Hey, all.
So one of the few, but interestingly helpful reviews I got a while back explained the revealed and complete properties of the Fairy-type: apparently, they're immune to Dragon attacks, so Georgia's Jigglypuff should've won against Iris's Axew and have been immune to both Dragon Rage and Outrage. But for now, I'll pass it off as the Outrage indirectly disrupting Jigglypuff's Moonblast and the backlash causing enough damage from the close-range explosion to wipe both of them out.
I pay good attention to reviews and helpful criticism, so keep sending them in. I'll be refining my writing style even more with your help in no time. Also, someone asked what Ash was wearing. Basically, he's now in Red's clothes from the games, although his new XY series outfit looks good on him too…
One year ago…
"Ash, be careful out there."
"I will, Mom," Ash reassured with a determined nod and grin.
Both mother and son stood close to the outskirts of Pallet Town. Wearing the new sleeveless red vest with white outlines his mother made for him as well as equipped with a new red cap, Ash was ready to leave to pursue his dream once more with Pikachu and his Pokémon by his side. Despite his abrupt departure from the Decolore Islands, he knew what needed to be done.
"Wait, Ash!" Professor Oak's voice called out from the distance.
Ash and Delia watched two rushing figures of the Oak family coming to greet them. Gary made it up to where they were, slightly out of breath. His grandfather, on the other hand, wasn't exactly in the best shape of his life.
"You youngsters… always going here and there so quickly," Professor Oak panted. "I just can't keep up these days…"
"Gramps, you know how this kid is itching to go at the drop of his cap," Gary jested, gesturing a thumb in Ash's direction.
Ash lowered his head, face darkened. He certainly thought that it would be the last time he would be heard being called 'a kid' again. Gary, unfortunately, noticed this and rather than prod him on further, he tried breaking down the tension with a quick, albeit nervous chuckle. Fortunately, his grandfather got everyone's attention with the clearing of his throat.
"Ahem, now that I'm back to full breath, it's time," Professor Oak announced, walking to Ash. "Well, Ash, you came back home at the right time and now you're continuing your training, is that right?"
"Yes, Professor," Ash replied.
"Do you have an idea where you want to train until you feel ready to compete in another Pokémon League again?"
"Well…"
"Hey, Ash, try scaling up Mt. Coronet in the Sinnoh region," Gary suggested. "I'm planning to go back there to do some more research concerning the special electromagnetic fields given off by the area, so I can keep a close eye on you. Plus, I hear there are special ruins of Dialga and Palkia built up on the summit."
"Sorry, Gary, but I'm afraid I'll have to turn that offer down," Ash said, much to everyone's surprise. "See, the idea is that it's just me and my Pokémon without any distractions from anyone we know for as much as possible. We want to keep things exciting by exploring past places and keeping ourselves at top form."
Rather than being disappointed from his response, Gary turned around with his trademark smirk.
"Is that so, Mr. Big Man?" Gary inquired sarcastically. "My, my, little Ashy-boy's all grown up and doesn't need me to hold his hand anymore."
"Hey, I never did need your help now, did I?" Ash retorted.
"Don't be so ungrateful now. It was thanks to my help that Grandpa managed to finish his last gift for you before you left."
"Gift?"
"Settle down, boys, easy does it," Professor Oak intervened, coming between the two in an amiable manner with his hands on their shoulders. "He's actually right, Ash. I hope you didn't forget something, by the way."
As he said those words, something immediately stood out in Ash's mind. His face lit up in shock upon the realization, momentarily fidgeting and searching his pockets and backpack.
"My Pokédex! I forgot I gave back the last one I had to you! The one from Unova!"
"Which I'm now returning with something better than your previous one," Professor Oak spoke up, calming Ash down.
The senior Pokémon Professor of Kanto had pulled out a somewhat large red Pokédex, similar to what Ash used during his travels in the Sinnoh region. However, on the right side was a peculiar attachment in the shape of a large circle. It was as wide as a Poké Ball at its full size upon inspection.
"Whoa…" Ash commented, speechless.
"This model has now been modified to recognize many more Pokémon outside those you have seen in your journey, including those of the Unova region, courtesy of Professor Westwood V's ongoing research and contributions," Professor Oak explained. "But what makes this one special… Well, you already notice the circular attachment, right?"
"Yes."
"I had a feeling that you are determined to keep your training whereabouts a secret, so this Pokédex has been installed with a miniature Poké Ball transport system of its own, which is already linked up to my network. This is so that you'd be able to swap out Pokémon so that everyone on your team will have a chance to become stronger."
"I helped!" Gary chirped up.
"That's so awesome, Professor," Ash praised, graciously receiving the new Pokédex in his hands. "How does it work though?"
"Since it's registered to your Trainer ID, it knows all of your Pokémon, from the ones currently on you now to the ones under my care," Professor Oak continued. "All you have to do is to go on the menu on screen and select which Pokémon you want to be with you; the system will then beckon the chosen Pokémon to its Poké Ball and it will be transported to you in mere moments. Of course, if you already have six Pokémon on your team, you'll have to exchange one out. The circular attachment is where all Poké Balls go, incoming and outgoing. This is really advanced technology we're working on now for the future, Ash."
"But you have to know that since it's not as advanced as the transports in Pokémon Centers or even in Grandpa's lab, you can only use it once a day," Gary added. "It needs twenty-four hours to recharge power, so it'll shut off once you use it. Don't worry about the internal battery though. Grandpa made sure it'll last you a few years before needing a new one. But hopefully by then, there would be even greater advances in technology that that little gadget in your hands would be marked obsolete."
"Thanks a lot, you two!" Ash exclaimed, examining the functions of his new Pokédex like an excited child on Christmas Day. "The graphics really look up to date too."
"You can actually thank Tracey for those features," Gary spoke up proudly.
"That boy's learned a lot in a short time working in the lab, from his excellent hand-drawn Pokémon sketches to three-dimensional graphic design," Professor Oak mentioned. "Anyway, I digress. You'll be in for a real treat once you learn how to use that Pokédex to its full capabilities. Good luck with your training, Ash."
"Make us proud!" Gary declared.
"Be careful out there, sweetie," Delia said softly, embracing her son as she bid him off for another long period of time. "At least write to me once a month so that I'd know you're safe."
"I will…"
"That's an interesting turn to your journey, Ash," Anabel commented. "I'm actually surprised that you didn't go off looking for another region to explore and compete in. I just found out about the Kalos region a while ago. It even has a newly discovered Pokémon type called the 'Fairy-type,' which has really unique properties when shown in battle."
Both she and Ash had walked fairly deep into the forest, finding a secluded spot to rest from their walking. Remembering that the forest was manmade, it was not a huge surprise to find a few wooden benches now and then in the open groves. After all, the spaces were wide enough to host practice Pokémon battles.
Anabel was the first to sit in the first bench found, offering the space next to her with several taps of her hand. Her Espeon quickly joined her by the side of the wooden bench.
"… …" Ash gave a brief nod and quiet exhale before taking his seat next to her.
"It's understandable that you'd want to try out different aspects on your training style just so that you'd know what they'd be like. However, it hasn't really explained this particular side of you."
"… … I'm getting there."
"Ah, okay," Anabel replied meekly, smiling in response.
Even with the rather curt message he gave her, she felt no offense from it. The Salon Maiden was also able to tell that he also meant her no threat or harm. In the sporadic short moments she spent with him up to this point, Anabel felt that she could understand how much different he felt now than when he usually was since first meeting him on New Island. At this point, just being allowed to be with him was considered a bonding experience.
"… The first few weeks went by and all was normal…"
Within the first month since he left Pallet Town, Ash roamed about the Kanto region, eagerly challenging various Trainers in his path to become the best and winning the majority of his battles. All in the same time, he took the opportunity to test out his new Pokédex's function and swap out Pokémon in an almost daily basis so that all had the chance to train and grow stronger.
"… It went until… I met these people… …"
Unwittingly, he ran into a couple of Pokémon Trainers while in Vermillion City that were vaguely familiar in terms of voices and strangely enough, their unique hairstyles. Instead of battling them, they simply talked.
"We actually watched you destroy that weak Trainer a while ago so we know how good you are," the older magenta-haired woman said.
"We know that we're certainly not ready to tangle with you, not just yet, young man," the periwinkle-haired partner agreed jovially.
"Uh, he wasn't weak," Ash spoke up, trying to defend his previous opponent.
"Now don't be so modest there, ya got lots and lots of Pokémon Trainin' potential," the short stranger with the shifty face intervened. "Ya see, I can scout out future Champions and yer definitely one of 'em, boy-o!"
"I am?" Ash asked, bearing a sheepish grin from all the flattery.
"Why, of course, young man!" the woman exclaimed.
"Even your Pikachu radiates power that can make any friend and ally in battle positively giggly!" the blue-haired man remarked jubilantly, earning strange, dirty looks from his comrades, much to his and Ash's confusion.
'Who writes dis guy's lines anyways?' the short guy thought, looking away distraughtfully. 'Next ting ya know, he'll be tawking about his heart bein' filled wit' rainbows and bein' furious, outraged, and sick wit' anger like I'm feelin' about it. Boy…'
"Anyway!" the woman immediately resumed. "We actually have an idea, a suggestion actually, for strong up-and-coming Trainers to train at."
"It's at a fun and jolly-good place that we're sure familiar with called Mt. Silver!" the older man clarified.
"Any Trainer who's a Trainer knows it's the trainin' place to be at," the short guy confirmed pompously.
"Mt. Silver, huh?" Ash repeated. "That's where the Johto League Silver Conference is held, isn't it?"
"Close, but no cigar… not that you'd need one," the man joked.
"You're actually referring to Silver Town, the base of Mt. Silver in Johto," the red-haired woman explained. "It's time for you to think outside the box."
"What we mean is climb Mt. Silver, explore its treacherous landscape, and battle against some of the strongest wild Pokémon you could ever imagine."
"Wow, I never knew that much about Mt. Silver," Ash said. "I mean, outside of Silver Town was a good place to train for the Silver Conference. I remember covering different parts of it with a couple of friends on the way to Silver Town, even returning a Pokémon back to its mother… I wonder how they're doing right now."
"All ya have ta' do is climb up Mt. Silver embrace da rigorous and shiverin' mountain lifestyle wit' yer Pokémon, boy-o, and I promise ya that you'll be a Champ yourself in no time," the shorter stranger affirmed, pounding a tiny fist to his chest. "Trust us, twoip−I mean, 'Champ-in-da-makin'!"
"… They convinced me to travel to Mt. Silver…"
Ash and Pikachu arrived at the base of Mt. Silver within a week. They took the necessary preparations during their brief stay in Silver Town, from gathering the right supplies to camp out to analyzing the topography to determine where wild Pokémon and Berry trees would normally populate. They both felt confident that they could make it to the highest peak as part of their ultimate training challenge.
However, during their last day in Silver Town and before departing the Pokémon Center, they went over the map of Mt. Silver and reviewed their planned routes around the imposing Johto mountainside. A large, middle-aged Hiker happened to walk pass behind them and overlooked their map.
"Ah, plannin' to trek through ol' Mt. Silver, are ye?" the Hiker asked in a thick accent.
"We sure are," Ash replied back, turning around to face the weathered Hiker. "We're going to climb to the top and become the strongest out there!"
"That's a mighty fine dream ye have there, laddie, but I must warn ye," the Hiker whispered, leaning closer to the young Pallet Town Trainer. Ash and Pikachu could smell the cold pine scent from him. "There have been sightins' of suspicious activities around teh mountains."
"Suspicious activity?" Ash repeated, curious and worried.
"I couldn't venture as high as I normally could 'cause teh wild Pokémon were unusually aggressive 'nd somethin' fierce," the Hiker explained, eyes wide open from beneath all that shaggy hair. "I had teh feelin' that they were tryin' ta warn me from goin' any further up teh trail. I'm not as a strong Pokémon Trainer as I used ta be. If only I was around yer age, laddie, I would still be in meh prime."
"I'm not scared," Ash assured resolutely. "I won't be going alone as I have my Pokémon with me."
"Pika!" Pikachu confirmed.
"We're all together in this and we'll continue to grow strong no matter."
The large Hiker merely smiled and gave off a gruff exhale. He was certainly impressed by the young man's spirit, as well as his Pikachu's true loyalty. He knew that the current events around Mt. Silver shouldn't be taken lightly, but it was possible to him that this Trainer might play some sort of role in settling down the commotion there. He still felt regretful for letting such a fine younger generation waltz into potential danger.
"I admire yer bravery, laddie, but don't say that I didn't warn ye…"
The Hiker walked away in a solemn mood in contradictory to Ash and Pikachu's fiery outlook.
"Hey, Pikachu?"
"Pika?"
"Is 'teh' even a word?"
"… … I should've taken his words closer to heart…"
Okay, everyone. I seem to be apologizing a lot now, but everything will be in the next chapter. I'm starting to enjoy making short cut-offs like these, but hopefully I'll have more time making a chapter instead of leaving them half on what I usually have done. But now you got to see Ash the way he was (and still is from the looks of the ongoing anime). I can say that the next couple of chapters will certainly be "Ash-centric" with bits of AbilityShipping to move the relationship along.
The new XY series is certainly making a good impression with its first two episodes. It's actually making me want to fully get back into Pokémon, including playing the X and Y Versions since I don't actually own a copy for myself right now, and I actually know the kind of team I want to play with now. Weird…
Again, I enjoy hearing what speculations you can think of from the chapter. So now…
It's time to measure my writing skills. Please review!
L-ater!