Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or Harry Potter
BloodyKitsune: Wow, I have been away for awhile. Admittedly, I was updating other stories and working on my book not to mention speaking with a publisher. I still need to apologize for being away from this story. For those of you wondering about it, Toy Maker's Daughter Book Three was taken down for a few reasons, but mostly due to spam reviews. I will eventually repost it, but likely with an updated finish as I will be rereading the entire series I've got up. For now, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
Chapter Eleven
After breakfast the second day in Pewter City, Ash decided it was time to call his mom which he'd been putting off for all that Vali had likely been keeping her appraised alongside everyone else that needed to know. With Pikachu on his shoulder, he headed to the phones noticing Gary following after him a few moments later. Taking a seat at one of the booths, he dialed the number for his house and barely waited a minute before Delia's face appeared. She beamed at him, "Ashy! And Pikachu, how are you both doing? Finally decided to call me?"
Flushing at that, Ash rubbed the back of his neck as Pikachu jumped onto the counter to sniff at the screen, "I...Yeah, I'm sorry-"
"Don't apologize, Ashy," Delia waved him off, "So long as I get the occasional call from you, I'm fine. After all, Vali is keeping me updated which is much better than I can say about Sirius,"
Seeing her grimace, Ash felt both a bit bad and somewhat curious as Sirius usually called her to check in fairly regularly especially now that Harper had been born. The fact that he hadn't meant that something was likely going on. Which made him wonder if it involved whatever League business Vali had been up to in Viridian. Mentally shaking his head, he asked, "Is he on a job, Mom?"
"Some new assignments came in. I'm not sure where as Sirius says things are getting a bit hectic with HQ," Delia's eyes were filled with worry, "And as much as I want to ask Vali, she's likely out of the loop what with her traveling right now,"
Part of Ash wanted to mention that Vali had been doing things that could become League Business in Viridian, he hesitated because it might be 'League Business' which meant there was red tape involved. For all that Vali might have a soft spot for them, she couldn't save them from everything. He spoke softly, "Maybe try asking her, she might know something or could ask someone. It's Siri after all."
"True enough," Delia smiled sadly for a moment before shaking her head as she gave him a worried look, "How are you doing? I know that traveling has to be a big change especially with what happened in Viridian, but-"
"I...With Vali's help not to mention having Gar and my pokemon, it's okay," Ash hated seeing his mom worry, "I had nightmares a couple times, but Vali's been making sure we're moving around too much for it to happen too often," He reached out to set a hand on Pikachu's head earning a look, "Pikachu and Pidgeotto have helped a lot to keep them at bay. I would be lost without them,"
Letting out a soft laugh, Delia shook her head, "You and your sister are truly one of a kind," She smiled softly, "And the traveling?"
"After the first couple days both times, it wasn't too bad. Vali's been making us cook," Ash informed her earning a curious look, "She didn't want us to struggle later on when she's either not there or sick,"
"A good idea," Delia nodded her head.
Biting his bottom lip, Ash asked the question that had been burning in his mind since Vali had started those lessons, "Mom, Vali said she gets sick, but it doesn't happen often. I...I can't remember the last time she got sick. What happened?"
Seeing his mom pail shook Ash to his core, he almost went to say she didn't need to answer when Delia spoke in a slight shaken tone as her eyes gained a haunted look in them, "It was bad, Ashy. One day she was completely fine according to Lance and the other Elites. The next she was little more than a pale copy of herself drained of all color. By the time they called Sirius and I to the Plateau, she...it was so cold," A shiver ran down his spine, "Even surrounded by her fire-types, it was so cold. And her coughing fits, I-" She let out a choking sound and reached up to wipe away tears, "Ashy, you have to promise me that you'll keep an eye on your sister. The moment that she seems to look even the slightest bit off or tired for no reason, you've got to rest. She...she's strong, Ash, but your sister's body can't handle the strain of what she's putting it through sometimes."
Swallowing harshly at that, Ash nodded slowly, "I promise, Mom."
"Good boy, Ash," Delia wiped at her eyes, "I'm sorr-"
"Don't be, I needed to know. And I'll tell Gary to ensure we're both on the look out alongside our pokemon," Ash promised earning a grateful nod.
As she'd seen Ash and Gary heading for the phone rooms, Vali decided it was time to call up Roxy and see if the rocker had managed to get her hands on a pokemon from the list she'd provided. It took barely a second for the call to go through and Roxy grinned at her, "Took ya long enough, Sparky. Get lost in a forest or somethin?"
"Half right," Vali settled against her bed as Roxy's eyebrow rose, "Ash and Gary took the traditional route in going through Viridian Forest rather than ask me to see if there was an alternate route. While I would've needed to be bribed a bit, I would've told them about the underground path that exists, but oh well,"
Letting out a howl of laughter, Roxy grinned at her, "You're an evil bitch sometimes, Sparky."
"I prefer to be called impish, but sure," Vali grinned at the white haired woman, "So did you get a pokemon to trade me or at least figure out which one you'll be tracking down?"
Letting out a snort, Roxy flopped onto one of the bean bags that were tossed about her room like confetti, "Thanks to that extra time you gave me, I managed to track down and pick up something that dragon-boy of yours will be very jealous of. Wasn't exactly on your list, I think you'll love it regardless since I know it's one of the ones you've talked about possibly getting before."
Blinking a bit at that, Vali's head tilted as Thorin made a curious sound alongside Aragorn, "What exactly did you track down?
Grinning lightly, Roxy held up a pokeball, "You remember how a couple years ago that dragon-boy of yours came to Unova with ya to watch the Vertress Conference to strengthen ties?"
"Can't forget," Vali shook her head lightly as she eyed the pokeball, "On top of getting one of my best albums done there, I met all the Unova gym leaders and Elites including you. Those battles weren't half bad especially that last one,"
"The kid with the Noivern, right?" Roxy's grin widened making Vali's eyes narrow at the white haired woman.
"Yea-" The reason why Roxy was bringing up that old memory clicked and Vali sucked in a breath, "You got me a Noivern?"
"A Noibat," Roxy corrected with a laugh, "I know you prefer to raise them up and with this one, I know you'll definitely want to raise him up from base level even if he isn't an egg,"
Almost hyper ventilating as she hadn't put a Noivern or Noibat on the list for a reason, Vali about squeaked out, "R-roxy, I...you...papers?"
"I made sure to get the proper papers for it and everything, Sparky," Roxy grinned at her, "Drayden was very happy to get everything set up for this little guy when he heard I was giving him to you,"
Almost passing out as she realized that yes, she'd actually be getting a Noibat without having to hunt down one of the sneaky bastards herself, Vali murmured, "Roxy? The Fearow is yours alongside whatever two prints you want from my shop. I...holy mother of Mew..."
"Damn, if I knew this was what it took to get you speechless, I would've done it earlier," Roxy laughed softly, "So how should we do this?"
Shaking herself as she realized that this was actually happening, Vali pushed herself up, "I-I need to make a call and head to Professor Oak's. Give me about a half hour to get things set up on my end, alright?"
"Sounds good," Roxy let out another laugh, "See ya then,"
Dropping her pokenav for a second, Vali stared at Elrond as he murmured, "So...We're not telling Lance about this, right?"
"No way in Giratina's fine ass are we telling him about this...until after we get that Noibat up to a proper level," Vali let out a laugh and held out her arms earning a grin as Elrond quickly rushed in for a hug, "We've got a new packmate! We have a new fucking packmate!"
"Who is a dragon," Thorin added with a soft snort, "Empress will be displeased,"
"For about five seconds until she figures out what it can potentially do," Aragorn snorted softly as he nosed Vali's side, "After which, she'll insist on coming with us to 'train the hatchling before the idiot gets to it',"
Giggling softly since Empress would definitely do that, Vali picked up her pokenav again as she shifted slightly to continue cuddling Elrond. Dialing up Professor Oak's number, she was unsurprised that it took another call for him to answer. When he finally did, the old Professor looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "Vali, how are you doing this morning? I just talked with Gary and met his newest pokemon."
"That little girl is definitely going to be a spitfire later on," Vali shook her head lightly with a laugh, "But Professor, I was hoping you could help me with something," She smirked at his curious look, "That Fearow I caught? I finally managed to get a decent trade offer, but they're all the way in Unova,"
Letting out a laugh, Professor Oak nodded his head, "I'll send Alakazam to the Pokemon center in Pewter and we'll get everything set up."
Smiling gratefully, Vali told him, "Thank you, Professor. I'll just go tell the boys that I'm heading out and to expect me back soon enough. See ya in a couple."
"See you soon," Professor Oak replied before ending the call.
Getting up from her bed, Vali headed downstairs with Thorin, Aragorn, and Elrond at her side. It took little time to find her brothers just beginning to leave the phone room. Smiling lightly at them, she called out, "Ash, Gary!"
"Vali," Ash greeted as the two started to walk towards her, "Mom says hi and that she misses us,"
"I know," Vali would have to stop in to see Delia once she'd finished at the lab, "I've got to make a small trip back to Pallet," She saw their expressions twist a bit, "You remember that king-gene Fearow I caught?" The two nod slowly, "Someone finally made an offer on it that I'm not about to refuse, but it requires certain tech that I don't have right now. If we were at the League, I'd be fine, but we're not,"
"Is it something from another region?" Gary asked earning a nod, "What region?"
"Unova," Vali grinned at the wide-eyed looks they gave her, "When I get back, I'll introduce you after I've had some time to ensure my new little one's gotten acclimated, alright? For now though, I need to get going since Alakazam's going to be here soon,"
"What should we do?" Ash asked with a frown, "You were going to go with us to the Museum,"
Trying to keep her face straight at the mention of the museum, Vali bit back a grimace. She really didn't want the boys near that place since they didn't know when an attack on the place could occur. Reaching out, she settled a hand on Ash's shoulder, "Pewter might look a bit small, but it has a lot of places to do things if you don't want to visit the museum without me. Ask Nurse Joy for suggestions, I know she'll have a ton of suggestions."
"Alright, Vali," Gary set a hand on Ash's opposite shoulder, "C'mon, Ash. Let's go talk with Nurse Joy, we've got an entire day ahead of us,"
Offering a smile to Gary, Vali squeezed Ash's shoulder before releasing it. Moving towards the doors, she glanced back to see the two speaking with Nurse Joy. Inwardly sighing, she shook her head and left as Elrond spoke softly, "At the very least, we know that you'll be able to spend time with them later on."
"Yeah...I just hate that I'm leaving them alone so much sometimes," Vali shook her head before grinning at Alakazam as the pokemon came into view, "Alakazam, it's good to see ya,"
"And you as well, Fire-child," Alakazam replied with a slight gleam of pleasure in her eyes, "Return your pokemon so we may be off,"
Nodding her head, Vali returned her pokemon and the two disappeared from Pewter before reappearing in Pallet at Professor Oak's lab. Giving Alakazam a warm smile, she headed into the lab after releasing her pokemon once more. With Elrond as their guide, they managed to wade through the rather chaotic lab and found Professor Oak setting up a complex looking machine that she'd seen used a couple times before. Clearing her throat lightly once his hands were free, she bit back a snicker as Professor Oak jumped and spun around. He pressed a hand over his heart, "Vali! You startled me."
"Sorry, Professor-" Vali let out a yelp as something white slammed into her knee and nearly managed to topple her over, "Wha-Absol?"
A happy yip left her youngest and for the moment newest pokemon. Giggling as she bent down to pick up the somewhat bigger pup, Vali noted that Absol was heavier than when she'd left the little one there. Elrond spoke as she began to cuddle the dark-type who licked at her chin, "Seems he missed you."
"I missed him too," Vali nosed the pup gently before looking up at Professor Oak who was smiling at them, "Professor, I hope he hasn't been too much trouble,"
"Not at all, he's a very well behaved if a bit excitable pup," Professor Oak waved Vali off as she ran her fingers through Absol's fur, "If I had to pin it down now even if it's still a bit early to figure out his nature, I'd say he might have either a Jolly or Mild nature given my observations,"
Humming lightly at that, Vali shrugged, "No matter what nature he has, it'll only make our pack more unique as time goes on," She pressed a kiss to Absol's forehead, "Professor..."
"I have enough data that you can take him with you," Professor Oak told her, "Thank you for leaving Absol with me even if it probably caused some stress,"
Smiling a bit sadly, Vali nodded her head, "I...It was a bit hard, but better that I did given some things that are going on. Part of me is almost tempted to have him stay with you," She winced at the look on Professor Oak's face, "I'm not going to, but Professor...I...The League has things going on with it. They aren't good."
Expression turning dark, Professor Oak's eyes looked like flint as he asked, "Is that why my son, his wife, and Red all came to me asking for their pokemon to be looked over? Why Yellow herself did the same even with those abilities she has?"
Swallowing harshly as her grip tightened on Absol, Vali nodded slowly, "Yes, Professor. It's still early and I could get into a lot of trouble saying anything despite my place. Ask Lance for any actual information, I-"
"You're the shadow at his back despite your brightness," Professor Oak rubbed at his face, "How do you constantly get yourself in these positions, Vali? First with Blaine's apprenticeship then the Lord of Flames and now this? It's as if your entire career as a trainer has been poised to be filled with constant dangers and threats that most don't deal with in their life times..."
"Because I am a bearer, Professor," Vali gave him a sad look, "And my luck just works that way,"
"I truly wish it did not," Professor Oak shook his head, "I will be speaking with Lance later on, but for now," He smiled tiredly looking as if he'd aged a few years just from their conversation, "Now lets get that new pokemon of yours, shall we?"
Nodding as she set down Absol, Vali took out her dex and pokenav, "Yeah."
Walking beside Gary through the somewhat sleepy town of Pewter, Ash thought it was a pretty boring place compared to Viridian with it's dull colors. While it might host a gym, the town wasn't actually that much bigger than Pallet town save for the Museum and a few larger supply stores aimed to prepare people for Mount Moon. He looked over the brochure that Nurse Joy had pointed out to them as Gary groaned out, "This is boring, the Museum is pretty much our only option other than the library."
"And I'd rather not spend the day in there," Ash grimaced at the thought of reading books all day.
"Is there really nothing in this town besides that Museum or the Gym?" Gary asked threading his fingers behind his head.
Flipping over the brochure, Ash's eyebrows rose as he spotted an advertisement, "I think there is something though we'll need to head about a mile outside of town," He held up the brochure for Gary to see revealing a picture of a rearing Rapidash surrounded by flaming horse shoes, "There's a ranch out that way."
"Burn it up ranch and track?" Gary raised an eyebrow, "I've never heard of that before,"
"Me neither," Ash shook his head as he looked back at the brochure, "But from this thing, we can apparently go riding on Rapidash or Ponyta. Or Zebstrika," He looked at Gary with a slight grin, "They also have options for other rideable ground based pokemon too,"
"It sounds interesting...why not?" Gary shrugged his shoulders, "It'll be nice to see what they have and if they're good, we can bring Vali around with us later,"
"Yup!" Ash nodded with a grin.
With a new idea in mind, they followed the directions printed on the brochure in bright letters and soon began walking along a dusty path lined by a pair of worn wooden fences. After another couple minutes, they caught sight of various equine pokemon running around the fields on either side looking as if they were having the time of their lives. A few Tauros and Milk Tank were playing together by a big red barn set up at the top of the large hill they were walking towards. As they reached the barn, a large man with a very floppy sunhat came out with a Stoutland at his side.
Blinking at them, the man grinned causing his graying beard to flex a bit, "Mornin' boys! Names Jim, you two trainers?"
"Yes, sir," Gary answered as he walked a bit closer with Ash slowly following, "My names Gary and this is Ash. We read about your ranch in a brochure that Nurse Joy gave us. Since we're taking a small break from training, we were hoping to find something interesting to do,"
Letting out a laugh, Jim grinned brightly as he tugged off that floppy sunhat of his head revealing a bald patchy, "You came to the right place! Burn it up ranch and track is a very interesting place, Boys. You can spend an entire week here and still have things to discover," He waved a mocha colored hand towards the paddock, "All these wonderful pokemon you see here are just the tip of our iceberg. So want a tour?"
Looking at Gary as he did the same, Ash grinned alongside his best friend as they turned to the man, "Yes!"
Grinning at them with another booming laugh, Jim told them, "Come along, we've got a lot to see."
Waving goodbye to Roxy as she held her new Noibat's pokeball in a light grip still not quite believing it was hers, Vali turned to Professor Oak with a slight grin, "Thanks, Professor. I'm not going to head back to Pewter just yet. I want to go check on Delia and Harper real quick."
"But of course, Alakazam will take you when your ready. Just stop by the lab," Professor Oak smiled lightly, "Congratulations on the Noibat, Vali. I've set those papers up on your file,"
"Thanks, Professor," Vali hugged him lightly after hooking the new pokeball onto her belt, "I'll see ya later,"
"See you later," Professor Oak replied with a chuckle.
Picking up Absol, Vali left the lab with Elrond, Aragorn, and Thorin following after her. It took her just a few minutes to actually reach the Ketchum-Black-Potter residence. Opening the door, she walked inside while calling out, "Mom? You home?"
"Vali?" Delia's head popped out of the kitchen and she beamed at Vali, "What on earth-Come here!"
Letting out a laugh as she kicked the door closed after ensuring everyone was inside, Vali set down Absol and went to hug Delia. She spoke warmly, "Thought I'd come to check in on ya since I had to get Professor Oak's assistance and see if he was finished looking over my little pup. How are you?"
Delia hugged her back tightly, "I've missed you, Sweetheart. I appreciate you coming to check on us," A sigh left Delia and she released Vali earning a look of concern, "I...Vali, is something going on? Last I heard from Sirius, a bunch of new missions had come in and Ranger HQ was in a tizzy. Do you know anything about what could be going on?"
Moving to sit down as Delia moved to resume making food for Harper and herself, Vali frowned slightly as she considered those words. While a few new missions would make sense since Lance would be trying to combat the increase in Rocket activity, a whole lot wasn't in his plans right now as far as she was aware. At least it wasn't while they were still trying to figure out who was dirty alongside Giovanni, she mentally grimaced while saying, "I don't know, Mom. I know they've been upping the missions lately, but it shouldn't be by a lot. I'll ask Lance if he knows what's going on later on, but I doubt it's anything more than some pokemon being bothered more than usual."
"I was hoping you'd have a better answer, but at least it's more than I could have hoped for," Delia shook her head before offering Vali a small smile, "So what did you need Professor Oak for?"
"Promise not to spill the beans to anyone?" Vali asked earning a curious nod, "Remember that trip I'd taken to Unova with Lance, the one to see their cup?"
"I do," Delia smiled warmly, "You made quite a few friends especially that Roxy girl. It's a beautiful Region and those pictures you'd taken amplified that,"
Nodding her head, Vali grinned as she held up the pokeball of her newest pack member earning a shocked look, "The one pokemon from that cup I've wanted ever since and never truly hoped to get my hands on? Roxy managed it for me."
"Which one? I know you've wanted a Zorua, but..." Delia raised a hand to her chin, "That wouldn't be it, I know you'll somehow manage it despite the fact you've been unable to. So which one," She hummed low in her throat, "There was one pokemon that both Lance and you couldn't stop talking about, a boy had it in the finals if I remember correctly," She nodded to herself, "It was a Noi-something,"
"Noivern," Vali giggled at the way Delia nodded only to pause.
"Isn't that pokemon on a watch list? A travel ban list?" Delia looked at Vali carefully with narrowed eyes, "For more than a few reasons,"
"Mainly because they're a protected species much like the Zorua-line or Lapras-lines," Vali smiled cheerfully, "But much like those two lines, they can be captures and trained," She giggled lightly, "And my dearest friend managed to get me on in exchange for that Fearow I caught,"
"By Arceus and Mew," Delia shook her head, "You have a Noivern?"
"Noibat," Vali corrected as she rehooked the pokeball to her belt, "I might not be raising him from an egg, but he'll be raised up from the base just like all my other pokemon,"
"And you don't want Lance to know about this?" Delia asked earning a nod.
"Considering how he is about dragons in general, you and I both know that he'd be trying to get his hands on a Noibat the moment he learns I've got one regardless of how," Vali shook her head as she bent down to pick up Absol, "'Sides, not telling him is part of my revenge,"
"Revenge?" Delia raised an eyebrow at her.
"He's not letting me battle any of the gym leaders while traveling with the boys," Vali pouted as Delia let out a giggle, "So I'm getting revenge like this, I just can't wait until we make it to Vermillion,"
"Oh?" Delia gave her a curious look.
"Let's just say you'll get a chance to see Thia again," Vali grimaced at the squeal Delia let out and began to comfort Absol as the pup whined.
"Cynthia is coming to Kanto?!" Delia asked with wide eyes.
"With a couple friends," Vali soothed Absol with a gentle hand, "She needs a break after the Sinnoh seasons done and doesn't mind giving us a chance to get our energy out. This'll also double as a chance to see each other again,"
Clapping her hands together, Delia beamed at Vali, "I can't wait to see her! It's been far too long. Does she still love ice cream? Who I kidding? Of course she does!"
Realizing that she'd just unleashed Delia on Cynthia without truly meaning to, Vali mentally promised to make it up to her best friend.
Looking over the Noibat who was currently being inspected by the various members of her pack that were with her, Vali smiled as she took in the same creature who was happily taking the attention he was getting from her pack. Absol was happily being fussed over by Eowyn in one corner of her room. She blinked as her pokenav went off and answered it with a smile at seeing Cynthia's picture flash across the screen, "Princess."
"Sparky," Cynthia smiled warmly at her, "You're looking well," She blinked a bit as a loud squeak echoed from Noibat, "What was that?"
"My new Noibat," Vali giggled at the stunned look Cynthia gave her, "Roxy came in clutch for me and got a pokemon that wasn't on my list in exchange for a King-gene Fearow alongside two prints," She snickered a bit, "Lance doesn't know about him yet,"
Shaking her head with a laugh, Cynthia gave Vali a look, "He's going to be so jealous and act like a damn chicken with it's head cut off looking for one when he realizes you manage to get one before him."
"Mhmm," Vali grinned brightly at the blonde, "And I'm so very much looking forward to that day," She didn't care if it was just a bit mean spirited of her, "Noibat is such a sweet boy too. Loves having everyone's attention, I think I've got another shoulder pokemon,"
"Oh, Arcues, you'll have a lap Noivern by the time he's evolved!" Cynthia giggled earning an eyeroll.
"At the very least, he'll be the cutest one in existence!" Vali defended before laughing alongside Cynthia, "How is everything going?"
"Not too bad, Volkner is getting very bored. I'm definitely going to be tossing him at you when we arrive," Cynthia shook her head as Vali snorted, "Maybe at Surge while I'm at it,"
"Might as well, the lazy bastard could use a work out and Surge always needs a challenge," Vali grinned a bit, "By the way, I got a message from Balin. Disa is getting close, so..."
"Please!" Cynthia squealed softly, "I've been wanting one of Disa and Thorin's kits since those two got together. I know Glace would love to have another Vee with her,"
Laughing softly as her eyes met Thorin's over the pokenav, Vali saw him nod softly and grinned as she looked back at Cynthia, "Good thing Thorin already thinks you're a good fit for one of his kits, Princess," She saw Cynthia's stunned look that morphed into a touched one, "Other than your laziest gym leader, how is everything?"
"A few trainers doing stupid things that really shouldn't happen this close to our cup," Cynthia shook her head, "One of the Conference Halls has to be completely rebuilt because someone thought it'd be smart to use Earthquake as part of their performance,"
"Absolutely stupid," Vali shook her head slightly stunned at that since Contest Halls weren't made to withstand moves like Earthquake, "Which one?"
"Gerbera Town," Cynthia answered earning a wince from Vali, "One of the few contest halls that have remained standing since Sinnoh was founded is now having to be rebuilt. It's...Sometimes, I wonder if this job is worth it sometimes, Vali,"
"Thia," Vali gave her an apologetic look, "You do an amazing job. It's not your fault some dumbass trainer decided to try their luck with a banned move,"
"It wasn't banned on the Gerbera Town contest hall list, but everyone knew it wasn't to be used," Cynthia sighed as Vali grimaced, "But you're right," The blonde smiled at her, "How are things with you? I know you've made it to a new town from your texts not to mention the messages that Lance has sent to the champion group chat,"
Snorting at that, Vali shook her head, "I can't believe that man-child is whining in your group chat that's meant to be used for problems and talking about interesting trainers."
Cynthia laughed softly, "It wouldn't be Lance if he didn't."
"No, it wouldn't be," Vali shook her head, "We made it to Pewter and the boys are signed up for their first gym challenge. Out of the two, Gary's still the only one with a new pokemon,"
"That Spearow looks like she'll be an interesting pokemon and given how big she looked in the photo you sent me, she'll definitely be able to hold his weight," Cynthia smiled lightly as she shifted a bit, "Ash hasn't found anything yet?"
"No, but I doubt it'll be long. With his charisma and Aura, I have no doubt he'll end up drawing his next partner in without actually realizing it," Vali giggled softly, "I can't wait to see what he ends up with,"
Petting the Blitzle that had wandered up to him, Ash smiled as he fed it some of the berries they'd been given. He jolted a bit as Jim slapped his shoulder with a laugh, "I'll be. She actually came up to you."
Blinking a bit at that, Ash looked at Jim in surprise as the Blitzle nosed him for more berries prompting him to pull out a couple more. He asked, "What do you mean? She seems pretty friendly."
"That little girl is one of the most skittish foals my main Zebstrika has ever given birth to," Jim shook his head, "It to the point that she'll only come near me. Seeing her around you is a big surprise,"
"Not really," Gary laughed from where he was practically surrounded with the ranches collection of Lillipup and Growlithe, "Ash just has a way with pokemon. He's able to bring out their best sides without even trying just like our big sis!"
Jim stroked his beard as Ash shook his head, "I don-"
"That so?" Jim eyed him with a raised eyebrow, "He telling the truth, son?"
Face burning especially when Pikachu nodded his head, Ash said, "I-well, Pokemon have always been easier for me to understand. I connect with them better, Jim," He ran a hand along the Blitzle's neck earning a low coo of pleasure, "And I guess that leads to this?"
"Good enough for me," Jim nodded his head, "How would you like a Blitzle?"
Ash's eyes widen and he gapped at Jim, "W-what?!"
"You heard me, Ash," Jim grinned at him, "That little girl won't be happy here, I can see it in her eyes. For all that I love her to bits, I know she'll grow properly somewhere else and spending today with you leads me to believe you'll be the best person," He crossed his arms, "So, Ash, whatcha say?"
"I-well," Ash shook his head slightly, "My license-"
"Will be just fine," Jim grinned slightly, "See Blitzle is technically a wild pokemon like all the young ones on my farm," Ash's eyes widen, "The collar around her neck is what prevents anyone from catching her. Once I remove it, you'll be able to,"
"I," Ash realized that he might just be getting another pokemon, "Jim, are you serious?"
"Dead serious," Jim leaned forward with a grin, "So do you want to take Blitzle along with you?"
Turning to Blitzle who was staring at him with wide eyes, Ash dropped to his knees before the zebra-like pokemon. Blitzle backed up a bit before moving forward with a curious look on her face. She made a soft sound and tilted her head as Ash spoke softly to her with Pikachu sitting on his shoulder, "Blitzle, I...Jim says you might be happier coming with me. I don't know if that would be true, but," He clenched his fingers into a fist as hope welled up since he'd come to like the electric-type in the short time they'd spent together, "I'd like to see if it could be. I'm going to be traveling a lot of place, so wouldn't be back here for a long while. But while we're traveling, we'd see a lot of new places and meet so many new friends," He reached out and Blitzle slowly lowered her head into his palm making his heart jump, "Blitzle, I want to become a pokemon master. It's going to be hard and I'm going to need a good team of friends. I think you'll be a good fit if you're willing to join us. Do you want to?"
Blitzle's eyes were staring into his for a long moment and Ash let his aura out after a moment. He breathed out as their aura's mixed allowing Blitzle to feel everything he was as her own aura rushed over him. Fear of strangers despite wanting to explore the world, a want to get rid of that fear. A desperate desire to run as far and wide as she could while within a herd of friends. Being strong enough to protect herself from anyone who could do harm, a need to be strong enough to battle that deep set fear of strangers. Beneath all that, he found a hidden well of strength that ached to be released and itched to help Blitzle do so.
As Ash dropped his hand, Blitzle pressed her head into his chest with a soft cry. Jim let out a laugh as he said, "Looks like you got a Blitzle, Ash. Let's get some paperwork done and she'll be all yours once that collar comes off."
Nodding his head, Ash grinned as he hugged Blitzle around the neck while murmuring, "Welcome to the family, Blitzle. I am so happy to have found you."
Looking at the Blitzle that was pretty much hiding behind Ash and taking awed peeks at a very amused Arwen every few seconds, Vali shook her head in amusement as she told the boys, "I leave you alone for a day and get a new pokemon partner, Ash. Looks like it was a smart idea, huh?"
Face flushing, Ash looked away from her, "Maybe."Ash's Team:
1. Pidgeotto
Female
2. Pikachu
Male
3. Blitzle
Female
Gary's Team:
1. Weepinbell
Male
2. Squirtle
Male
3. Spearow
Female
Vali's present team:
1. Balto/ Arcanine
Male
2. Smaug/ Charizard
Male
3. Elrond/ Alolan-Raichu
Male
4. Eowyn/ Houndoom
Female
5. Aragorn/ Vulpix-King-Gene
Male
6. Pele/ Camerupt
Female
7. Celina/ Pidgeot
Female
8. Thorin/ Flareon
Male
9. Arwen/ Rapidash
Female
10. Galadrial/ Chandelure
Female
11. Nazgul/ Gengar-Shiny
Male
12. Irmo/ Pyroar
Male
13. Ortho/ Furret
Male
14. Noldor/ Smeargle
Male
15. Terra/ Tyranitar
Female
16. Empress/ Salamence
Female
17. Idril/ Sandslash-Shiny
Female
18. Pippin/ Luxray
Male
19. Bombur/ Dewgong
Male
20. Balrog/ Magmar
Male
21. Khione/ Aurorus
Female
22. Rosie/ Meganium
Female
23. Balin/ Typhlosion
Male
24. Disa/ Jolteon
Female
25. Absol
Male
26. Noibat
Male
