cerulean gym had one of the worst reputations in Kanto. Not because of their difficulty but because people didn't like losing to gym leaders who barely cared if they won or not. Surge was middle of the pack in terms of reputation, and barely five percent of trainers that attempt his gym actually earn the Thunder Badge. Surge, despite his ferocious personality, he cared about his job. He took pride in it. In Ash's mind, Lt. Surge was someone to look up to.
Not these… pretenders.
"Still thinking of ways to beat them?" Misty called from behind him. She walked up the stairs, carrying a soda in each hand. She wore casual clothes and a small ballcap. Ash was leaning over the railing in front of their room, spying on the gym. Misty was kind enough to put them in a four-star hotel for a few nights. She wanted to repay him for saving her life. Ash initially refused, but Misty proved stubborn. He eventually conceded, and they shared a room together.
"Uh-huh," he said noncommittally.
Misty went quiet for a moment, troubled. "Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out."
"I think I've learned all I can about them." Ash tossed his Pokedex over to them.
"What's this?"
"They're frauds," he said as if that answered her question. Misty played the video. It was a mashup of various clips taken from all kinds of different battles. The girl cocked her head, confused but oddly fascinated. "They use strategies that aren't theirs and pokemon they never raised. There's no synergy, no instinct, no nothing. It's just them throwing around Hyper Beams, Hydro Pumps, Body Slams…"
Misty sucked on her teeth before handing him back the device. "I've seen it too," she said eventually. "A lot of the trainers that are worth their salt see it too."
"I'm going to challenge them today." Misty shouldn't have felt surprised. He'd locked himself in the hotel room for several days, reviewing any information he could find. She knew if he found whatever he sought, he'd challenge them as soon as possible.
"Are you sure? There is still time to catch an electric or grass-type."
"I had a chance to catch a grass-type a while ago. I didn't."
"Why would you do that? It would have helped—"
"Against them. Do you know what happens to trainers who catch pokemon off of impulse? Or just to serve one purpose? Like a singular gym battle, for instance?" His questions made her pause. "I do. Professor Oak sponsors a lot of trainers. Six, maybe even twelve a year, if it's a good year. Not all of them are upstanding examples of moral fortitude, forethought, or intelligence," he said to her.
"I've seen it a hundred times. Trainer loses to a gym leader a few times, then, out of desperation, he catches a pokemon he'll only use once. Afterward, that pokemon sits on a pretty corner of my boss' ranch and wonders when its trainer will call upon it again."
Misty grimaced. "You're not like that. You wouldn't catch a pokemon and abandon it."
"You're right. I'm not like them, so I refuse to catch a pokemon purely on impulse and short-term need. If I do, my only other option is trading it away, which I'm not fond of, but they do have their uses. A copout will still feel like a copout at the end of the day."
"That's very mature of you. A lot of trainers your age would never show that restraint."
"It's not really restraint. I'm just mindful of the amount of commitment I'm signing up for by capturing another pokemon."
"That's not really true, and you know that. You said it yourself; you could always trade it away. Clearly, you have no problem with that, or maybe you do, and you're just trying to act tougher than you are."
"Careful," Ash warned, "your idiot is showing."
Misty glowered.
Ash entered the Cerulean City gym. It was a modern wonder. When he stepped through those doors, he felt as if he walked into a small city with a roof and walls. Immediately, he noticed the extensive stadium seating. Currently, the retractable ceiling was open, filtering in that cozy winter sun. His jacket ruffled in a sweep of wind. Ash took a moment to enjoy the ambiance.
This is where he would earn his second badge. The beautiful and highly Cerulean City, against the drool-worthy Sensational Sisters. Their titles, not his.
When he found them standing across from him, Ash could admit they were lovely. Their physical appearances mattered nothing to them. They could look like swimsuit models or beached whales. He didn't care. He would crush them in the end, no matter what. Their appearances held no sway over what would happen next.
Misty stiffly walked in, finding a place in the nosebleeds, her head forcefully held high.
"Oh? It looks like we have a challenger already," the blond-haired one mumbled, a cheery, excited smile lighting on her lips.
The one with magenta-colored hair smiled excitedly, "And he's handsome as well…" she sang with a light blush on her cheeks as she shamelessly checked him out.
The female in the middle merely checked him out with half-idled eyes, clearly agreeing with her sister's comment if the blush that stained her cheeks was enough evidence.
"Are you here to challenge us?" She asked sweetly with slightly batted eyes.
Ash stationed himself on a platform painted with the face of a Pokeball. He allowed his presence to answer her question. That turned out to be the wrong decision as she smirked even more.
"A silent boy, huh? I love the quiet ones. They're the biggest freaks in the sack," she and her sisters giggled uproariously.
Ash ignored their… comments.
"So, ref, who's the cutie?" She called out to the stripped-clothed man. The referee swiped across a tablet and read the contents briefly before calling out.
"Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. Rookie trainer, one badge—he's beaten Leader Brock."
"Brock, huh? He's another cutie," Daisy, eldest of the Waterflower sisters stated.
"Ash, was it? Are you sure you really wanna challenge us? I'm sure dinner with the three of us would be more fun than some boring pokemon battle," the girl who initially greeted him, Violet, remarked.
Boring… pokemon battle? If possible, his glare sharpened. They were oblivious to his ire.
"I came here for a battle. If I wanted a lay, I would've stopped by the brothel down the street. I thought this was the Cerulean City gym. Or did I make the wrong turn? Judging by your attires, or lack thereof, I'm leaning toward the latter."
In the stands, Misty guffawed, and the Waterflower sisters scowled uglily.
"Little bastard… where does he get the nerve to call us whores?!" Daisy thundered.
"You're the ones dressed the part, not me," Ash commented, and Misty couldn't help herself but snigger even more. They were wearing bikinis and not modest ones at that. Daisy's own looked like it was made out of floss rather than spandex.
"You wanna battle? Fine. I'll give you battle." At Violet's proclamation, the referee tapped a button on his tablet. Instantly, the platform retracted, revealing a massive pool of water. Ash would call it a lake, but he wasn't sure that would do it justice. "Explain the rules, ref, before I throw the little rat bastard out myself!"
"This will be a one-on-one battle. However, seeing as you possess only one badge, only two of the Sensational Sisters will challenge you." As he predicted. "Each of these battles will be one-on-one. The challenger can switch out pokemon as he wishes without forfeiting, but the Gym Leaders are not allowed. Each match will have a fifteen-minute time limit."
That was surprising, although useless. It limited Daisy's stalling. It would have if his pokemon could even last for fifteen minutes. He drilled them relentlessly, and were at their peak. Well, comparatively. They were still nearly as powerful or fit as they could be, even in their current evolutionary states.
"Gym Leader Violet, please send out your chosen pokemon!"
Violet… the one with a solid base and style. She would be the hardest to conquer.
"Gladly," she said darkly, "Show them your beauty, Seadra!"
Before the pokemon materialized into the water, Ash withheld a headshake. Beauty. Right. 'Cause, it's all about looks to you three. That's all that matters.
Ash had seen plenty of Seadra in his time as a Junior Researcher. This one, however, was fairly different than most he'd laid eyes on. It was a lighter shade of blue, its ordinarily smooth, cream belly was covered in rough scales. The muscle around its coiled tail was also far more developed than it should be. He'd only seen this advanced development once or twice before.
Ash bit the inside of his mouth. The reason for their abnormally powerful pokemon—they were specifically bred for battle by a breeder with bottomless pockets. Whoever provided the Waterflower sisters their pokemon was an elite breeder, maybe one of the best he'd ever seen. It was a damn shame these fantastic pokemon belonged to such pathetic trainers.
"Challenger, send out your pokemon!"
"What, no please?" Ash snipped. The referee apologized for his impartiality. Ash ignored him, a hand finding his belt. "Battlefront, Carvanha!"
When the Savage pokemon appeared, Misty could hear Violet's uproariously laughter from all the way up where she was sitting. He plopped into the water, no more than fifty yards from his opponent. A sickening grin formed on his jagged, dermal denticle-filled face.
"Challenging a water-type master using a water-type? You're as arrogant as you are stupid!"
If you're a water-type master, then I must be well on my way to becoming one as well.
Ash never responded verbally, nor did he allow any form of emotion to show on his face. He merely gazed over at her, and Violet privately shuddered at such an unnerving stare.
"Battle… BEGIN!"
"All right! Bubble Beam, let's go!"
The pokemon obeyed its orders—slower than Ash expected from such a well-bred pokemon. Then, he remembered. It may have been well-bred, but it was not well-trained. Seadra wasn't trained to snap at attention; it wasn't taught that every millisecond was valuable in battle. All it knew was power. Ash was happy to show both of them that there was more to battle than a pokemon's power. A stream exercised from Seadra's tubular mouth. Fascinatingly enough, it seemed like the extra length of its mouth increased the velocity of its attack.
Now, that would be a detail he recorded in his journal.
When his trainer offered no immediate counter, Carvanha took it upon himself to evade. A strong flap of his caudal fin jetted him forward. The Bubble Beam sailed over his head. When the other trainer shouted, "Again!" Carvanha knew what was on the horizon. Seadra's aim adjusted, now accurate, and Carvanha flipped from the water a dozen feet up and climbed.
"Aqua Jet." It was almost as if his trainer had planned it that way. Then, a whirl of water flooded him, and it shot down like a bullet.
"Repel it with Twister!" Seadra whipped a small water-born tornado from itself. The funnel not only canceled out Carvanha's Aqua Jet but also sent it clanking off the various sets of land formations. "Finish it with Water Gun!"
Why use Water Gun? Bubble Beam is a stronger move—time is precious here. She has a moment where Carvanha is completely defenseless. Water Gun—Seadra must be faster at using it!
"Freeze it with Ice Fang!"
"He's crazy!" Daisy shouted in alarm.
Carvanha overcame the pain, teeth already shrouded in pale energy. Maw wide open, it bit into the stream, freezing it instantaneously. The water-dark type grinned, slicing through the ice with his caudal fin. Seadra gaped—never had its Water Gun been rendered useless like that.
"Whirlpool."
Violet growled. "Attack it head-on! Agility into Headbutt!"
"No," Daisy muttered. That's exactly what he wanted you to do. He chose Whirlpool specifically because it took a long time to form. It was a trap. In just a few turns, he already knew that Violet was far too aggressive at times. He baited her into a reckless attack, and with the speed Seadra was going, it wouldn't be able to react quickly enough for what would happen next.
A shroud of pink surrounded Seadra as it swam. When that glow brightened exponentially, as did its speed. Just when it reached Carvanha, Ash spoke.
"Payback."
Violet gasped. She tried to shout a warning—before she could even think of the first syllable to speak, the entire exchange was already over. A dark aura formed around Carvanha's caudal fin. Carvanha turned his head down, his entire body shifting, then he smacked the rear fin over Seadra's back. An explosion of water manifested outward. It appeared more like a penny dropped in a fountain from where Ash stood, but he knew that would hurt.
Payback was already a powerful move if used correctly. Which he did, and Seadra was not only attacked by the brunt of it but also by a dark-type pokemon. Same-type attack bonus made it hurt all the more. Seadra was sluggish to float back to the surface, one eye already sealed shut. It was wise enough to retreat back to its trainer's corner. Although, Carvanha was not without its bruises. That Twister surprised them both. It would not stop Carvanha from winning, though.
"You're all pathetic excuses for trainers."
"Excuse me?"
"You're not excused," he said humorlessly. "Do you not see the pokemon you are up against?" Ash allowed them a genuine moment to redeem themselves in his eyes. When none of the three sisters replied, he shook his head, his opinion of their worth as trainers cemented. "Your Seadra would understand more than you if it spent a year in the wild. But like you, it has never known an ounce of struggle in its life. It was born in a cozy environment, watched over by breeders, and never had to worry about a meal."
"Seadra comes from a long-long of Dragonite and Kingdra!" Violet boasted.
Ash clapped slowly, his face still a mask. "Congratulations. Your pokemon's genes were handpicked, assembled—manufactured. There is not a single thing natural about it," he said praisingly. "Did you know that Carvanha are natural predators? They hunt in pods, killing Gyarados and Wailords. They even kill Sharpedos, Carvanha's evolved form, when they dare wander the sea alone.
"You see, they are ovoviviparous, which means that the eggs that hatch inside the female's body before the young are born. However, with Carvanha, the number of eggs that hatch will differ from the number of young that will emerge from the mother's belly. Can any of you so-called water-type masters tell me why that is? What? No takers? Fine." Ash spread his arms meaningfully. "Because of cannibalism." The look of horror on their faces told him everything he needed to know about them as trainers.
"Right from the moment they hatch, they begin eating each other inside their mother's uterus. The fratricidal warfare begins as soon as they are born. To each of them, everyone else is just food to be eaten. Their hunger knows no bounds. The only thing a predator understands is strength and weakness. If, for only one moment, a predator tips the scale to the right, it becomes the prey. That is a strength your precious bred pokemon can never hope to have. It is born, instilled through generations of evolution and an immediate fight for survival once they are born."
"So what?" Violet spat. "If you think for one second that means anything to Seadra and I, you're mistaken!" Ash snorted but uttered nothing else. His peace was said. "Show them why he shouldn't mess with the Sensation Sisters, Seadra! Use Bubble Beam!"
You already tried that trick.
"Deflect it with Aqua Jet."
Like before, Carvanha's entire body was surrounded by water. It lunged through the Bubble Beam without difficulty. Yet, Violet did not seem to be angered. She never showed restraint before, so she must've had another card up her sleeve.
"Liquidation!"
That's not a move I've ever heard of before.
It was eerily similar to Aqua Jet; only Seadra focused the power of its attack on a small point of its skull. Like Headbutt, in a sense. Carvanha and Seadra clashed, the two battling ruthlessly. No one gave an inch for the longest second imaginable, then Seadra adjusted its stance minutely. Instantly, all the momentum Carvanha had vanished. Seadra pummeled the Savage pokemon into the water.
It's now or never… Carvanha doesn't have much left in the tank. I need to end this now.
"Payback, Carvanha!" Ash only shouted so his pokemon could hear him from beneath the water.
He could only see a glimmer of color beneath the cerulean waters, but he had confidence in his abilities. The water rippled once, twice, three times. Violet gnawed on her bottom lip nervously while Ash narrowed his gaze, trying to decipher the outcome. Seadra was launched out of the pool. It landed on a smaller rock formation, unconscious.
Carvanha swam to the surface, winded and injured. It stared up at him. Ash smirked faintly, a slight nod conveying just how impressed he was. His dire need to know if he pleased his trainer seemed to be the only thing keeping him awake. When he saw that look on Ash's face, oblivion swallowed him whole, eyes turning to swirls.
"Both pokemon are unable to battle! Since Seadra was knocked unconscious first, the winner of this battle goes to the challenger!"
Violet silently returned her pokemon, a shadow casting over her face. Ash glanced up, searching for an expression. He found nothing but a blank slate. Daisy was missing as well. He glanced over his shoulder, finding her sitting beside Misty in the stands. Ash would have wondered what they were speaking about if he wasn't preoccupied. Silently, he recalled Carvanha.
"Incredible job. I couldn't have asked for a better showing. Rest up, and we'll continue training as soon as possible," he whispered, barely high enough to hear his own voice.
"Leader Lily, please step forward and send out your pokemon!"
The red-headed girl marched forward, posture firm and unyielding. "Just because you made a fool of Violet doesn't mean you will beat me. Trust me; you'll find that I'm much different than her."
"If you say so," he remarked. "Tell me, does the carpet match the drapes?" Her face took on a furious scarlet. "How does that work, exactly? Pink fuzz, huh? How many boyfriends have accused you of dying on both ends of the spectrum?"
"Shut up, you pervert! I'll cream your ass, you hear me?"
"Not like your sisters? Who are you trying to convince? Me, or yourself?"
"I would have to implore that both of you please cease this behavior," the referee stuttered nervously.
"Shut it, Jeeves!"
"My name is Jarvis—"
"Does it look like I care?!"
Seeing as how he was getting nowhere with her, he turned to the challenger. He went to say his name, only to discover he had forgotten it. Embarrassed, he summoned his pad.
"Ash Ketchum, please—"
"Yeah, yeah." He waved off the referee. If he didn't value himself enough to stand up to those harlots, he wouldn't pay him any respect. Pokeball in hand, he flung it, making sure to aim for the various rock formations. "Battlefront, Clefable."
When Lily's eyes landed on the pink, vaguely star-shaped pokemon, she cupped her mouth. Tearing her shock away, she glared. "Where did you get your hands on a Clefable? Did you buy it from someone?" Lily had no right to act scandalized by such an idea. The hypocrisy of these women was astounding.
"Nope." Ash shook his head. "I'm poor as dirt."
"Did you steal it?" Lily's lips curled foully, and Misty yelled from the stands, outraged by the accusation.
"Nope," he said again, still as brisk and uncaring as last time. "I actually captured him, which is more than what I can say about you."
Instantly, that foul grimace soured even further. With no more words to be said, she beat him down with all the contempt she could muster in those pretty eyes of hers.
"Destroy it, Poliwhirl!"
The Tadpole pokemon was a welcome sight. Ash was fortunate enough to have taken care of a few of them. They were one of his favorite water-type pokemon native to Kanto. Typically, they were peaceful creatures, but if motivated, they were capable of great fury. Poliwraths were known for their cold, focused tempers. It was the duality of the natural calmness some water-type pokemon had and the ferocity fighting-types had as well. They were fantastic pokemon, and Ash wouldn't mind catching one in the future.
"Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and Leader Lily Waterflower from Cerulean City," the referee announced. "Battle… BEGIN!"
"Fall back," Ash said before Lily could formulate an initial order.
"Follow it in the water, Poliwhirl." The water-type dove from the platform it was summoned on. Like a human swimmer, it sunk into the water, hands first. Ash spied the pokemon shooting toward his retreating Clefable. "Surface and use Round!"
Poliwhirl fired a devastating screech that forced Clefable to leap up. Ash reacted smoothly. "Counter with Dazzling Gleam."
A pink, near multicolored ray, pierced the water almost as soon as it was fired. Poliwhirl had barely ducked beneath the pool quick enough.
There. I won't get a better chance.
"Sunny Day," Ash ordered, much to Lily's dismay.
"No! Don't let it! Use Water Gun, quick!"
But it was too late. Clefable's eyes glowed white. A simmering sun flickered into view just under the cap of the stadium's roof. Clefable, upon feeling the harsh sunlight beat down on its stubby shoulders, was glorified to take the Water Gun. It punched him to the ground, skidding almost off the edge. Clefable bounced to his feet, hardly injured at all.
"Bastard," Lily whispered. He wouldn't have brazenly put up Sunny Day if he hadn't known Poliwhirl wasn't taught Rain Dance. The little shit actually researched them thoroughly. He watched all of their battles, even the rookie ones that no one watched. Young trainers were more interested in their bikini shows and higher-level battles. But this trainer, he watched enough to know that Poliwhirl wasn't taught Rain Dance. He exploited the one weakness Poliwhirl had, and she couldn't have been angrier.
Water-type attacks will do next to nothing. No matter. I'll just have to improvise. Lily had complete confidence in herself, even though most of the non water-type attacks Poliwhirl knew were fighting-type ones. She was in a bind, but it was easier to have blind confidence than face the issue she was faced with.
"All right, Poliwhirl, Double Team, let's go!"
Poliwhirl bound up onto the rocky platform. Copies blipped into life as half a dozen Poliwhirl's flooded Clefable's vision. Confused, unsure which attacks to dodge, Clefable nervously looked between them all. Lily gave the other trainer no time to coach his pokemon through the scheme.
"Bulldoze!" The right-most Poliwhirl bashed its shoulder into Clefable's back. The fairy-type stumbled, turning around to fight back, but was struck from behind yet again. Each attack did more and more damage.
"Reflect, Clefable," Ash ordered frostily. Frankly, he was surprised by the sudden and clever use of Double Team. Everyone knew that Double Team was terrific as a distraction, but maybe he expected too little from Lily and assumed she wasn't capable of basic strategy. A mistake he wouldn't repeat this battle.
Clefable, in his haze of pain, almost wasn't able to focus hard enough. Reflect, they never mastered it. Ash figured it would be their trump card if the battle ever came to that. He assured him recently that it wouldn't. Clefable thought so before Ash even mentioned this trainer's inferiority. His overconfidence almost cost him this battle. Clefable vowed to never let that happen again. Arrogance brought on by evolution would not ruin his judgment anymore. A wonderous barrier formed around him, but it did not protect him. Rather, it limited the damage he was experiencing by that Bulldoze.
Which made it easier for Clefable to counter-attack. His trainer saw this before he did.
"Rock Smash."
Clefable stubby fist packed more strength behind it than it should have. The adrenaline of battle was pushing him further than ever before. Poliwhirl floundered aback, stunned. Clefable struck once more. Poliwhirl retaliated with a Brick Break without its trainer's say-so. Clefable did not bother evading. Between his natural defense against fighting-type moves and Reflect, he almost didn't feel anything.
"Mud Slap!" Lily shouted in haste. If Poliwhirl fell into a rage, her commands would be lost on it. As would her chances of prevailing in this battle.
A stream of mud launched by Poliwhirl's mouth sent Clefable back. This stung his chest a little. When that other trainer shouted, "Again!" he felt another sting, this one more painful than the last.
Poliwhirl was quick to use Dazzling Gleam again. If he did, there was a plausible chance of it dipping back into the water. He managed to bait Lily into fighting him on land with Sunny Day. If his calculations were correct, it needed to be refreshed in a minute or two. Ash made sure not to lose track of time, hammering himself to stay focused. Fighting Poliwhirl up close and personal was his best chance at winning.
Lily apparently thought the same; only she believed the odds were in her favor. Guess they would see who was correct real soon…
"Low Kick!"
"Take it." Lily's eyes swelled when the weight of her mistake collapsed onto her shoulders. Clefable whimpered as Poliwhirl's stout leg bashed into his flank. He tried his absolute best to push past the pain. Using both hands to trap its leg, he gripped it even harder when Poliwhirl desperately pounded his arms to escape. He waited for the order that he knew would come. Clefable did not have to wait too long. "Dazzling Gleam."
"NO! Get out of there, Poliwhirl!"
The artificial sun evaporated. A rainbow beam punched into Poliwhirl's midsection. The sheer force threw him from Clefable's urgent clasp. It took an unfortunate bounce off the corner of the boulder on its way off the cliff. Ash watched it make a healthy splash. If the Dazzling Gleam hadn't defeated Poliwhirl, it was sure as hell knocked out after that fall.
"Poliwhirl is unable to battle! Since the challenger has beaten both Leaders, he is the winner of this gym contest!" The referee proclaimed, and Ash merely shook his head.
That was disgustingly easy. He felt more exhilaration facing the other trainers out on the road than these two supposed professionals. Each of his pokemon were more liable to find a better challenge facing themselves than they were battling the sensational sisters.
This was a waste of time. All for a badge that was so easy to take, it may as well have been useless.
Lily returned her Poliwhirl and took off into the back room. Ash watched her flee in disgust. She could not meet him with humility or take a defeat with it either. These Sensational Sisters gave trainers a bad rep. Not that they cared much about what people thought about them.
Their lack of tactics or general battle sense one would assume them to possess made him feel nauseated. With how long they'd been trainers, and gym leaders for that matter, they should be very experienced. Instead, they battled with the precision of a couple of genius with ADHD back in school.
It was quite a fitting comparison, actually. While he loathed the Sensational Sisters, Lily wasn't half bad. He'd be marginally impressed if he met her as a trainer on a random street. But she wasn't just some random trainer. She was a gym leader. As was Violet. They represented a higher level of trainer that everyone should aspire to overcome. You likely would never. You might beat them in a gym challenge, but their real teams would squash more than ninety percent of other trainers.
Gym leaders were not the "Regional Protectors" for nothing. They were second to only the Elite Four and Champions. People that didn't know any better often disrespected gym leaders. In their pea brains, they assumed, since they beat them as rookies, that they were weaklings. Some beginner trainers went months, sometimes years, without ever knowing that gym leaders had dozens of teams specifically created to challenge every trainer, no matter their skill level. The team they beat was hardly a tiny fraction of those gym leaders' capabilities.
Ash returned Clefable, a joyous smile etched on his lips. He caressed the ball in his palm until he allowed his smile to slip off his face. As he journeyed out, plucking a cobalt-blue droplet-shaped badge out of a cauldron, he fashioned a monotonous stare up at Daisy. She stared back; her heart stopped in her chest.
"I expected better."
Daisy only breathed when he was gone. Startled, she addressed her baby sister. "Who was that?"
"That's Ash," Misty said a strange sense of satisfaction in her voice. The girl hopped off the bleachers, bidding Daisy cheerful wave. Nothing, absolutely nothing, could dampen her spirits. She'd been waiting for this moment for years. "He's only just started his journey two months ago, and he's a better trainer and person than any of you could hope to be."
Misty found Ash waiting outside, staring at the brilliant blue sky. Not a cloud in sight. A nice cool northern draft brushed against her bare arms. It was a gorgeous day. Apparently, even Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town agreed as he watched a flock of Wingull scurry through the clear sky.
"Did you have a nice talk with your sisters?"
"How—" that was her most guarded secret.
"I've researched every single main gym leader in Kanto. That includes the Waterflower sisters."
Misty looked elsewhere, strangely ashamed. "I didn't mean to lie about who I was—"
"Yes, you did," he said to her. "It was your lie to tell. I told you when we met that I didn't care about where you came from. All that matters is who you are, not where you come from."
She could see why he believed that. He was some kid-genius that was born in a backwoods town in Kanto half its citizens couldn't point to a map if they were held at gunpoint. "I suppose I don't have to ask why you didn't bring it up sooner," she remarked.
He shrugged. "You were right about me. I am obsessed. I didn't think that was a bad thing when you brought it up—I still don't. But I am right about this… don't squander your family."
"My sisters?" Misty practically squawked. "They hate me!"
"They're jealous of you."
"That's—how can they be jealous of me?! They're prettier than me. They have all the money in the world! I'm the runt of the family!"
"And you want to talk about how I have a low opinion of myself," Ash muttered. "Misty, you're far from ugly, and I don't know if you've looked into the mirror lately, but they are not better looking than you." Misty's cheeks warmed. "They have money, so what? You have the one thing money can't buy: talent. Don't downplay it because of their opinion. Don't ever let someone's opinion of you dictate who you are."
Her family, the Waterflowers, established a significant level of investment in Cerulean City. Over many decades, they became the city. The Waterflowers were one of the most influential, old-money families in Kanto. They had their hands in everything finance, but they were a quiet family, unlike some of the other richer ones. The Waterflowers were never one to draw attention to themselves until her sisters caught a whiff of fame they could generate themselves.
They were addicted to the praise, attention, and glory. Over the last three generations, the Cerulean gym had passed from father to son or daughter until it fell to Daisy, the eldest daughter of her late father. However, Daisy had always been an exhibitionist sort of person, preferring to choose pokemon contests and Showcases rather than the dreary gym leader position. They chose beauty more than strength, as did the rest of her sisters, a poor trait that Misty lacked.
"Thank you," she whispered, a peculiar sensation worming around in her belly. "That last part, it sounded like you were speaking from experience."
"Yeah," he said uncooperatively. "Yeah… I was… I was bullied a lot as a kid. For every reason you can imagine."
That... he actually willingly shared something about himself. Misty threatened to think so, but was he starting to open up to her?
"You don't think that if you don't become the strongest, you will be worthless, right?" The sudden question stunned him. When Ash didn't answer, she brushed her hand on his arm. For the briefest second, she wanted to touch his skin. She settled for feeling the sleeve that covered his skin. "You're a complete moron, Ash Ketchum. I swear to everything that is right in the world! Ash, nobody is worthless, certainly not you. Don't you ever think otherwise."
Emotion surged in him, and bobbed his head. It was the first time Misty saw him so troubled. Then, it was gone, and he was back to normal. He was uncomfortable. He wanted to change the subject. Misty opened the door for him.
"What are your plans now?"
Ash's answer came instantly. "How long is the hotel still booked for?"
"Tomorrow morning."
"I'll stay here in Cerulean. Then, check out in the morning, go through Route 5, and cut into Celadon."
"You're going to challenge Erika," she murmured consideringly. With Ash's current team, Gastly would have a type advantage over some of Erika's grass-types. The ones that did not have a dual-typing to poison that is. Clefable would also be useful if Ash managed to avoid a poison-type disadvantage. Carvanha would have a challenging time if Ash was brave (or stupid) enough to use it.
"Erika is statistically the easier battle. Lt. Surge is not an opponent I am taking lightly." Misty understood his latter point. Lt. Surge was one of the more likely Elite Four prospects, right up there with Koga. He regularly battled Blaine, the oldest and most experienced Kanto gym leader and a former Elite Four member himself. Surge was a terrifying opponent; she wasn't saying this because they had conflicting mastery types.
"And you can't exactly challenge Sabrina, either," she said knowingly. Ash immediately shook his head. Misty could see how that battle would transpire. If he wasn't laughed out of the gym trying to conquer her with a baby Gastly, his entire roster would get dismantled in a quarter-minute flat. No matter how low-level a team, Sabrina used. She was a psychic. That was enough to make her a formidable challenge. Moreover, her psychic connection with her pokemon allowed her an advantage her challengers did not possess: total, prosperous unity. "You will have to battle Surge eventually."
"I considered battling him after your sisters, but my team is not where I hoped they'd be, to no one's fault but my own. Surge's team for challengers under three badges is one of his… lightest teams. The team he uses for challengers with three badges is…" he led off. An Electrode, Manectric, and Stunfisk. All three were undoubtedly trained superbly.
Surge was also a ruthless battler who preferred to overpower his opponents with sudden, explosive bouts of power, which made his third pokemon, Stunfisk, puzzling. It went against his very style of battling, but he most definitely had a reason for choosing it.
"I can show you some points on how to battle grass-types," Misty offered. "I have a lot of experience in going against them." She ought to have. As a primarily water-type trainer, other trainers must have leaped at the chance to use a grass, or electric type.
"I'd appreciate that. Thank you."
"No problem," she smiled, "do you want to… um, get lunch with me?"
"Sure. You pick, you pay?"
"Don't you know that the guy is supposed to pay?" Misty asked teasingly.
"A woman that can be bought isn't a woman worth having," he quipped, much to her annoyed amusement. "You asked me. Plus, I'm letting you choose where to go," he told her. "How about this? You pay this time, and next time, I'll take you out to dinner, and I'll pay."
"That's fine. Let's go, Casanova."
Ash laughed faintly at her deliberately droll voice.
Before I say anything, I just want to apologize for taking so long to update. I won't give any excuses; I'll just offer my apologies for taking so long. I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter for the beast that it was. I suppose that I should have split the Mt. Moon portion into its own chapter and left the latter half of the chapter for its chapter, but I decided not to.
As for some of your questions, I will answer here and now.
Ash will catch pokemon non-native to Kanto. He already, twice. So yes, he will be. Pokemon operate much like animals of our world. They migrate, they set up habitats, they breed, and so on and so forth. Pokemon are region locked, although, for regions, they are quite rarer to find in any other given region. Like, Unova pokemon in Kanto or Johto, or Alola pokemon being found in Johto or any of the northern regions.
The pairing. Ah, yes, the pairing. To tell you the truth, I have no idea. So when in doubt, use your audience's opinion. Which is why, I'll have a poll set up on my profile regarding the pairing. You can also leave your thoughts on the matter in the review box. Either or both is completely fine. So yes, please, give your thoughts on the matter.
And thank you all for the love that chapter one received. I didn't expect so many favorites and follows just in the first chapter. So for that, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.
