A/N: Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows guys! Fenrir's Phantom, I was talking about the card Fenrir from Yu-Gi-Oh! (the trading card game, I don't know if you've heard of it. I had one and it appeared as a some sort of wolf. I guess it must have been based on Norse Mythology though, but all I know of of Norse Mythology is from watching the various Avengers movies.)
Guest, thank you, and I agree that the chapters are a bit shorter than what I usually write for my other fanfics, but I do make sure that they're at least 1,000 words per chapter, anything shorter is probably something I wouldn't want to read either. Currently I usually go for around 2,000 per chapter, but I also kind of want to update this fanfic regularly, once a week minimum, so I think we'll have to deal with shorter chapters, of around 1,200 to 1,300 words (excluding the Author's Note). If it really annoys all of you that much, I can make them longer by merging them, but that will mean slower updates.
Ash didn't care if he was in a strange land where there were still lords and kings. He didn't care that much that he had no way to contact the outside world, or that he didn't have any of his Pokemon except his Pikachu.
What he did know, was that if anyone wanted to take Pikachu from him, they were going to have to go through him first. Hopefully, Elizabeth's Pokemon were a good indicator of how strong everyone was here, because otherwise he was going to have a problem with only Pikachu.
As both he and Gulliver were running through Sandalwood Forest, Ash was quite sincerely wishing that he had his Charizard with him, so that he could just fly over the treetops, and because it was one of- if not the strongest Pokemon he had ever had.
That said, the first thing that he settled his mind on was getting a Flying type. He saw a flock of Spearow, surrounded by a few Fearow.
It almost unsettled him when a single Thunderbolt was enough to send them crashing to the ground.
Ash had vivid memories of the first time he had attempted to catch a Spearow, and how that had almost ended up with him losing Pikachu while he raced away on his bicycle, being chased by the herd. How times had changed. He assumed that his Pikachu was much stronger now.
Of course, what Ash did not know was that most of the Pokemon were just very weak, not used to having Trainers battling them- or trying to catch them.
He took a moment to survey the flock, which had been knocked out. He took out a Pokeball, and caught one of the Spearow.
"Why didn't you take the Fearow?" Gulliver asked, who had been panting while running behind Ash and trying to keep up with him. For some reason he hadn't ditched his backpack and the firewood he was gathering; apparently he thought it would be useful.
"There's something wrong with the Fearow," Ash said. He may not have been the most observant person, but even he could tell that there was something off with the Fearow in the flock. Their beaks seemed to be a paler shade then they should've been, and their wings too small. Even Pikachu began looking at the Fearow sadly as if he was pitying them. "Do you know why that is?"
"Well, I think it is mainly because of Lord Marley's- I mean, Marley's, Gym Badge," Gulliver said. "I've heard he can make Pokemon evolve using it, regardless of whether they're ready or not."
"Why?" Ash asked. He had seen a machine much like that, made by Team Rocket, and it had caused a lot of Pokemon a lot of pain while using it.
"Oh, that's because this part of Galea controlled by him doesn't have many strong Pokemon," Gulliver said. "And not having many strong Pokemon means that there really isn't any fast way to train, least that's what they say. And the Gym Leader doesn't really have any patience for training against weaker Pokemon for hours on end, so he just evolves his and some of the wild ones to make it slightly easier. But then they kind of end up like that."
"That's messed up," Ash said. He took another look at the Fearow, and noticed many other things, like how one of its legs were shorter than the other, and how the muscles in its chests seemed to be underdeveloped. Pikachu began making some angry noises. "I remember Professor Rowan telling me that Pokemon released some kind of energy on evolving. Come to think of it, they evolve when they have enough energy through battling experience... so that would mean that, if you tried to evolve them before they were ready, they wouldn't have enough energy to... well, I mean they get bigger don't they? So they wouldn't be able to grow properly, at least I think so."
"Yeah, but no one speaks out against it," Gulliver said.
"By the way," Arthur said, "Do you know where Marley's supposed to be?"
"Deluge City," Gulliver said. ""cept I've never been there- I'm not allowed to go further than what I'm assigned too, but it is supposed to be just outside Sandalwood Town past route 203. He has a big sort of mansion there, at least that's what some of my friends told me." He then paused, horrified. "Oh dear, my friends! If they find out what I did, they're probably watching them or somethin'. Or interrogating 'em."
"What does that involve?" Ash asked nonchalantly. He couldn't see why Gulliver was so upset. "A cup of coffee and some polite questions?"
"More like a cup of sodium thiopental and a few electric shocks from an Elektrike," Gulliver said darkly.
"Sorry," Ash said. He hadn't meant to come out as being insensitive, he just had a hard time taking things seriously in general, and it was still so odd to hear about people so… cruel. Not even Team Rocket, or any of the other teams, went to such lengths as these Gym Leaders were going, and at the very least, Team Rocket were considered criminals unlike these Gym Leaders who appeared to be the people who made up the government. These guys just seemed to be in a totally different league of evil. Ash just hadn't assumed that Gulliver's friends were going to be tortured. That was just... well, it was something quite beyond whatever he had seen.
"It's alright," Gulliver said. "They probably won't do 'em any permanent harm. And it isn't like you wanted to be dragged into this anyway."
"No," Ash said, but at the same time something in him was saying that he just couldn't stand by while the Gym Leaders got away with this.
"Say, Ash," Gulliver said. "Do you really want to beat Marley and become ruler of this place? You kind of don't seem to be on track with the whole idea..."
"I just want to go back home," Ash admitted, slightly ashamed at himself, but to be honest, if a way came for him to go back home and forget about all this, he'd probably take it. His mom was probably worried sick about him, as well as his other friends. But would he really just abandon Gulliver to his fate?
"I can't blame ya," Gulliver said. "Your home sounds a lot better than this place." But Ash could tell that he was disappointed at his answer, the kind of disappointed you get when a friend lets you down. It then occurred to him that if he left, Gulliver was probably going to be caught and punished… maybe even sent to jail (he hadn't heard of any, but with the way these Gym Leaders acted, he didn't doubt that they existed in some form or the other) or perhaps even executed.
"But I don't have any way to do that for now," Ash added. "And I don't think there's anyway for me to go back, at least, until I can figure something out. So until then, you've got my help in taking him down." Pikachu balled up his fists in agreement.
That seemed to cheer Gulliver up. "That's great!"
"I just need to start training my Spearow now," Ash said. He sent it out, but of course, it was still fainted. "Oh, I forgot. Where's the nearest Pokemon Center here?"
"Pokemon Center?" Gulliver asked, surprised. "They'd never let you in. The facilities of the Pokemon Centers are reserved for the highest officers." With his tone, he might as well have added a 'well, duh,' at the end.
"Really?" Ash asked. "It's never been like that where I come from. Anyone could've walked in, and taken a room there and stuff."
"Really?' Gulliver asked, not seeming to be able to believe Ash. "But how would that work? I mean, wouldn't it be expensive to heal Pokemon? Where would all the money come from? Say, can you tell me more about where you came from?"
"Sure, but first off, what do you do when you're Pokemon's injured?" Ash asked.
"Berries," Gulliver said. "But they restrict giving out Sitrus Berries and Oran Berries like they do with Pokeballs, but I have a handful. They were meant for my Pidgey, though I think you'd have a way better use for them."
"Pika, pika," Pikachu said.
"I can't really take this," Ash explained.
"No seriously, I insist," Gulliver said. "My Pidgey isn't strong enough to be useful, but you're going to have a battle up ahead with you." Ash reluctantly took the Berries.
As they traveled, Ash went into more detail about his earlier life, how he had met Pikachu and how it hadn't wanted to go into his Pokeball, and tried shortening stuff like all of his journeys through the various regions, and some people he remembered, which just made him miss home even more after a while so he stopped, wondering what all of them must have been wondering about him at that moment, and how- or rather, if, he'd be able to return.
At nightfall, they were pretty close to Sandalwood Town, but didn't dare get in close because they were sure that there would be people looking for them, and as Gulliver put it, "With your clothes you'd stand out like a Zangoose at a Seviper's tea party. Come to think of it by the way, I've never seen a Zangoose or Seviper though." And so they set up camp using some sticks and leaves (Ash didn't have his camping bag, and Gulliver didn't have anything either) and tried to fall asleep on their makeshift beds, which was hard. Dinner was a few apples and some other fruit they managed to gather, but at the very least it was filling.
"I just thought of something," Ash said, "what do I do after I get the first Gym Badge?"
"Then you're the boss, basically," Gulliver said. "I guess the main problem is that we don't know enough, but there's got to be a lot of officers and other higher-ups and libraries that Marley has access too, which you'll have access too."
Ash frowned. "So, if I take his Gym Badge, by defeating him in battle, everyone'll just listen to me?" That sounded strange. "Just like that?"
"Oh, it isn't because you beat him," Gulliver said. "It'll be because you have the Gym Badge. Whoever has the Gym Badge is in charge, because the Gym Badge can do all sorts of crazy stuff… like change the weather, alter river flows, heal wounds, accelerate crop growth, heal wounds, and even control the local wild Pokemon. The only thing that limits their power is distance and if another Badge is opposing them."
"Wow," Ash said. The Gym Badges where he had come from were a loud deviation from these ones.
"Yeah, that's why they want to keep 'em so badly," Gulliver explained. "And everyone in old times wanted to be one. 'Cept they don't tell us much about the old times, but I bet ya they have records for the nobs to use, so you cold probably go through them once you get the badge. Say Ash. You've fought a lot, right? What's it like?"
"Well, I have battled," Ash said. "For a really, really, long time. I've always wanted to be a Pokemon Master... but the thing is, despite everything I've tried, I well-" Ash choked as he felt his throat go dry. His feelings of failure, of having accomplished nothing after all this time, began to overwhelm him.
He had started off from Pallet Town so long ago with not much more than his bag and a dream... and what did he have now after that? After all that time? Experience yes, but you'd think he might've accomplished something real like winning a Championship by now.
"Say Ash," Gulliver said. "What were your parents like?"
Ash snapped out of his reverie. "I guess like all parents, really. Why?"
"I never knew mine," Gulliver said, his voice sounding like it came from several miles away. "They was all executed when they rebelled against Marley a long time back. I was only two."
Ash felt like he wanted to punch himself. Here he was, brooding over how he had not accomplished much, when he, in truth, had something that Gulliver must have longed for his entire life. Ash then began describing some times with his mother and what he remembered of his father. It was hard to keep the tears inside as he went over some memories and realized that he may never see them again.
He remember his mother most of all, and how she had always supported him and how her faith never wavered in him no matter how bad things got. She was always there for him... and never critical of the fact that he had left home to follow his dream. The moment he thought about her being gone forever, he was immediately flooded with dread and all those things like glory that he had been pining over seemed minuscule in comparison.
He made a promise to himself that he would always be thankful for what he had.
And then, as he imagined what Gulliver must've felt like, felt an immediate and intense hatred for this man named Marley. Who was he to do this to Gulliver?
"It sounds nice, having a family and all," Gulliver said after a while, his voice sounding distant again. He then began snoring a while later.
Ash took a look at his Pikachu, who was asleep, and fell asleep himself.
A/N: And that ends this. As a side note, it was hard trying to incorporate Pikachu into this chapter, as the first time I wrote it he wasn't mentioned at all. In the anime he does all this stuff, but it is mostly just motions so that you have to kind of write down. Also, is Pikachu male? I've always assumed so, and he isn't drawn like a female, but that difference only came in Generation IV and there were no differences before, but I think Pikachu is male, though I don't remember anything confirming/denying it.
Also, I have to say that while Ash battles for a long time in the Anime, he's still young for some reason. It's sort of fine but it becomes kind of hard while writing a storyline as you run into that problem sometimes and if you want to make Ash grow, or see him become stronger. Because based on his experience, he should be a lot better now.
Thanks again for reading, and do please review if you liked.
