Hello everyone! I'm back with another chapter for Valentine! I need to get a good nickname for the Sylveon after all and this chapter grants it.
A little emotional in the beginning. Afterwards the group turns just a little apathetic to the Team Rocket members that caused the explosion and Ritchie that was just unconcious on the ground. ( I didn't spoil anything… I hope. )
Now… Reviews! ( For there are a few, no matter how little time there was to make 'em. )
TheSuperMario: Ash has it bad, yes. He also has more luck than any other trainer with his Pokémon. A little bit of mixture between insane luck and horrible luck. Not just that, but I want the darker parts done with. Team Rocket is plain horrible. Aqua and Magma are less, Galactic are just a bunch of idiots, Plasma is… Plasma and let's not even talk about the Kalos evil gang. Ash needs to go through this and he'll improve not just as a trainer but also as a person. Emotional things are needed early on to harden yourself. Actually, he has it pretty safe compared to some other stories I've seen. By the way… I know. The breaking of the Pokéball was intended to be extremely harsh. I should've added the magnificent Luffy Punch yes.
Xperior: I know he has it bad but in this region Ash mostly meets the 'bad' side of humans. Afterwards he can find out about Pokémon. I mean… there are bad Pokémon no matter how much one wants to deny it. Look at Hypno!
Flamingpheonixlbj2: He will have aura bonded with his Pokémon by the time the league starts. The bonds have been starting now because Ash's emotions are running wild. The bond with Sylveon was the one thing he needed to get better control of himself actually. Why that is; try reading the description of Sylveon. She calms down battles and that means she calms down the negative feelings. A bond with Sylveon was an idea to help him out, hence why there is a Sylveon to begin with.
xXSakuraBlossomsXx: Togepi is going to Caitlin. No fights or stealing about it. Why that is, is because Togepi matches Caitlin and it allows them to meet up in Hoenn again next to the 'get togethers' that could occasionally happen. Ash can catch a Toge(tic)(kiss) later on though, in Hoenn if people truly want him to have a Togekiss. Even now I wait for people with ideas for the Orange Island Pokémon he'll capture. So far, three are decided completely. Three left.
Blucross: Thanks for the compliment but I can't match up to Saphroneth. That guy is a good writer through and through. At least, in my opinion. ( I read his stories too. )
Anyway! Let's get on with the chapter. Time for the Road of the Old. Maybe a little anti-climatic but hey. Not everything is an exciting adventure. If you look at some things logically you'll understand why things happen. Hunger is one important fact. ( Hint )
P.S. You guys are free to offer me ideas of Pokémon to capture for Ash! Three are completely decided now. I have one or two in mind but I accept ideas anytime. PM me, review them. Do whatever you wish!
It's been a day since they've left now. Sylveon had remained silent the entire time but always stayed close to Ash as if he were to leave her behind at any time. To solve that, he had to put her on his shoulder next to Pikachu as he walked with the group on the road.
"Are you feeling a bit better, Sylveon?" Ash asked the fairy Pokémon, obviously still worried. She remained quiet for a long time now.
"... A bit. I just don't want to think about Mikey," the Sylveon whispered out with a sad voice.
Ash let out a small sigh as his hand moved to the top of the Sylveon's head, gently stroking it.
"Have you thought of my offer? If you remain wild the entire time someone might actually capture you with bad intentions. If you want to remain wild I can understand but we'll have to go to Professor Oak," Ash tried to push it. He knew that either Sylveon joined his team or didn't. He wouldn't mind as long as the Pokémon will be happier.
"Mm.. I think I want to join you, Ash. Can I be a battler? I want to prove my worth too," the Sylveon tried to make sure she could prove herself as much as she could to Ash.
Giving a small smile, Ash only shook his head in amusement. The Sylveon might've picked it up if the widening of her eyes said something but she calmed down when Ash spoke.
"You don't have to prove yourself. Even Meowth used to be the weakest of his very species - which I don't mean in the wrong way - thanks to trying to become like a human. You're pretty strong and decently trained for a rookie Pokémon. There's a long road, but we'll walk it together, okay?" Ash tried to cheer up the Pokémon by also mentioning that he'll make her grow stronger and do it together. It was obviously something the fairy type Pokémon needed.
"R-really…? Thank you…!" the Sylveon sniffed happily as she began to nuzzle against Ash. Her ribbons wrapped around Pikachu as well, hugging the Electric type close to her as well since Pikachu had been the silent comfort the entire time.
Next to Ash, Brock and Caitlin could only smile. It seems like Sylveon was getting better now. Perhaps the next trip will do them some good.
Caitlin already messaged Darach that the cruise trip should be a little extended and more of an enjoyment thing. She wanted to make sure Ash had fun now to make up for all the negative things he had seen.
Brock obviously offered to spar more with the boy and give some brotherly advice. Heck, Brock might just become Ash's brother-figure if he kept it up. It seems they also got a bit of a rivalry going on now with the spars and at times, even cooking. Well, human cooking that is.
Brock wins in the tasting department of Pokémon cooking, but Ash wins in practicality.
"Do you wish to be captured then, Sylveon?" Ash smiled as he held out an empty, red Cherish Ball. The fairy type could only stare at the Pokéball that looked so different from the others. She saw that Ash had normal ones, so these must be special. It cheered the fairy type up just a bit more.
"Mm..!" the fairy Eeveelution moved her ribbon to the Cherish Ball and moved it to her head, gently placing it against her. Being absorbed for the second time in her life, the capture was an instant success and the Sylveon had to stare in awe at the sight. She could see the outside as well?
Smiling a bit, Ash caught the Cherish Ball and gave it a soft kiss. "Hey, Caitlin, isn't today Valentine?" Ash asked the female of the group. Obviously, she had more experience.
"E-eh? Yes, it is. Why do you ask, Ash?" She asked with a curious tilt of her head.
"Well… I need a good nickname for Sylveon. I don't like how she isn't considered different if I just call her Sylveon. Valencia, how does that sound?" Ash asked his female companion. He just wanted the Pokémon to feel special as he trained her. Give her a name she'll treasure.
Giving Ash a kind smile, Caitlin just nodded. "It is a very nice name. Sweet of you, Ash, to do this."
"Hehe… I just can't help it. Pokémon are my life. I might act violent if I see them hurt but that's just in my nature; I want to protect them," Ash rubbed the back of his head, eerily similar to how Pikachu does it at times when he is embarrassed. So that is the source.
Holding the Sylveon's Cherish Ball, Ash carefully put aura into it and the fairy type came out of the Cherish Ball with a small twirl, seeming just a bit more cheerful.
Smiling, Ash crouched down to the Sylveon's level and he began petting her head and scratching behind her large, pink ears. "Hey Sylveon, how about I give you a new name? I don't want to call you Sylveon all the time because that just makes you another Sylveon in the world. I want to give you something that makes you, you."
Sylveon couldn't feel happier than that. Her sadness forgotten for just that moment, she eagerly looked up to Ash. Ash couldn't help but chuckle a little as he gave her a kind look. "How about Valencia? Since today is Valentine and fairy types are often considered the more loveable Pokémon."
Brock popped up with a chuckle, "It also means "Brave". I think Sylveon fits that description at how she beat her older siblings as a pre-evolution. She didn't show fear at all."
Caitlin giggled in agreement. "Yes, it is a nice name."
"Valencia… I like it!" the newly named Valencia's ribbons began to swirl around happily, forming a heart at the end to show she loved it. Ash couldn't help but laugh a little at how cute that looked.
A Pokémon Master that beats the dragons with a cute Sylveon. Oh how fun that'll be once Sylveon joins the ranks of his current team at high Rookie level.
"Well then, Valencia, let's get going. Do you want to walk on your own now? If you want, I can even add some weights so you can start training now. You do have some catching up to do if you want to join the rest of my team in skill and power," Ash winked in challenge.
The Sylveon didn't take well to being called weaker. Glaring fiercely in determination, the Sylveon obviously showed she was ready for whatever Ash got. "Bring it!"
Oh how she'll regret it. Ash already got the weights and put it around her legs and even some smaller ones on her ribbons for some other training.
The Sylveon did question why the ribbons were included. Ash answered with a smile.
"I saw you can control them. That means it also requires some muscle… to strengthen the ribbons is very important then. If you can throw a Pokémon with them, doesn't that mean you have an extra way to fight? It also allows you to trip larger ones, or perhaps blind one if they are at your height. See what I mean?" Ash asked to be sure.
Valencia could only nod in awe. Even she didn't think of that.
It was also a thing that differentiated the trainer Pokémon from the wild Pokémon. While the wild ones are often stronger physically, the trained ones are far more intelligent with methods of combat.
"Then walk along. Pikachu, you got some good ol' tail exercise. This time with let's say… 50 kilograms and no usage of Iron Tail?" Ash asked his starter that just nodded with a smile.
The smaller ones can practice on the road. That's the great thing about walking around.
Ash easily grabbed a black orb that had a few buttons hidden and he changed the weight of that particular orb to 50 kilograms. Ash, having trained enough now, was capable of holding it with two of his hands but there was a bit of a strain. "Here you go Pikachu, be sure to keep hitting it up as we walk," Ash instructed as he let Pikachu down and the Pokémon walked next to the Sylveon, now hitting the weight ball after Ash dropped it to him.
Brock chuckled and let out Ninetales. Perhaps it's time for some on the road training for her as well. "Ninetales, let's practice a bit as well. I know you can use Extrasensory, but it's always great to improve your psychic abilities. Who knows, if you improve more you might be capable of using Psychic and Telepathy in the future. Even your illusions might improve," Brock added. He's definitely read through Ash's encyclopedia because Ash's encyclopedia always told a trainer the following:
"There are no limits for a Pokémon. Limits just need time to be broken."
Wiser words can't be said. It was added after they taught a Pidgeot to use Extremespeed.
The Ninetales nodded eagerly, her nine tails happily swaying in the wind as she walked. Brock just grabbed an average 25 kilogram weight ball so that it wouldn't strain the new training method too much. Throwing it in front of the Ninetales, the task was simple.
Keep it in air, in front of you, the entire trip.
Well, excluding breaks of course.
Caitlin giggled and called out Espeon, mentioning the same as Ash did with Sylveon. Of course, Espeon also got a similar training to Ninetales, but instead of 25 kilograms, it's a hundred. Concentration was the Espeon's problem so making it too heavy like a Golem is dumb, but making it too light means that it'll be too easy. This is just a medium. Just perfect.
"Seems like we're ready for the road. Meowth will probably be too lazy after he ate so much this morning… Stupid cat," Ash muttered at the end with a tired sigh.
Cats are lazy, deal with it. Meowth can be very determined, but never ruin his catnaps.
Ash still feels the scratches on his face when he did it last week.
Caitlin and Brock broke out in laughter, obviously amused.
Growling slightly, Ash just walked ahead of them. "Let's just hurry to Grampa Canyon! There's not a lot of time left, we've been away for maybe three weeks. That's a week left!"
The others soon picked up pace as the tag-a-long Pokémon chatted and trained. Sylveon definitely needed some more Pokémon to speak with as the fairy type was gradually opening up.
A good thing indeed. Perhaps fast, but Ash always had that effect on Pokémon.
It took a good five days of continuous walking, but they finally made it. Honestly, where the heck does Kanto keep those rocky mountain areas hidden? No town maps ever reveal those!
Brock knew of it somehow and Ash wanted the source, but the breeder just stuck out his tongue in a teasing manner telling Ash to find out on his own.
These past five days were well spent though. Emotionally, the group improved a bit.
Ash was a lot more cheerful and gentle now that he had to take care of his new Sylveon. Perhaps it was a good thing because the fairy type seemed so much happier than before it looked like she was almost a different Pokémon.
Five long days they spent together and trained together. Naturally, every three to five hours a small break happened where they just drank some water and let the other Pokémon out to stretch their legs and have an hour of training and then a good thirty minutes of rest before they continued.
At first, the Sylveon barely held it out for three hours to walk with the weights and the added concentration on her ribbons - which was pretty hard to do with weights on them.
Oh, Brock corrected Ash after a day though. The 'ribbons' as he called them were 'feelers'.
Blame Ash for not having any damn knowledge on such clothing. Why should he care about feminine things?
Ah well, he just stuck with calling them ribbons until Brock gives up correcting him every time mentioning 'feelers'.
The Pokédex doesn't call the feelers anything. Which is weird because that means they neglected an important part of Sylveon, which Ash notified Professor Oak of.
Naturally, the Professor instantly updated it. Much to Ash's chagrin, it was called 'feelers'.
Oh, but was it mentioned that Sylveon's hidden ability appeared after that night they slept together and the aura bond was made between the two? Yes, Sylveon unlocked her Pixilate ability and Ash with all of his damn knowledge decided to teach the Sylveon Hyper Voice.
A fairy type boosted Hyper Voice, which is a pretty widespread and powerful attack, that makes it devastating and awesome.
Those were Ash's words.
Ash never knew why, but he was much calmer after Sylveon joined his team. His Pokédex also mentioned something about the ribbons calming down fights, but perhaps it meant calm down the violent emotions?
That means the aura bond with Sylveon was a blessing in disguise.
Pikachu, Ninetales and Espeon all improved as well. At first, Pikachu had to run ahead or jump backwards to get the ball correct but now the Pikachu just walked on all fours and hit it in the air calmly. 50 kilograms became nothing to the Pokémon in five days.
Then again, Pikachu can hit a Golem away with Iron Tail. Even a Tyranitar. Why would his tail not be stronger?
Ninetales also began developing some more psychic attacks. Truthfully, Ash just mentioned that Brock should start with confusion which is a great psychic move if used right.
Caitlin agreed with that.
Oh, talking about Caitlin… Her Espeon tripped a lot of times. Perhaps the psychic type Eeveelution was a klutz? No matter because whoever laughed got that 100 kilogram ball in their face.
Tyranitar can attest to that when he laughed at the Espeon for tripping when she was trying to walk around with the ball again during a small break.
The pseudo-legendary shut up after that and the others laughed at his expense. Well, the Tyranitar didn't really fight against it either because he deserved it.
Such a strange Tyranitar, being so very calm.
"Oh, look there. I see people," Brock called out as he was a little ahead of the other two who now wore some light clothing to match the heat of the area.
"Hmm? Oh, you're right. I do question why there are no fighting types that have more muscle power… I mean, there's about three Machoke helping out. That's not enough at all," Ash mumbled in confusion.
Brock shrugged, "Maybe trainers are to bring their own?"
Caitlin giggled in amusement. "My psychic types would be useful then. Those rocks weigh nothing if they use psychic," she offered.
"Oh, great idea!" Brock grinned as he thought about his own Pokémon. "Steelix can make a starting cavern. I bet there are no fossils in the nearby rocks as they're much deeper so having Steelix start to dig for a deeper area would be a good idea."
Ash nodded in agreement. "I can let out Meowth with his natural night vision and Gengar as well to get some torches or something in the walls so we can get in and mine," offered the boy.
"Seems like we're ready then!" Caitlin said cheerfully.
Valencia whined a bit at not being able to help and Ash turned to the fairy type with a small smile. "Why don't you help me carry useless rocks onto a cart? I can let Hermit carry the carts outside so we can focus on digging."
The Sylveon instantly cheered up and happily wrapped her ribbon-like feelers around Ash's wrist, walking alongside him whilst humming just a little song that Caitlin began introducing the Sylveon to.
Perhaps Caitlin was trying to teach the Sylveon sing? That'd be pretty damn useful too.
Now if only Sylveon could learn Dream Eater…
Either way, it's time to get some fossils! Let the fun begin!
"Can't wait to see if we can get Brock a fossil Pokémon this time! What do you think Caitlin? Do you also want a fossil Pokémon?" Ash asked Caitlin, who was now walking next to him. Brock was still ahead, so.
"Yes, that seems interesting. Mm, if I do manage to get a fossil Pokémon, I sure hope it's a Pokémon like Lileep or Cradily. Perhaps a Shieldon. I find those interesting," Caitlin smiled slightly.
"Interesting choices. Defensive based, hm," Ash thought about the ideas. Shrugging, Ash just smiled at Caitlin. "Ah well. Let's just get going. We'll find what we find and if it's anything you like you can just discuss it. Heck, maybe we can find an ancient Egg? Those are pretty rare as well because eggs usually break upon fossilizing."
Egg eh? Once again, another side effect of being different. This time, Caitlin obtains Togepi.
"Oh! Ash, Brock, Caitlin! Nice to see you three!" Leaf waved cheerfully at the sight of the three trainers. Gary was currently at the back, discussing about methods of digging up fossils. So far the head of the operation couldn't object against his ideas it seemed.
"Leaf! Nice to see you again," Ash smiled at his childhood friend.
"Nice to see you again." Both Brock and Caitlin nodded their head towards Leaf in greeting.
Leaf just smiled, "We've actually found a fossil Pokémon so far! I've got this adorable little Cranidos. Weird because he was asleep and not a fossil, but hey!" Leaf waved her hand to the small Pokémon next to her.
Ash blinked a few times at the sight of the blue helmet with small horns attached and the dinosaurian figure. Definitely a Pokémon that enjoys to give a good ol' headbutt.
"Nice to meet you, Cranidos," Ash greeted the fossil Pokémon that looked uninterested until seeing Ash's eyes.
A good trainer. Not bad.
"Nice to see you too. I take it you are one of the humans that will attempt to find fossils of my fellow Pokémon back in the day?" Cranidos greeted the trainer in front of him. While Gary was still practicing to understand the language of Pokémon, Ash could do it easily.
Nodding slightly, Ash called out Meowth to translate this. After all, it wouldn't do to talk with the Cranidos himself.
"Oh! Another fossil Pokémon. Nice t'meet ya, the name's Meowth." Meowth offered a paw to the Cranidos that looked interested at the sight of a Pokémon speaking the human language. Offering a claw in return, they 'shook hands' so to say.
"I see. Methods of communication are made… That is interesting. Well, I can tell you guys ahead now, that you need to watch out." Cranidos began as his red eyes moved to Leaf, suddenly looking a lot more protective.
Damn Leaf, just how do you get so many Pokémon that like to protect you?
"Why's dat?" Meowth asked after translating it to the humans around him.
"For some reasons, some fossils have 'woken up'. I'm not sure what it was, but it reenergized the fossils to the point they began to restore to their former nature. Back in the cavern there are a bunch of Omanyte, Kabuto and their respective evolutions. There's an Aerodactyl as well. So far it's been going alright but I'm worried what may happen if an Aerodactyl wakes up."
Translating it to the humans again, Leaf decided to take the lead.
"If an Aerodactyl wakes up, we just have to beat it. We're pretty tough y'know?" Leaf spoke to the Cranidos.
"Oh? Well, I would not know really. I just found your presence to be calming and I like to be with you. Hence why I walked up to you when you found that small hidden cavern. Well, that and I'd probably die of hunger there."
After Meowth translated it again, Leaf giggled in amusement. "Why thank you, Cranidos," her hand gently pet the Head Butt Pokémon's back, making the fossil Pokémon close its eyes for a bit.
"Still, this is pretty dangerous news. I take it you know where the cavern is? It just means we need to avoid it," Ash started whilst folding his arms. He would like a small break, thank you kindly.
Cranidos nodded his head.
To be honest, Ash was surprised the Cranidos was so calm and intelligent. Were he and his friends both blessed and cursed at the same time with finding Pokémon to join their teams?
That definitely explained it though because a Cranidos is usually a lot less intelligent thanks to their nature of using headbutts. Then again, bigger brain doesn't mean one is smarter.
Pokédexes often have misconceptions within them. Ash had to wonder why… Another part of information to message to the Professor.
Leaf turned her head to Ash before giggling, "Don't worry, I've already told the Professor about Cranidos being far calmer and more intelligent than the Pokédex reveals. Perhaps the ones that are found are just rampaging ones?"
The Cranidos heard what they said and turned around a bit. "True. My species is very susceptible to anger. Sadly our evolution's name was based on it, "Rampardos" which includes the word "Rampage". A shame, but it can't be avoided."
Ash and Leaf chuckled nervously when Meowth translated it. Either way, the group went ahead to the location and Ash saw that people tried to start digging here. Bad idea.
Time to act as the bad guy for a bit, but they'll have to understand.
"Glacia! Freeze this entire area of the Grampa Canyon so nobody can dig through it for a while!"
Putting aura into Glacia's Cherish Ball, the massive shiny Aurorus let out a loud roar before ice sprouted from the grounds. It gradually became larger and thicker to the point it'd take a good two weeks for it to melt before someone could actually dig into the location.
One problem solved. Now the head of the operation's nagging.
Luckily for Ash, the head was just far too amazed at the sight of one of the possibly rarest fossil Pokémon there is.
Seeing a large man rush up to them with a stern expression, a thick beard and pair of eyebrows making it look a little silly, was pretty amusing.
"Young man! Why did you freeze this area?!" The man shouted out in Ash's face, making his eye twitch. Why would they assume he did it to mess with them?
Ah well, can't help the man. He sounds like one of those who only think about the results, not how it might go.
Ash nodded to Meowth and Cranidos, both who stepped up in front of him.
Yet again, the man had to stare. A second living Fossil Pokémon? It seems they've attracted quite the attention then.
Meowth took the lead, "It seems dat sum of dem Fossils are restored by some weird energy. Cranidos here was one of 'em," Meowth aimed his paw to the Head Butt Pokémon that nodded his head. "He mentioned that there were living Fossil Pokémon in that direction, which is very dangerous for any person. There's also an Aerodactyl down dere."
The man's eyes widened in slight fear. It seems the man had a brain after all.
"I-I see… I apologize for snapping at you, young man. Let me call some men to seal this area off." With that, the man turned around and started shouting louder than an Exploud, ordering men and Pokémon to seal off the entire frozen area as 'off limits'.
Lives were saved now and no unnecessary drama happened… or is there?
TIC… TIC… TIC…
Pickaxes were slamming against the walls, trying to go further. The group of five were trying to get a fossil each as they were digging through the area to at least get some fossils.
Brock wiped some sweat from his forehead. "Y'know, it's a pretty good feeling to work like this once in a while. The reward would feel a lot better," he chuckled.
Gary laughed a little. "You're right about that Brock! I just wish I got a fossil Pokémon myself! Can't get left behind by the other two!"
Leaf and Caitlin let out sighs.
'Men…'
Ash chuckled as he was using his pickaxe to dig into the wall. "Well, it could be worse y'know. We could fall into some cavern like the one I made Glacia freeze," Ash offered.
Brock and Gary shook their heads in the negative. "No thanks! That'd be way too much trouble."
"Still, there can be other living fossils you know," Brock mentioned as he rubbed his chin.
"Well, that's true. You've also let Steelix dig pretty deep. I wonder if there are any underground caverns other than the one Cranidos mentioned?" Ash mumbled as he heard someone crushing rocks.
Specifically, a Cranidos eating a rock filled with minerals.
"What? I was hungry," the Cranidos mentioned as the group stared at the fossil Pokémon.
Brock nodded sagely. "Rock types can eat rocks, that's a fact."
Ash chuckled a little as he finally hit hard enough, making a thin wall crumble. Blinking a few times, Ash stared in front of him.
Well, downwards.
"Hey guys. There's an underground lake here," He called out to his friends, making the others quickly join him.
"Oh, you're right! Those stones give off natural light too!" Gary instantly looked interested and the group began to dig open the wall further so they could get down.
Brock pat Ash on his shoulder, "You can go first Ash. Let's see what's down there."
Nodding, Ash was the first to go. Instead of using the rope the group prepared, he carefully jumped down on rocky areas until he reached the floor.
Hey, what can you blame him for? It's only about an eight meter fall.
Let's neglect the fact that a normal human wouldn't survive that.
"Mmm… It looks beautiful here. There's also fresh air, I wonder why," Ash mumbled as he scanned the area. He called out Pikachu and Hermit for defense.
Valencia also jumped down quickly, following her trainer. It's obvious she wouldn't let him go alone.
"I'll go next," Brock muttered as he grabbed the rope and went down. Like that, the rest of the group went down to scout the area.
Voices?
Eyes opened in the area as they could hear voices from above the water. Why is that?
Were they not only few of that survived?
Let's see what the voices are. Perhaps there is food.
Brock looked down in the clear water of the natural lake. "It's quite clear. I wonder if there are any Pokémon down here?"
Jinx.
A small figure popped out and fired a water gun in Brock's face, making the teen jump backwards and fall on his rear end, spitting out water.
"Ano, anoorith," a voice was heard, sounding extremely amused.
The voice was soon joined by another. "Tiihiirt," also sounding extremely amused.
Brock opened his eyes fully to see two Pokémon. Perhaps, two Pokémon that can be considered extremely rare.
One is an Anorith. A Rock/Bug type Pokémon that is known to swim around in the ocean and capable of using water type moves. It's a greenish-gray arthropod Pokémon with stalks extending from either side of its head to reveal two, big amused eyes. An X like mouth was seen underneath the figure as Brock could just see underneath the fossil Pokémon. Its two large claws held onto the rock at the end of the lake as its eyes looked at the boy intrigued. It hadn't seen humans in ages and this one dressed strangely.
Another was a turtle-like figure. A Tirtouga, much rarer than others of its species due to its greenish skin - which meant it was a shiny. Its head was covered by a shell for defense and the shell on its back was also quite large, showing that it had an extremely high defense. Six circular indents were soon, for what reason nobody knew yet. Small armor parts were seen at the front of its flippers.
Brock blinked a few times as the others soon rushed up to him and helped him up, making the teen look down at the two ancient Pokémon. "An Anorith and a Tirtouga? You guys are quite rare you know," Brock mentioned as he began rummaging through his backpack for a moment. It didn't take long before he found what he wanted and smiled a little at grabbing two Sitrus berries, placing them in front of the two Pokémon.
Tirtouga was the first one to happily dig in. Anorith had to lean over the berry a bit and hid it from view as both fossil Pokémon ate hungrily.
"More of my time's Pokémon it seems," Cranidos mentioned as he walked up to the group with an intrigued look in his eyes.
"Delicious!" the Tirtouga was crying happily as he ate. The Anorith wasn't much different as it ate quickly before the two finished the berries quickly and stared up at the breeder that gave them the two berries.
"More?" With that question two sets of eyes suddenly became larger and teary, seeming like little puppies that wanted some more food.
Brock stared at them in unhidden amazement. Why the heck can those two use puppy eyes? HOW DO THAT ANORITH'S EYES GROW IN SIZE?!
Too amazed to refuse, he just grabbed two other berries, this time being two oran berries. It seems the two fossil Pokémon loved them too as they happily ate the berries.
"So you two are the only ones here?" Brock asked them when they finished, probably having eaten berries for the first time in ages.
The Pokémon in question blinked in surprise. Why would a human ask them a question? Still, they'll amuse the human.
"Yes, in this area we are. There is a Shieldon in the small cave past those large rocks and a bunch of weird rocks. I think they look like a Tyrunt's jaw?"
Ash, since they were alone in this area, just translated it with a chuckle.
"Shieldon?" Gary questioned with eyes glimmering in intrigue. He'd definitely like it if a Shieldon would join his party. "Would that Shieldon be interested in traveling with me?" Gary asked the Tirtouga who seemed to be the speaker of the two.
"I guess so. The Shieldon often complains that the rocks are starting to get old and that he'd like some adventure instead of rotting in these caves," the Tirtouga spoke.
Gary, hearing that after Ash translated, disappeared in an anime-like dust cloud much to the surprise of the others. Then they looked towards where the Tirtouga pointed out where a Shieldon would be and blinked at seeing Gary already there.
"That… was pretty fast. Guess he wants a Shieldon more than you, Caitlin," Ash poked the psychic-type trainer who began giggling a little.
Brock was the first to recover and turned to the two fossil Pokémon. He'll get one of the jaw fossils before he leaves too. Definitely going to raise those three rare rock-types! It's in his blood!
"Would you two like to join me then? These are Pokéballs," Brock showed the two fossil Pokémon a pair of empty Pokéballs. "A Pokémon can be captured within one of these and they are often used to travel around with the trainer so they can battle and/or see new sights."
"Will we get more food?" the Tirtouga asked the main question. It was important to the two fossils, who only ate rocks or old, disgusting moss. There's a reason why this area is so clean.
"Of course. I'll prepare the best food I can for you and train you two the best I can," Brock smiled at the two fossils that now looked quite interested. Food and training? That means they could evolve too!
"Is it worth it joining you?" the Anorith began, staring at Brock. Brock, hearing that had to think.
Is he worth it to raise two fossil Pokémon?
"Well, I can show you what a friend of mine managed to raise. He also raised a Pokémon from your time," Brock nodded to Ash who shrugged. Putting aura into Glacia's ball, he called out the massive shiny Aurorus again who now looked down at the two smaller fossil Pokémon with interested eyes.
"Nice to meet you, Anorith and Tirtouga. I am called Glacia, an Aurorus," the Aurorus introduced herself to the two fossils that couldn't help but stare in awe.
They could get that strong when they travel with those guys? It's a deal!
""We'll join you, human. What is your name?""
"The name's Brock. I am a Pokémon Breeder, Doctor and Rock-type specialist even if I use other types of Pokémon as well," Brock introduced himself to the two fossils.
Both Anorith and Tirtouga were interested. Very much so. That's why it wasn't strange that they moved their claw and flipper to the two Pokéballs being held. Touching the Pokéballs, they let themselves be captured by Brock.
"Well congratulations Brock," Caitlin congratulated the former Gym Leader with a happy smile.
Leaf giggled as Brock seemed to be frozen. Definitely because he thought he'd never be able to get a Pokémon like that.
Ash and Glacia looked at each other in amusement. Valencia and Pikachu were just laughing while Hermit remained quiet and paid attention to the surroundings to see if any other fossil Pokémon managed to dig his way here.
Brock finally stopped freezing up as he happily jumped up, probably because he achieved something like that.
"I captured an Anorith and Tirtouga, a shiny one at that! Heck yeah!" He cheered happily. The others couldn't blame him as they all laughed and cheered.
Even Gary soon joined them with a Shieldon walking next to him, looking at the scene in wonder as well as at the Aurorus with amazement.
"Hey guys! Shieldon wanted to join me too. I also got a pair of fossils here. One seems to be an egg and the other is a Jaw Fossil," Gary began and Brock instantly placed his hand on the Jaw Fossil with a serious face.
"Can I raise the Jaw fossil? If I'm right, that's a Tyrunt." He spoke with a serious voice, something that showed he just wanted to raise such a hard to raise Pokémon.
Gary shrugged and handed it over to Brock who carefully placed it in his bag.
Caitlin looked at the egg with intrigue before Ash blinked a few times. "Uhh, Gary. That's not a fossil, there's just dirt on the egg. A lot of dirt."
"Huh? Really?" He blinked a few times as he began to wipe the egg, noticing that indeed, the egg was just that dirty.
Caitlin held her hand up, "Could I raise the egg? I wonder what Pokémon may come out of it."
Gary shrugged and the others didn't object. Why would they? They already found rare Pokémon each.
Caitlin happily held the egg against her chest after she got it. It was a pure white egg with red and blue markings all over it. Togepi's egg.
Perhaps because the Togepi inside of it was born with Extrasensory, but Ash could've sworn he saw a small link of energy between the egg and Caitlin.
Yes, that egg definitely belonged to her.
"How about we go up and start preparing some food, a feast maybe. We definitely found a lot of rare Pokémon, a fossil and an egg that somehow still lives," Ash raised the idea.
The others cheered in agreement!
After the group got out of their little digging site, they set up camp in the Grampa Canyon with Brock, Ash, Leaf and Caitlin working together to prepare some food. Gary was currently checking all the Pokémon to see if there were any problems to the Shieldon, Anorith and Tirtouga. Other than that, he began to talk to his new Pokémon, introducing himself properly and the likes.
The scent of food was quite delicious as time passed. The fossil Pokémon could only stare in awe at the delicious scent that just made them drool slightly.
Like that, the fossil Pokémon suffered torture for at least 30 minutes before Arceus herself gave them a present. Food that just tasted heavenly.
Special Pokéchow was used for their typings, berries were mixed, small try-out recipes were made for them to try out and decide which one they liked more.
Heck, all of the surrounding Pokémon ate happily at the rare special treat of having so much to eat and drink. It seems the newly caught Pokémon were accepted pretty fast.
Ash's Sylveon and Gary's Umbreon seemed to have a little trouble with each other though. Perhaps it's their typing but the two absolutely refused to be with each other.
Eh, Ash isn't a love doctor.
Night came pretty fast. After a good day spent under the hot, scorching sun the cold and harsh night arrived in the Grampa Canyon. Naturally, some trainers were still digging around for the day trying to capture or find any rare fossil Pokémon but so far there was only a single lucky guy with a Kabuto that fell from the ceiling of a small cavern.
The group of five went to sleep in their respective tents to catch some sleep and prepare themselves for the next day. Now that the group had their fossil trip completed successfully, it was time for Cinnabar Island.
But it seems that trouble followed them all.
A massive explosion occurred at the frozen area, where most likely an idiot tried to use explosives and the entire area there collapsed into the massive cavern underneath.
The group moved almost as fast as lightning when they rushed out of their tents, packed oh so quickly and prepared to run away in case something might go after them… until they spotted a hole in the Canyon.
A damn crevice actually. There was ice blasted all around the crevice so that meant that that was the sealed off area.
Ash, who saw that, let out a sigh.
"Guys? I think we got some idiots trying to go into forbidden areas because it looked different," Ash turned to his friends that shrugged in agreement.
"Their loss, really…" Gary mumbled with an apathetic look. Really, what idiot would jump down there?
"True, but now that Aerodactyl might get out. Maybe a Kabutops or two as well," Ash stressed a bit.
Leaf shrugged without any interest. "Nidoqueen can handle the Kabutops. If the Aerodactyl comes out, who wants to fight it?"
Caitlin and Ash raised their hands before smiling at each other.
"Metagross and Talonflame will do. Both of them can at least fly in the air and battle the Aerodactyl in air. That means no damage will be done to the ground,"
They could hear the beats of large wings. A roar echoed throughout the entire Grampa Canyon, waking up all who tried to sleep through the explosion and those who didn't hear it because they were in a soundproof area previously.
Small slashes of air and rock were heard as well. Kabutops were most likely trying to escape that cavern and get some food outside of it.
Out of the crevice came an Aerodactyl and between its claws was a boy Ash, Gary and Leaf knew.
"Is that Ritchie?" Leaf asked.
"That's Ritchie alright." Ash confirmed.
"Yup. Ritchie. Called it that he'll do something stupid," Gary added at the end.
They looked down to see a girl screaming in fair while running away from some Omanyte, Omastar and Kabuto. She had bright orange hair in the form of a ponytail to the left, making them blink.
"Why doesn't she use a Pokémon to battle or escape?" Ash asked Leaf with absolute calm. It felt like this was just a TV-show.
"I have no idea, Ash. No idea." Leaf sighed as she grabbed a second Pokéball.
"Lapras! Body slam those fossil Pokémon! Nidoqueen, take care of all escaping Kabutops!"
Misty, who was running away for dear life after attempting to capture a Fossil Pokémon because they were water types felt extremely stupid. Why did she follow Ritchie here again? Oh right, that idiot decided to stop that team Rocket's dynamite!
That was also when she noticed there was a large shadow now covering her, making her stop running and look up. A massive figure of what appeared to be the underbelly, fully charged with with white energy was falling downwards to the fossil Pokémon.
That was one of her favorite Pokémon. A Lapras. One of the rarest and most beautiful water-type Pokémon that exists and she wanted to capture it…. but it was definitely a trainer Pokémon because there is no way a Lapras would appear just like that.
A shame.
She saw that the Body Slam attack instantly crushed all the Fossil Pokémon and took her chance. She threw two Pokéballs, capturing a Kabuto and an Omanyte before thanking the Lapras and looking up to see a massive Nidoqueen kick and punch down multiple Kabutops.
Ritchie's Charmeleon was roaring in rage in the distance, probably because the Aerodactyl refused to acknowledge the Charmeleon. After it evolved it became so cocky that it was hard to believe it was the same, strong Charmander. The Charmeleon began to shine a bright white, but then something else took her attention.
A phoenix was flying upwards. Massive, surrounded by fire and did she repeat… massive?
"Falcon! Flare Blitz into Brave Bird and make that Aerodactyl let go of Ritchie!" Ash called out his second Pokémon, the royal, Shiny Talonflame that was all too eager to battle against a prehistoric Pokémon.
"Metagross! Capture that boy for me, will you?" Caitlin threw her Pokéball into the air with Metagross collapsing his arms in his body and starting to fly upwards to get underneath the Aerodactyl.
The Aerodactyl thought it had an easy meal, but right now… It was in more danger than ever. The prehistoric predator noticed that there was something hot going in his direction and stared down only to screech in surprise at getting a face full of flames, boosted by the Brave Bird. The Aerodactyl's head snapped up so hard it was almost as if its neck broke and the claws let go of Ritchie who didn't have to fall for long because a huge, blue Pokémon caught him.
Though it definitely hurt, at least he didn't die.
Metagross immediately flew downwards to the ground where he used Psychic to get Ritchie off. After that, the pseudo-legendary of Hoenn flew back up in the air to assist the battling Talonflame.
Truthfully, Falcon didn't need help at all. The Aerodactyl was so hungry it couldn't think clearly and kept trying to bite and rip off his wings. Well…
Steel wing! The Talonflame charged at the Aerodactyl that opened its waiting jaws for a 'snack' and the result was… his teeth breaking in pieces thanks to the superior power of Steel Wing, alongside the added defense.
Forcing the Aerodactyl backwards thanks to the added speed of the charge and the Aerodactyl that was far too shocked that his teeth broke was forced to move along. The Talonflame then moved downwards, making the Aerodactyl fall down.
That was also the cue of Metagross who began to fall downwards with a Meteor Mash charged. That Aerodactyl will go down and go down it did. The full weight of a Metagross, plus gravity and a fully charged Meteor Mash was slammed into the stomach of an Aerodactyl. But that wasn't all it seemed.
A Charizard grabbed the Aerodactyl from behind and began spinning as the Aerodactyl was hit towards the ground, adding a spin. Seismic Toss was used as the Charizard threw the Aerodactyl back into the crevice before landing on the ground and roaring at defeating the enemy.
By now, luckily for Misty, she was out with the help of Caitlin's Gardevoir. Lapras was of course returned to her pokéball.
"Tyranitar! Steelix! Golem! Golett! Earthquake and seal up that crevice!" Brock roared his order to his four Pokémon, two of each on the side of the crevice. All of the Pokémon began to charge their strength and hit the earth making it shake to the point it was almost a fissure move.
Earth cracked and the sides of the crevice were soon falling apart. Massive rocks were blown downwards, not caring if there were ancient Pokémon down there underneath. They'll survive if they survived the prehistoric times. If they do survive and get out, well… they'll be weakened enough for the average trainer to defeat.
Ash quickly returned his Talonflame when the crevice was sealed up and Caitlin did the same with Metagross. No need to attract even more attention.
Ritchie seemed to have passed out from the fall and shock so he was currently on the floor. His usually arrogant Charizard nudged him with his nose before shaking his head in slight disappointment.
"Seems like you've evolved from that little Charmander," Ash smiled as he walked up to Ritchie's Charizard. The Charizard turned to the one that said it and blinked at the sight of Ash.
"Hey Charizard. Can't forget about me right?" He held out a fist which the Charizard happily bumped.
"Been a while. Traveling with Ritchie is… stressful. He makes stupid calls too," Charizard shook his head. "He says I don't listen but he makes no actions to correct it. He also doesn't train us with small, or any at all, weights like you did to raise the starter Pokémon to a little higher level than before."
Ash nodded with a sad smile. "You know he'll improve Charizard. He can't be like me who spent his time with Pokémon ever since he was 5 and studied like a madman."
"Hmph… Sometimes I wish," the Charizard huffed.
Ash laughed a little as he began to walk away. But before he left, he had to leave behind a piece of information.
"If Ritchie were me, he'd long have died. Trust me that my journey is messed up. Well, Kanto is so far. I'm sure the Orange Islands will be nice."
The Charizard nodded before sitting down and waiting for his trainer to wake up. He wondered if he should called out Sparky.
Oh, right, his name was Zippo… Maybe it's because of his evolution that he thinks the name is stupid? Eh, Ritchie can't understand him so he'll be stuck with it. Sadly.
Sigh. Why do some children name their Pokémon so ridiculously. Heck, even Flame would be a better name than Zippo.
After that little panic outbreak - and apparently the group made Team Rocket members trapped underground, not that they knew of that. Misty did mention them but the group acted as if they didn't hear her. It's not like they ended up under the rocks - they just went for some rest in the wild. No tents, just sleeping outside in sleeping bags. The sky was pretty clear.
That night was just some silent sleep, and in Ash's case meditation.. No problems, no complaints, no explosions, no roaring fossil Pokémon and no legendary Pokémon popping up to make the day worse.
Ash can officially say that this trip for fossils was well spent.
It also seems Gary took to meditation as well because he later that night sat down next to Ash and when the group woke up in the morning they found two boys in a perfectly mirrored position whilst meditating.
It was a little freaky for them.
Valencia did solve the problem by gently using her feelers to tickle Ash and Gary, snapping them out of their meditation which they weren't really angry for, but still embarrassed because they ended up rolling around from laughter when Valencia gained a devilish glint in her eyes and continued longer than necessary. They were ticklish!
So there we ended up again with the group preparing to leave Grampa Canyon. They didn't want to stick around for more fossils because they had a feeling that it'd only end up in stupid problems. There's also the fact that people might complain because they found so many fossil Pokémon and an actual egg.
"So you'll take a cruise to Cinnabar Island? Hmm. Not bad. How about we do the same, Leaf?" Gary asked his traveling partner.
Leaf just shrugged. "I don't mind. It's a nice break and we have enough time for the last official eight badges."
Ash just chuckled as Brock and Caitlin let out small huffs of amusement.
Gary rose an eyebrow as he heard that. "What?"
Brock shook his head a little. "We had the exact same conversation. But we'll leave with Caitlin's butler Darach. You might need to go on a different one," Brock spoke.
Gary shrugged. "Gramps has a few men at the coast. We'll fly there using Fearow and Altaria. They'll probably let us get on board."
Nodding to Gary, the group prepared to leave by foot. "See you next time then, Gary. Next time it'll probably be at Pallet Town," Ash waved his two childhood friends off that smiled and waved back.
"You better get stronger Ashy, or you'll regret it!"
"Don't forget to tell me if there's any rare Pokémon around!" Leaf shouted at the end.
Gary looked at Leaf with a deadpan. "You seriously are addicted to finding rare Pokémon and completing the Pokédex."
"Oh shut up. It's also for you and Ash to improve as professor and trainer respectively."
"Heh. True."
They separated again. Perhaps only for a day or two they had time to be with each other but it seems the road is a long one. They can't sit still for too long after all; the more time wasted the more the opposition becomes stronger.
A week. It took them an entire week to reach the docks where Darach is waiting.
They had to avoid so many things. A gambling city that just can't be considered safe for anyone, a thief, accidentally walking into a Bulbasaur reservoir (that Venusaur was one mean guy) and some guy stalking them to get pictures of their Pokémon.
Let it be known that if Caitlin has a stalker, she has a sixth sense to spot him. She isn't a happy camper when she notices that she's being followed.
Being rich and famous does that to you.
So like that, Todd has never introduced himself to the group!
But they can now finally take a cruise towards the Cinnabar Island. A cruise where Ash will experience the nightmares of learning the etiquette of a gentleman.
At least it'll be a peaceful trip.
Ash hoped so at least.
What's up everyone! Here's another chapter! Naturally, it's not 12.000 words or anything (those should be rare but most of the time I write way too much for my own good).
So. I heard that I'm harsh for Ash. This is harsh. Aerodactyl can't nom anymore now and Ritchie is pretty much disrespected in this story if the small talk between his Charizard and Ash is anything to go by. The battles in this chapter aren't really fully described because really; try fighting with someone so hungry he can't think clearly.
Caitlin gained an egg. The egg contains Togepi. Pretty obvious, no? I believe Togepi fits her more than it fits Ash. It also allows him to have more get-togethers with Caitlin after she becomes an Elite Four member in the Unova Region.
( I need some 'let's come together and have some fun' moments after all. Even Misty and May got them. )
Brock gained two living fossils. An Anorith and a Shiny Tirtouga. I also gave him the fossil of a Tyrunt so you guys can't complain. I will, however, only restore the fossil for the Orange Islands. Right now - and you'll see in the next chapter - Brock has his hands full on not just his Pokémon but also making sure Ash is alright emotionally. He has a lot of pent up stress himself.
Add a carnivorous little Dinosaur and Brock might just snap. A Brock that snaps is a bad Brock. There's a reason why he has so many naturally overpowered Pokémon.
Reasoning for the two living fossils are like this: Anorith and later on Armaldo are great Pokémon that will be a very good help against Grass types because they are part bug-type. Not just that, but I feel they are underused despite being awesome. Tirtouga (Shiny) might not be as obvious when he evolves but a Carracosta is so much potential for Brock's battle style alone. There's also the fact it's part water-type! (Primary water, actually)
Ash also named the Sylveon 'Valencia'. It matches the Brave part at least, part of Valentine, fairy type. Y'all know the reason. Hope you like it.
Now the next chapter'll be about the cruise and finally some good times for Ash. He deserves it. Good guy Ash. Cinnabar won't have any rocket activity so that'll be alright for him too.
Officially, he could stop after Cinnabar but he'll most likely challenge Viridian afterwards to complete his set of Kanto badges.
Hope you guys enjoyed today's chapter! Happy Valentine! Reviews are always appreciated.