Chapter 5: Unexpected Encounters
Ash looked at Brock and listened to him explain for the 100th time why Ash should be wearing his Rocket uniform. After they made it to the point where the Onix tunnel connected to Mt. Moon they had decided to set up camp and get some sleep before going into the mountain. There were very few trainers that ventured into Mt Moon, but it was a solid three day journey through the whole thing. They could probably have gone a lot faster but they had the trunk with them that would slow them down.
"In case there are any Team Rocket members, you should definitely be wearing that!" Brock finished as he looked at Ash. Ash had brought his uniform, but it was utterly distasteful to him now that he knew all the atrocities that Giovanni had committed in order to gain power.
"As I've said, you will be with me! If any member of Team Rocket comes they will see you anyways, so there's no reason for me to put it on!" Ash said back. This was the third time they had this argument, and Ash was beginning to think Brock wouldn't let them through without him changing.
"Look, where we are going to pop out at is very close to the entrance on the Pewter City side. At least wear it for the first day and the last day of travel. You don't have to wear it during the middle when we are going to be alone in the cave, okay?" Brock said back.
"Fine," Ash grumbled as he walked towards the trunk to change. The good news about the trunk was that it was able to carry sleeping bags, and he could use it as a makeshift wall for changing.
"There. You happy?" Ash said mockingly as he walked out from behind the trunk in his grey uniform. The giant red R on his chest was clearly visible even though there was barely any lighting. Brock had told Ash that since Onix had created this tunnel the lights wouldn't affect any Pokemon like they would if they strung up lights in Mt Moon.
"Wonderful. Now let's get going!" Brock said as he grabbed a Pokeball off of his waist. He clicked the button and another Golem formed beside him, but this one looked different. For starters, it had what looked to be a mustache and beard coming from its face. The even more peculiar thing was the giant columns coming out of its back, which sparked with electricity.
Ash noticed it as the Alolan form of the Pokemon, but still thought that it was funny that for some reason it had grown a mustache and beard. Perhaps it was attempting to hide its true identity as a rock.
"This guy will be able to give us light as we go through Mt Moon. We don't want too much or else we would disturb the wild Zubat and Golbat, but he should be able to radiate enough to let us see where we are going." Brock said as he motioned toward the Alolan Golem. It instantly started glowing from the two columns off of its back, providing enough light for a 20 foot radius around it.
Brock led Ash to the end of the tunnel that they were in. He nodded to Golem and with a grunt it stomped its foot on the ground and the wall of rock that was in front of them collapsed. Ash looked with awe as he saw the opening that led to darkness that seemed to go on forever.
Brock must have seen Ash's expression, as he chuckled and said "Yeah, it can be quite a lot for your first time. We've been through here enough we know the way. Back in the old days kids would get absolutely lost trying to find their way through here in the dark."
Ash simply nodded and followed after Brock into the darkness, the light from Golem keeping the shadows at bay.
X
Ash was not very impressed with Mt Moon. For starters, it was even more dull and bland than Brock's underground training area had been. Outside of a few Zubat flying around, there was nothing other than rocks all around. Brock said that a lot of trainers used to go through here, but after Giovanni took over they captured a lot of the Zubat from here for starter Pokemon and now most trainers didn't travel too much.
Ash was enjoying Brock's company, however, and was listening to him tell all about the old days when trainers would travel around collecting badges when something darted out in front of them, barely out of the light from the Alolan Golem.
"What was that?" Ash asked, suddenly very aware of the darkness all around them. He looked around wearily, hands on the two Pokeballs on his waist.
"Golem, locate," Brock said to the Golem in the back that was bringing the large wagon along with them. The Golem simply grunted and stomped its foot, causing a circular section of the ground about eight feet in diameter to drop out of sight.
Ash covered his ears as it grated into place before stopping and asking Brock, "What was that all about?"
"Golem trapped whatever it was. It's stuck down there now, look." Brock said as he signaled for the glowing Golem to shine its light into the pit. It did so, and as Ash peered over the edge he saw that it was only about ten feet down. He had to jump back as he let out a cry as a bright beam of pink energy shot out from underneath.
"That thing almost took my head off!" Ash exclaimed as Brock laughed at him.
"Well, what did you expect? It's a wild Pokemon, why wouldn't it fire at you?" Brock said in between chuckles. "Judging from that beam that shot at you, I would assume that's a Clefairy down there. It's definitely not a Geodude or a Zubat."
"A Clefairy! I'm going to catch it!" Ash exclaimed. Ash grabbed one of the Pokeballs that Brock had given him and snuck around to the back side of the pit that the Clefairy was in. Ash poked his head over and saw the little Pokemon and chucked the Pokeball down at it.
It landed squarely on the Clefairy and the Pokemon was sucked up into the ball as it hit the ground and began to shake. "Alright! I did it!" Ash said with glee.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that…" Brock said back. "Normally you have to wear a wild Pokemon out before they will submit to being captured by a trainer."
Ash looked down at the ball in the pit and watched as it wiggled violently on the ground before breaking open. The Clefairy burst out of it, apparently very pissed off by the experience. It looked up at Ash and fired another beam of pink energy that caused the boy to jump away from the edge.
"Well fine, if it's a fight you want it's a fight you'll get!" Ash said as he grabbed a Pokeball off of his belt. "Blizz, I choose you!" Ash finished as he threw the Pokeball into the pit.
The ice-steel type appeared in a flash of red light as he looked around confused. Ash began to explain to him what was going on but was cut off as another beam of pink energy blasted into the little Sandshrew's gut.
"Icicle Spear! Don't give it time to think!" Ash said as Blizz glared at the other Pokemon. The attack hadn't done much damage to Blizz, but Ash didn't want him to just keep taking hits.
Blizz immediately formed the icicles and started firing them at the Clefairy. It was able to dodge a few, but since the pit was so small it wasn't able to dodge them all and a couple hit it straight on. It let out a cry as it released a bright flash of light that blinded Ash and Blizz.
Ash was still trying to rub the spots out of his eyes when he heard a squeal from Blizz. He looked down into the pit and saw that Blizz was on the ground with the Clefairy on top of him. Apparently the wild Pokemon had knocked Blizz over and was currently trying to slap the other Pokemon silly. Ash grinned as he realized the physical attacks weren't doing much damage against the strong steel and ice in Blizz's bones, but it gave Blizz a perfect opportunity to strike back.
"Bide." Ash said loud enough for Blizz to hear. Bide was a move that Ash thought was relatively useless, but all of Brock's Pokemon learnt it and he assumed this might be the only time he saw it in action.
Ash watched as Blizz began to glow slightly as he tanked more and more slaps from the Clefairy. After almost a minute of the continual beat down from the Clefairy, Blizz shifted all of the energy he had been storing up back into his right paw and unleashed a massive slap of his own onto the fairy type Pokemon.
The unsuspecting Clefairy flew backwards from the force of the hit, and ended up slamming into the side of the pit before sliding down and landing in a heap on the floor. Ash quickly threw a Pokeball at the dazed Pokemon. He watched with baited breath as it shook once, twice, three times, and then Ash heard a click as the Pokeball successfully captured the Clefairy.
"Yes! Great job Blizz! We did it!" Ash yelled to Blizz, who looked back up at him and squeaked triumphantly.
Brock chuckled as he motioned for Golem to raise the pit back up to them, which he did with a stomp of his foot, and Ash ran to congratulate Blizz and grab his newest team member. As Ash reached Blizz he realized the poor guy had a few bruises from the battle, so he quickly grabbed a potion from his bag and sprayed it on Blizz's bruises. Once the seal was broken on a potion it wouldn't hold for more than an hour, so Ash didn't try to save any of it for later as he liberally applied it to Blizz. He knew he would need to use a potion on the Clefairy as well, but he figured he would do that later once they stopped for the night. He wanted Buzz to meet the new team member as well, and he was certain that Brock wanted to keep moving.
"Good job buddy, I'll bring you back out tonight!" Ash said as he recalled Blizz. "Ready to go?" Ash said to Brock as he grabbed Clefairy's Pokeball off of the ground.
"Aren't you going to introduce it to your team?" Brock questioned.
"We can do that tonight, I don't want us to have to wait longer because of me. The sooner we get out of this place the better!" Ash said as he looked around. It had been over a week since he was outside and above ground, and he really looked forward to seeing the sun and grass again. He knew Buzz felt the same way, although the bug type had made a few trips to the outer world when they were training underground with Brock.
"Fair enough, let's get moving then." Brock said, as he led Ash in the direction that Ash thought was the exact wrong way. He wasn't very good with directions as it was, and the battle had thrown him off even more. Luckily Brock was there to guide them, otherwise he didn't know how he would ever make it out.
X
After walking for hours, they ended up stopping in the middle of a much narrower path. It was long and relatively skinny, allowing enough space for both of the Golem to walk side by side, but not enough so that the glow from the Alolan Golem didn't hit both of the side walls. Ash liked this section of the mountain better, as it was a lot less likely to get lost in.
Brock stopped the party with a hand signal and commanded Golem to create a space for them to rest, which it did with another stomp of its foot. Ash was amazed by how much control of the surrounding walls of earth that it had. He knew it was powerful, but seeing it create rooms for them with apparent effortlessness really blew his mind.
One day we will get there, Ash thought to himself. Even though the kid was exhausted from his day full of walking, he couldn't contain his energy when he thought about Buzz or Blizz taking down the monster of a Golem. And now Ash had a new team member as well…
Ash quickly released Buzz and Blizz. "Alright Buzz, you missed it, but we got a new team member. Blizz fought with a Clefairy and we were able to capture it, so now we just have to convince it to want to be with us." Ash said. He didn't technically have to convince it, but he didn't want an unwillingly Pokemon on his team. He wanted to make sure all of his Pokemon would work their hardest.
Buzz chittered angrily at him, and Ash guessed it was because Blizz was allowed to battle instead of himself. "I know buddy, but you're just too strong! It wouldn't have been fair for the Clefairy. Besides, Blizz took it down pretty easily, if you would have fought it then it just would have been scared!" Ash said, trying to calm down the angry bee. It seemed to work, as Buzz puffed up at the compliment and nodded for Ash to continue.
Ash simply laughed as he grabbed the Pokeball the Clefairy was in. "Okay, I'm going to release it and try talking to it. You guys try to look friendly okay?" Ash said as he released the Clefairy. The Pokemon appeared in a flash of red, and it looked around with wild eyes before it locked on to Blizz and hissed at him.
Blizz wasn't sure what to do or how to act friendly, so he simply rolled onto his back and played dead. Buzz wasn't too much better, as apparently he thought both flying and his lances were intimidating, so he simply stood on his two legs while trying to hide his lances behind his back.
Ash shook his head at the display and turned back to the Clefairy and tried to soothe it. "Hey it's okay. That was a good battle but I captured you, so you're a part of the team now okay? Blizz, the Pokemon you battled is stronger than you, but Buzz, the Beedrill is even stronger than him. If you want, you can join us and grow to be even stronger too. We are all trying to become the very best." Ash finished. He knew a lot of Pokemon desired strength, and he hoped this Clefairy was the same.
The Clefairy looked between him and the other two Pokemon who were acting like total buffoons a few times before letting out a sigh and giving a nod. Ash was relieved, but realized that the Clefairy was actually pretty injured from its earlier battle with Blizz and had been trying to hide its weakness.
"Here, let me put something on your wounds that will help make them feel better and heal faster," Ash said as he grabbed another potion from his bag and walked towards the Clefairy as he broke the seal on the medicine. Once again he used the whole thing, lavishing the Pokemon with extra squirts of the medicine in the places that looked really rough. Ash could see the Clefairy begin to feel relieved and let loose a breath that he didn't realize he had been holding.
"All better now, see?" Ash said as he stepped back and put the empty potion bottle into his backpack. "Now, let me introduce you to the gang! You already know Blizz, he's the one you battled with. And then the one with the wings is Buzz. He was my starter and we've been together the longest." Ash said as the Clefairy greeted the other Pokemon. Blizz stopped playing dead and instead sat down and waved at the new team member, while Buzz took to the air and chittered a greeting.
"They both have nicknames, would you like one too? You don't have to if you don't want one." Ash said. The Clefairy thought about it for a minute before shaking its head no.
"That's totally okay! Welcome to the team Clefairy!" Ash said as Buzz and Blizz both offered warm welcomes as well. Ash paused for a moment, uncertain of what to do next until he remembered his Pokedex.
"Oh yeah that's right! Here let me scan you with this, it will tell me more about you and the moves you know!" Ash said as he grabbed the Pokedex out of his bag and pointed it at the Clefairy.
Clefairy, the fairy type Pokemon.
It is said that happiness will come those who see a gathering of Clefairy dancing under a full moon.
This Clefairy is female and knows the moves Dazzling Gleam, Flash, Pound, Counter, Double-Slap and Headbutt. Its ability is Cute Charm, which has a chance to infatuate similar Pokemon of the opposite sex when in close contact.
"Wow, that's awesome! You're already pretty strong huh?" Ash said as Clefairy puffed its chest proudly.
"Blizz, hold still I haven't used this on you yet either!" Ash said as he pointed to Pokedex towards the Sandshrew.
Sandshrew- Alolan form, the ice-steel type Pokemon.
The scales on its back are as hard as steel. Predators go after its soft underbelly, so it clings to the ground desperately.
This Pokemon is male and knows the moves Icicle Spear, Iron Head, Scratch, Defense Curl, Rock Slide, Double Team, Bide, Slash, Iron Tail, Iron Defense, Metal Claw, Ice Punch, and Ice Ball. Its ability is Snow Cloak, which provides increased evasion in deep snow or hailstorms.
"He's quite a bit stronger than you right now Clefairy, but I promise if you work hard you'll catch up!" Ash said as he realized just how many moves Blizz had. He would have to create some of the combo moves that Timmy had used. He had no idea how he was going to keep up with Blizz, Buzz and Clefairy now. And if he got even more Pokemon then he would have to learn their movesets as well.
It was too much for Ash to think about in his exhausted state and he let it go as he prepared himself for bed. He told his Pokemon that they were going to rest and that he could put them back in their Pokeballs if they would like, but they all refused so Ash left them out. He knew that being outside of the Pokeball was good for them, so he didn't mind. He clumsily laid out the sleeping bag that he had taken from Golem and crawled into it. He was asleep as soon as his head touched the ground, his young body not used to a full day of walking.
X
Ash woke up with a groan as his whole body was stiff from the day of walking. His team looked at him worriedly, but he shook his head as he stood up with a chuckle. He knew that he would feel better after some walking. He walked out of his corner of the small cavern that Golem had made and headed towards Brock. It seemed like the other trainer was already awake, as the Alolan Golem was up and shining bright enough for Ash to see.
After they both had eaten and fed their Pokemon, they were off again with Brock taking the lead. Ash left his team out so they could get some exercise, and Clefairy was used to this mountain so Ash didn't think it would be fair to force her into her Pokeball the whole way.
The second day passed by without too much excitement. They would see the occasional Geodude or Zubat, but the monstrous forms of the two Golem, one with a beard and the other looking normal, was enough to scare off any wild Pokemon from interrupting their path. Ash spent most of his time reading about Clefairy in the Pokedex. Fairy types were some of the rarest and least studied Pokemon, but Ash gobbled up every bit of information he could. They apparently had access to a wide range of elemental moves, as well as the unique fairy energy. They were also immune to dragon type attacks, which researchers had no idea on how or why. Ash figured it would be challenging to train Clefairy, but with the wide range of moves possible for her to learn she could become an unpredictable powerhouse once she evolved.
Metronome was the move that he most wanted to teach her, as it would randomly turn into a different move, including things like Flamethrower or Hyper Beam. Once she had activated these moves through Metronome, it would be much easier to teach them to her as her body would be more used to the energy required.
Ash had no idea where to start though, and there was no information on the Pokedex on how to teach the move. All it involved was the Pokemon moving its arms back and forth like a metronome, but somehow the energy of a random attack was generated by it. This still baffled researchers, and apparently the only way that a Pokemon learns the move is from another Pokemon who knows it.
Ash didn't know where he would find one of those at, but Metronome was at the top of his list for sure. In the meantime, he would just have all three of his Pokemon work on rounding each other off with their compatible moves. Clefairy had the most to learn, but apparently Blizz could learn Poison Jab as well as Counter, and Buzz could learn Flash, which could be useful to disorientate their foes. If Ash really wanted to push it, he could have Buzz and Clefairy learn Bide also, although Ash doubted he would do that. It might help them gain more endurance and be able to take a few more hits, but other than that Ash thought the move useless, even after its success against Clefairy.
Ash really wanted to be able to specialize his training for each of his Pokemon, but right now he was still too overwhelmed with all of the possibilities. He figured that he would have some time to come up with individual strategies as they were teaching each other, and then he could focus in more specifically on each of his teammates.
The day passed much the same, with Ash deep in thought and Brock totally comfortable walking in quiet. They stopped a couple of times to eat, but other than that they continued walking. Ash was starting to get used to the aching in his bones from the continual walking when Brock motioned for them to stop. They had been walking for what must have been hours, although they were completely underground and Ash hadn't seen any trace of sunlight in a very long time.
"We will call it here for the night," Brock said as he motioned for Golem to create another cavern for them. The rock Pokemon did so with another stomp of its foot, and Ash began to settle down. As he laid out his sleeping bag, however, he felt the whole entire mountain shake.
"Wha, what was that?" Ash asked Brock as he looked around with wide eyes.
Brock chuckled as he responded, "Oh, probably just a couple of Onix having a territory dispute. Don't worry, they're pretty far away so we won't be bothered by them. If they get too close I'll release my Onix and he'll handle them. It's been a while since he's reminded these younger Onix who is king of this mountain."
"Oh. Okay then." Ash said, still half worried. Judging by the expression on Brock's face he wasn't too concerned, but Clefairy seemed a little uneasy. Ash was too tired to think about it though, as he finished getting ready for bed and got out food for himself and his team. He fell asleep with food still in his mouth.
X
Ash woke up in the morning to another earthquake, this one quite a bit closer. There had been a couple during the night too, but Ash was so tired he slept through them. This one, however shook the ground enough that it startled him awake.
"They sure are getting close huh?" Ash asked as he saw Brock was also awake.
"Yeah… Let's go ahead and pack up and get moving. We've made good progress, it shouldn't be too much longer before we make it through to the exit." Brock said as he packed his stuff up hurriedly.
Ash didn't like Brock's sudden change in demeanor, and he hurriedly changed back into his Team Rocket uniform and recalled Blizz. If they ran into anyone, he could explain a Clefairy, and he was supposed to have Buzz, but a rare Sandshrew and a third Pokemon would be very hard to explain.
The two trainers continued making their way through Mt Moon, following the glowing Golem. Judging by the way that Clefairy was looking around, Ash could tell something was off.
Ash was just about to ask Brock if he thought the mountain might be collapsing when another earthquake struck, this one much closer and stronger that sent Ash sprawling to the ground. Apparently Brock suffered the same fate, while all of the Pokemon had remained on their feet.
Ash saw that the ground beneath the wagon had split, and he watched as the giant trunk fell to the ground. He watched as the lid flipped open and the contents of the trunk spilled out, rolling around on the ground.
Ash was confused as he saw what must have been thirty Pokeballs rolling around, along with a few other items that he didn't recognize. "What's in these Brock?" Ash asked as he moved to begin gathering the loose Pokeballs.
"I was hoping to wait until we got to Misty to show you, but these are the important things we've been trying to move around. We have been stealing the most powerful Pokemon from Team Rocket. When an officer evolves a Kadabra or Wartortle the evolved form gets stored away until an Admin can come and retrieve it. We have been moving those Pokemon away from Team Rocket. However, with all the gym trainers gone I went for broke this time and took every rank 2 or higher Pokemon they had in waiting!" Brock said with pride.
Ash looked with horror at the Pokeball that he had grabbed off the ground. If these were from Team Rocket then that meant…
"Brock, please tell me these aren't Team Rocket Pokemon. Please tell me you're just joking or you're pulling my leg." Ash said, his whole body going pale.
"No I'm serious kid! Why the long face? You look like you've seen a ghost! I don't think they have any of those in there." Brock chuckled at his own joke.
"They.. They have all of their Pokemon microchipped in case a trainer tries to run away with one. That's how they were able to find me in Viridian forest. If we've had these with us the whole time…" Ash trailed off as he locked eyes with Brock.
"Then Giovanni was able to see us take them and track us the whole way. We've gotta go. Now!" Brock said as he realized the gravity of the situation. "Just leave the Pokeballs, they might buy us some time. Let's move!" Brock said as he started running through the tunnel.
Ash followed as fast as he could, with Buzz flying in front of him and Clefairy running by his side. They were running for a couple minutes before another earthquake caused them all to stumble. Ash hit the ground hard, scraping his hands as he tried to catch himself. It didn't look like Brock fared much better, but as Ash got up and turned around he saw a large cloud of dust coming from behind them.
Ash heard a deep voice echo from behind him then, and the sound of it made him shiver. The voice itself was actually very rich and deep, but the tone in which it called out is what made Ash want to run even more than before.
"Ohh Brock, wherever did you go? Come on out, I only want to have a conversation!"
Brock looked back as he cursed out loud. "There's no getting out of this for me kid. You keep going, I'll distract him." Brock said as he steeled himself for the confrontation ahead. His hand went down to his belt as he prepared to call out the rest of his team.
"No, I'm staying with you! We can help!" Ash pleaded.
"Help how? You'll all be dead in no time. Giovanni's team is nasty and they won't play nice like my-"
Brock was cut off as there was a yowl and a giant cat tried jumping on Brock, fangs bared. If it had connected, it could have easily ripped Brock's throat out from his neck. However, it was knocked out of the way by a rock the size of a Geodude that was thrown by Brocks first Golem.
The Persian landed on all fours and hissed at the Golem, but didn't lung in again. Instead it spent it's time circling the group, prepared to pounce if the opportunity was presented.
"Look kid. Just follow the Clefairy, it will know the way out. Once you make it out, see if you can find Misty. If she's already been compromised, you'll have to just keep going until you hit the coast and then find a way down and around to Cinnabar. Good luck." Brock said as he released the rest of his team. An Alolan Sandslash appeared, as well as an Onix and a number of Pokemon that Ash didn't recognize. One of them was covered in thick scales, most of them dark grey while parts of its spine and the top of its head was a bright blue. It had long spikes around its neck that almost made it look like it was wearing a collar.
Ash didn't want to leave Brock but he knew that his team wasn't strong enough to help and they would only get in the way. He made to leave when suddenly the wall of the cave in the direction they were trying to go burst open. A Rhydon roared its challenge as it stepped out of the hole.
Brock cursed again as they were surrounded on both sides. Ash didn't see a way out now, and tried to rack his mind for some way to fight.
"Oh Brock, it's been too long! How nice to see you again, oh and you brought a friend!" The voice boomed again as the body it belonged to came into view. Giovanni was a tall man with light skin and short dark hair that was slicked back. His eyes were intense, and in this lighting they looked pitch black.
Ash couldn't pay him much attention, however as next to him stood a massive Rhyperior. It easily stood head and shoulders over its trainer, and was over three times as wide. The drill on its head had to be as large as Buzz if not larger.
"Geez Brock, you keep bringing all your friends to us don't you? First that feisty red head Misty and then all your gym trainers and now this one? Don't worry kid. If you don't run we won't hurt you. Permanently." Giovanni chuckled as his eyes locked with Ash's. The intensity of the gaze brought chills throughout Ash's body. This was the man who had created Team Rocket, who had caused the Champion to lose control, and who had taken over all of Kanto and parts of Johto with sheer determination. There was nothing he could do to stop him.
"Golem, take him down to the heart of the mountain. The Clefairy will take you to safety, Ash. Do it now!" Brock commanded.
Giovanni's easy gaze seemed disturbed by Brock's words, as he eyed the boy with new interest. He wasn't able to analyze Ash for long, however, as Golem quickly moved to follow Brock's orders. He stomped his foot and the ground beneath Ash began to fall at an alarming rate, causing Ash to cry out in surprise as he plummeted.
"Rhyperior, send Persian after them. I need that boy alive!" Giovanni said as the Rhyperior found Persian and then slammed its tail against the ground.
Ash barely had time to register what was happening as the ground beneath him continued to drop and the scene above him began to look like just a speck of light. Ash turned to his side when another light appeared, but realized that it was just Clefairy. The Pokemon started using Flash to illuminate their part of the mountain, and Ash was glad for that.
Their downward progress came to a stop abruptly as they dropped into a large open cavern with many different cave openings all around the room. The stop wasn't abrupt enough to completely flatten Ash, but it was enough that Ash went sprawling to the floor and Clefairy wasn't too much better. Buzz simply continued flying beside them, apparently unimpressed by their lack of grace.
"Let's get out of here! Which way Clefairy?" Ash asked as he looked at the small fairy type.
She looked around once before grabbing Ash's hand and running toward one of the many exits from the large room. The opening was only around 5 feet tall, much too short for an adult to get through without crouching but Ash would be able to make it through without too much trouble.
Right as they were almost to the entrance to the small cavern that Clefairy was leading them to, the Persian suddenly appeared in front of them. Ash and Clefairy were barely able to stop themselves from running into the normal type Pokemon as they brought themselves to a full stop.
Ash went to turn around and run the other way but there was another Persian behind him. He looked to his side and realized that there were five of them displayed around them in a circle, blocking any possible escapes.
The Persian seemed utterly unimpressed, as it sat down on its haunches and began licking one of its large paws. Ash knew there was no chance getting around it, so he reached down to Blizz's Pokeball and released the little Pokemon. He would need all the fire power he could get to try and take down the Persian.
Blizz appeared in a flash of red light, and looked around confused as it saw the multiple Persian's surrounding them. Ash started giving commands immediately.
"Pin Missile and Poison Sting. Get rid of the copies and then Electroweb once we identify the real one. Blizz, get Icicle Spear ready. Once Buzz gets rid of the copies then hit it with all you have. Clefairy, Dazzling Gleam also." Ash said between gritted teeth.
The Pokemon moved to action as the Persian continued to groom itself. Ash watched as one, two three, four, then all five of the Persians vanished as Buzz's Pin Missile connected with each of the copies. Ash blanked, confused before turning around in time to see the actual Persian leap into the air and snatch Buzz out of it with its bare teeth. It landed with an incredible amount of grace for having the large Beedrill in between its jaw, before shaking the Bug type once, twice, and three times before throwing it to the side.
Ash watched in horror as Buzz crashed into the wall of the cave before sliding down and landing in a crumpled heap. Ash had Flashbacks to when he was six and watched a Fearow tear threw the whole hive. Ash recalled the Bug as Blizz started chucking icicles at the Persian. The monster of a cat didn't even try to dodge them as it turned to look at the little Sandshrew. It opened its mouth and released a terrible energy as the gem on its head shown bright.
The Dark Pulse connected with Blizz and sent him flying back as well, instantly knocking him out as his limp body tumbled along the floor. Ash grudgingly recalled it as well, feeling more and more helpless. If only he had a little bit more time, he could make it into the cavern and might be able to lose the Persian in all the tunnels.
Persian began stalking towards Ash and Clefairy as Ash came up with a plan. The Persian seemed utterly unconcerned and didn't even register Clefairy as a threat. Ash hoped the cats confidence would be its downfall, as he whispered his command to Clefairy.
"Let the light go, then once its dark shine your brightest Flash you can and then we book it." Ash finished as Clefairy nodded. The next minute Clefairy ended the low powered Flash and the cavern went dark. Ash closed his eyes in preparation as Clefairy focused all of her energy into shining an enormous burst of light. Even through Ash's closed eyes the intensity of the light hurt, and he heard the Persian yelp in pain.
Ash gave himself a slight congratulation as his plan worked, before Clefairy dragged him forward and into the tunnel system. Ash opened his eyes but could barely see anything, and relied on the Clefairy that was holding his hand to guide him through the cave. Left turn, right turn, another left, Ash lost track as Clefairy moved through the different paths before them, barely hesitating before choosing which one to go through. Ash couldn't imagine Clefairy knew where they were going, but he knew it would be incredibly difficult for the Persian to follow them. Even one wrong turn would be enough to throw it off of their trail.
They went on like that for what must have been over half an hour. The only thing allowing Ash to continue at this pace was his adrenaline, but it was beginning to wear off and Ash knew he would have to slow down soon. Before this happened though, Ash practically jumped as he saw something moving from in front of him.
He looked, ready for the worst before he realized it was another Clefairy. He let loose a great breath of relief as the new Clefairy and his both turned to Ash's left as they followed another trail. Ash was beginning to think that maybe Clefairy did know where they going…
After a few more turns Clefairy led Ash into a large open room. This room appeared to be lit up, although Ash couldn't find any lights as he scanned around the large cavern. He didn't have much time to look, however as he was more amazed by the sheer amount of Clefairy in the room.
There were at least 50 different Clefairy, all going about different tasks in the room. It seemed like this place was their headquarters, and Ash even saw a few Clefable among their midst. Clefairy cut off her Flash as she walked into the room, still holding Ash's hands. She looked up at Ash nervously, before trying to communicate something to him. A warning it seemed, but Ash hadn't known the Clefairy long enough to know what she was trying to say.
The Clefairy seemed even more bothered by this, but it suddenly looked up and Ash could feel it tense. Ash looked up as well, and could see why.
A giant Clefable had made its way to the center of the room and was standing and staring at Ash and Clefairy. It looked ancient and powerful, and Ash knew that this was the leader. It looked at Ash, and then at the Clefairy, and then back to the giant red "R" across Ash's chest on his uniform before looking at Clefairy again and speaking to her. There was nothing Ash could do, so he stood there waiting for them to reach their conclusion. He was worried for Buzz and Blizz, but now seemed like an inappropriate time to try and assess their wounds.
Ash took the moment instead to examine the cavern that he was in. There were many different exits for the giant cave, but it was obviously centered around a giant black rock that was in the middle of it. This rock was actually what gave off the glow that produced the light for the room, but it wasn't super bright to look at. Which was strange. It was almost as if instead of the glow emanating out from the source of the light, namely the rock, that all of the cave walls and other rocks in the cavern glowed towards the glistening black stone. Ash was mesmerized by it, and he could tell from the group of ten Clefairy dancing around it that it must be something they worshipped.
Just then Ash heard squeals coming from a different side of the room as a number of Clefairy ran out of one of the exits on the far side of the cave as a giant cloud of dust began to fill the room. Ash scowled as he saw the creator of the dust jump into the room and roar out a challenge.
Ash was afraid that the Persian would prove to be too strong for the group of Clefairy and Clefable, but he was proven wrong as the ancient Clefable turned towards the Persian and began to move its arms back and forth. Ash watched as they began to glow with a bright blue color as the Persian was lifted off of the ground. The Persian growled and scratched at its invisible barriers, but the psychic power was too strong for it to overpower.
Ash gaped at how perfect that Metronome had been, selecting the perfect move to immobilize the normal type. The Clefable turned back around and began communicating with Clefairy again, but the Persian was not ready to submit.
It engulfed its legs in ghost energy as it used Shadow Claw to slash out of the psychic energy holding it in. Once it was successfully free from the psychic attack it roared again and charged up a Hyper Beam, aiming it straight for the ancient Clefable.
The ancient Clefable seemed more annoyed than surprised by the tenacity of the Persian, and looked like it was going to take the Hyper Beam straight on. The Persian saw its chance at victory and made sure to supercharge the move before releasing the beam from its mouth straight into the Clefables' chest.
At least, that's where it was aiming. What actually happened was the moment the Persian released the Hyper Beam, Clefable formed a small Protect directly in front of the Persian's mouth. The energy exploded straight back into Persian's face, leaving it not only tired from the amount of energy summoned but also wounded from its own attack. Clefable once again used Metronome, and was able again to use Psychic to levitate the other Pokemon. This time, however, it brought the Persian closer to it before moving its hands back and forth at a slightly quicker pace.
Ash watched as the hands went back and forth, back and forth, mesmerized by the easy pattern they were creating. He found himself unable to do anything else as he stared at the pattern the Clefable was making. He was jerked from his hypnosis as Clefairy pulled on his shirt and made him lock eyes with her. He gave her a silent thanks before looking back up to see that the Clefable had successfully used Hypnosis via Metronome to put the Persian to sleep. It then walked up to Persian and gave it a giant Wake-Up Slap, which left the normally lithe Persian yelping and cowering in pain.
Once again, it used Metronome to lift the Persian in the air, before switching the speed of its arms to a much more vigorous tempo. Without warning there was a giant sound like thunder and the Persian was no longer there.
Ash gaped as he realized what had just happened. Not only had the Clefable made the monster of a Persian look like a little kitten, but it also had shown that it had full control over which abilities Metronome used. Ash went over them in his head. Psychic, Psychic, Hypnosis, Psychic, Teleport? Ash thought to himself. It was even more incredible that it had used Teleport on a different Pokemon without teleporting itself as well. Ash realized that this Clefable must be one of the strongest wild Pokemon there were, showing that some Pokemon didn't need human intervention to reach the pinnacle of their species.
The ancient Clefable and Ash's Clefairy seemed to finish their conversation as the Clefable turned to look at Ash. It began to examine him for a second before it began to use Metronome again. Ash was once again mesmerized by the movement of the Clefable's arms, sensing a pattern that was discernable but not quite able to identify what it was. Maybe if he just looked a little closer…
Ash was suddenly back to being a six year old again, walking with his mom in Viridian forest. He watched with horror as a group of Spearow, led by a nasty Fearow began attacking a Beedrill hive. He ran to see if there were any survivors…
He was 8, playing with the young Weedle. The queen had welcomed him in and they were working on increasing the strength of the hive. He spent every moment of his spare time with the hive, even on rainy days.
It was the first time he met Buzz. The queen had brought him to where Buzz was hatching. The little bug crawled out of its egg and headed straight for Ash. Ash laughed as it looked at him before crawling up his arm. Buzz was little then, but Ash knew at that moment they would be best friends.
He was back at his first fight with Buzz. They had destroyed the Rattata and Ash was so proud of him. Buzz broke into his victory dance that was also his precursor to evolution. Ash couldn't have been more proud.
Ash was at the hive with the new Queen. It was giving him the stone again before chittering something to Buzz. It flew away and then Ash saw the destruction that Proton and Carl had caused. Ash was angry, he wanted to help, he wanted to defend…
Ash was back at his battle with Clefairy. He saw how Blizz defeated her and he had captured her, but more importantly how he asked her if she wanted to join his team before he forced her to.
Ash was standing with Buzz, fighting against another Beedrill. Ash could sense that he felt hopeless, like he was still powerless. He let loose a cry as Buzz took a nasty hit…
Ash was shaken from his reverie as he was brought back into reality. He just realized that he had been sweating, and his heart was pounding a million miles a minute. He made eye contact with the Clefable. They stared at each other for a good thirty seconds before the ancient Pokemon nodded its head and pointed towards the Pokeballs at Ash's waist. Ash reached down and grabbed the two Pokeballs containing Buzz and Blizz and handed them to the Clefable. It took both of them and released the Pokemon within, who both appeared in lumps on the floor.
Ash winced as he examined the wounds on both of his teammates. They were both beat up and bruised, but Buzz looked the worst. Ash could see giant indents from the Persians teeth in Buzz's carapace, and blood was flowing out of said holes. His wings were busted up as well from where he had been thrown against the side of the cave at.
Blizz didn't look too much better, as one of his arms was bent way out of shape from his awkward unconscious tumble across the ground. He had bruises and scratches all over his body, but his steel and ice typings protected him from most serious physical damage.
The Clefable looked at them both before calling over two of the other Clefable to pick them up and bring them closer to the stone in the middle of the room. Ash watched in awe as they carried the two Pokemon until they were right next to the stone. The Clefairy that were dancing around it stopped to let the Clefable through, but as soon as they had dropped the unconscious Pokemon they joined in the dance around the stone.
Ash watched as his Clefairy joined the group, which were steadily increasing speed as they began to sing along with their dance. Ash couldn't understand any of what they sang but the sound rang through his ears. It was sorrowful, mourning for a loss. The sound rose and fell, mimicking the last beats of a dying heart. Ash felt tears come into his eyes by the power of the song before the Ancient Clefairy joined the dance.
Its song was one of life, and as it lifted its voice the others around it began to stir as well. The soft sound of the sad song gave way as a song of rebirth began. As Ash listening images of green grass and blooming flowers came to his mind. Ash continued watching as the Clefairy matched tempo with the Clefable and their voices began to sing faster and faster. Ash's heart started beating quicker as the dancing Pokemon began to glow a bright blue. As the song reached its climax Ash saw the energy head towards his two Pokemon, and he watched with awe as he saw the holes in Buzz's exoskeleton close up. He saw Blizz's arm reposition into place, and then all of their bruises and scrapes were gone as well. They both opened their eyes and looked at the Pokemon surrounding them.
Clefable recalled them both, as this area seemed a sacred place for the Clefairy line. It left the dancing line and walked back with Clefairy to Ash. It handed the Pokeballs back to Ash, which he accepted graciously as he clipped them onto his belt. The Ancient Clefable looked down at Clefairy one more time before walking to the stone in the middle of the room. Ash watched as its hand glowed as it reached to touch the stone.
Ash was shocked as it didn't just touch the stone, but rather pulled a chunk of it off and began walking back toward them. The piece that it brought was roughly as long as Ash's hand, but not so wide that he couldn't wrap his fingers most of the way around it. It presented the new stone to Ash, but he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with it. The Clefable looked between Ash and Clefairy before Ash sensed a presence in his mind. It showed an image of a Clefairy evolving by grabbing onto the stone with both hands, but Ash saw that Clefable shrink from view as a road came into view. The scene continued to zoom out until Ash saw himself on the far side of the road.
"This will evolve Clefairy, but we won't be ready for a long time," Ash said out loud, but mostly to himself. The presence withdrew itself from his mind and the Clefable smiled at Ash before placing the stone in Ash's palms.
Ash thanked it again before putting the stone safely away in his backpack, next to the two other valuable stones that he already had. The Clefable seemed to be communicating with Clefairy again, so Ash waited patiently for them to finish. He had no idea what would come next, but he felt extremely safe with the family of Clefairy. He could imagine staying down here a long time, forgetting about the rest of the world as he danced around with the wild Clefairy…
But alas, the ancient Clefable had a different plan. It took Clefairy's Pokeball from Ash and held it out to the smaller Pokemon. Clefairy looked up at Ash and made eye contact before pressing the button on the Pokeball and vanishing into the capture device. Clefable handed the ball back to Ash, which he accepted.
He didn't know what was supposed to happen next, but he didn't have to wait as the Clefable began to move its arms back and forth as it accessed Metronome again. Ash began to feel himself float into the air, and as he looked down he saw his feet were off the ground and he was steadily rising higher. Ash watched as the Clefable moved its arm faster, activating a different move before Ash screamed with pain.
Ash closed his eyes as the bright energy from the flamethrower surrounded him, leaving him burning in pain as the light engulfed him. Ash felt himself hit the ground as his whole entire body shrieked from the pain, and Ash knew his life was over.
After five minutes of writhing on the ground Ash realized that he wasn't dead and that in fact his body wasn't on fire. His eyes still hurt, and as he tried to open them he found the reason why. He was outside the mountain, and the sun was shining brightly in the midday heat. He hadn't been outside in over a week, and the sudden change had temporarily blinded Ash. Ash let loose a small laugh as his eyes slowly adjusted, and decided to release his team to see how well they responded.
Unfortunately for Ash, his Pokemon didn't have the same reaction that he did and instead of squealing in pain they simply looked around at their new surroundings. Buzz let loose a loud cheer at finally being outside again, and began to fly around excitedly. Ash also looked around and realized that he had no idea where they were at. He searched the horizon for the mountain they had just been in, but it took him a while to see it way off in the southwest. Ash also saw what appeared to be a large city a few miles south of him, which Ash could only assume was Cerulean city.
Now he wasn't sure what to do. Giovanni was somewhere in that mountain, and would be furious that Ash got away. Cerulean had nothing for him, as Giovanni had already admitted that he had captured Misty. Ash could try and go to the Pokemon Center and try to gather some resources, but if word had gotten out and people were looking for him that wouldn't fly too well. Ash didn't have any food or water, and he knew he wouldn't last too long without any supplies.
"Buzz, fly around and see if you can find a pond or any berry trees." Ash said as Buzz chittered and flew off. "Okay you two, let's start moving east. Perhaps we will get lucky and find a path." Ash said as he shouldered his bag.
X
He had been walking for an hour before Buzz flew back, chittering excitedly. Ash had found the remains of an old path that had gone through the area, and although it wasn't well kept anymore he had been following it. Buzz chittered and led him forward more on the path.
They walked for another hour before Buzz chittered and Ash turned to the North. Ash had to walk through some thick underbrush to get to where Buzz was trying to lead him, but after fifteen minutes of travelling through the rough terrain he came out to a wide clearing.
Ash examined it and saw that it had a ton of berry trees in one section. Ash looked closer and saw that the older trees looked like they had been in even rows, and Ash assumed that someone had purposefully planted these berries here a long time ago but for whatever reason had let nature take its course.
Ash walked up to a large tree with brilliant yellow berries on it. Sitrus berries, if he remembered correctly. They had amazing healing powers for Pokemon, and their juice was a large part of what potions were made out of. Ash tossed a couple to his Pokemon before biting into one himself. It had a sour taste to it, but Ash found it oddly delectable as he continued to eat the thing. He packed a few into his backpack before continuing on, trying to see if there were any other signs of human life.
Ash must have walked past twenty of the Berry trees in a line, with a number of rows before stumbling upon a plain house. It wasn't much to look at, just a white one story building with the paint chipping away. The shingles on the roof were black, and from what Ash could tell they were holding up surprisingly well given that it seemed the home had been abandoned for years. Ash made his way forward and found the door of the house. He tried to open it, but it was locked. Ash stepped back and said "Blizz, Metal Claw on the handle. I don't want the whole door busted so try to be careful."
Blizz dutifully stepped forward and his paw shone with the steel energy as he jumped up to slash at the doorknob. It came off as the Sandshrew swiped it, and Ash was able to push the door open and peer inside.
The door opened up to a large open room, with dust covering the floor. The only thing in the room was a giant machine that looked like a holding chamber connected to a computer monitor. Ash awkwardly walked over to it and blew the dust off. He pushed a button on it, and the thing began to light up as it spoke to him in a female voice.
Hello. I am Nurse Delta, how may I be of assistance?
"Um hello? How can you talk to me? Are you alive?" Ash asked.
There was silence back. Ash looked at the screen of the monitor and realized the same words were written on it, as well as a few different options underneath. Ash clicked the button for more information, and the computer began to talk again as the words came across the screen.
I am Nurse Delta, created by Bill to be a replacement for Nurse Joy should she ever be unavailable. I am the current and latest model of AI Pokemon Centers, with my predecessor nurse Gamma being fully functional and shipped off to the Indigo Plateau. I have the most up to date interface technology, as well as a fully replaceable medicine vat should I run out. What more would you like to know?
Ash looked at the options before him.
How To Use
Potion Information
Administrative Settings
Ash pressed the Administrative Settings but the computer asked him for his password so he backed out of that. Next he clicked Potion Information.
The biggest problem with trainer potions is that they are only one time use. Within an hour of breaking the seal on it, the medicine begins go bad. With Hyper potions this is a much larger problem, as most of the very potent medicine goes to waste. Trainers pay for the large expense of that medicine without using most of it. However, in Pokemon Centers Nurse Joy is able to keep the medicine contained, while applying specifically the amount needed to each injured Pokemon. There is no wasted medicine in the Pokemon Centers, and as such Pokemon Centers run on very little expense. The vat underneath my examination tube is the same way, allowing me to heal many wounds before needing to bring in new medicine.
Ash was amazed as he walked over to the large holding chamber and peered inside. It was big enough for most Pokemon to fit into, meaning it was close to seven feet tall and wide enough that a Rapidash could spin around with no problem. There were three large steps to get into the thing, and as Ash looked underneath it he saw the reservoir that contained the medicine. It was about a foot and a half tall and as wide as the chamber was. It was filled with a pale pink liquid. Ash gaped at what must have been at least a hundred hyper potions worth of medicine. If this thing actually worked, he could train for years without worrying about not being able to heal his Pokemon.
Ash walked back to the computer monitor and clicked the How To Use button.
Step 1) Have Pokemon enter examination chamber.
Step 2) Press the "Begin Examination" button on main screen. The chamber doors will close and the examination will begin and treatment options will be presented.
Step 3) Select preferred treatment option. Nurse Delta will then perform necessary treatment before opening the examination chamber. There will be a "STOP" button on the main interface in case of emergency.
Step 4) Repeat when necessary.
Ash thought that sounded pretty simple, and decided to have Buzz try it out. "Okay buddy, get up in there. Let's see if this thing works!"
Buzz flew into the chamber with a nervous chitter before landing. Ash was back on the main screen now, and pressed the Begin Examination button. The sliding door of the chamber slowly closed itself, leaving Buzz inside. A small beeping noise started, and Ash could see red lights crisscrossing the area within the chamber.
After a minute the beeping stopped and the voice came onto the screen again.
This is a Beedrill, approximately 1 year in age. It is above average height and weight for its age. There are currently no injuries needing to be mended to at this time. The examination chamber will open automatically open in 10, 9, 8…
Ash watched as the door slid open and Buzz came back out, unharmed.
"How was it?" Ash asked Buzz. Buzz simply shrugged his shoulders in an effort to be nonchalant. Blizz squealed excitedly and clamored over to climb up on the machine.
"Oh, you want a turn?" Ash asked with a laugh. Blizz shook his head as he stood fully in the chamber. "Okay," Ash said as he pressed the start button.
The door slid closed again and the same red lights came on as the machine searched for the little Sandshrew. After a minute or so the machine stopped scanning and said
This is an Alolan Sandshrew, approximately 6 months in age. It is about average height and weight for its age. There are currently no injuries needing to be mended to at this time. The examination chamber will open automatically in 10, 9, 8…
Ash watched as Blizz came out of the chamber, squeaking happily. It was easy for Ash to forget how young Blizz was given their recent circumstances, but it would make sense that the Pokemon would still be very playful. Ash turned to Clefairy, realizing he had no idea how old she was.
"Would you try? I'd love to see how old you are." Ash asked. It looked to Ash like she rolled her eyes as she walked up. He started the machine again.
This is a Clefairy, approximately 3 years in age. It is slightly below average height and weight for its age. There are currently no injuries needing to be mended to at this time. The examination chamber will open automatically in 10, 9, 8…
Ash didn't know enough about the Clefairy line to know if 3 was old or not, but he figured he would look into it more. At the very least, she would be more mature than the other Pokemon, and would be able to catch up relatively quickly. He was very excited to use the moon stone that the ancient Clefable had given him.
"Awesome, thanks Clefairy!" Let's keep exploring guys!" Ash said as he continued looking around. It was a pretty standard house, with two dusty bedrooms, a dusty bathroom, a dusty kitchen, and a couple dusty closets. Ash had guessed that nobody had lived in this house for years, so he figured it would be a good place for them to set up base for now. Ash smiled at his team and got to work cleaning the house up.
X
It had been about a week and Ash was absolutely done eating berries. Most of their food for the last week had been from the berries, although Ash had found a couple of things in the kitchen pantry that weren't expired. Ash was grateful that there were multiple kinds of berries in the field, ranging from Oran to Sitrus to Persim, but even with the variety Ash knew just eating berries would lead to an unbalanced diet for himself and his team.
As it was, they had spent the first few days just teaching each other their sharable moves that they knew that the others didn't, and Ash had been researching on the Pokedex. It was during the time he was researching the Clefairy line that he made a big discovery.
The Clefairy line is known for its very large move pool. It is among one of the most versatile fighters in the world, rumored to be able to learn over 100 different moves. However, it is important to note that simply learning new moves will not lead to increases in power or ability. Most highly trained Clefable mainly use 4-6 moves, with 10-15 in common rotation. This is advisable as it allows the Pokemon to grow stronger in those moves, as well as develop a strategy for them. For trainers with less than four gym badges, focusing on 4 moves is advisable. Going up a move per gym after that seems to be a good metric, leading to 8 moves in rotation by the time one would challenge their 8th gym.
This changed the whole entire way Ash thought on training. He had just been working on getting his Pokemon to learn as many moves as possible, without focusing on strategy or power. After reading this, he began to change the way they trained, and had started letting them spar. At first it was just Clefairy and Blizz, but after Buzz kept nagging Ash he let Blizz and Clefairy spar against Buzz 2v1.
This training had been a lot more fruitful for them, making each of them think on their toes as well as control how much power they were putting into their attacks. Ash had been using Nurse Delta, which had been able to apply the healing medicine to his Pokemon perfectly. He wasn't sure if he trusted the machine to set bones if they broke, but he was hoping he wouldn't need to find out.
They had been training hard for a week, and so today was a rest day. Ash had them start digging some holes just in front of the house to move some of the berry trees closer to them, but after trying to dig one of the trees up he realized there was no use.
The problem wasn't that the individual trees were too heavy; it was that all of the roots of the trees had grown in and intertwined together. After he figured that out, he told his team they no longer needed to dig holes. Buzz and Clefairy stopped, but it appeared that Blizz was having fun playing in the dirt. Apparently the deeper the Sandshrew dug the cooler the soil became, and he also decided after taking a bite of the ground that he enjoyed the taste of the cool soil.
Ash thought it was hilarious watching his steel-ice type Pokemon digging in the earth and eating the soil, but he was enjoying himself so Ash wouldn't interrupt. Clefairy seemed amused by it as well, and was sitting next to Ash watching the Sandshrew. Buzz had flown off to the berry trees, apparently deciding it was time for a snack.
Ash watched as the hole became deeper and deeper as the little Sandshrew continued to dig, until it became so deep that Ash couldn't see the 2 foot tall Pokemon at all. Ash reclined and relaxed in the late spring sun, enjoying the season and the relative sense of peace they had. Ash really didn't like eating only berries, but he knew that he couldn't exactly go into town and grab a burger. The berry trees would keep producing all summer, so he knew he had at least a few months before he would have to think about leaving.
Ash was deep in thought when he heard a sharp yelp followed by the sound of a distant splash. Ash and Clefairy bolted upright, rushing over to where Blizz had been digging.
They got to the edge of his hole and peered down, and Ash looked with horror as it opened up to an empty black pit. Apparently underneath them was hollow, and Blizz had dug right through the top layer of the earth and had now fallen into the pit.
Ash yelled to Buzz as he heard splashing and another squeal from inside the hole. Apparently the hole opened up to water, but Ash wasn't sure if Blizz knew how to swim. Ash also wasn't sure if he would be able to float or not. Most ice types were pretty buoyant, or if not were able to hold their breath for extremely long durations, but Blizz was also a steel type and they weren't the best known for ability to float. Mix that with Blizz thinking he was a Geodude for the first part of his life might make him sink, and sink fast.
As soon as Ash saw Buzz he yelled at the Pokemon to get into the hole after the little Sandshrew. The Beedrill did so without any hesitation, pulling his wings in and he shot through the little hole.
"Let's make this wider so he'll be able to get out when he's carrying Blizz," Ash said to Clefairy as he started digging at the edges of the hole. It was tricky business, having to balance himself to keep from falling into the hole while also trying to expand it.
After the longest couple of minutes in Ash's life he heard Buzz chittering to Blizz. Ash and Clefairy hurriedly backed away from the hole as the Beedrill made his way out on shaky wings, holding the Sandshrew with both of his lances. Beedrill weren't meant to carry other Pokemon on their small wings, but at only 25 pounds Buzz was still able to carry Blizz.
When they emerged from the hole Blizz immediately started struggling to be back on the ground. Buzz chittered annoying before basically tossing the smaller Pokemon down. Ash examined Blizz carefully, but other than being covered in water it didn't look like he'd taken any damage. The scared little Pokemon clamored into Ash's lap, while Ash did his best to comfort him.
"It's okay Blizz, you're safe now. We've got you. Buzz, how is your Flash? Can you examine down there and see if it's just an underground pool and if so how far it goes? I don't want us to be training and have this happen again." Ash said as he looked over to the Beedrill.
Buzz chittered, apparently confident of his Flash ability, and dove back into the hole. Now all Ash could do was wait, while he tried to calm down the scared Pokemon in his lap.
X
Buzz ended up surprising Ash by coming out of the house on his return. He chittered excitedly as he motioned for Ash to follow him, and Ash and Clefairy looked at each other before walking back into the house. Blizz followed grudgingly.
Buzz led them to one of the two closets that were connected to the main room. The door was already open, and as Ash looked he let out a laugh. Apparently there was a secret door on the floor of the closet that normally lifted up to reveal what was underneath. However, Buzz wasn't able to figure out how to open it from underneath, so it appeared he just stabbed through it with a Rock Smash. As it was, there was a gaping hole in the floor of the closet and Ash looked through it to see stairs.
"Alright then, let's check it out!" Ash said as he unlatched the door and lifted it up. As he was walking down he saw a light switch and flicked it on as he walked down the stairs. Blizz looked down the stair case and let out a squeal.
"You don't have to come buddy, we'll let you know if there's anything important!" Ash said back to Blizz as he continued walking.
When Ash came out of the stairs he saw a large room roughly the size of the arena that he had trained with Brock in. The main difference was that about half of the arena was a large pool, with a very narrow exit behind it. It looked like there was a tunnel that lead out from the area behind the pool, and when Ash looked to the other side of the room there was an actual underwater river running out to the ocean.
But none of that was what fascinated him most. What he was focused on was the shattered bits of shell next to the river. Ash sprinted over to them, looking carefully. The egg shells were spread out and slightly faded, looking like they had hatched quite a while ago, but not as long as the house above had been abandoned. The shards were mainly a blue, although whether they had originally been a bright blue or more of a turquoise Ash wasn't quite sure. There were red and tan specks in the egg shells as well. Clefairy had also come to check out the shells as well, and made a surprised cry. Hidden beneath a pile of the abandoned shells was a whole egg. Clefairy grabbed it victoriously and held it close to her chest. It was a magnificent turquoise color, with three red strikes on it, one on the top and the other two on the bottom of the oval egg, as if they would somehow hold it up. In the middle was a wide stripe of tan.
"Wow, that's awesome!" Ash said as he looked at it. He moved to touch it but Clefairy pulled it away. "Hey, I'll be careful. I held Buzz when he was an egg!" Ash pleaded.
Clefairy looked at him and offered a stern warning before gently handing the egg over. Ash inspected it carefully. By his best guess the other eggs had hatched between a month and two months ago, so the fact that this one hadn't hatched yet was concerning. The egg looked completely fine from the outside though, and he could feel the warmth from whatever Pokemon was inside of it. He gently handed it back to Clefairy, who grabbed it back. The egg was nearly the size of her body, and it looked like she was struggling to hold it up with her short little arms. She had a solid grip on it however, and it didn't seem like she was going to let it go anytime soon.
"I hope it's okay. It's weird that it hasn't hatched yet, but that happens sometime. I wouldn't get your hopes up too much though as it might not make it." Ash said to Clefairy.
Clefairy simply looked at Ash and shook her head. She sat the egg down and called out to it softly. Ash watched as the egg twitched. It wasn't a large movement, but it was noticeable. Clefairy simply huffed at Ash as she picked up the egg and began to walk back up the stairs.
Ash stood there for a second, speechless. He had watched a lot of Weedle hatch, but he was never able to call out to an egg and make it move. He shook his head as he continued examining the room. He walked away from the little river and headed towards the pool. If he had to guess, this must have been where Misty had trained, similar to Brock's hideout.
A chilling thought came through his mind as he realized that she had probably been taken from here and that Giovanni definitely knew where he was. He instantly looked around, afraid that he would see the Persian staring at him.
Ash calmed himself down as he realized that was not possible. The eggs had been left alone to hatch on their own, and Ash was certain if Giovanni had captured Misty from here he wouldn't have left them. What Ash thought was more likely was that the small tunnel lead to a different part of the town, and that was probably where Misty had been captured from. This was way too far away from the Pokemon Center, and from the looks of how much dust there had been over Nurse Delta nobody had been using her.
Ash continued looking around and found an opening to another room close to the pool. He went inside and saw that it was a storage room. There were a few dive suits, as well as oxygen masks. Ash also saw twelve Pokeballs on the wall.
Excitement fluttered in Ash's chest as he grabbed one of the Pokeballs. If these were a part of Misty's team, they would be extremely powerful and could help him get to Cinnabar. That must have been what the dive suits were for as well, to be able to make an escape from here if necessary. Ash hurriedly moved out of the room and pointed the Pokeball at the pool before thinking better of it and pointing it at the ground. If it was a Goldeen it would be able to jump into the pool, but pretty much any other water type could function on the ground.
Ash clicked the release button and watched as the Pokemon formed on the ground in front of him. It was a – it was a giant pile of food. Ash looked at it with disappointment, but that slowly changed as he realized what it meant. Ash quickly grabbed the rest of the Pokeballs off the wall and took turns releasing and recalling each one, examining the contents. Six of the Pokeballs were purely Pokemon food, three were human food, two were food that would work for either, and the last one was full of different supplements.
Ash figured that this was supposed to be enough for Misty and her gym trainers to last for a trip to Cinnabar, which might have been a week or two depending on the speed of Misty's water type. However, for Ash and his three Pokemon they could last a few months off of the massive amounts of food.
"We don't have to live off of berries!" Ash exclaimed as he made eye contact with Buzz. Buzz chittered happily as he flew over to Ash.
"Depending on when that egg hatches, we might be able to last three or four months on this stuff, especially if we include some berries into our diet. That'll bring us right towards the end of summer, which isn't the worst time to travel. It would be nicer if we could make it through the winter, but with how much you three eat we won't even be close," Ash snorted at Buzz.
Buzz tried looking hurt at the expression, but the effect was lost as he nudged Ash to open one of the Pokeballs so he could have a snack. Ash laughed at his starter. If it were only the two of them, they could probably last a year on the supplies. With the others on the team though, it definitely wouldn't last that long. Ash wasn't upset though, he knew there was much more safety in numbers.
"Well, I guess at the very least this will give us some time to get stronger before we have to start moving again. Come on Buzz, let's go tell the others what we've found and figure out a training plan for you guys." Ash said as he began walking back up the stairs.
Ash had a lot of hard work planned for them over the next three months, but he knew they could all handle it and they all wanted to be stronger. He smiled as he climbed the stairs, preparing for what was to come.
A/N And there it is! I know this one took me the longest to write but there was a lot of details in there that made it hard for me to write out. It's also over 13.5k words making it the longest chapter so far! I enjoy telling the story and casting the vision, but I'm not very good at describing the scene, so please feel free to use your imagination if I don't perfectly describe every detail.
I want to thank Traveler for giving me the general idea about the Ancient Clefable in Mt Moon. What did you guys think about that and its encounter with Persian? Let me know in with a review!
Also, what do you guys think the egg is/ should be? I already have it planned out but I would love to hear your thoughts!
Dabber2121- I find it interesting how Ash and everyone else in the younger generation are completly brainwashed and how the facade starts crumbling in chapter 2, its a touch of realism in how such a overtaken criminal controlled government would keep the population complacent that I feel may have a high chance of being overlooked
Thanks for the review! I wanted some way to really showcase Giovanni's intelligence and I felt like this way made it work well. I love the idea of legendaries being incredibly over powered like in Traveler so using an unnamed Psychic type (You all know who it is) to overpower Lance and Sabrina felt right.
That's all folks, hopefully I can update again in a week!