Shadows and Ash Chapter 19: Eggs With a Side of Moves, a pokémon fanfic

Chapter 19, everybody! In which reunions are had, eggs are given, and moves both legal and less-so are dealt with….

Beautiful-Liar13, thanks for the review! Maybe. And yes. Bad Darkrai.

Illythir, thanks for the review! Good question. Thank you, I'm glad you like it, and I hope to continue to please! :D

Luktopius, thanks for the review! Yes he does!

Dragonkeeper10, thanks for the review! Yes, yes, and yes. And yes. And yes, that will be interesting….

Jakeroo123, thanks for the review! Yes—I was somewhat inspired by how Dragonsrule18 handled splitting the starters, but now that you mention it, it does have precedence in canon. Ah, but remember, Misty has mallets. Thanks—I'll make sure to watch it the next time I have some spare time (school claims it all). Yes, talking Pokémon are handled very inconsistently—and then we get to the games, where they sound more like animals (except for Pikachu now, which makes it pretty jarring when you compare with Pichu and Raichu). Good question….

XT3100, thanks for the review! Yes, actually—I'm surprised more people didn't catch that (I thought that I had made it too on-the-nose, but I suppose they could be used to guard any hatchery—Sneasel are probably a major egg problem, considering their 'dex entry). Well….Good question. And yes, but this seems to work better with the story so far, so….

Thor94, thanks for the review! Yes, I love writing for Darkrai. :D Well, to be fair, he needed a water type for that to work, so….No, no dragons in the plan that I know of. Eh, the Celadon crossdressing incident will be referenced, if that makes you feel better. :)

Yami-chan and Unrealistic, thanks for the review! Thank you, I'm glad you like it—Darkrai's been fun to write for. :D Yes, it's a little different. Yes, this should be interesting….Oh good—it's been interesting seeing everyone's opinions on the matter, though. Yes…especially this chapter. Weird Pokémon are best Pokémon—they're interesting to write for. :)

Vismur, thanks for the review! I'm sorry! But Bulbasaur will be playing a good role, rest assured. Yes, Misty and Squirtle will be interesting….You'll find out this chapter. :) Yes….Only a third. :)

IceDragonGirl36, thanks for the review! I hope this one pleases as well!

Pokeevee57, thanks for the review! Yes….

Cyan Quartz, thanks for the review, although I'm not sure what it has to do with the chapter….

Johnny Spectre, thanks for the review! Yes, this is true….

Thanks for the review, Guest! Glad you liked it, although I can't claim all the credit, as I picked up the idea from Dragonsrule18. Wasn't planning on it, so this works well. :)

Ardtornismyname, thanks for the review! I'll take that into consideration, thank you. :)

Thanks for the review, Gust! Maybe….

QuartSigma, thanks for the review! I'm glad you like it, and I hope to continue to please! :D

Pokémon © Game Freak; Nintendo

And now, for something completely different:

The Pokémon League would like to remind trainers of the Regional Sanctity for the Environment act (RSE) as we once again reach peak Pokémon breeding season. Please note all signs and avoid straying too far from clearly marked roads at this time. Roaming trainers will find that some routes have been closed completely for the time being. This is for your safety. Please do not try to use these routes at this time. You will be eaten by territorial parent Pokémon if you do.

"Okay, guys, let's split up into teams! Pikachu, you and Frenzy are together. Lenny, you and Patches are teaming up—everyone practice their dodging. Ready? Go!"

Pikachu quickly dodged Frenzy's eager attack as Lenny and Patches sort of looked at each other. "Yeah," Ash said. "I guess it's kind of hard for Lenny to dodge….Hey! Lenny, use Splash!"

Lenny blinked, but obliged. The action made him flop around a bit.

"Do you think that'd work for a land-based dodge?" Ash asked.

"Karp!" Lenny said happily.

"Perfect!" Ash declared, turning his attention to his two newest teammates.

"Okay, Vee, I want you to practice your moves for a bit—try Helping Hand with everyone, okay?"

"Vee vee!" Vee declared happily, dashing off to help his teammates.

That done, Ash knelt next to Charmander. "Okay, I know you're still recovering, so you don't have to participate if you don't want to. Hey," he said quickly, noticing Charmander's downcast look. "Don't worry about it—I just don't want you rushing into this. I know you had a bad experience before—I want you to have some good ones now. Hey, I got an idea—Brock's cooking lunch, and I bet he needs a taste-tester."

Charmander looked exceedingly happy at that—his former trainer had apparently starved him.

Ash scowled as Charmander ran down the hill to Brock—Damian, Charmander's now ex-trainer. What a jerk. He was worse than Gary—and that was saying something. He kicked at a tuft of grass, picturing doing the same to Damian's face.

"Now what did that grass ever do to you?"

"Darkrai! You're back!" Ash exclaimed excitedly, running over as Darkrai floated down behind the hill.

Darkrai stiff-armed him. "We've discussed this—no hugging."

"Sorry. So how was the Legendary thing?"

Darkrai blinked. "Oh, uh—kind of boring, actually. Zygarde was there."

"Who?"

"Zygarde—he's from Kalos, and he's a real stick-in-the-mud. I did manage to get a souvenir, though."

And with that, Darkrai held up a blue egg.

"Is that a Pokémon egg?" Ash asked, awed—they were quite rare, mostly because getting them involved putting oneself in personal danger from angry Poké-parents.

"No, this is a human egg—we had this conversation, remember? Yes, it's a Pokémon egg, you ninny," Darkrai said, flicking Ash in the forehead. "I was almost going to give it to you, too, but then you had to go and remind me that I'm talking to the village idiot."

"Ow," Ash noised, rubbing his forehead. "Really? You were going to give me a bona fide Pokémon egg?"

"'Was' being the key word."

"I could take care of it! I'm very responsible!"

"Pika pi!"

"The bug is trying to kill the rat," Darkrai observed.

"Gah! Frenzy! Stop it!" Ash yelped, waving frantically.

Frenzy did so.

Pikachu collapsed in an exhausted heap.

"Okay, problem solved. Where were we?" Ash asked.

"We were not giving you an egg."

"Aw, come on—"

"I am not coming on—you nearly let your starter die."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu called over.

"Oh, hush you rat—it's true and you know it."

"Can I at least hold it?" Ash asked.

"Well…I suppose," Darkrai mused, holding it over Ash's outstretched hands. "So long as you don't drop it."

"You got it."

"Or shake it."

"Right."

"Or crack it or otherwise….Wait, why am I even giving this to you?"

"I was beginning to wonder the same thing."

"Fine. Hold. And don't drop it—it's heavy."

Ash quickly rolled his arms so he was cradling the egg against his chest. "It's so warm," he observed.

"Congratulations—it's not an Ice type."

"Is it a Fire type?"

"Do I look Psychic? And what did we say about shaking it?"

"I'm not shaking it, I just want to see if I can hear it yet," Ash said, holding the egg to his ear. "I don't think it's ready to hatch just yet."

"Not for a good long while." Darkrai scratched at his collar, as though considering something. "Come to think of it, too long of a time commitment for me—you keep it."

"Really? That's great! That's horrible!"

"Nice impression of Dr. Joltik and Mr. Hydreigon. Be grateful, why don't you?"

"I am—but how am I going to explain this to Brock and Misty? Eggs don't fall out of the sky! Do they?"

"Not without being scrambled. Tell them some random stranger gave it to you—it happens every day."

"Seriously?"

"Or you could say you found it."

"They'd tell me to put it back."

"Or you could say you laid it yourself."

"Ew! Gross!"

"Well then, wise guy, what's your story going to be?"

Ash gave it some thought. Good question—how did one explain an egg randomly appearing?

"How about 'I don't know how it got here, but here it is'?"

"That's it—give it back."

"Nope! Too late!"

"Don't run with it, you moron!"

"Anyway, while we were training, this guy comes up, says everybody looks really good, I must be an alright trainer, and hey I have an egg here, maybe you'd be a good one to take care of it?"

"That guy must be a horrible judge of character," Misty declared flatly.

"Ha!"

She's talking about you, lame-brain, Ash thought upon hearing the faint laugh, but forced a smile. "Anyway….Brock, you haven't questioned my capability to tie my own shoes—could you help me with this egg?"

"Sure," Brock said, looking at it. "But I thought your shoes were Velcro."

"They are, but it's the principle of it."

"I haven't questioned whether or not you can tie your own shoes," Misty pointed out.

"But you've thought it."

"True…."

Brock considered. "It'd be good practice for a Pokémon Breeder," Ash added.

"All right then," Brock said, nodding. "Well, first thing's first—stop waving that egg around. You'll break it like that."

Ash was now firmly of the opinion that Brock was another Darkrai in disguise.

Once the issue of the egg was squared away and lunch was ate, Ash took his team off to train some more. And, although Misty and Brock were told it was to keep the mess of practice battles away from the campsite, he was going the extra hill to properly introduce them to Darkrai, lurking out of sight and coming over to them once he was assured that they wouldn't be spotted.

Silence reigned as Ash's Pokémon considered the big black thing floating next to Ash.

"What is that?" Charmander asked finally.

Darkrai looked at Ash. "Well, if I had to guess, it's a trainer."

"This is Darkrai," Ash said, evidently guessing what the object of discussion was. "He's a friend of mine."

"Let's not go that far."

"So you're Ash's Pokémon?" Vee asked.

"HA! Not in a million years, fluffy."

"People and Pokémon can be friends without Pokéballs being involved," Ash said, again guessing what the topic was—Pikachu wondered how many times Ash had had this conversation with Pokémon regarding Darkrai. "And besides, Darkrai's going to be nice enough to show us some really awesome moves—right, Darkrai?"

"Mmm, no. I've changed my mind."

"Aw, come on, please?"

The rest of them watched for a few moments as Ash had to chase Darkrai down and wheedle him into helping them.

"Is he for real?" Charmander asked.

"Unfortunately," Pikachu said.

Eventually, however, Ash and Darkrai were back.

"So Darkrai's going to be teaching us some moves," Ash began.

"If I feel like it," Darkrai said.

"He feels like it."

"Uh-huh," Pikachu noised. "And Stantler really know how to fly."

"They do?" Vee asked, excited.

"Sure. While they're yammering," Darkrai said to Ash, pointing at the rest of the Pokémon. "You. You need a better strategy than 'let's all play nice with the other kiddies.'"

"I've been using other strategies," Ash said, sounding miffed. "And besides, I had to bin the play nice strategy a few times—I'll tell you about it later. And if it makes you feel any better, I had to hear about it from Misty a lot, so there's no danger of a repeat."

"I'm beginning to like this Misty girl."

"Until she mallets you. That's a thing, apparently."

"I'm going to take a nap," Patches said. "Wake me when something happens."

"Hey! Don't fall asleep!" Ash said, noticing Patches curling up. "We're going to be learning Ground moves to counteract Lt. Surge!"

"We?" Pikachu asked. "Is there a Rattata in your pocket?"

"And I've been talking with Brock, and Patches, you can learn Dig with some help. And Charmander—chances are Lt. Surge is going to be using a Magnemite. Brock said gym leaders are supposed to prioritize Pokémon native to their Region."

"Brock said Brock said Brock said," Darkrai said, floating on his side and looking bored. "Why am I even here then?"

"Because you said you were going to help?"

"I've changed my mind."

"Not this again!" Charmander exclaimed, sagging in dismay.

"Moves, please," Ash said, waving his hands to direct attention back to himself.

"Hey, Ash just learned Follow Me!" Patches exclaimed, pointing.

"'I'm the pied Hypno, trust in me,'" Vee sang.

"I'm not going to teach you anything if you sing," Darkrai said.

Vee quickly shut up.

"Oi," Darkrai noised, rubbing his head and looking like he was nursing a headache. "So. First Ground move of note would be Sand Attack—it's a good move to have, considering it lowers accuracy and buys you some time to counterattack."

Pikachu looked at the lineup. "Who here learns Sand Attack?"

"I do! I do!" Vee said, hopping up and down.

"I don't," Charmander said, scratching at his face.

"I don't think I do either," Patches said.

"I definitely don't," Lenny said.

They looked at him. "That's because you're a fish," Pikachu said. "The only time you're supposed to encounter sand is on a beach!"

A sharp whistle cut through their argument, redirecting their attention to Darkrai, looming over them and looking angry at the fact that they had fallen to bickering in his presence.

"Shut up, the lot of you," he demanded. "Sand Attack is as basic as this."

And with that, he scooped up a handful of dirt and flung it away.

"There. That's it. You throw dirt in your opponent's eye. The end. And you don't think you could learn that?"

"It's not in my legal moveset!" Charmander protested. When the others looked at him: "I come from a breeder—moves are a big deal."

"Well I've got a news flash for you," Darkrai said, looming over him, claws at the ready. "I'm not your breeder, and out here the only legal thing you have to worry about is stopping the other Pokémon before it eats you. GOT IT?"

Charmander squeaked and nodded vigorously.

"Good, so glad we had this little chat."

"So," Ash noised, when Darkrai backed away. "Who wants to try it first?"

"Me! Me!" Vee said, bouncing forward and apparently not daunted by the big scary Darkrai at all. "I want to try it!"

"It's like you in miniature," Darkrai said to Ash.

"Yeah. All right, Vee, try it!" Ash said.

Vee swept his tail along the ground before flicking it up, sending a cloud of dust shooting away.

"All right—that's a great start," Ash said.

"Have I mentioned today what a sap you are?" Darkrai asked, arms crossed.

"Not yet—okay, Pikachu! Your turn!"

Pikachu unenthusiastically scooped up some dirt and lobbed it.

"No joy, man, no joy," Darkrai said, shaking his head and striking his claws against each other. "Fail."

Pikachu grimaced, grabbed another pawful of dirt and threw it at Darkrai, who dodged it easily.

"Better," Darkrai observed. "But if you attack me again I'm going to rip your tail off and choke you with it."

Ouch. Pikachu unconsciously tucked his tail around and close to his body—as did Vee and Charmander.

"Uh, yeah—no tail-ripping," Ash said, poking Darkrai, who batted his hand away. "So. Patches, you're next."

Patches examined the ground, stole a glance at Darkrai before scraping a forepaw against the ground and flinging the dirt away, being careful not to hit Darkrai—and ended up spattering Pikachu's fur instead.

"Watch it," Pikachu growled.

"I still don't think I could do it," Lenny said, when Ash looked at him. "I haven't stopped being a fish in the last few minutes."

"Then what good are you?" Darkrai asked, earning him a flicking hit from Ash.

Charmander fidgeted, sensing he was next, before reaching down and gingerly tossing a handful of dirt.

"That was actually worse than the rat's attempt," Darkrai said, pointing at Pikachu. Pikachu reminded himself that he wanted to keep his tail where it currently was instead of around his neck.

"It's okay, Charmander, we'll just keep working on it," Ash assured him.

And then everyone looked at Frenzy, who had stood where he stopped, facing Ash and not contributing to the conversation at all. Pikachu wasn't certain the Paras even could converse.

"Use Sand Attack, Frenzy," Ash said.

Frenzy sat there, blinking at Ash.

"Okay," Ash noised, squatting in front of him. "This is Sand Attack." Ash scooped up some dirt and flung it away. "Now you. Use Sand Attack, Frenzy."

Frenzy screeched, making everyone jump, and then started clawing at the dirt with a passion, sending dirt everywhere.

"Gah—Frenzy, stop!" Ash said, arms in front of his face and spitting out dirt.

Frenzy stopped—or so Pikachu figured, seeing as he wasn't feeling dirt pelting him anymore. Right now, he was more focused with rubbing the dirt out of his eyes—and from the sounds of it, everyone else was in similar straits.

"I think it's safe to say that bug has some issues," Darkrai observed.

Pikachu couldn't agree more.