Hey everyone. I apologize for the long wait, but you see I was having trouble writing this story. But thankfully I managed to finish up the next part so I can update again. Again, I apologize for taking so long, but hey, better late than never, right? I hope you guys are patient with me and enjoy this chapter. I'll try not to take too long next time, but no promises. ^^'
Chapter 33: The Little Shaymin
"You should probably wait until Mew comes back." Blue said as he put a hand on Ash's shoulder. "For now, why don't we take your mind off it by training?"
Ash sighed before turning back to Blue. "... Fine, the least we could do is train a bit. Still… I can't believe I have a long lost older brother out there… well half brother I guess."
"What if it's a girl? They never did say if it was a boy." Yellow pointed out.
"Well brother or sister, the situation is still the same." Ash frowned before he held out his Safari Ball. "Come on out, Dratini!" The ball opened and released the little Dragon type.
The Dratini looked around curiously. "Whoa! Where am I?"
"Welcome to a broken down mansion. This is where we'll be training you." Storm said with a chuckle.
Dratini turned to Ash and smiled, "So you caught me to save me, is that it?"
Ash fiddled with his hat a bit and said, "Y-yeah… I guess I threw the Safari Ball at you without really thinking. So… I take it you want to be a part of my team?"
"Yeah, I mean I guess I have no choice since my home's been destroyed. By the way, my name is Aliana. My big sister Aurasky called me that before… before she was… taken away." The Dratini called Aliana said sadly.
Ash put a gentle hand over her head. "Don't you worry, we'll train you up so you can be strong and get your sister back one day."
Aliana looked up at Ash, "Promise?"
Ash nodded, "I promise. But for now, let's focus on the task at hand, training you to get stronger. What moves do you know right now? I'd use my pokedex but he turned into a Porygon."
"I know Wrap, Twister and ExtremeSpeed. My sister taught me that last one herself." Aliana listed and smiled. "I know I don't know a lot of moves yet, but I think that's pretty good, right?"
"I think it's plenty good. We have a long work ahead of us, but that's what makes it all the more rewarding." Ash smiled. "Okay Blue, how about we try training with your Pokemon? Didn't you say you caught a Kangaskhan not too long ago?"
"Huh? Oh yeah… I hadn't trained her yet either." Blue said as he looked down at his Poke Ball.
"Then it'll be a good training experience for both of them." Ash smiled. "Come on, what do you say?"
"Alright, I guess we could try them out." Blue said before turning to Yellow. "Are you going to watch, Yellow?"
"Yeah, it might help if I watch and see how you guys battle with your Pokemon." Yellow said with a smile.
"Okay." Blue said with a nod, "I hope you're ready for a battle Ash because here I come!" Blue tossed a Poke Ball into the air and released the newest addition to his team, the Kangaskhan.
"Ah, finally we get to be of some use for Blue!" The mother Kangaskhan said.
"Watch us fight for you!" The baby jumped in her mother's pouch.
"Alright Aliana, you ready?" Ash asked the Dratini.
"Um… that's a pretty big Pokemon… but I'll do the best I can!" Aliana said.
"We'll make the first move." Blue said. "Kangaskhan use Comet Punch!"
Kangaskhan ran at the little Dratini with her arms pulled back for a punch. Ash quickly spoke up. "Knock it off balance with Twister!"
Aliana moved her tail around, creating a tornado over her and heading towards the incoming Kangaskhan. The Twister surrounded Kangaskhan, causing it to go off balance.
"Now use Wrap!" Ash commanded.
Aliana used her tail to jump at the off balanced Kangaskhan and wrap her entire long body around it, trying to squeeze it. She was careful not to squeeze the baby Kangaskhan as this was only a practice spar and she didn't want to be cruel.
Blue evaluated the situation, "Use Tail Whip then Bite."
The Kangaskhan mother nodded, using her tail to pry the Dratini off then bit down on her while she was open to attack.
Aliana cried out in pain but didn't let go, she remained stubbornly on the Kangaskhan's body.
"Use Comet Punch to get it off you!" Blue commanded.
Kangaskhan began punching the Dratini's body over and over again, trying to get her off. Eventually, Aliana had to let go and fell back a bit.
"Aliana! Are you okay?" Ash asked in concern.
"That really hurts… but… I can keep… going." Aliana panted.
Kangaskhan's got really strong attack power… Aliana's not looking too good after being punch a few times. Ash thought to himself.
"Aliana isn't looking so good, Ash." Blue called over to the younger trainer, "Should we stop the battle or keep going?"
Ash called back, "She knows how much she can take better than I can, and she said to keep going. This battle won't end until one of our Pokemon give up themselves."
Blue nodded, "Alright. then we'll keep going. Ready, Kangaskhan?"
"Ready as I was before." the Kangaskhan responded.
"Okay, now use Bite again!" Blue said.
"Use ExtremeSpeed to get away!" Ash quickly said.
Aliana used her tail to bounce herself away from the incoming Kangaskhan as her teeth glowed, ready to bite down on her. Dratini flew past her so fast that the air around her disoriented before she tackled the Kangaskhan in the back, pushing her down a bit.
While the two were sparring with their Pokemon, Yellow noticed Storm was looking around. "What are you doing Storm?"
"I think there's some people here. I smell the stench of humans who haven't bathed in a while." Storm said as he looked around the place.
"There are more people here?" Yellow asked, intrigued.
"I also smell the scent of Meowth… I wonder if that Team Rocket trio is here too…" Storm said to himself. "And a hint of… a Grass type?"
"You can smell typings?" Yellow asked, surprised.
"Well I may not have the nose of a Growlithe, but I do try to learn what kind of types are out there. You kind of have to when you're a small mouse Pokemon trying to survive in a forest by yourself." Storm said, a little proudly at the fact, "But I can't smell hybrids so that's probably why I didn't know you and Blue were part Latios or Latias."
"That makes sense, we were originally human after all, but can you smell a hybrid when they're in Pokemon form?" Yellow asked with a smile, wanting to find out how well developed Storm's sense of smell was.
The Pikachu blushed a bit as he rubbed the back of his head, "Not always no, because they always have a mixed smell between Pokemon and human. But I suppose if they stayed in one form long enough it'd be easier to pick up the scent. My guess is if Blue, for example, stayed as a human for a long time there wouldn't be a trace of Pokemon smell on him. And if you stayed as a Latias for a while, there wouldn't be a trace of human smell on you."
"Aw. I was hoping you could sniff them out while they were Pokemon, that would've been pretty impressive, Storm." Yellow said, "But if it's a mix of smells, wouldn't that make it easier to track them?"
The Pikachu shook his head. "Not really, because to me it just smells like someone who's hung around with Pokemon a lot, basically like another Trainer. I can't distinguish the smell at all. And anyways I think there's been a Grass type here for a while. The Meowth smell is a little old, so the trio could've left already..."
"You don't think it's a hybrid, do you? I mean, this place is pretty much a death wish for grass types, with all of its pollution and fire types." Yellow pointed out, "I mean, it's a possibility…"
"I don't know, if it is a hybrid they must've stayed in their Pokemon form for a while." Storm said. "You want to find them while the boys are busy sparring with each other? I mean, I'm sure Blue can help Ash prepare for the upcoming Gym Leader."
"Okay, but let's make it quick so that they don't miss us for too long. Maybe we could leave a note?" Yellow said thoughtfully, "We don't want them freaking out."
"It shouldn't take us too long. But… well I guess it would be wise to leave a note." Storm said with a nod.
Yellow wrote in the blank parts of the diary, letting Ash and Blue know she and Storm are looking for something and that they'll be back soon. "Okay, let's go!"
The two went deeper into the mansion, they passed by more of those cat-like statues and some old junk that were half burnt. Storm cringed a bit when he saw pieces of broken glass and some Ditto nearby. The Ditto just sat there, staring off into space.
"Something about them just seems… Creepy and unnatural…" Storm commented on the Dittos after they left the creatures' sights.
Yellow looked around to see bigger versions of Grimer were here… those weren't Grimer. "E-eeew… such foul stench…!"
"Careful, look like Muks have also made their homes here." The Pikachu warned her.
"You don't have to tell me twice…" Yellow said while pinching her nose to try to block out the stench, "I'll gladly leave the building if I have to."
The two moved on through the mansion, trying to navigate such a burnt down place. There were a few burglars and scientists hanging around, but the two just ignored them and went on their way. There were a few Growlithes here, strangely enough considering there were foul stenches coming from Muks.
"Hey… that Grass type smell is getting stronger. I think we're close."Storm said as he ran ahead.
"H-hey, wait up!" Yellow hurried after the scurrying Pikachu.
They both stopped in shock when they saw a little dirty Shaymin unconscious on the floor, lying right next to a silver key with a note attached to it.
Yellow slowly got close to the Shaymin to read the note silently.
"What's it say?" Storm asked impatiently.
"It says… 'You found the key, but see if you can find the Inn. I have hands in front of my face and they can tell time, what am I?' … What?" Yellow blinked. "It kinda looks like a riddle. I wonder why this Shaymin was clutching onto it?"
She bend down and gently picked up the small creature. "What happened to her? It looks like something attacked her…"
Storm looked over the Shaymin, her grassy patch was full of purple powder, and the flowers on the side of her face were also a dark purple, like she tried to suck up some poison but was unable to release it. "It kind of looks like she became overpolluted too."
Yellow looked at the Shaymin sadly, "We can't just leave her here, Shaymin are one of the only Legendaries who clean up the planet… Maybe we can get Mew to patch her up when we find her? After all, she could use all the allies she can get."
Storm looked hesitant on that. "Um… I guess so, but… I don't know. I think Mew told us that Shaymin is against her. Her daughter is friends with the son of Victini after all…"
"If this is Shaymin's daughter, it could only make things better by healing her, we either get a new ally, or at least she sees that Mew isn't what her memma has been telling her or at least not completely, but if we leave her for dead, that'll only make things worse."
The Pikachu sighed and said, "Well if you say so. But Ash isn't exactly all that happy with Mew keeping secrets from him… and she's not here right now."
"Then we'll just have to help this Shaymin ourselves. Get to a Pokemon Center or something…" Yellow frowned. "She doesn't look too good…"
Storm nodded in agreement. "I guess we could do that. It's the best option we have right now."
"And maybe we'll be able to convince her to stay for Mew to explain the situation from her perspective." Yellow added. "And even if she doesn't, she'll most likely want an explanation on why the child of her enemy helped her."
"Yellow! Storm! There you two are!" The two heard Ash and Blue's voice. They turned to see the two boys were running to them.
"Yellow! Don't go wandering around here alone like that, it's dangerous!" Blue scolded her.
"I wasn't alone… I had Storm with me." Yellow replied timidly back.
Ash frowned as he picked up Storm. "Don't go wandering off like that, I don't want to lose you."
"Sorry Ash, but we were looking for something interesting while you guys trained. And we did find something worth looking for." The Pikachu answered, pointing at the unconscious and dirty Shaymin in Yellow's arms.
Ash and Blue looked at the little Shaymin and frowned, Ash speaking up, "What happened to that Shaymin?"
Yellow shook her head. "We don't know, we found her like this. Ash, do you think maybe you could give your Memma a mental call for her? Maybe she could help."
Ash frowned a bit. "... Well… I guess I could… but not here. Memma will have bad memories of this place."
"Good point… Let's get out of here. We finished training anyways." Blue said, "This takes a greater priority."
The group began the journey back through the mansion, moving a quickly as they could, knowing time was of essence to heal a Pokemon that was as injured as the Shaymin.
As soon as they got outside the mansion, Ash gestured them to follow him. They couldn't call Mew out in the open like this, especially not with a rare legendary Pokemon like Shaymin in their arms. They head into the woods where there were less people.
"Okay, this place should be quiet enough." Blue said.
Ash nodded before he closed his head and began sending out a mental link to Mew. "Memma? Can you please come over here? There's an emergency."
As if on cue, Mew teleported just above them. "Is everything okay, Ashy? What's wrong?"
As much as Ash wanted to talk to Mew about what he saw in the diary, he pointed at the unconscious Shaymin in Yellow's arms.
Mew looked over and became concerned. "Is that Shaymin's daughter? What happened and where did you find her?"
"Storm and I found her unconscious and polluted by one of the hotels while Ash and Blue were training, we all took her to the first secluded place we could find so you could heal her." Yellow said, hoping that the small part that was a lie wouldn't be noticed.
Mew blinked as she flew around Yellow, studying the poisoned Shaymin in her arms. "That's odd… she was polluted by a hotel you say? This place may be crowded, but it's also a high class place, I doubt any of their hotels would be polluted… But let me see her."
Yellow handed the Shaymin to Mew, who gently picked her up with her smaller hands and began probing her body with her Psychic powers. "Hmm… Yes, this is Jayden, just as I thought. And it seems something is keeping her from releasing the poison, because it got stuck in her body, that's why she passed out. It's slowly killing her from the inside, we need to release the poison before she suffocates to death."
"How can we do that?" Blue asked, "What can keep a Shaymin from releasing the poison anyways?"
"Inexperience. Jayden is still young and probably doesn't know how to use Seed Flare yet. If an inexperienced Shaymin tried to absorb a heavy amount of poison there's a very good chance they're unable to release it. A lot of poison would require the Shaymin to use Seed Flare to release it from their bodies and purify the air, cleansing it." Mew explained.
"I'm sorry if this is a stupid question, but can't we cure her by feeding her Pecha berries and Oran berries?" Storm asked Mew. "I mean, she IS a Pokemon right now and those berries usually work on other Pokemon."
"Normally that would work, but the poison's been in her body too long and there's too much of it. There wouldn't be enough time for the Pecha berries to take affect." Mew said grimly. "I can help get the poison out of her body, but it'll be hard to do it alone. Ashy, could I ask for your help?"
"Huh? Sure Memma, but what can I do?" Ash asked.
"I'm going to try and expel the poison out of her body with my Psychic attack, but it may cause her to squirm around a lot. I'm going to need you to hold her down." Mew said.
"We can help expel the poison from her body with our own Psychic too." Yellow said, gesturing to herself and Blue.
"Actually I'm kind of rusty." Blue said with a frown. "I can help Ash hold down… uh… Jayden was it?"
Mew nodded as she said, "Okay Yellow. Do you know how to remove poison from someone's body?"
"Yeah, I've done it before when some of my Pokemon friends got poisoned." Yellow said.
"Okay good. We'll focus on getting the poison out, but be delicate, her body's pretty fragile right now. You two boys make sure she doesn't move around too much." Mew said to Ash and Blue before putting Jayden down on the grass.
"I can help too!" Storm said as he put his paws over the Shaymin.
Ash and Blue put their hands over the Shaymin, waiting. Mew nodded to Yellow, who transformed into a shiny Latias with a small glow. The two Psychic types began concentrating over the poison trapped within the Shaymin's body. They began moving the toxins around, trying to get it out through her mouth. Jayden began to squirm a bit, having the three boys hold her down. Mew moved her hand over Jayden's mouth, forcing it to open as purple liquid slowly came out.
"There's a lot of poison here… just a little longer…" Mew said gently.
"Will it take some time for her to fully heal after all the poison is removed?" Blue asked Mew, "Or will she make a quick recovery?"
Mew didn't answer right away as she was trying to concentrate on getting the poison out. "It may take some time… after all recovering from this isn't exactly a quick fix."
Yellow managed to help guide out more of the poisonous toxins out of the Shaymin hybrid's mouth, it was starting to become a small sludge puddle. "I think a Muk sludged her or something… It's the only Pokemon I can think off that has that bad of a smell..."
Blue nodded to Yellow, "Well it is a Pokemon made of pollution, pretty much a Shaymin's arch enemy since they absorb pollution and turn it into clean air."
Pretty soon, the Shaymin's grassy patch began to change back to its teal green color. Her flowers slowly became a healthy pink again. Mew and Yellow made her cough out the last of the poisoned sludge in her system.
Mew did another scan on her body before nodding. "I sense no more traces of poison left in her system, and even if there were they'd be small enough to be dispelled on their own. Now we just have to keep an eye on her until she wakes up and feed her a lot of clean water and healthy food."
"Memma?" Ash spoke up, "Do you think Shaymin might have realized her daughter was in trouble and started coming over here? Like you do when I'm in trouble."
Mew frowned a bit before she sighed. "Normally that would be the case, but… have you noticed that the hybrids have been traveling by themselves without their Memmas? Many legendaries have gone missing lately, and the hybrids are calling it out on me."
Blue's face suddenly went grim, "You don't think it's Team Snagem and Cipher again, do you?"
Mew nodded her head. "I heard they've become active again and are scouring through other regions other than Orre this time. They have advanced technology no other region have, they saw through my transformation when I was there. I wouldn't be surprised if they managed to capture the Legendary Pokemon and are keeping them under lockdown to turn them into fighting machines that would only obey them."
Blue silently cursed to himself before he said, "And they were only stopped before by a kid named Michael, and that was when they only had one legendary."
"There was another who stopped them before Michael, but nobody know what happened to him." Mew said with a wonder expression.
"Do you know what happened to Wes and Rui?" Blue asked Mew, "You are the guardian of the Earth after all."
"Wait, Blue how do you even know all this?" Ash asked as he picked up the now sleeping Shaymin.
"Professor Oak… sent me a file on them and what happened in Orre. He feared Team Rocket are trying to recreate Shadow Pokemon." Blue answered.
"Wes and Rui left together to go on a journey, but even I don't know what became of them after all these years." Mew said with a shrug, answering Blue's question. "They just kind of disappeared off the face of the planet."
That was when Ash remembered the Shadow Noibat he kept in its Poke Ball in his backpack, he still didn't know what to do with it.
"Heck, hardly anybody knows how they cured the Shadow Pokemon they stole from other trainers anyways. It's like a well kept secret for Orre citizens." Blue added.
Yellow transformed back into her human form before she said, "Actually… I think I remember hearing something about a relic stone that can purify them when they want to be purified."
"Memma… didn't you say you came close to being a Shadow Pokemon before? You never did tell us how you managed to escape." Ash said to Mew.
"Ah yes… well…" Mew hesitated. "It's getting dark. We can talk about this later, you kids better find yourselves a place to sleep first."
"YOU almost became a Shadow Pokemon!?" Yellow and Blue both yelled.
"H-hey! Seriously, you need to find a hotel to stay in! You have a fragile Shaymin to look after too you know!" Mew huffed. "And I'm hungry. I heard they have the best food in these parts."
Ash nodded as he looked down at Jayden in his arms. "Alright, we'll go and find a place to sleep for the night, but we're still talking about this Memma."
Storm jumped on Ash's shoulder. "I hope they have a lot of food, it's been awhile since we ate on that ship!"
"Well I think we'll probably be camping out." Blue told Storm, "There won't be many- if any- rooms left in hotels."
"We should at least try." Ash said. "We need some clean water for Jayden here anyways."
Mew transformed into Nya and said, "While you kids are looking for a hotel, I'm going to explore this place for a bit."
Ash was glad Mew didn't read his mind, if she did she might've figured out he went into the Pokemon Mansion and read the diary. The boy decided to wait before confronting Mew about it. As a Meowth, Nya ran off on all fours.
"I wonder why Mew is so excited to explore this city?" Yellow asked. "It's way too crowded for my taste."
"Didn't you read what happened in the diary? She probably never came here since what happened with her… previous child." Ash said with an uneasy tone. "So I guess she's curious to see how much the place changed."
"Are you alright Ash? You don't sound too good." Blue asked the boy in concern.
Ash was looking down at the unconscious Shaymin in his arms before he said, "I'm fine, just have a lot on my mind… why don't we go look for a hotel or something to stay in now?" Did Memma just… see me as a replacement for her lost child? The boy couldn't help but wonder. Is that why she never turned me into her true child? Because I could never replace the original…?
"Which place should we check first?" Yellow asked, looking at all the buildings.
"Let's try that one." Blue pointed at a big hotel. "They should have plenty of room."
But when they got there, the hotel manager shook her head. "Sorry, this hotel is full. Have you tried the Pokemon Center?"
They head to the Pokemon Center, but the place was crawling with tourists. Nurse Joy shook her head and said, "I'm sorry, but we're so full that people are sleeping in our lobby. It's the busy season I'm afraid."
Blue frowned when he looked at all the people here, there was a distinct lack of Pokemon in this place. "But nobody else here even have Pokemon!"
"Maybe they're all in their Poke Balls…" Yellow suggested quietly, "It IS packed after all…"
"I don't think so, Yellow." Storm said, "I didn't smell any Pokemon with any of those tourists."
"Oh…" Yellow said dejectedly, "Well that's not good."
The group were still walking around the place, trying to find a hotel with a room. Ash frowned, "At least they don't notice the Shaymin in my arms or that could make things more complicated."
"Maybe they think she's a stuffed Pokemon." Storm chuckled.
They went to another hotel, and the manager seemed to be in a hurry as she said, "Sorry! But we have no room in this hotel, we're booked up for a year, you're gonna have to try somewhere else!"
"Sorry, no vacancies." Another hotel manager said.
"We're booked up, maybe you should've called earlier." Another hotel manager told them.
By now the group were walking out of another full hotel. Yellow sighed as she said, "I guess we'll never find a place to sleep in for the night. Guess we'll just have to sleep in the garden, it looks comfortable enough."
"But this hotel must be serving food." Blue sighed. "I can smell it being freshly served from here."
A door to the hotel opened to reveal Gary in what seemed to be a reddish kimono, "Hey, what're you losers doing out here? Maybe you should've booked a Hotel room before they all filled up!"
"Gary!? But every hotel we went kept saying they were booked up for a year! How early did you call them?" Ash demanded.
"Let's just say it's good to have a Grandfather who thinks ahead." Gary smirked. "So I'm guessing you three have no place to stay?"
"We'll be sleeping out in the garden, it's a beautiful night." Yellow said with a smile.
"Too bad you couldn't get a place like this." Gary gestured to the room he was staying in. There were a lot of girls in their kimonos cheering for him, and a Hitmonlee and Electabuzz wearing kimonos themselves. "And see all the food they give you? This is just the appetizer!"
Storm's stomach growled in hunger, after hearing that Gary laughed, "Are you guys hungry? Tell you what, I'll give you the leftovers of my meal if you spin around three times and say Pikachu."
Storm's ears perked up before he smiled. "Oh that should be easy! I am a Pikachu!" He began to twirl around when Ash stopped him.
"No Storm, we're not going to stoop to his level!" The boy quickly said.
"Come on Gary, you were raised better than that. Quit acting like we're some stray Growlithes you can abuse just because Professor Oak booked you a hotel suite." Blue said in a disapproving tone.
"Says you. You're the one who became too much of a coward to face your family after Red beat you in the Pokemon League." Gary pointed out to Blue, "I'm just treating you like how you are. A nature girl, a pathetic excuse for a trainer, and coward of a brother."
"There's nothing wrong with loving nature." Yellow frowned.
"Let's get out of here guys, we don't need to stand here and take this." Blue glared at his younger brother.
Ash nodded still holding Storm and glaring at Gary, "Let's just go as far away from here as possible."
"Oh and Ash, nice little stuffed Pokemon you got there. Where'd you get it? The toy store?" Gary laughed when he noticed the little Shaymin in the boy's arms.
"Yeah, I got this thing in a toy store, happy now?" Ash growled sarcastically. "Now if you'll excuse me I have somewhere else I need to be!"
When they walked far away from the hotel, Yellow sighed, "I really don't like that boy. I can't believe he's related to you, Green…"
"Believe it or not Yellow, I used to act that way too." Blue sighed.
"Really? You never seemed to act like that before when you were with us." Yellow said in surprise.
"Well… I acted like that during my journey… mostly to Red." The spiky brown haired boy said with a shrug.
"Why would you do that, Green?" Yellow asked sadly, "I thought our Memma's taught you better than that, your own Memmas too."
"It wasn't the real me Yellow." Blue sighed. "It was more of a mask of arrogance I put on whenever I'm with Red. I wanted him to know I was going to beat him no matter what, but in the end all it's done was make my grandfather think I didn't treat my Pokemon the right way and that's why I lost."
"I wonder if Gary is also using that mask…" Ash said to himself. "He didn't used to be that way either… but he made it clear that I wouldn't amount to anything, even now."
"Oh come on guys! Are we really just gonna spend the night out here with no food!? I can't sleep on an empty stomach! And Mew made it clear that we need to have fresh water and food for Jayden here!" The Pikachu whined.
That was when Yellow remembered something. "Oh! Ash, that Shaymin, when Storm and I found her in the mansion she was clutching to this key and note." She took out the silver key with the note attached to it from her pocket. "We didn't think about it at the time, but maybe it could lead us to a place to stay for the night."
"Really?" Ash took the key and read the note. "A face with hands that tells time? Is this a riddle?"
"It sounds like one." Blue sighed. "What is it, some kind of Riddle Inn? I've never heard of that when I was here a few years ago."
"The riddle is that the object has hands in front of it's face and tells time..." Storm said, "Any idea to what it is?"
"It kinda sounds like a clock to me." Ash said. "I mean I guess you can see those needles it uses are hands on its face and it tells time."
"But why would the answer be a clock? How is a clock going to help us find an inn?" Blue asked.
"Maybe that clock could." Yellow smiled as she pointed at a hill with a building almost hidden by the trees, there was a clock up there.
"You think that's the inn?" Ash asked. "It seems pretty far off from the rest of the town."
"Any other idea to what it is?" Yellow asked, "Besides, if it's far from town, it's probably less crowded and it's close to nature!"
"I guess it couldn't hurt to check it out." Blue said. "Come on, let's just get there and hope this isn't a waste of time."
The group head up the hill, it had stairs thankfully, so it was easy to climb up. Once they made it to the inn, a hippie-like person with brown hair, sunglasses and a red shirt opened the door. "Welcome to the Riddle Inn. I see a few Trainers finally decided to visit this island, I'm impressed you found this place." He had a slight accent.
"We found it because of this." Ash said, holding up the key with the note. "Did you leave this in the mansion somewhere?"
"By golly, you kids found it?" The man said in surprise. "I hid that key hoping Trainers would be interested in finding it, because that's the key to Blaine's hidden gym."
Blue looked closely at the man, "You seem familiar… Have we met before?"
"Uh no… I don't believe we have." The man said, sounding a bit nervous. "Why don't you kids stay in for the night, I doubt any hotels are open anyways."
"This one is." Yelow said jokingly.
"Good point, although this is more of an inn." The man laughed. "You kids must be tired and hungry. Sit tight, dinner will be served shortly."
"Thanks, could you also give us some fresh clean water?" Ash asked. "And maybe some Oran Berries?"
"Hmm? Sure, but why Oran Berries? Aren't those usually for Pokemon?"
"It's for a Pokemon that's kinda sick." Ash said, looking down at the Shaymin.
"What kind of Pokemon is that?" the man asked when he saw the little Shaymin, "I've never seen one like it before."
"It's a rare Pokemon not from this region and it's kind of sick." Ash said. "It's a Grass type, so we're hoping some water and Oran Berries can help it out."
"Well it might, grass Pokemon usually survive on sunlight and water." the man said while nodding, "Okay. You'll get your Oran berries and water."
"Thanks." Ash said in appreciation.
"How are you going to get it to drink the water or eat the Oran berries? It's unconscious." Blue asked.
"I think Memma told me Shaymin can absorb water with its grassy back, and the Oran berries can be crush to juice so she can drink that too." Ash said.
"That's amazing." Storm said in wonder, "Can all legendaries do things like this?"
"No, it's mostly just the Grass types that can." Ash answered. "They naturally can absorb water and sunlight like a real plant."
"I'm just glad we can actually eat before bed tonight." Blue said. "And not eat raw Magikarp or seaweed again."
"You guys ate raw Magikarp and seaweed before?" Yellow asked, interested.
"Uh no." Ash blinked. "Memma wouldn't allow that, Magikarps break your teeth unless you can de-scale it."
"Can't you just use a knife for that?" Yellow pointed out.
"We don't have any on us." Ash answered.
"I meant when I was on my journey alone." Blue grumbled. "I have to use Dragon Claw to get the scales out."
While they were talking to each other, the man came back with a lot of food for them. Most of it were cooked fish and other delicacies like rice balls. Ash thanked the man as he gently squeezes the Oran berries into juice and rubbed it over the sleeping Shaymin hybrid. The rest of the group dig into their food, more than happy to chow down after a long day.
"I've also prepared beds for you so you kids can sleep once you're done eating." The man said to them.
"Thank you very much! How much do we owe you?" Ash asked.
"Well… the Inn is free if you do one thing." The man said.
"What's that?" The boy asked curiously.
"You use that key and find Blaine's hidden Gym." The man told him. "It's in a place where a Firefighter could never win, see if you can figure that out."
"A volcano." Blue said, "It's kind of obvious if you think about it. Blaine is a fire type gym leader, there's a giant volcano on the island, the badge is the volcano badge, and water can't put out lava."
"And the boy is correct!" The man said with a ding-dong noise. "Blaine's gym IS inside of a volcano."
"Wait, what?" Ash almost spluttered at that. "That's crazy! Why would anyone have a gym inside of an active volcano!?"
"Fire Pokemon kind of have an advantage in there, and anybody can get used to a condition if they spend a lot of time in the area." Blue said.
"It's not just that. What would you do if the volcano suddenly decided to erupt?" Ash asked, frowning. "Nature can be a very unpredictable thing."
"Oh Ash, you worry too much. I'm sure if Blaine's gym has been there all this time the volcano isn't planning to erupt any time soon." Yellow said calmly.
Storm was chewing on some chow when he heard about the gym being in a volcano. "I don't like the idea I'll be fighting inside of a volcano. What if I fall into the lava? I'd be a fried Pikachu!"
"Or boiled." Ash commented a little sourly.
"Or disintegrated." Blue added half jokingly, "The volcano's heat would erase any trace of anything falling into it. Even Pokemon, except Magby and it's evolution line. And usually most Fire types can live in it."
"Not funny Green," Yellow told her half brother, "Can't you see how worried Storm is?"
"Are you sure we should battle in a volcano?" Ash asked, feeling concerned for his Pokemon as well, the only Fire type he had on him was a Charmeleon and she couldn't possibly take on all of the Gym's Pokemon herself.
"Ash, a real Trainer needs to face danger, he and his Pokemon must learn to overcome it despite the danger. That's why Blaine's gym is one of the elites here in Kanto, he doesn't play around when it comes to proving the Trainer's worth." The man said in an unusually serious tone to the boy.
"He sounds dangerous." Yellow said to the inn owner.
"Blain is very tough." Blue admitted. "Since this is your seventh Gym Badge, Ash, I don't think Blaine is going to go easy on you."
"That's okay, I wouldn't want him to." Ash said, looking down at the Shaymin in his arms. "But maybe we should wait until Jayden wakes up… I don't think carrying a Grass type Pokemon into a volcano is a wise thing to do."
"Considering how she fell unconscious in a fire based structure already, it's probably best that we don't take her in there, she needs fresh water and there's none in a volcano." Yellow added to what Blue was saying.
"Either way we're still in here for the night, and I want to get some sleep." Storm told the group before climbing onto Ash's shoulder.
"Alright, I guess it's time for bed." Ash said. "Storm and I will keep a close eye on Jayden."
"Are you sure that's wise? Remember Jayden is a…" Blue stopped when he noticed the man was still with them. "... Well she's not exactly on friendly terms with you, Ash."
"Yeah, I know. But I'm hoping maybe… maybe this will help gain her trust." Ash said slowly. "I want to show her that Mem- a friend of mine isn't as bad as she believed she was."
"That's what I told Storm in the mansion." Yellow said with a smile.
"She did. It was actually one of the main reasons she brought her back with us." Storm said to Ash quietly.
"Huh, really? Well I guess great minds think alike." Ash chuckled.
"Well Yellow and I will be staying close by just in case she gets out of hand." Blue said.
"Thanks. I'm sure it won't come to that." Ash said quietly.
Later that night, Ash just took off his coat and was in his bare black shirt and pants. "Kinda wished that Memma packed me some pajamas. They're really nice and cozy to sleep in."
"Aww, is someone missing his Memma?" Storm smirked at the boy.
"Storm! I just find it more comfortable than sleeping in my traveling clothes!" Ash snapped, his cheeks a little red.
"Riiiiiight. Well all kidding aside, where is she going to sleep?" The Pikachu asked, pointing at the Shaymin.
"I'll just put her on my bed, there's plenty of room for both her and you to sleep with me." Ash said.
"You sure that's a good idea? If she wakes up and finds you in her face she might try to blast you with her Energy Ball or something. Maybe I should stay close with her, at least she'll feel safer if it's a fellow Pokemon." Storm suggested.
"You sure Remi would like that, Storm?" Ash asked with a sly smile, wanting some payback for teasing him.
Storm's cheeks grew redder than usual, "What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean, Storm." Ash replied, his smile not fading.
"H-hey! Stop that! Besides, you're leaving Remi with Professor Oak so it doesn't matter!" Storm snapped.
Ash laughed before he sat on the bed. "Well all teasing aside, are you sure you'll be okay with sleeping so close to a hybrid? She is the 'enemy' you know."
Storm nodded and said, "I'm sure. If she tries anything I could always paralyze her."
"Try not to do that unless you have no other choice. We want to gain her trust, not break it." Ash said as he put her over his blanket. The Pikachu jumped up beside her as the boy turned off the lamp light on the night desk beside him. "Alright… good night Storm."
"Good night, Ash." Storm replied with a smile, before falling asleep himself.